Book Review: A Dance in Moonlight by Sherry Thomas

Synopsis

After losing her childhood sweetheart to another woman, Isabelle Englewood is heartsick. But then something remarkable happens: Upon arriving at Doyle's Grange, her new home, she meets Ralston Fitzwilliam, who looks almost exactly like the man she cannot have. Come late at night, she tells him, so I can make love to you pretending that you are the one I love.

Little does she realize what she is about to unleash.

This novella was previously featured in the anthology "Midnight Scandals".

Review

A Sherry Thomas story of any length is pure literary joy, so on reading A Dance in Moonlight, just like another of her novellas, Claiming the Duchess, we are sure to be in for a fun read. The similarities between the two are great, because each focuses on a small set of characters.

This is part of the Fitzhugh series of books, so reading Beguiling the Beauty, Ravishing the Heiress and Tempting the Bride are essential reads.

"She (Sherry Thomas) is an author par excellence, and I simply love reading her tales."

This novella sits between books two and three. And don't be put off by its relative short length - there's plenty of story as our heroine Isabelle (initially) does a dumb thing, kissing a man she has only just met, under the illusion that he is, in fact, the man she was in love with from the previous story (Ravishing the Heiress). At this early point I was thinking 'come on, Isabelle, check who you're kissing!'...but she makes an honest mistake. Indeed Ralston does bear a strong similarity to her former love. Perhaps if we had lost someone in real life, only to see someone else looking very much like them, wouldn't we be forgiven for the error?

Fortunately Ralston acts the gentleman without lapsing into caricature, and Isabelle redeems her earlier forward actions as the story progresses.

To say more is to reveal a little too much. My advice is to read the books in order, and the enjoyment is all the better for it.

Books are meant to educate, regardless of the subject matter or genre. I always come away from a Sherry Thomas book thinking 'I must look that up' if I don't know the meaning of a word. She is an author par excellence, and I simply love reading her tales.

Book Review: Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas

Synopsis: When the Duke of Lexington meets the mysterious Baroness von Seidlitz-Hardenberg on a transatlantic liner, he is fascinated. She’s exactly what he’s been searching for—a beautiful woman who interests and entices him. He falls hard and fast—and soon proposes marriage.And then she disappears without a trace…

For in reality, the “baroness” is Venetia Easterbrook—a proper young widow who had her own vengeful reasons for instigating an affair with the duke. But the plan has backfired. Venetia has fallen in love with the man she despised—and there’s no telling what might happen when she is finally unmasked… 

Review: There's quite a lot of reviews for this book already, so I am not sure what I can add to it. What I will say, is that this is the fourth read of Ms Thomas' and once again, the author delivers a fun, well written tale that makes us enjoy the story immensely.

The characters play out a lot of nuances of unrequited love, and this goes on for a long time, the best part of a decade in this case.

Why is this so? Well, even the best of us have played the game of love - poorly. Why should any well to do characters be any different.

This is part of a series, though at the end of the book, many story arcs are resolved. I'm reading this series having already read the prequel novella - Claiming the Duchess. If you are new to Ms Thomas' works, there could be no better introduction. In the end, I was between a 4 and 5 star rating for this book. It's a solid 4.5 if I could apply such a rating. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

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