Starlight [Mass Market Paperback]

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 great book for cat lovers, as the kitten in it is fantasticly adorable.

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