Mischief in Moonstone - A Review

A Fun-Filled Mystery Romance Anthology by Author Christine DeSmet

Aug 24, 2008

A teacher, a chef, a police officer, a casino card dealer, and a grocer all live and all fall in love in Moonstone, Wisconsin in this humorous romantic anthology.

The Mischief In Moonstone Series is a fun romantic romp through the fictional village of Moonstone, Wisconsin. The characters, the culture, the climate, and even the culinary delights that permeate this collection of five romantic novellas by Christine DeSmet will delight and amuse fans of humorous romantic fiction. The twists and turns of both plot and heart are what make this romantic set a page turner.

The Plots and Characters of the Five Moonstone Novellas

When Rudolph Was Kidnapped - The frigid winter air along Lake Superior is no match for the heat teacher Crystal Hagan experiences when the handsome, sexy son of a wealthy businessman offers to help her recover her stolen reindeer in time for the town’s children to have a real Christmas.

Misbehavin’ in Moonstone - Kirsten Peplinski, a struggling chef, is commissioned by the ladies of Moonstone to find out what happened to their missing men. That’s when she encounters the owner of a fishing tour boat who’s got more than fishing on his mind when it comes to Kirsten.

Mrs. Claus and the Moonstone Murder - Lily Schuster, Moonstone’s new deputy, finds herself distracted by the amorous attentions of an archeologist she’s been told to arrest, just when she needs to focus on solving the mystery of a food critic who drops dead while judging a pie baking contest.

When the Dead People Brought a Dish to Pass - When a handsome ghost walks through her door, literally, casino card dealer Alyssa Swain must find out why he has come to haunt her—in the sexiest of ways—and why she is falling in love with a ghost.

A Moonstone Wedding – Middle-aged Margie Muller, upset over receiving a fertility rug from her fiancée, tussles with murder and mayhem on the day of her wedding.

Characters Carry On and Carry Over in Moonstone

Author DeSmet has a playful, if occasionally ribald, voice that keeps the action lively and the emotional content in high gear. She builds her stories around a community of people who get to know each other throughout the series. Each story features a different lead character with a unique point of view, giving the reader alternate perspectives about those characters.

And of course, the romance gets a bit visceral at times. Love in a romance novel wouldn’t be love if the heroine didn’t feel her man “working magic with his fingers” or how “the stars spun in the sky; the moon politely turned his head” when the hero “claimed her lips.”

The first four stories in Mischief in Moonstone were previously published in anthologies penned by a group of writers known collectively as Jewels of the Quill (DeSmet goes by Dame Moonstone). Aficionados of the genre will enjoy checking out the work of the collective.

About Romance Writer Christine DeSmet

Novelist Christine DeSmet is an award-winning writer of both romantic fiction and screenplays. Along with Jewels of the Quill, she is active in Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum; she is a member of Writers Guild of America-East. She teaches fiction and screenwriting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including online courses. She mentors other writers, critiques professionally, and judges local and national writing contests.

Mischief In Moonstone is published by Whiskey Creek Press [2008; ISBN: 978-1-60313-142-1].

Other books and anthologies by or including Christine DeSmet:

The copyright of the article Mischief in Moonstone - A Review in Chick Lit is owned by Margaret M. Williams. Permission to republish Mischief in Moonstone - A Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.