Local author Herb Smith has done it again. “Grace in the Moonlight,” his third and latest fiction novel, is an enjoyable escape from reality. This entertaining read is a great choice for relaxing on a beach vacation, a rainy afternoon at home, or for breakaway moments during a hectic holiday season.

Set in the 1940s, the novel uses a circular plot that symbolizes the idea that life is a cycle, and that we are constantly returning to the same patterns and experiences over and over again. Smith takes us through an eventful five-year span in the lives of Emily and Caleb as their characters evolve and mature. The tale begins and ends on the Brooklyn Bridge, symbolic of how the couple meets, and comes full circle to how they climactically reunite.

The story is rooted in hope and inspiration as the couple fall in love, have a whirlwind marriage, fend off Nazi spies and survive World War II. Though the main characters are young, life events and global hardships force the couple to confront mature circumstances that thrust them into adulthood.

Darker themes touch on loneliness, despair and hopelessness that stem from loss and families torn apart by war. Yet Smith manages to keep the story lighthearted and playful through the use of sensational backdrops and background themes. A Piper J-3 Cub airplane, convertible sports cars and lavish Manhattan lifestyles contrast starkly with the Wabanaki reservation and orphanage, both of which are scenes for the young couple’s adventure.

Smith’s dialog-driven literary style makes the book a quick read and can at times be choppy and lacking description. But despite its brevity, the story is engaging and keeps you turning pages from start to finish.

Smith is a Vietnam veteran, author and seafarer. He has been a lobsterman, boat builder, and charter boat skipper. Smith and wife Doris live in Newcastle. They have sailed around the world twice on schooners they built, and now they sail an engineless catamaran, Appledore Child.

Smith’s books are available now at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops.

Smith will be signing copies of his new book at Sherman’s Bookstore in Boothbay Harbor on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 1 p.m.