Under a Crescent Moon in Totally Bound Publishing

Oct 28, 2015 Dolorianne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-recommend, kindle-unlimited

I enjoy Mercy Celeste's books. Complexly rich characters and a deeply layered story arc where nothing is exactly how it seems at first glance. The realism is a blessing and a curse, because you will feel exactly what she wants you to feel, and Under the Crescent Moon is no different.

I couldn't tell from the blurb what the paranormal element was. I thought, based on the title and the cover, that this was going to be a shifter book. I was wrong, but not disappointed. The truth was very charming, a I enjoy Mercy Celeste's books. Complexly rich characters and a deeply layered story arc where nothing is exactly how it seems at first glance. The realism is a blessing and a curse, because you will feel exactly what she wants you to feel, and Under the Crescent Moon is no different.

I couldn't tell from the blurb what the paranormal element was. I thought, based on the title and the cover, that this was going to be a shifter book. I was wrong, but not disappointed. The truth was very charming, and cleverly supported throughout the book.

The relationship between the leads, Xan and Taylor, can only be called 'complicated'. In words from the text, they mixed like oil & water most of the time. Their journey was a long one, a lot of which happened prior to the start of the book, and referenced as necessary, though thankfully not in a ton of flashbacks. As far as I remember, there is only one.

The rest of the time, they would come together and then immediately sabotage themselves. My only criticism is that constant back and forth seemed to slow the pace down, and I found myself wishing they could just move it along because I really, really wanted to figure out what was going on with the mystery/crime element of the book. However, this time period allowed for both characters to make colossal mistakes, which always gives a Mercy book that extra something. No one wants to see characters put through the ringer just "because", but there is something human in things not working out right in the nick of time. There is no "movie magic" filter or "1 second on the countdown clock" in a Mercy Celeste book. Watching Xan and Taylor overcome their mistakes becomes that much more rewarding because it wasn't easy.

As for the *mild bdsm* warning, the page time is pretty minimal, and the exchanges are fairly run of the mill stuff, nothing to worry about. The only thing that strays from that is a secondary character that practices BDSM inappropriately, resulting in harm, in which we see the after effects of. Acknowledging that there are people who use bdsm as a weapon is vital in understanding the true rules and practices of bdsm:safe, sane, and consensual. I have a very low tolerance for sexual violence/abuse in books, but the very limited page time dedicated to ugliness was manageable, causing me to still agree with the *mild* part of the warning.

I don't think the mystery/crime element of the book was intended to be the main bulk of the story, but it caught my attention anyway. There was just enough of a teaser that I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more. The reasons we didn't is explained well in the book, the most non-spoilerish reason being Taylor's evolution as a Detective with NOPD. But we do get answers, and there are no loose ends to worry about. I was surprised in one character in particular. I didn't expect to have an ounce of sympathy for him, but I did, in the end. Very unlike me.

All in all, I enjoyed it enough to encourage others to read it. ...more

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Dec 05, 2013 Christy rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, fantasy-paranormal-science-fiction, on-my-kindle, bought-this-book, signed-books-i-own

An exciting fun filled ride of action, murder, sex, death, and good ol' jambalya in the Big Easy! Xander and Taylor are easy to love and very easy to root for. ...more

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Sep 28, 2013 Marsha Spence rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-para

Simply fantastic! I was glued to the page. Wonderfully written with fully detailed characters. The supporting cast was just as well done. Loved the development of the story and the location of New Orleans. Just great!!

Completely agree with Rhys Ford's review. That really says it all! ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Joanne rated it it was amazing

Just fabulous. Beautiful, intense, angsty and full of raw emotion. I adored this. Full review coming soon

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Sep 03, 2013 SK added it

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Sep 04, 2013 Leigh rated it liked it

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Sep 14, 2013 Crissy Morris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, joyfully-jay, fantasy, cop-law-enforcement-pi-military, on-the-paperwhite, must-read-author, definite-re-read, witches, bdsm, family

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