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Hunter's Moon
Molly Ballard was desperate. It wasn't easy caring for two brothers and two sisters, and keeping a roof over their heads. She needed money more than ever. Yet in a fit of anger she quit her job as a groom at the posh Wyland Farm in Kentucky's rich turf--and then stole out of the tack room with $5,000 in FBI cash. So when Agent Will Lyman catches her in a lie, she agrees to cooperate in a sting. She'll do anything to protect her family, to shield the secrets of her past, and guard her heart from further hurt. Molly will even spy for Will and let him pose as her lover. But soon the passion they pretend becomes searingly real as they court danger in bluegrass country and cross the path of a killer who will stop at nothing under a Hunter's Moon.
425 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
118 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
Karen Robards
135 books3,238 followersKaren Robards is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than fifty books and one novella. She has won multiple awards including six Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Awards for favorite author.
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
May 22, 2020
Reseña completa:
https://masromance.blogspot.com/2020/...
Pues me venía muy bien recomendado, pero no ha sido para mí
Posiblemente hace muchos años lo hubiera disfrutado más, ahora no me ha convencido la gran diferencia de edad entre los protagonistas y me ha faltado profundidad en los personajes, todo está tratado de forma muy sutil, tanto que no profundiza en nada
Eso es, para mí, un error importante
cierto también que no estoy muy por la labor de leer, y que lo contemporáneo no es lo mío. Esperaba un mayor suspense, pero ni me ha convencido el misterio ni me ha convencido la historia de amor
Me sabe mal porque lo empecé muy emocionada, creo que hacía siglos que una novela no me duraba tanto.... eso lo dice todo
https://masromance.blogspot.com/2020/...
Pues me venía muy bien recomendado, pero no ha sido para mí
Posiblemente hace muchos años lo hubiera disfrutado más, ahora no me ha convencido la gran diferencia de edad entre los protagonistas y me ha faltado profundidad en los personajes, todo está tratado de forma muy sutil, tanto que no profundiza en nada
Eso es, para mí, un error importante
cierto también que no estoy muy por la labor de leer, y que lo contemporáneo no es lo mío. Esperaba un mayor suspense, pero ni me ha convencido el misterio ni me ha convencido la historia de amor
Me sabe mal porque lo empecé muy emocionada, creo que hacía siglos que una novela no me duraba tanto.... eso lo dice todo
June 26, 2012
3.5*
Grade B
Goodreads ate my review, and I don't feel like rewriting it. Suffice to say this was generally an enjoyable romantic suspense. It felt a little dated (written mid 90's) but not badly. I liked the characters, although Will could be a bit of a jerk and, honestly, so could Molly. Robards does a surprisingly good job with the four younger siblings in the book. They were realistic and not intrusive. They added to the story.
A few things bothered me. First, the resolution to one suspense story (the book dealt with two different plots) felt unbelievable, but perhaps there really are people who would keep this kind of information quiet. I don't know how they'd live with themselves, but oh well.
Secondly, contraception wasn't used or even mentioned in the book. I'm so used to the mention of at least condoms that I was taken aback. That's mostly what felt "old school." Lastly, the author got a few details of the racetrack and racehorses wrong, and it bothered me. Most important was that a racehorse is tattooed underneath their upper lip, not on the lower one as stated several times in the book.
Overall, though, it was fun and interesting.
Grade B
Goodreads ate my review, and I don't feel like rewriting it. Suffice to say this was generally an enjoyable romantic suspense. It felt a little dated (written mid 90's) but not badly. I liked the characters, although Will could be a bit of a jerk and, honestly, so could Molly. Robards does a surprisingly good job with the four younger siblings in the book. They were realistic and not intrusive. They added to the story.
A few things bothered me. First, the resolution to one suspense story (the book dealt with two different plots) felt unbelievable, but perhaps there really are people who would keep this kind of information quiet. I don't know how they'd live with themselves, but oh well.
Secondly, contraception wasn't used or even mentioned in the book. I'm so used to the mention of at least condoms that I was taken aback. That's mostly what felt "old school." Lastly, the author got a few details of the racetrack and racehorses wrong, and it bothered me. Most important was that a racehorse is tattooed underneath their upper lip, not on the lower one as stated several times in the book.
Overall, though, it was fun and interesting.
August 5, 2019
3.5 stars
Will is an FBI agent who has been sent to Kentucky on a sort of off-the-books assignment favour for a senator who has lost money at the track and suspects that it is because the races are being fixed. In the initial investigation, Will found out that was probably correct, so he sets up a trap. Unfortunately, the bag with the FBI money meant to catch the perpetrators in the act walks out the door with a woman, and Will has to hunt her down.
Molly is trying to make ends meet looking after her family. She quit her job because she lost her temper when one of the heirs of the racing farm is inappropriate. And while she is proud that she stuck up for herself, and doesn't like the guy, she also needs to look after her brothers and sisters, who are all still in school. When she finds a bag of money in the barn, instead of waiting for the trainer and her last pay cheque, she takes the money. She knows that it is probably dirty money, but Molly is desperate enough that she doesn't care, and figures that she will deal with hitmen or whoever else comes after the money. Instead, the FBI shows up, with proof that she took something that wasn't hers.
After Will gives Molly a choice to either work with the FBI or to go to jail, they start working together. Will has to pretend to be her boyfriend so that no one will suspect that he's trying to stop the race fixing, so he also gets to know her siblings, too. There seems to be a psycho on the loose attacking animals, they can't find the ringer horses, and Will and Molly are starting to have feelings outside of the job for each other.
I first read this a long time ago, and while it isn't my favourite by this author, I enjoyed it at the time. I still enjoyed it, and unlike many other readers, I am not thrown by pay phones or the fact that cell phones are called cellular phones, and that not everyone has them. What did throw me a little bit is the fact that Will essentially blackmailed Molly into working for him as an informant, and then slept with her. And while I believe that isn't strictly verboten, it's still not professional to sleep with an informant on an open case. No one was taking advantage of the other person, but I kind of lost a little bit of respect for Will when that happened.
The relationship developed really fast, and the end to the case that the FBI was actually working was very anticlimactic, and happened mostly off page. I also find it hard to believe that kids who had gone through as much as Molly and her siblings had would be so quick to trust anyone.
Will is an FBI agent who has been sent to Kentucky on a sort of off-the-books assignment favour for a senator who has lost money at the track and suspects that it is because the races are being fixed. In the initial investigation, Will found out that was probably correct, so he sets up a trap. Unfortunately, the bag with the FBI money meant to catch the perpetrators in the act walks out the door with a woman, and Will has to hunt her down.
Molly is trying to make ends meet looking after her family. She quit her job because she lost her temper when one of the heirs of the racing farm is inappropriate. And while she is proud that she stuck up for herself, and doesn't like the guy, she also needs to look after her brothers and sisters, who are all still in school. When she finds a bag of money in the barn, instead of waiting for the trainer and her last pay cheque, she takes the money. She knows that it is probably dirty money, but Molly is desperate enough that she doesn't care, and figures that she will deal with hitmen or whoever else comes after the money. Instead, the FBI shows up, with proof that she took something that wasn't hers.
After Will gives Molly a choice to either work with the FBI or to go to jail, they start working together. Will has to pretend to be her boyfriend so that no one will suspect that he's trying to stop the race fixing, so he also gets to know her siblings, too. There seems to be a psycho on the loose attacking animals, they can't find the ringer horses, and Will and Molly are starting to have feelings outside of the job for each other.
I first read this a long time ago, and while it isn't my favourite by this author, I enjoyed it at the time. I still enjoyed it, and unlike many other readers, I am not thrown by pay phones or the fact that cell phones are called cellular phones, and that not everyone has them. What did throw me a little bit is the fact that Will essentially blackmailed Molly into working for him as an informant, and then slept with her. And while I believe that isn't strictly verboten, it's still not professional to sleep with an informant on an open case. No one was taking advantage of the other person, but I kind of lost a little bit of respect for Will when that happened.
The relationship developed really fast, and the end to the case that the FBI was actually working was very anticlimactic, and happened mostly off page. I also find it hard to believe that kids who had gone through as much as Molly and her siblings had would be so quick to trust anyone.
August 9, 2017
Why did this author find it necessary to make the hero's cheaters which didn't make any sense in this book. It wasn't until the end that were informed that the Hero had a GF that want him to purpose. We're informed this by him saying that she doesn't interest him anymore that no one does since the heroine. To me that's a poor/lazy why of trying to show the reader how much the H cares for the h.
August 6, 2020
For people who love to read a fast pacing romance along with a crime suspense.. this is an amazing book.. I could not keep it down once I started reading it.. The description of the characters is done amazingly well and you can actually picturise the scenes described in detail.
August 20, 2020
Romantic mystery. The first ACTUAL book I read . And the book that I owe my love for books for !
December 16, 2024
This was such a good read with a healthy level of annoyance at the main characters (it added emotion lol) as always, I love the protective male lead, and he LOVES her.
January 8, 2023
Una bellissima storia d'amore circondata da un mix thriller molto soft.
January 1, 2019
Good, slightly creepy romantic suspense in the Kentucky horse country. Could have used more horse stuff, but it was good.
December 4, 2022
Estoy empezando con la novela contemporánea y de suspense porque hasta hace poco solo leía novelas históricas la verdad tenía muy buenas críticas de este libro y por eso me esperaba más pero le pongo un 4 la relación de Molly con sus hermanos de los que se hace cargo me ha parecido muy bien retratada los niños de verdad parecen niños y se hacen querer no me extraña que Will el protagonista se encariñe de ellos como se encariña el lector.Por las críticas que había leído me imaginaba a la protagonista más inocente ya sabéis la costumbre de leer histórica estoy acostumbrada a mujeres más inocentes Porque me ha parecido que Molly era capaz de liarse con cualquiera solo por probar si estaba enamorada o no del protagonista
Will me a parecido un amor un tierno la mayoría de las veces. Eso sí he visto que se tomaba muy a la ligera el sexo sin condón no me parece un buen ejemplo y en ninguna de las veces que lo hacen sin condón se preocupan de las consecuencias no se me a parecido un poco ilógico y más viendo la historia familiar de la protagonista y más viniendo de un hombre maduro como Will en ningún momento veo que se preocupen de un posible embarazo ni nada de eso por lo demás el tema del misterio no sabía de dónde venía así que de verdad me ha mantenido intrigada porque no sabía por dónde iba a ir la cosa además es el primer libro que me leo de Karen Robards y me ha gustado su estilo de escritura y eso es muy importante que una autora me atrape y no me parezca tópica o previsible. En fin recomiendo su lectura es un libro que me ha atrapado y que me he leído en un día
Will me a parecido un amor un tierno la mayoría de las veces. Eso sí he visto que se tomaba muy a la ligera el sexo sin condón no me parece un buen ejemplo y en ninguna de las veces que lo hacen sin condón se preocupan de las consecuencias no se me a parecido un poco ilógico y más viendo la historia familiar de la protagonista y más viniendo de un hombre maduro como Will en ningún momento veo que se preocupen de un posible embarazo ni nada de eso por lo demás el tema del misterio no sabía de dónde venía así que de verdad me ha mantenido intrigada porque no sabía por dónde iba a ir la cosa además es el primer libro que me leo de Karen Robards y me ha gustado su estilo de escritura y eso es muy importante que una autora me atrape y no me parezca tópica o previsible. En fin recomiendo su lectura es un libro que me ha atrapado y que me he leído en un día
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2021
I was in need of something light, in large print, and this fit the bill. Romance- detailed sex at one point, and mystery- disppeared children and slashed horses, in a fast read. What else could I have wanted. Of course, parts are not quite believeable such as Molly not thinking she could ever fall in love with a man in his 40s when she is in her 20s, nor when he is professional looking with a good body and she has a man attracting body. But what feels true is the way Will integrates himself into the family by helping one child with homework and another with basketball, and then paying for a security system and bringing meals etc. Bonding one at a time seemed to be the strength of the book, including the dog.
Note: Why are there so many books called "Hunter's Moon"? Just try searching Goodreads.com and see if you can even count them.
Note: Why are there so many books called "Hunter's Moon"? Just try searching Goodreads.com and see if you can even count them.
June 24, 2021
I enjoyed this book and it was a quick and easy read. The heroine Molly is a young woman who is raising her siblings, and the alpha male Will is an FBI agent named Will. He is in town investigating a horse racing scandal and Molly falls into the mess unwittingly and is then useful to the investigation. I liked getting to know Molly and her family background, and enjoyed the story of how she and Will come together. I also really enjoyed Molly's siblings who come across as authentic and enhance the story, and appreciation for Molly. However the storyline struck me as somewhat disingenuous as to how they went their separate ways and the final resolution was somewhat manufactured or maybe artificial is the better word. I haven't read many books by this author but would read another.
July 19, 2021
I really liked this book, it was my first by this author and I got two more of hers from the library that I'm ready to start now. I think the chemistry between Molly and Will was good, even if I thought the age difference felt a little weird. My biggest criticism, the reason I gave it four stars, is that the end feels like it wraps up so fast. The action and suspense builds hard and is good, but then it was just like oh yeah this is what happened and why the end. While it was nice to have three story explained it felt like very little emotional investment could be had in the conclusion of the suspense part, if that makes sense. But still I really liked it and will read more by this author for sure.
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February 1, 2024Heat Factor: When the sex scene is three chapters long
Character Chemistry: Antagonistic, then explosive
Plot: Will the FBI man comes to small town to investigate some shady horse races; coerces Molly the groom into working as his informant
Overall: This is how you do an age gap romance
Read our full review at The Smut Report
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Character Chemistry: Antagonistic, then explosive
Plot: Will the FBI man comes to small town to investigate some shady horse races; coerces Molly the groom into working as his informant
Overall: This is how you do an age gap romance
Read our full review at The Smut Report
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
December 3, 2019
Wow
If you are into thriller, romance books, this book is for you. The suspense will keep you guessing and at the edge of your seat, the romance is honest and pure. You will not be able to put this book down, it will captivate you all the way. You will not be able to guess who the villain is! I won't go into the story details, I'm not a spoiler, just give this amazing writer a shot, you will enjoy every single chapter, as you look forward to the next chapter.
If you are into thriller, romance books, this book is for you. The suspense will keep you guessing and at the edge of your seat, the romance is honest and pure. You will not be able to put this book down, it will captivate you all the way. You will not be able to guess who the villain is! I won't go into the story details, I'm not a spoiler, just give this amazing writer a shot, you will enjoy every single chapter, as you look forward to the next chapter.
April 29, 2021
Must confess I am not a romance reader, and I imagine that is why this story landed with a thud in my mind. Trite and predictable characters, and don't get me started on that old saw that great sex equates to love. That's a notion that has messed people up forever. Hate to see it promulgated. On a more positive note, if you are into a light read, this one is pleasant and just clever enough to keep the reader involved.
November 7, 2022
I really liked this story. I felt like it fell a bit flat with the horse sting operation. I could have done without the adult love scenes (I felt like the chemistry between the main characters was effective enough and the love scenes were really unnecessary- I like wholesome romance writing, not the kind that was in this book) and Molly’s character was annoying sometimes, but overall I really enjoyed this book. Horses, Kentucky, romance and mystery. I’m here for it.
October 24, 2019
I really liked this book. This is sort of a family story. Molly is the oldest child and since the death of her mother she has been sole support of her four younger siblings. Will is the FBI man looking for a scam deal run through the local race track. Not a slow story, try to pick out the person that is cutting up horses. Good read.
June 7, 2020
Lo he disfrutado bastante, sobre todo la parte del romance y de la familia, lo del suspense y el tema de los caballos no me ha llamado tanto la atención. Me han gustado mucho los protagonistas, sobre todo como ella iba descubriendo con enfado sus sentimientos. El estilo de la autora muy ameno, muy ligero.
July 26, 2022
No matter how predictable or cliché anything in this book is, I absolutely loved it. It’s a feel good book that I picked up and finished in one day. A spicy romance with just enough thriller and mystery involved. Robards does a great job of keeping the reader engaged, as I literally did not put this book down.
January 5, 2024
Great book.
I loved this book and devoured it in a day. Stayed on suspense, there’s a couple of mysteries occurring. Will has Molly working undercover and loved their chemistry. Loved how he ended up caring for her sibling’s too. Loved their happy ever after and I highly recommend this book.
I loved this book and devoured it in a day. Stayed on suspense, there’s a couple of mysteries occurring. Will has Molly working undercover and loved their chemistry. Loved how he ended up caring for her sibling’s too. Loved their happy ever after and I highly recommend this book.
March 17, 2024
Karen Robards at her finest…
I’m an old fan of Karen’s having read this book when it was published. Rereading it didn’t spoil the storyline. A serious mystery interspersed with a family of five kids and a floppy hound dog named Pork Chop. I heartily recommend this novel to one and all.
I’m an old fan of Karen’s having read this book when it was published. Rereading it didn’t spoil the storyline. A serious mystery interspersed with a family of five kids and a floppy hound dog named Pork Chop. I heartily recommend this novel to one and all.
February 28, 2019
An adventure, I loved Molly's character. She was strong, focused on what she wanted for herself and her family. Will was a man learning embracing a new world without understanding it. I enjoyed this book.
June 9, 2020
Hunter's Moon
Well written, interesting storyline of horse racing and the greed of some of the owners of trainers that profits from fixing races by cheating. Missing girls, and an FBI agent that blackmail s s groom to spy for him.
Well written, interesting storyline of horse racing and the greed of some of the owners of trainers that profits from fixing races by cheating. Missing girls, and an FBI agent that blackmail s s groom to spy for him.
September 10, 2018
It was ok. The mystery was kinda lame. I didn't really like the heroine either. She was pretty boring.
October 2, 2018
I really liked this story. Enjoyed Molly's pugnacious attitude and the romance. Molly's siblings were endearing. Liked the setting in kentucky horse lands.
March 27, 2019
Just loved it 🔥🔥🔥 amusing, romance, suspense and a happy ending 👌🏼
October 31, 2019
Love Karen Robards writing style but didn't like the heroine in this story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews