Mars….With Venus Rising

In Mars….With Venus Rising, a meddling horse, paper bag floors and a flying saucer on the town square. The little town of Mars has it all including a brand new resident who might spell heartache for one of its own.

About Mars….With Venus Rising

Twenty-something Penn Davenport yearns for an exciting life in the big city and wants to shed the label of orphan that she’s worn for years. To achieve that dream, she must pass the CPA exam then move away from the two aunts who reared her after her parents died in a plane crash.

When John Townsend, full of life and the joy of living, moves to town, he rattles Penn’s view of herself, her life, and her dreams. Which isn’t such a bad thing until she falls for him and discovers he’s a pilot.

My Thoughts

Sweet, funny and romantic all rolled into one in Mars…With Venus Rising. We have a young, orphaned woman who has been so greatly affected by her past that she lets it take over her future. She is torn between staying with her Aunts and the comforts she has known and breaking free from the orphan stigma that she feels she carries.

John is like a breath of fresh air. He is fun, adventurous and everything that a person like Penn needs. He slowly brings her out of her shell with his personality but all of this comes to an abrupt stop when she discovers that he is a pilot. Then he becomes the man who brings back every pain she felt in her past.

Penn goes through many changes throughout this novel, sometimes it is one step forward, two steps back. But throughout the novel, you keep rooting for her. You can feel her pain and uncertainty but you still want her to experience the joys of life, instead of only partially living because of her pain. The end makes you smile, cry, laugh and proud all at the same time!

Mars…With Venus Rising is a sweet and perfect romance for the summer months. A treasure that you will enjoy reading over and over again.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University as well as York Technical College. A member of ACFW, RWA and SinC, she writes for Almost an Author. Before writing novels, she published non-fiction articles on topics ranging from gardening with children to writing apprehension. She cheers for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ACC basketball, and Army West Point Football. Hope and her husband, Kevin, live in North Carolina and chat with their two daughters and twin sons through ooVoo.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.