Once in a Blue Moon

by Penelope Williamson

Book Overview

Jessalyn Letty is the only person who knows about the dream that burns in McCady Trelawny's soul, and when he returns from his daring quest, she is on the shore to meet him. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440211085
• ISBN13: 9780440211082
• Release Date: April 1993
• Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
• Length: 453 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Once you start you won’t put it down!!

Was a great book! I don’t know what else to say that I loved it. The romance, the heart breaks, the excitement, it always kept me on the edge of the seat. I have always had a hard time find books that interest me and this book I couldn’t put it down!

Even though I don't read romance anymore...

I will always be swimming in nostalgia and love over this book. After reading many stale romance novels, I began searching through literature for my readings and remain pretty much firmly placed there. However, this novel was romantic and beautiful and so much more than that. I feel it cannot be easily categorized. The characters entirely absorbed my life and were believable. I didn't enjoy Heart of the West as much, but still, this author knows how to write. Pick up this book immediately if you can find it! Romance reader or not..

The most beautiful love story ever created!

I read this book for the first time when I was 14 yrs old. I was an exceptional reader at a young age. I absolutely fell in love with this story. I have read many Historical Romancesin my life time, and most have the same plot. You can almost always predict the story. I lose interest soon or never feel the need to re-read the story. This story captivated my heart and my mind. The plot has no equal. The story is so beautifully written that even the strongest of hearts finds themselves yearning for Jessalyn and her broken heart. The love created between the two characters is unmatched in any love story I have ever read (and I have been around the Historical Romance mill!) I recommend this story to everyone. It will have you crying, laughing and yearning for the love that comes Once in a Blue Moon!

A MAGICAL LOVE STORY!!

I thought I would share with other readers my all time favorite romance. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON by Penelope Williamson is an unbelievable, magical love story. One that I have read more times than I can remember and each and every time I do, it blows me away! The story centers upon Jessalyn Letty and her love for McCady Trelawny. Since a young girl, she has been captivated by this fascinating man. Yet McCady's past is infamous for all of his ancestors have met an early and violent end. Every Trelawny has died in debt and in utter disgrace. The people of the Cornish moors speak of the infamous Trelawny men in shocked, scandalized whispers. All but Jessalyn. McCady is dark, extremely handsome with an aura of untamed danger. That aura of unpredictability and wildness draws her, captivating her until she falls completely in love with him. Dark fires drive McCady. He is desperate to escape his tarnished past and has a secret dream, one that could change the world. Jessalyn believes in McCady and in this dream, awakening within his hardened heart hope and a longing for this young, carefree girl. In a moment of heartfelt passion, Jessalyn declares her love. A love McCady fears to believe in. He leaves her with harsh words and goes off to fight in the West Indies. Five years have passed till they meet again. Jessalyn has grown into a very beautiful woman. McCady is still just as handsome but hardened. Gazing at him, all of the unrequited love she has tried to deny sweeps over her. She longs to tame this brooding man who has stolen her heart with effortless ease. Yet McCady is still tormented by his dark past and the dream society ridicules him for. A dream to build a steam locomotive . . . No matter how fiercely McCady tries to resist Jessalyn's powerful allure, he finds that his will is no match for the purity of her love. He falls and falls hard for this beautiful woman who so selflessly gives her love. Only when she makes the ultimate sacrifice, does he realize the absolute agony that will engulf him if he should ever lose her. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON is filled with intense emotions, sensual love scenes and proves that love is soooooooo magical! This is Penelope Williamson's best novel to date and one you should try. It will blow you away . . . . . .

a book that engages your emotions...

The first time I read this book was when I first started to read romance. At the time I wasn't mature enough as a reader to recognize what a poignant, emotional story I had in my hands. Re-reading it again two years later made me realize that Penelope Williamson is one of the best writers of today. The story revolves around Jessalyn Letty and McCady Trelawny, two people whose passion is as wild as the cornish moors they love and as rare as a blue moon. It is unfortunate that they found this love at the wrong time in their lives for Jess is at sixteen too young and Mac is too tortured by a legacy of failures in his family. It is with Jess that Mac shares his dreams of railroad transportation and eventually his dreams becomes hers. Because neither of them come from fortune Mac must marry into it in order to fund his dreams, and though Jess is heartbroken she doesn't stop loving him. It seems that their love would be the star-crossed type and though we know that they will end up together at the end, I was worried that Williamson would do away with Mac's wife in an easy fashion, but she didn't. The events are all well written and believable and engaging. Williamson's characters not only say "I love," but also show it through actions. When Jessalyn sets out to save Mac from debtors prison, Williamson allows us to feel the bittersweet pain of giving up something that is cherished to save that which is loved. I understood the characters, I even understood the villian, and that is rare.

Favorite romance book of all time....

I've read MANY romance books so I don't say this lightly. Basically all romance books have the same plotlines and characters, but for some reason I keep turning back to this one. I think that the relationship between McCady and Jessica is the most gripping, emotional, interesting, and, well... romantic I've ever read about. I adore everything about this book (although I've had friends who've read it and said it's nothing special), but I think it will always be my #1. McCady is every woman's dream and Jessica could be every woman's best friend. I'm glad I can read it over and over!