Must Have Been the Moonlight by Melody Thomas

To want him was madness ...

Far from home was the last place Brianna Donally ever imagined she'd find the one man she'd desire above all others. When Major Michael Fallon, the dangerously seductive British officer, rescues the bold beauty from certain doom, Brianna discovers a reckless passion she is unable to resist. But a fiercely independent female photographer could never make a proper bride for the grandson of a duke. And a bitter betrayal has locked love away from Michael's heart forever.

... to deny her was impossible.

And yet ... Michael cannot disregard these sensuous stirrings. Could it be the moonlight that has bewitched him ... or the intoxicating scent and touch of this remarkable, infuriatingly "modern" woman? Scandal would be the least consequence of their consummated passion—there would be perils as well. For Michael will never settle for anything less than a true, intense, and all-consuming love.

When I read In My Heart not too long ago, my initial thoughts were as follows:

When Melody Thomas was chosen as Author of the Month for a group that I am in a while ago (maybe November...yes, late again), I had to confess that I had never heard of her before. After finishing her book I am wondering....why not?

Having now read this book, I ask the same question.

This novel features Brianna Donally, sister of Christopher Donally, the hero of the first book, and the first part of the book at at least is set in Egypt. The book opens with Brianna and Alex (heroine from the first novel) being chased through Egypt. After an unfortunate encounter with Major Michael Fallon, where she nearly kills him, he leads the two ladies out of the desert, but not before they have to face a sandstorm together.

On return to Cairo, Brianna and Michael constantly find themselves searching each other out. Michael is fascinated by her independence and she is irresistibly attracted to him.

I really liked Brianna. She is portrayed as a modern woman of her day and somewhat shockingly she has a real job as a photographer. Having been sent to Egypt in disgrace after publishing a shocking book showing the conditions for some of the poorer people in England, she has decided to use her skills as a photographer to assist her sister in law, who is a historian, in publishing her own book.

I have to say that up until about two thirds of the way through the novel I was completely infatuated with Major Michael Fallon myself. He was macho, and tough and all different kinds of abrupt and anti-authoritarian, but gee he was a lot of fun to read.

Then, there was a fundamental change in circumstances. I understand that it was necessary in order to get the characters back to England and into a different situation but the book lost a little momentum when that change happened, although it was interesting to see Brianna locking horns with Michael's mother and his niece!

Overall this was an excellent read, and I managed to read it in a day - something I haven't managed to do with any other books all this year I believe! I have already picked up the next book in the series, and I hope I enjoy that one just as much.

Rating 4.5/5