Spring Moon by Mary Ellen Courtney is a saga of family, love and misfortune. Hannah Spring Moon gives birth to her second child, Chance Jon Moon. Baby Chance’s birth launches a series of events that no one would have ever expected. Hannah’s ideology that “reality as a concept” becomes severely challenged as her life begins to spiral out of control. Her mind is convoluted with frenzied thoughts, ghost stories of passed loved ones, and present day life duties. The “sleeping giant of reality” has been awakened. With her life spiraling out of control, facing one calamity after the other, Hannah’s mind goes wild with imagination. She begins to talk crazy. Her husband thinks maybe it’s postpartum depression, but she sets him straight. “I am not off balance. I am mad.” One night, Hannah escapes her life and flees to Walmart. Who would have thought a trip to Walmart could unleash such tragedy. Hanging over the edge, “suspended between this life and the big mystery of what comes next,” Hannah discovers life is not a concept; “it was reality as reality.” Life gets about as real as it can get.

Aspects of the author’s personal life, her sharp-witted imagination and sense of adventure are depicted in her novel, Spring Moon. Spring Moon is written in first person narrative; it is told by Hannah, the protagonist. Mary Ellen Courtney’s writing style is original and figuratively descriptive. The depth of understanding within the endless dialogue (spoken and unspoken) is over-the-top! The language is full of unique contemporary phrases, similes and a few matter-of-fact, yet humorous, oxymorons. The author truly captures the mind of a woman and reveals the barrage of voices speaking in her head. Being a woman myself, I found myself laughing, agreeing with, and at times aggravated with the main character. In the beginning, I was exhausted, battling my own thoughts, while trying to get inside the head of the character. But soon a kindred spirit began to form, and I was able to flow with the chaotic rhythm of the plot scheme. Anxious curiosity, mixed with anticipation and trepidation, kept me rapidly turning pages to the end.

Spring Moon by Mary Ellen Courtney is an entertaining story of Hannah, her life as a mother and wife and her adventures. Hannah Spring gets married to a man who has a gorgeous ex-wife. Hannah also thinks his ex-wife is absolutely stunning. She lives far away, like Hannah's former lover. Unlike her divorced husband, Hannah's past is never discussed and there is a mystery surrounding that relationship. The twist in the story happens when things change for her husband's ex and how it spills into their comfortable existence. Hannah’s secret past is brought to the forefront. Will Hannah be able to cope up with it?

In a beautiful story, the real life characters, believable events and incidents make it a delightful reading experience. Hannah's character is well portrayed and readers can relate well with how she tries to sort out the problems in her life. It is a love story that not only speaks about the love between two people, but also about the love that one has for oneself and one's children. The twists and turns in the plot are real, raw and passionate and make it a compelling story. Anyone who has kids can relate well to the plot. There are a lot of fun moments in the story which has exotic Hawaii as the backdrop. The story is real and honest and it has both its sad and happy moments that will resonate well with readers.