My Lucky Stars

After reading (and loving) Captive Heart, I was excited to read another novel by Michele Paige Holmes.

My Lucky Stars is very different from Captive Heart. The writing is still very good, but this is contemporary and directed at an LDS audience.

High-powered, highly pampered Tara Mollagen couldn't imagine a worse start to the holidays than boarding a crowded plane. A stolen wallet and lost suitcase later, she finds herself stranded in unfamiliar territory,Salt Lake City, after being rerouted to avoid a Colorado blizzard. With her temper running as wild as her red curls, Tara realizes her only option out of town is with Benjamin Whitmore, her reluctant knight in shining armor, er, overalls. For being a nice guy, Ben is rewarded with one aggravating situation after another with sassy, spoiled Tara. While doing his best to bring her pride down a notch, he begins to see another side to her, and a side of himself he's not overly fond of. When tension between them reaches a crescendo, he takes matters into his own hands and Tara into his arms. Unable to forget her experience with Ben, Tara returns to Seattle and long-time friend Jane, who offers possibilities Tara had never even considered. But change is difficult, and she's not so sure she has what it takes to make that leap of faith, or if she has the courage to leave her old life behind.

Tara's character is very entertaining. Her airplane experience at the beginning drew me in, and I enjoyed following her on her journey.

Ben was sort of complicated, but his presence made the story for me. Tara and her transformation take up the bulk of the story, and when Ben wasn't around I felt a bit antsy.

After starting My Lucky Stars I learned that this is the third book in a series. Although it sounds like the books stand alone pretty well, I think I might have enjoyed the middle of the book a bit more if I'd been more familiar with some of the minor characters.