Rowena’s review of Wish Upon a Star by Sarah Morgan.
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? ‘A picturesque and charming tale’ Star magazine on Angels in the Snow.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a chick lit novel and I thought that was what I was going to get in this book but I don’t think it was, it was a contemporary romance set in the UK. This book has two stories in it and both stories were easy to follow. The first book follows married couple Alessandro and Christy as they try to find their way back to each other again after years of marriage. They’ve been married for twelve years and they have two kids. Christy takes care of the kids and Alessandro goes to work every day. He has long hours and the only quality time they seem to share together is when they’re having sex at night.
Christy used to be a nurse and now that the kids are older and in school longer, Christy is starting to get antsy about staying home all the time. She starts to want a life that’s her own again and when the hospital calls and wants her to come in and fill in while nurses are out sick and what not, she jumps at the chance. She starts to realize that she’s missed the fast paced life at the hospital, she’s missed adult conversations and the hustle and bustle of the A and E unit.
Alessandro can’t get over the fact that his wife left him. She took their two kids and walked out on him, leaving him behind. He didn’t even know that anything was wrong. When she comes back, things are awkward and they’re at a loss as to what to do about their situation. Should they stay or should they go?
This whole story was one giant ball of mis-communication. Both Alessandro and Christy spent a great deal of the story assuming what the other was thinking, not talking to one another and staying mad at each other. More than once, I wanted to smack them both upside their heads and yell, “Get it together you dumbasses!”
When they finally did get it together and talked things out, I was glad for it. I was also thirsty for more of Alessandro’s best friend Jake Blackwell so when I turned the page and found his story starting, I was over the moon.
Jake’s story takes place not too long after Christy and Alessandro’s ends. It’s Christmas day and Jake is out walking by the lake. It’s cold as balls and he probably shouldn’t be out and about since winters in the UK are pretty cold and snowy, but when he comes across a crying woman- a gorgeous crying woman, he sets about rescuing her from the harsh weather and the fact that she’s not dressed for being out in the middle of this weather.
Jake and Miranda’s story happens so fast. One moment, they’re meeting and the next thing you know, she’s moving into his house and they’re getting to know each other and then they fall in love. Jake fell in love first and came to grips with what he was feeling and then set about trying to convince Miranda that what he felt was true and not going to change but Miranda’s past messed her up because she had low self esteem and didn’t think that a man was worth the heart ache.
As their story progresses, my heart went out to Jake. Miranda was stubborn and knew what she knew. There wasn’t anything that Jake could have done to convince her otherwise until she was good and ready. There were a time or two when I wanted to shake some dang sense into Miranda but in the end, things worked out the way that they were supposed to and I was happy for Jake. Seeing him in the first book and finding out that the only woman he loved before Miranda fell in love with someone else made me antsy for his happy ending and I was over the moon when he finally got it.
The romance between Jake and Miranda should have felt rushed but I didn’t get that when I was reading their story. It happened fast but sometimes that’s the way love goes (ha! Who sang Janet Jackson after reading that sentence?). I enjoyed getting to know Jake and Miranda and even though their story seemed too good to be true, I still ate it all up.
Overall, both stories made for an entertaining way to spend a few hours. I enjoyed both stories but between the two, I enjoyed Jake’s story more. This book was cute and fluffy and it didn’t take itself too seriously which I appreciated. It’s the first book that I’ve read by Sarah Morgan and I don’t think it’ll be my last either. This book was an enjoyable way to spend the weekend so I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of the chick lit genre as well as fans of Sarah Morgan’s books.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5
This book is available from Harlequin UK. You can buy it here.
Hello,
I have literally just finished reading Wish Upon a Star, and was searching for a review to see if anybody else found the first part of the book as frustrating as me!!! I too, wanted to reach into the page and smack them round the face!!! I, like you, preferred the second story. I found Jake a much more likeable character, but do think it seemed a bit too good to be true (like warm bubble baths and mugs of hot chocolate – who’s boyfriend does this? Certainly not mine.) But, a girl can dream, and it’s a good bit of escapism. Great review.