Customer Reviews

Masked by Moonlight

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wanted to like this book better. It had a lot going for it. The writing was well done. The werewolf part was interesting. The way he had been manipulated as he grew up to keep him emotionally dependent on the mob boss was interesting although it made him a bit too beta for my taste. The way he was so crazy about her was nice although it caused him to forgive her for all her doubts and betrayals. It seemed there was no real reason for him to love her beyond hot sex.

I didn't care for the heroine's character. Not only did she keep betraying and doubting him, she could not commit. Her being a cop covering for a mob boss (Max, once he inherited the position) was just problematic for me and she didn't seem real strong, all her strength seemed to be mere posturing. We are also told she is really physically strong but not given any reason that she has iron fists.

The biggest thing I have against it though was it was one betrayal after another. Mostly Charlotte telling Max she loved him then betraying him. This must have happened 6 or so times in the book. I just got to skimming at the end because I was so sick of the endless betrayals.

When the book ends they have made up again but considering the way the book went, that reconcilliation will last at most 2 days. Where is the HEA in that? I don't believe this relationship will last. Surely as some point, he will get tired of her doubting crap.

At the back of the book there is an excerpt of the next book and the first thing she does is doubt him when a girl turns up missing. I won't be reading any more of this series. I don't really care for series where the main characters repeat and I certainly don't care to read about characters who waffle on trust and commitment over the course of several books.

On the seedy side of New Orleans two men are brutally murdered. After examining the crime scene, Detective Charlotte "Cee Cee" Caissie's question is not who, but what killed gambler T-Bob and his shady friend. The victims' bodies were mutilated as if they had been attacked by a vicious animal. The investigation leads her to mob boss Jimmy Legere, a man she blames for kidnapping her as a teenager and murdering her father. But to get to Legere, Cee Cee must go through Max Savoie first. Max is second-in-command with a fierce reputation. Raised by the crime boss since his mother's death when he was a child, Max is Legere's most prized possession because of his secret gift, the ability to shift from man to beast. Legere uses that ability to make Max a deadly predator to protect his business interests and strike fear into his enemies.

As a smart, seasoned police woman, Cee Cee knows she should be wary of Max and his ties to Jimmy Legere, but she cannot help but be intrigued by him. When he saves her life during a vicious attack, Cee Cee realizes he was the same hero who rescued her from the brutal kidnappers years before. She falls in love with him despite learning about his true nature lurking just beneath the surface. As she delves further into the murder investigation and evidence mounts against him, she is forced to choose between her duty as a cop and her love for Max.

This is a fantastic beginning to the Moonlight series. The plot had many twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. The characters are compelling. Cee Cee and Max are troubled souls on opposite sides of the law. They're haunted by the past and longing to reach out to someone who would understand their pain. I loved Max Savoie. He was different than your typical paranormal romance hero. Sure, he was sexy, protective and strong, but he also seemed vulnerable with little identity and very few personal possessions of his own. His entire existance was controlled by Jimmy Legere until Cee Cee came into his life. A passionate physical relationship came easily between them, but learning to trust one another was far more complicated. I'd also like to say that I thought Max's shifting ability was unique, but I will let you discover the details on your own. This dark, suspenseful tale should not be missed!

Masked by Moonlight is the first in a hot new trilogy by Nancy Gideon. I killed this book in two days- it was impossible to set down. I was devoured by the main characters as Gideon laced the pages with brilliant chemistry between Max and Charlotte. Max with his tall, dark and wolfish good looks works as muscle for the local mob boss, Jimmy Legere. Charlotte is a police officer- one with daddy issues. As she scours the streets for her father's killer, she stops crime one evil SOB at a time. Under any other circumstances, these two wouldn't find themselves in the midst of a passionate endeavor, but Gideon delivers an action packed novel full of mystery and desire.

I found it easy to relate to our heroine, Charlotte, which is why I liked her so much. Watching her fight crime and deal with her life circumstances was enjoyable, to say the least. Max was just as fun to follow, making this an extremely entertaining couple. Although the chemistry between Max and Charlotte is undeniable, it occasionally felt coerced and I feel almost silly saying that as it was one of my most favorite aspects of the book. For the majority of the read, their chemistry popped right off the page. And I adore the obstacles and curve balls that Gideon throws at them, just to see them dodge one bullet after another.

Even if you're not passionate about reading romance, the plot will keep you flipping those pages. Really though, I think the romance between Max and Charlotte is enough to keep you on your toes. But the suspenseful, intriguing mystery just makes this one magnificent read. Maybe I went into this not expecting too much, as I truly thought nothing could top the previous book I'd read... However, Masked by Moonlight has depth, complexity and keeps the storing flowing so that I found it hard to become bored with the desire to skim. I loved that I had tons of questions, but enough answers that the story left me wanting to read more.

If you're into werewolves and or romance, you will love this one. And all of you Jacob Black fans have a gorgeous werewolf to dream about that isn't too young for ya. ;) Yep, brace yourself for an intense ride and clear some of your schedule because you won't be putting this one down! Chased by Moonlight, the second book in the Moonlight Trilogy, comes out June 29th and I'm excited to see where Gideon takes these characters next!

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Masked by Moonlight is a very good addition to the paranormal romance genre. Dark, well-written, angst-filled and sexy - I was never bored with it.

Despite my general wariness of romance plots that revolve around mob intrigue, I found the storyline interesting and not the least off-putting. There were a few lines here and there that seemed somewhat superfluous, flowery or not at all fitting with what one would believe coming from the characters' mouths (or anyone's mouth in real life, for that matter) but, fortunately, such instances were few. The mob drama was very believable and it tempered the fantasy of the story's shape-shifter elements well.

Every character in Gideon's book is well-drawn and constitutes a vital contribution to the story. It would have been very easy for the author to use caricatures here instead of well-fleshed out characters, given the mob theme and all. It's not that any of the characters in Masked are utterly unique in any way, but they relate so honestly to one another that most of the obvious stereotypes and cheesy lines are avoided. This is especially true for the hero, Max Savoie.

There's no way to read this book and not fall a little in love with Max. In many ways, he's the typical Alpha-male. Strong, sexy and smart, he carries most of the romance bit on his shoulders. What makes him a standout hero, though, is his vulnerability. Max is not the trusting sort. In fact, he only trusts two people in the novel - his father figure and boss, Jimmy Legere, and the only woman he's ever loved, Detective Charlotte "Cee Cee" Caissie. Given the facts that his trust is an utter gift and he personifies genuineness and loyalty, you'd think that these two individuals would appreciate it. What they actually do is consistently abuse his devotion, causing Max to be confused and hurt and inspiring readers to like him all the more. If it wasn't for the great hero that Gideon has written in Max, I would have put the book down before I made it even halfway through due to my frustrations with our heroine.

Cee Cee is absolutely infuriating at times. Her indecision and consequential bad decisions regarding Max are understandable up to a point. Her past suffering at the hands of mobster co-workers of Max's just barely excuses some of this for her. But, in the end, her pains do excuse her. Cee Cee's position with the New Orleans Police Department, as well as her personal grievances, are unfathomable obstacles to her romance with Max. I couldn't say that I would behave any differently in her situation. That said, the great love scenes would have been even hotter had I sympathized with Cee Cee a touch more.

Overall, Masked by Moonlight is a complex and darkly sexy read. The ending left plenty up in the air for the next two books, Chased by Moonlight and Captured by Moonlight, to cover and I very much look forward to seeing what's next for Max and Charlotte's complicated romance.

I was actually excited when I saw this book and was bursting with excitement to read it. However, I quickly realized that it was nit going to be a fun book. The heroine is not likable at all throughout the book. she constantly hurts the hero both emotionally and physically. The Hero on the other hand is child like. He acts like a young child would throughout the book being unable to take care of himself and relying so heavily on others makes the romance a little skeevy in my opinion. Just skip this series it really isn't worth it unless you like hero's who never became adults and mean heroines.

As soon as I heard there was a werewolf book set in New Orleans I knew I had to read it! I had such high hopes for this book and to be honest, it left me feeling frustrated.

Charlotte (CeeCee) Caissie is a New Orleans detective - tough and sexy. Max Savoie is enforcer to the most powerful mobster in New Orleans. Through a series of murders, they are thrown together and can't fight their attraction to each other. They both know it will never work, but they can't seem to stay away from each other...

The premise of the story was good - A good cop in love with a mobster; I just couldn't "buy" it. The characters were inconsistent. CeeCee is supposed to be a tough ball-breaking cop, yet she cries several times through the book and I felt like her interactions with Max were hot and cold with no in-between. Max is at times portrayed as brilliant yet in the next scene he seems childlike and dull-witted. It felt like the characters were written to fit the storyline, if that makes any sense. Their relationship kind of followed the same pattern -they'd get together and say they loved each other, then jerk away and hurt each other while hiding behind their cop/mobster roles. I had a hard time liking CeeCee, even with her painful past. She was just not very likable. Strangely enough, I liked Max when he was with CeeCee, but not when he wasn't.

I also thought the murder storyline was weak and sort of pushed aside for most of the book and brought back at the end to tie things up.

I do plan to read the 2nd book in the series, Chased by Moonlight, before I give the series a "yea" or "nay". I'm giving Masked by Moonlight 2.5/5 stars.

I gave this book 2 stars because the writing wasn't terrible but the main female lead left alot to be desired. I love a strong female protagonist, and when you read this book you would say yes, she has the hard as nails, kung fu kick ass fighting techniques down like any great urban fantasy character would, but she just didn't have the empathy, kindness or personal refelction that I feel "round out" a STRONG female lead (there are obviously other qualities that I feel complete a great heroine which I won't list because its 3 am and this lead dosen't have them anyway).
Plainly speaking, she was a bitch. She used, confused and expected unconditional love from another, while physically capable, emotionaly crippled, scared male love interest. personally I like a little Humble with my coffee...I found myself pissed and angry at her personality, annoyed that someone didn't take her down a peg, a peg where she looked at and said "I deserved that", oh she might have felt sorry but she never said it..out loud. This reminds me that there is fine line of strong female leads, which are relatable and cool, and physically strong female leads that are given attitudes that are over the top ball breaker always gotta have the last word kinda ladies that leave me feeling embarresed for the 'i'm trying to hard author'. She might have tried to show a softer side, an understanding side to this lead but it left me feeling flat and still a little pissed. This love story could have been a hundred times better if she wasn't such a selfish person ( even if her 'wants' were not for herself..sort of, but really YAWN)I honestly do go into new series with hope that I will find what I have been spoiled of in other authors works, this was not one I will keep on my list or continue reading...Sadly I still have to wait a year for the new Kim Harrison but I will because I dig that Strong female ass kicker who has a big ol heart.

I gave this book 3 stars because it is a well written book with a decent plot and it kept my interest enough that I read the whole book. Will I read the next one? Probably not unless I get it at a used bookstore or super cheap for my kindle (and only then if I am in a very good mood).

The main reason I didn't like this book is I couldn't stand the 2 main characters (can't even call them the Hero and Heroine) The male especially was a clueless, sociopathic killer who killed because either a nun or his boss (mafia crimeboss/guardian/ father figure) told him to. I didn't find his character believable at all and would have liked the author to give him a little more feeling or something to make me believe he had some redeeming character. The couple of times he didn't folllow orders just didn't seem real to me, no explanation other then it didn't fit the plot.

The female also came across the same way. She is a cop who can't explain why she is sleeping with the male except for lust and to use him to get access to his boss. I saw another review compare this to the in death series and there is no real comparison. Had there been some real explanations about what they were thinking, I might have found the main characters believeable and given this 4 stars.

Since this is the first in a trilogy, maybe the next one will be better but I was left with such a feeling of disgust, disbelief and annoyance at the total unbelievability of these 2 characters that I can't bring myself to read the next one. This book was so close to being a great book that eventually I might change my mind and try another one but it will be quite a while. There were just too many instances of my being left feeling that things happened only because the author said they were supposed to happen and not because she made me believe they could happen.

Masked in Moonlight is the first book in a new trilogy that will follow the same couple in all three books. We are introduced to Charlotte Caissie, a tough homicide detective, and Max Savoie, the right hand man of the most powerful crime lord in New Orleans--despite their mutual attraction to each other they know it'll never work out. But they are thrown together after a string of gruesome murders were committed with Charlotte having to investigate it and Max being the main suspect. Their being on the opposite side of the law makes for a very complicated relationship but there are plenty of sparks between the two. Both Max and Charlotte have very troubled pasts and they have a lot of issues to work out both within themselves and with each other. I am glad we'll get to know more about them of in the upcoming books.

This book is a dark urban fantasy set in New Orleans and I thought the author did an excellent job describing the setting--I can practically feel the dry heat and the damp swamps, see the garbage strewn dark alleys and the dangerous creatures that hide in shadows. There are a lot of plot twist and turns in the story and non-stop action. Yet, despite all that I felt like there's something missing in the story. I can't quite put my finger on it but this something kept me from fully appreciating the book. Maybe it's the fact that while I connected with and felt for Max's character immediately, it took me a while to do so with Charlotte (if I ever did). She's supposed to be this kick-ass, hard-hitting cop but I never really got that and she wasn't... sympathetic and I felt more for her friend Mary Kate who was with her when they were kidnapped and tortured as teenagers. I can't wait for the next book to come out because I want to get to know her character better.

If your looking for a dark, urban fantasy series read with an intriguing, multidimensional hero vividly set in New Orleans, you might want to pick this book up.

4.25 stars out of 5

Masked by Moonlight features the most deliciously different hero I've ever "met". Max Savoie is sexy, scary, ferocious, and endearing by turns.
Gorgeous, long-legged, Charlotte "Cee Cee" Caisse is a straight-arrow detective for NOPD. Her ties with Max go way back, but it's not something she's comfortable admitting. He rescued her from a brutal kidnap/rape when she was a teenager, and although the memories are buried, she's never forgotten Max. Because of her early bad experiences with men, she has become a kick-ass, ice queen. She's all about the job.
Cee Cee becomes involved with Max again, when she is investigating the murder of two men. She suspects the brutal killings were ordered by crime boss, Jimmy Legere. Cee Cee has an ax to grind, as she's sure Jimmy orchestrated the murder of her policeman father years ago. She suspects that Max, his rumored tame assassin, is the killer in her current case. She expects to prove that Max committed the murders and she expects to take Legere down with him.
What she doesn't expect is the instant, visceral attraction she feels for Max the minute she sees him again. Nor the way that Max seems to almost surrender to her will, accepting whatever she can give him in their growing relationship. As the case developes, Cee Cee walks a fine line between the law, and her strange need to connect with Max. The man who is a frightening alpha male to others, is heartbreakingly tender with her. She hears convincing rumors of horrible maimings, yet, he kneels at her feet as a supplicant. As a matter of fact, Max doesn't seem like any other man she's ever known. That's because he's not. He's not even human...

The plot twists and turns are riveting, and I can't believe Ms. Gideon gets her H/H out of the terrible situations she gets them into, but she does, and believably. And the sexual tension? Wowwie, mamma! I had to stop reading a couple of times, just to breathe!
I'm not giving you any more. Go out and get this book. Find out what happens...at midnight. You'll be hooked just as I was. Now I'm waiting anxiously for the next two. And luckily, I won't have to wait long. Two and three are coming out in July and August!