Review: Highly recommended!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 26, 2013
Under a Crescent Moon by Mercy Celeste is, in my opinion, one of the best books she has ever written. Its angsty and intense, full of drama, guilt and rage, raw with the added impasse of danger leaching from every page. I lapped it up, and I still want more.Xander Cooper and Taylor Campbell are star crossed lovers, soul mates who can’t quite get on the same page. They grew up together after Xander moved in with his Aunt Eula at the age of 13 when his parents died in the 9/11 tragedy. Taylor was the son of Eula’s housekeeper. Taylor ran from Xander and joined the army as soon as he was able, and even though he’s back he is still running, until the night he rescues Xander from the thugs who want his vintage car, and a little piece of him.Only problem with resurrecting the attraction they both share is Taylor isn’t really able to commit, has responsibilities and commitments that Xander is oblivious to, responsibilities that come between the two men at every turn. Xander in his disappointment, feeling betrayed and used turns to the rough side of New Orleans in an effort to wipe Taylor from his mind. When their worlds collide in crushing mayhem can they work out a way forward, or are they destined to always be apart?Mercy Celeste has a way with words that blends characters with chemistry and passion with stories of drama, intrigue and raw emotion. I don’t think there’s another author like her in the m/m genre right now. Her books tend to come with warnings for the faint hearted, but my view is if you need to read the warnings then don’t read her books, but then you’d be missing one hell of a ride. The warning for this book is cheating, and yes technically we do have cheating, Taylor isn’t free to be with Xander, but it’s not really cheating and 3/4 of the way through the book it’s all explained in a plot twist which left me satisfied, and quite proud of the way Taylor behaved. He did the right thing, the best thing, it’s a pity he didn’t talk to Xander, but hell we can’t have everything now can we.Xander is a complex character. He runs a restaurant in New Orleans, spending most of his time in the kitchen cooking, and is quite content until Taylor comes back into his life, Taylor who ran out on Xander when he was 14. Once the two men get involved it becomes a disaster of epic proportions. The plot is complex and almost impossible to review in any kind of proper logical way but Mercy pulls all the loose threads together, almost with magic, leading to a perfect ending.The story is told with alternate POV’s, which I loved as it gave me insight into both men. The secondary characters are wonderful, especially Aunt Eula, Esmeralda and Hector. I even loved Dominic in the end.I adored this book, it’s a long read at 88,000 words and perfect for anyone who wants to sink into a story which consumes them. Don’t be put off Mercy’s books by warnings, romance can be messy, we don’t live in a chocolate box world of neat relationships and love can be a tricky, and a glorious wonderful beautiful mess, just like in Under a Crescent Moon.Don’t miss this book, you’ll only pick it up eventually and go ‘now why didn’t I read this sooner!’This review originally appeared at Mrs Condit & Friends Read Books