Moon Craving (Children of the Moon Series #2)

Good, but...

Although this was a very nice love story between the 2 main characters, readers should be warned about the subplot which includes a homosexual
mating.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe

I picked this book up because I am a fan of Lucy Monroe's pocket romances. Sometime you are just in the mood for a simple plot, uncomplicated characters and a sweet story about falling in love. This book is perfect when you are in THAT mood. I really enjoyed the characters - they were simple but very easy to like. The Plot was loose and uncomplicated - easy to follow - and quite likable. I am not the biggest fan of werewolf/vampire novels, but I kinda liked that part of this book. No big cliffhangers, just the traditional story of a guy that falls in love, believes his love has betrayed him, realizes he is wrong too late and now has to mend his ladies broken heart. The perfect rainy day novel.
Simply put, Talorc (the Laird of his clan AND a werewolf) is commanded to marry an Englishwoman by his king. He has been betrayed by the English before and fully expects to despise the woman he is to marry. When he meets his bride-to-be, Abigail, he is surprised to find a woman he is attracted to, a woman he believes to have no deceit in her, but she does have a secret...which she hopes to keep from him. You see, Abigail is deaf, but has learned how to cleverly hide the fact by reading lips and speaking clearly.
As they travel back to his clan, she falls in love with him and begins to dread the time when he will discover her secret and send her home, where her family mistreats her because of her affliction.
He too, begins to fall under the spell of his sweet and beautiful wife ... as do most of his clan, except for the despicable Osgard, who stirs up quite a bit of trouble for Abigail.
When he discovers that she is deaf, he believes she has intentionally betrayed and lied to him and he strikes out at his gentle bride. He comes to his senses soon after, but his actions come back to haunt him with the arrival of the kings messenger, who has arrived at Talorc request, to assure him that the King will take care of his damaged wife and seek redress on his behalf. Abigail flees, only to be caught by Talorc and be bombarded with his love for her.
A fun and sweet story.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

fine medieval romantic fantasy

The Romans called them Picts, but the Chrechte realized they had to adapt or become extinct as the human race multiplied much more rapidly. They became Highlander clan leaders, but were betrayed by the Scottish king. Their survivors took control of Celtic clans but these shapeshifters hide their animal nature from the humans they lead.

Scottish King David arranges a new bride for clan leader Tulorc, who rejected the last English one, Emily Hamilton. Tulorc agrees, but insists the marriage occurs in Scotland. When Tulorc and his fiancée Abigail meet she hides her deafness from him. She assumes once he learns she is imperfect he will send her to her beloved sister Emily. They exchange vows Chrechte style, but Tulorc says they will make love when they reach clan land. When they make love, he hides his wolf from her while she conceals her deafness. They make love again and he is shocked as he hears Abigail shout his name in mindspeak; she hears him too. He knows she is his true mate but when he learns of her affliction, he angrily howls betrayal like his stepmother did while his fiercest supporters insist Abigail is a warrior hiding her weakness.

The historical werewolf spin that is the underlying premise of the Children of the Moon saga is cleverly designed so that the readers will believe in the Chrechte. The return of the lead characters from Moon Awakening in critical support roles is a welcome addition, but the tale belongs to a strong heroine who as Barr the warrior says compensates for her deafness like a great soldier should. Although the lack of a strong villain limits the tension to hiding secrets between the lead couple, fans will enjoy this fine medieval romantic fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Moon Craving Delivers

Lucy Monroe's long awaited followup to Moon Awakening has arrived with the sensational novel Moon Craving.

Talorc Laird of the Sinclair clan has no intention of marrying ever, let alone an English woman. His first bride to be ending up marrying a neighboring Laird. Talorc isn't thrilled to be marrying her sister Abigail. Talorc first meeting with his intended has him being drawn to her quiet beauty and strength.

Abigail Hamilton has not had an easy childhood. She lost her hearing after an illness and some of her family changed how they treated her. Abigail decides to keep her affliction a secret from Talorc and his clan. She is afraid that they will reject her as well. But Abigail begins to blossom at her new home and the gentle care of her husband.

What Abigail doesn't know is that Talorc is keeping a secret from her as well. Talorc's werewolf is something he isn't sure Abigail is ready to face. But he underestimate his new brides strength and must do all he can to win her love and respect.

Moon Craving is simply spectacular. The relationship between Talorc and Abigail is deeply moving and on that shows love at its finest. They Start out a bit leery of each other but they let their attraction develop and grow into something they both cherish. Lucy Monroe stories always hold a special place in my heart and they are ones I go back to when I need some extra special comfort.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Good Read

This was a good read, however, it became a little corny towards the end with the dialogue between the two lead characters. Yet, it still kept my attention and ended well. I loved the unexpected relationship between his clan warriors!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Keeper

originally posted at: www.longandshortreviews.blogspot.com ***** A Scottish werewolf who doesn't want to marry gets more than he bargained for with the wife chosen for him and his well ordered life gets a lot more complicated.

This tale is one I'd been waiting to read for many months, ever since Moon Awakening, the first in the series. I loved the idea of Scottish Highland werewolves and how Ms. Monroe always seems to find a way to twist my heart, and this book delivers that too. I am not sure how the author does it but she has a way of making me want to cry with sadness and abandonment at some point during her stories. Then her heroines reach down deep inside themselves to find the courage, bravery and sheer stubborn attitude they need to make a decision that takes destiny into their own hands. Ms. Monroe certainly succeeded in continuing that tradition of quality writing. It always makes the happily ever afters more powerful and memorable.

Abigail is a smart and clever woman whose life should have ended years ago. It was love that tended and healed her and it's love that eventually will bring a completeness to her life. However, she has a lot of explaining to do before that happens and it certainly isn't easy. Her handicap was considered a death sentence back in the day and it was a rare thing I guess for anyone to take the time to help someone survive and flourish, yet Abigail was fortunate enough to have her sister, who played a starring role in the first book in the series. It was nice to see some old familiar characters again, and some were not so welcome. However, Ms. Monroe's books always seem to celebrate the optimism of life even towards those to whom all you really want to do is boot them in their bums. The author has imbued Abigail with an understanding and nurturing nature that serves her well even when times get rough for her, and they do.

The main conflicts between the hero and heroine are internal and they both involve trust. For reasons that become obvious to the reader, both have secrets that evade a normal conversation. No one wants to make themselves vulnerable and that makes earning each others' trust almost an insurmountable obstacle. It's not helped when there are a couple of external influences that really don't want their marriage to work out either. And for all their nastiness, the author had Abigail handle it with class and respect. Ms. Monroe certainly takes the higher road with her characters when she can.

Talorc is the hero who is a really yummy sounding guy. He's tall, grumpy and adorably confused when he starts realizing that he's not averse to having Abigail as his wife after all. He is always aware that his clan's safety is of paramount concern so he's never quite free to be fully honest with Abigail which makes for some interesting reading. He does love being with her and those scenes are well written and sensual. I was a bit miffed with Talorc however. What is good for the goose is good for the gander and that man certainly needed to be taught that lesson. How dare he judge her! He's certainly no 'chatty Cathy' but he needed to be taken down a peg or two. Sure, he's the laird and the guy in charge but that doesn't mean he makes all the right decisions all the time. A part of him knows but he's not listening too well and I guess that means Talorc is a typical man, no matter that he gets furry at times.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful once again

Loved the first book of the series. This one was wonderful also, the first chapter was a little difficult to follow for me even though I had read the first book. I think she was trying to give new readers a little back story after the first chapter though it just flows. I love this author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

highly recommend

awesome book

could be better

bigining good but end poorly written

love it so love it

have read her first on and now this one so looking forward for the next one

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