A Moonbow Night by Laura Franz

After fleeing Virginia, Temperance Tucker and her family established an inn along the Shawnee River. The have established The Moonbow Inn, where travellers can get a full belly and some rest.

MY REVIEW

From the moment I saw this cover at the cover unveiling online, I wanted to read this book. Doesn’t this cover scream, “read me!”

I quickly fell in love with Tempe, and her feisty, yet heartbroken ways. Slowly we learn more about how she came to be so wounded emotionally and we learn more about the horrors of living on the frontiers of civilization as the Kentucky wilds are brought to live in this beautiful story. As each character is added to the story, we learn to love, or endure them. There is one annoying ‘bad guy’ who gets a little testy and his ways turn ….well, no spoilers so you will have to see what happens. He is, however, a minor character.

This story reminds me of how I felt watching Little House on the Prairie back when I was a kid. (Oh how I loved that show, and those people!) The pace of the book is steady, until the last few chapters when you may or may not want to hide away until you are finished the book. ( Not that I know anything about that.)

Temperance meets Sion and he comes with a story of his own, and deep hurts too. As their two worlds collide through their journey through the dangerous terrain, fraught with threat of Indians on the warpath and beasts and other foes, they fight for survival, but not only for their physical bodies, but for their spiritual well-being too.

What a tender, lovely love story, one of healing and new beginnings. One where the past must be overcome so that a new future may be embraced.

Laura Franz brings alive the countryside, and you can almost see each flower, hear those insects and want to swat a few mosquito’s along the way. Here is a short excerpt so you know what I mean:

They descended into the dense shade of a shriveled creek bed with water enough to hide their passing. The mossy stones were slick and sharp, the rushing water blessedly cool. Twilight shadows brought on the wink of fireflies. The sting of insects ebbed.

When I turned the last page of A Moonbow Night, I sighed, extremely satisfied with the story and the way it ended. But very much craving some honest to goodness Kentucky corn bread! (with butter —- you might too…)