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Moonlight Sins
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: de Vincent Series #1
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Set in the heart of New Orleans MOONLIGHT SINS, the first book in the all-new de Vincent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, invites readers to enter the world the de Vincent family.
Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she had her heart and confidence shattered by her manipulative ex-husband. For the first time in her life, she’s making major changes– new job, new town and a new opportunity to forget the past. But starting over in the Louisiana bayou isn’t exactly what she thought it would be…
Lucien de Vincent – the wildest, most unpredictable brother – is having a bad week. His father has been found dead in the most suspicious circumstances. His older brother is bribing the police to avoid a scandal. And the more he spends time with, Julia the new nurse taking care of his troubled sister, the more he can’t imagine being without her. Lucien may be the unrepentant bachelor of the family but there’s something about Julia that makes him want to lay himself bare. But family secrets are starting to emerge. And the past could not only bring down a dynasty but destroy Julia in the process.
Julia knows better than to get wrapped up in Lucian. He’s from a world she can’t relate to. Plus, he’s her employer. But his wicked touch and sensual promises are too much to deny. What starts with a kiss ends with so much more.
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Excerpt:
“I want to know about you,” he spoke before she could, and then shifted closer, his knee
pressed into her thigh once more. “I have questions. I’m made of them.”
She gave a little laugh as she shook her head. “There’s nothing more to know about me than what you already know.”
“There’s literally everything to know about you,” he insisted. “Where did you go to school?
What really made you take a job like this one where you leave everything behind?”
“I went to Shippensburg University. You’ve probably never heard of it.” Like she’d ever answer that last question. Finishing off her tea, she smiled faintly. “It’s really late and I do need to get to sleep. Thank you for the tea. I think it will work.”
“But I haven’t asked you the most important question.”
Slipping off the stool, she let her hair fall forward, past her breasts. “And what is that?”
“How can you be here and be the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen?”
Julia’s head swung to his so fast she thought her it would fall right off her shoulders.
Everything about the tone of his voice and the slightly wide eyes of his said he was being genuine, but he couldn’t be serious.
Her gaze sharpened. Was he drinking something harder than chamomile? Because there was no way in the world that he truly believed that she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.
The question burned to the tip of her tongue. If he thought she was so beautiful then why did he walk away from her that night in her apartment? She swallowed the question so she didn’t have to swallow her pride.
At the end of the day, she knew who Lucian was.
He was the kind of guy who couldn’t go a weekend without getting laid. They existed. She’d met a few while in college and when she did her stint at the hospital. They weren’t exactly particular when it came to who’d they be with. Pretty much came down to whoever was available at the time.
Which meant she wasn’t going to be impressed with stray compliments that were tossed out as often as the trash was.
Lucian leaned and then spoke in a low voice, “There is another reason why I didn’t tell you who I was.”
The change of subject rattled her and she whispered back. “Why?”
He tilted his head so his mouth was directly above her ear. “Because I knew the moment you’d figured out who I was, you wouldn’t have let me come back to your apartment.”
Exhaling roughly, Julia knew she needed to pull away and stop this conversation. That was the professional and mature thing to do, but she didn’t move. She was frozen on her stool, her heart thumping in her chest.
He wasn’t done yet. “I knew that if you realized who I was, you would’ve never let me get my hand between those pretty thighs of yours and I would’ve never known how soft and slick you felt against my fingers.”
A bolt of red-hot lust blasted through her veins as heat poured into her very core. Those words created a storm inside her. A tremble rocked her body.
“So, yeah, that’s another reason why I didn’t say who I was.” His lips brushed the lobe of her ear, sending an illicit shiver across her skin.
Pulse pounding, she drew back. She felt unsteady as Lucian straightened on his chair, and she felt so close—too close to do something irrevocably reckless. Like hopping off her stool and into his lap.
“You’re not supposed to bring that up,” she reminded him. “You promised.”
He tilted his head to the side. “I didn’t promise that.”
She opened her mouth.
“I didn’t,” he insisted, and when she dragged the conversation back through her thoughts, she realized he was right. He hadn’t.
Her eyes narrowed. “Even so, it would be the appropriate thing for you to do.”
“And I think you already know how I feel about doing the appropriate thing.”
She shook her head. It was way past time to end this conversation. “Thank you for the tea, Lucian, but—” A gasp cut her off.
Lucian rose and was in front of her so quickly that she was startled. “Say it again.”
Confusion swamped her. “Say what?”
“My name.”
They were close, and he towered over her by a good foot. Julia reached out, gripping the edge of the island. “Why?”
“Because I asked?” he offered, his lips curving up at the corners. “And because I like the way it sounds coming from your lips.”
Her heart did a weird little jump. She had no idea how to respond to that request. None whatsoever.
But then he moved. He reached into the small place between them, catching the piece of her hair that had fallen across her cheek. Before she could move away, the back of his hand dragged across her cheek as he tucked the hair behind her ear. Her stupid, stupid body immediately responded once more.
Review:
Like Julia, I liked Lucian almost in spite of myself. He’s a bit over-the-top in his cocky ‘tude, but he really did know how to make both of us smile, darn him. Of course by about 2/3 in he was making Julia smile for *other* reasons…at which point, whoa.
Though I guessed some aspects of the overall mystery in the book, other parts surprised me. I really liked Gabe (the middle brother) here, and can’t wait to see what will happen in his book, out next. I’m a little afraid of Devlin, the oldest, though, and am really curious to see what Ms. Armentrout will be doing with his story to make him seem more sympathetic.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
About Jennifer L. Armentrout:
JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT is the #1 international and #1 New York Times bestselling author of over 40 books, including the Wait for You, Lux series, the Dark Elements series, and Til Death. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion, Harlequin Teen and writes steamy and fun New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. Jennifer is also the founder of Apollycon, a yearly reader event that brings in over 1400 readers and authors together each year. She currently lives in West Virginia with her husband and two dogs, Loki and Diesel.
Author Links
Tour Wide Giveaway!
To celebrate the release of MOONLIGHT SINS, we’re giving away a paperback copy of TILL DEATH by Jennifer L. Armentrout!
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback copy of Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance. Giveaway ends 2/12/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address. Duplicates will be deleted. CLICK HERE TO ENTER!
