Sunday, September 20, 2015

Moonlight on Butternut Lake: A Novel by Mary McNear


Moonlight on Butternut Lake

Moonlight on Butternut Lake: A Novel by Mary McNear
Series: The Butternut Lake Trilogy #3
Print and e-book, 384 pages
Published May 12th 2015 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Mila Jones, fleeing a dark past, leaves Minneapolis for the safety and serenity of Butternut Lake. Ready to forge a new life, Mila’s position as home health aide to Reid Ford is more than a job. It’s a chance at a fresh start. Though her sullen patient seems determined to make her quit, she refuses to give up on him.

Haunted by the car accident that nearly killed him, Reid retreats to his brother’s cabin on Butternut Lake and lashes out at anyone who tries to help. Reid wishes Mila would just go away. . .until he notices the strength, and the secrets, behind her sad, brown eyes.

Against all odds, Mila slowly draws Reid out. Soon they form a tentative, yet increasingly deeper, bond as Mila lowers her guard and begins to trust again, and Reid learns how to let this woman who has managed to crack through his protective shell into his life. While the seemingly endless days of summer unfold, Reid and Mila take the first steps to healing as they discover love can be more than just a dream.

New York Times bestselling author Mary McNear returns to the beguiling shores of Butternut Lake with the highly anticipated third novel of her Butternut Lake trilogy, Moonlight on Butternut Lake (William Morrow/Harper Collins, Trade Paperback, May 12, 2015). Like the rest of the bestselling series, her new novel can be read independently and weaves a gorgeous and gripping plot united by one magical destination.


My thoughts about Moonlight on Butternut Lake ~~

Moonlight on Butternut Lake, or really, moonlight on any lake ... doesn't that just sound so peaceful and relaxing? The idea of that just drew me to this series. I had not read any books in this series before, but this one can definitely be read as a standalone. After reading Moonlight on Butternut Lake though, I want to go back and read the other books and learn more about the people and places on Butternut Lake.

Mila needs to get away from her life and what better place to go than a secluded lake in Minnesota. She takes a job as a home health aide for a broken man.
'"I'm not a criminal. I'm just ..." She paused again here. "I'm just someone who's trying to start over, that's all."'
But she quickly finds out that this job is not going to be as easy as she thought it was going to be.
'After all, how could she take care of a patient when she couldn't even take care of herself? We're like the blind leading the blind, she thought of the two of them as the sobs racked her body. Because while her injuries might be hidden from view, she knew, in their own way, they'd left her as damaged and as broken as Reid's injuries had left him.'
I loved watching the relationship develop between Mila and Reid. And I loved how the community embraced her. But probably the sweetest storyline was between the young Mila and her school nurse. It was heartbreaking when they had to move on with their lives but what a great friendship they enjoyed.

One of the characters moves to Red Cloud, Nebraska. I grew up in a community very close to Red Cloud, so it was cool to see that in the story. Mary, if you stop by, could you expound on how you came to use Red Cloud as a setting in your story? Thanks!
'...it's not easy doing surveillance in a farmhouse in rural Nebraska without attracting attention.'
I loved my visit to Butternut Lake and I will definitely will be stopping by there again. The other books in the series are on my TBR list, just waiting for me. I am excited to learn more about the community and the wondeful people who live there!

About the author


Mary McNear, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Butternut Lake series, writes her novels in a local donut shop where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made donuts. Mary bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, two teenage children, and a high-strung, minuscule white dog named Macaroon.

The bestselling series has won critical acclaim from Kirkus, Booklist, The New York Journal of Books, Woman’s Day, Library Journal, RT Reviews and more. Fans of McNear’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Up at Butternut Lake will rejoice in her latest romance, a novel which New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs said is “so beautifully rendered, you’ll wish it was real.”

Perfect for lovers of Susan Wiggs, Debbie Maccomber, and Kristin Hannah, Moonlight on Butternut Lake is a novel of courage, romance, and resilience that is to be savored and shared.

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