Althea Ford has survived a horrific childhood that still isn’t over. After killing a young boy in the line of duty, Sheriff Jefferson Hicks lost his job, his wife, and his self-respect. Alexis Harrington’s novel Allie’s Moon is the tender, though at times pulse-pounding, story of how these two broken people help each other heal. It will appeal to fans of Americana in general and LaVyrle Spencer in particular.

After her tyrannical father’s death, Althea single-handedly maintains her family’s farm and her “fragile” sister Olivia. Althea was raised to believe that she was the source of her family’s problems, and she carries enormous guilt with her. Her sister treats her as a personal servant, and Olivia’s “spells” keep Althea isolated from the outside world.

Jeff is also scarred by his past and the guilt he feels. Since killing a boy he genuinely cared for in self-defense, he has become an alcoholic and a vagrant. When the new sheriff arrests him for stealing an egg, Jeff finds himself on the Fords’ farm as their hired man. Althea (or Allie, as he nicknames her) enthralls him, Olivia doesn’t trust him, and the abusive father of the boy he shot is out for revenge.

Allie’s Moon presents two sympathetic people and realistically depicts their need for each other and their recovery. Harrington doesn’t slip into the trap of suggesting that love alone can solve the problems of the past, but she does show how it gives Jeff and Allie the courage to fight for what they want. Though Allie and Jeff are familiar types of characters, Harrington makes them sympathetic, complex people who came to life for me.

This book is not without its flaws, however, and the villain is a major flaw here. Make no mistake, the villain of this book is the most chilling I’ve ever read in a romance novel. Most of us know what it’s like to be manipulated by someone you know, but this particular villain takes manipulation to a sickening art form. But even as I was drawn into the villain’s evil, I had trouble understanding why Allie was unable to recognize how diabloical this person was. This distracted from my enjoyment of the book.

But still, Allie’s Moon is a fine book that deserves to find its audience. This compelling tale was an unexpected treat, and if you like Americana, I hope you’ll give it a chance.