Under the Wishing Star

Whittaker Family #1

by Diane Farr

Widower Malcolm Chase wants to dismiss his daughter's cruel governess and hire kind Natalie Whittaker instead. Natalie fears it would be unseemly for a woman of her station to move into a bachelor's household. The obvious solution? Marriage. But Natalie desires a union of love, not convenience-a wish that just might come true when fate gives her feminine wiles a fighting chance...

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Fiction, Marriage Of Convenience

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 2, 2003

Reviews

[Addie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 63 on my shelf (and counting). This is book 57.

(Tropes: Work Relationship, Marriage of Convenience,

This is how my 57th re-read held up.



Once again another book I read early on in my romance journey, which now just horrifies me.

Changed from 5 stars to 1 star.

*****

- Miss Whittaker, he was glad to see, was a well-brought-up female. When push came to shove, she did as she was bid.

- He saw her shoulders relax as she decided she was being overly missish. Good.



- He advanced on her, moving leisurely. Her eyes dilated. She clutched the railing behind her with both hands, bracing herself. He cornered her and grinned down into her startled face. Surely she wasn’t frightened. Not really frightened.
She leaned so far backward to avoid bringing their bodies into contact, she almost tumbled over into the shrubbery. Her fragrance teased his senses again, warm and faint, the barest whiff of musk and sweetness. He waggled his eyebrows like a villain in a melodrama.

- She looked dazed. She closed her eyes as if gathering strength. “Lord Malcolm,” she said, her voice dangerously calm, “pray take your hands off me.” He could not bring himself to unhand her; he was afraid she would turn and run. His hands tightened on her arms.

- I want to make you my wife.” Her eyes flew open, sparkling with anger. “Let me go.” He was baffled by her response. Let her go? He couldn’t. She hadn’t said yes. He slid his hands down to her elbows, trying not to hurt her, trying not to frighten her. “Listen to me,” he urged.

- “And if you badger me about this once more, Lord Malcolm, I will be forced to redraw the boundaries of our friendship. I cannot allow you to see me alone if I must continually fear a renewal of your suit.” He went very still. The lines around his mouth drew tight. “I beg your pardon,” he said stiffly. “I will try not to embarrass you again with my unwelcome proposals.” “Thank you.”

- Anger stiffened her spine and narrowed her eyes. “Do you think it pleases me to be alone with you? Do you think I want to be cornered by you and harangued without mercy?”
“Yes, I think you do. If you don’t, you should.” Devils danced in his eyes. “It’ll be fun.”

[♥ℳelody · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 60%

Throwing in the towel.

Well so much for feeling nostalgic.

I grabbed this one up from the free book cart at my library eons ago and forgot about it until recently when I rediscovered it on my bookshelf. The blurb sounded interesting enough and reminded me exactly of the fluffy feel-good HR books I used to devour when I first got into reading Romance. And I was in the mood for some fluff.

This had all the right ingredients of what I generally enjoy but things quickly buckled after the first few chapters. The annoying inconsistent as hell characters and lousy ridiculous nonsensical plot ruined everything not even half way in. I was expecting to get a nice story about an agrieved widowed father needing help raising his little girl and slowly falling for the governess he hires.

Instead it was really a book full of this:


For a supposed no-nonsense heroine, Natalie Whittaker was insanely dramatic, histrionic and always overthinking things to death that I started to wish one of those shooting stars she kept nattering on about would fall from the sky and shoot her in the ass. And her actions and reactions to things was all over the place and so inconsistent. One minute she’s worried about Malcolm’s little girl Sarah and convinced the girl's Nurse is a brute who is abusing the little girl and feels compelled to intervene but the next she’s arguing openly with the girl's father in front of said scared girl about not wanting to get involved (as a hired governess) since it’s “none of her business” and suggesting to bring the nasty bitch back because it's more appropriate. Seriously?

As for the hero Lord Malcolm, good gracious he's no better. For a supposed “grieving” brooding hero he sure took a lot of arrogant bizarrely childish liberties that seemed to justify all the endless gasping! outrage the heroine kept doing over his behavior. I don’t understand how someone so somber and upset over his daughter not having a mother and “wanting to do right by her” was so flippantly cruel and rude about the heroine’s hangs up on wanting to find true love. I mean, I'm so confused how this kind of interaction could ever be considered remotely charming or romantic:

"Thank you, Lord Malcolm, but I do not care to dance."
"Confound it!" He looked as sulky as a thwarted toddler. "I arranged this entire affair just so I could dance with you. Don't make me beg."
She was astonished she scarcely knew where to look. "You're joking."
"Hardly," he snapped.
...."Look at Anne Farnsworth urging the violinist to play another cotillion! I'm sure she thinks this is all her idea."
"Well, it isn't," he said mulishly. "I had to dance with her first because she's the squire's wife, but I'll be da--I'll be jiggered if I lead that bucktoothed beastley woman out next. Have mercy, Miss Whittaker. Dance with me."
She gave a little spurt of laughter and relented, setting down her punch glass. "You put it so beautifully, how can I resist?"

Are you kidding me?

I'm not sure what's worse. The hero's incredibly immature pushy aggressive behavior or the heroine willfully going along with it (after telling him 'no' ten times) cause *giggles* he went through alllll that trouble just for her. Tee hee!


You two twitheads deserve each other.

How the fuck is anyone supposed to empathize with someone like this? It's not attractive. Here you are thinking this guy is moping around and guilt ridden because he’s jaded over losing his loving wife who didn’t love him in return. But no. The real catch? Turns out his dead wife was in fact hopelessly in love with him and tried to get him to love her back and he couldn’t and it was just an AWFUL hideous chore for him to try. She ends up going crazy over it, the poor poor man.

Charming no?

And that pretty much put the final nail in the coffin of this insufferable douche's questionable character. I mean he’s talking about his dead wife like she was a nuisance to him and made him miserable all because she loved him and he didn’t. The words “emotionally manipulative” was even used. Excuse me but this woman committed suicide over it so all sense of sympathy for this man and his Man Pain™ is gone straight through the window. I don’t GAF how hard she cried or how she was jealous of her own kid. Cruel is cruel. And it certainly didn't help that his Lordship kept chasing and cornering the heroine at every single turn like a fucking child who wants a cookie to try and strong arm her into saying yes to marriage even if it means seducing her into it.

Again I have to ask: Are you kidding me?

I would have humored the nonsensical silly plot if the characters were good and the chemistry worked. But the hero is a self-entititled asshole who the author tries desperately hard (and awkwardly) to milk sympathy from readers. I was hoping this would be a story about 2 people coming together to help a traumatized child and slowly falling in love in the process. Not “please marry me. Please please please marry me. I need a wife for my kid. Marry me! What about now?.....And now? How about now?” merry go round.


NEXT.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this last year, posting review today. Diana Farr is a favorite in Regency Romance. To me, her best book is The Fortune Hunter -- an outstanding 5-star read! Sexy, sad, and fun, all rolled into one.

This book, Under the Wishing Star, is also quite good, but the first 2/3rds are better than the last bit. The first in the Whittaker Family series, it's fairly lighthearted, with some angst. A little smexy, too. Interesting characters. Fairly believable plot line, even if it somewhat breaks from historically-accurate Regency era social norms. Not a five-star keeper, but very enjoyable!

PLOT: Malcolm, second-son to a Duke, is trying to raise his daughter alone. He's bitter because his first wife was untrue. It's hard to be a single dad, because little Sarah seems touched in the head and far too absorbed in her odd little painting projects. The servants think she is crazy or retarded. Malcolm cannot find a governess with compassion.

However, one day when Malcolm and little Sarah are out in the village, they happen upon Natalie. Sarah bonds with Natalie immediately, and Malcolm witnesses the bond, so he eagerly hires her to be Sarah's governess. Natalie is not of the servant class, but she is willing to serve as governess to Sarah, because she feels for Sarah, and also because she wants OUT of a crummy home life, etc.

We go from there... It's a fun ride, watching Malcolm fall for Natalie, and rather heartwarming, seeing young Sarah find her feet. But once Malcolm proclaims his love, I grew frustrated with Natalie's hesitations.

The sequel to this book, Under a Lucky Star, was not as good, but we do get to see Malcolm, Natalie, and Sarah again.

[Lynn Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

C+ at AAR, so 3.5 stars When I hear the phrase “old school,” I immediately think of big historicals from the 80s and 90s. I started a couple for this challenge, but quickly set them aside. Maybe it’s the pandemic anxiety or maybe I was choosing the wrong books, but after encountering a few overbearing heroes and problematic historical settings that I just didn’t have the energy to unpack this month, I decided that instead of old school historical, I’d go for an old school Regency trad.

I’d read a couple of Diana Farr’s books and liked her writing style, so I picked up Under the Wishing Star, a book that many readers I know have loved. While it started off well enough, the relationship dynamic started to annoy me midway through, so it ended up being only a slightly better than average read for me.

The book starts off with what feels like a Cinderella-style setup. Natalie Whittaker has cared for the family home for years. Due to a crazy entail, the home skipped over the elder son and goes to the youngest. The youngest son happens to be Natalie’s hateful half-brother who has just returned home with his pregnant wife, who is equally unpleasant. Reduced to poor relation status, Natalie’s home life is decidedly less than happy.

On a trip to the village, Natalie encounters a girl being bullied by a rather cold governess. She intervenes, and unknown to her, the child’s widowed father is watching. Malcolm Chase fires the governess and ends up hiring Natalie. Natalie adores the little girl, Sarah, and she is frankly not displeased at the idea of taking a job to tweak her unpleasant brother.

This is a partial review. You can find the complete text at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/may-2020-...

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, I'm not a huge fan of children appearing in romances as I often find they're little more than a plot-point over which the H&H can bond, but I've made an exception in the case of this book because the rest of it is so enjoyable. I haven't read a story where the heroine's family are so deliciously horrible (almost!) for some time, so in an odd way, it was a refreshing change. I did think that the misunderstanding between Natalie and Malcolm as to what each thought the other wanted from their marriage was a trifle quick, but on the whole this was a great read and I'll definitely be seeking out more of Diane Farr's regencies. I hope to see more of them becoming available for Kindle in the not-too-distant future.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably somewhere in the tricky 3 1/2 star region but Farr is so good I want to give her her due.

[spanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the books that makes me frustrated with the main characters, mainly the girl. The female always gets offended over the tiniest things and their actions never make sense to me. She obviously likes the guy and wants to marry him, but won't do it. I get frustrated over their excuses. Overall though, I thought the story was interesting, particularly the little girl who is a little weird.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather intricate tale of inheritance, an evil stepbrother, tortured dukes, a sad daughter. A bit gothic, really. it brought back the memory of my brother getting his first pair of glasses, and realizing that people had faces. a kind duke and kind brother for the heroine, to offset the unkind half brother.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely sure but I think I may have read this before, back when it was new. I had such a feeling what the twists would be. I guess it might have been the author's foreshadowing instead.

[Jamie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book...I enjoyed the twist of fate that becomes Natalie's ultimate gift. After living under the rough conditions of one brother and his wife it becomes a wonderful when wishes do come true. The love of one child, the caring of one man and magic of the stars can be the change in Natalie's life that she well deserves.

[Ilze · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story might have gotten at least a 3-star rating from me for the first 2/3 of the book. But after the hero, in all sincerity, tells the heroine he loves her, things just go downhill, mainly because the heroine turns into a complete ninny at that point ("no, he doesn't really love me, he's just saying that to get me to marry him") and the author dwells on her "ninnyness" at great, excruciating length. The resolution of the plot with the "bad" stepbrother and "good" brother is just bad. That aspect of the plot was never believable to begin with. He would surely not become the head of the family at age 19 - some sort of wardship until he reached the age of majority, which was 21 in England in that time, would have been in place, and the whole business of the youngest son being the legal inheritor of an entailed property seemed extremely fishy to me.

[H2bourne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more like 3-1/2 stars. Everything is satisfyingly resolved by the end but I found it a bit frustrating at times. Lord Malcolm and Miss Whittaker seem to develop an honest, open friendship with good communication but after he inadvertently admits that he loves her something happens to their once open relationship. It seems implausible as does the entailment of the family property to a mere 19-yr-old. As another reviewer mentioned there would have been some sort of guardianship in place until he (Hector) reached the age of majority, usually 21. Lord Malcolm's daughter, Sara, is a sweetheart. Her instant rapport with Miss Whittaker is sweet. There are some interesting secondary characters that add to the story. All in all a good read but not the most satisfying one from this author.

[Jaimey]

I'm going to re-read this one. I remember thinking it was rather average and after reading the review I had written at the time, I am not sure why I seemed almost angry. I remember liking the hero and the rather gothic feel of the story. I also remember not liking the heroine.

Anyway, I will re-read it--if I still have a copy. In fact, perhaps I will wait until I get my hands on Under a Lucky Star since they are connected.

:o)

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good. Was recommended to me and I couldn't find it at the library, luckily it is inexpensive as an ebook. I enjoyed the authors style of writing and the characters were diverse and well thought out. Natalie is a country gentlewoman whose life is disrupted when her younger brother and his new pregnant wife take possession of the family's country home. At the same time Lord Malcohm and his daugther move in next door and bring much welcomed changes to her life. I loved the happy ending.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane Farr è, come Joan Smith, autrice di pura evasione: ma si tratta spesso (non sempre) di un'evasione di qualità, in cui la leggerezza della narrazione si accompagna a una scrittura elegante e divertente. Credo di poter collocare questo romanzo nella 'fascia alta' della sua produzione; migliore, comunque, del secondo di questa mini-serie, 'Under a Lucky Star'.

Riletto, cinque anni dopo. Confermo il mio vecchio giudizio, senza esitazione.

[Louise Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, despite the somewhat improbable premise and the fact that the heroine's brother and sister in law are so one-dimensionally awful. The writing is fluent and witty, the hero and heroine are, as always with Farr's leading characters, engaging and likeable and the resolution of the novel was satisfying.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regency

[Cj · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this book was so C.U.T.E to read! I seriously devoured this book while relaxing on the beach. I enjoyed how this romance novel didn't have to get raunchy to make it's point across.

[Kathy Mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my random library grabs. Somehow I picked up 3 loved stories! I enjoyed this book as an easy summer read.

[MaryD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet romance.