The fifth book in the series, The Moon Sister, is one of my favorites alongside Seven Sisters (the first book) and the reason I got into the series. I stumbled upon it while working on returns at the library. Someone had returned the large print copy of the item and the synopsis got me curious. However, when I found out it was book five, I did decide to read the other books first. Even though I didn’t have to since each book is acts as a standalone with very little to do with the previous books. At least until book seven, The Missing Sister, which has all of the six sisters meeting up to fins the “missing sister” that Pa Salt never found. Regardless, I read all the books prior so that I could get familiar with the story.

General Disclaimer

Routine disclaimer for the found family and how it meshes with adopted family concept.

While this series does involve each character finding their birth family, I do not believe that it was the author’s intent to diminish adopted families. Having read the series, I interpreted it as each daughter being given the choice to find their birth families if they so choose. With each daughter choosing to investigate their history.

Disclaimer: The Romani and a Terms Deemed Offensive to Them

I wanted to take a moment to discuss this a little bit. First of, I did like how it explored a Romani angle with Tiggy and her family was interesting, and based on a Q&A, https://lucindariley.co.uk/seven-sisters-series/the-moon-sister/q-a-the-moon-sister/ Lucinda Riley did have an interest in learning about the culture and beliefs.

That said, I feel like a certain topic should be addressed. Several times in the book and in the Q&A, she does use the word G*psy. For those of you who might not know, it is a term that is considered offensive to the Romani people. The average person might not know this, but it is something I have come to learn about over the years and have refrained from using out of respect.

Since I cannot confirm intent, I will give her the benefit of the doubt and say she wasn’t trying to be malicious. Ill informed, perhaps, but not malicious. And with her passing in June of 2021, there may be no way to get a concrete answer. As such, I do not wish to make an assumption on intent and knowledge about the term. I am not excusing any offensive terms being used, but I do know that it is possible that she could have been misinformed and not malicious. However, if it comes to light that she was being malicious with it (via rough drafts, journals, etc.) I would definitely reconsider my approach to this book and would not recommend it.

Synopsis

After Pa Salt’s passing, Taygete “Tiggy” D’Aplièse returns to her work on a wildlife preservation in Scotland. She does decide to investigate her family history and finds herself developing feelings for Charlie, the doctor that she has been staying with, despite knowing his relationship with his wife, soon to be ex-wife. When her health takes an unexpected turn, she finds herself needing medical treatment that brings her to Granada Spain, where her family had lived.

Meanwhile, in 1912, readers are introduced to Lucia Amaya Albaycin, a n up and coming flamingo dancer in Granada Spain. She is passionate about her skill and has the chance to expand it and travel. However, as war breaks out and her career growing, Lucia finds herself having to choose between her dancing, the man she loves, and her family.

Positives

This is one book where I enjoyed both the present and the past parts. Much like the previous two books, I found myself relating to areas of the story and characters, namely Tiggy, who is an animal lover, as am I. And while she was drawn to Scotland, I find myself drawn to learning more about Ireland. I also liked how she grew. Tiggy is also one of my favorite sisters, maybe even my favorite. I liked her kind hearted and calm nature.

As for Lucia’s portions, I did like the direction they went with it. While it did have elements that were similar with the previous past stories in pervious books, I liked to approach. I enjoyed how it had Lucia following her dreams and the slow burn that was to come. I didn’t want the character to fail, but it was interesting to see how her passion and her

The Grey Area

Though I am curious about the Romani people, I will admit my information about them and their culture is limited. So I cannot say how accurately they were portrayed, I do think Lucinda Riley did a good job in some areas. They weren’t shown to be malicious like some media may portray them, but people living their own lives and wanting to better themselves and their people. And again, while I know certain terms used for them are considered derogatory, I cannot confirm if Lucina Riley was being malicious when using it.

Critiques

One critique I did have was with the whole thing with Charlie’s ex-wife and the whole cheating concept to Tiggy and Charlie’s relationship. While Tiggy did try to suppress her feeling for Charlie given the circumstances, but it wasn’t quite executed the best.

I also don’t really care for Zad, Maia’s questionable ex, returning in this book. I don’t think he was really necessary to have in the story. FOr whatever reason, he pops up several times throughout the series trying to get with one of the D’Aplièse sisters. He was in a relationship with Maia, tried to get with Tiggy, and was with Electra for a brief time between the two.

Conclusion

I would rate this book an eight out of ten. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read. The story in Granada, Spain was nice and I did like aspects of Tiggy’s story as well. However, elements of Tiggy and Dr. Charlie’s relationship, Zed, and the use of a term deemed offensive to Romani people (malicious or not), do bring this story down.