For Tess and Jake, it’s love at first sight. Two wounded souls, sensing a kindred connection, fall into a life-saving relationship. This story reels with emotion as past traumas direct their actions. Tess and Jake have each other and a wonderful host of supportive friends. Readers will love these two main characters and the entire cast.

SHOOTING STARS ABOVE is a poignant and heart-wrenching story of love, hope, and healing, even in the darkest of places. Tess and Jack, harboring such brokenness, finally find the counterpart who can make them whole again. It’s a fictional story but one that feels relatable. The precept is powerful—that no matter how broken, we can each find our true love. CW - themes of trauma and abuse.

Patricia Leavy has written over 50 books and has received numerous awards and has had an award named after her. She’s a big deal. She writes fiction and non-fiction with her latest interest being romance. I have not read any of her books until I received a galley of Shooting Stars Above.

This book is about an author who has written a number of inspirational books for broken people offering a ray of sunshine at the end of the tunnel. She has received numerous awards and was the first woman author to negotiate her own terms for rights to her books and films. She is not able to embrace her success. She came from trauma and has a problem of feeling worthy.

The author is Tess Lee and she meets the man of her dreams, Jack Miller. They have a whirlwind romance. They fit together nicely and for all the world seem the perfect couple and for the most part that is true. They have a great group of friends and her best friend is Omar.

This is a nice story on the surface. There are problems underneath all of this success and wonderful relationships. Tess and Jack both struggle with their pasts but, even that is making great strides. All of this just seems a little too perfect for my taste. I think for a couple that has not been able to have long term personal relationships to meet and then practically be glued together without some ups and downs is a little too amazing.

That is my only beef with the book. I enjoyed the story. As a reader, I’m always interested in the life of an author. Many authors I know struggle to make a living at writing and Tess has it all. I guess it can happen but, to me this was an adult fairy tale. There is nothing wrong with that! My thoughts are that I could have used a little more angst. If you love Patricia Leavy and you love a beautiful love story, it doesn’t get any better than this. It will certainly deserve a place on your nightstand. It was on mine. Until next time…Happy Reading!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from #Patricia Leavy, #Netgalley and #She Writes Press. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to DNF this book. Within the first 10 percent, several significant following topics were mentioned by both FMC and MMC without any real grappelimg or discussion. I felt that it was a laundry list of trauma rather than a discussion with nuance. Instead, I was given the ick over and over again.

The meet-cute involves the MMC coming to the aid of the FMC when she is at a bar with a man being aggressive. This is what would usually be fine, but then the FMC says she is alone because her friend, who is described as Black, got pulled over by cops due to racial profiling. Then the FMC says said friend is no longer coming because he is with his Middle Eastern spouse, “so they get it,” honestly, I wish I had stopped reading there. Because WHAT? While it was clear this was bad, they then just changed topics. This HUGE topic deserves more depth and consideration.

Then, when they go home together (instant-lust is cool with me), she points to his scars from a gunshot wound and compares them to her trauma from SA. Both being a victim of gun violence and seeing active combat in the military and SA are heavy topics, but to have the characters bring this up and then have sex felt very jarring.

Then, the FMC mentioned she doesn’t eat much and had an apparent problem with disordered eating. Again, I love the topic's inclusion, but this needs to be dealt with carefully and not just dropped in conversation.

Finally, within the first 10% of the book, the MMC gives the FMC a list of everyone he’s ever killed while in active combat and working as a CIA Operative. Well, I’m sure that anyone would have trauma from this. It felt casual again. This was followed by love decoration after they’d known each other for 48 hours.

I really tried, but this just felt like using trauma to move a story without even treating the topics with care or understanding. I had no issues with the topics themselves, but the way they were handled in casual conversation felt flippant. I had to put down the book after that.

This was such a heartfelt and emotionally powerful read, especially for a story that’s just over 200 pages! Tess Lee and Jack Miller’s journey is an exploration of love, healing, and the courage to confront past traumas. Tess, a world-famous novelist, and Jack, a federal agent hardened by years in counterterrorism, are two wounded souls who find an instant, deep connection. Their love story is tender and raw as they navigate heartache and vulnerability, with Tess confronting her childhood abuse and Jack grappling with the loss of a loved one.

Despite its brevity, the book delivers rich, well-developed characters and moments that feel incredibly real. Tess and Jack’s openness and willingness to share their scars—both physical and emotional—create a moving story of hope and redemption. I found myself resonating with both characters in different ways and wishing I could be alongside them as they experienced their journey.

This is just the first book in a new series, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. A beautifully written story about finding light in the darkness.

This short book has all the feels. Tess is a novelist and Jack is a federal agent. They met one night and their connection is magical. As they pursue their love interests, old wounds get in the way. Can their love survive their pasts?

I loved this book and would highly recommend!

This book is about two people who are so perfect for one another. Two broken souls fitting together like a lost puzzle piece. Jack and Tess meet by chance in a bar and hit it off instantly. Tess feels so comfortable with him and is already telling him things she has never told anyone. Both characters are so similar in dealing with horrific past trauma and overcoming that. I love the way their friends all mingled and it became one happy family.


“I never thought I could have this kind of happiness until I met you, especially after Gracie. I love you with all my heart, and I don’t ever want to lose you. I’ll do anything for you.”

Oof. Okay guys, I read this in a day. I was a little skeptical about the insta-love right off the bat, but once I got into the story a little more I was hooked!

Tess is a famous author, Jack is a federal agent. They meet at a bar one night and hit it off quickly. But each of them has a significant amount of past trauma. Their love for each other is fierce and they work together to overcome their difficult pasts. This is truly a story about healing ❤️‍🩹🥺🥺

Jack is definitely book boyfriend material and is extremely patient and understanding.

This book has a heavy punch considering it isn’t too long. I was reading as fast as I could, trying to soak up this book! Tess and Jack are special and I am already looking forward to seeing more of them in their next book (although this does NOT end of a cliffhanger ✨)

Some tropes -
💥 insta-love
💥 author x federal agent
💥 trauma, healing
💥 hurt, comfort

Some fave quotes -
💫 “She’s sweet, smart, and so beautiful. There’s a gentleness about her, this deep kindness in her eyes. From the first night we met, there was something indescribable between us. No one has ever gotten to me like this. It’s like my heart just cracked wide open,” Jack said. He took a sip of his beer. “All I want to do is spend time with her.”

💫 “I never thought I could have this kind of happiness until I met you, especially after Gracie. I love you with all my heart, and I don’t ever want to lose you. I’ll do anything for you.”

💫 “On this morning, she rose to the smell of coffee, the taste of possibility, and a singular thought: Today I can live.”

💫 “I’m glad I hung up. Now I can always imagine he was calling to say he was sorry.” - AHHH this one really got me 🥹

💫 “Don’t you think I feel something every day when I see the scars on your body? Don’t you think I would give anything to take that pain away? But I know that I can’t, so instead, they remind me to show you every single day how much I love you, and to always be gentle with you. Can you please try to do the same thing? You can’t save me from the past, but you can be with me now, love me now. Just love me. That’s all I want.”

💥 there are some triggers to be mindful of.

(Will add my review to my bookstagram closer to pub day - @rene.reads_)