After fleeing Virginia, Temperance Tucker and her family established an inn along the Shawnee River. It’s a welcome way station for settlers and frontiersmen traveling through the wild Cumberland region of Kentucke–men like Sion Morgan, a Virginia surveyor who arrives at the inn with his crew looking for an experienced guide. When his guide appears, Sion balks. He certainly didn’t expect a … woman. But it is not long before he must admit that Tempe’s skill in the wilderness rivals his own. Still, the tenuous tie they are forming is put to the test as they encounter danger after danger and must rely on each other.
With her signature sweeping style and ability to bring the distant past to vivid life, Laura Frantz beckons readers to join her in a land of Indian ambushes, conflicting loyalties, and a tentative love that meanders like a cool mountain stream.
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To say that Laura Frantz’s writing is great would be an understatement. She is in a league of her own. There have been few authors in my life whose books have literally captivated me from the first page.
A Moonbow Night was a different type of story than what I’m used to reading by Laura – but different in a good way. This tale had ample historical detail, a halting romance, and just enough suspense with threats of surprise Indian attacks to keep the pages turning. What was different was the immense attention to detail of the characters, their occupations, and the new territory which they explored. Kentucky was but a dream during this time, and Laura’s knowledge of its early history and how it came to be explored made this book all the more interesting.
The sub-characters in this book were also fun to meet. I would love to see a future novel (or even a novella) about Russell and Paige, but I may have to let my imagination tell their story.
Suffice it to say, this is another winner from Laura Frantz. I will never stop recommending her books because I know they are just that good.
A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz
Temperance Tucker is not only beautiful, she has a tender heart, is brave and an expert guide. Handsome Sion Morgan is a determined and strong man and perfect for Tempe. I enjoyed watching this unlikely pair as they became aware of their growing feelings toward one another. Their path is not a smooth one, far from it. It is wrought with dangers, Indian ambushes, questionable loyalties and grief. But there is hope and restoration, love and faith that will bring them through.
Laura Frantz sweeps the reader away from present-day back-in-time and history to the frontier of 1777 along the Shawnee River in this sweeping story. Breathing in and captivated by its beauty, the dangers and romance of this historic era, we face the challenges, dangers, love and faith along with the characters as we turn each page. There is much in this story that captivated me: from the true-to-life characters and the struggles and challenges they faced to the amazing descriptions of the era with historical details woven within the story-line. One aspect that made the story more realistic to me are the brief quotes, (usually by someone who had actually lived in the time and areas of the setting of the story), such as on page 324, “My wife and daughters were the first white women that ever stood on the banks of the Kentucky River”, Daniel Boone. I love that! I also enjoy reading the authors’ historical notes in the back of the book. I appreciate the faith and inspirational elements within the story-line which enhanced the story, showing the importance of God in all areas of their lives. An amazing, heartwarming story.
Intense and gripping, heartfelt and gorgeous, Laura Frantz’s latest release did not disappoint. I’ve yet to read a novel of hers that I haven’t loved. With A Moonbow Night, it wasn’t long before I was swept away by the richness of the setting, the fascinating historical detail and the stunning depth of characters.
The descriptions of the mysterious, dangerous beauty of the wilderness had me enthralled. Frantz imbues her words with a particularly vibrancy, almost making the forest of Kentucky a character in and of itself. The woods hold splendor in way the sunlight dapples through the trees and the way a moonbow reflects from the waterfalls, but there is also a deceptiveness about them, when friends might turn out to be foes and past terrors might show themselves again.
This is the setting of the Moonbow Inn, Tempe Tucker’s home, and a haven for weary travelers passing along the Shawnee River. Tempe’s family, her lame but determined brother, her mother, widowed, yet not, and a serving girl who is nearly family round out the characters in Tempe’s daily life, as well as add another layer of intrigue to the mystique that is the Moonbow Inn. Despite his ways with the woods, surveyor Sion Morgan finds himself drawn to the inn and its inhabitants.
In a way, A Moonbow Night is a somewhat of a departure from Frantz’s usual work. The prose is as lyrical and compelling as I come to expect from one of her novels. The difference here, perhaps, is the thread of atmospheric tension that hasn’t been explored to such a length and depth as it has in this story. There is a tangible nature to the foray into dangerous territory, and, as a result, the character development and historical context take center stage.
When Tempe is appointed as a guide for Sion’s surveying party, she must depend on both her keen insight of the Kentucke wilderness, as well as her stoic protection of precious memories and hopes of a future denied to her – memories that surface more and more as her regard for Sion grows. Sion himself has memories he’d prefer to stay buried, but the two of them can’t help but admire the other’s tenacity and determination. While there is more of a focus in this story on the historical details and the riveting plot, there is an exquisite romance, made even tenderer by its tentative and slow-moving progression.
The novel’s secondary characters are varied – some causing strife, while others are a voice of peace – Sion’s friend, Nate, soon claimed a special place in my heart with his tough, wiry outward appearance and his strong faith and mental fortitude. Nate’s faith is a balm to Sion, whose own faith is a tattered, hardened thing. Nate’s unassuming, matter-of-fact faith and Tempe’s love of the land and the God who created it work together to tear down his defenses.
Tempe is a character that drew me in; prone to solitude, and even melancholy, pieces of her character peel away layer by precious layer. Her joy in nature and her surrounding gave me a renewed appreciation for God’s creation, and the concept of a moonbow reminds me that truth and beauty can always be found in even the darkest of times. The culmination of faith, love and well-being in the story’s end made me sigh with relief and then contentment. Another gorgeous story complete, leaving me bereft in the happiest of ways. A Moonbow Night is on my favorites list for 2017 and will certainly be hard to top. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction with strong characterization and a riveting plot.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This review is my honest opinion.
Whew! It’s been a rugged trek through Cumberland country- barely passable deer paths, deep rushing river crossings, steep, slippery terrain; not to mention the dangers of wild animals, drop-off cliffs, stormy weather and … Chickamauga Indians (shiver). I’m mighty thankful for the Boones and others who blazed the trail ahead of the settlers of these lands, but it wasn’t easy and there was so much sacrifice and loss (sigh). Anyway, I wanted to tell you that despite the hardships in Laura Frantz’s vivid story, A Moonbow Night, is an entrancing tale of frontier life in the Kentucky wilderness before Kentucky statehood. Hard work, determination, perseverance, courage and respect for God’s creation are cornerstones of the story, no matter which character’s perspective: Tempe-the innkeeper’s daughter, Sion- the surveryor, or Raven- the Cherokee torn between two worlds as well as the other secondary characters.
Lantz’s landscape building is lush; a virtual feast for the senses. As I read I felt as if my feet were walking the mossy earth along the Warrior’s Path. I could hear the rushing Cumberland falls. I could taste the sweet water springs. I could smell the pine, spruce, and leafy forest floor. Plus the mention of Ms. Tucker’s homemade victuals made my mouth water. Beneath this wondrous, historical, landscape are two tales of lost love, haunting grief and regret, and the very deep hope in God that transcends all pain and brings peace and restoration, even in an untamed, dangerous land. If you love historical fiction with a sweet ribbon of romance, I highly recommend A Moonbow Night.