Between the Lines: REVIEW: Under the Orange Moon (Mathews #1) By, Adrienne Frances

January 15, 2015

REVIEW: Under the Orange Moon (Mathews #1) By, Adrienne Frances

Dylan Mathews grew up in a house that was always filled with good-looking guys. However, with her four protective older brothers, they never stood a chance.

Except for one.

Dylan knew she loved Ben McKenna from the first time she laid eyes on him. When he started sneaking in her room, she thought he felt the same way. But just as their passion ignited, he left for college and never came back.

Until now.

Returning home after 5 years, Ben realizes Dylan has always been the one for him. Can he win back her heart and finally find love under the orange moon?

Review

There is something about love stories featuring the brother’s best friend. These stories always manage to put a huge smile on my face and a huge happy sigh when the book is over. When these stories are done right they are probably my favorite types and this book was no different.

“He just needed one more night with the one person who made him feel alive. He needed one more moment with the one person a McKenna could never be good enough to have.”

Dylan Mathews grew up being the only girl in a household full of boys. She naturally became a huge tom boy and tagged along to anything her brothers ever did. When Ben first showed up at the Mathews door she was a goner. She has loved him since that moment but always knew Ben never felt the same way. When Ben climbed into her bed one night and slept it gave her hope. Until when the morning came he was once again the person that teased her or ignored her completely. Now that five years have passed since the night she tried to make him hers, she knows she needs to stay clear. But how do you stay away from the one person who knows you better then you or your family.

“She pulled him closer and nuzzled deeper into his arms. This was her peace, her only perfection, and escape from reality. She would enjoy it until the sun came up and pulled him away.”

Ben McKenna has had a hard life. His father left when he was little and his mother is an alcoholic that can’t help but wait for him to come back. Ben has always had to deal with his father’s less that soft teachings on how to be him and his mother’s blame. The only place Ben has ever felt at home was with the Mathews. That where he meets Dylan. A person he has put on a pedestal that he can never reach. When his mom asks him to visit five years later he has to come back. What he wasn’t ready for was coming to terms with his feelings for Dylan.

“He wanted to erase his mistakes- to erase all the ways he had hurt Dylan. He was nothing without her, but she was so much better off without him.”

For the most part I loved the characters, all except Ben. His character was frustrating and not really likeable. He was a player and had an attitude. Throughout the story he didn’t really treat anyone well. By the time his character was redeeming himself the story ended. There really wasn’t time for me to really fall in love with his character. Dylan frustrated me a little in the beginning only because of how much she let Ben get away with. This changed by the end and I was really proud of her character then. Their romance story was one of the good ones. You could really see how well they knew each other. Even if they were never really friends. They had a connection that neither of them could let go of. The ending really was one of my favorite parts. Even if there wasn’t enough groveling and Ben trying to win her back the end definitely made up for some of it. Big romantic gestures definitely get to me.

“She was his and he was hers. There were no barriers with Dylan. She had knocked them all down the minute he pressed his lips to hers.”

I really loved this story. The story was well written and the characters were developed well. Adrienne gave us many characters to fall in love with and many reasons to keep reading. My only complaint is Ben. I really wish we had more time to fall in love with him. Be prepared when you go into this story. While there story is beautiful and sweet, Ben is not a very likable character for 90% of this story. But the 10% he was made you believe that when we got to the end of this story he grew up and became the man we saw glimpses of. The one only Dylan saw was there.

“I have always loved you,” he said as she stared at him in wonder. “Even if you make me go away, just know that I will never stop. I will love you for the rest of my life.”

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