Moonlight Seduction: A de Vincent Novel from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available NOW!
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Synopsis
The de Vincent brothers are back—and so is the intrigue that surrounds them—in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s sizzling new novel…
Nicolette Bresson never thought she’d return to the de Vincents’ bayou compound. It’s where her parents work, where Nikki grew up… and where she got her heart broken by Gabriel de Vincent himself. Yet here she is, filling in for her sick mother. Avoiding Gabe should be easy, especially when so much of Nikki’s time is spent trying not to be stabbed in the back by the malicious hangers-on who frequent the mansion. But escaping memories of Gabe, much less his smoking-hot presence, is harder than expected—especially since he seems determined to be in Nikki’s space as much as possible.
Gabriel spent years beating himself up over his last encounter with Nikki. He’d wanted her then, but for reasons that were bad for both of them. Things have now changed. Gabe sees more than a girl he’s known forever; he sees a smart, talented, and heartbreakingly beautiful woman… one who’s being stalked from the shadows. Now, Gabe will do anything to keep Nikki safe—and to stop the de Vincent curse from striking again.
Review
4 stars!
The second book in the de Vincente series, this is the story of middle de Vincent son, Gabriel, and, in a delicious set-up, the daughter of the family’s long-time housekeepers, Nikki.
You can read this one as a standalone as there is a good recap given, but beware that this book contains massive spoilers for the first one so if you’re planning on reading them all – do it in order.
Nikki fell for playboy Gabe as a teenager. He is ten years older that her, but that didn’t stop her from following him around, dreamily watching him and wishing that he would see her as something more than a little sister. When Nikki was 18, Gabe broke her heart and she left the de Vincente house without turning back. Now four years later, her mother is unwell and she is back to temporarily fill her place, working in the house where she practically grew up, and doing her best to avoid Gabe. But he has no intention of staying away.
I don’t want to go into a lot of detail with this review, because there are secrets, twists and turns, and you just need to dive on in and experience it, but I loved this story. Gabe and Nikki have a fantastic chemistry that has come from years of friendship and a whole lot of hidden attraction, and the sexual tension sizzles.
Nikki is a great heroine, smart and sweet, with a feistiness that makes her entertaining to read. And Gabe is an absolute sweetheart. Together they are a bit of a mess, incredibly drawn to each other yet confused by all that they are feeling, but the push and pull is really well written into a reunited-friends-to-lovers slow burn as they figure it all out, and I loved watching their inevitable fall for each other that was hot, sweet and swoony.
“I love you, Nic.” … “And if you don’t love me anymore, I’m going to spend however long it takes making you fall in love with me again.”
Following on from the previous book, there is a bit of a mystery and some nastiness that comes with who the de Vincente family are, their history, their wealth and celebrity, and the supposed ‘curse’ upon them. It adds a bit of a creepy undertone to the book, and it’s tied into the romance and the family’s story really well to create a romantic, mysterious and intriguing read.
I really enjoyed this book. Although I felt it dragged a bit at times, I remained engaged, wanting to know what was going to happen. I loved Nikki and Gabe together, and I loved the involvement of Gabe’s brothers. Lucian and Julia from the first book are a part of the story, as is older brother, Devlin, and I loved the snarky, banter-filled bond between them all. Devlin’s story is set up nicely, and I can’t wait to dive into that one up next.
4 stars.
Advanced Review Copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
de Vincente series
Moonlight Sins (#1) (Lucian)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback
Moonlight Seduction (#2) (Gabe)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | Paperback
Moonlight Scandals (#3) (Devlin)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook
Excerpt
He moved forward, maybe a foot or two, but stopped like one would if they were approaching a rabid dog. A heartbeat passed. “Your hair . . .” He tilted his head to the side. “It’s different.”
“Yeah, it is.” Her hair used to be a rather dull medium brown, but then she found this amazing hair stylist in Tuscaloosa and turned her brown hair into this array of blondes and browns, using some weird technique called balayage. “It’s basically just highlights and stuff.”
“Stuff.”
His gaze flickered over the bun. Uncomfortable, she scanned the kitchen. “And my hair is longer. A lot longer.”
His brows lifted.
Was she really telling him the length of her hair? This was the most strained conversation she’d ever had in her life. And that was, well, it was sad. She peeked at him. It used to not be this way. Back before . . . well, before she ruined everything, he’d be teasing her and asking about her college. He’d be talking to her like he could actually stand being in the same room with her.
She needed this conversation to be over like it was yesterday and she also needed to figure out how she could work here and not run into Gabe. The house was big enough that it should be possible. “I need to get back to—”
“Planting your face against the over door?”
Her shoulders slumped. “Actually, I need to finish the potatoes. So, if you’ll excuse me.” She started to turn away, praying that he’d just leave.
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say to me? Because I have a lot I need to say to you,” he said. “Never in a million years did I think I’d see you here again.”
Nikki’s spine stiffened like steel had been poured into it. Oh God. Her throat spasmed.
“We need to talk.”
“No we don’t,” she said quickly. “We do not need to talk about anything.”
“Bullshit,” he snapped, and his voice was so much closer that she turned to him on instinct.
Gabe was now at the edge of the massive island, only two or three feet from her. She stepped back into the counter. Her heart thundered in her chest as her gaze flicked to the kitchen door.
“No one is coming near here,” he said as if reading her mind.
Her gaze flew back to his. “Dev is in his office on the second floor, in a meeting and your father is out with the landscaper. No one is going to hear us.”
A weird mixture of sensations assaulted her. One was a chill that skated down her spine. The other was a tight, hot shiver that danced over her skin.
Gabe kept coming at her, not stopping until he was right in front of her, separated by a few inches. She sucked in air, catching the crisp, clean scent of his cologne. It reminded her of storms, of that night.
That was the last thing she wanted to be reminded of.
Like his brother, he was a good head and then some taller than her, so right now, her eyes were fastened to his chest.
Thank God he was wearing a shirt.
“I . . . I don’t want to talk,” she managed to say.
“I do.”
“Gabe—”
“You owe me this.”
Her body jerked as she pressed her lips together. He was right. She owed him a conversation. “Okay.”
There was another beat of silence and then he asked in a voice so low she almost didn’t believe she heard him right.
“Did I hurt you that night?”
About Jennifer L. Armentrout
#1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become a
passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance.
She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and
HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and
Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more. She is also the creator and sole financier of the annual Write Your Way To RT Book Convention, a contest that gives aspiring
authors a chance to win a fully paid trip to RT Book Reviews.
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