Kiss the Moon [Mass Market Paperback]

I recently read Ms Neggers' book The Harbor, enjoyed it so much I went out and bought 3 more of her books, BIG MISTAKE. I read the reviews of Kiss the Moon and figured another winner, not so.
The story is based on the plot that quirky irrepressible Penelope finds a 45 year old crashed plane. She is under the impression that the crash victims are still within. So, she does what every adventuresome person would do. First, she alerts the media and then, "Oh my goodness!" she retracts her statement because she doesn't want the town's hermit nor her not as adventuresome but equally quirky cousin to come into the limelight. Never mind that everyone and their mother knows of both.
Okay, let's say I buy this premise but wait there's more. The nephew of one crash victim comes to town to find his missing uncle. Does our heroine show any compassion? No, she's still hung up on saving the privacy of a hermit she isn't even sure is nonthreatening. But she has her reasons because said nephew is a SINCLAIR. Now so far the reader has learned that Sinclairs are thrill and adventure seekers....oh how diabolical, so of course Penelope and the rest of the residents regard them as people of dubious reputation and I guess not having the same emotions as "normal" people. I mean really why would the Sinclair family want to bring home the body of a loved one especially when Penelope has determined the forest is a great resting place.
So enough already, this book was a complete disappointment. How anyone could consider Penelope anything but irritating is beyond me. Get over the constant reminder by the author that she was spoiled as a child, that's suppose to be a legitimate excuse?
The final insult to the reader's intellect is on page 359 (paperback ed.) when Harriet is referred to as Wyatt's half sister, I don't think so...do the genealogy here.
I'm as happy as the next person to escape into a good suspense this was neither.

Kiss The Moon was a delight to read. I usually do not like reading books, but this is one novel I will never forget. The book includes mystery, love and adventure. This is the kind of book I could not put down. I could not wait until I find out what really happened to Colt Sinclair and Frannie Beaudine. I could not imagine what happened with them when they were so in love, and caring a tone of money, in diamonds. The book was written in a way to keep you reading. There was not one boring part in the book; it got more and more interesting. If you love reading love novels you cannot, pass this book by. It has twists and turns that unfold at the end with the beginning of a new relationship. It gets you into the mood of grabbing the book jumping into bed, and reading the book under candlelight. The love between Colt Sinclair, Frannie Beadine and later Pehelope Chestnut and Wyatt Sinclair was so sweet; it made me want to read more romance novels like this one. The author used good details within the story to convince the reader that Colt and Frannie were in love and that made the reader curious as to what happened to these two couples, who were very much in love. One of the strengths of this book was the plot, climax and the conclusion. It is very dull to read a book and know how the book is going to end while your still on the third chapter. This book, on the other hand, never gives you any real clues as to how it actually turns out at the end. You would be surprised at how Carla ties everything together at the end. If I knew how the book ended before I read it, I would read the book just for the conclusion. In addition to the plot, Carla also introduced wonderful characters, one of which was Pehelope Chestnut. She had so much to her than just a suspicious love struck girl. It was interesting reading about how Wyatt wins Pehelope's trust and how she always whines up getting herself into a different, and dangerous situation. What's interesting about Pehelope is the fact that she kept her big discovery a secret. Even Harriet did not understand how Pehelope could keep the secret from her, when they were so close. Kiss the moon pretty much had no weaknesses except for the role of Harriet. Clara could have contrived better material if she had tied Harriet into the mystery. She was an important character in the book, and Carla could have used her personality and past to create a better climax and conclusion.

Penelope's impulsive nature often leads her into trouble. For example, it leads her to find a small plane in the woods. This plane had been missing for years. This discovery opens up a huge can of worms. Creepy goings-on set the pace. My biggest gripe is that the climax is too melodramatic and thus seems unsuited to the rest of the book.

Unlike many other romantic suspense novel, the main characters of this novel actually meet and (gasp) interact. However, Penelope's distrust of Wyatt went over the top at times.

Penelope's cousin Harriett was a great character. I wish she would get her own book.

I gave this book a B at All About Romance.