Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Light of Stars by Jenelle Hovde, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Light of Stars
Author: Jenelle Hovde
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Release Date: July 14, 2026
Genre: Historical Romance
An arranged marriage. A powerful company tainted with corruption. Two souls caught between obligation and a longing to find their true calling in this Regency romance set in glittering London ballrooms and Calcutta street markets.
When Kitty Grenville’s grandfather announces her engagement to Sebastian Sinclair, she’s appalled. She barely remembers the boy she met once as a child—and now he’s a man tied to the East India Company, the very organization that tore Kitty and her brother from their mother and home in Hyderabad years ago. Unwilling to relinquish her dream of a love match or her passion for astronomy, Kitty is determined to refuse the marriage and find freedom in her own way.
Sebastian Sinclair carries the weight of duty and regret. To atone for past sins, he complies with his grandfather’s orders to return to England, fulfill a long-standing betrothal, and defend the maligned East India Company before Parliament. Though Kitty makes her disinterest clear, Sebastian is drawn to her intellect and spirit.
As Kitty navigates her first London season, her opinion of Sebastian begins to shift, especially when he shields her from scandal. When he’s abruptly called back to India, Kitty stuns everyone by marrying him and going with him, hoping to escape her grandfather’s control—and to find her mother.
But the challenges that await in India are greater than imagined. Together, Kitty and Sebastian must confront the legacy of family and empire—and discover if a marriage born of obligation can grow into a love strong enough to endure.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Tyndale | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop | BookBub
Also Available
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About the Author
Jenelle Hovde, an accomplished illustrator, author, pastor’s wife, and homeschooling mother, ventured off the beaten path when she transitioned from her career as a doctor of audiology to pursue her passion for writing. While her nine novels span different eras—from the ancient worlds to World War II—her favorite genre is sweet Regency romance that enchants readers with tales of love and intrigue set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century England. Drawing inspiration from timeless treasures found in antique stores, Jenelle pens historical romance novels that captivate readers with vivid storytelling and gentle messages of faith. Her stories have garnered impressive showings in multiple writing contests. Often found writing at the Florida beach, she navigates life with her family and manages two saucy cats who insist on interrupting her creative endeavors.
Connect with Jenelle by visiting jenellehovdeauthor.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
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My Impressions
“I’m not afraid of failure. I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” – William Carey
Book Coma!! Jenelle Hovde’s latest historical romance, The Light of Stars, has left me in a book coma. I am so overwhelmed by this book I don’t know if I can move on. Typically, stories of India, The East India Tea Company, England, and Parliament do not sound exciting to me. But let Hovde get ahold of these threads, and she weaves them together with a marriage of convenience story and faith nuggets into a beautiful work of art!
In London in December of 1814, unconventional, headstrong English heiress Kitty Grenville greatly resents her “Iron Colonel” grandfather, who treats her as a pawn in his grasp for money and power. Masterminding her kidnapping from a palace in India as a young girl, her grandfather now insists Kitty marry a man he chooses. This man, Sebastian Sinclair, is a grandson of the chairman of the board of The East India Tea Company. Kitty, who studies astronomy diligently, is threatened to have that freedom taken away, plus her inheritance, if she refuses to comply. Already caught with her brother between two worlds, Kitty has two desires: to be controlled by no man, and to find her mother.
Sebastian, after years of wasteful living, has finally found God and returned to his place in his grandfather’s family. Leading the East India Tea Company will one day fall to him, but now he must prove his worth and loyalty by marrying the granddaughter of an old comrade of his grandfather. He must also defend the East India Tea Company before Parliament.
Kudos to Hovde, who helped me understand the politics of the time involving the East India Tea Company, the response of India’s people to the company, and the mission of people like William Wilberforce and William Carey who believe the English heads of the company of great wrongdoing. Slowly, Wilberforce and Carey remind Sebastian of his duty to mankind as a Christian.
“It is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power,” Wilberforce says. While Carey tells Sebastian, “The gospel is the true means by which the world changes, Sebastian—not these political positions you seek. To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him.” But can Sebastian be convinced that his precious tea company and his one way to prove his loyalty to his domineering grandfather might be less important than the call of God on his divided heart?
So many times this amazing book plucked at my heartstrings. Two adults desperately looking for approval from grandparents that are hard and overly demanding. Two young adults (not necessarily the same) who, due to their heritage, cannot find acceptance in either society. Again, two adults whose siblings are living lives the former are ashamed of and grieve over. Ah, the romance, the intrigue, the action, the suspense, and the twists! And the astronomy lessons! How fun to have the stars be a focus of the book, yet the happiness Kit would have, should she be allowed to continue her beloved studies, is as unlikely as a new celestial discovery by a woman.
A book for historical fiction lovers, Regency romance lovers, readers of Julie Klassen and Sarah Ladd, plus those who enjoy reading of women in STEM and marriage of convenience stories. I adored it and highly recommended this novel!
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher through JustRead Tours via NetGalley. I also bought a couple of paperbacks- one for my trophy shelf and one to share with a friend!
Notable Quotables:
“Yet even in this, I see the hand of Providence. I can trust Him—not only in the doors He opens, but in those He closes as well.” “Could I trust God to chart my path?”– Freddy, (Kitty)
“We do not have to be bound to our family’s curses or their poor choices. We can choose differently, aye?”- Sebastian
“Even those who think themselves uninvolved are often complicit if they do nothing.” -Carey
“We cannot allow our mistakes, nor the evil of others, to define our path or our identity.” – Freddy
“These men had not come to be entertained. They had come to change the world. Or set fire to it, if my grandfather was to be believed.” – Sebastian
“…mercy is a necessity for peace. Perhaps this is why we so desperately need God’s help. To calm the storm.” – Kit
“They’re the same stars. But from here, they feel like a promise…Neither you nor I are lost, not when we see God’s handiwork.” – Sebastian
“Forgiveness changes us,” he had told me once. “A repentant man is no longer defined by his sins.” – Carey
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Superior! The Light of Stars checks all the boxes for me. It is on my shortlist of fave books of 2026!!
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Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 gift card to their choice bookstore!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 21, 2026 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on July 28, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 