Many years have passed since Jessilyn Lassiter twiddled her days away playing with dolls. All grown-up at the age of nineteen, she is ready to face the world and the challenges it may bring. Madly in love with her beau, Luke Talley, she lives with the hope that one day soon they will become husband and wife. If only he could come to realize that they would make the perfect pair. Patiently she waits for her dream to come true.

When a young black doctor named Tal Pritchett arrives in town, Jessilyn's near-perfect life suddenly turns upside down. A gentle soul with a heart of gold, this man steals her friend Gemma's heart leaving Jessilyn feeling left out and all alone. Side by side, Gemma and Tal attend to the sick while Jessilyn slowly comes to grips with the meaning of this new relationship. Right before her very eyes, Jessilyn watches her confidant and closest friend begin to slip away.

Just as Tal starts to make a name for himself among his people, a prominent white woman named Miss Cleta summons this black man for medical care. This innocent request from one human being to another turns into a racial uproar resulting in the lynching of one of the town's young men. Sparked by this incident, the Klan once again goes on attack against Jessilyn and the ones she loves.

With a town in turmoil, Jessilyn must face the cruel indecencies of the prejudicial world in which she lives. Trying to come to grips with it, she questions God's role in the injustice of it all and doubts her own faith. Will Jessilyn be willing to accept God's divine judgment? Or, has the brutality she has witnessed destroyed her spirit forever?

CATCHING MOONDROPS is the third book in Jennifer Erin Valent's powerful trilogy that explores the racial prejudices of the old South. From her eloquent prose to the unforgettable moments of raw emotion, Valent delivers a historical novel that is sure to sweep even the toughest critic off his or her feet.

Book Summary

Jessilyn Lassiter no longer has to convince people she’s not a child. Having just turned 19 in the summer of 1938, her love for Luke Talley has never been more real. And Luke is finally beginning to care for her in the way she’s always dreamed of.

But their budding romance is interrupted when Tal Pritchett—a young, black doctor—comes to Calloway, stealing the heart of Jessilyn’s best friend, Gemma, and stirring up the racial prejudice that has been simmering just beneath the town’s surface.

The tension starts to bubble over when Jessie’s elderly neighbor Miss Cleta becomes the first white townsperson to accept Tal’s treatment.

And when a young black man is lynched, Calloway is brought to its knees once again as Jessilyn realizes that her anger can make her heart as full of hate as the klan members who have terrorized her town and her family.

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