'Once in a Blue Moon' by Leanna Ellis - Book Review

Leanna Ellis is a prolific author.  ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ is the first book of hers that I have had the pleasure to read.

Here is a book trailer for this entertaining read:

The main character in this wonderfully quirky and entertaining novel is Bryn Seymour.  Her mother died on July 20, 1969, the day that Apollo 11 landed on the moon; her death was under suspicious circumstances.  Bryn was only nine years old at that time.  She never knew the identity of her father.  She was raised by her mother’s mother, Bryn makes her living as an obituary and features writer for the Houston Chronicle.  She has become a cynical woman who is not sure there is a lot of good in the world.  Forty years later, her path crosses that of Howard, who was a friend of her mom’s in high school.  He was also an employee at NASA at the time that Bryn’s mother was employed there.  Bryn thinks Howard may not only shed some light on some of the holes in her life story, but would also be an interesting subject for a feature article.

Howard has an interesting world view.  He has inside information from his time with NASA, and wants to spread his message.  His son, Sam, moved to Howard’s small town in Texas, Marfa, in order to keep an eye on him and help him out when needed.  Sam is a ‘preacher man,’ and the sparks fly when he meets Bryn.  I don’t want to give away the ending of the book, but I do hope Ms. Ellis writes a sequel, so I can see the outcome of a potential relationship!

I found Leanna’s writing style to be very entertaining.  Here is a passage I think is particularly good:

Flying reminds me how I’ve tried to soar above problems which weighed me down, sent me into a tailspin of despair, pulled me to depths from which I never thought I could recover.  I always wanted to dare circumstances.  Maybe that’s why I’ve never been afraid to risk my life.  Only my heart.  When it breaks, I know there is no recovery. (p. 206)

Her descriptions are vivid, and her attention to detail is keen.  She does a wonderful job in transporting the reader into the lives of the characters, and making you care about them.  I was particularly taken with the Bryn character; we have a lot in common, including being from close to the same era, time-wise, and growing up without a father.  I am working on getting rid of my cynicism also!  I really enjoyed ‘Once in a Blue Moon,’ and plan on doubling back to read the other Christian fiction books by Ms. Ellis that I have missed, including: ‘Elvis Takes a Back Seat,’ ‘Lookin’ Back, Texas,’ and ‘Ruby's Slippers.’ 

This book was provided to me by B&H Publishing Group in Nashville TN for review purposes.