Love by the Morning Star by Laura L. Sullivan is a romantic farce about two young women who are mistaken for each other. Set in England in the months just before the start of World War II, Hannah Morgernstern has been sent to safety by her Jewish parents. She is to take up residence at the English country estate of Starkers. Meanwhile, Anna Morgan is to be placed at Starkers as a spy by her father who belongs to the National Fascist Front. The two girls could not be more different, one tiny and dark, the other tall and blonde, but somehow they are mistaken for one another and due to a variety of reasons the truth takes the length of the book to come out.

Reading like a 1930s romantic comedy of errors, both girls profess to have fallen in love with Teddy, the heir to the Liripip fortune, but in actuality Anna has fallen for the under gardener. There are many romantic mishaps until the lively climax at the end, but unfortunately the story just didn’t seem to be able to sustain itself throughout the book. What started out as a charming comedy of errors soon became just a series of silly scenes and double entendres.

While the writing was light and humorous, Love By The Morning Star just didn’t quite work for me. I think the subject matter of the persecution of the Jews and the rising power of the Nazis deserved a little more seriousness than the book gave it. ( )

Fun book. The old switched roles idea, well executed. Good laughs and a happy ending. I enjoyed it a lot. Quick, light read. Good summer beach read. ( )