Moonlight Scandals

December 1, 2018
Relationship-shy Rosie Herpin becomes embroiled with Devlin de Vincent despite her best intentions, helping him unravel family secrets and open up his emotions.Despite the fact that one of her best friends is involved with a notoriously wealthy and scandalous de Vincent, Rosie has not yet met one, though she's always been intrigued. Fascinated by the supernatural, she'd love to step foot on their haunted estate, and she's secretly attracted to the eldest son, Devlin, thanks to all the local and national news and magazine photographs she sees. Dubbed The Devil, "the man was stunning, yet there was something cold about him, almost detached and a bit cruel about how he was pieced together." When she first meets him, she thinks they share a moment, but when they're thrown together again soon after, not only does he not remember her, but he insults her home and her interest in the paranormal. Still, as their paths continue to cross, their blistering physical attraction and banter-as-foreplay become too hard to ignore. Giving in to sexual attraction raises their intimacy, and soon Devlin realizes that Rosie's ability to stand up to him may also mean she's willing to stand by his side as he uncovers dangerous secrets and must be honest with his brothers about his family's past. Armentrout (Moonlight Seduction, 2018, etc.) writes a good story, and you can depend on her sexy romances to sizzle with wit and tension. However, beyond the romance, the suspense and gothic factors are clunky. The villain is nearly comic-book nefarious; interesting hints of the paranormal kind of disappear without fulfilling their promise; and one big reveal feels obvious while the other feels far-fetched. Also, a string of grammatical errors detracts from the overall quality of the writing.A sexy read that doesn't quite reach its potential.

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February 1, 2019

While putting peonies on her late husband's grave in a New Orleans cemetery, ghost hunter Rosie Herpin sees the Devil himself, or more accurately Devlin de Vincent, eldest of the heirs to his powerful family's legendary fortune, which includes an ivy-encased, supposedly haunted mansion and the curse that goes with it. Rosie certainly doesn't anticipate becoming involved in his life. But when her friend who is dating Devlin's brother is brutally attacked, Rosie is pulled into the de Vincents' notorious world and a risky relationship with Devlin, whom she hardly knows. Evil simmers beneath the surface as the characters struggle to come to terms with the grey areas between right and wrong in this complex and gripping tale. VERDICT Dark, mysterious, and yet often hilarious, this riveting page-turner sparkles with innuendo and delivers a breathtaking romance; a stunning conclusion to the trilogy. New readers may wish to start the series from the beginning. Armentrout (Moonlight Seduction) lives in Charles Town, WV.

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