A song for the stars /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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 Hawaiʻi, 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.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Todd's first historical romance is a dear story of love's ability to cross the figurative and literal ocean that all too easily separates people. Maile is the 18-year-old daughter of Oahu's royal family, and when British naval captain James Cook lands on the island in the late 1700s, her life is greatly changed. Her first-person narrative-though forgivably modern in tone and disposition-reflects her tribe's anger when a misunderstanding triggers a bloody battle and her scorn for traditional gender roles. After John Harbottle, Cook's translator, kills Maile's fiancAc in battle, she lashes out, stabbing and wounding him. She is immediately conflicted as to whether to let Harbottle die or try to save him. The ensuing tension between them as she nurses him back to health is sweet if predictable. Passages from Harbottle's diary supposedly represent the British point of view, but his voice lacks sufficient contrast. This soft-pedaled romance is suitable for readers of all ages. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

In Todd's stellar historical proper romance we meet Maile, the second daughter of a Hawaiian high chief, as she learns how to navigate by the stars. It is 1779, and the people on the island welcome the arrival of Captain James Cook and his crew, lavishing them with gifts and food fit for a god. Maile is glad when Cook's men eventually leave, as their prolonged stay made them less welcome, but that relief is short-lived. Cook's ships soon return to the bay for repairs and a misunderstanding leads to the death of the captain and the capture of his translator, John Harbottle. Maile is unsure how to treat this stranger, but because John speaks her language, they soon develop mutual trust and begin to share each other's knowledge. He teaches her and her community how to defend themselves against a rival chief armed with guns, and she helps him by teaching him navigational skills. Yet after several months of sharing, talking, and exploring, Maile and John find that they can't envision a future together. Based on Todd's real-life Hawaiian ancestors along with some embellishments involving the actual John Harbottle's connection to the famous Captain Cook, Todd delivers a sweet and entrancing story about the power of communication to bring together people from vastly different worlds.--Kristina Giovanni Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A fictionalized version of the romance between a Hawaiian princess and an English naval officer from Cook's last fateful voyage, one of the first hapa haole (half-white, half-Hawaiian) marriages on record.Maile, daughter of a Hawaiian high chief, looks forward to her marriage to Ikaika, her father's prime navigator, but after a misunderstanding with Capt. James Cook instigates a skirmish which causes the captain's and Ikaika's deaths, Maile becomes the conflicted nurse of English officer John Harbottle. At first considered an enemy, John is able, with help from Maile, to convince her father to let him and his men help them against a threat from a neighboring island. Meanwhile, Maile is assigned to teach John their ancient navigation principles so the Englishmen can get back home since one of the things that caused the skirmish were missing navigation instruments, presumed stolen. John and Maile's time together leads to mutual respect and tender feelings, though John's expected departure shadows their growing love. Todd's (Resist, 2016, etc.) first adult novel is based on her fourth great-grandparents Harbottle and Papapaunauapu (Maile in the novel) and is a delightful amalgamation of fact and fiction as well as a beautifully rendered peek into Hawaiian society before any large Western influence. Through Maile's first-person narrative and John's occasional diary entries, Todd explains ancient Hawaiian customs, beliefs, and wisdom, including actual navigational methods, and creates a clever, multifaceted heroine. A trend in the romance world often has female characters rendered as anachronistically feminist, which isn't quite the case with Maile, though readers may wonder if a woman in a society as rigid as the one described here could have had the influence she does throughout the book. Still, the story is captivating.Astute and luminous, like its heroine. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Ilima Todd was born and raised on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, and now lives in the Southwest with her husband and four children. She has a degree in physics and was an avid reader before turning to writing full time.