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Dancing in the Moonlight: A Heart-breaking Historical Romance that is Gripping Until the Very Last Page
Heartbreak and family loyalty collide in Rita Bradshaw's number one bestselling Dancing in the Moonlight.As her mother lies dying, twelve-year-old Lucy Fallow promises to look after her younger siblings and keep house for her father and two older brothers.Over the following years the Depression tightens its grip. Times are hard and Lucy's situation is made more difficult by the ominous presence of Tom Crawford, who lives next door, the eldest son of her mother's lifelong friend. Lucy's growing friendship with Tom's younger brother Jacob, only fuels Tom's obsession with her. He persuades Lucy's father and brothers to work for him on the wrong side of the law as part of his plan to force Lucy to marry him.Tom sees Lucy and Jacob dancing together one night, and a chain of heartbreaking events are set in motion. Torn apart from the boy she loves, Lucy wonders if she and Jacob will ever dance in the moonlight again . . .
478 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2013
46 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Rita Bradshaw
48 books112 followersRita Bradshaw was born on 1949 in Northampton, England, where she was educated as a good Christian. She met Clive, her husband, at the age of 16 andnow the magic is still there. They have three lovely children, Cara, Faye, and Benjamin, and have always had a menagerie of animals in the house, whichat the present is confined to two endearing and very comical dogs who wouldmake a great double act on TV! The children, friends, and pets all keep thehouse buzzing and the food cupboards empty but Helen wouldn't have it anyother way. She still lives today in Northampton with her family. Althoughhaving enjoyed some wonderful holidays abroad she has never been tempted tolive anywhere else, although she rather likes the idea of a holiday homeclose to the sea one day.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming,and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in thesun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking ofcourse!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as sheapproached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babiesand hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latteran unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of purejoy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own bu tshe loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth isstranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming,and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in thesun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking ofcourse!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as sheapproached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babiesand hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latteran unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of purejoy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own bu tshe loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth isstranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 6, 2020
'The outrageous difference in pay made the British servicemen spitting mad.
An American private received three pounds, eight shilings and ninepence a week, while his British counterpart earned just fourteeen shillings.'
July 1942!
An American private received three pounds, eight shilings and ninepence a week, while his British counterpart earned just fourteeen shillings.'
July 1942!
April 21, 2025
This was the fist book my Nan every suggested I read and I loved it. Ince I read it I gave it back telling her how much I enjoyed it. After she passed I never wanted to re read a book so much in my life but I couldn’t remember what it was called only that it was something moonlight and had a purple/blue background. I can’t tell you how overjoyed I was when I found a copy of it in a local bookstore. I knew straight away when I saw it, it was the right book and it was coming home with me. I don’t know why I put off reading it again once I did find it after wanting to read it so much before but I did. Fast forward to today when I’ve finished it for the second time and loved it all over again! Yes it has so very horrific and tragic scenes and can be extremely triggering but the story is so tragically beautiful it will forever be one of my favourite books and I’ll forever be grateful to my beautiful Nanny for introducing me to the wonderful work of Rita Brandshaw ❤️
October 4, 2024
Another good story however, I thought there was a bit too much unnecessarily graphic detail! 🤷♀️
September 8, 2017
Great
Loved this book. It was just the type I love. Rags to riches without too much glitz which similar bookstores have.
Loved this book. It was just the type I love. Rags to riches without too much glitz which similar bookstores have.
May 29, 2023
A beautiful book with some history lessons
April 6, 2025
A book that spans time from the 1920’s to the 1940’s and for me took me back to my teenage years when I used to devour Catherine Cookson novels! I loved this book as much for the nostalgia of my youth as for the story itself and a reminder that reading should be about what you enjoy, the books that make your heart race or being tears to your eye.
Lucy Fallow knows hardship, having lost her mum aged 12 & stepping up to care for her family. She also has Jacob, the boy next door who she has grown up with and grown to love. The tale that ensues is one of devastation, destitution and determination as Lucy navigates the trials and tribulations that befall her and her siblings.
Through it all is love, enduring and unbreakable, not just between Lucy and Jacob but between the Lucy and her siblings and the children she raises as her own. It’s a really thoughtful and thorough book, the story flows over the decades and carries the right amount of heartbreak and hope. If I had one criticism it would be that the war era read more as a history lesson and i didn’t feel it was pertinent to the story. It could as easily have been left out and not taken anything away from the book as a whole. I found myself skimming parts of the last few chapters of the book for that reason and would of liked a more detailed end of the story between Jacob and Lucy rather than the dates and names of key points and army personnel from the war.
I’m a sucker for historical fiction…evidently given I read so many Catherine Cookson books as I kid but there is something transformative about going back in time through the pages of a book. It satisfy the itch that I have that I should have been born in a different era, it’s exactly the kind of escapism that I want from a book! Written in such a way that the places and people of Sunderland were very much alive and visible in my mind when reading, I hope to stumble on some more Rita Bradshaw books in the future!
Reading really is such a joy :)
Lucy Fallow knows hardship, having lost her mum aged 12 & stepping up to care for her family. She also has Jacob, the boy next door who she has grown up with and grown to love. The tale that ensues is one of devastation, destitution and determination as Lucy navigates the trials and tribulations that befall her and her siblings.
Through it all is love, enduring and unbreakable, not just between Lucy and Jacob but between the Lucy and her siblings and the children she raises as her own. It’s a really thoughtful and thorough book, the story flows over the decades and carries the right amount of heartbreak and hope. If I had one criticism it would be that the war era read more as a history lesson and i didn’t feel it was pertinent to the story. It could as easily have been left out and not taken anything away from the book as a whole. I found myself skimming parts of the last few chapters of the book for that reason and would of liked a more detailed end of the story between Jacob and Lucy rather than the dates and names of key points and army personnel from the war.
I’m a sucker for historical fiction…evidently given I read so many Catherine Cookson books as I kid but there is something transformative about going back in time through the pages of a book. It satisfy the itch that I have that I should have been born in a different era, it’s exactly the kind of escapism that I want from a book! Written in such a way that the places and people of Sunderland were very much alive and visible in my mind when reading, I hope to stumble on some more Rita Bradshaw books in the future!
Reading really is such a joy :)
January 4, 2025
1920s to 1940s love story. Not usually a book I thought I would enjoy, however, I was proven so so wrong.
This book is so beautifully written and flowed so elegantly. The tragedy, the love, the lost and the desperation can be felt within these pages on such a elevated level.
Truly a fantastic book well deserving of 5 stars 🌟
This book is so beautifully written and flowed so elegantly. The tragedy, the love, the lost and the desperation can be felt within these pages on such a elevated level.
Truly a fantastic book well deserving of 5 stars 🌟
December 11, 2024
Wow Amazing!!! The plot was so well thought out and incredibly written. Looooved this. Similar vibe to where the crawdads sing so if you like that then you will like this.
July 26, 2020
Very enjoyable. The gangster element made it slightly different with a hint of danger throughout the novel. Very satisfying conclusion in relation to Tom.
September 15, 2014
As her mother lies dying, 12-year-old Lucy Fallow promises to look after her younger siblings and keep house for her father and two older brothers. Over the following years the Depression tightens its grip. Times are hard, and Lucy's situation is made more difficult by the ominous presence of Tom Crawford, who lives next door, the eldest son of her mother's lifelong friend. Lucy's growing friendship with Tom's younger brother Jacob, only fuels Tom's obsession with her. He persuades Lucy's father and brothers to work for him on the wrong side of the law as part of his plan to force Lucy to marry him. Tom sees Lucy and Jacob dancing together one night, and a chain of heartbreaking events are set in motion. Torn apart from the boy she loves, Lucy wonders if she and Jacob will ever dance in the moonlight again . . .
I had originally picked up Dancing in the Moonlight because the cover was pretty and looked to be a romance novel, which I was in the mood for. I was delightfully surprised that it was not just a romance novel of sorts though, it was a story that made me reminisce about my childhood where I read a great number of Catherine Cookson books. Rita Bradshaw is a talented author in her own right, but that era of stark storytelling is an absolute favourite of mine.
Lucy Fallow is a remarkable young girl. The oldest of seven children, she begins to take on a mothering role with her own siblings while her mother still lives, due to her last pregnancy rendering her bed-laden. When her mother's illness claims her life, it's not so much a dramatic transition when Lucy becomes the woman of the household, but it is incredibly taxing when her mother's death takes such a heavy toll on her hardworking father and brothers.
Jacob Crawford is Lucy's neighbour and childhood sweetheart; a fact he declares on Lucy's sixteenth birthday one late night while Lucy is anxiously awaiting the return of her father and brothers. Pure and sensible, Jacob is nothing like Tom Crawford, his eldest brother and apple of his mother's eye. Tom Crawford fancies Lucy as well, and what starts out as a childhood obsession becomes an all consuming desire sparked the very same night as he witnesses Jacob and Lucy dancing in the moonlight. Tom Crawford will do anything to make Lucy Fallow his.
What follows is an incredible adventure as we pursue the plight of Lucy Fallow, who loses everything she holds dear and is desperately trying to keep what's left of her family together amid the first World War and the Great Depression, whilst escaping the clutches of Tom Crawford and longing to be reunited with her beloved Jacob.
I had originally picked up Dancing in the Moonlight because the cover was pretty and looked to be a romance novel, which I was in the mood for. I was delightfully surprised that it was not just a romance novel of sorts though, it was a story that made me reminisce about my childhood where I read a great number of Catherine Cookson books. Rita Bradshaw is a talented author in her own right, but that era of stark storytelling is an absolute favourite of mine.
Lucy Fallow is a remarkable young girl. The oldest of seven children, she begins to take on a mothering role with her own siblings while her mother still lives, due to her last pregnancy rendering her bed-laden. When her mother's illness claims her life, it's not so much a dramatic transition when Lucy becomes the woman of the household, but it is incredibly taxing when her mother's death takes such a heavy toll on her hardworking father and brothers.
Jacob Crawford is Lucy's neighbour and childhood sweetheart; a fact he declares on Lucy's sixteenth birthday one late night while Lucy is anxiously awaiting the return of her father and brothers. Pure and sensible, Jacob is nothing like Tom Crawford, his eldest brother and apple of his mother's eye. Tom Crawford fancies Lucy as well, and what starts out as a childhood obsession becomes an all consuming desire sparked the very same night as he witnesses Jacob and Lucy dancing in the moonlight. Tom Crawford will do anything to make Lucy Fallow his.
What follows is an incredible adventure as we pursue the plight of Lucy Fallow, who loses everything she holds dear and is desperately trying to keep what's left of her family together amid the first World War and the Great Depression, whilst escaping the clutches of Tom Crawford and longing to be reunited with her beloved Jacob.
June 16, 2014
Enjoyable will read this author again. Yes enjoyed
September 8, 2016
Well written, the characters really come to life. The story reminded me a lot of the kind of books that Catherine Cookson wrote.
October 25, 2015
Reminded me of Cookson. Well written and easy to read with a few tear jerking moments along the way.
December 8, 2016
A great story really depicted the times it was set in really well. Showed great strength of character. Well worth a read.
February 1, 2014
inside cover is incorect on the hardback version, great story
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews