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Star Dust

(Fly Me to the Moon #1)

Emma Barry (Goodreads Author),

Genevieve Turner (Goodreads Author)

3.76 · Rating details · 525 ratings · 143 reviews

Houston, 1962

Anne-Marie Smith wanted normal: a loving husband, two beautiful kids, and a well-kept house. But when she catches her husband cheating, she decides that normal isn’t worth it. Now in a new city with a new job, she’s trying to find her new normal—but she knows it doesn’t include the sexy playboy astronaut next door.

Commander Kit Campbell has a taste for fast: ...more

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Kindle Edition, First, 198 pages

Published October 14th 2015 by Penny Bright Publishing, LLC (first published September 8th 2015)

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Sep 02, 2018 Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ by: sraxe

Shelves: kissing-books, historical-romance, instafreebie

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I got this for free in a bundle of feminist-friendly romances a couple years ago that the authors had given out as ARCs to readers. I'm only just now getting around to it and I'm sorry about that! (But better late than never, right?) After reading STAR DUST, I'm thinking to myself that maybe I don't read enough cute romances because this... was really, really cute. Cute with substance.

STAR DUST is set in the 1960s, during the days of the ...more

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Feb 12, 2016 sraxe rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars, adult, celebrity, third-person, written-review, heroine-non-virginal, contemporary, romance, children-pregnancy, secret-relationship

Commander Christopher Campbell—aka Kit—is an astronaut. He's a celebrity, and pretty much one of America's sweethearts, being an astronaut deep in the midst of the space race. His position brings with it many ups and downs, one of each being loads of women, but also a ton of media attention, respectively. While the women are great, the attention is difficult because everyone is watching him, so his public persona always has to be on. And if he fails? Oh, he fails hard, and for all the world to s Commander Christopher Campbell—aka Kit—is an astronaut. He's a celebrity, and pretty much one of America's sweethearts, being an astronaut deep in the midst of the space race. His position brings with it many ups and downs, one of each being loads of women, but also a ton of media attention, respectively. While the women are great, the attention is difficult because everyone is watching him, so his public persona always has to be on. And if he fails? Oh, he fails hard, and for all the world to see.

Anne-Marie is a divorcee and mother of two. Her ex-husband, Doug, was unfaithful to her throughout their entire near decade-long marriage, so she didn't think twice before divorcing his ass. She also has to deal with society's scorn for having divorced rather than staying with her unfaithful husband, including from her own family. However, now, not only is she having to take care of her two children, she also needs to start up in the workforce. And it totally doesn't help when you've got the super hot astronaut living next door.

Anyway, generally, I don't like the manwhore/playboy types. Usually I find it's just an excuse to play out the sexist stereotype of an experienced man paired with a virginal woman. That's why I liked that in this book, the heroine wasn't a virgin. She's so far from a virgin, having been married for nearly ten years and birthed two children. It doesn't give us anything other than that, but I'll assume that Doug was her only because she married him in her late-teens.

Now, although I still don't like the manwhore thing, I could see how it'd come with the territory in this case. While there are other destructive methods for broody Hs to turn to, I could buy that women could be the least destructive. I can see how drugs and excessive drink would be incompatible with his astronaut occupation. The authors do hint a couple of times as to the "benefits" of the job and about his "nighttime activities," which I totally could've done with known about. What I didn't like, however, was how the authors showed this. While I didn't like the mentions of his playboy lifestyle to begin with, I was willing to roll with it. What I hated was the authors' need to show us his manwhoring when we're re-introduced to him post-prologue.

So, what happens is, Anne-Marie comes over to ask him for a band-aid and a knife. He helps her fix her wound, which is when he also takes the opportunity to flirt with her. That's not the problem. The problem was, when she starts to leave...out walks a blonde from the bedroom. So, while he'd been flirting with the h in the kitchen, the OW he'd slept with the previous night was in the next room over. Just...so ick. That wasn't a good start, imo. (And then later we're told she'd been a birthday present to him from his friends...) Just...ugh. I know it's nothing graphic (there's no sexual scene with any OW), but I really didn't like that. I feel the authors could've just mentioned his manwhoring or maybe shown him flirting with another woman to illustrate it, but I just absolutely hated the scene the authors chose. If it had been cut, I would've rated this book higher, tbh.

What I did like in response to this was that, even though Anne-Marie is interested in Kit, she basically gives him the cold shoulder. I had both a negative and a positive reaction to this. The negative was that, even though in the first three chapters she makes it clear she wants nothing to do with him, I didn't really feel any conviction there. I think it's because the authors interspersed her denials and rejections with positive thoughts about Kit and his attractiveness. She says to herself that she's going to keep him in a "detached neighbourly box," yet I didn't believe it when she spouted this. I wanted her to genuinely not want to be around him after that OW scene. She even compares him to Doug at one point, not wanting a repeat of her previous relationship with leaving one womanizer, only to end up with another. She also rejects him because she doesn't want to start something public with him and have her kids getting hurt if it doesn't work out.

What I did like about it, though, was that, even in the face of Anne-Marie's rejections, Kit is still determined. At first he just flirts, but then he really does want to date her...only to be resoundingly rejected. He agrees to a no-strings-attached affair with her, even though he's still wanting to be in a non-secretive relationship with her. I loved that even though she kept him at a distance and wasn't the nicest towards him, he doesn't let it get to him. After they decide on an affair, he still feels happy when he gets invited along to hang out with her children, thinking that maybe he's breaking through to her. And even though they were mutually lustful, I felt that Kit fell for her loooong before she fell for him, which I love because I like seeing the guy brought down to his knees first. And I should mention, even though he does spend time with her kids, it wasn't the same as a relationship. The children were inviting him over for dinner and going fishing, not as their mom's new boyfriend, but as the super fool and famous astronaut next door.

And perhaps in his head, she’d also added a few things about how she’d had a good time last weekend and how wonderful he’d made her feel.

Okay, that last part was probably too much to hope for. But the rest of it seemed pretty damn likely.

He knocked on her door and waited.

But sadly, when she answered, she didn’t look at him at all. ...

She pursed her lips, as if she knew what he was thinking. “No, I’m going to do this one by myself. You and your dog should stay away—far away. Be back here at five,
ready to go,” she ordered.

He smiled and snapped off a salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

When she rolled her eyes, it was with affection—or maybe he was deluding himself.

The other thing I liked about her rejection of him is that she makes it perfectly clear that she cares not one bit for his celebrity. Because of this, he feels insecurity and constantly second-guesses himself. He was this arrogant playboy, but around her he starts to wonder if he actually impressed her, dying for small, verbal reassurances. I thought it was kind of great. I absolutely loved how smitten he was. He was the one who insisted on dating—more than once—which is so different than the Hs who push away and never want to commit.

There were some other complaints I did have though. One, I was really disappointed that Doug didn't show even a smidgen of jealousy over Anne-Marie moving on. He took his cake and ate it, too, imo. For nearly a decade, he and Anne-Marie were married, and he cheated on her the entire time. He didn't even care that they were divorcing. And she's the one who ended up taking the children and caring for them, while also starting in the workplace. But Doug isn't shown to care one bit. I would've liked to see her stick it to him, even just a bit.

Another is the stuff about the Dunsfords. Why was this stuff about Margie's unfaithful husband, Mitch, included? It just left me dissatisfied because it was left unresolved. She was such a nice woman throughout the entire book, and such a good friend to Anne-Marie, that it just annoyed me so much that her husband was like that. I get that the authors did it for the comment she threw in at the end ("In the early and mid 1960s, the astronauts and their wives attempted to project happiness and stability even when the truth about their marriages was more complicated."), but I would've liked to see something better for her because, well...this is fiction, and romantic fiction, at that. I want the nice character to be rewarded! Dunsford was a huge douche and didn't deserve Margie!

The last thing I didn't like was the inclusion of Miss Delancy (the OW). Why was she even part of the story? It seemed like it'd go somewhere with her, but then nothing happened. Why was her being young-looking included? Kit takes notice of this twice, so I thought it'd play some role later on, but it never comes up again. I didn't get the point of including it because there was no further elaboration to that, or her, at a later point.

So, although I had my complaints about this book, they didn't get in the way of my overall enjoyment of it. Once I got past the OW scene (which happens in the first chapter), I found the rest to be fairly enjoyable. ...more

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Dec 30, 2018 Anne Boleyn's Ghost rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, barrel-of-laughs

4.5 stars.

Sometimes you fall in love with a book. You fall in love despite its flaws, and because of what it represents and how it makes you feel.

I fell in love with Star Dust. Charming is an understatement. As is inspiring. The book presents a quiet but no less potent feminism.

Anne-Marie left her philandering husband. And in 1962 Houston, that simply wasn't done. For many readers, the 1960s as the setting of a historical romance novel incites a wry sort of disbelief. Their parents were alive th ...more

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Sep 14, 2015 Mandi rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical

When Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner submitted this for review, I was so happy. The premise - a 1960's romance starring an astronaut hero who falls for his newly divorced neighbor? Sign me up!

Anne-Marie Smith is newly divorced, and can feel the stares and judgment all around her. But she will take all that snobbery for not having to spend another minute with her cheating husband. Anne-Marie's parents are very wealthy (and can't believe she got divorced - the drama) and they want her and her two When Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner submitted this for review, I was so happy. The premise - a 1960's romance starring an astronaut hero who falls for his newly divorced neighbor? Sign me up!

Anne-Marie Smith is newly divorced, and can feel the stares and judgment all around her. But she will take all that snobbery for not having to spend another minute with her cheating husband. Anne-Marie's parents are very wealthy (and can't believe she got divorced - the drama) and they want her and her two kids to continue to live a decent lifestyle. So they buy her a brand new house in a brand new development, where it's known many astronauts and their wives live. Anne-Marie is more worried about getting her kids adjusted to a new house and new schools than to be impressed by astronauts roaming the streets. Okay, maybe she is a little impressed, especially when she meets her famous neighbor Commander Christopher Campbell, or Kit. Years ago, when the Soviets beat the Americans by getting the first satellite into space, Kit made it his mission in life to orbit the Earth before them - and now he is very close. He is the second in place to leave Earth, and has been training relentlessly. Kit is single and in very good shape, and doesn't know what to do with a single mom neighbor. She is cute but puts out a very chilly vibe when she looks at him.

Anne-Marie can't help but lust after Kit when he goes running shirtless down the street. But she has responsibilities! She has a new job as a travel agent! Darn it - she can't be wooed by a hottie astronaut!

But she is wooed. She is wooed big time, and their secret affair turns into feelings and a very sexy and cute romance develops.

Being set in the early 60's, women didn't go around and get divorced so much

"Can you even imagine what she must be like?" Carruthers said. "A woman who'd actually leave a man? Or who was so shrewish that he left her?"

But don't worry about Anne-Marie. Although her parents bought her a house, she gets a job. She doesn't mope around and whine people whisper about her, she puts her head up and goes on with her life. She is overwhelmed at times - and annoyed when a certain neighbor shows up to help her all the time, but she has confidence and lots of spirit.

Kit falls hard for Anne-Marie, which surprises him. He usually feels awkward around kids, feeling pressure to live up to the hero they see in him. But he takes to Anne-Marie's kids quick. He knows the press and gossip can get to even the best astronaut wife, so he tries to shield that from her the best he can. He is the one that pushes for more, and he courts her and it's all just very sweet.

"I think about you all the time. Well, you and the stars. You're all bound up together n ow. You have been for weeks." He paused and swallowed, and then with heartbreaking earnestness, he said, "Have dinner with me."

He'd phrased it as a statement, but she could hear the entreaty. That was what surprised her, made her "What?" come out sharp and baffled.

"I want to take you to dinner. I want to bring you flowers. I want to pursue you. And I want to kiss you."

Oh you dreamy astronaut.

Anne-Marie befriends some of the other wives, and they start to form friendships. I want to say it's a cute contemporary because that is how it felt, but I guess I have to say it's a cute historical. I was so glad to see another book is coming featuring another astronaut hero.

Grade: B ...more

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Oct 22, 2015 willaful rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-gift-or-netgalley, o-theatre-film-show-biz-celebrity

(Reviewed from an e-arc I was given by the authors.)

Despite a very prickly heroine and an inherently tense situation - space travel! -- this is a sweet, domestic romance. Anne Marie is beginning a new life for herself and her two children after divorcing her unfaithful husband. Conscious of the ugly stereotypes about divorced women, she doesn't want that new life to involve her playboy astronaut neighbor Kit Campbell, but the sight of him jogging undoes her, while his supportive attention captiv (Reviewed from an e-arc I was given by the authors.)

Despite a very prickly heroine and an inherently tense situation - space travel! -- this is a sweet, domestic romance. Anne Marie is beginning a new life for herself and her two children after divorcing her unfaithful husband. Conscious of the ugly stereotypes about divorced women, she doesn't want that new life to involve her playboy astronaut neighbor Kit Campbell, but the sight of him jogging undoes her, while his supportive attention captivates her essentially fatherless kids. And Kit finds himself falling for the pleasures of home and family, and a strong, complicated woman.

I grew up with Robert Klein's brilliant album "Child of the Fifties" and I recognize this world of 1962 from his wry portrayal, including the non-ironic hero worship of public figures like astronauts, and the pervasive fear of "the Russians." (Not to mention the dubious utility of bomb drills at school.) I enjoyed the unusual setting, which is portrayed with strong attention to detail and great sincerity. It's hardly a "good old days" fairy tale: as someone going against the mores of her times, which tell her she should put up with almost anything to save her marriage, Anne Marie can't help but be aware of how unjustly women are treated. But she, her children, and Kit are realistically of their time, as we see in this scene:

"He couldn't remember when he'd seen a woman looking better. And he was shirtless and stinking from a run. Way to impress her, Campbell.
She simply stared, her eyes wide and roaming him. She was no doubt horrified by his state of undress--but he didn't care. He stalked over the her, took the trash from her unresisting hands, and hauled it the bin.... There was no way in hell he was letting her take out the trash, not when he was nearby. His mother would have a fit if she knew he'd let a lady carry garbage."

Luckily, Kit has no hangups about Anne Marie being "a lady" in the bedroom, a place where he can quite effectively melt her chilly attitude. I didn't find his attraction to her fully convincing, and the ending really seemed implausible. (view spoiler) But if you enjoy reading about the early days of space, the 1960s, or just people falling in love and living happily ever after, give it a try.
...more

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Jun 10, 2020 b.andherbooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, forced-proximity, romance, space-the-final-frontier

“Constellations tell a story. Lines connecting points, making a picture. Your freckles do too. Your body does. Anne-Marie, I like your story.” He didn’t look away. He didn’t even blink. He meant it. Every word. And looking in his eyes, she felt it. She nearly shook with need. “Make love to me.” “Yes, ma’am.”

So I've had Stardust languishing on my TBR pile for way too long. Way too long. BUT I guess it was waiting for me when I truly needed it because wow, I absolutely loved it. My entire jam. A ...more

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Nov 07, 2015 Beth rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed

I'm unfairly finicky, I know. And I despise manufactured drama. (view spoiler) ...more

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Sep 10, 2015 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: format-ebook, books-read-in-2015, how-own, books-read-in-2015-new

This was really solid with likable characters! It takes an unusual era in romance (MORE OF THIS PLEASE) and makes it feel very real.

I really appreciated how the issue of Anne-Marie's divorce was dealt with, especially that it was acknowledged she had options other women don't because her parents were able to help her out.

The ending conflict felt a little weak, but I'll take that over overly dramatic.

The preview at the end made me VERY excited for the next book.

Thanks to Emma Barry for the book! ...more

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Jan 28, 2017 Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew rated it it was ok

Shelves: archived, fiction, tag-reviewed, genre-cr

This is so wrong. How can book 2 of this trilogy be a DIK - taut, sexy, intelligent - when this one reads like a churned out story from a greying 1960s women's magazine?

Part of that is a compliment, to be fair - the evocation of the 1960s is really well done: the foods, the domestic details. The atmosphere (where children can run around the streets and not worry about strangers) is in some ways as alien as a Regency ball room, yet it comes across very convincingly. The comments about Anne-Marie This is so wrong. How can book 2 of this trilogy be a DIK - taut, sexy, intelligent - when this one reads like a churned out story from a greying 1960s women's magazine?

Part of that is a compliment, to be fair - the evocation of the 1960s is really well done: the foods, the domestic details. The atmosphere (where children can run around the streets and not worry about strangers) is in some ways as alien as a Regency ball room, yet it comes across very convincingly. The comments about Anne-Marie's divorce, and the differing attitudes to it are all pitch-perfect.

But the story that is layered on top is limp and floppy. Anne-Marie and Kit move too quickly for me from irritated neighbours to having a secret emotionless affair. And from there it's a very short step to Love. Which, as an emotion, and in the abstract, I approve of. But only if I get to see the steps. It's the journey, not the ending.

And - in the case of Star Dust - not even a particularly interesting journey, unfortunately. The stakes here are very low, and curiously muted. The only things keeping the MCs apart are, firstly, Kit coming across as a bit of a rump-clutching playboy. But give him a couple of chapters, though, and he's magicked into a regular family guy, peeling potatoes with the best of them. And once H&h have crossed that hurdle, it's all about whether being with a divorcée will harm Kit's reputation. We don't really get to see who will make this call, or what Kit will have to give up, so the enemy (if there is one) is faceless and the drama is distant.

The MCs together are pretty bland, and ironically, it's only when they are interacting with other secondary characters that any sense of their personalities emerges. It's doubtful whether Kit really knows Anne-Marie, in any case: he only ever sees the side of her that is a sweet home-maker and loving mother. Not the side that is a kick-ass travel agent. I think it says a lot that the scenes of Anne-Marie taking on the world of work were the most fascinating sections.

And it's pretty clear that Anne-Marie hasn't the first idea what's important to Kit. (view spoiler)

I will admit that I am probably giving Star Dust a harder time than I might have done had Earth Bound not been so good. But on the whole, sadly, you might be best skipping this and heading straight for Earth Bound. ...more

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Jan 12, 2019 Janine Ballard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-releases

4.25 stars

I recently finished Star Dust, the first book in the Fly Me to the Moon romance series by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner. It’s set in 1962 (not sure if that counts as historical or contemporary!) and is the story of a somewhat famous astronaut and the divorcée next door.

The novel is billed as a book in which the heroine is looking for a new normal and the hero is anything but, which is true, but what I thought was more interesting about the book was the way Anne-Marie had to navigate 4.25 stars

I recently finished Star Dust, the first book in the Fly Me to the Moon romance series by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner. It’s set in 1962 (not sure if that counts as historical or contemporary!) and is the story of a somewhat famous astronaut and the divorcée next door.

The novel is billed as a book in which the heroine is looking for a new normal and the hero is anything but, which is true, but what I thought was more interesting about the book was the way Anne-Marie had to navigate her post-divorce life in the 1960s, with other women disapproving of her choices and men thinking that because she was divorced, she must be fair game.

All of this makes Anne-Marie prickly, and it also makes her independence all the more important to her. And since she left her husband over cheating, the partying of her astronaut neighbor doesn’t sit well with her.

Kit isn’t (to me anyway) as interesting as Anne-Marie, but his gradual evolution from a bachelor who occasionally likes to party to a man who gets over his fear of the way kids look up to him for his job, to something of a father-figure to Anne-Marie’s two kids was nice too.

After Anne-Marie rebuffs an initial shallow pass from Kit, both of them try to ignore their attraction, but it blooms nonetheless, and when Anne-Marie is drawn into the neighborhood’s astronauts’ wives circle, they see more of each other than ever. Gradually they begin to like and respect each other.

Star Dust is a touching romance, though the sex scenes were ones I could take or leave (once or twice things were described vaguely enough that I wasn’t sure what act I was reading about, but most of the time they were more explicit than that).

Most of all, I liked the attention to time, place and milieu. It’s a slightly alternate timeline, with NASA replaced by an organization called ASD and the astronauts (obviously) fictional characters, but the social attitudes, speech patterns and descriptions like those of a gold bathroom and a turquoise refrigerator were all very 1960s. I also loved the details about the space program and about Anne-Marie’s job at a travel agency.

One peeve:

(view spoiler)

All in all, a nice romance and 4.25 stars for me, thanks to all the period detail. ...more

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Oct 27, 2015 Lyuda rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1960-1980

Once in not so distant past of 1960s, an astronaut was one of the most glamorous professions in the United States. Photographers hunted them, journalists constantly wrote about them, adult population worshiped them, and kids considered them their heroes. At that time, at the top of the Cold War, advancing, capturing space was the most important battle and the astronauts, such as the hero of this story, Commander Christopher Campbell (Kit), were leading the way to victory.

Kit didn’t like being u Once in not so distant past of 1960s, an astronaut was one of the most glamorous professions in the United States. Photographers hunted them, journalists constantly wrote about them, adult population worshiped them, and kids considered them their heroes. At that time, at the top of the Cold War, advancing, capturing space was the most important battle and the astronauts, such as the hero of this story, Commander Christopher Campbell (Kit), were leading the way to victory.

Kit didn’t like being under a public microscope but he accepted it as part of the deal: “He’d chosen to be an astronaut. That was the price he paid for the chance to see the stars”.

Although serious and dedicated to his mission, Kit is an easy going, handsome playboy who never thought much about settling down. Well, until he meets his new neighbor, Anne-Marie Smith, who doesn't seem to be the slightest bit interested in him and takes pains to avoid him.
Anne-Marie is a divorcee with two kids at the time when “genus Divorcee was too strange”, when divorce had a stigma. When Anne-Marie divorced her cheating husband, people around her turned their original sympathy into hard stares and leers, gossip and silence. They though she would never succeed. But she is ready to turn a new page of her life with a new place and a new job and to prove them wrong. The last thing she needs is to be involved with a famous playboy neighbor.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I loved the 1960s/astronauts setting which is very unique in romance.
From the first page, the story brought to life early 1960s era. The descriptions of clothing, food, drink choices, societal attitudes and even complicated travel arrangements before the internet provided an incredible sense of place. Clearly a lot of research went into creating this book. There were several really cool space mission training and flying scenes which made the race to space an exciting and dramatic part of the story. And romance hit all the right notes: it was slow building, filled with sexual tension and chemistry.

I truly enjoyed this story.
...more

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Dec 22, 2018 Rachel marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: own-to-read, m-f-historical-romance

12/22/18 Currently FREE via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01... ...more

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Oct 14, 2015 Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, alternating-pov-s, own, adult, read-2015, favorite-2015

Originally posted at For What It's Worth on 10/23/15 http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2015/10/re...

I was looking for a romance that was fun, a little off beat and not super explicit. I stumbled on to Emma Barry’s twitter feed and her description of her new release, Star Dust, (co authored by Barry and Genevieve Turner) and it seemed to fit the bill.

What a pleasant surprise this book was!

I had known it was about a divorcee and a playboy astronaut, but I didn’t realize that it took place in Houston, 196 Originally posted at For What It's Worth on 10/23/15 http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2015/10/re...

I was looking for a romance that was fun, a little off beat and not super explicit. I stumbled on to Emma Barry’s twitter feed and her description of her new release, Star Dust, (co authored by Barry and Genevieve Turner) and it seemed to fit the bill.

What a pleasant surprise this book was!

I had known it was about a divorcee and a playboy astronaut, but I didn’t realize that it took place in Houston, 1962. The authors did an incredible job plunging me into that era with subtle details such as home décor, food and drink choices and societal attitudes (which were pretty awful towards women – especially divorced women like our heroine, Ann Marie).

Ann Marie has made the bold choice to divorce her cheating husband and move with her children to a new community in Houston. People are not kind to her, even though she has it better than most. Her family has money and is able to buy her the house and get her a job but that can’t stop the judgment she feels from everyone around her. Most people have the attitude that Hey – men cheat, or what did SHE do to make him cheat, or Stay away! I might catch divorce cooties!

"Can you even imagine what she must be like?" Carruthers said. "A woman who'd actually leave a man? Or who was so shrewish that he left her?"

Because of the constant judgment and her desire to make it completely on her own, without the help of a man, she isn’t the nicest after meeting her new neighbor – famous astronaut - Commander Kit Campbell. Not that that deters him much. *wink* He may be a playboy but he falls hard for Ann Marie and her kids.

Listen…I love my sexy times (& this book does have them!) but it was so nice to read about a couple where the sexual tension is ratcheted up to a point that the actual sex wasn’t as important. Smoking cigarettes together while staring at the stars, sharing their deepest hopes and fears, being turned on by freckles or a bare chest…it just had this awesome, sexy vibe and build up that I feel is missing from a lot of romances these days.

There isn’t a whole lot of conflict or drama between the two – other than deciding to take the plunge in the first place. But I enjoyed reading about the everyday issues they need to work through, rather than manufactured conflict. Kit is an astronaut – going into space has been his dream since he was a child but it brings hero worship, gossip and prying eyes into his life on a daily basis. Not something the newly divorced Ann Marie or her children need right now. And it’s a dangerous job. Does Ann Marie even want to be part of that?

There are several really cool space mission training and flying scenes and that made me happy. It wasn’t just about the romance and Kit didn’t just all of a sudden forget everything he worked so hard for because he fell for Ann Marie. But I think my favorite thing about Star Dust was the friendships between Ann Marie and the astronauts wives. It helped soften her heart and realize that she can make friends and accept help without it meaning she failed.

Pour yourself a cocktail – maybe break out the 60’s Jell-O mold and give this little gem of a book a try! I feel like it would make a great romance book club selection as well. Lots of things to discuss!
...more

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Jan 31, 2016 Kay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was surprised at how very much I liked this. I was confident I'd enjoy Barry and Turner's writing, but wasn't keen on the context, or time period. BUT, stars above, it came through lovely. The protagonists, astronaut Kit and next-door-neighbour, newly divorced Anne-Marie, meet and bicker, banter, and pile up a whole load of assumptions about each other. Their sheer niceness and reasonableness see them through their prejudices to a believable HEA. The romance suffers from conflict-light; howeve ...more

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Sep 09, 2015 Kaetrin marked it as to-read

Shelves: ebook, historical

I guess the 1960s is historical now? ;)

Review copy via author.

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Oct 11, 2017 Tori rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017

This is a lovely romance. I enjoyed Kit and Anne Marie's relationship a lot, going from antagonistic, to friends with benefits to more.

I liked that it was a low drama romance, even though the main conflict at the end seemed like it should have had more resolution. I suppose in these kind of situations, the people involved have to decide whether or not it's worth it, and that's the only way it really works.

The space stuff managed to be fairly high intensity, which was a pleasant surprise.

I'm g ...more

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Dec 27, 2020 Mel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: december-2020-reading-list

Really loved this one, set in the 60s with a heroine who leaves her cheating husband and falls for the astronaut next door, it was sexy and delightfully charming and I appreciated the social commentary on women bearing the brunt of judgment when they decide to divorce their cheating husbands.

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Sep 30, 2020 Malin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-books, keyword-challenge-2020, literary-pickers-2020, cbr12, hist-fic-challenge-2020, tbr-list-2020, backlist-reader-2020, e-books-2020

I feel like Kit is presented as a bit too much of a shallow playboy in the book description. He doesn't particularly seem to enjoy casual sex or the attention of shallow astronaut groupies all that much, and mostly, he seems super focused on his career, not the party lifestyle. Misleading book blurbs annoy me.

This book was a perfectly fine read, but the romance didn't exactly blow me away. What I enjoyed the most about this book was Anne-Marie trying to make an independent life for herself, gett ...more

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Oct 07, 2017 Jamie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romanticals, fanfic-positive, space-walk

It’s fanfic of the 1960’s NASA heyday, and I crushed too hard on reruns of I Dream of Jeannie to be immune to that. Not to mention, yeah, space! The buildup and tension is neat, the climax is a letdown, but then there’s SPACE. So it’s good but not great, which is all that I ask of my NASA fanfic.

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Sep 11, 2015 Brandy Painter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-fiction, historical-fiction, romance

This was such a fantastic wonderful break from all the MG books with dead parent/pets/friends I'm reading for the Cybils right now. Reading order matters. I say that a lot, but I think this would be a five star read for me no matter when I read it.

The characters in this are wonderful. All of them. Anne-Marie is a prickly heroine who has every reason to be wary of romance particularly from men like Kit. I liked how her divorce was talked about in the context of the time, and how it was clear she ...more

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Sep 21, 2015 Grace rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebook, romance, 2015-all, 2015-new

This was a really great read! The prose was solid and the world was really rich and well imagined. I loved the 1960s/astronauts setting, which is a time period you don't see addressed in romances very often (more of this please - more of this world and more of other worlds that aren't seen in romance much). I especially liked Anne-Marie as a heroine and her backstory. A divorced heroine in the 60s! Which just isn't explored at all! She did have access to support and resources that many other wom ...more

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Sep 10, 2015 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: own-ebook, 2015-all, romance, romance-historical, 2015-new

3.5 stars, I think.

I liked this a lot! It took me a little longer than I would have expected to get into it considering how great I found the premise, but I think part of that might have been the need for more historical placement than you get in most historical romances. Since you don't read about the 1960s all that often, there's not the same established location/period shorthand and so this needed more.

But once the romance itself kicked into gear, I was super, super into it. Kit and Anne-Mari ...more

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Oct 08, 2015 Zoe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed Emma's Washington series, so when I was offered an early copy of Star Dust, I leapt at the chance. (Hmmm. Maybe I might have demanded an ARC. I can't remember. LOL)

And Star Dust was everything I hoped it would be and more! Romantic, nostalgic, sexy, fresh, and a ton of fun. I'll post a full review after release, but this is going on my favourite books of 2015 list for sure. ...more

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Jul 22, 2020 Leigh Kramer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: buttoned-up-fmc, historical-romance, stem, single-parent-or-guardian, neighbors-to-lovers, pets

This was such a great historical romance against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race! Anne-Marie is a buttoned up woman putting the pieces of her life back together after her divorce. She’s now a single mother and about to start her first job in a new city. She may find her astronaut neighbor Kit attractive but she doesn’t have time for playboys. Kit tends to avoid complications, especially when those complications have children. But there’s a strong connection between them from the moment they ...more

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Nov 09, 2018 Kristel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, historical-fiction, 2018

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

I'm sorry to say that this book did not live up to my expectations. It holds so much promise because it has the elements of a wonderful novel (astronaut hero + divorcee heroine with 2 kids + 1960s setting), but it just fell short to my taste. The wonderful, interesting setting of the 1960s weren't fully maximized, and Kit's life as an astronaut were just vague and bleak. I also didn't feel any chemistry between Kit and Anne-Marie, and didn't like how Kit was portrayed a ...more

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Apr 04, 2017 Marielle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

First: I love the movie Apollo 13.
Second: this book felt like the romance version of that movie. It has the era, the clothes, the mindset, the adventure and... the astronauts!
Third: the writing is good and the focus is on the romance.

Was all well with this book? No. If it was, my review would be something like 'wow I wish I could give 6 stars'. The main miss for me: the time frame for the couple to arrive at the I Love You's, especially since there were kids involved, but the stress of the spac ...more

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Jun 12, 2020 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-ebook-kindle, on-my-shelves

Really enjoyed the unique romance setting for this (historical set in the early 1960s during the space race—hero is an astronaut). Though it has 300 pages, based on the time it took to read, this is more like novella length, and I do wish there had been more words spent on developing the characters and the romance. I liked it, but it didn't hit me in the heartspace like I think it could have. Also, personal pet peeve, I really hate that the heroine and mother of two smoked. Kit and his dog were ...more

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Sep 09, 2015 Maria Rose rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: military-hero-or-heroine, historical-romance, fully-reviewed-books, 5-star-reads, single-parent-romance, best-of-2015

Anne-Marie thought she'd be a typical housewife with two children and a satisfying marriage but after numerous infidelities she's taken her future into her own hands, becoming a divorcee and moving herself and her children to Houston and the start of a new working life. She didn't expect to find a celebrity next door but astronaut in training Kit is there none-the-less, a Korean war hero and now star of the US Space Program, in hot competition with the Russians to be the first to send a man into Anne-Marie thought she'd be a typical housewife with two children and a satisfying marriage but after numerous infidelities she's taken her future into her own hands, becoming a divorcee and moving herself and her children to Houston and the start of a new working life. She didn't expect to find a celebrity next door but astronaut in training Kit is there none-the-less, a Korean war hero and now star of the US Space Program, in hot competition with the Russians to be the first to send a man into orbit.

Kit is a playboy, with a new girl on his arm frequently but something about Anne-Marie, her tartness and obvious reluctance to get involved with him strikes a nerve and he's determined to show her that he really is a good guy, dependable and solid. Already infamous by way of her divorce (something just not done in the early '60s), the last thing she needs is to be the focus of a Life magazine cover as the new girlfriend of an American hero. Kit's getting ready for the ride of his life - but what will it mean if he doesn't have Anne-Marie by his side?

When I first saw the synopsis for this story, I was immediately reminded of my love for the TV show I Dream of Jeannie, in reruns by the time I was old enough to watch it. I was captivated by Major Anthony Nelson ('sigh') and in reading this story, the sets and costumes and general 1960's ideals of that show were brought to mind. The start of the American space program has always interested me, so a romantic story based in that time period was already going to capture my attention. Lucky for me, everything I hoped for came true in this story.

From the first page, the story brought to life that era in time. The descriptions of clothing, food, houses, and the day to day life of a woman trying to prove to the world that just because she's divorced doesn't mean she's incapable of providing a comfortable life for herself and two children were interesting and detailed in such a way that you felt for Anne-Marie and her situation. But she's not the type of woman to roll over and let the gossips have their way. She's had to put on a pretty thick skin to deal with the comments from those who think she should have overlooked her husband's cheating and forgiven him. As such, she comes across as a strong woman, sometimes abrupt, but ultimately one who knows she did the right thing. Her job at a travel agency was quite fascinating, mostly because it's hard to remember how much of a challenge it would have been to book flights solely over the phone, in the pre-internet days. That was just one of the ways that I found the story true to life and obviously well researched, in addition to the social circles and niceties that Anne-Marie finds herself a part of, as a result of living next to her famous neighbour.

Kit is a friendly, competitive playboy, though truth be told his antics are somewhat exaggerated by the gossip rags, as much as any other celebrity. His job is very unique, having turned his fighter pilot ways into his real goal of becoming an astronaut. While every young boy might have dreamed about going into outer space, Kit has been able to take that dream and make it his reality. I loved the description of his job, and the politics of working within the American space agency. His training and missions were super interesting to read about. But while Kit has always known what he wants for his career, he's never thought much about settling down. Well, until he meets his new neighbour, a woman who doesn't seem to be the slightest bit interested in him and takes pains to avoid him. This piques his interest because it's the opposite of every other woman he meets.

Eventually of course, their attraction to each other sways them to start having an affair, one that Anne-Marie insists on keeping a secret from her children and from their mutual friends. She hates the idea of being in the limelight, and even more so, worries that her reputation as a divorced woman will impact Kit's public persona and cause a scandal for him. He's got enough pressure with the upcoming mission on his shoulders, the last thing he needs is to be in the news because of a tawdry affair with a divorcee. Their love scenes are steamy and emotional, and soon Kit realizes that a life with Anne-Marie and her children is something that he really wants. But he's got his hands full convincing her that he's worth the risk. It's not until the reality of Kit's job and the danger associated with it become real to Anne-Marie that she realizes that not being with him is no longer an option for her, no matter the press's opinion. I loved that Kit gave her the space to come to her own decisions without pressuring her, and that he understood her need to maintain some independence even when in a relationship. Their eventual happy ending was lovely and sweet.

I found this whole story delightful - it's a unique 'historical' romance, one that is meticulously detailed with interesting main characters and some dynamic secondary ones as well . Along with the romance there is a good deal of action, the race to space an exciting and dramatic part of the story. I'm hoping that this is just the start of a series that will feature some of Kit's colleagues in the space agency. 5 stars.

Note: a copy of this story was provided by the authors for review.

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Aug 18, 2019 Carmen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, romance-historical, 2019

Friends, if the idea of a space race-era romance where playboy astronaut and a divorcee engaging in a secret affair that becomes something more is interesting to you, READ THIS BOOK. I picked it up on a whim when it was on sale, and I could not be happier about it. It's just the most lovely book, and now I feel compelled to read the entire series as quickly as possible. ...more

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Jun 26, 2022 Elizajane40 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A very solid beginning to a wonderful series. The h is a divorcee in the early 60s, the H is a playboy astronaut but also basically a sweet guy. There’s not a lot of drama, just a slow burn that turns into a slow build. If I have any quibbles it’s that we don’t spend enough time with them once they get together. I highly recommend this series! It is so special.

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About Emma Barry

Emma Barry

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Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.