Under the Moon Gate

by Marilyn Baron

Dashing sea captain Nathaniel Morgan sails into the life of prim and proper Bermuda heiress Patience Whitestone and threatens to expose her family secrets—ruinous secrets she wasn’t aware of. The two are immediately at odds when Nathaniel moors his vessel in front of her estate and refuses to leave until he finds the cache of Swiss gold he’s convinced was buried somewhere on the property during World War II. Can Patience save herself and her family’s reputation when she finds herself reluctantly drawn to this determined “pirate”? Or will someone from the past make good on his threat to destroy them both? Their fate is inextricably linked to Nazi plots and to the beautiful moon gates of Bermuda in this compelling tale of love and intrigue.

Genres: Historical Romance

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 2013

Reviews

[Laura Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under the Moon Gate was so much more than just the Historical Romance I expected when I started reading. It’s a romance on two levels, a complex story that travels from the present day to World War II-era Bermuda and back again in order to spin for us a full tale. The characters are strong and the story complex and engrossing. Though I enjoyed the romance of Patience and Nathaniel in the present day, I think I found the story of William and his Diana even more interesting.

William, who is the grandfather of Patience and who occupies the World War II portion of the story, is an intriguing character – almost an antihero. We learn that he is a Nazi – a German naval officer sent to Bermuda as an undercover operative. There he falls in love both with Diana, the beautiful daughter of a high-ranking member of the British echelon, and with Bermuda itself. Conflicted by trying to live up to the image of a father he never knew and tormented by the necessity of abandoning his first love at the demand of war, he undergoes amazing changes before finally paying the debt he owes.

Similarly, in present day, his granddaughter, Patience, undergoes her own difficult journey in understanding that the man she long worshipped may not have been perfect after all, and in finding her own strength – which in fact she has inherited from him.

This is an intricate and absorbing story with one of the worst villains you will ever meet. The depth of the historical detail is astounding. I can only imagine the research the author put into assuring the authenticity of it. Her love of the beautiful island of Bermuda is also evident in her writing. This book is a wonderful achievement, a great read for summer or any time, and a story you will not soon forget!

[Marilyn Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something for everyone! Lara Croft meets romcom meets spy-thriller, May 14, 2013
This review is from: Under the Moon Gate (Kindle Edition)
"Shipwrecks, hurricanes and the Bermuda Triangle. That's all most people remember when they think of Bermuda..."

But after reading Marilyn Baron's new novel - which is a surefire blockbuster - you might just change your mind. For this is a brilliant read. It is a treasure trove of mystery and intrigue. It sparkles with romance. The thrills and chills are unrelenting, and the writing is witty and engaging.

Under the Moon Gate is a romantic thriller/historical set in contemporary and WW II Bermuda and there's something for everyone here. It's like Lara Croft meets romcom. There are aspects straight out of a "Jules Verne novel". We meet German spies and their dangerous wartime associates (who have codenames like Nighthawk). There are comic turns, such as the "outrageous" Cecilia, and the usual witty asides we've come to expect from the best Marilyn Baron books (wiseacre comebacks like: "Your line died out a long time ago... in the Stone Age.")

Ultimately though, this is a love story. It's a love story between the two protagonists - Nathaniel and Patience - and it is also a love story, an ode, to beautiful Bermuda. It might mean "Isle of Devils" and it might be best known for its Triangle, but the Bermuda Tourist Board could do worse than using this book as one huge advert for the magical islands. (And the book is brilliantly researched: Baron drip-feeds us with little known facts about the islands throughout, so that we actually learn something in our reading. For instance: "Do you know Bermuda is home to more golf courses per square mile than anywhere in the world?"

Nathaniel Morgan is "sensitive and sensuous" he "could easily pass for a dangerous pirate." He has come to Bermuda for "his destiny," although he barely believes in destiny any more. He thinks: "Love and romance was for fools, and he was definitely not a fool. Not anymore."

Patience constantly buries her head in a book. She is, as Nathaniel informs her: "steeped in the past while you ought to have your eye on the future." (Which, as Patience herself observes, is a "strange comment coming from a historian.")

Patience has also been hurt. They are two 'wounded' characters, castaways from romantic life - and indeed Baron utilises seafaring imagery throughout the book - this is one of the myriad pleasures in reading the text...

Bad luck seems to run in Patience's family. Tragic accidents have befallen them - her parents have been killed in a car crash and she had to be "cut from her mother's belly" and raised by her grandparents. But at 27-years-old, her prospects in the romance department "looked pretty bleak". For one thing, she has been 'locked away' inside Marigold House: "her fortress". "Her Grandfather built it to be impenetrable." And: "To say her grandfather had been overprotective was putting it mildly. Her dating experience had been severely limited. No man was ever good enough for Patience Whitestone, according to her Grandfather. She was his 'Princess', safely locked away in the castle for all eternity."

But that's not the only troubling thing about William Whitestone. No, there's something far more dangerous in his past. Something which breaks on Patience like a tidal wave right at the beginning of the novel. And this knowledge causes her to call into question everything she knows about her family and her beloved grandfather. How could she not know "something as basic as his true identity."

This is a brilliant, white-water ride of a novel. It is stunningly well written. I wanted to pick out this one line in particular, as I think it is the best passage I have read in any book this year: "The past is like a link in a chain. It often holds secrets to the future. It cannot be ignored. Sometimes the bond is strong, forged of steel. Sometimes it is faint and spidery, like a golden thread of the finest lace, or elusive, like a whisper. But still the tether that ties us to the past holds. It echoes through time but no matter how tenuous the bond, the link stays strong. And I believe we are all bound together..."

I couldn't recommend this more...
AJ Kirby, Leeds, Author of Paint this town Red

[A.K. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marilyn Baron has taken the gorgeous setting of Bermuda and the thrill of being swept away by a pirate and mixed up a sweet cocktail-- served with a twist of German spies and World War II.

Beautifully written, Under the Moon Gate by Marilyn Baron makes me want to jump on a plane and travel to Bermuda. The story motivates me to explore Bermuda shores and history. I wonder if the historic plantation on the sea with a moon gate exists? If not Bermuda should build one and make it a tourist attraction, because after reading this novel, Under the Moongate, Bermuda is on my travel bucket list.

The story travels back and forth between the present and the past focusing on the ancestors of Bermuda heiress Patient Whitestone and the handsome Nathaniel Morgan. There's sweet romance, buried treasure and exciting history. Under the Moon Gate is a romance of today with the history of the past, something Marilyn Baron is expert at crafting. I loved her novel, Stumble Stones, and Landlocked; this one is now added to my list. Well done, Marilyn Baron, Bermuda should tout you to the highest seas.

[Leanne Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this intriguing and captivating to read. It flipped between WWII and present day, with two almost parallel romances. I found that both romances, as well as all the characters were developed fully and with satisfaction. I was particularly drawn to William. He made this book for me. He was so complex and truly a "different" hero than we usually read about. He started out a sleeper German spy, who is never activated. It is so interesting how he acclimates to his new "home" and finds a new life. We are drawn into the present day through his granddaughter, who just begins to learn the history of the grandfather she so adored.
It takes place in the usual setting of Bermuda, which for me, was a total surprise to learn of its war time role. I was also completely surprised by the ending! I highly recommend for a different, and intriguing experience.

[Rolynn Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marilyn Baron deftly ties recent and past events in her suspenseful novel, UNDER THE MOON GATE. The setting Baron chooses is Bermuda: a lovely place in today’s time; darker in World War II. The heroine, Patience, has enjoyed a cloistered life in Bermuda until the brutal murder of her adoring grandfather. Threats against Patience’s life and the surprise appearance of ‘cousin’ Nathaniel, a roving seafarer from Virginia, turn her placid life upside down. Patience and Nathaniel face danger and disappointment as they confront false family histories. Tales of buried gold and her grandfather’s murky past complicate her life further. The suspense centers on what happens to her growing love for Nathaniel while threats against her life increase and the pull of her beloved Bermuda tightens.

[Terry Trahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirates, Spies, and Love

Great read! This book has pirates, spies and a love story, yet it has much more. Nathaniel and Patience work together to find buried treasure, but what they discover is so much more!

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review on RomanceJunkies.com by clicking on the link below:

http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artm...