Customer Reviews

Summer Moon

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The setting is the coast of Maine. The year is 1869, and Kate Whittington is a twenty-nine year old spinster teaching at the Catholic orphanage where she was left by her mother at the tender age of nine. One of the sisters tells Kate that their orphanage is to close and relocate to Minnesota. Because her mother was a prostitute, Kate has difficulty finding another place to live, not to mention a place to work.

She discovers an advertisement in a newspaper where a Texas rancher is looking for a wife. She begins corresponding with the rancher and becomes enthralled with him after reading his letters. Kate and Reed Barton are married by proxy, and she travels to Texas to be with him.

Upon her arrival in Texas, Kate discovers that Reed has been wounded when on a mission as a Texas Ranger. She nurses him back to health, only to discover that he neither wrote those letters to her nor wanted her as a wife.

Though she is devestated, Kate agrees to stay on as Reed's housekeeper and care for his eight-year old son Daniel. This proves difficult as Daniel has recently been found after having been captured by the Comanches five years ago.

Reed is shaken by his attraction to Kate as he has sworn off love thinking it an unnecessary emotion. His marriage to his first wife was difficult at best, and he is consumed with guilt concerning the manner in which she died.

SUMMER MOON is an incredibly touching story that gives you an eyewitness view into the heart of the hero and heroine. Kate is such a remarkable woman, gifted with the ability to love though constantly faced with rejection, first from her mother and later from Reed. She is such a likeable heroine that one finds oneself crying with her as she faces heartache. Though damaged by his father's betrayal and the strained relationship with his first wife, Reed is strengthened by Kate's unconditional love enabling him to overcome the demons of his past. This is a truly superb novel, one that leads you on an emotional rollercoaster ride that will not soon be forgotten.

Summer Moon is the story of Kate Wittington, a woman who at the age of nine was dropped off at an orphanage by her prostitute mother. When Kate is twenty-nine the orphanage closes and she must decide what she's to do with her life. She answers an ad in the newspaper for a woman to be a mail-order bride. She takes a chance and answers the ad and is the lucky woman who is chosen to be the wife of Reed Benton. When she arrives in Texas she finds out the shocking truth. She married Reed Benton by proxy but he knows nothing of their marriage. It seems they were both tricked by Reed's father, Reed Benton Sr., a devious and scheming man who devised a plan to get his son back home to the Lone Star Ranch. When Reed Jr. returns to the ranch, wounded, and with his son who has been raised by the Commanche for the past six years he finds out he's married to Kate. Since he's wounded and can't care for his son he hires Kate on as his housekeeper and caregiver to his son Daniel.

This book was very entertaining and very easy to read. The characters were very life-like and well developed. Every character in the book has a purpose and they serve their purpose well. Ms. Landis seems to have thought out her character before she began writing. Even the secondary characters are well rounded. They all add to the story in their own way.

Summer Moon moves along at a steady pace. Again, the storyline seems to have been well thought out before the book was started. The author clearly had every scene planned out and this makes the book very enjoyable to read. The book doesn't seem choppy or hurriedly put together. It just seems like a well planned book about everyday characters on the Texas frontier.

Summer Moon is an excellent read. I was able to finish this book in just two days. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to find out what was going to happen but at the end didn't want the book to end. I felt like I personally knew the characters and could feel their emotions. Summer Moon is a great book and will make a great addition to any romance lover's or Western romance lover's library.

I enjoyed Summer Moon very much. Jill Marie Landis is a wonderful story teller - she keeps you captive with her great plot, and with her fabulous dialogue makes you feel her stories. I especially enjoy her historical facts that must require a lot of research, but are so woven in the story that you just get swept away. This novel made me feel a part of the Texas history, and I loved the main characters! I have read ALL of her books, and recommend them highly. Curl up, and enjoy her amazing ability to weave a romantic tale.

Summer moon is the story of Kate, an orphan turned schoolteacher and the love she has for Reed an ex-Texas ranger.

Corresponding with Reed via letter she falls in love with him and agrees to a marriage by proxy. Little does she know that Reed knows nothing about the letters, and the letters were truly written by Reed's aging father in an elaborate scheme to get him to finally marry.

While this plot is certainly nothing new, Jill manages to breath new life into an otherwise tired plotline, with her clear writing style and attention to historic detail.

What I like most about Jill's writing is she manages to portray the predjudices and attitudes of the time without the 'politically correct' glasses worn by many romance authors. She simply states things as they are without making the heroine a radical reformer or an instrument of social change.

My only real quibble with this book was I thought the hero Reed was a little to self-pitying as a character. If he isn't running away from his problems... IE, his dominating father, his wife who used him for his money, his son's problems acclimating to Anglo culture. He stands around making frustrating 'noises' and using the heroine. I would've much preferred the hero to be more mature and responsible.

Surprisingly, the story is interesting enough to read, despite the under whelming hero. I would recommend this book to all Landis fans!

I traditionally read books by Grisham and Koontz but was drawn to this book while browsing the local bookstore. I usually do not read "romance" novels however once I began this I had a hard time finding a place to stop and put it down and finished it in a mere 3 days. I liked the historican aspect of the book and the fact that the author told the story through a variety of perspectives, unlike most books I read. When i finished reading I was disappointed that I would no longer be reading about these interesting charachters. I would be willing to read other books by the same author after experiencing this story.

I found the book to be absolutely wonderful. How Kate struggled to get what she really deserved in life and almost lost it. How she kept true to herself when it came to the preacher. The little boy just broke my heart. How he became the commanche then at the end finally started excepting his life as a white boy. How touching. Reed struggled with his feeling and finally decided that he couldn't be without Kate. I was thinking it was about time he woke up. :) I was never a book reader but thought I'd give it a whirl. By chance I purchased Magnolia Creek and read it in no time. I got this one next. I have already finished it as well. I never knew I could enjoy reading so much. I haven't found an author that would just want me to keep reading. Thank you Jill for being such a spectacular author.

Kate has been brought up in an orphanage in Maine, and now finds herself in search of her purpose in life, as well as the family she never had. After answering an ad placed by a Texas rancher she decides to move to Texas and become his wife. There is a glitch in the works when she arrives and the man she has poured her heart out to in the many letters she has written doesn't even know of her existence. Add a wild young boy brought up by the Comanches and life takes an unexpected turn for our Kate. So begins her great adventure to finding true love, and the family she has always dreamed of. This was a great summer romance a light fun read, perfect for the beach. Kelsana 8/06/02

*Spoilers Throughout*

Kate, daughter of a whore, but raised by nuns is finally taking her life into her own hands. For months she's been corresponding with Reed in Texas. They get married via proxy and she comes to claim her husband. But when she gets there her new "husband" has never heard of her and she discovers that it was Reed's father who wrote to her all those months, trying to get his son a bride. Reed is less than pleased. Reed has brought home his son Daniel, believed dead in the same raid that killed his mother, but instead he was taken and raised by the Comanche. Reed gets Kate to take care of Daniel until he can arrange an annulment.

I have to start out by saying to me this book isn't a romance, it seems like it wants to be, but I never bought into any of the romantic elements. The first sex scene (1 of 2) was utterly bizarre. She is yet to actually say hello to the man because he was brought in wounded when she shows up. She thinks he is her husband and she goes to check on him as he is having a fever dream. Reed thinks she is his first wife, Becky, and afterwards they just forget about it. It's very weird that a woman RAISED BY NUNS is going to be so laid back about casual sex, that she isn't going to demand he does the right thing for her, that she isn't worried about a possible baby or something. I never believed that Reed cared for her and at the end I didn't believe that he actually loved her.

For me I was much more invested in the storyline involving Reed's son, Daniel, or Fast Pony, as he calls himself. It seemed honest and realistic as we learn about his loyalty to his adopted family and also as he comes to terms with who his real father is and bonds with Kate. Also the character of Charm was, well, charming. She is a young former whore whom Kate befriends. All the characters are likable, there are no villains there. Even the Comanche are portrayed as sympathetic. The problem I have with this book is Reed. Everyone is so likable and real, while Reed might be real but he's not very likable. He is a typical wounded hero, who's wife ran around on him, holds himself responsible for losing his son and his wife's death and had a toxic relationship with his father. These are the kinds of heroes I just eat up, but Reed was too cold, he didn't care about any one or any thing and I couldn't feel any sympathy for him in the slightest.

I know I am being rather negative, but I really did enjoy this book. It's a traditional western with cowboys and indians, saloons, and hot Texas sun, and if you don't mind that the romance here is a bit on the shallow side you will definitely enjoy this book.

4 1/2 stars.

A Personal Problem
I was really into the book from the beginning but stopped half way because something pierced me merely with the historical background of Whites vs Indians. However, after a few days break, I continued the book. I was satisfied how the author settled the story of it. "You can't forget, but you can forgive."
A Satisfied Reader
Overall, I like these kind of rare stories even though some readers say it is too predictable. It gives you all the sense of happiness, sorrowness, and anger. The characters are poignant! I wish I could find more good stories like this one.

In 1851 Maine, Kate Whittington's mother, a prostitute, leaves her at an orphanage where she stays for the next eighteen years until the school closes. With no place to go, Kate reads an ad from a Texas rancher wanting a wife, so she corresponds with him. She and Reed Benton hit it off by mail, marry by proxy, and she heads to his ranch.

When Kate arrives at his ranch, she finds her father-in-law has just died. Her husband is recovering from a bullet he received during a Texas Ranger raid on a Comanche camp. His son Daniel behaves more like an Indian because that is where he has been raised for five years. Everything is a shocker to Kate, but she and Reed make love that night. The next day, Reed asks Kate who she is? Kate says they wed by proxy, but they conclude that his deceased father forged his signature. Reed keeps Kate as a temporary housekeeper to help him with Daniel, who wants to return to his tribe. She falls in love with the father and his son, but Reed refuses to acknowledge his love for Kate.

SUMMER MOON is an exciting Americana romance that stars strong realistic characters struggling to do the right thing especially for Daniel. The story line is interesting as the reader becomes very familiar with Kate, Reed, and Daniel, which in turn allows understanding of each one's motives. Award winning Jill Marie Landis shows why she is held in high esteem by sub-genre fans and who adore a strong mid-nineteenth century tale of love.