Read my review of Ride with the Moonlight (Thunder on the Moor, Book 2) by Andrea Matthews #HistoricalRomance #CoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour @AMatthewsAuthor @maryanneyarde

 

Ride with the Moonlight
(Thunder on the Moor, Book 2) 
By Andrea Matthews

After rescuing sixteenth-century Border reiver Will Foster from certain death at her family’s hands, time traveler Maggie Armstrong finally admits her love for the handsome Englishman, though she can’t rid herself of the sinking suspicion that her Scottish kin are not about to let them live in peace. What she doesn’t expect is the danger that lurks on Will’s own side of the Border. When news of their plans to marry reaches the warden, he charges Will with March treason for trysting with a Scot. Will and Maggie attempt to escape by fleeing to the hills, but when Will is declared an outlaw and allowed to be killed on sight, they can no longer evade the authorities. Will is sentenced to hang, while Maggie is to be sent back to her family. Heartbroken, she has no choice but to return to Scotland, where her uncle continues to make plans for her to wed Ian Rutherford, the wicked Scotsman who she now realizes murdered her father in cold blood. With Will facing the gallows in England, and herself practically under house arrest in Scotland, she continues to resist her uncle’s plans, but her efforts are thwarted at every turn. Will’s family, however, is not about to stand by and watch their youngest lad executed simply because he’s lost his heart to a Scottish lass. A daring plan is set into motion, but will it be in time to save Will’s life and reunite the lovers? Or will Ian’s lies prompt Maggie’s family to ensure the bond between them is forever destroyed?

Publication Date: 25th November 2020
Publisher: Inez M. Foster
Page Length: 387 Pages
Genre: Historical, Time-Travel, Romance

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MY THOUGHTS

Maggie Armstrong made her choice when she saved Will Foster from being drowned. She stood up to her uncles, humiliated her family, and saved the man she loves. And, while her uncle Geordie may be angry with her, and Ian Rutherford, the man Geordie wanted Maggie to marry, may be prepared to do anything to get her back, Maggie and Will are finally happy, in each other’s arms.

However, the magic of a newfound love cannot last long at the Borders, especially when Maggie was spoken for, and Will is from a different side of the Border. Maggie may know that it was, indeed, Ian who killed her father, but her family still believe it was Will. And, after Maggie was carried away to the Foster family, the Armstrongs have multiple cases to charge against Will. With the charge of March Treason hanging above his head, and the threat to be hanged itself, Will finds himself in a difficult situation. He can either stand up to the charges, and risk handing Maggie back to her family, who will surely marry her off the scoundrel, Ian, and still risk hanging, or he can go on the run and take Maggie with him.

For Maggie, there is no choice. She had already made up her mind, that day when her uncles tried to drown Will. That day, she chose Will, and the Fosters, over her family, and she would do it over again. Unfortunately, it may not be up to her to make that choice.

In a time when daughters, and nieces, were supposed to do as they were told, and they themselves had little control over who they were to marry, Maggie is an exception. She grew up in the late twentieth century, where women had freedom, could do what they wanted, when they wanted, and could marry whomever they so desired. Having grown up surrounded by such freedom and choice, to be thrown into the sixteenth century, and have her uncle Geordie force a marriage upon her, without her consent, was something she simply couldn’t stand by and let happen, especially when she loved someone else, and the man she was to marry was Ian Rutherford. Maggie is an incredibly headstrong and determined woman. When she makes her mind up about something, she will figure out how to get her own way, even if it pushes her out of her comfort zone and puts her in the middle of difficult situations.

This is the second book of the Thunder On The Moor series, and is equally as action-packed as book 1, even though the general outline of the books are vastly different. In book 1, Maggie struggles to adjust to life on the Border, in a time she is unfamiliar with, and tries to make her choice between Ian and Will, both men charming to her. In this book, however, she has made her choice, and it is no long raids coming between her and Will, but the law.

This novel shows us much more of the Fosters than we were privy to in book 1. We meet Will’s family and spend much more time with Will himself. Will is a character that is easy to fall in love with, and with such charges against him, and his very life at stake should he be caught, this book is full of tension as well. However, with a character such as the sweet-talking Bonnie Will, he seems to be a way to lighten even the darkest of moments. 

Something I greatly enjoyed about this book was learning more about Will’s brothers. In book 1, we barely see Will as it is, so suddenly having Walt as well, alongside the rest, was a pleasant surprise. Walt, Will’s older brother, views Will as more of a son than a brother, and his determination to save Will’s life, despite how idiotic his lovesick brother may be, was beautiful. And let’s not forget, all of Will’s brothers, including himself, seem to be equally sarcastic, quick-tongued, and as ready as each other to throw each other under the proverbial bus. But, while they are all ready to fight amongst themselves, when the need arises, they are also ready to turn in the same direction and fight together.

As in book 1, the Scottish dialect is absolutely glorious to read, and paired with the quarrelling of the Fosters, this is a book that you certainly should not miss! Although, I would suggest starting with book 1 – there is a very large cast of characters, and you would be doing this series an injustice not to read both books. I will be eagerly awaiting book 3!

Andrea Matthews is the pseudonym for Inez Foster, a historian and librarian who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogical speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science, and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. She is the author of the Thunder on the Moor series set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Border, and the Cross of Ciaran series, where a fifteen hundred year old Celt finds himself in the twentieth century. Andrea is a member of the Romance Writers of America.

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