Blog Tour/Review: By the Stars by Lindsay B. Ferguson

By the Stars, by Lindsay B. Ferguson
2016, 320p, Clean Historical Fiction
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review



When Cal finally gets a chance with Kate, the girl he's loved since grade school, their easy friendship quickly blossoms into a meaningful romance. Spirited and independent, Kate keeps a guarded heart due to a painful past, and Cal wants nothing more than to gain her trust. But World War II soon cuts their time far too short, and Cal prepares to part from her – possibly for good. After he's gone, what Kate does next changes everything.

In the suffocating jungles of the Philippines Cal encounters the chilling life of a soldier and deadly battles of war. With Kate's memory willing him on, Cal must put his trust in God to survive if he hopes to ever return to her. Inspired by a true story, By the Stars is a romance that stands the test of time and the most intense obstacles.

Cal meets Kate in the eighth grade and quickly realizes she's out of his league. He watches her from afar for several years. He sees her again right before he leaves on a three year mission but she's so popular and pretty that he just knows she'll be married before he comes home. He's surprised to see that she's still around when he comes home and they form a friendship that turns into more. When he heads off to war, Kate doesn't give him a reason to think she'll be waiting for him when he gets back.

Cal is a nice guy who is just living his life and happy when it seems it will turn out a certain way. Then, when Kate enters his life again, he realizes what he's been missing out on. Kate is outgoing, charming, and quite the actress. In the very beginning, we learn that this story is based around Kate and, after meeting them and reading their interactions, it was easy to see why.

What a captivating love story! I was drawn in from the beginning and had a hard time putting it down. I love that it's based on a true story because some of the things that happened didn't seem real. There is a particularly funny experience with Kate that really does seem unbelievable and I was glad to read at the end that the author says it really did happen. There are some tough war scenes which are somewhat descriptive and were hard to read at times, but also gave great perspective into the life of a soldier. There was so much to love about this novel! This is the first book this author has written and I'm looking forward to reading what she comes up with next!

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LINDSAY FERGUSON has been immersing herself in stories since her childhood days of sneaking a flashlight into her room and staying up reading The Babysitters Club series way past her bedtime, writing spinoffs of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and imagining herself in fascinating, far-off places. She still dreams of traveling the world one day, and finds getting lost in a good book almost as absorbing as penning her own stories and experiencing them unfold. A Communication graduate from the University of Utah, she worked as a PR and marketing writer for a computer software company for several years before resigning to focus on raising her family. She has also contributed lifestyle articles to various media outlets. When she felt the itch to attempt novel writing a fascination with history created a natural inclination toward historical fiction, with a romantic flare, of course. She lives in a suburb of Salt Lake City with her husband and four children. By the Stars is her first novel.

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