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 on a daily basis but is never 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. He speaks of her rarely. Natalie and he form a friendship. 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 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. He delivers an ultimatum either marry or 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, he is justifiably insulted. He coaxes Natalie to marry him.

Natalie is convinced Malcolm does not love her since he confessed he never loved his first wife. Even after he declares his love she just cannot believe the truth. He is kind hearted throughout the book and Natalie, a spinster, 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 but in this case it fell flat due to Natalie's snippiness.

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.

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.

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. ****