Moon Cursed

Moon Cursed
By Lori Handeland
Published by MacMillan

I loved this book just because it tackled a paranormal subject that I had never seen in any romance before: The Loch Ness Monster. Yes, Nessie is a main character in this book and I enjoyed the Scottish setting and the lore and mystique of Scotland's famous monster. In writing this review and testing links I also discovered that this is part of a series called the Night Creature Series. I may check out some of Handeland's other books from the series.

Kristin Daniels has come to Scotland in a last ditch effort to revive her television show. She is going to prove that the Loch Ness Monster is not real. However, she discovers in her investigations that all is not as it seemed. This includes the man she kissed on first meeting him - Liam Grant. Even as she loses her heart to him, he may prove to be the killer everyone is looking for.

The two main characters, Kristin and Liam were a good match.  I loved Kristin's naivete and determination although the writer may have made her a bit too trusting at times. What I also enjoyed was the sense of mystery combined with an espionage-type story line. There were lots of unexplained facts which was actually okay since Nessie seemed to be real for most of the characters. I wished she had pushed for more of the mystery of Loch Ness rather than the threat of an international serial killer. I felt like too many good possibilities were wasted in trying to bring in more action and a diverse cast of characters.

What did this book have to do with my faith? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We have faith in what we do not see. Perhaps the Loch Ness Monster makes a good analogy for our faith. We get glimpses, see pictures, hear tales but it takes great faith in believing what we cannot prove. The main character makes her living uncovering paranormal hoaxes. We are surrounded by a culture that is constantly challenging our beliefs and trying to prove us wrong.
Still, we hold onto our belief knowing that we cannot prove or disprove our own convictions. I must add the fact that Kristin ends up becoming a believer by the end of the book.

Moon Cursed also make me think about atonement. Jesus died for our sins but questions still remain. What do we have to do to be forgiven of our sins? How many years must we suffer for one or two sins we have committed against God and others? Does God punish us? Or are we forgiven instantly? Does God remove the consequences of our behavior even when our slate is wiped clean? Will we not sin again if we are truly forgiven? Or do we have to come and admit our faults over and over? The book leaves you with the understanding that there can be a limit to our punishment but only when we have become truly penitent. And when this happens, we are forever changed.

I recommend this book.

Happy reading!

Amelia

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims