Stevie‘s review of Starling (South Landers, Book 1) by Virginia Taylor
Historical Romance published by Lyrical Press 14 Apr 15
I’m always pleased to see new historical novels set in the 19th Century but in countries other than the UK and the US, and involving residents of the country in question rather than visitors from locations more popular with authors. On the other hand, being set somewhere different, even if written by a native of that country, doesn’t guarantee that I’m going to enjoy the story, no matter how well researched or richly detailed the setting.
Starling Smith is an orphan living in South Australia, whose greatest ambition is to open her own dress and fabrics shop – and then to make it successful enough for her to employ her fellow orphans as well. Having worked as a laundress in an inn of ill repute, she seems to be one step closer to realising her dream when she’s offered a job at Seymour’s Emporium – the most successful department store in the region. After only two weeks, the owner summons her to his office because he and his managers dislike the way Starling advises customer on what to buy and wear. She can’t work in the Emporium any longer, but he’ll pay her forty pounds if she’ll pose as his wife for two weeks.
Alasdair Seymour has sworn never to marry after his first love left him for a richer, better connected prospect. He needs a fake wife as his sister is visiting and will be bringing with her yet another supposedly suitable bride to match him with. Seeming totally oblivious to Starling’s assertion that she worked as a laundress and not as a prostitute before being employed at the Emporium, he takes her home with him on the assumption that she’s an experienced woman whose insistence that their fake marriage is very much in name only comes from bad experiences with her previous lovers. I really didn’t like him for that part.
The situation goes downhill when Alasdair’s sister and her husband arrive, bringing with them the woman he’s been in love with all these years, now widowed and on the lookout for a new husband. She turns out to be one of those characters that readers and almost all the female characters can see through straight away while duping the men into doing her bidding. Alasdair’s sister seems to be rather a snob too, even though the two seem to come from a family of not very successful merchants.
Meanwhile, Starling gets on with organising the servants, all of whom adore her, and setting the house to run efficiently in spite of having few social graces with which to charm her guests. Various misunderstandings occur mainly due to the dreadful behaviour of Alasdair’s former lover and just about every male character behaves as if she’s the centre of his universe with not nearly as many repercussions as I’d expect.
In the end, everyone lives happily ever after, although I’m damned if I can figure out why. The book’s one saving grace is the little details relating to the setting that placed the story firmly in Australia. That saved the book from getting a D, but only just.
Grade: C
Summary:
An aspiring dressmaker, orphaned Starling Smith is accustomed to fighting for her own survival. But when she’s offered a year’s wages to temporarily pose as a wealthy man’s bride, she suspects ulterior motives. She can’t lose the chance to open her own shop, but she won’t be any man’s lover, not even handsome, infuriating Alisdair Seymour’s…
To prevent his visiting sister from parading potential brides in front of him, Alisdair has decided to present a fake wife. He lost his heart once, and had it broken—he doesn’t intend to do it again. But stubborn, spirited Starling is more alluring than he bargained for, and Alisdair will risk everything he has to prove his love is true…
Set against the sweeping backdrop of 1866 South Australia, Starling is a novel of cherished dreams and powerful desires, and the young woman bold enough to claim them both…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
