One Moonlit Night features a half-Gypsy hero, which while not the norm, is not exactly original either. Both Mary Jo Putney and Rexanne Becnel have written stories with Gypsy heroes, and this one treads very similar ground. At times I definitely had that “been there, done that” feeling. That said, this is still an engaging, sensuous read, with a first-rate hero.

When James St. Bride, Earl of Ravenwood, abandons his pregnant Gypsy mistress, she pronounces a curse on him: the child she carries will be the only one he will ever sire. The curse proves accurate, and years later James is forced to legitimize his half-Gypsy son. Upon James’ death, Dominic St. Bride becomes the new Earl, and decides to make Ravenwood Hall his home. The townspeople are already hostile towards Gypsies, and therefore predisposed to believe the rumors from London that Dominic is a rake and a womanizer. Actually he is simply a man who feels lost; he doesn’t fit it the gadjo (non-Gypsy) world, but after living with homes and luxuries, he is no longer content with the nomadic Gypsy life either.

On his way to Ravenwood Hall, Dominic’s carriage almost collides with a beautiful, young woman. Dominic is captivated by her, and very surprised the next day when he discovers that she is one of his servants. Olivia Sherwood is a well-educated vicar’s daughter who has fallen on hard times. With both parents dead and a blind sister to support, she is forced to work for a living, and the highest paying jobs are at Ravenwood Hall. Olivia finds Dominic very attractive, but she’s also inclined to believe the rumors about his womanizing. Since her father was killed by a gypsy, she has that prejudice to overcome as well. Dominic can’t stop thinking about Olivia, and goes out of his way to see her. Soon he asks her to keep his accounts in the evenings so that they can spend more time together. As she gets to know Dominic, Olivia sees that he is a good person, and she soon overcomes her prejudice against him and Gypsies in general. But while they are very attracted to each other, there are still obstacles to their happiness. Dominic is sure Olivia is out of his reach because of his heritage, and Olivia thinks she can’t marry Dominic because she’s a servant. They also must overcome the hostility of the townspeople.

In addition to the main plot, there is a charming secondary love story. Olivia’s sister Emily has only been blind since her father’s death, which she witnessed. It is clear that the psychological trauma of his murder caused her to go blind. One day while Emily is stranded in the village, a young gypsy man comes to her aid, and she begins meeting with him while Olivia is at work. Because she can’t see, Emily doesn’t know that her suitor is a Gypsy, and he is afraid to tell her. I found Emily’s own romance thoroughly enjoyable. It was well-presented, but never threatened to overshadow the primary love story.

There was a lot to like in One Moonlit Night. As a hero, Dominic was a stand-out. With all of the horrible treatment he received, you would expect him to retaliate by behaving badly. Instead, he was determined to change peoples’ minds about him by being kind and generous. Since their dislike of him was firmly entrenched, proving himself wasn’t easy. Although he often ignored the people who treated him poorly, he didn’t come across as wimpy – he seemed to be forever rescuing people. His behavior was truly noble.

I also appreciated the love scenes, which seemed longer and more detailed than most. Although the prose tended to get a bit purple at times, on the whole the scenes were both well-written and well-timed.

My problems with the book were minor. Olivia had a habit of repeating Dominic’s words in her head, even when he had just spoken them. As a result, the reader would see entire sentences twice, sometimes on the same page, which was just too redundant. And while I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a little predictable; I could tell what was going to happen most of the time. Still, I recommend this book. Mature, nobles heroes and detailed, sensuous love scenes sometimes seem like endangered species. One Moonlit Night has both, and I consider it well worth reading.

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