Bostick

Moonshine

Sheena

‘Moonshine’ is the sophomore novel of indie novelist Kat Bostick. After being introduced to her with her debut release, 'Hunter's Moon', which I absolutely adored for her creative storytelling, innovative characters and ability to set an immerseful tone and mood with the writing style, I was excited when it was announced that her follow-up would be a post-apocalyptic romance piece. And as expected, the author did another remarkable job keeping me on my toes. The vibrant relationship between the characters, the compelling storyline that grabs you by the throat, and character development were some of the few strengths of this novel.
 
When it comes to the character aspect of this read, the first few chapters I was not a fan of our heroine, Liv. After being rescued by her 'Amish/redneck/farmer' savior, Joshua, she seemed selfish and ungrateful when offered food ('I'm a vegetarian', really? It's the end of the world and you're worried about killing/saving animals?), upset when not provided undergarments after bathing (Honey, it's the apocalypse. Do you honestly think he has an extra pair of panties laying around for you in a one bedroom home in the middle of nowhere?), expressing her displeasement when offered reusable feminine products that she didn't prefer (*eyeroll*), rash decision making and rude as she would at times snap and make sarcastic remarks towards him even without being probed. After everything that was done for her by someone who didn't have an obligation to help her, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Her treatment towards Joshua at times was uncalled for, she lacked maturity and was too naive for my liking, and the fact that she was so adamant in remaining a pacifist and vegetarian in a post apocalyptic world was mind-boggling. How was she a survivalist? Everyone knows that if you want to survive, which she did for five months (how the fuck, I'm still piecing it together) prior to meeting Joshua, you need to push aside your beliefs to do what you have to do to pull through another day. I was really hoping she would somewhat redeem herself during the course of my read but unfortunately she didn't.
 
Joshua on the other hand was the complete opposite. I may have been a bit bias (sue me!) but I loved the brooding hero. He was hot and cold, short tempered and emotionally unavailable but there was a subtle warmth behind his farmer like persona that could easily be missed if you were not looking closely enough. On top of that, there were reasons behind his questionable actions and despite living a somewhat sheltered life, he still opened his home to the heroine whom in my opinion didn't deserve it. Joshua speaks thoroughly with his actions and would be described as a man with a few words but that all changes the moment he meets his 'little squirrel', Liv. As the sassy heroine steps into his world, he finds it more than difficult to deal with his bubbling feelings and attraction for her, causing a lot of ‘mean’ moments, conflicting emotions, and hot and cold reactions towards her slightest touch which was entertaining to witness to say the least.
 
Oddly enough, despite my initial thoughts on Liv, Joshua and her worked well together. What more can I say, opposites attract? And if anyone knows me, I have always been a sucker for a slow burn romance and theirs hit me right in the feels. During the development of their relationship, readers are able to see the growth and depth of their characters. The relationship had a natural feel to it and there weren't any awkward pauses or scenes to make me believe otherwise. The conclusion to their story was perfect. It suited them and didn't end in any God awful cliffhangers or a premonition of more to come.
 
Needless to say, it was a captivating read from beginning to end even with my sour feelings towards the main character which just goes to show that even if you dislike the MC, the book itself can still be enthralling enough to make the read worthwhile. So kudos to the author for this delightful reading experience and if you haven’t done so already, ‘Moonshine’ alongside ‘Hunter’s Moon’ are obviously great books to add to your future TBR pile as I would highly recommend either novel if you haven’t read any of this author's works.

Moonshine

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