Starlight

by Miranda Jarrett and Annabeth Albert

Book Overview

Award-winning author Miranda Jarrett, creator of the marvelous Fairbournes, introduces a new generation in this incredible family saga. Forced to endure London society for the sake of his younger... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074340355X
• ISBN13: 9780743403559
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Pure magic!

This is the first book that I've ever read by Miranda Jarrett, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. She has a fresh writing style and manages to find a time period which hasn't been totally stomped by either the harlequin era or the medieval era. Her story is quaint and refreshing while her overall tone is still recognizeable enough for historical romance fans.Cora McGillivray is in hiding. Her whole family was killed in the battle of Culloden and she has been sent to England to stay with a friend of her father's in England. For two years, Cora has lived in secret with her father's friend in fear of being hung for a traitor. Her only friend has been a wayward little kitten with seven toes and a white, star shaped patch on his forehead. Meanwhile, Alex and Diana Fairbourne have just arrived in London from the colonies. Alex is given the job of Diana's keeper and Diana is determined to find a husband. Their first day on the island, they meet with a mysterious woman who gives them a kitten saying that the little creature will lead both of them to true love. This kitten also happens to be Cora's kitten. Diana is staying in the same household as Cora. Cora and Alex meet out in the garden over a kitten fight and both are immediatly attracted and drawn to the other. What ensues is an engaging story about true love, magic, and kittens. Miranda Jarrett has a subtle talent for detail and many things are snuck into _Starlight_. I immensley enjoyed the fresh time period and the information about Culloden. _Starlight_ was by no means a heavy book and it was perfect for a historical, light, romance. Cora and Alex were, overall, very defined characters that were pleasent to read about. Most of their actions had clear meanings behind them. The plot was interesting with the new element of a kitten finding true love and it moved along at a snappy pace. The setting came alive and moved around the reader and the overall tone of the book is engrossing enough to keep up late into the night. Miranda Jarrett's sense of humor is not as pronounced as, say, Susan Elizabeth Phillips's but it is enjoyable and you will probably get a few laughs from this book.The only complaints that I have are few. Cora was an overall complex character with a well thought out personality, but when it came to her belief that Alex was the man her father said he would send to take her home, she was extremely niave. Her stuborness and blind faith got a little tiresome after a while. The villain was very believable at the begining of _Starlight_, but as the plot progressed, his motives got muddier and muddier and by the end, his intent was so mangled that it was hard to see him as a true character.Still, these are not enough to lower my opinion of the book, and overall it is very well written. I would suggest this book to romance fans who have gotten tired of the same plot found in romance novels and want something new. It is engrossing, well written, and enchanting. It's also a

A magical and humorous love story

STARLIGHT tells the tale of Alexander Fairbourne and Cora Margaret MacGillivray, two people who meet over......a cat?! Yes, a cat. Alex picks the seven-toed kitten for his sister from a mysterious woman who claims the cat will lead its owner to true love. He encounters the cat later - in the arms of Cora, who claims he is HER kitten, Starlight - and the magical tale unfolds from there. These two are among the most unusual characters I have encountered in a novel: their personalities are so vibrant and real. Alex's sense of honor is wonderful to behold, his sense of humor is fantastic, and his sensuality is incredible. I envision Cora as a metaphor for Sleeping Beauty in the sense that she has been buried by the tragedy of losing everyone she holds dear on the fields of Culloden and then Alex comes along and shows her how to live again. The way Alex draws Cora out of her fearfulness shows his tender and caring side, and allows the reader to see that Cora is not some wimpy miss who hides from the world, that she is a brave as Alex claims she is. These two protagonists make a wonderful couple; their relationship is strong, and realistically portrayed in Jarrett's romantic prose.The secondary characters are strongly represented as well. Over the time of the story, Lady Waldegrave's secrets are revealed and she is shown to be more sympathetic than she appears at the start. Diana, Alex's sister, is a delight, full of youthful mischief and naïve inclinations. I look forward to reading her story in STAR BRIGHT. Starlight is a very willful animal, in the way that only bold exploring kittens can be. I laughed until I cried over his adventures in the print room!STARLIGHT was my first Miranda Jarrett book, but it will not be my last.

Do you believe in...... kittens?

In Miranda Jarrett's STARLIGHT, a black kitten with a white star on its forehead brings two unlikely people to love. American Alexander Fairbourne is in London only to watch over his sister Diana, as she tries to find her true love. While walking in the park, Alex and Diana come across an old lady that is selling kittens. She gives one to Alex, and claims that the kitten will bring him love. After he drops Diana off at her party, Alex decides to take a walk in the garden. He comes across Cora MacGillivray, a scottish girl, that is desperately searching for her lost kitten, Starlight. After some personal chit-chat, Cora realizes that Alex is hiding something in his coat pocket. Out pops the kitten's head, who so happens to be her Starlight. Admist misunderstandings and such, Cora manages to take Starlight back, and flee from the stranger. But soon she can't stop thinking about the handsome stranger, and wonder if he is the only one that can save her from her difficult situation. And with Alex, he can't seem to stop himself from falling hard into love with Cora. STARLIGHT is full of humor, and exciting events. This is the first book I've read by Miranda Jarrett, and I absoultely love her style of writing. I highly recommend STARLIGHT for anyone that enjoys a light dosage of romance.

Charming and original

I've read several other books by this author, and though she is a good writer, I was turned off by their setting (the early American colonies).But in this book she has put her story in London and Scotland in 1747, and I LOVED it. The hero and heroine are engaging and believable, and the kitten that brings them together is sure to engage every catlover's heart. The plot is very fresh and original too, bringing a new angle on the Scottish tragedy at Culloden, and the author did a beautiful job of bringing this long-ago world to life again.This was a very emotional, very romantic and original story that fans of historical romance won't want to miss.

Can't wait for the sequal

In 1747 London, Massachusetts shipmaster Alexander Fairbourne hates the rules of engagement that gentlemen must follow when mingling among the aristocracy. However, he puts up with it to a point for the sake of his sister, Diana, who plans to take the city by storm and make a suitable marriage. Meanwhile, while walking together, an elderly woman accosts the pair and gives Diana a kitten that allegedly will find her true love for her.Alexander holds the kitten when he meets Cora MacGillivray. She insists the kitten is hers and takes off with it. To his surprise, Alexander is very attracted to the enigmatic Cora. In turn, she wonders if he is the one to save her and bring happiness back into her life.Miranda Jarrett's eighteenth century romances are always a delight due to the strong charcaters and the feel of a bygone era. Her latest tale, STARLIGHT, is another winner for sub-genre fans. Alexander and Cora are an enchanting couple struggling with a seemingly forbidden yet desirable attraction. The story line is fun and filled with non-stop action as expected from a Ms. Jarrett novel.Harriet Klausner