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Inner Moonlight
If she can stop blaming herself for her husband's death, she might just fall in love with the man she's always wanted...
Elena Mazur is the perfect wife. Having met and fallen in love with her husband when they were only fourteen, she has dedicated nearly sixteen years to trying to be the woman that she felt he deserved. As she approached thirty, she gradually began to realize that she had cultivated a fairly miserable life for herself. But before she could turn things around, a devastating accident took the life of her husband.
She flees to a lakeside cottage and struggles with the relief she finds in her newfound freedom and the guilt she feels over the loss of a wonderful man. And her mixed feelings become even more complicated when she realizes that her husband’s cousin and childhood friend lives across the lake. While she cannot deny the attraction she has felt toward this man since they shared a passionate kiss as teenagers, she knows that Alec would never forgive her for acting on that attraction. So does she continue attempting to live up to the expectation as the perfect wife? Or does she follow her inner moonlight?
Elena Mazur is the perfect wife. Having met and fallen in love with her husband when they were only fourteen, she has dedicated nearly sixteen years to trying to be the woman that she felt he deserved. As she approached thirty, she gradually began to realize that she had cultivated a fairly miserable life for herself. But before she could turn things around, a devastating accident took the life of her husband.
She flees to a lakeside cottage and struggles with the relief she finds in her newfound freedom and the guilt she feels over the loss of a wonderful man. And her mixed feelings become even more complicated when she realizes that her husband’s cousin and childhood friend lives across the lake. While she cannot deny the attraction she has felt toward this man since they shared a passionate kiss as teenagers, she knows that Alec would never forgive her for acting on that attraction. So does she continue attempting to live up to the expectation as the perfect wife? Or does she follow her inner moonlight?
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2013
10 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Carrigan Fox
8 books16 followersIn college, my roommate and I used to read a number of romance books and joke about writing a more feminist-friendly version with a dude in distress and a heroine who must rescue him repeatedly while he struggles to capture her attention and secure her love. Years later, I transitioned from writing young adult books to writing romance. And by the time I discovered self-publishing (cue angels singing), my romance books had taken on a touch of this girl power tone. Readers will find that my protagonists are strong, intelligent, and capable women who fall in love with equally strong, intelligent, and capable men. And often, it's the women who get to do the rescuing...just because that's the way it should be.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 25, 2013
This was an Amazon freebie. Briefly, it's about a woman named Elena. She fell in love with Alec when she was 14 and they were together until he was killed in a car accident 16 years later. She's wracked with guilt about the accident, and has struggled all her life feeling as though she didn't deserve the life she had. Complicating things are her feelings for her dead hubby's cousin. She's known him all her life as well, and they fight like cats in a sack. Whatever shall she do?
Here's what I liked:
It was FREE.
The heroine swore. So did her sister, so did the hero. Just like real folks, and what a refreshing change. The f-bomb got dropped in conversation (sister says, "Oh for fuck's sakes, Elena!") They sounded like real people, and I liked that quite a bit. They insulted each other, flirted, and everyone that needed to had great chemistry.
The scenes with Elena and P.J. were good, and the subplot with Elena's sister and the hot cabin owner next door was nicely done.
....and that's about it.
I'm not sure why the author felt the need to throw a whole PILE of extraneous filler into what were the bones of a good story. To create tension, maybe? Anyway, I didn't think it worked. By 2/3 thru I was ready to kick Elena in the ass. I have no patience with the "I'm not worthy" trope when drug on too long. No wonder her sister was saying, "Oh for fuck's sakes!"
The heroine was a spicy chica with a Dutch surname. Apparently this is supposed to explain the gleam in her eyes as a teen and her vivacious spirit. (Which was stomped into submission by her perfect boyfriend in his attempt to turn her into a Stepford wife.) We're then treated to a pointless info-dump about how her parents met, blah blah blah. It would have been more interesting if it was ever mentioned more than the once. Or tied in at ALL with Elena's personality. I might be wrong, but I don't believe one has to be latina to be "fiery".
Then, we are treated to flashbacks of her life with the perfect Alec, including over-the-top scenes with her husband's law partners' wives at various social functions over the years. This sets the stage for an unbelievable visit by the wives to Elena's cottage, where they trade insults with her sister and have unbelievable conversations about what they expect her life to be now that her husband is gone because it reflects on them. And then the partners themselves call her down to the office and accuse her of, um, being a not very nice person! Because she bought a cottage! And they want to know about her marriage, because Alec was so perfect. (I've known/worked for/with lawyers for more than 25 years, and lots of them are so self-absorbed they don't even care how their OWN marriages are doing, let alone a dead partner.)
What else? Oh, the phone call she gets from the police/prosecutor, explaining how the accident happened, how it was completely unavoidable, it wasn't her fault even though she tries to tell them it was. And by the way, even though you don't remember the accident well enough to notice that it WASN'T CAUSED BY YOU can you testify against the fellow driving the truck that hit you? Or maybe not because he might plead guilty, he's feeling pretty bad about the whole thing.
And then she tells her in-laws about the details of the accident, including
HUH????
And then everyone reconsiders for no apparent reason, and then she
(takes a deep breath) And THEN, she goes with the hero to her former in-law's house for a holiday supper and finally tells her in-laws that she's dating their nephew and gets everyone's blessing (because the news that Alec wasn't perfect is only news to HER) and everything is coming up roses and everyone lives happily ever after opening presents at Christmas.
Or something like that.
Boy, I think I didn't like this more than I thought.
2 stars for the basic story idea, which I liked. And the swearing and banter, because, well, because.
Here's what I liked:
It was FREE.
The heroine swore. So did her sister, so did the hero. Just like real folks, and what a refreshing change. The f-bomb got dropped in conversation (sister says, "Oh for fuck's sakes, Elena!") They sounded like real people, and I liked that quite a bit. They insulted each other, flirted, and everyone that needed to had great chemistry.
The scenes with Elena and P.J. were good, and the subplot with Elena's sister and the hot cabin owner next door was nicely done.
....and that's about it.
I'm not sure why the author felt the need to throw a whole PILE of extraneous filler into what were the bones of a good story. To create tension, maybe? Anyway, I didn't think it worked. By 2/3 thru I was ready to kick Elena in the ass. I have no patience with the "I'm not worthy" trope when drug on too long. No wonder her sister was saying, "Oh for fuck's sakes!"
The heroine was a spicy chica with a Dutch surname. Apparently this is supposed to explain the gleam in her eyes as a teen and her vivacious spirit. (Which was stomped into submission by her perfect boyfriend in his attempt to turn her into a Stepford wife.) We're then treated to a pointless info-dump about how her parents met, blah blah blah. It would have been more interesting if it was ever mentioned more than the once. Or tied in at ALL with Elena's personality. I might be wrong, but I don't believe one has to be latina to be "fiery".
Then, we are treated to flashbacks of her life with the perfect Alec, including over-the-top scenes with her husband's law partners' wives at various social functions over the years. This sets the stage for an unbelievable visit by the wives to Elena's cottage, where they trade insults with her sister and have unbelievable conversations about what they expect her life to be now that her husband is gone because it reflects on them. And then the partners themselves call her down to the office and accuse her of, um, being a not very nice person! Because she bought a cottage! And they want to know about her marriage, because Alec was so perfect. (I've known/worked for/with lawyers for more than 25 years, and lots of them are so self-absorbed they don't even care how their OWN marriages are doing, let alone a dead partner.)
What else? Oh, the phone call she gets from the police/prosecutor, explaining how the accident happened, how it was completely unavoidable, it wasn't her fault even though she tries to tell them it was. And by the way, even though you don't remember the accident well enough to notice that it WASN'T CAUSED BY YOU can you testify against the fellow driving the truck that hit you? Or maybe not because he might plead guilty, he's feeling pretty bad about the whole thing.
And then she tells her in-laws about the details of the accident, including
HUH????
And then everyone reconsiders for no apparent reason, and then she
(takes a deep breath) And THEN, she goes with the hero to her former in-law's house for a holiday supper and finally tells her in-laws that she's dating their nephew and gets everyone's blessing (because the news that Alec wasn't perfect is only news to HER) and everything is coming up roses and everyone lives happily ever after opening presents at Christmas.
Or something like that.
Boy, I think I didn't like this more than I thought.
2 stars for the basic story idea, which I liked. And the swearing and banter, because, well, because.
August 25, 2013
Inner Moonlight. by Carrigan Fox
When Elena's husband, Alec, died she was confronted by a sense of liberation she could hardly believe. No more playing the perfect law partner's spouse; no more having to be friends with the partners'wives who made it very clear that she was not their equal right from the beginning; no more being at the beck and call of someone else; no more feeling guilty, petty or small.
He was a good man, a great guy, but too meticulous in scheduling their lives. Everything had a time and place for Alec, but now he was dead and Elena had to start all over again, trying to find the Elena she has lost along the way, the girl who lost her enthusiasm and passion for life.
What to do when she did not like herself anymore? Her life was built around Alec : his idea of money, friends, house, luxuries. But the picture was never complete - she was the component which never fitted in...
Becoming the perfect wife for a kind and generous man, was not difficult, but it was not her. Was she a horrid person for hiding these thoughts and feelings?
This book is about Elana's journey to find herself and her inner moonlight. A place of peace and acceptance.
The book has all the elements to make it a passionate love story, yet it is also much more than just a light romance novel.
When Elena's husband, Alec, died she was confronted by a sense of liberation she could hardly believe. No more playing the perfect law partner's spouse; no more having to be friends with the partners'wives who made it very clear that she was not their equal right from the beginning; no more being at the beck and call of someone else; no more feeling guilty, petty or small.
He was a good man, a great guy, but too meticulous in scheduling their lives. Everything had a time and place for Alec, but now he was dead and Elena had to start all over again, trying to find the Elena she has lost along the way, the girl who lost her enthusiasm and passion for life.
What to do when she did not like herself anymore? Her life was built around Alec : his idea of money, friends, house, luxuries. But the picture was never complete - she was the component which never fitted in...
Becoming the perfect wife for a kind and generous man, was not difficult, but it was not her. Was she a horrid person for hiding these thoughts and feelings?
This book is about Elana's journey to find herself and her inner moonlight. A place of peace and acceptance.
The book has all the elements to make it a passionate love story, yet it is also much more than just a light romance novel.
July 18, 2014
Elena has known her husband Alec since they were fourteen years old. Throughout their youth and adulthood, it is an understood fact that they will be together for life, but what was not known is that the husband's cousin had held Elena's heart since her teens.
After a long marriage that lacked passion and joy, the husband dies in a traffic accident, and his cousin shows up for Elena, but Elena just as she displays her weakness with everything else, does not relate well to the man she truly loves.
Throughout this novel, I had a difficult time with the main character. She may have been successful in some ways, maybe as a teacher, but she was a weakling in facing truths. She was a weakling in so many ways, acting so submissive and then suddenly flaring up. Her behavior left much to be desired even when she parted ways with her dead husband's partners. There was no need for that drama of making a scene, for example.
In addition, she harbored guilt feelings for the death of her husband, and not for a good reason. I actually felt bad for the two men in her life. After her husband's death, her actions toward the man she really loved were revoltingly indecisive.
Her final decision of forgiving herself and relating better to her lover came about after a near-death experience where she talked to the dead husband. This type of resolution is called Deus ex machina, when the story has been written to a corner and can only be brought to end 'by an act of God' rather than the character solving the problem.
The setting, the scenes, and the flow of the story were fine. I guess, in general, the book is readable, but as much as the main character seemed to suffer, by her own doing, it was difficult to feel for her.
After a long marriage that lacked passion and joy, the husband dies in a traffic accident, and his cousin shows up for Elena, but Elena just as she displays her weakness with everything else, does not relate well to the man she truly loves.
Throughout this novel, I had a difficult time with the main character. She may have been successful in some ways, maybe as a teacher, but she was a weakling in facing truths. She was a weakling in so many ways, acting so submissive and then suddenly flaring up. Her behavior left much to be desired even when she parted ways with her dead husband's partners. There was no need for that drama of making a scene, for example.
In addition, she harbored guilt feelings for the death of her husband, and not for a good reason. I actually felt bad for the two men in her life. After her husband's death, her actions toward the man she really loved were revoltingly indecisive.
Her final decision of forgiving herself and relating better to her lover came about after a near-death experience where she talked to the dead husband. This type of resolution is called Deus ex machina, when the story has been written to a corner and can only be brought to end 'by an act of God' rather than the character solving the problem.
The setting, the scenes, and the flow of the story were fine. I guess, in general, the book is readable, but as much as the main character seemed to suffer, by her own doing, it was difficult to feel for her.
September 15, 2013
I my word I feel in love with a love story. It was not your typical love story plot, and I think that is one thing that made me love it even more. The writer did a great job in the writing style for the reader to read and enjoy the story! The only part I would suggested was either add the partners into the story a little more or just completely take them out of the story. But other than that, I have e joyed my first romantic love story!
August 24, 2013
I won this book in a giveaway, and was pleasantly surprised by the story. It started out a but slow, so I wasn't sure for the first two chapters, but after that, I got caught up in the story , and into the past and present flow of the story. I enjoyed the characters and the writing style of the book. A very enjoyable read.
February 20, 2014
Inner Moonlight is an emotional story of a woman finding herself after a tragedy. It is a realistic struggle with conflicting emotions to move forward and live life. Inner Moonlight
April 10, 2014
The only thing that stopped me from rating this book five stars was the fact that Elena was so resistant to JP.I wanted her to just give in already.He was perfection.I guess it can't be too easy.In the end it was worth it
July 30, 2014
This story pulled me in and kept me engaged throughout. Excellent pacing, characterization. Well-drawn secondary characters. My only complaint was the graphic sex, but that's just my personal preference. 4.4 Stars
March 5, 2015
Conflicting read that makes the reader want to follow their heart as well as their head. Easy life read that moves to a slight romance novel. Anyone can relate to the love, heartbreak and family issues the main characters go through.
September 27, 2015
Great romance, didn't hardly put it down until I finished it, didn't want to end, would love to know that happened next
I enjoyed this book, didn't hardly put it down until I finished it, would love to know what happened next, maybe a sequel?
I enjoyed this book, didn't hardly put it down until I finished it, would love to know what happened next, maybe a sequel?
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews