Reviewed by Tiffany Ferrell for Readers' Favorite

Alexandra is a free young woman of color who lives a luxurious lifestyle and is anticipating her debutante ball and coming into her inheritance. One of a few families of mixed color, she enjoys many of the pleasures of upper-class life. She also faces hardships as she tries to find balance and her place in a world that sees only black and white. While her mother can easily pass for a white woman, Alexandra looks like her father, an African man of extreme wealth who lives in a village away from her mother's world. Her world is shattered when her father is murdered by men who think that black people shouldn’t have the power and wealth that her father and mother have. Shortly after his death, Alexandra’s mother dies before she turns seventeen and is able to lay claim to Heaven Hill plantation. Her land and home are quickly stripped away and Alexandra must flee the only home she knows. Traveling under the guise of a slave, she heads towards Charleston where her white grandmother could help her. Will Alexandra get to her relative in time to take back what is hers or will she be sold to some plantation and lose her freedom forever?

Dorothea Hubble Bonneau did a brilliant job with Once in a Blood Moon. I found it very satisfying and fascinating as it was the first book I have come across with a story plot like this. Being a fan of history, it’s always a pleasure to read about a time in history that I wasn’t as knowledgeable in before. It has really piqued my interest in researching more into wealthy free people of color and their lives in general. I love it when a book has that effect on me. I really enjoyed the characters as they were very detailed and thought out. The overall plot was an attention grabber that kept me eager to turn the pages for more. Overall, Once In a Blood Moon is a great read that I will recommend to my history-loving friends. I can’t wait to read more of Bonneau’s works.