Moonlight Sins (de Vincent #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers the unforgettable story of a woman whose new life has just begun—but may end in murder...
Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou—and a scorching encounter with a stranger, only to discover he’s Lucian de Vincent... her new employer. The de Vincent brothers share a massive fortune and a dark reputation. Julia cares for their troubled sister, but a menacing presence in the mansion—and the ever-present temptation of Lucian—prove dangerously distracting.
Lucian’s grandmother claimed de Vincent men fall in love once—and hard. Apparently, it’s Lucian’s turn. Julia’s compassionate care of his twin makes Lucian want to lay himself bare. But some secrets are better for Julia not to know.
The recent “suicide” of Lucian’s father is the latest in a string of deaths on the estate. Someone is eliminating the de Vincents. And the best way to get to Lucian may be through Julia...
The novel focuses on the mysteries of the de Vincent family, with the youngest brother Lucian at the forefront. Lucian is...interesting. He's hot, of course. And snarky. And arrogant. But as the book goes on, we see a sweeter side to him, too, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't end up adoring the crap out of him. It took a little bit for him to win me over, because in the beginning of the book he was so, hmmm, I guess the word would be douche-baggy? I don't know. I didn't immediately like him. But he grew on me, and I am so glad I gave him a chance because ahhhh he's fantastic.
The heroine of the novel is a woman named Julia Hughes who gets thrown into the de Vincent shuffle by accepting a job as a live-in caregiver. She's kind and caring, but she's also not a doormat. She was such a fun MC and I truly liked her!
The romance between Lucian and Julia is prominent throughout almost the entire book (save for the beginning portion before they meet--which, coincidentally is the portion where Lucian wasn't my favorite...), and goodness gracious the romantic tension was off the charts. It was so well constructed! And by the end, they were a solid ship I was most definitely on board of. I loved it so much.
The romance was the core of Moonlight Sins, but there were also mystery aspects strewn throughout which I really liked! The particular mystery encompassing this one was good. I felt like I had an idea of what was going on as I read the book, and it turned out that I did--but it also went FARTHER and I was so floored by that, in the very best way. It was fun. And then there's the cloak of mystery surrounding the entire de Vincent family, and the brothers, that will likely be delved into more as the series progresses--I wasn't sure I'd be super interested in it, to be quite honest. I'm a very impatient here-for-the-romance reader a lot of the time. But after reading Moonlight Sins? I am SO EAGER to learn more about this family (and most specifically, these brothers).
Speaking of the de Vincent brothers. While Lucian was the MC of this one, his brothers were still present and I am quite fond of them. I currently have a soft spot for Gabe, but I am very intrigued by Dev too. But most relevant to Moonlight Sins, I'll say that the dynamic of the three brothers was incredible. It's complex. They have their differences, but at the end of the day they're brothers and I am so here for it.
Overall, Moonlight Sins was an expertly written romance with the most perfect dashes of mystery to spice things up. I was caught up in this book from beginning to end, and I enjoyed it so much! And now I am seriously looking forward to continuing the series!!
4 stars - A well constructed romance with the perfect dashes of tension and mystery!
Awesome you loved it and had an idea what was going on with the mystery part. I had no clue and the author did take it a farther. Great review.
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