Orphan Moon
The Orphan Moon Trilogy Book 1
by T. K. Lukas
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Pub Date 3 Apr 2015 | Archive Date 3 May 2023
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Description
An epic saga of adventure and grit on the edge of the western frontier, Orphan Moon demonstrates the power of a courageous human spirit in the face of tragedy, loss, and the struggle to survive.
Amazon #1 Best Seller
Kindle Book Reviews and Book Awards Semi-Finalist - Literary Fiction - 2016
Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal Winner - Western Fiction - 2016
Writers' League of Texas Top Five Finalist - Historical Fiction - 2015
The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Award Finalist - Adult Fiction - 2015
PRAISE FOR ORPHAN MOON: "It's no surprise this book gained acclamation in several book awards. As I read along, this novel had me cheering, crying, and white-knuckling my Kindle. The book flows with themes of romance, dark family secrets, past family conflicts, hope and dreams, and the primal instinct of survival!" The Curious Dame - Amazon Five-Star Review
1860 - Palo Pinto, Texas. Under the spectacular glow of a Comanche moon, a family is slaughtered, their homestead torched. Nineteen-year-old Barleigh Flanders survives the terrifying midnight raid. Fiercely determined to rebuild, she seizes an opportunity meant for another. Desperate, near penniless, her foolhardy scheme could prove calamitous, yet it's her only hope.
Her grueling physical journey stretches from Texas, to Missouri, and into the rugged Utah Territory. However, it's her emotional journey that takes her to places of uncharted darkness, discovery, and redemption when old family secrets are revealed. What she accepted as her past turns out to be an elaborate lie that reaches across generations, reshaping her memories of the Grandfather she despised, the father she adored, and the mother she never knew.
Along her journey, she encounters a mysterious stranger. In Hughes Levesque, Barleigh gains an unsought ally with dark secrets of his own. A Texas Ranger turned hired gun, Hughes makes it his personal mission to keep Barleigh safe. Doing so may cost him his life, his job, and his heart, none of which he's keen to lose. Orphan Moon is a heart-wrenching saga of family love, loss, and betrayal. Both a gripping adventure and a timeless love story, it gallops across the bleeding edge of the western frontier.
Advance Praise
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Orphan Moon: The Orphan Moon Trilogy, Volume 1 is a historical coming of age story written by T.K. Lukas. Lukas' Orphan Moon is well-plotted, meticulously researched and very entertaining. Barleigh is a marvelous character who is strong, independent and convinced that she can overcome the obstacles to her plans for her sister's and her future. I was spellbound reading about her solitary horseback trip to apply for the job in Missouri, and loved reading about the tryouts for the jobs. Lukas carefully weaves historical data about the cultural limitations and challenges women and slaves faced in the late 1800s into her story. She also covers the role of secessionists in fomenting violence that would be blamed on Indian tribes, as well as detailing their attempts to block the mail from reaching the west coast. The real high points of this book for me, however, were found in Lukas' masterful and exciting descriptions of the Pony Express rides undertaken by Bar and her friend, Stoney Wooten, as they race to get the post through the roughest territories in the west, battling the weather and natural obstacles that made it even more challenging. Orphan Moon is a literate and beautifully written novel that's filled with action and adventure, and stars a most impressive role model in the strong and resourceful Barleigh Flanders. It's most highly recommended.
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9780996235617 |
| PRICE | US$3.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 317 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Polly K, Reviewer
Set at the beginnings of the Pony Express, Barleigh finds she must impersonate a boy to enable her to support her family. Riding like the wind and delivering the mail gives her a way to make the money she desperately needs after the family ranch is destroyed by what she thinks are members of the Comanche tribe. Well written and researched, highly recommended historical fiction.
Ilaria P, Reviewer
This is the beautiful, heartfelt story of a courageous girl, Barleigh, who loses everything and, while trying to put her life back together and saving what is left of her family, becomes a woman.
It seemed like a well-researched book and I will definitely check out the bibliography suggested by the author.
Jeanie S, Reviewer
Exchanging your fears for the chance to free your heart is the high cost of hope. And, hope is what fuels the fire of love. Are you willing to exchange your fears and let go of your heart?
I was very surprised by this Wild West romance. It was truly an escape for me. Set in the 1860's before Lincoln became president. It deals with the heroism of the Pony Express of getting the mail from Washington to California. However, Bar(leigh) Flanders is not your typical rider. He is a she with more grit and determination for a 19 year old. After surviving a massacre in her home of Texas with only her baby 1/2 sister and aunt, she must earn money to pay for the taxes due at the end of year or lose the family ranch. Her father and step mother were brutally killed. It seems everyone she loves dies, her mother at her birth and now her father. Growing up on a ranch, she knows more about riding a horse and the dangers that surround her. She heads up north to St. Joseph, Missouri and then across to Utah riding and delivering mail. She is fooling her counter parts but she hasn't fooled Texas Ranger Hughes Levesque, who has a secret of his own.
I loved the history of this time and the grit that you had to have to survive. Barleigh (Bar) not only had that but she had a vulnerability that was easy to relate to. They both had a admiration for each other that I like in relationships. There was all kinds of tension- Barleigh keeping her secret, dying on the trail, and not falling for Hughes. Hughes had his own tension, keeping his own secret about Barleigh and keeping Barleigh safe. A great adventure to be had!
A special thank you to Books Go Social and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
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