Stardust

by Anne Hampson

When her adoptive parents died, Jody Hendrick felt that her life was over, for they had left her almost nothing with which to make her way.When she found out that a distant relative had left her half of a luxury hotel in Ireland, she was ecstatic. She was even happier to meet her partner, handsome Conor Blake, with whom she quickly fell in love. But the dream seemed destined to be spoiled when her stepsister, Rochelle, showed up. Rochelle had inherited everything, and now she wanted Conor as wel

Paperback

First published April 1, 1982

About the author

Anne Hampson was born on 28 November 1928 in England. At age six she had two ambitions: to teach and to write. Poverty after WWI deprived her of an education and at 14 she was making Marks & Spencer's blouses at one shilling (5p) each.

She retired when she married. Later, when her marriage broke up, she was homeless with £40 in her purse. She went back to the rag trade and lived in a tiny caravan. But she never forgot her two ambitions, and when Manchester University decided to trial older women she applied, and three years later had achieved one ambition, so set her thoughts on number two.

In 1969, her first novel, Eternal Summer, was accepted five days from posting and she soon had a contract for 12 more. From the caravan she went to a small stately home, drove a Mercedes and sailed on the QE2. From the first book, came over 125 more written for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette. Alan Boon (the Boon of Mills & Boon) and she came up with the title for 'Harlequin Presents' over lunch at the Ritz. She suggested to Alan that they have a historical series. He told her to write one - it was done in a month, entitled Eleanor and the Marquis under the pseudonym Jane Wilby. She has the distinction of being number one in Harlequin Presents, Masquerade and Silhouette. Many of "Presents" have been reprinted many times (some as many as 16) and are now fetching up to $55, being classed as "rare" books.

She has had 3 awards, one at the World Trade Centre where she received a standing ovation from her American fans, who had come from many states just to meet her.

She was retired, but in 2005 she wrote two romance and crime novels, both of which were published by Severn House.

She passed away on 25 September 2014. She has been written her autobiography, entitled Fate Was My Friend.

Reviews

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edited to up the score after realizing that this book has become one of my favorite comfort reads due to its simplicity and the setting. It's not a great book, but the way things happen is very enjoyable.

In the best of Anne Hampson's books, there is an element of fairy tale that almost overwhelms the romance aspect, and this one is no difference. The h is young, sweet, and has been abandoned by her unloving family to a seemingly cruel fate despite her goodness and beauty. The H is all that is good, although work-obsessed and not prone to make good decisions about the h) but has placed barriers to the relationship. Complications emerge as a result of the unloving family, but the h's innate goodness wins the day. She also learns to stand up for herself and fight for what she needs, which is a nice complement to the innate goodness aspect.

It's not complicated, but it's very comforting. The h is saved from being too perfect for words because she is not just naive, she feels very strongly about things, and can come across as immature, but never foolish.

[Naksed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Heroine competes with her adoptive sister ROCHELLE for the hero. Hero and heroine inherited English manor-turned hotel jointly and run it together but hero hired the heroine’s witchy sister as his P.A. and definitely flaunts her before heroine’s nose as the sister he prefers. OW keeps interfering with the running of the business and implying she will imminently become the real lady of the manor once she and hero are married. She is infuriatingly condescending to heroine, calling her stupid and without any business acumen, something she hints that hero agrees with her on. She is also unbearably cruel towards an old, ill man employed by the hotel that heroine wants to nurse back to health while OW considers him dead weight good only for the hospice. It is only when heroine pretends an engagement to OM and OM implies that, as her husband, he will back up heroine against the wishes of hero and OW in the running of the hotel that the hero dumps OW and proposes to heroine. No one can convince me this was not a proposal of convenience based on hero’s desire to secure the money-making manor all to himself rather than based on his supposed love for the heroine. The OW and the OM both saw the situation correctly. I did not interpret the hero’s firing of the OW as a repudiation. To the contrary, I saw it as a gesture to appease the heroine. My guess is, six months down the lines after he has legally married heroine, all signed, sealed and delivered, and when he is sure that he has thoroughly dickmatized his wife and is firmly in control of the company, he will resume his affair with OW and maybe even re-hire her as his P.A. Gross.

[Martha B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of the book was rather slow and a bit repetitive. The heroine seemed immature. She quickly forgot about her unfinished school and was focusing on her infatuation with the H who is double her age. It was frustrating how naive she was in the beginning with Rochelle.
On the other hand the heroine had the right to enjoy easy living after all the stress her adopted sister put her through. I liked that she quickly learned and started to stand up for herself as she gained more confidence.
The other part of the book was better because there was more angst. Rochelle was really evil. I liked that the OM wasn’t hurt. The H seemed woodenly to me.

[E Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lasted 39 pages then gave up.

h is a total dimwit frankly, rushing home and gushing to her sister all about the half a hotel/ Castle which she inherited and the gorgeous man who runs it with her, after said sister booted her out of her home, and wouldn't even let her finish her A Levels. Why would she even speak to her after the way she's behaved?

Sister is a total b**** and I've no idea about the H because I just gave up.

[Cerulean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely no chemistry between the H and the h and the h sounded and acted like she was 12 through out the book.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cringeworthy

[shemah · Rating 2 out of 5]

#2024