Ilima Todd
352 pages
ARC from the publisher from Netgalley
From the publisher:
“Inspired by a true story
Hawaiian Islands, 1779
As the second daughter of a royal chief, Maile will be permitted to marry for love. Her fiancé is the best navigator in Hawaii, and he taught her everything he knows how to feel the ocean, observe the winds, read the stars, and how to love.
But when sailors from a strange place called England arrive on her island, a misunderstanding ends in battle, and Maile is suddenly widowed before she is wed.Finding herself in the middle of the battle and fearing for her life, Maile takes John Harbottle, the wounded man who killed her fiancé, prisoner, and though originally intending to let him die, she reluctantly heals him. And in the process, she discovers the man she thought was her enemy might be her ally instead.
John has been Captain James Cook’s translator for three voyages across the Pacific. He is kind and clearly fascinated with her homeland and her people and Maile herself. But guilt continues to drive a wedge between them: John’s guilt over the death he caused, and Maile’s guilt over the truth about what triggered the deadly battle a secret she’s kept hidden from everyone on the island.
When Maile is tasked with teaching John how to navigate using the stars so he can sail back to England, they must also navigate the challenges of being from very different cultures. In doing so, they might also find the peace that comes when two hearts become one.
Review:
I am a huge fan of the Proper Romance Historical series – not only are the fun sweet romances, but I always feel like I’m learning something from them too. A Song for the Stars was no different! I was a little skeptical at first – not sure why exactly – but once I started this book and got a couple chapters in, I couldn’t put it down!
It had a little bit of a Moana/Pocahontas, even a little bit of Mulan feel to it, but in such a good way. I loved the main character Maile and how strong she was. The journal enteries from John are a great touch to every chapter. Since the book is written from Maile’s point of view, I appreciated having his view inserted every once in a while.
I honestly don’t know much about this historical era. I vaguely remember Captain Cook’s name from history classes in school so I was interested to learn about how some of the story happened and read at the end of the book some of the facts in the authors note. And then there is the family history side of this story…just another reason to love it even more! John and Maile (her name is changed in the book) are the author’s fourth-great-grandparents, and while the book is fiction, it is based off their real relationship. I find this SO impressive! I think it’s amazing that someone learned/heard about their 4th great-grandparents and turned it into a story. Family history is always so intriguing to me!
If you are a fan of the proper romance series, or you are a fan of historical fiction I think this would be a great book for you to check out. I would love to read more about Maile and John, this book could also easily be such a fun movie! The book also included some discussion questions in the end, so you could easily make this a fun book club selection too! I loved it!
