Megan’s Must Reads

“The Running Moon'' by Brett Hayes was published around July and September, 2017. I chose the quote above because it describes Hayes' book wonderfully.

It took Hayes a considerable amount of time to write, and includes great detail. The easy going Bryson Keahbone makes you anticipate the ending, and the antagonists, The Mongers, make you root for Keahbone even more.

Keahbone is a Native American marathon champion, and his father, referenced in the first few chapters, is ‘The Bronze Man.’ In the book, we follow Keahbone as he faces challenges. After the death of his father, his mother soon gave into death’s embrace.

Once his mother died, he went on to live his life and get married to a woman named Becky, who later died after his last tournament as a runner. After this happens, he leaves to travel the world backpacking, seeing sights such as Europe, because he wanted to forget the memories that loom over him.

After doing this for a while, he then decided he'd return back home to face his destiny as you cannot run away from it. He applies to become an English teacher, much like the author Hayes is in real life.

He gets an interview with the principal of the school, Piper Hitchcock; his “new, beautiful, control-freak boss” as stated in Hayes’ book summary. Hitchcock mistrusts men because of her unfaithful ex-husband. So upon meeting Keahbone, she dislikes him.

She has good reason to dislike him, he was late to the interview causing Piper to move on to more important things. Only for him to show up sometime later unannounced of where he has been, and don’t forget the fact that he parked in her parking spot. The audacity! But, not everything about Keahbone is annoying, because unbeknownst to Piper, the spark between her and Keahbone will soon flare so bright it cannot be snuffed.

It’s safe to say that it wasn’t love at first sight but more like love at first you make my blood boil, type of way.

The many characters of Hayes book leave you crying, laughing, or cursing the book at all hours of the night. It’s safe to say that once you start reading, you won’t leave this book without connecting with at least one of the characters.

Even the much hated Mongers are lovable, well some of them. The character I connect with the most is Hitchcock, only because she is what I inspire to be most. A successful young woman, who has to find herself again and go through the pain of her husband not loving her whilst having a son of her own. She’s very strong and courageous and now has to find a way to trust love again after it let her down.

With all that said, Hayes’ ``The Running Moon'' is a good read, albeit a little rough around the edges. If you’re looking for a book to recommend to your book club buddies at your next meeting, this might just be it.

It’s a captivating read, with lovable characters, dislikable enemies, and an awe-inspiring romance. What more could you want? Although it’s well written, this book isn’t for everyone, with certain scenes such as: incest, murder, and a few curse words strewn about.

What can you expect with an action packed adventure with mythical creatures and the shadow of death looming about? You can find Brett Hayes book on Amazon, or the Barnes and Noble website for about $20.95.