By Way of the Moonlight

GIVEAWAY

MUSSER, ELIZABETH

BY WAY OF THE MOONLIGHT

Two courageous young women, tied together by blood and shared passion, will risk everything to save what they love most.

For as long as she can remember, Allie Massey, a gifted physical therapist, has dreamed of making her grandparents' ten-acre estate into a trauma recovery center using equine therapy -- a dream her grandmother, Nana Dale, embraced wholeheartedly. But when her grandmother's will is read, Allie is shocked to learn the property has been sold to a developer.

Decades earlier, headstrong Dale Butler's driving passion is to bring the prized filly her family lost to the Great Depression, but with World War II looming she's called upon in ways she never could have imagined. And while her world expands to include new friends and new love, tragedy strikes close to home one fateful night during the Battle of the Atlantic, changing her life forever.

As Nana Dale's past comes to light in Allie's search for answers, Dale's courage and persistence may be just what Allie needs to carry on her grandmother's legacy and keep her own dreams alive.

My Review:

So, I'd heard so many good things about this book in online chatter that I had to buy the audible edition even though I was waiting on a paperback copy...it was just taking way too long to arrive and I was in the mood for a richly layered emotional read right now! lol I can get kinda cranky impatient when my reading life is thwarted. 'Course, Murphy's law had my book arrive the day after I downloaded it from audible. :-) But I really enjoyed Susan Bennett's narration so I'm a happy customer and now I can do a giveaway of the paperback so it's all good.

I'd categorize 'By Way of the Moonlight' as Women's Fiction with strong romantic undertones. And honestly, I was a blubbering mess by the end. I'm not sure I can do justice to this book in a review. 

The way the author builds both timeline stories to a crescendo of gobsmacking revelations is so amazing that it defies description so I'm not even going to try! Just know that the impeccable pacing picks up speed as the novel progresses and you'll reach a point where you won't be able to put the book down so consider this your FYI -- clear your calendar and prepare to become so immersed in Dale's and Allie's lives that you won't care you even have a 'real' world to get back to. 

(True Confession: I got to a point near the end that I actually sped up my listening speed to 3x because I was so greedy to know everything right away! Then, once I'd settled down a bit I went back and listened to it all over again at proper speed while I sniffled into my hankie.)

Other random thoughts about 'By Way of the Moonlight':

All kinds of cover love!!! The stark simplicity of the silhouette is so eye-catching and I love that smoky blue background. 

Love the all consuming 'horsiness' of this novel -- it channels my junior equestrian reading obsession from back in the day -- Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteauge, The Little White Horse etc. And the Equine therapy is an extra draw. The author really captures the miraculous wonder of the program.

I'm also enamoured with the incredible, salt-of-the earth secondary characters who provide guidance and wisdom that are passed down through generations. Like this:

"It will never be enough, Dale, until you decide that you already have it all. You settle in your mind a grateful heart, a content spirit, and everything else will be gravy, girl." (p 120)

This is a resounding theme throughout both timelines as both Dale and Allie come to terms with dreams vs reality. 

'By Way of the Moonlight' is an enthralling, uplifting, emotional adventure -- a novel I will cherish and reread many times over the years. A new 'Classic' for my listening library.

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc. 

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  By Way of the Moonlight, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 27 2022 . Offer open to