From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker comes an epic story about sacrifice, friendship, and the awe-inspiring power of love.Maggie: Ten years ago, Cash Armstrong stole my heart. Then he promptly joined the army—dragging my best friend with him—and left me crying on the front porch in a red sequined prom dress. Now he’s back. They’re both back. Cash, the one who … he’s back. They’re both back. Cash, the one who still has my heart. And Luc, the one who saved my life.
Cash: How do you know if you’re at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end? That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out since a traumatic brain injury made me “unfit to serve.” I’m back in New Orleans, and picking up the shattered pieces of my past means I must confront where my life’s journey began… and where it all might end.
Luc: Long ago, Maggie May was mine. Not mine in the way you might think. She was mine because she was my only friend. Then Cash came along and we became brothers by something stronger than blood. We became brothers by choice. When tragedy struck, I was forced to make a decision that changed all our lives. I thought, after ten years, it was safe to come back home. I was wrong…
more
Book one on the series introduces you to Cash, Luc and Maggie. Three best friends who haven’t been all together in many years. There are secrets to why Cash left her on prom night and never looked back on the girl who was the love of his life. More secrets as to what happened one fateful night that continues to haunt Luc and Maggie. Secrets surround Cash and his injury; his reason for returning home and his big plan. The dynamics are intriguing. Who loves Maggie. Who does Maggie love. Who is protecting whom and from what?
I’m onto book two!
Good story, but I dislike having it hanging for second volume at the end.
Enjoyed reading this book. Kept my interest, and left us hanging in the end.. Not knowing what will happen.
Absolutely recommend all three volumes!
It is definitely realistic with our returning veterans who have suffered major injuries.
This is the first book in this trilogy about three friends who come together over the love of Harry Potter in high school in New Orleans. Maggie May and Cash with Luc as the best friend and all is going great until Cash Luc disappear…for ten years. Flash forward and they are back. This is a character-driven story that is sometimes, often times, slow going. This story is told in first person and lets us know at the first of the chapter who is talking and we are taken back and forth for glimpses of the past and present to bring us up to date. Maggie May is a very loyal and sometimes too naive woman who didn’t hear from Cash and Luc after they left but has waited for them and bought and opened a bar which was their dream. Cash is a rebel and rule breaker and his service has left him with a disability and brain injury. He has secrets and there is a mystery we will be finding out about in the coming books. Luc is the calm best friend who is the glue who I am cheering on. There is a lot of angst and the underlying mystery and love triangle is what keeps this slow-moving story going. On to book two!
There is a reason that there are so many good reviews for In Moonlight and Memories. The trilogy is phenomenal! I didn’t want to leave my review until I finished reading all three books. That’s right it’s a 700+ page story about three friends that met during high school in post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. We have the girl that they both love, Maggie May and the two boys that she loves Luc and Cash who are no longer boys but now almost 30 year old men. The story takes place in New Orleans where Maggie is a 27 year old owner of a local bar. She often wonders about the boys that left her to join the military 12 years ago but has worked hard to move on with her life. As abruptly as they left they have returned. Cash was medically retired from the military due to a head injury and Luc decided to retire and return home with him. These three have an easy yet complicated past and Maggie has loved them both but in very different ways. The story is told from all three points of view and delves between the present and the past. You must read all three books to complete their journey and what a journey it was. There will be moments of joy and moments of sorrow but such is life. I loved this story so much that I plan to reread it again!
This is an epic journey of three friends. Their friendship and love spanned across time even when they were separated for ten years. Follow Luc, Cash and Maggie on their emotional journey as they handle their friendships, love loss and mystery. These books are a spellbinding, emotional rollercoaster from the first book until the last. It was hauntingly beautiful.
Heart-wrenching but beautifully told. Cleansing tears prepared me for deep thinking about this. You may be gobsmacked, but you’ll be the better for going through this emotional experience.
Young love, selfless friendships, unfulfilled dreams, shattered hearts and now, ten years later, the cycle may all start over again when two soldiers come home and the girl they left behind is still waiting, her heart on her sleeve.
Julie Ann Walker’s IN MOONLIGHT AND MEMORIES Volume I lays an emotionally taut foundation that will follow three friends, Luc, the best friend, the voice of reason, the calm in the tempest of life and the man who can never share his feelings for Maggie, so settles on being the best friend he can be to both Maggie and Cash. But are his loyalties a little too selfless?
Maggie and Luc were best friends, but her heart belonged to Cash, the rebel, the brash ruler breaker, the boy who broke her heart when he went off to join the army without telling her goodbye or why…now he has come home, damaged by war, permanently disabled by the head trauma he suffered, but still just as unpredictable.
Will she and Cash take up where Maggie thought they left off or have the past ten years she spent pining for him all been a cruel lesson in life?
The stage is set for a tale of three friends, three hearts and the power of pain, sacrifice and love.
Julie Ann Walker has done a remarkable job of bringing her characters to life, creating the world they lived in a filling in the “whys” of what made these people who they are. Not a rapid-fire read, the over-the-top “action” comes through the emotions of each character, High on angst, definitely filled with a mysterious vibe that resonates beneath the surface, this love triangle is not the standard fare, but more like a triangle that has broken connections that seem impossible to repair.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Julie Ann Walker!
I’m not even sure where to begin reviewing this book. I have mixed emotions about the story. The fun times are soooooo much fun. But there’s always a BUT during the fun. How can you be having fun when you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop? There are some heavy issues in this book. Guilt, love, abuse, suicidal thoughts, heartbreak, desertion and taking care of one another.
I enjoyed the Sunday brunches at Cafe du Monde and the adventures that would follow. They were so much fun. Having been to New Orleans before it was exciting to see something that is not on the tourist map.
Watching Luc and Cash fix up the house left me wondering how are they going to earn a living. They’ve been home now for a few weeks, but neither has a job, nor are they looking for one. I guess they could’ve put away a chunk of money while they were in the service, but what are their plans. I guess I’ll have to read Volume 2 to see if my questions are answered. I feel I have more questions than answers. I wonder if they will be answered.
The BKI books are probably my favorite series so when I had a chance to review this Trilogy by Julie Ann Walker I jumped on it. I was a bit apprehensive when I received the books and read the synopsis and realized this was a totally different type of book. All I can say is WOW – what an emotional ride. I loved and hated them at the same time. Great read!! Would give higher stars if possible.
This is the first of three volumes in this new series from Julie Ann Walker. It is VERY different from her Black Knights, Inc. series, so don’t dive in with expectations of a fast-paced action-packed romantic suspense. This is a very slow-paced book, introducing you to three estranged childhood friends. Volume one sets the stage and introduces you to the dynamic between the three main characters, Maggie, Cash and Luc. It’s angsty and emotional, so bring the tissues.
I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
In Moonlight and Memories is a new group of books for Julie Ann Walker it was a really awesome story. Really well written sttory with beautiful characters and a rollercoaster storyline!
Possible SPOILERS
Maggie has been living her life in New Orleans for 10 years without seeing or hearing from her boyfriend or best friend. One day the pair show up on her doorstep after retiring from the Green Berets….
Cash & Luc have come back to New Orleans to make homes for themselves also spend some time with Maggie again!
Cash has a “plan” and he must stick to it but it’s becoming very difficult because of Maggie and his head injury.
Luc has always loved Maggie even when they were younger but stepped aside for his friend even though he wants her too!
Maggie, Cash & Luc have a unique and rocky relationship and things need to change or there will consequences…
Maggie, Luc and Cash’s lives have been intertwined since high school. 10 years later the past is coming home. Luc and Cash were in the military and are trying to institute the Plan. Maggie life has moved on except for her love life. How can she when she needs for the one person to tell her why. The past has a way of coming back to haunt you. You are going to love some of the secondary characters. Maggie’s Aunt June and Aunt Bea are as different as night and day. I can’t wait to read volume 2.
What a start! I’ll admit right off the bat that I am normally anti-trilogy. I feel that there are few stories that truly need to be told in 3 separate books, so for that reason I usually stay away. However, I love this author and decided to give it a try anyways. I was hooked from the beginning! I am not a fan of love triangles, but this doesn’t really seem to be a triangle in the normal sense. The relationship that these three share, despite the years of separation, is deep and powerful. It’s hard not to love them and feel for everything they have gone through. I always love a good friends to lovers story, and I am totally team Luc. The ending of this story wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it did leave me ready to jump into book 2! That is normally the only way a cliffhanger really works for me, so off to read the next book asap!
*I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own
Epic!
Three young friends, lonesome dreams, Harry Potter and memories that last forever. This story spans what seems like a lifetime of experiences and memories with a triangle of love and heartache. It is completely different from Julie Ann Walker’s fantastic Black Knights Inc. series which is full of danger, intrigue, hot SEALS, romance, and sexy stuff, but this story is, by no means, inferior in any way.
Incredibly written, you are on an amazing and intimate tour of NOLA’s sights, sounds, flavors, nightlife, and its darker side. Voodoo, old Southern tradition, and gator filled swamps combine with a corrupt sheriff and an abusive father to give you a hint of the complexities that make up this weathered city. You can almost taste the deliciously warm, sweet, beignets and hear the sounds of southern jazz winding around corners.
Cash, Maggie and Luc. All three met when they were just young teenagers, each suffering through their own unique type of hell. Luc and Cash are Maggie’s best friends but she’s in love with Cash. On the night of the big prom, instead of Cash arriving to pick her up. Luc shows up with a Dear Jane letter from Cash that breaks Maggie’s heart. Not long after, Luc leaves to follow Cash into the Army. Despite many useless attempts to reach them, Maggie doesn’t hear from either of them for ten very long years, years where she has suffered from the loss of her best friends, endured endless harassment from Sheriff Sullivan, and felt intense guilt over what happened with Dean Sullivan the night of prom.
This part of the story really sets you up with all of the twisty details that both suck you in but doesn’t quite spit you out at the end. It leaves you deliciously consumed by the mystery involving the swamp, and the return of Cash and Luc and what it means to Maggie. I love Jean-Pierre and his love of music as well as his protectiveness of Maggie.
Just like NOLA, this story moves along at its own pace to catch all its subtleties and nuances without leaving you in a complete cliff hanger. You will want to travel along on this fantastic journey of these three unique individuals and learn NOLA from a whole different perspective. It leaves you very eager for Volume 2!
Wow this is so completely different from her other books. For a start it’s set in New Orleans which in itself couldn’t before different. Three friends re united after 10 years. Easy to say but oh so difficult to pull off. These characters are complex and entertaining. The relationship they have is as strong as it was before but trying to understand what actually happened before is what the premise of the book is all about. They’ve all changed but the love they have for each other is astonishing. Their connection stood the test of time Altho it is evolving. A fantastic start to an amazing story.
This new series is a different type of read from the BKI books that I have read of Ms. Walker’s but in this first book of the trilogy I was hooked on Maggie, Luc and Cash’s story. The plot of this book was slow moving as the trio go between past and present as well as reconcile some of their feelings and events from ten years ago. The story was detailed with enough mystery to keep me reading as I wanted to know what was going to happen next or to have some of their secrets from the past revealed. The characters in this story were well written and perfect for this emotional roller coaster of a read as they told the story from all of their POV. I look forward to seeing where the story goes in book 2 and would recommend this book to others
A tale of three friends, their hopes, their dreams and their aspirations. What became of Them? What is the deep dark secret from their Past? And what is The Plan?
There is a terrific insight into the bustling city that is New Orleans also the terrible tragedy of Katrina. I could almost feel the hustle and bustle along the streets as the music played and smell the various aromas from the local bistros and restaurants .
This is an amazing story full of emotion as well as humour as three friends reunite and try to put the past behind them.
Such a well written, intriguing and enjoyable story which continues in volume 2.