Sunday 8 January 2012

Wish Upon A Star by Sarah Morgan

Published by Harlequin UK in October 2011
Pages - 264

'Mum, where are we spending Christmas?'
Christy glanced up from the letter she was reading. 'I don't know. Here, I suppose with  Uncle Pete and your cousins. Why do you ask? Christmas is ages away.' And she was trying not to think about it. Christmas was a time for families and hers appeared to be disintegrating.

Goodreads
Love is in the air this Christmas! 

Christy was hoping to skip Christmas this year. Her kids have other ideas - they've put their dad's name at number one on their Christmas list. So it looks as if Christy will be hightailing it up to the Lake District to play happy families with her ex! 

Snow-capped mountains and roaring log fires - Alessandro's home is like walking into a Christmas card. Is it really safe for her to spend Christmas with her dreamy, funny - no! - entirely infuriating ex-hubby? 

Miranda has completely the opposite problem. Being single and pregnant at Christmas was certainly not her wish come true. She doesn't believe in miracles, but then resident hunk Jake sweeps her off her snow-covered shoes. Come Boxing Day dare she dream that Mr Sex-on-Legs might be for more than just Christmas? 
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This book really took me by surprise. I was desperate for a lovely festive read and fell straight away for the cover of this book when I saw it on Net Galley, so I quickly requested it. Little did I know that it was a Mills and Boon book! To be honest I was shocked. I grew up reading my nan's Mills and Boons books and although I enjoyed them they were quite a secretive read. This was mainly due to the covers, so I was quite surprised to see such a lovely cover on this book. 

I was even more flabbergasted when I realised how much I loved this book. It was a comforting yet realistic read that was just perfect for the season of goodwill. 

The book is made up of two stories which are interlinked as a secondary character in the first story becomes the major character in the next. The first story is about Christy, a mother of two who has left the marital home after falling out with her husband. This story takes us on a journey to see them reunited in time for Christmas Day. 

Christy dithers quite a bit and the miscommunication and misunderstanding of each other's feelings began to grate on my nerves a little. I wanted to sit Christy and Alessandro down for a marriage guidance session. Alessandro is a little too bullish for my liking. You get the impression that onlyhis opinion matters and I was pleased to see Christy stand up to him. I found his Alpha male attitude a bit tiring for my liking, but I warmed to him by the end of the story. Their daughter Katie was hilarious as she went out of her way to play Cupid between her parents. The things she got her brother blamed for in the name of love; poor little soul was constantly in trouble.  I wasn't always convinced by Katie's language as for an eleven year old she seemed sometimes far too mature for her age. Having two eleven year olds myself, I could never imagine them talking to me with such maturity. 

My favourite character in the book is Jake, who thankfully is one of the main characters in the  second story, Miranda. He is so sweet and loving, as well as being protective and understanding just the type of man everyone is looking for. 

To be honest, I loved the story of Miranda more than Christy's story. I loved the relationship between Jake and Miranda. How he took this pregnant unmarried mother under his wing was just beautiful, even though she fought him all the way, as she was determined to keep her independence. The second story was definitely more realistic and gritty too as it deals with teenage pregnancy and abandoned babies. Not the type of subjects I expected to find in a Mills and Boons book. 

On the whole, I really enjoyed Sarah Morgan's style of writing. I found I could believe in the characters and I whipped through both books rather quickly. I loved the way both stories were interconnected and followed on from each other. 

I would love to see more of the Mills and Boon books with new covers. I am positive they would appeal more to the modern chick lit brigade if they all looked like this one. I really enjoyed the book and think I may have found a new secret guilty pleasure in Mills and Boon books!

12 comments:

  1. So cute :) And I love that this is a Mills and Boon book. They have done well with that new cover

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  2. Sounds like a good Christmas read although I don't think I'd pick this one up if it looked like a Mills and Boon book lol

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  3. I got this book for review a while ago and I SO need to read it now! I'm so glad you enjoyed it - I've read quite mixed reviews about it so it's nice to see someone who really liked it :) Thanks for the honest review!

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  4. Great review, sounds like an enjoyable festive read :) The cover is fab, I haven't seen any Mills and Boon with covers like that but it's an interesting move for them.

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  5. Haha, one of my colleagues gave me a festive Mills and Boon for Christmas as a joke present. Unlike you I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have the traditional cover!! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it though.

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  6. Ooh! I love the cover and it sounds like a nice festive read. Kind of shocked it's Mills and Boon - would never have guessed with this cover lol.

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  7. Blodeuedd - I thought so.

    Karen - neither would I.

    Vicky - Once I realised it was Mills and Boons, I did start reading it thinking I would hate it, but it really surprised me. The em are a bit macho male but I think it adds to the drama.

    Jenni - if all the covers looked like this I would buy more.

    Verity - I can't stand the old covers. I want more like this. It is surprising how good they are.

    Jesse - me neither. I was completely taken in by the cover.

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  8. i would NEVER have guessed this was Mills and Boon! And another festive book set in the Lake district? *rushes off to investigate*

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  9. This sounds like fun chic lit and what a cute cover.

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  10. Looks cute but don't think they are my kind of thing, who knows thought. I'm not a huge chick lit fan.

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  11. Does anyone know the name of the Trilogy [mountain based rescue set in the Lakes District] that she wrote before this one???

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  12. Does anyone know the name of the trilogy [mountain based rescue based in the Lakes District} that she wrote before?

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