Customer Reviews

The Sacred Shore (Moon Island)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like all of this author's books and her writing style is really exceptional. I love the descriptions of Moon Island. I want to go there! And hugs to Ms. Fulton for writing a story that gives the reader a strong women's spirituality theme as well as all the other juicy, fun bits you get in the perfect lesbian romance. The sub-plot about the goddess and the beliefs of the island women was really incredible. I loved how this tied all the different characters together in different ways. A beautiful story.

I have so enjoyed this series, I look forward to the next, and the next....
Interesting plot, interesting characters, all realistic to me, and I've read a lot of fiction. It stands out because of the setting, the 'love' that emerges, and of course the hotter moments, which are also fairly true to form, and not overly glamorized as in so many lesbian books. I enjoy the series, this one was very excellent. Take a chance!

I had the pleasure of reading two fantastic books last week. It seemed bizarre that both were the third installment in their respective series. However, considering these were by two of my favorite authors, I should have expected it. (You'll have to see my other reviews to find out what the other book was.)

The Moon Island series -- Passion Bay, Saving Grace, and The Sacred Shore -- follows the enduring relationship between a femme, albino American named Annabel and a butch New Zealander named Cody. They own, live on, and operate a women-only resort on Moon Island. Each new installment introduces new challenges and new characters who develop relationships, both romantic and plutonic.

Sacred Shore tells the story of Merris and Olivia. Merris has recently divorced her partner due to infidelity. However, Merris begins to realize she played a large part in the relationship's death. Olivia has sworn off women after losing the "love" of her long-time girlfriend, Hunter. These women have a lot in common, including a mutual friend who helps them "see the light." They finally open up while at Moon Island.

The back cover suggests Dr. Glenn Howick and post-grad student Riley Mason are major characters in the book. However, they are only a small part of the overall storyline. Glenn has a well-hidden secret and can't let herself fall in love, but it's already too late as Riley has very strong feelings for the doctor.

On the other hand, the back cover barely mentions Melanie and doesn't mention Chris at all. These latter characters are a large part of the story. Melanie has ALS (Lou Gherig's Disease, terminal) and will die soon. She also has a very young daughter, conceived via a sperm bank, who needs a family. Chris finds herself drawn to the straight Melanie, and this helps her deal with the loss of her own long-time partner, Elaine.

This book was full of emotional material. One can't help but fall in love with the characters and root for their personal growth and relationship success. I can't wait for Book 4 - A Guarded Heart - to come out later this year. Fulton keeps getting better with every one she writes.

As an educator, I can appreciate what goes into writing something at a level higher than expected, so I was pleased to find this superbly written lesbian romance among my latest throwaway reading.
The Sacred Shore offers its reader wonderful characters, a heartwarming love story, and a fascinating sub-plot about a Pacific Island goddess and the rituals that celebrate her. The two main protagonists, Merris and Olivia, meet each other at a time when their lives have gone horribly wrong. The way in which heartbroken Olivia learns to live and love again, and the romantic and spiritual climax of this story are beautifully handled.
Jennifer Fulton has a real instinct for metaphor and language, giving some of our lesbian literary fiction authors a run for their money in that department. This is the first time I've bothered to write one of these Amazon reviews, and I should do it more often, as I know how hard it is to find good lesbian recreational reading. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

This book in the series has multiple plots going on relative to several relationships: Cody & Annabel, Glenn & Riley, Olivia & Merris, and finally Chris and Melanie.

This covers the full cycle of live from giving birth to dying and how each member of the cast plays their parts.

Can't wait for the next one.

I've enjoyed this author's other books in this series, but this left a lot of things unfinished or sewn up with very little mention of how.

Cody's feelings against having a baby were talked about once and than they ended up with a baby.

Olivia goes from wanting no one to hooking up with Merris on the second date.

I don't even know what Dr. Howick and Riley were even doing in this story. There was barely any subplot on them especially the Dr.

Disappointed in this one....need more drama between the characters.

In my opinion, The Sacred Shore makes this one of the best lesbian romance series ever. Jennifer Fulton treats her readers like we're intelligent, and doesn't inflict tired formulas and cliched writing on us. I wish I could say the same about all lesbian authors.
The characters are wonderful. Olivia is heartbroken after ending a relationship with a famous singer. Wait till you meet this jerk. Don't we all know someone just like her! Olivia is trying to emerge from a crushed state lots of women will identify with. Merris falls crazy in love with her but wonders if that love will ever be returned.
Ms. Fulton always writes in a sharp style with wit and humor - this time her dry humor balances out moments of deep sorrow that are very moving. Also, I laughed my ass off over some of the sub-plots, especially Riley, a UCLA student with a huge crush on her professor Dr. Glenn Howick, another unforgettable character.
Unlike a lot of romances that fizzle out half way, this one just gets better and better, and the ending is incredibly powerful and not like anything I have ever read before in a lesbian romance. As you can tell, I loved this book.

I have enjoyed this series of books written by Jennifer Fulton. She can make a nice gay loive story a page turner'

In this outing, the third in Moon Island series, a new set of visitors descend on Moon Island. They include Olivia, a country & western songwriter; Trudy, whose father wants to turn Moon Island into a resort for funeral goers; Chris, a lawyer; Glenn, an anthropologist who wants to study the sacred rites of the local women; Melanie, Annabel's dying cousin; and Merris, a tech executive.

This book is not as intense as others in the series. Yes, there is drama, but it does not come from the relationships between the women. There is an undercurrent of preachiness in this book because one of the themes of this outing is religion.

There is a religious rite that involves the local goddess worshippers, who never invite outsiders to witness the ritual, the island's visitors who for reasons unexplained are invited to the ritual, and a dolphin. There is an element of disbelief to this entire section of the book, interesting and creative, but nevertheless unbelievable.

Finally, the author left a few loose ends some of which were tidied up in an epilogue. The entire drama of Melanie's death and the subsequent adoption of Briar was skimmed over particularly the drama of Annabel ignoring Cody's feelings on the subject.

Even with the detractions listed above, this remains an interesting series, but I wish the author would return to what she does best - relationships between the women of Moon Island.