Thursday, February 23, 2017

BT Luna Rising by Selene Castrovilla {Book Review & Giveaway}






Title: Luna Rising 
Author: Selene Castrovilla 
Publisher: Last Syllable Books 
Publication date: April 25, 2017 
Target Audience: Adult 
Genres: RomanceWomen's Fiction 
Length: 450 Pages 
Source: Author 
Format: eARC 
Find It: Goodreads 
Buy It: Amazon|B&N 



My Rating:  



Life begins at thirty-eight for Long Island mom and writer Luna Lampanelli, when she kicks her secretly gay husband to the curb. She’s got her freedom, but what she wants is love.
Luna knows she doesn’t need a man to exist, but try telling that to her heart. Against the advice of Sunny, her snarky best friend, and Jiminy, the cautioning voice in Luna’s head that just won’t shut up, Luna sets course to find a mate.
Luna speed and on-line dates her way into several short-lived, surreal relationships. There’s Ari, the humorless Israeli who refuses to assimilate – to America, and to humanity. There’s Alex, the young and handsome ex-crackhead who informs Luna he doesn’t want to be monogamous while they’re in bed. There’s Memphis, the wild-eyed sadomasochist. There’s Red, angry and crippled, who becomes the catalyst for Luna to join Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous.
But before Luna can proceed to recovery, she meets the elusive but oh so appealing Trip. He’s emotionally unavailable and has the Madonna-Whore Complex, but how can Luna (aka “whore”) let him go when she enjoys his dry wit so much, and his naked body even more?
Humorously haunting and packed with unspeakable truths, Luna Rising follows a woman’s funny and heart-breaking struggle to relate with un-relatable men and an un-relatable world, and to figure out something even more un-relatable: herself.





I always make sure I read Selene's books as soon as they come out. I almost missed this one but luckily I was still able to get an early copy. I am so glad I did. I absolutely loved it as I knew I would. Selene's writing style never fails to impress me. She sucks me in from the beginning. This novel was a bit different than the ones I've read before but she still delivers a great story and even some funny quips along the way. 

Selene creates an interesting character in Luna Lampanelli, an almost-40-something mom who finds herself without a man after separating from her husband (who has kept the fact that he's gay a secret since before the wedding bells and after the birth of their two boys.) Luna is not a typical women's-fiction heroine. Though she's funny and smart, she's also deeply damaged. Her father was a heroine addict who left her in the hands of her narcissistic mother. Thus, Luna's obsessive desire for love is understandable, but her pursuit of it can be frustrating as she falls for one unsuitable man after another. You will find yourself shouting at her many times during the story "No, not him" "Stop the madness". Even with all this, Luna is still an enduring character that hooks the reader in. 

LUna kept seeking companionship over and over and just kept failing miserably each time. A funny part of the story is that she had an "inside voice" that desperately kept trying to teach her right from wrong although she rarely listened. I think many of us have been in LUna's shoes one time or another. Picking the wrong relationsips, going for the wrong guys, etc. It is exciting to see where Luna ends up when everything is said and done. 

I would highly recommend this new novel by Selene Castrovilla. She continues to be a favorite of mine. 



$25 Gift Card to Amazon or Book Depository (International)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


TOUR SCHEDULE 

Feb 1st – A Nook for Books
Feb 2nd – Her Book Thoughts
Feb 3rd – A Leisure Moment
Feb 10th – A Chick Who Reads
Feb 14th – The Invisible Diva
Feb 16th – Reese’s Reviews
Feb 24th – vvb32 reads


About Selene Castrovilla

Selene Castrovilla is the award-winning author of multiple narrative nonfiction picture books and young adult novels. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and a BA in English from New York University. She lives on Long Island with her two sons and too many cats.

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