Really enjoyed this Christmas story, lovely characters and wonderful settings. Romance is in the air and this is one to curl up with. 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Emily is shocked when her parents announce their retirement and give her their ski lodge business. She doesn't want it. She wants to explore other things. But then actor Zach turns up asking for her help to ski the famous Plunge slope. There is an instant connection between them. Sweet Christmas romance.

This is a sweet holiday story. Emily and Zach meet, and sparks fly immediately. Then it turns out that Emily has been hired to teach Zach to ski a difficult jump for the new movie that Zach is making. In no time, she is introducing Zach to her parents and soon it's thanksgiving and she's meeting his family.
I kept looking for the other shoe to drop and there are plenty of opportunities, what with her best friend/adopted sister having the hots for Zach and warning her off him, then the hidden secrets in her father's past. It all gets resolved really pat and blows over into nothing.
It's a straightforward romance with no conflicts whatever.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity. Emily’s family runs a ski resort that has been passed down generations. Her parents are ready to retire and want to pass it on to Emily. She is not sure what she wants to do since finishing college, but taking over the ski lodge was not what she wanted to do. She agrees to take on more responsibility for a year and see how she feels. Emily meets Zach, one of Emily’s’ favorite actors. She is hired to help him with a dangerous ski slope for his up coming movie. Emily is al little star struck, but she agrees to do it. Zach is not what she expected and fall in love. Underlying themes of respecting your children's decisions as well as the importance of family. This is a lovely story of family, negotiating friendships, and unraveling family mysteries. If you are looking for a light, holiday read this one is for you.

Fern Michaels has hit it out of the park with this novel. Falling Stars was such a fun, heart warming, and festive book. The only minor problem I had with this book at the very beginning were mentions of covid and vaccines, it doesn't bother me if it's mentioned once or twice, but I read books to get out of the real world, not to live the today's world in books, if that makes any sense. I won't be docking any stars off for that reason because I felt like the author hit it out of the ball park with this book. I have loved this authors previous works and is my go to author for Christmas books. A good Christmas book has snow, hot chocolate, ski slopes, and Christmas trees. Falling Stars gave me all the Christmas feels and I loved every minute of it. Please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book because, I mean like Christmas is right around the corner. Grab yourself a copy of this book/e-book, a cozy blanket, a bag of chips, and dive into this beautiful story.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND KENSINGTON BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!

"Not everything in life can be planned, and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can't help but fall...."

Twenty-nine year old, Emily Ammerman has always felt at home at Snowdrift Summit, the ski resort that has been in her family for decades. Emily's grandparents owned the resort, then passed it on to Emily's parents, now there's talk going around that Emily's parents want to retire and pass on the ski resort to Emily. Emily doesn't want to be in charge just yet because she's so young and has a whole life ahead of her. Emily has loved the snow, and skiing the slopes ever since she was a little girl. Emily has tried to live up to her parents expectations for a while now, but Emily believes she needs to put her foot down and be in charge of her own life. Emily has a best friend, Kylie, who is like a bonus family member, Kylie is like the sister that Emily never had. Kylie and Emily are both ski instructors at the ski resort.

Snow is Emily's element, but, she doesn't hesitate when a new client asks her to train him to ski The Plunge, Colorado's most treacherous ski slopes. Thirty-nine year old, Zach Ryker is famous for starring as a CIA officer who always saves the days in movies. As soon as Emily meets Zach, she automatically fan girls over him. Zach is handsome in the movies, but he's even more gorgeous in person. Zach wants Emily to train him to ski The Plunge for one of the scenes in an upcoming movie. Zach could have chosen anyone to train him, but he chose Emily because she's one of the best ski instructors in Colorado. After reading this book, I want to visit this small town of Colorado and meet all these lovely characters. Although, I don't know how to ski or even want to try because I don't want to break any bones, but after reading this beautiful book, I want to ski The Plunge.

Emily has a secret, it's one she can't reveal to anyone, especially not to Zach, because Emily is his biggest fan. Emily has all the cd's to every single one of Zach's movies. Kylie tells Emily that she's in love with Zach and wants to spend the rest of her life with him, but what Kylie doesn't know is that Emily feels the exact same way. Every day up until training for The Plunge, Zach and Emily start spending so much time together. Emily is also a professional, she'll train Zach until he's ready to tackle any ski slope, but she will NOT fall in love with him. Emily has never told anyone this secret, not even Kylie her best friend. Ugh, this book was so perfect for the Christmas and winter holiday. I didn't want this story to end, but I wanted to see what was going to happen between Zach and Emily. I also wanted to see how Emily and Kylie's friendship would work out after Kylie gets sight of Emily spending so much time with Zach.

Emily Ammerman’s family has owned Snowdrift Summit for more than one generation. Her parents are thinking of retiring soon, but Emily is not prepared for what that may mean for her.

Zach Ryder is a movie star who arrives in Colorado to shoot scenes for his new movie. Emily is asked to train him to ski The Plunge, which is the most dangerous run at their resort. Something Emily doesn’t reveal is that she is his biggest fan even though she has never breathed that to anyone.

Emily’s plan is to keep their relationship purely professional; however, sometimes life has other plans in store even if they weren’t ones you were counting on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #Kensington #FallingStars

I loved this book. It was heartwarming and romantic. I read Christmas books all year . I'm grateful that netgalley let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Falling Stars, by prolific author Fern Michaels, is the story of Emily Ammerman, ski instructor and heir apparent to the family owned Snowdrift Summit resort in Loveland, Colorado. While Emily, with her MBA and 30th birthday on the horizon, is ready for a change it’s just not the change her parents foresee.

Emily is a pro at skiing the famous trail The Plunge, a treacherous ski run. When she is approached to train a famous actor to ski this run, she is very willing hoping for good exposure for their resort. Zack Ryder, who plays a dashing CIA hero, has all the visible attributes of his character, but Emily will come to learn the real person is not anything like the persona he portrays.

This is a lovely story of family, negotiating friendships, and unraveling family mysteries. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it.

Fallen Stars, Fern Michaels, 9/27/2022


I can always count on Fern Michaels for a good read, This holiday romance takes place at Snowdrift Summit, a ski resort in the breathtaking Colorado mountains. The resort had been owned and operated by the Ammerman family for several decades. The female protagonist, Emily Ammerman, is the daughter of the current managers of the resort. She is a renown ski pro who easily skis down the most challenging of slopes.

Hollywood visits Colorado mountains to film an action and adventure movie starring Zach Ryder, a top Hollywood heart throb. Emily is hired to teach Zach to ski down ‘the Plunge’, Snowdrift’s most challenging and treacherous slope, for a scene in the movie.

When Emily and Zach meet, the attraction is immediate. While working together, on the slopes, they soon became a couple. As they advanced through Thanksgiving and Christmas, their families met each other and they got alone fabulously. As expected, this is a ‘Happily Ever After’ book that I could envision as a holiday movie.

I enjoyed this book. The foundation was well laid in the first 40%. However, it appeared to be drawn out and did not hold my attention. The book didn’t really take off until the last 50%. The holiday and romance portion were at the tail end and was extremely short. I would have preferred a shorter character introduction and an earlier romance and holiday portion. Additionally, there were some far-fetched happenings in the last pages. Although these were cute ‘AW HA’ moments, they were ill placed and distracted from the ending of the main story.

For the most part, the characters were well-developed and likable. I liked that Zach was described as down to earth. I did feel that Emily and her best friend, Kylie, were depicted as teen-agers, rather than strong independent women approaching 30. The ending was extremely congested, but it still remained my favorite portion.

Thank you to Fern Michaels, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC. All thoughts and moments are entirely my own.

Such a sweet, fun romance!

I enjoyed this book. It was fast-moving, the characters were engaging, the scenery gorgeous and the storyline would be right at home on *that* network. Nothing heavy, few conflicts, just a nice book to drink a cup of hot chocolate with and enjoy!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Falling Stars by Fern Michaels is a delightfully entertaining Christmas story set in Colorado that centers around Emily who is hired to train Zach, a famous actor, how to ski on one of Colorado’s most challenging and treacherous slopes. It’s not long before their chemistry and attraction to one another is undeniable and no matter hard they fight it, romance and sparks are in the air. This author is amazing and you can never go wrong with any reads from her. This holiday story is one I will devour again before the season is over.

Release date: September 27, 2022

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of Falling Stars ebook from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Falling Stars is a holiday romance story written by Fern Michaels. I’ll start by saying I have never read this author before but have seen great reviews for some of her other titles so was excited to get an advanced copy of this one.

I found that this story was all over the place as far as character development and storyline. The main character Emily Ammerman is a well known ski instructor at her families ski resort, who grew up alongside her best friend Kylie who also works at the resort.

Hollywood comes to town looking for a place to start filming an instalment of a very popular action movie series starring Zach Ryker. The studio team recruit Emily to teach Zach how to ski “the plunge” for the movie. Emily and Zach realize their attraction for one another once they start working together.

Here’s where things go awry for me:

Emily and Kylie’s relationship reminds me of high school besties, although they are in their 30’s. There is some real immaturity in their behaviour and conversations.

There are some odd story branch offs that really do nothing to enhance the main story or the characters including Emily’s mothers hate for Hollywood people and Emily’s fathers long lost brother story.

All in all it was an okay romance story that touched very slightly on the holidays. Most characters are likeable and the relationship between Emily and Zach is a bit fast tracked but cute. This is a quick and easy read if you’re looking for some light with a bit of a holiday theme.

#NetGalley #fernmichaels #fallingstars

Light reading. Sweet romance…if not too far-fetched. Characters are all likable. No bad guys. All’s well that ends well.

Cute and fun story that gave me the winter vibes that I was looking for and love. The setting was one that I would love to visit and the people were inviting and friendly.

I really like the main female character and could relate and understand her situation and her feelings through the story. The main male character was great and the type of guy that most people would want to meet.

The only thing that threw me was the instant love from the guy. Like he fell in love and pursued a relationship the moment they met. (There was even a small comment in the book about him developing feelings fast from a side character, which threw up a red flag for me). I wish there were at least a day or more that he could watch her from afar or be around her before he fell in love.

Over all a nice winters read for lovers of Hallmark-ish romance stories.

Falling Stars
Fern Michaels
September 27, 2022

This year’s holiday novel from Ms. Michaels is a real gem. The story features Emily Ammerman, daughter of Mason and Julia Ammerman who own the Snowdrift Summit Ski Complex, a two generation success. She knows that one day she will be the owner but at present she is very happy as the ski pro for Snowdrift. This is a family oriented plot that leads her into Thanksgiving giving lessons to an actor who has led the cast of several adventure movies. He contacts her hoping to hire her as the ski legend she is known for - he needs the capability to fly down their famous Plunge slope.( A hill that is so steep it holds a danger factor for all skiers, beginners are not admitted for this Loveland, Colorado race course.)
It is a true delight to read, I hope all of Michael’s fans and others who enjoy a holiday adventure will pick this one up. Falling Stars will be published by Kensington Publication Corporation on September 27, 2022. True, it’s the beginning of September and most are not ready for seasonal festivities quite yet however, I appreciate their allowing me to read and review her latest publication via NetGalley. Falling Stars is a delight to read. It gives the reader a mix of characters that features friends and family; their ups and downs and all the drama that goes with it. I encourage this to be your first holiday read. Do Enjoy!

A Christmas story that could be ripped from or made into any Hallmark movie. While this is certainly no literary masterpiece, it is a heartwarming story of love and family. The main characters are Emily, an almost thirty year old ski instructor and Zach, her movie star crush, and Kylie, Emily's best friend who also has a crush on Zach. The story was predictable, the characters too perfect, or in Kylie's case, just stupid. Fortunately, there is more to like than dislike in this book, so for a quick afternoon holiday read, Falling Stars is not a bad choice. Personally, I would recommend sticking with Fern Michael's romantic suspense novels.

While it may not be a Debbie Macomber or Sheila Roberts novel, Falling Stars held its on for a Christmas novel.

Emily and her BFF Kylie have both been in love with Zach since he first appeared on screen but only Kylie will admit it. And now, Emily is going to train him to ski! Zach,. a hot actor, is actually a nice guy and they build a friendship that leads to......well, you know how this is going to go. I liked Kylie as much as I did Emily and Zach. Good atmospherics in a small ski resort town add to the charm. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A light fun read.

Great, light romance. Story is a little predictable, but I find that quite enjoyable with light romance. This was my first experience reading a Fern Michaels book and I found it to be quite enjoyable and will seek out more.

Sweet Christmas story. Loved that the author made the friendship between Emily and Kylie realistic. Kylie was the perfect bonus sister, quirks and all. I didn't like the emphasis on beauty so was glad the author showed Emily's heart occasionally. The couples fell in love a little too quickly as in most Christmas stories. Enjoyable characters! Readers who like lighthearted romance will enjoy this book.