Review of Haven Moon (Crescent Moon Ranch Book 4) by Tess Thompson

 

Harvest Moon

She’s running from the worst night of her life. He’s the cowboy who could give her a future—if her past doesn’t catch up first.

Sammie Scott never meant for anyone to die.

All she wanted was to escape her husband’s violence and build a safe life for her daughter somewhere he could never find them. But in one terrible, life-altering moment, Sammie is forced to choose between staying to face his powerful family—and a possible murder conviction—or running to protect the only person in the world who needs her most.

So she runs.

A new name. A new town. A rented room at Crescent Moon Ranch.

Bluefern, Montana, is supposed to be temporary. A place to hide. A place to breathe. A place where her little girl can sleep without fear. But the Moon family has a way of making broken people feel like they belong, and no one does that more quietly or more dangerously than Thad Moon.

Thad is steady, kind, and protective in all the ways Sammie stopped believing a man could be. He sees too much—the way she flinches, the way she watches the door, the way she keeps one foot pointed toward escape. He knows Sammie Scott is hiding something. He is not even sure that is her real name.

But it doesn’t stop him from falling for her.

Or for her little girl.

Thad wants to offer them a home on the land his family has loved for generations, but he can’t protect them from a danger he doesn’t understand. And Sammie knows the truth could cost him more than his heart. It could bring trouble straight to the family who took her in when she had nowhere else to go.

As her past closes in, Sammie must decide whether to keep running—or trust Thad with the truth before it’s too late.

Haven Moon is a clean and wholesome, small-town cowboy romance about a single mother on the run, a protector hero, found family, healing after heartbreak, and a love strong enough to outrun the past.

Perfect for readers who love: single-mom romance, protector heroes, small-town Montana settings, ranch romance, found family, emotional healing, romantic suspense elements, cowboy heroes, and heartfelt happily ever afters.

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate links included)

Check out the entire Crescent Moon Ranch series! Also in Kindle Unlimited.

**My thoughts**

We always knew that Sammie had a hidden past. She joined the ranch earlier in the series and has always kept to herself. Now we finally get to find out what she and her daughter are running from. And we finally get to watch her and Thad officially fall in love, because we have all seen it coming. 

They complement each other so well both at work and in life. Thad is protective. Sammie is nurturing. She and I both melt when we watch how easily little Chloe has taken to him. Neither one of them wants to hurt the other one.

As always happens when one runs from her former life, Sammie's past is catching up to her and threatens to take away everything she has built in this small town. True to their family legacy, the Moons are going to protect her, because Slurfpig goes beyond just the original seven. It's significant that Chloe even has one that she carries around with her! 

This installment of the series was probably the fastest one that I read. It has a suspenseful twist, all of the swoons, and just keeps you falling more and more in love with all of the characters. I also need to find a real-life Crescent Moon Ranch to visit one of these days!

Trigger warning: There are stories of abuse in this one. They don't go into graphic detail, but could still affect some readers. Domestic violence, animal cruelty, and child abuse. I appreciate that Tess included a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. 

Review of When Stars Dance at Midnight (The Midnight Stars Saga #4) by Tess Thompson

 

When Stars Dance at Midnight

She’s sunlight in human form. He’s spent his life in the shadows.

Betsy

I’ve spent my life caring for others—easing pain, offering comfort, healing wounds no one else wants to touch. But mine? They’ve stayed buried deep, hidden beneath humor and smiles. When George died, something inside me broke. And falling for a man who’d lost his memory only reminded me how dangerous it was to love someone you couldn’t fully know. Now, I pour everything into my work as a nurse… until Dr. Gabriel Stone shows up, cloaked in secrets, and starts chipping away at the walls I swore I’d never lower again.

Gabriel
Grief sent me running. Away from home, away from guilt, away from everything I couldn’t fix. But then I met Betsy Westbrook. She’s sunlight in human form—too bright, too good, and far too tempting for a man who’s done as much damage as I have. Every moment with her feels like grace I haven’t earned. And I know that if I let her in, I’ll want more. Too much more.

The fourth installment in the beloved Midnight Stars Saga, When Stars Dance at Midnight is a heart-stirring American historical romance set against the backdrop of postwar 1940s New England. Rich with emotion, tender moments, and second chances, this unforgettable love story explores the healing power of compassion, the resilience of the human spirit, and the quiet strength found in love after loss. Perfect for fans of clean wartime romance, emotionally layered characters, and sweeping family sagas that linger long after the final page.

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate links included)

Check out the entire Midnight Stars saga! Free in KU!

**My thoughts**

As soon as I got to the end of the third book in this series, I knew that I needed to know what was going to happen to Mireille's best friend Betsy. While not blood-related to Mireille and her mother - the central characters in the first books in the series - Betsy is still part of the family, as her family essentially adopted Mireille when she came stateside. She suffered her own loss and traumas during the war, just like the rest of them, and needed to have her own love story finally come to fruition.

In the previous book, Betsy was truly full of life, sparkling everywhere that she went. By the time we get to this installment, she has lost some of that shine. You know it's still deep in there, but sadness has overshadowed it. In fact, she even sets out to look for a book about grief to help her cope and to turn things around again. She finds it, and in doing so, literally runs into the solution to fill the holes in her heart and life. It's a man named Gabriel Stone, the new doctor at the hospital, who is also trying to soothe a broken heart and trauma.

It's a mix of a historical romance with a bit of the grumpy-sunshine trope. Gabriel is grumpy and understandably averse to love after the loss of his wife. He has walls up everywhere. Betsy is the sunny one, though a bit dimmed. They provide a balance to each other that serves them well at the hospital, making them the perfect team. And then, of course, that spills over into their personal lives. But there's always a catch that could potentially derail them as they find their way to each other.

Along the way is subtle commentary about lead contamination in children and our disrespect of veterans struggling to find basic necessities like adequate housing. Both feel like more modern problems, but they were even happening back after the Second World War. (How have we not solved these problems yet?)

Then in traditional Tess fashion, you have the wealthy family setting a benevolent example by using their privilege for good instead of being greedy. It's a message I would love all of the wealthy to hear and follow.

This may not have been my favorite installment of the saga, but it was necessary to round out the story and give it a sense of completion. It does stand on its own, but you will want to read the whole series to truly enjoy the experience. I know I'll come back to it again some day.

Read reviews of the entire series:

1 - When Stars Fall at Midnight

2 - When Stars Rise at Midnight

3 - When Stars Dream at Midnight

4 - When Stars Dance at Midnight

Review of Harvest Moon (Crescent Moon Ranch Book 3) by Tess Thompson

 

He's a brilliant chef with a passion for food and fly-fishing. She's a pastry chef craving a fresh start. Is love on the menu — or will the past she left behind ruin the perfect pairing?

After losing her beloved aunt and surviving a terrifying ordeal with a stalker, Elliot is ready to disappear into a quieter life. So when she's offered the job of pastry chef at a charming dude ranch in western Montana, she packs up her broken heart and heads for Crescent Moon Ranch.

It feels like the fresh start she's been praying for.

Until she meets her new boss.

Caspian Moon is a gifted chef, a devoted member of the Moon family, and exactly the kind of man who makes a woman forget why she came to Montana in the first place. Thoughtful, talented, steady — and completely off-limits.

At least, that's what he keeps telling himself.

Caspian has always believed in rules, especially the one about never dating an employee. The ranch matters too much. His family matters too much. And Elliot — with her quiet strength and irresistible talent — matters more than he ever expected.

But some connections refuse to stay professional.

As Elliot finds her footing in the kitchen and in the Moon family's warm, chaotic world, she starts to believe a new life might truly be possible. Maybe even love. But the past she ran from isn't finished with her — and when danger follows her to the ranch, she and Caspian must decide whether fear gets the final word.

Or whether two hearts, bruised but still brave, can build a future sweeter than anything they ever imagined.

Harvest Moon is a clean and wholesome, small-town romance about fresh starts, forbidden attraction, family, healing, and the kind of love that feels like coming home.

Perfect for readers who love: chef romance, workplace romance, small-town Montana settings, protective heroes, fresh starts, family sagas, emotional healing, cozy ranch romance, and heartfelt happily-ever-afters.

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate links included)

Check out the entire Crescent Moon Ranch series! Available in KU.

**My thoughts**

Caspian has had a special place in my heart ever since I met him in Mama Moon. He is the little boy who was different from his siblings. Ranching and "typical boy things" just were not his speed. His love was the kitchen. It took an understanding and loving mother, and later stepfather, to appreciate this in him and to encourage him to hone his skills. Now he is fully grown and running one of the best kitchens in the area, right on the family's Crescent Moon Ranch.

Now he is in search of a new pastry chef to take on the desserts. Along comes Elliot, a talented young woman in search of a new start in life. She wins over Caspian with her secret ingredient in flourless cake to cement her job, and then the kitchen really starts to heat up. 

This one is a slow burn romance, with these two laying a strong foundation of friendship and respect, both in and out of the kitchen. You know they are perfect for each other because of their instant attraction, easy dance while working, and an understanding of the restaurant industry. And believe me, if you've never worked in it, you'll never really understand it. 

Of course, there is a reason that Elliot is seeking a quieter pace of life, and you know that past is going to catch up to her at some point. The twist of that truth was definitely unexpected!

I love this couple and would love to have a Caspian of my own. Let me just say that their first date is one for the books! And the family wedding also has plenty of memorable moments. I think I laughed and cried the whole time.

And of course, I adore the Moon family. I think you will, too. There's a whole series to enjoy. Read them in order, but they can also work as standalones.