When thirty-four-year-old Nellie Wagstaff loses her job and discovers her fiancé is a cheating scumbag in a single day, she feels like the world has come crashing down. And that’s before the solicitor’s letter, along with a request to visit a place she hasn’t thought about for a very long time.
Heartbroken, Nellie escapes to the beautiful seaside town of Muddleford in Dorset, where she discovers she’s inherited more than she ever bargained for. Nellie never knew why her mother stopped talking to her sister, but now childhood memories of Muddleford come flooding back: long hot summers, the sea glistening beyond the sandy cove... and a stolen kiss with a boy called Jack.
Jack, now a devilishly handsome vet, has the local pet owners swooning over him, and as Nellie and he become close once more, and she gets used to gossiping with the locals and sipping wine at her beach hut with sand between her toes, she’s sure she can feel sparks flying once more. But just as she thinks she might be able to open her heart again, her newest frenemy, the glamourous Natalia, tells her a secret about Jack that changes everything.
Nellie will never know why her mother and aunt parted ways. She’ll sell the house, forget about Jack, and get back to real life. Because there’s nothing for her in Muddleford... is there? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)
I’ve read nearly all of Kim Nash’s books, and I have to say, this is by far my favorite! I’m not sure if it’s due to once being in a similar situation as Nellie had been, when it comes to the philandering fiancé, or the way Nash created an amazing world for Nellie to escape to while trying to regroup and figure out what she wants out of life going forward. With it all, I felt like I could relate and identify with Nellie, and feeling close to the protagonist really made Moonlight an enjoyable experience!
The relationship between Nellie and her aunt was a special one, and I appreciated how there was a lot of backstory given so that the reader could truly feel the bond they shared, and how heartbroken Nellie had been when she could no longer see her aunt or maintain that relationship. A huge learning lesson through all of it had been the need to seize the day, to not let past hurts fester, and while Nellie feels so much angst over not reaching out sooner when she might have had an opportunity to mend things with her aunt, there’s also a lesson in learning to accept what has happened, and to forgive.
The way she acts around Jack is so funny! I loved how we get to see her interactions with him, but the internal dialogue is nowhere near as close to how she behaves, attempting to give some space and time, when what she really wants to do is grab him and give him a big kiss! Natalia doesn’t help matters. I wasn’t sure what the situation would turn out to be, if there was more to the relationship between Jack and Natalia and whether there would be any hope for Nellie. It felt like a potential love triangle situation, and I wanted to keep reading to see how it would all play out.
My favorite moments were the ones where Nellie reflects on her life while spending time on the waterfront, enjoying a change of scenery, a change of pace. When she mentioned the beach hut that had once belonged to her aunt, I yearned for something similar of my own. Having come from the west coast with the ability to drive to the beach when it had been an hour away, I think I took for granted those opportunities and didn’t do it enough. So, reading about Nellie’s experiences in Muddleford Cove was a way to live vicariously through her. I enjoyed Nellie and the other characters, and feel this was a five-star experience!
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Her previous novel, Sunshine and Second Chances, was shortlisted for the 2020 Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award.
She lives in Staffordshire with son Ollie and English Setter Roni, is Head of Publicity for Bookouture and is a book blogger.
Kim won the Romantic Novelists Association's Media Star of the Year in 2016, which she still can't quite believe. She is now quite delighted to be a member of the RNA.
When she's not working or writing, Kim can be found walking her dog, reading, standing on the sidelines of a football pitch cheering on Ollie and binge watching box sets on the TV. She's also quite partial to a spa day and a gin and tonic (not at the same time!) Kim also runs a book club in Cannock, Staffs.
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Amazing Grace was her debut novel with Hera Books and came out in April 2019.
Escape to Giddywell Grange is Kim's second novel and was published by Hera Books in September 2019.
Sunshine and Second Chances is Kim's third novel and was published in June 2020.
Moonlight over Muddleford Cove is Kim’s fourth novel and was published on 30th March 2021.
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