MULBERRY MOON by Catherine Anderson

A Mystic Creek Novel, Book 3
Penguin
January 3^rd, 2017
978-0-451-48802-2
Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Publisher
3.5 hearts

 

Sissy Sue Bentley is determined to rise above her poor beginnings and make a life of her own in Mystic Creek. Running the local café, she works long hours and tries to keep her head above water even as she tries to avoid Ben Sterling, a man determined to woo Sissy. But when her chickens escape and Ben helps her round them up, Sissy sees a side of Ben that she thought was obsolete and rare in the male gender. Slowly, Ben starts to build trust with Sissy even as they begin to fall for one another. But when Sissy’s past comes to Mystic reek, she’ll have to figure out if being alone is better than letting yourself open up to a love worth healing even the smallest of cuts.

MULBERRY MOON is a sweet tale of two people who are determined to find that place in the world, be it in Mystic Creek or in their lives somehow. I love this author’s Mystic Creek series and MULBERRY MOON delivers a story that is tender, sweet and downright delightful. The story flows nicely, with some intriguing bits that had me flipping the pages to see what would happen next. It’s the characters that steal the show. We met Ben in the past two Mystic Creek books and I loved how sweet he is with Sissy. He is determined to woo this prickly woman and when things happen to help his cause, he grabs it with both hands. What proceeds is a sweet romance that left me in stiches at times and other times wiping a tear away from the sadness that Sissy tries to hide behind a steely façade. The characters are what truly makes this book so entertaining and enjoyable. They keep the story moving along as Sissy and Ben dance around their attraction as well slyly steal some of the show for themselves at times.

 

I adore Sissy and Ben together. The sparks fly right when they first meet up and from then on, it’s an entertaining read to see how these two fall for one another even as one person is determined to not risk it all. Ben is looking for that special someone, someone like his brothers have found. When he is intrigued by Sissy, well let’s just say he has his work cut out for him with this skittish and reluctant woman. But Sissy is just as determined and I love at how she tries to deny her attraction to Ben, even as he continues to show her that he means no harm nor does he pressure her in any way. These two just fit together. Ben steadily and completely chipped away Sissy’s armor in front of her heart even as she struggles to keep things casual and not give into temptation. The secondary characters keep the story moving along nicely and keep the reader entertained immensely. All the characters are multidimensional and have a depth that is nice to see in a book. It makes the story so much richer in my opinion.

 

MULBERRY MOON is a sweet and wonderful tale that will steal your heart and in the end, leave a smile on your face after the last page is read. I adore this author’s books and look forward to reading more in this series. I just wonder who will be next to fall in love in Mystic Creek. I hope we won’t have to wait long for the next book from this author.

 This is an objective review and not an endorsement