Monday, December 30, 2013

MOONLIGHT KISS by Luann McLane



Publisher:  Signet
Date published:   November 5, 2013
ISBN:
 978-0451415585
Genre:   Contemporary Romance,
Book format: Paperback
Obtained via:  Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

Four – 1/2 hearts


Just as she should be planning her wedding and her happily ever after Addison Monroe’s fiancé reveals a horrifying proposal—he wants to do a reality show about their marriage.  At first unsure he’s serious she is beyond stunned and disgusted when he confirm that yes indeed, he has a reality show of their marriage in the works.  Devastated Addison hands back her engagement ring and goes on her way.  But it doesn’t end there.  Yes, she’s heartbroken—this isn’t the first time a prospective groom turned her idea of marriage into a bad joke.  But it gets worse.  Oh it gets much, much worse.  Her parents rally around her though and suggest she venture to Cricket Creek, Kentucky and spend some time with her cousin Mia and her father, Mitch.  Deciding maybe they’re right she packs up her car and heads east.  What she finds when she arrives is a charming town just brimming with possibilities not the least of which is an oh so hot country boy named Reid Greenfield.

Still reeling from the economic collapse of a few years before Reid has taken some time off from his finance business in Lexington, Kentucky and headed home to help out the family.  His siblings, in his opinion anyway, haven’t made the best of choices.  Not that his younger brother’s dreams of being the next big country western star were that bad.  No, it’s his sister Sara’s plans to turn their barn into a whimsical wedding venue.  With the growth and development of Wedding Row in town Sara is certain the renovated barn will draw lots of wedding parties eager for something different yet utterly romatic. 

When Reid meets Addison and learns that her mother is famous finance guru Melinda Monroe he hopes to get Addison to dissuade Sara from her plans.  But before he can put things in motion some unpleasant secrets start to find their way out in otherwise bucolic Cricket Creek.  While Reid and Addison find their attraction growing, they aren’t all that sure that a city girl and a country boy can meet on the same page, especially when a piece of Addison’s past arrives in town.

Luann McLane’s MOONLIGHT KISS, book five of her Cricket Creek series was a total surprise to me.  A wonderful surprise.  I read the four earlier books and they were okay.  They were pleasant reads, but not all that special or memorable.  They follow a formula of two couples, an older and younger one, finding each other giving readers two romances for the price of one.  At times it was distracting having four lead characters and I felt it took away from connecting with any of them.  While some of the characters were entertaining, I didn’t find them particularly endearing.  I was disappointed when otherwise spunky Savannah in WHISPER’S EDGE turned into a rather dull heroine.  MOONLIGHT KISS, however took off in a big way.  The humor that lurked beneath the surface of the earlier books just blossomed in MOONLIGHT KISS.  There are some pretty funny scenes that had me laughing out loud.  Likewise, when Addison is faced with her broken engagement and its aftermath I hurt for her.  Reid undergoes some marvellous changes and growth in his perspective.  He is the same person, only better with a few changes along the way.  When he makes the ultimate sacrifice for Addison I wanted to reach into the pages and hug him.

One thing I have enjoyed through each of the books in Ms. McLane’s series is not only the changing of the face of the town as it recovers from a devastating economy, but how the characters grown over time.  Just because their story has been told they don’t just sit in the background.  Instead bits of their own stories continue as their lives and families move on.  I liked what came about with Rick and Maggie – two minor characters that I hope to see have their own story in the near future.

You do not have to read the earlier books or even really read them in order to enjoy MOONLIGHT KISS although I do recommend them.  Each is a stand alone and a complete story in itself however if you don’t read them all and/or in order you won’t see the changes as each character moves on with his or her life.



This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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