What do you think?
Rate this book
Little Spitmarsh #2
Follow a Star
Sometimes your heart's the only navigator you need...
May Starling's had enough of her demanding career and even more demanding ex. Responding to a 'crew-wanted' ad, she follows her dreams of escape only to find herself at sea with red-haired Bill Blythe.
Bill warns May that close-quartered living can create a boiling pot of emotions, but even May is surprised by the heat building up inside the vintage wooden boat. And when May and Bill tie up at Watling's Boatyard in Little Spitmarsh, May's determined to test her new-found feelings on dry land.
But May's dream of escaping her former life is in danger of being swept away when several unwelcome blasts from the past follow her ashore, all seemingly hell-bent on reminding her that it's never that easy to clear the decks.
May Starling's had enough of her demanding career and even more demanding ex. Responding to a 'crew-wanted' ad, she follows her dreams of escape only to find herself at sea with red-haired Bill Blythe.
Bill warns May that close-quartered living can create a boiling pot of emotions, but even May is surprised by the heat building up inside the vintage wooden boat. And when May and Bill tie up at Watling's Boatyard in Little Spitmarsh, May's determined to test her new-found feelings on dry land.
But May's dream of escaping her former life is in danger of being swept away when several unwelcome blasts from the past follow her ashore, all seemingly hell-bent on reminding her that it's never that easy to clear the decks.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 2014
About the author
Christine Stovell
12 books26 followersSetting sail, with her husband, from a sleepy seaside resort in a vintage wooden boat provided Christine Stovell with the inspiration for her ‘Little Spitmarsh’ series of novels, but never cured her seasickness although she continues to sail.
Christine lives on the beautiful west Wales coast where long-distance running helps her plan her plots and inspired her to write her running guide, 'Running Kind'. Half marathons, she thinks, especially when the going gets tough, are like the writing process; both begin with small steps.
As well as writing long and short contemporary fiction and poetry, Christine has written features for various magazines and is a regular contributor to The English Home magazine.
Christine lives on the beautiful west Wales coast where long-distance running helps her plan her plots and inspired her to write her running guide, 'Running Kind'. Half marathons, she thinks, especially when the going gets tough, are like the writing process; both begin with small steps.
As well as writing long and short contemporary fiction and poetry, Christine has written features for various magazines and is a regular contributor to The English Home magazine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 6, 2014
Originally posted on: http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot....
What a wonderful book this was to get stuck into. I love the books that Choc Lit publish and this was another one to add to my growing love of their books. I also need to express my love for this cover! It's so striking; the colours really stand out and I want to be where the girl on the front is looking at that star. This is the second book in the Little Spitmarsh series, but like I have done, you do not need to read the first book to enjoy this.
Follow a Star centers around May Starling who responds to a crew-wanted ad to help to deliver a boat to Little Spitmarsh. We are aware that May is trying to escape from something so there is a little mystery surrounding this as she makes the journey aboard the Lucille.
This story had a great abundance of characters and a great love interest, although I did want to knock Bill Blythe on the head sometimes with his constant judgements and assumptions of May! I particularly had a fondness for Harry who you meet later in the book and has made me want to read their story in Turning The Tide. I also thought the villain of this story was brilliantly developed, a truly loathsome character that really added to the plot development.
I loved how Christine really managed to transport me onboard the Lucille and out to sea. I very rarely go on boats in real life and yet reading this it really was like I was there. I also have a real hankering to go somewhere like Little Spitmarsh (if only it was a real place). It just sounded so idyllic.
A wonderful story to really get lost in. I am looking forward to going back to Little Spitmarsh.
What a wonderful book this was to get stuck into. I love the books that Choc Lit publish and this was another one to add to my growing love of their books. I also need to express my love for this cover! It's so striking; the colours really stand out and I want to be where the girl on the front is looking at that star. This is the second book in the Little Spitmarsh series, but like I have done, you do not need to read the first book to enjoy this.
Follow a Star centers around May Starling who responds to a crew-wanted ad to help to deliver a boat to Little Spitmarsh. We are aware that May is trying to escape from something so there is a little mystery surrounding this as she makes the journey aboard the Lucille.
This story had a great abundance of characters and a great love interest, although I did want to knock Bill Blythe on the head sometimes with his constant judgements and assumptions of May! I particularly had a fondness for Harry who you meet later in the book and has made me want to read their story in Turning The Tide. I also thought the villain of this story was brilliantly developed, a truly loathsome character that really added to the plot development.
I loved how Christine really managed to transport me onboard the Lucille and out to sea. I very rarely go on boats in real life and yet reading this it really was like I was there. I also have a real hankering to go somewhere like Little Spitmarsh (if only it was a real place). It just sounded so idyllic.
A wonderful story to really get lost in. I am looking forward to going back to Little Spitmarsh.
July 13, 2014
Lovely return to Little Spitmarsh, with a new cast of characters and some mentions and follow ups to Michael and Harry's story from Turning the Tide.
Loved reading the story of Bill and May.
Really enjoyable book and quite a fast read too.
Loved reading the story of Bill and May.
Really enjoyable book and quite a fast read too.
October 11, 2014
Follow a Star is the second in a series of novels around Little Spitmarsh; I had not read the first Turning the Tide but felt that it was a capable stand alone novel.
The main character May Starling responds to a 'crew wanted' advertisement and finds herself helping to deliver a boat to Little Spitmarsh crewing alongside Bill Blythe on the Lucille.
May is trying to escape her past which is slowly revealed over the course of the novel. It has some nice rounded characters and of course the ubiquitous love interest expected in such a novel. Right from the start you feel that May and Bill are meant to be together although Bill sometimes misreads or over thinks with his judgments of May which was a bit annoying.
Lovely feeling of scene setting, I could almost taste the salty sea spray and feel the wind and mist in my hair as they took to the sea together on the lovely Lucille. It had a Cornish feel about it for me, wild, reckless and a race for May to stay one step ahead of her past following her ashore.
Nice lighthearted read, all the elements of a satisfactory novel, nicely rounded up and thoroughly enjoyable - good job Christine I am off to read 'Turning the Tide' now.
Easily a 4 star book for me, predictability prevented me giving it 5 stars but a good read nevertheless.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.
The main character May Starling responds to a 'crew wanted' advertisement and finds herself helping to deliver a boat to Little Spitmarsh crewing alongside Bill Blythe on the Lucille.
May is trying to escape her past which is slowly revealed over the course of the novel. It has some nice rounded characters and of course the ubiquitous love interest expected in such a novel. Right from the start you feel that May and Bill are meant to be together although Bill sometimes misreads or over thinks with his judgments of May which was a bit annoying.
Lovely feeling of scene setting, I could almost taste the salty sea spray and feel the wind and mist in my hair as they took to the sea together on the lovely Lucille. It had a Cornish feel about it for me, wild, reckless and a race for May to stay one step ahead of her past following her ashore.
Nice lighthearted read, all the elements of a satisfactory novel, nicely rounded up and thoroughly enjoyable - good job Christine I am off to read 'Turning the Tide' now.
Easily a 4 star book for me, predictability prevented me giving it 5 stars but a good read nevertheless.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2015
In Follow a Star by Christine Stovell, May Starling needs to get away from her demanding career and even more demanding boyfriend ASAP. So when she sees a crew wanted ad, she responds by email and agrees to help deliver a boat to Little Spitmarsh. What she doesn’t expect is to arrive at the bus depot only to not be met by the older man and having to walk to the port where the boat is and hope the elder man is there.
When May starts getting followed by a redheaded man in a truck she starts to freak out. She is in the middle of nowhere and she doesn’t think that she will find help easily. But when the man pulls alongside her and asks if she is May she wonders how he knows. But she soon learns that Bill will be the captain taking Lucille, the boat, to Little Spitmarsh and that his uncle, the person she had contacted is in the hospital. Read More...
When May starts getting followed by a redheaded man in a truck she starts to freak out. She is in the middle of nowhere and she doesn’t think that she will find help easily. But when the man pulls alongside her and asks if she is May she wonders how he knows. But she soon learns that Bill will be the captain taking Lucille, the boat, to Little Spitmarsh and that his uncle, the person she had contacted is in the hospital. Read More...
June 16, 2014
Follow a star is a follow up book to Turning the tide. I haven’t read Turning the tide yet, but I had no problems following this book as it can be read as a stand alone novel.
Little Spitmarsh is an enchanting location that makes you want to find it on a map to go visit for yourself. May's life is sometimes out of “Howard's Way” for the dramatic, but she is such a likeable character and was made for Bill.
Follow a star is wonderful novel full of sea spray and heart warming romance. It is the perfect book for a lazy summer's afternoon. I highly recommend this book and anything written by Christine Stovell.
Little Spitmarsh is an enchanting location that makes you want to find it on a map to go visit for yourself. May's life is sometimes out of “Howard's Way” for the dramatic, but she is such a likeable character and was made for Bill.
Follow a star is wonderful novel full of sea spray and heart warming romance. It is the perfect book for a lazy summer's afternoon. I highly recommend this book and anything written by Christine Stovell.
October 22, 2014
This is a wonderfully romantic story, with an unusual hero and a heroine you can’t help but root for. He is suspicious of her motives from the start, while she’s just trying to escape from a relationship with a horrible, controlling man. It is lovely for the reader to watch her break free of her shackles and start to become a strong, independent woman while showing the hero how wrong his first impressions of her were. I made the mistake of starting to read this at bed-time, thinking I’d just read a chapter or two – by 5am I had finished it. So be warned, once you pick this up, you won’t want to stop!
December 22, 2017
This was a cute one, it had me me listening all day long! I have to start the first one now, since I seem to be doing this series audiobook thing backwards all the time, haha.
Might do a proper review after Christmas!
Might do a proper review after Christmas!
October 26, 2016
A different type of book to what I usually read. This is an unabashed romance novel, which I did know when I bought it; my preference is for novels with romantic elements along side other things rather than just romance.
It was ok. I did like the setting (on a small sailing yacht and in a small fishing/ boating town), mainly because I spent many happy and miserable hours as a child on my father's small sailing yacht in all weathers and conditions.
The plot was predictable, but personally no real problems with that. The characters we well developed but I didn't feel overly engaged with them. The romantic relationship itself I struggled with. I do question the falling in love credibility when the story ends 10-14 days after it started. The characters Bill and May certainly had lust for each other, but could love really blossom that quickly? I have my doubts. The writing style sometimes seemed a bit heavy. Very long paragraphs of what each character was thinking got a bit boggy. There was also quite a bit of page time given to secondary (and unnecessary?) characters. If the whole element between owners of the boutique hotel was taken out, the story wouldn't have suffered at all. That being the case, why bother putting it in?
What lost this novel it's top potential score of 3 stars is the bad language. Why oh why was it put in? There was over a dozen uses of the f-bomb, and maybe one use of another swear word. If the characters really were supposed to be foul mouthed, then why was the only word used one of the most offensive? I don't believe that the characters which were built up were actually the type of people just come out with words like that, so that leaves me to think that the author put them in to a) copy what other authors are doing, and b) seem 'edgy' or 'real'. It was a fair enough story without any need to have it put them in. If this is a common style of language which the author writes for her characters then I'm not in a hurry to read any of her other novels. it also makes me glad that I bought this from a discount shop for very little, because instead of giving it space on my precious book shelves or passing it on to my reading-obsessed family members, I'll be putting it in to the recycling bin.
It was ok. I did like the setting (on a small sailing yacht and in a small fishing/ boating town), mainly because I spent many happy and miserable hours as a child on my father's small sailing yacht in all weathers and conditions.
The plot was predictable, but personally no real problems with that. The characters we well developed but I didn't feel overly engaged with them. The romantic relationship itself I struggled with. I do question the falling in love credibility when the story ends 10-14 days after it started. The characters Bill and May certainly had lust for each other, but could love really blossom that quickly? I have my doubts. The writing style sometimes seemed a bit heavy. Very long paragraphs of what each character was thinking got a bit boggy. There was also quite a bit of page time given to secondary (and unnecessary?) characters. If the whole element between owners of the boutique hotel was taken out, the story wouldn't have suffered at all. That being the case, why bother putting it in?
What lost this novel it's top potential score of 3 stars is the bad language. Why oh why was it put in? There was over a dozen uses of the f-bomb, and maybe one use of another swear word. If the characters really were supposed to be foul mouthed, then why was the only word used one of the most offensive? I don't believe that the characters which were built up were actually the type of people just come out with words like that, so that leaves me to think that the author put them in to a) copy what other authors are doing, and b) seem 'edgy' or 'real'. It was a fair enough story without any need to have it put them in. If this is a common style of language which the author writes for her characters then I'm not in a hurry to read any of her other novels. it also makes me glad that I bought this from a discount shop for very little, because instead of giving it space on my precious book shelves or passing it on to my reading-obsessed family members, I'll be putting it in to the recycling bin.
August 10, 2014
A romance at sea, a romance at land, but a romance that never really blooms before the end. Oh people, you got issues.
May is hiding something, little by little we do get what she is hiding and from whom. And then she gets on the boat with Bill and can't help it, she fancies him.
Bill, I mean he was nice and all. But I do think he jumped to conclusions way too fast, and way too much. Itwas like, do not give him any more chances! I did want them together, I just wished he had talked to her before accusing her or walking away. Men! Yes they are idiots aren't they?
This is book two in a series, but trust me, you can read it as a stand alone. It's about two people meeting, slowly falling in love and learning to trust each other. She has baggage, he does not know what to think.
A romance that builds. And romance should take time, and not be rushed.
May is hiding something, little by little we do get what she is hiding and from whom. And then she gets on the boat with Bill and can't help it, she fancies him.
Bill, I mean he was nice and all. But I do think he jumped to conclusions way too fast, and way too much. Itwas like, do not give him any more chances! I did want them together, I just wished he had talked to her before accusing her or walking away. Men! Yes they are idiots aren't they?
This is book two in a series, but trust me, you can read it as a stand alone. It's about two people meeting, slowly falling in love and learning to trust each other. She has baggage, he does not know what to think.
A romance that builds. And romance should take time, and not be rushed.
March 1, 2015
Author Christine Stovell has penned a lively novel with interesting characters sure to delight many.
Read full review in the 2015 February issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2015 February issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews