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Firefly Hollow #9
Stardust Valley
This is Noah's story. He loves Sophie, has since he was a seventeen-year-old kid, but thanks to a manipulative troublemaker and because he's a stubborn Campbell man (or so his female relatives keep telling him), it takes him a while to figure his feelings out and do something about them. Like more than ten years. Also, did I mention that he's an introvert who happens to be a medium? Who comes from a long line of people with abilities that "normal" folks don't have, like shape-shifting? Yeah, there's that.
Then there's Sophie. She's been beat up pretty harshly by life through the years, including the crushing heartbreak that came about during Noah's feud with his brother when they were all teenagers. She's a lot less trusting than she used to be and with good reason. But she's never forgotten her feelings for Noah or been able to put them aside no matter how much she's wanted to over the years.
Now that life and circumstances have thrown them together, a clash is inevitable. A clash that starts one day with a stolen kiss and leads them both down a road they never thought they'd be traveling again.
Note: This book does contain a handful of sensual lovemaking scenes and some adult language but by no means do those elements make up the majority of the story. However, if you find such things offensive, this book probably isn’t for you. Reader discretion is advised.
"Stardust Valley" is the ninth book in the Firefly Hollow series, Women’s Fiction Romances set in Appalachia featuring elements of traditional Appalachian paranormal folklore.
Then there's Sophie. She's been beat up pretty harshly by life through the years, including the crushing heartbreak that came about during Noah's feud with his brother when they were all teenagers. She's a lot less trusting than she used to be and with good reason. But she's never forgotten her feelings for Noah or been able to put them aside no matter how much she's wanted to over the years.
Now that life and circumstances have thrown them together, a clash is inevitable. A clash that starts one day with a stolen kiss and leads them both down a road they never thought they'd be traveling again.
Note: This book does contain a handful of sensual lovemaking scenes and some adult language but by no means do those elements make up the majority of the story. However, if you find such things offensive, this book probably isn’t for you. Reader discretion is advised.
"Stardust Valley" is the ninth book in the Firefly Hollow series, Women’s Fiction Romances set in Appalachia featuring elements of traditional Appalachian paranormal folklore.
ebook
First published December 3, 2015
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222 people want to read
About the author
T.L. Haddix
40 books229 followersT.L. Haddix is the author of the Firefly Hollow Series, women's fiction romances set in Eastern Kentucky, as well as numerous other projects under various pen names. She's a self-described eccentric, a somewhat reclusive stick in the mud who lives in Eastern Kentucky with her husband and their cat-children. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking, reading, genealogy, casual bird-and-critter watching, and being short.
She writes books about characters who are flawed but who somehow still manage to overcome the challenges thrown in their paths and reach for happiness with their soul mates. And while she can't tell a joke in the real world to save her life, she tries to inject her characters' lives with quirky, unintentional humor that surprises readers at just the right moment.
She writes books about characters who are flawed but who somehow still manage to overcome the challenges thrown in their paths and reach for happiness with their soul mates. And while she can't tell a joke in the real world to save her life, she tries to inject her characters' lives with quirky, unintentional humor that surprises readers at just the right moment.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 5, 2015
The world is a pretty scary place right now. You turn on the news and then cringe at what is going to be happening this day. For me, reading is an escape from that. I read all kinds of books. The stabby to the porny. I love them all. The books in this series though are the ones I turn to when I just want to be at home. I can put on my sweats and throw my hair up and snuggle up with them.
I know I'm safe because I'm with family. I feel like I'm part of the Campbell family. I am friends with the author of this series and when I talk to her I have to restrain my crazy self from asking "how so and so is doing"..that's how real they are in my head.
No, I'm not frigging crazy. She just has that ability in her writing.
Romance genre's have changed so much. Most people want some smutty reading. Heck, I read some smutty books and enjoy the heck out of them. Or those books where the hero controls the woman. Umm.. we won't talk about those in the same breath as these books.
These books are the real deal.
And I love them.
This is Noah's story. Noah has always been one of those characters that I kept my eye on. Introverted, shy and not very sure of himself, he has weaved his way throughout the other books of this series and always had me waiting on his story.
I think his and his brother Eli's story is entwined in this and the last book that I read of the series. Snapdragon Way. The boys had patched things up between each other after Eli's ex-wife from hell had torn their relationship apart.
Eli found his partner in that book and you got touches of what was to come for Noah..but this book is that coming together.
Sophie is Erica's (the bitch from hell) cousin. She grew up with Erica and became part of Erica's torture. She was shattered and hurt along with Noah and Eli. But her hurt just kept coming. To the point to where she has shut herself down to people and made herself a big wall.
She had loved Noah as a young girl but now she just is alive. There is no living with her. She exists.
*sighs*
I love these characters. Thank you Tab for creating them.
Everybody needs stars on the ceiling.
Booksource: I was gifted a copy of this book from the author. In exchange for nothing. I reviewed and rated on my own. I'm a rebel like that.
No one else has posted a review yet on this book. So just go and like a review that doesn't show up a million times on your feed. Those are the good ones. (yes, I hate the review bumping)
I know I'm safe because I'm with family. I feel like I'm part of the Campbell family. I am friends with the author of this series and when I talk to her I have to restrain my crazy self from asking "how so and so is doing"..that's how real they are in my head.
No, I'm not frigging crazy. She just has that ability in her writing.
Romance genre's have changed so much. Most people want some smutty reading. Heck, I read some smutty books and enjoy the heck out of them. Or those books where the hero controls the woman. Umm.. we won't talk about those in the same breath as these books.
These books are the real deal.
And I love them.
This is Noah's story. Noah has always been one of those characters that I kept my eye on. Introverted, shy and not very sure of himself, he has weaved his way throughout the other books of this series and always had me waiting on his story.
I think his and his brother Eli's story is entwined in this and the last book that I read of the series. Snapdragon Way. The boys had patched things up between each other after Eli's ex-wife from hell had torn their relationship apart.
Eli found his partner in that book and you got touches of what was to come for Noah..but this book is that coming together.
Sophie is Erica's (the bitch from hell) cousin. She grew up with Erica and became part of Erica's torture. She was shattered and hurt along with Noah and Eli. But her hurt just kept coming. To the point to where she has shut herself down to people and made herself a big wall.
She had loved Noah as a young girl but now she just is alive. There is no living with her. She exists.
*sighs*
I love these characters. Thank you Tab for creating them.
Everybody needs stars on the ceiling.
Booksource: I was gifted a copy of this book from the author. In exchange for nothing. I reviewed and rated on my own. I'm a rebel like that.
No one else has posted a review yet on this book. So just go and like a review that doesn't show up a million times on your feed. Those are the good ones. (yes, I hate the review bumping)
February 15, 2021
YOU!
YES, YOU!
HOLD ON A SECOND.
PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.
I SWEAR THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Look, I know that Stardust Valley is the ninth book of the Firefly Hollow series and if you've never met them, you probably think that this review isn't for you.
YOU ARE WRONG.
As far as series are concerned, I definitely suffer from a very short attention span, and I can't count how many series were thrown into my graveyard, no matter how much the first books interested me : there is such thing as lassitude, in my opinion anyway. Yet I come back to the Campbells, every fucking time. Yet they manage to make me smile, every fucking time.
Are these books perfect? By all means, no. They dangerously venture into cheesy territory sometimes, and are not free of clichés. If I'm being fair, I would probably mind in any other book. Know that you walk in a big, sweet bubble. Now, everybody has its perfect books to lift their mood on cloudy and exhausting days : They're mine, and I can't help but forgive them for the few times they make me roll my eyes. There. I did warn you. It remains that I spent two evening in front of my stove, buried under the covers, eating caramel chocolate and reading Noah's story and you know what? It was fabulous.
This being said, let's be honest one second : I don't really want to review this book, because it seems wrong somehow. Don't make that perplexed face, I'm going to explain : truth is, each time I come back to the Campbells, I feel as if I'm catching up with friends or even family. My stubborn, adorable and crazy friends.
Would you relate your friends' lives on the internet?
Huh? That's what I thought.
Alright, let's do this anyway. Who is this story about? I'm about to say : Does that matter? Every character found its way to my heart - well, if I'm playing favorites I'd say that Amelia and Logan own the special place for me but Noah and Sophie? They are very very close. Dangerously so. See, they were high-school sweethearts before drama entered their life and shattered their relationship.
Noah, who always suffered from the loneliness his ability brought (he's a medium, and communicates with the deads) ; Sophie, who lived in the shadow of her bitch of her cousin (I'm weighing my words here, trust me) almost all her life. They both endured so much that the possibility of trusting each others' again freak them out immensely, and it's so, so understandable. Little by little, they'll learn to open up and it's wonderful. This is again proof that we don't need a ridiculous amount of deaths to care and ache for a character. Real life will always manage to pull me in quicker than any NA drama would.
And then, there's the family. Always the family. What I adore above anything else is the fact that every member of this family stay true to character through the series. How many times do we read series where after some books we wonder what the fuck this character is doing? None of this here. Take Logan, for example : his appearance was wonderful (I stood up. And clapped. And squealed - shut up, he's my fave, okay?) because even though he's been absent from the previous books, as soon as he opened his mouth to half heartedly scowl at a kitten I recognized him. He stayed the same man I loved in Cricket Cove (if you haven't read his story already, what the hell are you waiting for? I'm looking at you, Shelby :p). That's why I trust T.L. Haddix : besides being an adorable woman, I know that no matter how many books she'll write, she won't betray us (sorry for the pressure :P)
Thank you. With all my heart, thank you.
* See, when I state that there is women hating in a book (you know how much I hate that shit), it doesn't mean that I'm blind and that I can't handle fights and arguments between women. No. What infuriates me is the way some authors only picture women hating each other's without never a hint of an explanation and even less a resolution of the issues if issues there are. Here we have real life, and a woman who reacts in an impulsive way towards Sophie because she's jealous - and I get that. She has her reasons, and she calls herself on her shit after. I'm not going to say that it never happens, and T.L. Haddix pictures TONS of amazing relationships between women.
IMPORTANT NOTE. Every book can be read separately, but I don't recommend you doing it, because you'd miss tons of winks and family knowledge, and I'm pretty sure it would spoil the fun a little. I'm not saying that you have to read all the books, but before giving into this one I'd say that you at least need to read some of the "first generation" books (I'd say 1, 3 and 5, but they're my fave, so...)
*This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review (thank you!). It did not, in any case, influence my opinion*
For more of my reviews, please visit:
December 8, 2015
I should preface this with saying that I am a little biased. I have been in love with this family for quite a while now. They are a loud, meddling, loving brood that you can’t not fall in love with. I want to be a heroine in one of these book, just so I can marry into and be adopted by this wonderful family.
I was so excited to get to Noah’s book. The anticipation about his story has been subtly built up for a while now. Noah’s unusual ability made him feel like a bit of a freak, even within his own family, many of whom have abilities of their own. Being able to talk to spirits was difficult to grow up with and it turned him into an introvert and a bit of a recluse. Throughout books two through eight in the series, there are numerous references made about Noah and how guarded he is, given his ability and his falling out with his brother Eli in high school. I couldn’t wait to unravel Noah. I guess I have a thing for the silent, tortured hero.
Sophie and Noah are alike in that they both have baggage to deal with, specifically that they have both been betrayed by people that were supposed to love them. I have to say, I was a little disappointed that Sophie had so much baggage herself because it meant less of a focus on Noah. I was excited to learn more about Noah's ability from his POV since we've been hearing about it from others for so long and it had such profound effect on who he was. But that's my personal preference. It was still a great story of two people overcoming difficult pasts to find each other (again).
I loved to see 1) the references to things that happened in other books (as some of the timelines between books happened concurrently), like Rachel's wedding, but from a different POV and 2) the continuation of things/relationships from other books, like and Amelia and Logan having kids.
One small thing that bothered me was the characterization of Erica. She was a little too evil. But it's a small complaint.
Overall a great addition to the Firefly Hollow series. Haddix is a wonderful story teller and has created a fantastic world in these books centering around a family that everyone will want to be a part of.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to get to Noah’s book. The anticipation about his story has been subtly built up for a while now. Noah’s unusual ability made him feel like a bit of a freak, even within his own family, many of whom have abilities of their own. Being able to talk to spirits was difficult to grow up with and it turned him into an introvert and a bit of a recluse. Throughout books two through eight in the series, there are numerous references made about Noah and how guarded he is, given his ability and his falling out with his brother Eli in high school. I couldn’t wait to unravel Noah. I guess I have a thing for the silent, tortured hero.
Sophie and Noah are alike in that they both have baggage to deal with, specifically that they have both been betrayed by people that were supposed to love them. I have to say, I was a little disappointed that Sophie had so much baggage herself because it meant less of a focus on Noah. I was excited to learn more about Noah's ability from his POV since we've been hearing about it from others for so long and it had such profound effect on who he was. But that's my personal preference. It was still a great story of two people overcoming difficult pasts to find each other (again).
I loved to see 1) the references to things that happened in other books (as some of the timelines between books happened concurrently), like Rachel's wedding, but from a different POV and 2) the continuation of things/relationships from other books, like and Amelia and Logan having kids.
One small thing that bothered me was the characterization of Erica. She was a little too evil. But it's a small complaint.
Overall a great addition to the Firefly Hollow series. Haddix is a wonderful story teller and has created a fantastic world in these books centering around a family that everyone will want to be a part of.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2022
5 Stars.
The Good:
• How like/unlike Owen he was
• Noah's personality & gentleness
•Fig
The Bad:
• More involving his abilities
The Book:
Oh Noah, I really liked his story. When I read the synopsis a few books ago to see who each story was going to be about, I was really looking forward to his & I wasn't disappointed. Eli's story got me back into the Firefly Hollow series & Noah's kept me there. It felt like there was some magic back in the story again. This book also felt like a continuation of Eli's book which fit in perfectly. I like how much in this book you saw the similarities between Owen & Noah but enough to show he was his own person with his own 'voice'. I've always liked Noah's personality & how gentle he was with the world around him. Also, Fig. I'd love a cat like her, she seems wonderful. Though, the one nitpick I do have is that I wish his abilities were involved more, yes there was a bit of Moira & Molly & the sprite but there was surprisingly little of it that I feel like it affected his life in a significant way. I was surprised he only saw a few ghosts rather than a whole bunch of them given how much he didn't like hospitals & such. To end things, I really liked his book & I'm intrigued to read Kathy's next.
The Good:
• How like/unlike Owen he was
• Noah's personality & gentleness
•Fig
The Bad:
• More involving his abilities
The Book:
Oh Noah, I really liked his story. When I read the synopsis a few books ago to see who each story was going to be about, I was really looking forward to his & I wasn't disappointed. Eli's story got me back into the Firefly Hollow series & Noah's kept me there. It felt like there was some magic back in the story again. This book also felt like a continuation of Eli's book which fit in perfectly. I like how much in this book you saw the similarities between Owen & Noah but enough to show he was his own person with his own 'voice'. I've always liked Noah's personality & how gentle he was with the world around him. Also, Fig. I'd love a cat like her, she seems wonderful. Though, the one nitpick I do have is that I wish his abilities were involved more, yes there was a bit of Moira & Molly & the sprite but there was surprisingly little of it that I feel like it affected his life in a significant way. I was surprised he only saw a few ghosts rather than a whole bunch of them given how much he didn't like hospitals & such. To end things, I really liked his book & I'm intrigued to read Kathy's next.
February 21, 2017
Noah Campbell is an introvert of the Campbell family and lives a reclusive life. He find that is hard for him to trust, as two of people that matter to him the most betray him with his darkest secret. He is also the oldest grand child of Owen and Sarah Campbell, and got call as Little Owen by family. However, he has other ability that is beyond the Campbell family, and this ability make him apart from his peers, family, and the rest of the world.
Sophie is the long term sweet heart of Noah and a good friend of the Campbells. She build a unbreakable wall around herself, as she has been betray a multiple time by her love ones. When Noah and Sophi meet again after years later, can they overcome themselves and their pass to create a future together?
This is the best book thus far of this series. Haddix has the emotions and romance of the first book, Firefly Hollow, but, Haddix also goes a level deeper, exploring the relationship, trust, love, hope and forgiveness between family members.
I'm looking for other installment of the series
Sophie is the long term sweet heart of Noah and a good friend of the Campbells. She build a unbreakable wall around herself, as she has been betray a multiple time by her love ones. When Noah and Sophi meet again after years later, can they overcome themselves and their pass to create a future together?
This is the best book thus far of this series. Haddix has the emotions and romance of the first book, Firefly Hollow, but, Haddix also goes a level deeper, exploring the relationship, trust, love, hope and forgiveness between family members.
I'm looking for other installment of the series
January 29, 2023
This family is simply amazing. It is so good to read about a family that is so loving, supporting and accepting of its members...warts and all. Those that join this family and share in its bounty are doubly blessed because most of them have not known unconditional love or even peace.
Both Noah and Sophie were almost destroyed by the spawn of Satan. While reading, I was constantly fearful that this dreadful monster would appear to Noah (thankfully she stayed in Hell).
Great read and a strong addition to this series.
Both Noah and Sophie were almost destroyed by the spawn of Satan. While reading, I was constantly fearful that this dreadful monster would appear to Noah (thankfully she stayed in Hell).
Great read and a strong addition to this series.
August 8, 2017
I have read 9 of the books. Each and every one is wonderful. Once you read the 1st book about the Campbell family who can not stop. Each book is a stand alone, but so much more rewarding if you start at the beginning. You will not be disappointed in any of the books.
January 14, 2022
Star dust valley
I simple enjoy Ms. Haddix's books! The continuous storyline of the Campbell family leaves you feeling uplifted with these books. Noah's story, brought the family together.
I simple enjoy Ms. Haddix's books! The continuous storyline of the Campbell family leaves you feeling uplifted with these books. Noah's story, brought the family together.
June 24, 2017
This is one of the best ones yet!
March 20, 2018
What a great story to go with the one before it. Books 8&9 and very tied together ;) There is a sex scene but short.
September 13, 2023
Good story
The order of this series is confusing to me, but this book is as good as the first one. I might not do it in the right order, but I will be reading more.
The order of this series is confusing to me, but this book is as good as the first one. I might not do it in the right order, but I will be reading more.
June 13, 2017
only a few more books left to the series
December 18, 2015
I discovered the Firefly Hollow series in the last book, Snapdragon Way, which not only introduced me to the marvellous Campbell family, but to both Noah and Sophie as well. So even though most of the books in this series are intended to stand alone perfectly well, I feel like these two books do need to be read together – not least because Noah’s story started in the last book, while Eli’s finishes in this one. So don’t be intimidated by the big number 9, but do be aware that for maximum enjoyment of this book you might want to take a look at the last one first.
Now, with that out of the way, this book is adorable and enjoyable and sweet and felt good for my heart. Both Noah and Sophie have deep emotional hurts and something broke in each of them that long ago day, when he was seventeen and she fifteen and so may good things were shattered by a spiteful whisper, a foolish announcement and a bitter fight. But now that Eli has returned home and things are starting to heal between him and Noah, it’s time for the real truth to come out.
But unlike Noah, whose worst wounds were inflicted that day, life has not been kind to Sophie. She’s such a nice woman, kind and giving and sweet, yet life has been exceedingly cruel to her time and again. It’s very easy to see why she finds it so hard to trust and doesn’t want to go back and try again, but likewise it makes it so wonderful when she finds herself in the middle of the Campbell family, unable to escape their bonds and ties even if she wanted to. Not that she’s weak or pitiful – she definitely has her own quiet strengths, which she uses to good effect when it comes to Noah.
Ah, Noah. Yes, he’s had a heavy burden to carry throughout his life, but I have to admit there were times when I wanted to smack him on the back of the head and tell him to stop wallowing. He uses his introverted nature as an excuse to dwell on the bad things that have happened to him, while rarely attempting to look at things from another point of view. Until Eli fills him in on a few important details, of course. It does take him a while to accept that his view of Sophie is wrong, but when he does… oh, then he fulfills his potential. The quiet, certain, strong way he loves her is lovely.
Which sums up this whole book for me: it’s lovely. The romance is steady and deep, the characters are well-rounded and complicated and the entire Campbell family is meddlesome and wonderful. I loved getting to see more of Eli and how his own relationship with Noah continues to change and evolve, while Fig the cat is simply gorgeous. I also enjoyed the paranormal elements, which wove quite naturally in amongst everything else and made me more convinced than ever that I have to catch up on the rest of this series soon.
If you’re looking for something enjoyable, containing a full family saga and a romance that is about a deep and abiding kind of love, then I definitely recommend this book, and since it’s the second one I’ve enjoyed this much, I’d say give the whole series a go. I intend to.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
Now, with that out of the way, this book is adorable and enjoyable and sweet and felt good for my heart. Both Noah and Sophie have deep emotional hurts and something broke in each of them that long ago day, when he was seventeen and she fifteen and so may good things were shattered by a spiteful whisper, a foolish announcement and a bitter fight. But now that Eli has returned home and things are starting to heal between him and Noah, it’s time for the real truth to come out.
But unlike Noah, whose worst wounds were inflicted that day, life has not been kind to Sophie. She’s such a nice woman, kind and giving and sweet, yet life has been exceedingly cruel to her time and again. It’s very easy to see why she finds it so hard to trust and doesn’t want to go back and try again, but likewise it makes it so wonderful when she finds herself in the middle of the Campbell family, unable to escape their bonds and ties even if she wanted to. Not that she’s weak or pitiful – she definitely has her own quiet strengths, which she uses to good effect when it comes to Noah.
Ah, Noah. Yes, he’s had a heavy burden to carry throughout his life, but I have to admit there were times when I wanted to smack him on the back of the head and tell him to stop wallowing. He uses his introverted nature as an excuse to dwell on the bad things that have happened to him, while rarely attempting to look at things from another point of view. Until Eli fills him in on a few important details, of course. It does take him a while to accept that his view of Sophie is wrong, but when he does… oh, then he fulfills his potential. The quiet, certain, strong way he loves her is lovely.
Which sums up this whole book for me: it’s lovely. The romance is steady and deep, the characters are well-rounded and complicated and the entire Campbell family is meddlesome and wonderful. I loved getting to see more of Eli and how his own relationship with Noah continues to change and evolve, while Fig the cat is simply gorgeous. I also enjoyed the paranormal elements, which wove quite naturally in amongst everything else and made me more convinced than ever that I have to catch up on the rest of this series soon.
If you’re looking for something enjoyable, containing a full family saga and a romance that is about a deep and abiding kind of love, then I definitely recommend this book, and since it’s the second one I’ve enjoyed this much, I’d say give the whole series a go. I intend to.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
December 29, 2016
So much happiness
I don't think these books can get any better and then this one grips me. I am so in love with this family and all that they go through. The family already has to deal with their secret background abilities but they never let that interfere in their philosophy of 'family first'. Love that.
I don't think these books can get any better and then this one grips me. I am so in love with this family and all that they go through. The family already has to deal with their secret background abilities but they never let that interfere in their philosophy of 'family first'. Love that.
December 14, 2015
I have loved every one of the books in this series, this one was no exception. My only complaint is I wish they didn't go so quickly, I don't want to leave the Campbell's family and go back to real life.
February 6, 2016
I Want to be a Campbell!
I love this series because I love this huge, happy family. Every story is a bit the same, but yet different, but through it all is a lot of love. These are truly 'feel good' books.
I love this series because I love this huge, happy family. Every story is a bit the same, but yet different, but through it all is a lot of love. These are truly 'feel good' books.
December 6, 2015
I was waiting for Noah's story to read. He was the book I was most looking forward to and wasn't disappointed!!
January 10, 2016
Friggin Awesome... If you need a series to read please read this series 1 through 8.
April 2, 2017
Such brain candy! Fun and sweet little romances and interesting enough to keep reading.
Read
May 1, 2017I love this series of books. Had to reread.
Especially after reading GOT needed something
on the lighter side.
Especially after reading GOT needed something
on the lighter side.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews