Lady Moonlight

Rating:
Summary: Some musings by the author of Lady Moonlight
Review: Here's something to pique your curiosity: The lovely white mare on the cover of LADY MOONLIGHT is a portrait of my heroine, Aisling Aherne, before her make-over! Honest!

Writing LADY MOONLIGHT put me in almost as much danger of getting lost in the Faery Realm as was the heroine, Aisling! It was too much fun to explore the possibilities of a world where magic was one of the primary forces, like gravity is in our world. But, as Aisling learns, magic comes with a price; there are no "free" spells!

But just as there are prices for favors, there are rewards for virtues: Not even the threat of a lingering death can shake Aisling's faith in the value of True Love.

If you are familiar with my other romantic fantasies, EARTH ANGEL and JAKE'S ANGEL, you'll probably enjoy LADY MOONLIGHT. Much to my delight, the reviewers have been saying wonderful things about it; I'd like to share some of their comments with you:

"Whit wit and gentle humour, kate Freiman guides readers through a wonderful world where faery magic and computer science walk hand in hand. Her latest release, LADY MOONLIGHT, is a delightful blend of history, traditional Irish folk magic, and modern day sensibilities. Kate skillfully...gives readers both a taste of faery dust and a rare and fascinating glimpse into the developing made psyche." ~Chris Szego, bookseller

"With Leprechauns, faeries, 100 year old enchantments ,scientific minds versus folklore, ms. freiman give us one VERY funny and outstanding story... You'll adore it! FANTASTIC!!! 5 Bells!" ~Lori, reviewer for Bell, Book & Candle newsletter

"A bewitching tale of faerie magic and mortal love to warm the cockles of our hearts...dazzles our senses with a lush, magical romance of... Put the magic back in romance as the sure pen of kate Freiman guides you into a realm of enchanting delight." ~Melinda Helfer, reviewer for Romantic Times

"An enchanting ride to make-believe!" ~Claire Delacroix, bestselling author of The Princess

"LADY MOONLIGHT is a delightful journey into the realm of magic...Kate Freiman will make you a believer in the power of love." ~Ingrid Weaver, RITA-winning author of Engaging Sam.

Dear readers, I hope you'll also enjoy LADY MOONLIGHT!

Rating:
Summary: Another beautiful fantasty romance
Review: In 1899 Ireland, her "Da" sells Aisling to their neighbor as his bride. Desperate to escape, Aisling rides her horse into the woods with the two men in pursuit. Aisling meets Acorn Bittersweet, a leprechaun, who agrees to help her marry only for love. However, when you deal with creatures from the faery world, don't be surprised if there is a nasty clause in the contract. Aisling is confined to the faery world where she has a century to find true love with a mortal. In the mundane world of Homo Sapiens, she appears as a mare except when the moon is full.

As the decades pass, Aisling begins to lose hope until she meets American teenager Conlan Sloan. However, Conlan abhors Eire and returns only once over the next fifteen years. In 1999, his grandfather summons him to visit him. Conlan, a self-made millionaire arrives and is informed he has a quest to make right what the family once did wrong. Meanwhile, the full moons left for Aisling are dwindling to single digits. Even with the boost of magic, love does not seem to have enough time to become permanent.

Kate Freiman scribes an enchanting tale that leaves no doubt that magic is alive and lives inside the hearts and souls of people. LADY MOONLIGHT is a fun tale that will remind readers of the movie LADYHAWKE. The story line is interesting and all the characters, even the leprechaun, seem genuine. After reading this fantasy romance, fans will lovingly state that they believe

in spoonfuls of magic in Ms. Freiman's novels.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Whimsical Air But Poor Characters
Review: The fantasy romance Lady Moonlight is a warm and affectionate look at rural Ireland. It has a whimsical air that is often fun. Unfortunately, it is marred by underdeveloped characters and a predictable and relatively uneventful plot.

In 1899 country lass Aisling Ahearn escapes from an unwanted marriage to the hated neighboring O'Haras by accepting a crafty leprechaun's magic. Unfortunately, this traps her and her white mare Luna in the ageless fairy world for 100 years. If Aisling is unable to find her true love by the end of this time, she will be forced into marriage with the odious leprechaun. The problem is, mortals see her as her horse Luna, except during the night of the full moon, when she appears as herself.

In 1982 16-year-old Conlan Sloan O'Hara, a computer geek living in America, arrives in County Sligo to visit his cantankerous grandfather. Meeting Aisling by chance, he becomes enraptured, and the two begin developing a relationship. But Sloan doesn't believe in magic and he detests horses, while Aisling doesn't realize that he is in fact descended from the detested O'Haras who [took] all her property and wealth from her.

There are some tender moments between the couple, who three years later become lovers, break up then eventually reunite shortly before Aisling will be lost forever. The problem is Aisling is portrayed as simply a feisty but sweet Irish girl who loves horses and believes in magic, while Sloan is simply the kindly but self-doubting ambitious computer geek who refuses to believe in anything outside his idea of science.

The characters are barely developed beyond these descriptions, so it was difficult for me to take them seriously as real people and thus to really care about them. The unsurprising plot would not have mattered much to me if the main characters had been richer and thus their interaction more complex and entertaining.

I can somewhat recommend this novel as a pleasant enough read for those who love magic and Ireland-its descriptions, for example, are often lovely-but it fails overall to truly satisfy.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Idea, BUT Disappointing...
Review: The premise of this love story is based on a mystical spell cast by a leprechaun, transforming Lady Moonlight into a white horse and binding her to marry the little man, unless she can find true love before the end of a hundred years. While I find the story's concept enticing, the Romance in the book failed to satisfy my imagination. Lady Moonlight does indeed meet her lover, however, the bulk of the book is spent detailing the heroine's trysts through fairyland with her annoying aunt and fairy friends. The lovers share FEW moments together and their dialogue is nothing more than small talk. They never discover more than each other's superficial beauty before the hundred years is nearly up. It is the book's end, however, that disappoints the most...The culmination was little more than a slapstick horserace of the hero with the silly leprechaun, and the hero's demands for the spell's undoing. COMEDIC and SILLY.

Rating:
Summary: A better fantasy than it is a romance
Review: Unlike so many authors of paranormal romance, Kate Freiman understands the world of faerie. She doesn't paint a picture of a pretty, bright world. Her faeries are shallow, selfish, flighty -- just like the faeries of legend.

I also liked the way Kate Freiman handled the timelines in her story. This book could've been confusing, as it takes place during three different times (and in the eternal present of the faerie realm), but it wasn't.

If only I had liked the way she handled the romance as much. Unfortunately, the hero and heroine spend so much of the time apart.

I gave this book a C+ at All About Romance.