Customer Reviews

Under the Wishing Star (Star Trilogy)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since his wife's death, Malcolm Chase has handled Regency era single fatherhood as best as he can, but it is still hard to be both parents for a learning disabled little girl. He has hired a governess for the child, but the woman is cruel. Yet, he has no other choice, until he meets his neighbor, Natalie Whittaker, a young beauty who finds herself in a position as unhappy as his.

Since her brother married, Natalie, who is a spinster by the day's standards, finds herself being an uncomfortable third wheel in the household. When she is offered a nanny's job for Malcolm's daughter, she jumps at it. Unfortunately, this raises the eyebrows of society, placing the two in the position of having to marry. Malcolm has sworn to never love anyone, except his daughter. Natalie is in love with him, but does not want a marriage that is not based on love. However, faced with an ultimatum, she gives acceedsd to the inevitable.

**** Follow the sometimes rocky course of love in this heartwarming tale. Natalie sparkles with endearing charm that is able to work past the tough and guilt ridden barriers Malcolm has in her way. This is a gentle read with well rounded characters and situations. ****

Diane Farr's latest Regency romance, "Under the Wishing Star" proved to be a real treat. The kind of sophisticated and elegant romance novel about real people with problems (not a tale about an alpha-male hero and unrealistically feisty heroine running after murderers and spies in the dark London streets) that most readers would be able to relate to, well written and engagingly told -- the book just made me sigh with satisfaction when I finally reached the last page.

Natalie Whittaker's life has taken a turn for the worse. From being undisputed chatelaine of her father's house (Crosby Hall), Natalie must now relinquish the reins to her unpleasant half-brother, Hector, and his equally unpleasant wife, Mabel. Almost a poor relation, Natalie is finding life at Crosby completely intolerable; and then she makes the acquittance little Sarah Chase and her father Lord Malcolm Chase.

Sarah is under the care of a somewhat harsh and unimaginative governess, and meeting Natalie allows Lord Malcolm to realize something that he has suspected for quite a while: that the severe governess just will not do. And so he fires the governess and offers Natalie the position. Except that convention dictates that a young lady of Natalie's position cannot accept such a position; and so she declines, albeit reluctantly. But Lord Malcolm is determined that Natalie become part of Sarah's life. The obvious solution is that he marry his charming neighbour. Unfortunately, Natalie wants a love match, and Lord Malcolm doesn't believe in love. Can Lord Malcolm persuade Natalie to agree to a marriage based on friendship and respect? Or will Natalie open Lord Malcolm's eyes to the possibilities of love and passion?

I enjoyed this grownup romance novel even though there were really very few frills and fancies. "Under the Wishing Star" was a 'straight' romance novel about two likable people who have a wonderful friendship and who are fortunate in that their relationship was able to deepen into love. How the authour allows for this to occur at a brisk but unhurried pace, was what made the novel all the more satisfying and delightful. And if it wasn't for the unwanted (in my opinion anyway) plot twist near the end of the novel (but I suppose this was done so as to facilitate Farr's next novel which will feature Natalie's younger brother, Derek, as hero), "Under the Wishing Star" would have been an unreserved 6 star recommended read.

Natalie Whitaker is a spinster living under the thumb of her snotty brother. She doesn't expect much out of life, and nothing exciting ever happens to her... until she meets Lord Malcolm.

Malcolm Chase, second son of a duke, wants to make Natalie (and he just met her!) his daughter's new governess. At first, Natalie thinks Malcolm is crazy and impulsive. But then she seriously starts to consider his offer. But it's not probable for an unmarried lady to live under the same roof as a widower.

The solution?: Malcolm wants to marry Miss Whitaker. After all, Natalie gets along so well with his motherless daughter. But Natalie Whitaker will only marry for love. Unfortunatly, Malcolm doesn't believe in love. ...Or will he?

Diane Farr gives us an extremely well-written, heart-warming romance, complete with a charming hero and heroine. The novel goes by very quickly. Even so... I often found myself wishing something, err... more exciting... would happen. Still, the novel is thoroughly enjoyable. I, for one, enjoyed the small, clever plot twists at the novel's end. But I'm not sure Natalie's brother is worthy of his own novel. His character was a bit weak.

The delightfully entertaining Diane Farr has created another winning romance with Under the Wishing Star. Farr is known for her lighthearted and exuberant style, which she deftly maintains here while simultaneously moving deeply and entertainingly into serious character issues.

Natalie Whittaker's life is misery due to her spoiled younger half-brother Hector's inheriting of the beloved estate on which she was raised. Hector is a bully and his wife Mabel a peevish hypochondriac who have moved in and treat her like dirt. Natalie longs for independence and a worthwhile occupation, but no options are open to a young gently born spinster. (Natalie never married because she was holding out for genuine love.)

Widower Malcolm Chase is relieved to finally be settling at his country estate with his 6-year-old daughter Sarah. But he is dissatisfied with the disciplinarian governess who's determined to foist rigid obedience onto his very imaginative and sensitive daughter. While he stays at a local inn as the estate is being prepared to receive him, he witnesses a tender encounter between Natalie and Sarah, who is playing outside for a moment unattended. The incredible rapport between Natalie and Sarah convinces him that he's found the uniquely perfect governess for his unusual child.

Of course as a proper gentlewoman, Natalie cannot accept his proposal that she live and work with the Chase family, but her unbearable living situation, her instant affection for Sarah, her desire to save Sarah from the monster governess and the persuasive powers of this very intense man so devoted to his daughter make her say yes in a moment of weakness. However, this is when she thinks that Malcolm is on his way to an estate far away, where she will not be under the scrutiny of anyone she knows.

Stunned to find out that Malcolm will instead be her family's closest neighbor, Natalie installs her own beloved childhood nurse in the Chase home, while she visits Sarah each day as a "friend." Heat builds between Malcolm and Natalie, but who is he really and what is the source of the intense sadness he strives to keep so hidden? And what is she to do about his repeated proposals of marriage to her when he clearly wants only a marriage of convenience and she must have love? Is he capable of loving her? As Malcolm begins to reveal his past and her feelings for him intensify, Natalie's dilemma only grows.

Under the Wishing Star is a beautiful, heartwarming story with several surprise twists that make it all the more delightful. Malcolm, Natalie and Sarah are very likeable and share lovely family interactions, as does Natalie with her nurse and older brother. The growing passion between Malcolm and Natalie is very affecting. The mysteries of Malcolm and even of Sarah and eventually of Natalie's own family are fun to unravel. All these things keep the reader pleasantly on the edge as her seat as the novel whisks her to a very moving and satisfying ending.

In 1803, after years of running the country estate by herself, Natalie Whittaker knows her life has recently turned dismal with the arrival of the estate owner. Life as a poor relative living under the thumb of her odious nineteen-year-old half brother Hector and his repulsive pregnant wife Mabel is unpalatable. To prove her point they destroy her rose bushes that have been cared for by her for years.

When Malcolm Chase offers her the job to replace her daughter's current cruel governess, Natalie accepts no longer worrying about the scandal and over her sibling's objection. Soon she falls in love with her employer and his precocious child while she sees what is "wrong" with little Sarah, but wonders if Malcolm's heart feels like hers.

Regency romance readers will appreciate Diane's Farr's fine tale starring two great lead characters and a charming little girl. The story line is at its best when Natalie takes center stage with either of the Chases. Hector and his wife seem too spiteful, nasty, and acrimonious to be taken seriously (classic case of children having children), although those traits propel Natalie into leaving. No question with this charming historical and her previous works, this author is going to go very far as a popular writer.

Harriet Klausner

Under the Wishing Star is a pleasant, lightweight romance with likeable lead characters and a romance-only plot. The tone is gentle and, while there is an undercurrent of emotional pain, it never takes on grand proportions.

There are a few slightly-less-than-believable moments, but nothing that actually harms the story. The novel does at times drift toward sappiness, but humor or a surprise or nasty relatives brings it back in line. The pace is a tad slow at times, and there is occasionally too much "telling." The lead characaters, though likeable, do not stand out among heroes & heroines (nothing sets them apart), and the secondary characters are mostly stereotypes. Again, pleasant but nothing special.

This is an enjoyable read, it just doesn't have much to make it extraordinary. I'd love to give it 3 and 1/2 stars, but since that's not possible, I'm going with 3. Its lack of that something special prevents me from bumping it up to 4 stars. It's a pleasant read, just not much more.

Don't expect a fast paced novel with Under the Wishing Star. Everything in the novel moves with the speed of a glacier. I forced myself to finish it.

The heroine of this tale is Natalie Whittaker. She lives with her loathsome younger brother and his whiny wife. Their country estate borders the estate of Lord Malcolm Chase.

Natalie meets Malcolm through his young daughter. His daughter's governess is dismissed and Malcolm quite suddenly asks Natalie to step into this role. Natalie contemplates it for a millisecond then says yes. It is only when she goes back to her hostile home that she realizes that she cannot be a governess to the child. People in the village will talk. Instead her old nurse is dispatched and Natalie plays governess under the pretense of daily visits to her neighbor but she is not paid.

Malcolm is a rather boring hero. His presence never filled a room. He wasn't overly witty nor did he have a commanding confident demeanor. His wife died years ago and he speaks of her rarely. Natalie and he form a friendship but when Malcolm asks for her hand, presumably so she can be a mother to his daughter, Natalie is a bit outraged. She rails that he is too impulsive and thus causes her to be also. Natalie is a wonderful blame shifter.

Eventually Natalie's brother hears the talk amongst the villagers about Natalie and Malcolm. He is insistent they marry and delivers an ultimatum they either marry or Natalie must leave the house. Natalie runs to Malcolm and when she says that she must look for a position as a cook's maid rather than marry him, he is justifiably insulted.

Natalie is convinced Malcolm does not love her since he confessed he never loved his first wife. Even after he declares his love for her, Natalie just cannot believe the truth. He is kind hearted throughout the book and Natalie never appreciated this. She was waiting for love, a grand passion so to speak. These two don't really have a grand passion, more of a comfortable romance. There is very little in the way of sexual tension. The dialogue was supposed to increase the heat between these two as there is little physical touching. Sometimes this works beautifully in romance novels but in this case it fell flat due to Natalie's snippiness.

The characters have no depth. The dialogue is nonsensical, on many instances too stupid to bear and just too darn modern. The story itself is weak at best but tolerable if it had been executed with mastery. Soon the story goes from weak to plain incredulous (because of ridiculus twists and turns that were introduced with no previous background and that would have fit better with a different sort of story). I'm ashamed I actually finished reading it, in my defense all I can say is that I was very bored and starved for romance. This book is an amalgam of stupid meets silly meets ridiculus meets incoherent.