Hannah's Moon

John A. Heldt gave me an e-copy of Hannah's Moon for review. I stress the "A" in his name because on the Barnes & Noble book site they offer the works of a different John Heldt. They are really missing the boat by not carrying "A"'s books.

Hannah's Moon is the fifth and final entry in the American Journey series. As with all the books in the series it is not necessarily necessary to have read the previous books to understand this one. They all stand alone well.

I am a bit saddened to have come to the end of a series that I have enjoyed so much. Hannah's Moon is a spectacular end to the series. Mr. Heldt has done a beautiful job of tying all five books together and resolving any loose threads. But I am supposed to be reviewing one book not all five, so focus Mike.

Hannah's Moon  is set in the waning days of WWII. The war is not the focus but does play a large role in the story. The story begins with a truly heartbreaking scene which becomes the impetus for the remainder of the tale. And of course, if you are a reader of Mr. Heldt's work, you know it is going to be a good one. As always, the characters are well developed, the story engaging. The reader is hooked from the beginning, and held in a comfortable grip of human drama throughout. As usual, I thought I had figured out what was coming and as usual, I was wrong (I gotta quit doing that).

Hannah's Moon is the darkest story John Heldt has given us so far. A bit less focus on romance and more dramatic story lines. I guess it is not a spoiler to share that the story revolves around a young couples attempt to adopt a child (it's in the blurb about the book) and the difficulties they encounter. Not quite as lighthearted as the other books in the series.

We also get a bit of a history lesson, and a minor culture shock, things that make a time travel story fun.

Personal comment time: For anyone who has read my reviews, it is apparent that I am a huge fan of Mr. Heldt's work. I have now read all ten of his books and given each of them highest praise. There are a lot of authors I really like and I haven't always done that with them. I thought about why these books in particular speak to me.

I read for escapist fun. I don't look for messages, lessons, or social comment. I just want to have fun. What I have found in Mr. Heldt's work is escapism to places and times I would really like to visit. Many books I read are escapist fun but I don't especially want to go there. I mean zombie plagues and post apocalyptic wastelands are fun to read about but actually go there? No thanks. Okay enough of that.

Hannah's Moon is, in my estimation, the best book of the series. That is saying something when you consider how good the whole series is.

Readers who are looking for good, clean, suspenseful, intricate, escapist fun, need look no further. Hannah's Moon by John A. Heldt will take you where you want to go. I'll bet that you too will become a fan of his work once you are introduced to his story telling skill. Bye the way, according to what I read on his blog, Mr' Heldt is working on a new book (Yay!)  Enjoy!

Mike