Customer Reviews

Ghost Moon

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When Karen Robards writes good (i.e. Heartbreaker) she writes good and when she writes bad (i.e. The Senator's Wife) she writes bad. Ghost Moon, thankfully, is in between and a terrific read. I wanted to give it a five due to the wonderful story that involves a complex family. Olivia Morrison has returned to her family after several years of supporting herself and her eight-year-old daughter. She, in a moment of teenage rebellion gave up everything an affluent child could want, to run off with a cowboy who eventually dumped her. After struggling to make ends meet, she puts away her pride and returns home at the request of her aunt. Upon her return, her appearnace shocks her grandfather into a heart attack and the story takes off as Olivia and her daughter, Sara, try to make their place in this huge family. There is good romance as Olivia and her step cousin, Seth, struggle to regain the relationship they once had while Seth also copes with his daughter from a previous marriage. What kept me from giving this book a five is the suspense component. The book opens with one of the scariest abduction scenes of a child that you can read. It gave me chills. Every so often through the book, another scene of a child's abduction is repeated, each one just a little scarier. What made me give the suspense a three was the fact it is isolated and dragged out until the end of the book, then Ms. Robards tries to tie it up within the last twenty pages. By the time I got there, I could not have cared in the least about the suspense part. Anyone who reads these types of books will have already picked up on who is abducting the little girls. By putting the romance and suspense scores together, I came up with a four. It's a good book and you'll get your money's worth of entertainment out of it.

Kidnapped children, a ghostly presence, repressed memories, a passionate love affair and an evocative Louisiana setting are just some of the elements that make Ghost Moon and exciting and satisfying read.

Olivia Morrison returns with her young daughter Sara to her childhood home after a disastrous early marriage. As she quickly renews the once close ties between her and her many step-relatives, she also fights an attraction to her step-cousin Seth, now engaged to the superperfect Mallory. As Olivia grows more confident and relaxed in her new home, she begins to remember confused scenes of an early trauma. Meanwhile, the reader is aware of a teriible danger nearby.

I read Ghost Moon in one day and highly recommend it to all lovers of contemporary romance. The characters are believable and the plot is fast-paced. The kidnapper's modus operandi may be over the top but Robards keeps his identity a secret until the final chapters.

Author Robards ("The Midnight Hour" and "The Senator's Wife") has penned her most macabre epic to date with this set in Louisiana tale of Olivia Morrison's return to family home and former foes.

In addition, unexpected emotions are reawakened when she confronts Seth, her older stepcousin, to whom she is once again drawn.

Reader Dean Robertson is appropriately chilling as he relates the 20 year old murders of little girls the same age as Olivia's daughter.

I am a huge Robards fan, but I was extremely disappointed in this book (as well as Midnight Hour). The main reason that I find Robards books to be so intriguing is the chemistry and love hate relationships that develop between the two main characters. And Ghost Moon is simply not it. The entire novel seems to just go on and on without ever really going anywhere. The supernatural usage is getting old. The "Bad Guy" is just TOO bad. It seems as though Robards is just trying to incorporate too many ideas into one book and it just doesn't work. What a sheer disappointment...

This was my first book by this author.There was a lot to like about this book.I enjoyed the short chapters.I thought the author should have spent less time on what the characters were wearing and the men are ALWAYS wearing khaki or red white and blue in some sort of combination!There are alot of unesscesary characters at times and reference's to them that leave you feeling a little lost at times. Otherwise this is an easy read and a pretty good story.

Although I liked this book--Robards is an excellent weaver of Mystery/Romance--I got a little bogged down in the "costume changes"! I especially liked the relationship between Sara and her Mom--and the way the example of that relationship showed Seth and Chloe how it was done. I also appreciated not being able to guess who the bad guy was until the very end!

This book was packed with suspense and plenty of it. The romance between the two characters sizzled. Olivia goes home after leaving nine years before. She had a heated battle with her cousin and her Uncle about leaving home to elope with a roaming cowboy. She and her daughter are invited by her "Aunt Callie". "Aunt Callie" has cancer and wants to get her unfinished business in order. Seth, Olivia's "cousin" by marriage and Olivia have strong feelings for one another that were pushed aside until now. The couple remain forever in my heart and the book goes on my Keeper Shelf. The only reason I gave this book 4.5 stars instead of the five is because of the suspense portion of the novel. It was a tad too grusome for my tastes. The end did suprise me. The chemistry between Seth and Oliva was fantastic.

The scenes concerning the evil-doer are almost too much to take.
I admit to needing to skip them after the second one.
Admittedly, for me personally, children or animals in peril are anathema.
For those who are squeamish like me, you can still enjoy and follow the plot without reading the gruesome bits.
The main story line of coming home again and reconnecting with family is wonderful.
I have read several Karen Robard's books now and find
she excels at relationships. Also, at writing creepy antagonists
so well you cringe.
This one read very smoothly. The romantic interest wasn't rushed. The dialog is crisp and the romance sultry.
I agree with one other reviewer about a rushed ending.
I actually checked out how many pages I had left at one point wondering how they could wrap it all up. It is still a most satisfying read, rushed ending and all.
I really like the two young children and the main character Olivia's
interaction with them. Gave the story a little something extra than the usual
romance plus suspense equation.
It concludes with a "puts a smile on your face" wonderfully mushy ending.

Author Robards ("The Midnight Hour" and "The Senator's Wife") has penned her most macabre epic to date with this set in Louisiana tale of Olivia Morrison's return to family home and fearsome foes.

In addition, unexpected emotions are reawakened when she confronts Seth, her older stepcousin, to whom she is once again drawn.

Reader Dean Robertson is appropriately chilling as he relates the 20 year old murders of little girls the same age as Olivia's daughter.

A book with a strong southern family is always entertaining. Robard's did an excellent job in portraying a family dynamic that was very intimate and very interesting. Although the underlying story of the mother's apparent suicide and the kidnapper of the '70s is a good foundation, it was the romance of Olivia and Seth that took the front seat. I enjoyed the angst of Olivia's emotions, I only wish we had seen more from Seth. The only reason this book receives a 4 star and not 5 from me is because of the seemingly rushed ending. It was almost like, "Oh! I have 1 chapter and 5 pages left and I still have to kidnap a little girl, solve a thirty year old mystery AND reveal the culprit and his motive!" I could of stood for a longer book with more depth in the underlying story.