Book Title : Off The Moon
Author : LK Hunsaker
Publisher : Elucidate Publishing
Genre : Contemporary romance/relationship novel
Publication Date : November 2009
ISBN : 10 0982529902
Pages : 322
Series : N/A
Category : Sensual
Type : E-book

Reviewer : Lindsay Townsend

4 Wings

Ryan Reynauld is a successful composer and performer. He is rather jaded by life and unsatisfied with what the rest of the band and the studio are trying to do with his music – make it more commercial and less individual. Off the Moon opens with Ryan going to his studio. En route he discovers a young woman on a roof who seems about to commit suicide. Moved by her plight, Ryan persuades Kaitlyn to come back inside and promises her she doesn’t have to be alone any more.
Ryan knows she needs help and he tried to provide it, giving her fresh clothes at his place and asking his brother and sister-in-law to take her into a loving, stable family unit.

Kaitlyn (who is also known as Katie) remains silent and clearly troubled. Others around Ryan warn him about becoming involved and suggest he should leave Kaitlyn to the professionals. Ryan refuses – because of arrogance, or an instinct that Kaitlyn needs more personal help?

She stays with him. He takes Kaitlyn to visit his family and also takes her out on his boat. She talks a little, telling Ryan her family are gone and that she grew up in different places. There is a mystery about her and since we are in Ryan’s viewpoint the reader doesn’t discover what it is until he does and the reader also experiences Ryan’s frustration in dealing with Kaitlyn. She is very laconic and, as a reader, I was unsure if her lack of speech was due to nature, trauma or a power and manipulation technique: silence can be power.
Ryan’s band do not understand why Ryan feels compelled to help her. These are very deep waters and Ryan is very young (in his mid-twenties). Perhaps his youth and idealism are what motivate him.
Gradually Kaitlyn opens up to him and we hear more of her sad life. This gives her more depth and allows the reader to empathise with her. She has profound survivor guilt and trust issues.

She also has a family, some of whom she did not know were still alive. When she is reunited with her close family, one member is so protective as to be controlling. That member also takes against Ryan because he is a professional musician. This makes it difficult for Ryan’s and Kaitlyn’s relationship, especially when she is committed to a psychiatric ward. Will the love she and Ryan share be strong enough to survive?

Ranging from America to England, full of intriguing relationships, multi-layered characters, family angst and issues of trust and responsibility, LK Hunsaker builds Off the Moon from a slow start into a powerful read. I especially loved the ending, where Ryan makes a very special musical gift to Kaitlyn.

Tags: crr reviews, LK Hunsaker, off the moon

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