GRR Reviews The Distance Between Stars by Nicole Conway

The Distance Between Stars is a contemporary romance between two very unlikely characters: a strong silent hero (whose head injury rendered him mute), and a girl who's allergic to the sun (and ended up as a prisoner in her mansion). While the setup was somewhat interesting, the FMC's background only half-made sense.

To recap, Joseph Clancey woke up from an IED attack in the Middle East, and found he had lost his ability to speak. He was discharged and found work as a handyman back in his hometown, living at home, with his brother and his wife, and little prospect of future. He found work as handyman at Filibrault Manor, which needed a lot of fixing up. Then one day, he found that someone had added a message to the notebook he used to communicate... Someone named Beverly. She was a virtual prisoner in the manor, but not of her choosing. She is deathly allergic to the sun, and since then she had been cut off from virtually all outside contact. Joe was the only new person she had seen in recent years. And they developed a relationship... and Joe was determined to liberate her from her prison... even if he can never see her again...

I find the reason for the FMC's imprisonment nebulous and sadistic. There was no reason to limit her freedom that way. It was even worse than a real prison. That's just truly evil, just "because". The rest of the book is fine.

Category: Contemporary / Fairy Tale

Primary Plot:  Strong silent hero meets girl kept prisoner by her ailment and circumstances; can he rescue her and love her by sending her away

Tropes: different worlds, handy man, kidnapping, protector, woman in peril, scars, evil parents

Overall Rating:  4/5