This story had enough adventure, mystery and romance, good and bad characters, to keep a reader entertained, but it took a dark turn (maybe the title was a warning) halfway through and though the story will still keep you reading, if you're like me you won't feel the same.

The story takes place in late 18thc Ireland, where orphaned Caitlyn O'Malley, dressed as a boy, is caught picking the pocket of Connor D'Arcy, the earl of an impoverished estate, who was a thief himself in his younger days. (That was necessary, to support himself and his younger brothers.) He decides to give the boy a break and a job, helping out with the family sheep farming business, and then discovers the boy is a 15 year old girl.

(A bit of a break here: I often wonder why this cross dressing plot device was used so much, since it's obviously a big stretch of the imagination. For a very young girl to get away with it makes sense, but how many boys need corsets and get periods? It's only a matter of time. Besides, wouldn't a girl be a much more successful pickpocket, as less people would suspect her? As for the argument that the disguise would keep her from unwanted sexual attention, I have to laugh at that. There were almost as many men into young boys as girls (no pun intended), Connor himself chose being a thief over having to bed some pedophile, which would have been the only alternative. Besides, a pretty young pickpocket would make for a lot of fun!)

Back to the story. It's a while before the couple becomes a couple, as Caitlyn has to grow up a bit first, not to mention get used to being a girl, once her secret is discovered. For the time being, Connor sees himself as a guardian/older brother to a willful, sometimes bratty kid sister. As she becomes a young woman, and a very attractive one, she gets enough attention from his brothers to make him concerned, and from Sir Edward Donne, (who was responsible for Connor's father's death, among other things) to make him angry. Then the typical scenes begin, with Connor being autocratic and overbearing, Caitlyn being rebellious and impulsive, and both fighting their feelings for each other. When Caitlyn gets jealous of another woman, she flirts with Connor's brothers to make him jealous, which decides him to send her away to school, to be a proper lady. Not wanting to leave him, she threatens to tell the authorities that he's the notorious "Dark Horseman", playing a Robin Hood role as he and his own "merry men" (which includes his brothers) steal from the wealthy English to give to the poverty stricken Irish. She could never actually go through with it, but he wasn't taking any chances. Soon enough, they declare their love and get engaged.

On the night of an an important (and dangerous) raid, Caitlyn declares she's going with them, as if she's to be his wife she wants to share every part of his life. He tries to tell her it's too dangerous, but she thinks that's just an excuse, and starts ranting about how she's not going to be a meek, obedient wife and intends to do as she pleases. Her over the top attitude has him furious and he locks in her room, but she manages to escape and go after him, causing everything to go wrong, and she realizes too late she should have listened to him. They both end up getting badly hurt, and that's the end of the first part of the story.

The second part is where the darkness sets in. I won't go into all the details, but Caitlyn falls victim to the evil Sir Edward and is forced to betray Connor and break his heart, in exchange for saving him from the gallows. What she goes through at the hands of this villain is loathsome. It's as if the author wanted to punish her for all her stubborn willfulness and the damage it did. Well, she may have deserved a bit of a comeuppance, but this was overkill to the extreme! While it's long been a romantic fiction plot device for the woman to sacrifice herself for the man she loves, it didn't have to go this far.

If only I had written this novel, I would have goner a different route. I'd have made the debacle at the raid have Connor rethink their future and break the engagement, then have him get involved with another woman and then have Caitlyn get back at him by letting Sir Edward (who acts charming at first) pay court to her. Soon, however, she learns of his dark side, and then I'd take it from there but have her be rescued before anything really bad happens.

Okay, enough of my literary aspirations! I'll finish by saying that if you can stand the darkness, it comes before dawn. ( )

*I gave this book an A- for the story and A for the narration at AudioGals*

Dark of the Moon, released in audio format this past April, carries an original 1988 print publication date. I haven’t read a lot of romances written in that time period but this one thoroughly impressed me with its attention to detail and character development. In fact, it’s one of the first longer length audiobooks that I have listened to (about 14 hours), where I actually believed that nearly every minute was essential. Moreover, it’s a bargain. In today’s publishing world, this story would likely have been produced as a series as, in addition to its longer length, the story also logically breaks down into two parts. The first takes place when the heroine is a young teenager when she first meets the hero, and the second begins a few years later. Interestingly, the publisher’s description only describes the later, which is when the romance and critically important suspense really begins. But one big warning: this story contains extreme domestic abuse including non-consensual, non-erotic BDSM at the hands of a villain.

Dark of the Moon mostly takes place in Ireland during the Protestant Ascendancy. We first meet the Irish heroine, Caitlyn O’Malley, on the streets of Dublin where, disguised as a boy, she survives by picking pockets. That changes one day when, mistakenly believing she is stealing from a English nobleman, she meets her match – Connor d’Arcy, Earl of Iveagh.

But Connor is no Englishman. During the Protestant Ascendancy, many Catholic Irishmen lost their lands to the English Crown due to the clash between their religious beliefs. In an attempt to protect their family’s landholdings (Donoughmore Castle), Connor was sent to England to study and learn about the Church of England, but in his heart he is a Catholic and is not loyal to the English.

Orphaned at a relatively young age, Connor was but a mere child when he was forced to grow up to provide for this three younger brothers. With no available work to be found, he resorted to looting from rich Englishmen. Once he had provided enough for his family, he continued in this Robin Hood style tradition, giving the remaining spoils to the impoverished Irish people. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Caitlyn strikes a cord with Connor. Wanting to find a way to help “O’Malley” and truly believing she is a boy, Connor offers her shelter in his home and a job as a sheepherder on his farm.

Strong-willed and proud, Caitlyn doesn’t want to accept his charity but eventually capitulates although she refuses to let up her charade of being a lad, as she believes that men only want to harm females. Raised on the streets dressed as a boy, she is more comfortable in britches and doing boy’s work, and has no idea how girls are supposed to behave. Soon after Caitlyn moves to Donoughmore, however, the truth comes out. Fearing that Caitlyn would suffer a terrible fate if her secret was discovered, Connor does the honorable thing and decides to take her in and raise her alongside his brothers.

Unlike the typical bodice ripper 1980s romances, it is not Connor who pursues Caitlyn. In fact, for the first third or more of the book, there is no romance between the couple whatsoever. Connor is so accustomed to being her caretaker that after years of serving in that role, he still refuses to acknowledge that she is a woman or that he could have romantic feelings for her. When his younger brothers, however, start taking notice of Caitlyn’s now blossoming womanly charms and start fighting over her, Connor feels compelled to claim her to restrain their advances. Caitlyn, who silently admires Connor, needs no further encouragement, and aggressively pursues Connor.

See the entire review at AudioGals at: http://www.audiogals.net/2014/06/dark-of-the-moon-by-karen-robards/#more-23700 ( )

Another of my all-time favorites...love the D'Arcy clan! ( )

From an Ireland seething with rebellion to the gilded cage of London society.

Rescued from the streets of Dublin, Caitlyn O'Malley found herself under the protection of Connor d'Arcy, Earl of Iveagh by day, Ireland's boldest highwayman by night.