Miss Bates isn’t keen on films, or novels set in the early 1960s. She doesn’t like the bouffant dos, or sprawling skirts. For some – ahem, white males – Americans, however, it was an exciting, vibrant time and remains an unexplored setting for romance. It’s fitting that Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner’s collaboration, Star Dust (first in the “Fly Me To the Moon” series) is set during America’s “space race” with the Soviet Union. Uncharted territory then, and uncharted setting in romance. Barry and Turner’s Texas-set romance features Lieutenant Commander Christoper “Kit” Campbell, a blond, blue-eyed giant of an astronaut and Anne-Marie Smith, a diminutive divorcée and mother of two adorable children. They meet as bickering neighbours when Anne-Marie, Lisa, and Freddie move next door to Kit. Anne-Marie and Kit become friends over back-porch star-gazing, add benefits to friendship, fall in love, and achieve an HEA.
For Kit, falling in love with Anne-Marie means questioning his heretofore bachelor life. He falls hard and first. (Miss Bates loves the trope where the hero is a goner for the heroine way before she for him.) Kit’s achieved fame and fortune. (Anne-Marie immediately recognizes her handsome neighbour as the astronaut featured on the cover of Life!) Getting to know Anne-Marie, her children, Lisa and Freddie, eating dinner with them, playing with the kids and his dog (the exuberant, adorable Bucky), showing Anne-Marie the stars, and making love with Anne-Marie serve to make Kit lonelier when he’s not with them. On the other hand, after the divorce, Anne-Marie is emotionally and commitment skittish. At a time when divorce was the aberration rather than norm, Anne-Marie didn’t put up and shut up with Doug’s, her ex-husband’s, cheating ways … though many advised her to. Now, she’s happy to take Kit as lover and friend, but marriage? She’s not sure.
Star Dust is about two awfully nice people who wonder whether their feelings are lasting and genuine, or mere attraction and lust. Other than Kit’s up-till-now, free-and-easy bachelorhood and Anne-Marie’s heart-protective reluctance to get into a serious relationship, there’s not much keeping them apart. Star Dust‘s charm lies in its lovely writing and likable protagonists. The children are well-behaved and bright without being wooden. The dog is absolutely adorable, full of mischief, awkward paws, and affection. Barry and Turner obviously love this historical period and describe it dotingly, but still occasionally poke a little gentle fun at it. Kit drives a massive Thunderbird, Anne-Marie smokes, and the food, whose descriptions Miss Bates loved, is laden with meat, potatoes, and fat. The Soviets are the devil incarnate and Kit’s patriotism rings as much naïve as true.
Miss Bates is doubtful of co-written work; she tends to believe that a singular sensibility, expressing a vision produces the best work. Barry and Turner proved her wrong. Star Dust shows two writers in aesthetic syn. Star Dust‘s greatest strength lies in the writing. The novel’s first half is stronger than the second because of the thrust and parry of Kit and Anne-Marie’s banter. But even stronger passages are those where Kit and Anne-Marie open up to each other. Miss Bates especially liked this sample where Anne-Marie’s assumptions about Kit are shaken:
” … I suppose everything you want falls right in your lap. You being a celebrated hero and all.”
“That’s right.” The bitterness of those words twisted his tongue. “Everything I want just falls into place. I only have to snap my fingers” – she flinched at the sound – “and a genie appears to grant my every wish. All through school, officer training, a damn war, everything just fell into place.”
Silence spread between them. “Sorry,” he said after some moments. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“I shouldn’t have assumed that your life was perfect.” There was clear respect in her voice now, which was a step in the right, albeit chaste, direction.
“It isn’t perfect at all.”
“I know you can’t talk about specifics, but can you talk about any of it?”
He pondered that. An aviator wasn’t meant to every admit that anything might be wrong, like he might have doubts or fears. You got in that plane, did your duty, and always counted yourself lucky to do so. You were part of an elite brotherhood. No one ever dared complain about that.
As Anne-Marie and Kit shed their assumptions about each other – that Kit is a spoiled playboy astronaut, that Anne-Marie is a stiff, suspicious, judgemental stick-in-the-mud – animosity eases. They like each other. Kit likes Anne-Marie’s kids; they love him. Anne-Marie and Kit get along in bed and out, enjoy doing things together. And therein lies a loosening to the narrative tension that makes it pleasant and fun to read, but didn’t hold Miss Bates in thrall. Moreover, Kit says and does something at the end that, in Miss Bates’ opinion, required major groveling. But Anne-Marie is too pragmatic and understanding to belabour the point.
Star Dust is fun and touching. It’s an amuse-bouche of a romance, akin to a 1960s cocktail canapé. The second in the series, featuring Parsons, Kit’s scowling, temperamental space mission engineer, looks quite promising. With Miss Austen, Miss Bates says Turner and Barry’s Star Dust is evidence of “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma. Star Dust is available in ebook and paper at your preferred vendors. It was released on Oct. 14th, 2015. Miss Bates is grateful to the authors for a courtesy copy.
Miss Bates Reads Romance 
I loved this book — for all the reasons you said. Great use of the setting and time without it taking over the story. It was still very much a romance. Loved it.
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It was absolutely delightful! And the writing so fine, I wanted to quote reams of it. I’m gleefully amused that the bad-tempered engineer Parsons is the hero of the next book!
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I’ve never been a big 60s fan – often those romances written in the 60s are one-sided and a little bit trite, and those reminiscing are too twee and rose-coloured…but this sounds good.
also: PUPPY DOG – tbh – you had me at awkward paws…(*squees like a fangirl*)
Ah Miss B: single-handedly causing the death of Valancy’s TBR…
🙂
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I feel the same way about the 60s: too close, too disillusioning to make for good rom-fodder. BUT it helps that this is the early 60s, so it has a late 50s feel and certainly, Kit and Anne-Marie are not flower-child material. They’re already in their 30s. All of this to say, this made it easier to like the book. But what you’ll really enjoy is the writing, so smooth, heart-felt, and gently humorous. Bucky is exuberantly awkward, always skidding across floors and tongue a-lolling: you’ll love him!
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I love collaborative/co-writing yet there are so few examples in fiction publishing. TV and film writing is predominantly collaborative writing which we expect and are more likely to be surprised if there is a singular writer. Romance fiction’s benchmark novel Agnes and the Hitman is co-written by Bob Mayer/Jennifer Crusie and it absolutely sparkles.
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My side-eying, suspicious, “great books” education is looks askance at collaborative fiction-writing, but in this case, it works. In one way, Barry and Turner are better together than apart, even though they’re fine writers apart as well. I think it’s because any annoying tells, or idiosyncrasies have to be submerged for the greater good of the collaboration. The writing is smoother. But, sometimes, writerly idiosyncrasies are fun, and original, and can identify the writer in a way nothing else can. I think Barry and Turner have the right formula: to write together and apart and the romance genre is all the richer for it.
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I liked this book, too, although it sat in my TBR pile for quite some time. I’ve just reread all of Emma Barry’s political books this week even though I absolutely detest politics (but it was more entertaining than watching it on television!) I like her writing style and didn’t notice anything different with a collaborator. For some reason I just couldn’t help but thinking of I Dream of Jeannie when reading this book….Oh Major Nelson, you’re just dreamy! The prequel is pretty good and it’s set in the 40’s. I never read anything but straight contemporaries, but I did enjoy both books.
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It sat in my TBR for ages too! I’m just suspicious of 60s-set romance. I don’t enjoy the era: maybe because my childhood was spent in it! Nevertheless, like you, I liked this a lot. I have the 40s-set prequel and look forward to reading it *some day* … the Tottering TBR is not diminished!
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Do do do read it! It’s pretty short and really charming.
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Replying again because I forgot to hit the notify button. Again.
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No problem!
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I will … isn’t it a Christmas rom?
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Just a bit.
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I am less suspicious of co-writing because I’ve seen it work in fanfiction and pro writing (m/m romance, primarily). As I understand it, generally each writer writes one MC’s POV and/or dialogue, then each serves as beta reviewer to the other for consistency.
I watched the Astronaut’s Wives Club recently, so am probably not in the right frame of mind to read this and suspend disbelief. Also, I prefer the late 60s, even with all its turbulence, to the early 60s. But I am onboard for the next book as soon as I finish the other two in Barry’s political series. Prickly, surly engineer? Oh yes. I grew up around engineering types, including my father the chemical (he would say comical) engineer.
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Certainly, I think Vassiliki’s point about script writing works well. Thank you for describing the process, I always wondered how that would work. I don’t read fanfic. or m/m, so it was unfamiliar to me.
I think when a writer works for me, then I’m more likely to follow into unknown, or even antipathetic territory.
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Oh, that’s funny, I prefer the early 60’s to the late 60’s. I had to stop watching Mad Men when they got to the horrible late 60’s clothes. I guess I’m showing my age–I love the more innocent feel of the aforementioned I Dream of Jeanne and Bewitched. It’s doubtful I will ever be able to pick up a book set in the 1970’s…although not a tv watcher at all, I do enjoy the reruns of the That 70’s Show so I can see my high school wardrobe again.
I really liked all 3 Emma Barry political books. I think the 3rd is my favorite.
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Me too! I be old too, then: I prefer the early 60s as fantasy-fodder than late. I did the same with MAD MEN: once Don remarried and the bell-bottoms appears, I was outathere.
Shudder … the 70s … I DON’T remember you fondly. Of Emma’s books, my fave is the first and the histrom, Brave In Heart.
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