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Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
Sometimes the person you least expect can change your entire future. In Moonshadow by Janine F. Harrison, Ruth Scanlon works as a housemaid at an estate. It’s 1876 in colonial Australia, and she has lived at Belletrees since she was a child. The Edgeworth family took her in as an orphan and raised her with their daughter, Clara. Even though they were educated alongside one another, they are not considered equals now. Clara has never been happy about that. To her, Ruth is almost like a sister. Meanwhile, everyone is abuzz with talk of Captain Moonshadow. He's a bushranger who's been stealing from the rich to supposedly help the poor. Clara thinks he's quite the hero. On the other hand, Ruth sees nothing to admire in the thief. One day, while in Willowglen, they end up witnessing one of his robberies. Ruth discovers something about the outlaw that she wasn't expecting. Before long, her life takes a turn, and she has some decisions to make. There's also the matter of her feelings for two very different men. Will she ever get the chance at a future that she has always wanted?
The cover of Moonshadow by Janine F. Harrison was what initially drew me to the book. It was almost eerie, but that really appealed to me. Ruth was easy to become attached to. She was intelligent and educated, yet she couldn't use that education to improve her circumstances. I felt bad for her because she had so little control over her world. Even though Ruth was technically Clara’s servant, Clara mostly didn’t think of her as such. Their friendship was one of my favorite parts of the novel. The romantic situation involving Ruth, Captain Moonshadow, and Samuel was intriguing, too. I kept wondering how everything would work out. I will say the dog, Sid, stole the show for me. I loved how much he came to mean to Ruth. Harrison's descriptions made it easy to picture the Australian countryside and life during that period. The writing was detailed without being difficult to read, and the pace gave the relationships an opportunity to develop while still providing plenty of suspense. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction with romance, secrets, and characters who challenge the rules of their time should give this one a try.
