Angela Jackson-Brown Boeken

As 1947 begins, Eva Cardon, a twenty-four-year-old owner of Washington, D.C.’s renowned Black-owned restaurant, encounters Courtland, a charming white senator from Georgia. Their mutual attraction poses a significant risk, as a relationship between a Black woman and a white man from the South threatens to unravel their lives and ambitions. In a time when few women own upscale eateries, Eva is determined to cater to the working class by opening a diner that serves Southern comfort food. Courtland, a war hero and junior senator, harbors aspirations to effect real change in people's lives, contrasting with his father's political ambitions for him. The intersection of equal-rights activism brings Eva and Courtland together, igniting feelings they cannot ignore, despite the complications it brings to their dreams. Eva grapples with the painful legacy of her mother and grandmother, who faced dire consequences for loving white men. Meanwhile, Courtland feels the weight of family expectations and the looming presence of debutantes eager for his attention. With societal disapproval surrounding them, Eva and Courtland must confront whether their love is worth sacrificing their dreams and everything they hold dear. The author of When Stars Rain Down presents a poignant historical love story that reflects on the enduring struggles for love and acceptance in America.