Under a Lakota Moon - Deborah L. Weikel

Summary: As a divorcee in 1870 St. Louis, Rosalynn McAllister is a branded woman. When she is presented with the opportunity for a new life with her sister's family in Peaceful, Minnesota, Rosalynn believes it is what God wants for her. But Rosalynn arrives in Peaceful only to find that her sister Susan has run off, her brother-in-law Mike is dead, and her niece and nephew are in the custody of the town's minister. Furthermore, Mike's handsome half-brother, Lone Wolf Larson, who now owns the family farm, stirs feelings in Rosalynn that both excite and confuse her.

When Rosalynn and Lone Wolf must marry to obtain custody of the children, Rosalynn assumes it will be a loveless marriage. After all, she believes that no man could love a divorced woman, and experience has taught her her that men are not to be trusted. Lone Wolf, persecuted for his Lakota Sioux heritage, also has trust issues, yet he secretly feels that Rosalynn is his destiny. Will Rosalynn and Lone Wolf put aside their fears and learn to embrace love, hope and forgiveness? And will their faith see them through seemingly insurmountable trials? (Summary from back of book - Image from amazon.com)

Chris’s Review : Normally I don’t like to read the first books of new authors. We usually learn from experience, so 2 or 3 books makes a big difference in how well a book is written. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised with this book, Under a Lakota Moon. The author told a sweet story of patience, courage and love; and how they can help heal a person who has suffered from abuse or bigotry. The story line was pretty typical—boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love but doubt each others’ love, something or someone from the past resurfaces to cause problems and finally, love conquers all.

One thing I did have a problem with was all the times Rosalynn referred to Lone Wolf as “ my darling”. Come on, do people really talk like that? Did people talk like that in the 1800’s? I’m not sure, but it did sound a bit corny to me. Basically, though, it was a good story told in a very uncomplicated way.

Her Rating: 3.5 Stars

Sum It Up: A sweet, simple, clean love story with a happy ending.
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Mindy’s Review: First, I must echo the sentiments of Chris’s review. Ditto. Under a Lakota Moon definitely follows the standard romance format. There were few surprises. Regardless, I was entertained. I still found myself interested in the storyline, wanting to know exactly how events would unfold, despite the occasional syrupy endearment or preachy moment. I’ve always been intrigued with old-fashioned farming life and this was a great book to live vicariously through. There was lots of talk of putting up jams and harvesting crops to feed my insane desire to live back then. I will most reluctantly confess that my heart did indeed beat faster at some of the more, erm, descriptive parts. If I were a proper lady I would have fanned my face and perhaps swooned. But I’m not—so I just sat back and enjoyed the escape. This was a fun, clean, one-time, romantic read.

Her rating: 3.5 Stars.

Sum it up: If you’re in the mood for an clean, easy-to-read, fairly predictable, but all-out romantic novel then you’re in luck.
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Kari’s Review: I really liked this book. There were parts that seemed typical LDS lit. If you've read LDS lit, you know what I mean. A couple parts seemed a little inaccurate or missed editing, but truly it was rare. I really liked the characters and the message. Also, for LDS lit, it doesn't mention the church at all. It could be sold in any Christian literature store and no one would know the author is LDS. My only gripe with the characters and the story line was that it seemed, once in a while, that the author back tracked or contradicted herself with the emotions the characters portrayed from scene to scene. Otherwise, it was a great little (and fast!) read.

Her rating: 4 stars

Sum it up: A typical clean romance with a sweet message and endearing characters.
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AVERAGE RATING: 3.67 Stars

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