Moonlit
Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.
When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.
But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?
My Thoughts: I don't know why but for some reason I thought this was going to be a very sad story. Instead, I found this to be quite suspenseful. Jadie Jones did a wonderful job in storytelling. She had me turning the pages trying to figure out the answers behind the mysteries of every twist in the story.
The story started off pretty innocently but that quickly changed. Tanzy was trying to live her life as normal as possible with an alcoholic mother. She found comfort with working with horses; something she learned when her father was still alive. The story soon took a darker turn. There was something hiding in the forest that had all of the horses spooked. I'm going to admit, the part where she first realized that one of the dark creatures was in the den with her and the horse freaked me out. I think that I actually gasped on this part. After this scary moment, Tanzy's life was at stake and she learned that there's more to her than what she thought. A man named Lucas came calling Tanzy by a different name, which lead to Tanzy trying to figure out who she really was.
The rest of the story was full of interesting twists that had me turning the pages. It ended with a cliffhanger, which had me dying to know what was going to happen next. The only reason why I didn't give this a higher rating was that it got a little slow for me after the scary moment with the dark creature. Luckily, it picked up towards halfway into the book. I give it:
Praise "Virginia's trees look like they're burning. Most of them blaze crimson or gold, but some still have a chokehold on their green. I wish they'd give it up already. Leaves are more beautiful when they're dying." And so Moonlit begins. From here the story rolls from one twist to another with many vivid characters whose motives are hard to predict. I found myself being suspicious of everyone, wanting to tell Tanzy to be very careful. The deeper I fell into the plot, the more questions kept rising to the surface. But not to worry, all of my questions were answered. Appropriate for all ages, if you love paranormal fantasy mixed with suspense, mystery and other-worldly romance, you'll love this novel! ~Author Julie Ford Prologue The first anniversary of my father’s death was even harder on my mother. Back then, I thought she was haunted most by what she didn’t know. I refused to blame her when she raged above me on our staircase that night, drunk and sad and angry. When she made me promise I’d never ride again. When she hurled a half-full bottle of vodka at my face and it exploded on the wooden stairs at my feet. I hadn’t tried to get out of the way. She had just missed. I wanted to tell her that knowledge was no solace, that what you know can burn inside you until there’s nothing left but guilt and ash. I also wanted to protect her from losing the only piece of him she had left. So I didn’t say a word.
Author Jadie Jones
Georgia native Jadie Jones first began working for a horse farm at twelve years old, her love of horses matched only by her love of books. She went on to acquire a B.A. in equine business management, and worked for competitive horse farms along the east coast. The need to write followed wherever she went.
She currently coaches a hunt seat equitation team that competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, and lives with her family in the foothills of north Georgia. When she's not working on the next installment of the Moonlit series, she is either in the saddle or exploring the great outdoors with her daughter. Moonlit is her first book.
Thank you so much for having me! My publisher is celebrating the launch of this tour by offering Moonlit for FREE on Kindle and Amazon has also discounted the paperbacks: http://www.amazon.com/Moonlit-Jadie-Jones/dp/1937178331 Not sure how long this will last!!
ReplyDeleteNice review, Vonnie! I'll be reading this book, which I've already ordered from Amazon (the paperback edition, of course!), so I'll soon know what that scary creature is!
ReplyDeleteI like your honesty in letting your readers know just why you gave the book four stars instead of four.
I'm glad this novel is more suspenseful than emotional, in spite of the above quote, where Tanzy's mother throws a bottle of vodka at her. That made me feel sad and angry. The fact that Tanzy didn't move aside, or say a word, was sadder still.
Well, I'll see how it goes with this book, when I receive it. Thanks for the review!! : )