MULBERRY MOON - Catherine Anderson
A Mystic Creek Novel , Book 3
Jove
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-48802-2
January 2017
Romantic Suspense

Mystic Creek, Oregon - Present Day

Rancher Ben Sterling is leaving Taco Joe's when he's surprised to see loose chickens walking down the street, and not just one or two birds, but least twenty and counting, running toward him.  Grabbing his Australian Shepherd pup, Finnegan, Ben begins herding the chickens back into their tiny coop behind Sissy Sue Bentley's cafe, The Cauldron.  Ben would definitely like to get to know Sissy better; she's the only woman he's seen in a long while that sparks his battery, but Sissy won't give him the time of day.  The least he can do now is help get her wayward chickens back into their pen and secured for the night before it snows.

Sissy Sue Bentley came to Mystic Creek to make a life of her own after years on the run.  She ran away from an abusive household as a teenager, and when she inherited her Aunt Mabel's cafe in Mystic Creek she decided to settle down once and for all.  Now, at twenty-six, Sissy lives in the apartment above the cafe and works her fingers to the bone, she has a lot to do before she can afford to hire help.  She has no time for romance, nor does she trust any of the male species, so she doesn't give Ben any encouragement when he tells her he's going to rebuild her chicken coop.  She refuses to be beholden to any man; they only bring pain to her life.  But finally, to save her chickens, (that she now considers pets, all 80 of them!), Sissy and Ben work out a deal:  She will give Ben meals on the house, in lieu of payment for his work.

And later, after catching chickens all night, Sissy asks Ben if he believes in ghosts.  She explains that a ghost is the only answer for the things that are disappearing right in front of her, like pieces of candy, her watch, and other small trinkets.  She is more than grateful to her Aunt Mabel for the cafe, but Sissy does not want to live with a ghost, even if it is only her wonderful aunt.  Disappearing objects make her quite nervous, but will Ben believe her story?

The small town of Mystic Creek is home to several romantic legends, one being about September's full moon, the MULBERRY MOON.  It's said that when a man and woman stand together beneath the MULBERRY MOON they will fall in love, and for Ben and Sissy, that night sky over the chicken round-up is their talisman to romance.

MULBERRY MOON is the third novel in the Mystic Creek series, and follows SILVER THAW (January 2015) and NEW LEAF (January 2016).  Each novel stands alone, but your experience will be greatly enriched by reading them all. The Sterling brothers are the sexiest heroes to ever grace the pages of a book!  Take these sexy heroes and throw them together with independent and gritty women, and you have the perfect recipe for romance.  MULBERRY MOON is full of riveting and dynamic characters who live inside this small town.  Everyone helps out and they all come to Sissy's aid when the search for her ghost lands her in the hospital and her past catches up with her.  Ben stands solidly behind her, as does the entire town in this sexy and heartwarming romance.

MULBERRY MOON is another winner from Ms. Anderson; don't miss out!

Diana Risso