Olivia Hamilton marries Dean Robinson, she doesn’t care that her elderly father doesn’t approve and the newlyweds move to Miami. Dean changes professions, he’s now a pilot and he flies private jets. When Dean’s plane vanishes over the Bermuda Triangle, he’s the only one aboard and Olivia’s shocked and devastated. The official verdict is announced, despite this Olivia still holds onto some hope, as time goes on she has to accept Dean’s gone and moves on with her life.

Melanie Brown is a particle physicists who’s doing her research dissertation at Columbia University on the Bermuda Triangle, when her mother dies in a tragic accident, she loses interest in her work and she begins seeing a therapist. Melanie starts to look forward to her weekly therapy appointments, she forms an attachment to her therapist, they begin a secret love affair and he’s committed a serious breach of medical ethics.

Years later a shocking discovery links Olivia, Dean and Melanie. The man Olivia loved, married and mourned may have been lying to her and surly Dean wouldn’t have faked his own death and why?

I received a copy of Beyond the Moonlit Sea from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Told from multiple points of view, it’s an entwined and tangled tale about love, loss, grief, and the effects of childhood trauma, social status, pressure, responsibility and work have on the characters. The story uses the odd occurrences that happen at the Bermuda Triangle to add mystery and suspense to the narrative and it worked for me. This is the third book I have read by Julianne MacLean, I thoroughly enjoyed the light romantic thriller and four stars.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beautifully written and wonderful characters. Olivia shows true grit through this whole book. A great escape.

2.5 Stars

This story is told from three points of view...Dean, Melanie and Olivia. We also have a timeline that goes from 986 to 2017. I know it sounds a tad confusing but trust me, the author does this brilliantly. There is also a lot going on in this story, many issues are tackled. There is grief, alcoholism and abandonment to name but a few. This book can also go under many genres, historical fiction, romance and mystery. I loved Olivia's chapters the most, I felt that part of the plot was the most realistic and entertaining. I had a really hard time with the chapters dealing with Dean and Melanie's relationship. I found it a little unbelievable and immature and also kinda gross. This was an okay read overall and deserves an ok rating.

This novel was a little slow to start (for me) but once it got going, I really enjoyed it. I was really interested in the Bermuda Triangle story line and seeing how everything connected/played out!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

This is the first book I've read by Julianne MacLean and I can't wait to read her others. 'Beyond the Moonlit Sea' had me captivated from the very beginning. So many twists and I loved how the story evolved over decades.

I've enjoyed Julianne MacLean's novel in the past, and this one was no different. It drew me in right from the beginning, and it was nice that it took a while before the two separate story lines finally intersected. It was intriguing and interesting, and kept me reading!

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Women’s Fiction
General Fiction

Review:

This book has interesting and original plot, in no way predictable, this is what I enjoyed most about the book. Overall the story well written and has an nice pace, the writing flows well with the right mixture of mystery and suspense. The characters are interesting and complex, and nothing is quite as it seems. This made it very captivating This is a book well worth reading.

I've never read a Julianne MacLean book before, but she is an author I will definitely seek out in the future. I absolutely LOVED Beyond the Moonlit Sea. It is nothing like what I expected, but that's OK. It's fun to be surprised and intrigued.

The synopsis said it is about a woman named Olivia Hamilton whose husband, Dean, goes missing around the Bermuda Triangle in a plane he was piloting alone. True. It also said there was a woman named Melanie Brown, a student doing a dissertation on why planes disappear in that section of the ocean. Also true. I knew these women's paths would eventually intertwine, which they do, but not all at like I initially guessed.

This novel has the mystery, romance, high-quality writing, and momentum of The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave, which is one of the highest compliments I can offer. I could NOT put it down. Many plots have multiple points of view from different characters, but this one did it expertly, allowing the reader to see inside the minds of Olivia, Dean, and Melanie. By doing so we are reminded that sometimes our circumstances are the results of our own choices and sometimes by the choices of others. We also get a glimpse of the three main characters' motivations and inner turmoil over several years.

Beyond the Moonlit Sea is a winner and one of the best novels I've read this year. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy.

This story interested me so quickly and I was not able to put this book down. I wanted to learn what had happened to Dean, Olivia and Melanie. Another great book from Julianne MacLean.

Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne MacLean, published by Lake Union Publishing is an outstanding book that had me in suspense from start til the last page. This slow burn spans decades and tells Olivia's story.
Olivia is happily married when her husband, a pilot goes missing in 1990. She's devastated, griefing, looking for reasons. Slowly, very slowly she starts living again. Another man comes in her life, she gets a beautful family, and still, she never forgot her allegedly soulmate. Til it all comes crashing down on her.
Firs I was a bit confused about the characters who seems didn't have anything in common. But soon the author did an fantastic job bringing it all together. With alight hand and seemingly seamless. A book that I took great pleasure in reading, 5 stars. A heart-wrenchingly, beautiful story that'll stay with me.

I found this book had some wonderful twists and turns. The story is captivating, and the characters are wonderfully drawn, layered and interesting. The story is gripping, and I had trouble walking away from this book and read it in a few days. Thank you so much for this read Lake Union and NG in exchange for a fair and honest review

An enjoyable read which kept me wanting to read on. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

This is the first book that I have read by this author and it wont be the last, I relly liked it. A quick, easy read that started off as a slow burn but increased in pacing as the tension in the plot increased. Suspenseful, secrets and drama combined with twists and unpredictability. A really good read.

This was most certainly not my first read by Julianne MacLean, suffice it to say, I'm a fan. This one jumps around a little at first but keep reading, it all starts to settle in around chapter three and then it just takes off with secrets, lies, dysfunctional and twisty turns. Ms. MacLean certainly paints a picture. I would absolutely recommend this one.


As always, thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne MacLean is a fairly quick and easy read. I choose it as I was fascinated with the idea of a book connected to the Bermuda Triangle but really beyond the few ideas put forward by Oliva in the first few chapters and the fact that the man of the book, Dean, goes missing it has only a small part to play.

I enjoyed reading this book but was not wowed by it and it will be easily forgotten. A good novel for a holiday read certainly.

My first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! Such a gripping novel that made it hard for me to put his book down once I started it. Highly recommend!!

This book covers several different time periods … late 80s to 90s and 2012 to 2017. The story is told from three points of view … Dean, Olivia, and Melanie. I made assumptions on where the author was headed with different threads … Olivia dealing with grief, that Melanie’s PhD project would provide information about Dean’s disappearance, etc., I was pleasantly surprised at the unexpected twists. I love when the ending of a book takes me by surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Julianne is great storyteller. It’s a very intense story about family bonds and relationships. So many twists and turns. The kind of book you wont be able to put it down. I highly recommend it.

Wow, this was unputdownable! My fifth graders were laughing at me as I was trying to read in between classes. You will love every page. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read.

Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne MacLean Book Review by Shirley Weidner 4-4-22
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review.

Have you ever wondered about those lost in the Bermuda Triangle? Beyond the Moonlit Sea is a romantic novel about love: young love, passionate, intense love, love lost too soon, taboo, erotic transference with a professional therapist, love that never was enjoyed because of choices, and natural family love! Author Julianne MacLean does it again with complex characters and she never disappoints!