Afflicted with deafness by a nasty illness, the heroine lives as an outcast from the clan and a disappointment to her mother. But she's learned to read lips and with the help of her sister, she's able to hide her secret from everyone around her. She's shocked and hurt when her mother sells her off to a highland lord on behalf of the king, but she has hope that when he learns of her affliction, he'll send her to her sister. So, she heads off to meet her betrothed. The hero barely got out of the last arranged marriage but he soon finds himself stuck in another one. But when he meets the timid but stunning heroine he's instantly bonded with her. His wolf stirs inside him and he finds himself attached to the fragile human woman. Their marriage and subsequent trip back to the castle was smooth and easy. The hero is surprised but please by how complacent his young bride is. She's eager to please him and though she's scared of the unknown of sex- she's responsive to her new husband. But she feels shame and guilt over deceiving him about her flaw. When they reach the keep, they begin their marriage arguing with the other clansman- the heroine vowing to prove herself not to be the deceiving traitor the last English mistress turned out to be and she almost succeeded until her affliction comes to light. The hero is furious with the knowledge he's been lied too-more angry with the deceit than the knowledge that his wife is defective. They goo through a rough patch but eventually work things out-until it comes to light he's been deceiving her as well. I thought this was a nice book but it wasn't perfect. Some modern phrasing crept in here and there. Also there was a lot of suspended belief-not about the werewolves and the shifting but rather that the heroine learned to read lips soo well. She would have to be constantly whipping her head back and forth to caught every word the other people were saying yet no one ever thought it strange that she would just be staring at their mouths? Also, there was a lot of build up to he climax that fizzled horrible. There was a lot of drama and melodrama in everything BUT the fact that her husband is a shapes shifting wolf. That begin said I really loved the heroine who was a healthy balanced of reserved and timid but also courageous and self reliant. For the most part she fit into the characteristic of what a woman from her time should be-complacent, wholesome and modest. The hero was nice-if not more than a little hypocritical. Overall I really enjoyed the story but it was nothing mind blowing. If you want historical accuracy and any real deep plotline- skip this book. But if you was a easy, breezy paranormal historical romance with Scottish lairds-this is for you. ( )

Delightful read, well written book with strong characters, well paced with just the right amount of sizzle. ( )

re-read 1/2011 - I really love the romance here. Even upon re-reading I found the plot well done and the characters enjoyable.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. The characters were all well written and I liked the overall story. I was bothered by the abrupt ending, however. I wanted to see more resolution in regards to things happening around the keep and with the clan.

Otherwise it was a good read. ( )

This is one of my favorite shifter series, one that I re-read often. What is special about it is that it is set in historical Scotland AND it is a shifter series-- you rarely see that.


I enjoyed the female lead, she was not too spunky that she was not period appropriate. I love the book! ( )

Abigail was sick as a child and as consequence is now deaf. Church preaches that it is a sign of demonic possession, so she must hide her affliction by reading from lips. Shunned by her parents, her only comfort and friend was her sister Emily, who got married tot the highlander in [b:Moon Awakening|74455|Moon Awakening (Children of the Moon, #1)|Lucy Monroe|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348141662s/74455.jpg|72013], the first book this series. Now Abigail is also sent to Scotland because her marriage is arranged by English king himself and should seal the peace between English and Scottish people. But how is she going to hide that she is deaf in new, unknown environment? And if English church labeled her as a demon, what are cruel highlander tribes going to do to her?

Children of the Moon series is highlander historical romance series with a little bit of paranormal (because highlander tribes have shifters living in them). Lucy Monroe, as usual, weaves a sweet and sizzling romance story between main characters and spices it up with romance between side-characters and murder/conspiracy plots.
I must admit [b:Moon Craving|6640559|Moon Craving (Children of the Moon, #2)|Lucy Monroe|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311703104s/6640559.jpg|6835019] is my favorite book in this series, I really liked Abigail who was just the kind of heroine I like: smart, resourceful, stubborn... I will definitely come back for more. :)

My rating: 3.5 stars

I recommend this book to fans of: historical romance novels with higlanders and/or shifters ( )