Friday, March 28, 2014

**Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Under the Orange Moon ~ Adrienne Frances**


Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Adrienne Frances' Under the Orange Moon. My stop includes all the pertinent details on the book, my review, a teaser, and a giveaway!

Join the Blog Tour Event by clicking the below link. 



This tour is presented by Brandee's Book Endings.


***
Under the Orange Moon by Adrienne Frances
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary/Romance
Release Date: March 20, 2014
Source: I received an ecopy as part of the tour in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms

Dylan Mathews grew up in a house that was always filled with good-looking guys. However, with four protective older brothers they never stood a chance.

Except for one.

Dylan knew she loved Ben McKenna from the first time she laid eyes on him. When he started sneaking in her room, she thought he felt the same way.

But just as their passion ignited, he left for college and never came back.

Until now.

Returning home after 5 years, Ben realizes Dylan has always been the one for him.

Can he win back her heart and finally find love under the orange moon?


You can read a sneak peek of the book at iBooks





Under the Orange Moon is a fantastic read! It is a well-crafted story that, despite primarily being about two characters, incorporated an entire cast beautifully.

The story revolves around the Mathews family and Ben McKenna, who for all intents and purposes, is also a Mathews. Dylan, the only girl in the Mathews' clan and twin sister of Jonah, has been smothered and teased her whole life - by both her overbearing four older brothers and Ben. The boys even nicknamed her Weed. At twenty-two, she's trying to figure out what's next in her life, how she can get some privacy, and whether or not she can get over Ben. Ben, whose family life has always been less than stellar, has returned home for a visit. He picks up with the Mathews clan as if he never left. And he seems determined that things be different this time with Dylan. However, he has to figure out if he can trust love.

I delighted in Ms. Frances' inclusion of the entire Mathews family as it went far in illustrating the importance of family and the strong foundation a loving and supportive family provides. This was an important element to the story. Ben's parents and his interactions with them broke my heart. It impressed upon me the power of words and their lasting effects.

Despite Ben's closeness withe the Mathews family, despite the love and support he's always received from them, his parents' words and actions left him feeling lake a bad person - unworthy of love. Especially unworthy of love from the one girl he's always desired it from.

There's a lot going on in Under the Orange Moon. I kinda feel as though the story belonged to them all. The antics of Brandon, Charlie, Hugh, and Jonah were fun. Linda, the Mathews matriarch, was the quintessential mom. Even Carl, the deceased patriarch, played an important role. It's how they all circle the wagons, so to speak, when Dylan was hurting that spoke to my heart. I even appreciated that Ben had caring professors surrounding him for support when he needed it. Under the Orange Moon is also about accepting love, realizing your own worth, and not letting go of the life you want.

Obviously, I rather enjoyed this story. It made me feel good although there were times when I was so frustrated - usually with Ben. :) The epilogue was the perfect ending. I don't know if we'll see more from the Mathews or not but I certainly wouldn't mind. The story flowed well and I adored her use of multiple POVs. Ms. Frances has written an impressive debut.






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Adrienne Frances spends her time as a writing consultant at a university near her home. In her spare time, she loves to be with her husband and two sons, who have made her exactly who she is today. Writing is a passion that she has appreciated for as long as she can remember. She believes that a wild imagination is a terrible thing to waste and should be captured and brought to life by all that are blessed to have one. This way of life is what led her to become a writer and later an author under Bandit Publishing. Her first celebrated novel, Under the Orange Moon, is set to release in March.


4 comments:

  1. Oh Brandee, this sounds so good! I really like the premise, and I love that it is a big family story too. Great review!

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  2. This sounds like a premise and characters that I would like, esp with the family focus

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  3. I love family dramas like this, makes for a great series :)

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  4. I love that there is a strong emphasis on family!

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Now you know what I think...what are your thoughts??