"Hope and Love"

Her father is dead, the country is ready to go to war and she is losing her home. Annabelle owes more money than she can pay to Peyton Kincaid and knows that her father had made a deal with him so that she is forced to marry his son, Royce. She had always admired the handsome Royce from afar as he charmed the ladies. Her brother, Carlyle, in uniform and ready to fight in the Confederacy can take care of himself but she has to think about her younger brother, Bo. What choice does she have but to marry a man that does not really want her? Little does she realize that Royce is also marrying to help his brother Gordon.

It is 1861 and the country is in turmoil with the confederacy determined to secede from the union and form their own country with their own laws. The men are optimistic and think they can easily win and maintain their lifestyle but Annabelle is afraid for all that can lose their lives. Royce requests that she stay married to him for five years and at that time, she can take the property of Riverbend for her own whether he survives the war or not. He is a complex man that has a love/hate relationship with his father and is determined to have an in-name-only relationship with Annabelle.

Kathleen Eschenburg writes a fascinating tale in SEEN BY MOONLIGHT with many of the southerners torn between right and wrong, north and south. Royce hates slavery but loves his country and has to make a difficult choice between two worlds. What is worse than fighting and killing your own countrymen? Although he is attracted to Annabelle, he refuses to let her see his attraction by keeping his secrets and not liking himself very much. As family deceptions are revealed, the reader gets a better understanding of the brave, complex man and his troubled relationship with his father. Annabelle is a loving woman who takes care of her family to the detriment of her own health and happiness. SEEN BY MOONLIGHT comes to a satisfactory conclusion as love conquers all and if you enjoy Civil War stories, you are sure to enjoy this tale of hope and love by Kathleen Eschenburg.

Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted December 15, 2003

Summary

Orphaned and penniless as war clouds threaten the land, Annabelle Hallston has vowed to do anything to keep her younger brother safe -- which brings her to Royce Kincaid, the notorious black sheep scion of an aristocratic family. Arrogant, dissolute, and handsome as the Devil, Royce is the sort of rogue Annabelle would never have associated with -- let alone have agreed to marry! -- had her situation been less desperate. But while he is no gentleman, an honorable heart beats beneath his cool exterior. Royce Kincaid cannot -- will not -- believe in love. But a marriage would provide this proud, independent lady with a home, even as their world crumbles around them. Annabelle can see the fine, tormented man behind the scoundrel's mask, but how can she give her heart to one who will only break it? Yet, perhaps, in this time of great turmoil, her love will be the key that unlocks his true passion and frees his wounded soul.