With Stars in Her Eyes

A meet-cute in a quirky bookstore kicks off this cozy queer romance from Burke (Fall for Him). Courtney Starling was a child star in the Christian music industry, but now she’s ready to relaunch her career on her own, secular terms as Kestrel. Unfortunately, a migraine flare on stage at her debut concert derails this plan and sparks rumors of a drug problem. Courtney retreats to her best friend’s critter-filled Kansas bookstore, Menagerie Books, to lick her wounds, unsure if she wants to perform again. Enter local piercing artist Thea Quinn, whose terror at encountering one of Menagerie’s lizards among the stacks leads to an indelible first encounter with Courtney. Sparks fly—especially when the women end up snowed in at the bookstore through a twist of fate and small-town scheming. Their budding relationship is complicated by Thea’s struggle to escape the pressure and expectations placed on her by her proper Southern family and Courtney’s decision to keep her past to herself. Burke brings her complex heroines vividly to life and creates an electric dynamic between them. The ending feels somewhat rushed and convenient, but it’s a joy to see these two get their happily ever after. Readers will be pleased. (Sept.)