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A review by afictionalescapist
When the Moon Shines (Six Shooter and a Shifter Book 1) by Lucía Ashta
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
When the Moon Shines was a fun Fantasy/Western read. We follow sheriff Loretta Maybelle as she tries to control the residents of the Traitors Den; a pocket realm of sorts created by her uncle to punish her father for reasons I cannot disclose (spoilers).
Every so often the portal will re-open, spitting out new people to fill the town, each person is granted their own horse and of course a cowboy hat. When two very good looking lads make it through fighting over a sacred object, the town is turned on its head. Rhett and Zeke bring with them, arrogance, mystery and did I mention they are hot?
Loretta already has a lot on her plate when the portal opens for a second time that day. Unfortunately, she falls victim to a poisoning, and it is suddenly a race against time to save her life. Will the new boys in town have enough magic to save the girl?
What I liked about this story is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, the western tropes are there to be played with and boy, oh boy, does the author do a good job of it. Each person comes with a new honky tonk name, the inability to use the F bomb and a taste for moonshine. We also get some interesting animal companions, from the shifter stuck in a Tigers body to Kiki the magical koala who gives legendary cuddles. The magic system is loose, allowing the author to have a great time with what each person brings to the table, we have a bear shifter addicted to honey, a barkeep who uses her magic to make extraordinary cocktails and a fairy who won’t quit.
A couple of things I didn’t gel with were the repetitive nature of the prose, a major plot point which is only introduced about 40% of the way through, a bit of tell not show and how quickly relationships seem to move after we have been told they have been established for decades.
Overall this was a fun time and the final chapter, although it was over too soon, has me ready to pick up the second book.
Every so often the portal will re-open, spitting out new people to fill the town, each person is granted their own horse and of course a cowboy hat. When two very good looking lads make it through fighting over a sacred object, the town is turned on its head. Rhett and Zeke bring with them, arrogance, mystery and did I mention they are hot?
Loretta already has a lot on her plate when the portal opens for a second time that day. Unfortunately, she falls victim to a poisoning, and it is suddenly a race against time to save her life. Will the new boys in town have enough magic to save the girl?
What I liked about this story is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, the western tropes are there to be played with and boy, oh boy, does the author do a good job of it. Each person comes with a new honky tonk name, the inability to use the F bomb and a taste for moonshine. We also get some interesting animal companions, from the shifter stuck in a Tigers body to Kiki the magical koala who gives legendary cuddles. The magic system is loose, allowing the author to have a great time with what each person brings to the table, we have a bear shifter addicted to honey, a barkeep who uses her magic to make extraordinary cocktails and a fairy who won’t quit.
A couple of things I didn’t gel with were the repetitive nature of the prose, a major plot point which is only introduced about 40% of the way through, a bit of tell not show and how quickly relationships seem to move after we have been told they have been established for decades.
Overall this was a fun time and the final chapter, although it was over too soon, has me ready to pick up the second book.