Review: Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moonlight Scandals 
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication date: January 29, 2019
Series: de Vincent #3
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Source: AvonBooks and Edelweiss

GOODREADS  |  AMAZON

S Y N O P S I S

Even a ghost hunter like Rosie Herpin couldn’t have foreseen the fateful meeting between two mourners that has brought her so intimately close to the notorious and seductive Devlin de Vincent. Everyone in New Orleans knows he’s heir to a dark family curse that both frightens and enthralls. To the locals, Devlin is the devil. To Rosie, he’s a man who’s stoking her wildest fantasies. When a brutal attack on her friend is linked to the de Vincents, he becomes a mystery she may be risking her life to solve. 

Devlin knows what he wants from this sexy and adventurous woman. But what does Rosie want from him? It’s a question that becomes more pressing—and more dangerous—when he suspects her of prying into the shadows of his past. 

Now, the legends surrounding the de Vincents may not be myths at all. But if she’s to discover the truth, she must follow them straight into the arms of the man she can’t resist—the handsome devil himself.

M Y   T H O U G H T S

Fasten your seatbelts because the final installment in Armentrout’s de Vincent trilogy is one heck of a twisty ride. Filled with plot twists galore and jaw-dropping revelations, Moonlight Scandals is a mic drop ending to the series.

Enigmatic Devlin had been a big question mark for me since the start of the trilogy. Aloof, cold, enigmatic… it was impossible to get a read on the guy and I wasn’t even sure he was a good egg. This installment shines a light on the oldest de Vincent brother and we learn what goes on behind those blue-green eyes. Needless to say, there’s a lot more to Devlin de Vincent than meets the eye.

Rosie has long been fascinated by talk of the de Vincent curse and when an attack on her friend has her brushing elbows with Devlin, she’s eager to learn all she can. But Devlin stonewalls her at every turn even as their attraction to one another grows. Their relationship runs hot and cold – trading insults one minute and trading steamy hot kisses the next – and the more Rosie is drawn to Devlin, the more she questions the truth behind the secrets and scandals surrounding the de Vincent’s.

File this under the heading “it’s not you, it’s me”, but I’ve gotta say I wasn’t the biggest fan of the relationship between Devlin and Rosie. Individually they were great, and goodness knows their chemistry was off the charts, but I’ve never been a big fan of the hate-to-love trope and it’s in full effect here. Rosie and Dev spar and bicker and trade insults. There’s something there but both are wary of the other and trust is a big issue. Fans of the enemies-to-love/hate-to-love trope will probably squeal in delight over their back and forth barbs, but it left me feeling like they just didn’t belong together. But like I mentioned, this was totally a me thing.

Plot-wise Armentrout hit this one out of the park. I did guess one significant reveal midway through the second book (Moonlight Seduction) but that didn’t detract in the least because there were plenty more where that came from. Secrets were shared, backgrounds came to light, and the OMG moments just kept on coming. All the skeletons in the closet came tumbling out and left me reeling. I bow to Armentrout’s genius at delivering plot twists that blew my mind and had me yelling, “No way!” more than once. Well played, Jennifer, well played.

If you’ve already jumped into the world of the de Vincent’s, you’re going to love this explosive finale. And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?

4/5 STARS

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.