Take a photo of a barcode or cover
This is hard to review because it is not what I expected. This is more a 3rd person POV UF with a relationship of long standing changing into something more. Does the relationship dominate, no it doesn't though it is a big part of how the investigation and storyline proceeds. The two main characters having a relationship is quite impossible yet they do and from a long time back though Cassie (aka Cee Cee, Charlotte) finds this out in the first part of the book as she didn't remember.
Max has been raised, controlled, and shaped by a crime lord. He is the muscle and totally devoted to his adoptive father. Cee Cee is a police investigator. She has a feeling where Max is concerned and thinks he is better than the man he works for. She blames the man Legere, for things that happened in her past and want to shut him away for life. This doesn't make for an easy relationship to build between the characters but it does. I believe Max has a bond like obsession for the officer and as Cee Cee learns more of her past, she realizes that she is connected to him on a fundamental level.
The case of Legere, Max's controller, and what the past tells the future has many twists and turns and is very interesting. Much is revealed and resolved. Exactly where the relationship is and can go, is not. To me a romance has either a happily ever after or happy for now, other than the tragic ones though this is none of those. This was about the crime and investigation and where both of the characters belong, there are twists and turns and it is interesting. We are left wondering how their lives as they are, he as a person in a crime sindacate and she as a police detective can move on after the changes that occur here. From the description of the next, they have more investigations to test their relationship and jobs.
Max has been raised, controlled, and shaped by a crime lord. He is the muscle and totally devoted to his adoptive father. Cee Cee is a police investigator. She has a feeling where Max is concerned and thinks he is better than the man he works for. She blames the man Legere, for things that happened in her past and want to shut him away for life. This doesn't make for an easy relationship to build between the characters but it does. I believe Max has a bond like obsession for the officer and as Cee Cee learns more of her past, she realizes that she is connected to him on a fundamental level.
The case of Legere, Max's controller, and what the past tells the future has many twists and turns and is very interesting. Much is revealed and resolved. Exactly where the relationship is and can go, is not. To me a romance has either a happily ever after or happy for now, other than the tragic ones though this is none of those. This was about the crime and investigation and where both of the characters belong, there are twists and turns and it is interesting. We are left wondering how their lives as they are, he as a person in a crime sindacate and she as a police detective can move on after the changes that occur here. From the description of the next, they have more investigations to test their relationship and jobs.
I had a very difficult time figuring out how I felt about this book. In the end I think I felt frustrated yet hopeful?
Charlotte (Cee Cee) Cassie is a cop in New Orleans. When she was younger she was kidnapped and tortured by the goons of a local crime boss Jimmy Legere. Cee Cee's father was a cop who was relentlessly clean and relentless about shutting down illegal operations like Jimmy's. But Cee Cee was rescued and Jimmy decided more direct methods were necessary so he managed to have Cee Cee's father assassinated right in front of his family while eating Sunday dinner.
Hence Jimmy has become Cee Cee's white wale to land. But standing in her way in Jimmy's right hand man and enforcer, Max Savoie. Jimmy is the undisputed leader of all things crime in NOLA because of Max. Max is a shape-shifter and a ruthless killer. In this universe entities life shape-shifters are the stuff of fairytales. No one but Jimmy really knows exactly what Max is. He simply instills fear in all Jimmy's enemies and he is fiercely loyal to Jimmy. With Max by his side, Jimmy is unbeatable. But Max has a soft spot for Cee Cee.
Recognizing this, Cee Cee decides to use it and him to her advantage. But she does not expect to come to feel things for Max or learn some devastating secrets about him that make her want to protect him at all costs.
So...as a set up for romance and conflict that is pretty damned stellar. So how does a cop who needs to get justice reconcile her feelings for a crime enforcer for her biggest enemy? Well that is the problem. Done well, I think this book would have been great for me. It had the right type of conflict for a couple to overcome -- not contrived or boring. And both main characters were easy to root for because in the end they are both victims of Jimmy Legere.
However the execution feels a bit off.
For one, the romance seemed to take place in fits and starts. Cee Cee and Max connect, fight, connect again, fight again. Sometimes as a reader you are not really sure where they are in their tug of war. Is Cee Cee using Max? Can he trust her? Added to that, Cee Cee is a cop, Max is a known underworld figure and they begin to openly, publicly date. However there is no blowback on Cee Cee for this. I think one of my bigger frustrations is that the romance between Cee Cee and Max seemed to take place in a bubble where the only ramifications are between the two of them and Jimmy. Outside of the bubble it feels like Max's job is no more scandalous than if he had been a low-rent defense lawyer. Also, at one point Cee Cee agrees to participate in a plan of Max's that made me scratch my head. It was a move that no cop would make. Only much, much later in the book does Cee Cee begin to question the logistics of their pairing.
Since the romance is such a huge part of the story, I think my issues with how the romance is executed loom large over the whole book. However there are other areas where I think the book absolutely soars.
Max. In many paranormal or UF books there are tortured heroes with harrowing pasts who have overcome to be the bad-ass Alpha heroes we meet in the book. The thing with Max though is that he hasn't even come close to doing his overcoming. As a matter of fact, we are witness to him as he is confronted with the awfulness of his past and has to work through it and his relationship with Jimmy during the course of the book. In some ways it has the effect of making Max seem incredibly vulnerable. There are some points in the story where the child Max was is very close to the surface. But in other ways it serves to really bring the reader very close to Max. You enjoy watching him triumph over his demons and actually see him become that bad-ass Alpha hero in the end. There is an intimacy in watching him work through it rather than to be told about how he overcame it.
Jimmy. Excellent villain. The author did this thing where a time or two I questioned whether Jimmy was really all that bad or whether Cee Cee was on the wrong track. And then, Bam! I'd get my question answered in a quick ruthless way only to go up the rollercoaster again. He was wonderfully drawn and beautifully Machiavellian. Even Cee Cee had to admit that in the end.
Since this is the first book in a series and the whole series continues to follow Max and Cee Cee I am hoping that some of the flow issues get worked out. I am fascinated enough with these two to see how their romance can possibly flourish given their differences.
Charlotte (Cee Cee) Cassie is a cop in New Orleans. When she was younger she was kidnapped and tortured by the goons of a local crime boss Jimmy Legere. Cee Cee's father was a cop who was relentlessly clean and relentless about shutting down illegal operations like Jimmy's. But Cee Cee was rescued and Jimmy decided more direct methods were necessary so he managed to have Cee Cee's father assassinated right in front of his family while eating Sunday dinner.
Hence Jimmy has become Cee Cee's white wale to land. But standing in her way in Jimmy's right hand man and enforcer, Max Savoie. Jimmy is the undisputed leader of all things crime in NOLA because of Max. Max is a shape-shifter and a ruthless killer. In this universe entities life shape-shifters are the stuff of fairytales. No one but Jimmy really knows exactly what Max is. He simply instills fear in all Jimmy's enemies and he is fiercely loyal to Jimmy. With Max by his side, Jimmy is unbeatable. But Max has a soft spot for Cee Cee.
Recognizing this, Cee Cee decides to use it and him to her advantage. But she does not expect to come to feel things for Max or learn some devastating secrets about him that make her want to protect him at all costs.
So...as a set up for romance and conflict that is pretty damned stellar. So how does a cop who needs to get justice reconcile her feelings for a crime enforcer for her biggest enemy? Well that is the problem. Done well, I think this book would have been great for me. It had the right type of conflict for a couple to overcome -- not contrived or boring. And both main characters were easy to root for because in the end they are both victims of Jimmy Legere.
However the execution feels a bit off.
For one, the romance seemed to take place in fits and starts. Cee Cee and Max connect, fight, connect again, fight again. Sometimes as a reader you are not really sure where they are in their tug of war. Is Cee Cee using Max? Can he trust her? Added to that, Cee Cee is a cop, Max is a known underworld figure and they begin to openly, publicly date. However there is no blowback on Cee Cee for this. I think one of my bigger frustrations is that the romance between Cee Cee and Max seemed to take place in a bubble where the only ramifications are between the two of them and Jimmy. Outside of the bubble it feels like Max's job is no more scandalous than if he had been a low-rent defense lawyer. Also, at one point Cee Cee agrees to participate in a plan of Max's that made me scratch my head. It was a move that no cop would make. Only much, much later in the book does Cee Cee begin to question the logistics of their pairing.
Since the romance is such a huge part of the story, I think my issues with how the romance is executed loom large over the whole book. However there are other areas where I think the book absolutely soars.
Max. In many paranormal or UF books there are tortured heroes with harrowing pasts who have overcome to be the bad-ass Alpha heroes we meet in the book. The thing with Max though is that he hasn't even come close to doing his overcoming. As a matter of fact, we are witness to him as he is confronted with the awfulness of his past and has to work through it and his relationship with Jimmy during the course of the book. In some ways it has the effect of making Max seem incredibly vulnerable. There are some points in the story where the child Max was is very close to the surface. But in other ways it serves to really bring the reader very close to Max. You enjoy watching him triumph over his demons and actually see him become that bad-ass Alpha hero in the end. There is an intimacy in watching him work through it rather than to be told about how he overcame it.
Jimmy. Excellent villain. The author did this thing where a time or two I questioned whether Jimmy was really all that bad or whether Cee Cee was on the wrong track. And then, Bam! I'd get my question answered in a quick ruthless way only to go up the rollercoaster again. He was wonderfully drawn and beautifully Machiavellian. Even Cee Cee had to admit that in the end.
Since this is the first book in a series and the whole series continues to follow Max and Cee Cee I am hoping that some of the flow issues get worked out. I am fascinated enough with these two to see how their romance can possibly flourish given their differences.
Nancy Gideon's Masked By Moonlight has it's ups and downs as a novel. She has a great talent for writing and delivers an intriguing story line, but it's her characters who drag this novel down and make you question this book.
Charlotte (Cee Cee) Caissie is a New Orleans detective who as of late, has been working more and more crime scenes with mutilated bodies. Throats ripped out and organs missing, these murders look like the work of a vicious animal. All signs point her to local mob boss Jimmy Legere. To her, Jimmy isn’t just another con man, he’s the man responsible for her father’s death and she wants nothing more than to bring him down.
Yet Cee Cee has one problem standing in her way: Max Savoie, Jimmy’s right-hand man. She knows Max is attracted to her and sees her opportunity to finally get to Jimmy and enact her revenge. What she doesn’t expect are the intense feelings she’s developing for Max. The more she’s around him, the more she cares for him. They both know their relationship is impossible. She’s a cop...and he’s on the wrong side of the law. Will they both be able to follow their hearts?
The premise was smart, the hero was sexy and fascinating, but the heroine was about as prickly as a porcupine. Max was vulnerable, confused and mentally suffering. He was alone in the world and looking for someone to comfort him...and Cee Cee was not that person. It seemed every other chapter she was betraying him, manipulating him and stepping on his heart at every opportunity. So like a beaten dog that doesn’t know what else to do, he kept coming back to her. It was frustrating to read.
I also extend the possibilities of reality with most, if not all books I read. I understand bending historical accuracies or the norms of reality can make for a great book. With that in mind, I accepted the attraction between the muscles of a crime mob and a cop. It had great potential to make for an dynamic story about an impossible couple. What I had difficulty believing was the lack on consequences each side faced. There was no mention of a supervisor threatening Cee Cee’s job when it became very clear she was crossing lines she wasn’t meant to cross. Max and Jimmy’s people were committing crimes and she was either looking the other way or willing to supply him with an alibi. I couldn’t determine if that was romantic or depressing.
The heroine was the main problem. Some of her issues ultimately just made me dislike her. Max on the other hand, was a well-crafted alpha who had insecurities that made him absolutely charming. His youth has been full of emptiness and lacking love, so his feelings towards Cee Cee filled a void in this lost man. It makes him see his life and situation in a different light and makes him want something better for himself.
Max was fragile on the inside, but to the outside he could be a force to be reckoned with. It was easy to see why Cee Cee would become weak in the knees around him.
“Nice coat,” he said at last.
“You like it?” She adjusted the lapels of his black trench and stroked her hands over the smooth fabric. The Armani label said it must have cost him a small fortune. “It’s hard to find the right fit when you’re as tall as I am, and so stain resistant, too. Even the nastiest stains.”
“Are you saying I’m the right fit for you, detective?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all, Max...You want your coat?”
“You hang on to it.” His gaze swept over her, the small, self-satisfied smile still on his face. “It looks right fine where it is. Think of me when it’s wrapped around you.”
Will I read book two? Probably. More than anything, I’m curious where this storyline is going. Maybe I haven’t had enough time to acquaint myself with Charlotte and perhaps the next book will shed a little more light on her character. While Gideon’s writing is solid, and her alpha hero is dead sexy, her storyline is full of holes and her heroine is cringe-worthy.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Heat Level: 4/5
Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter
Charlotte (Cee Cee) Caissie is a New Orleans detective who as of late, has been working more and more crime scenes with mutilated bodies. Throats ripped out and organs missing, these murders look like the work of a vicious animal. All signs point her to local mob boss Jimmy Legere. To her, Jimmy isn’t just another con man, he’s the man responsible for her father’s death and she wants nothing more than to bring him down.
Yet Cee Cee has one problem standing in her way: Max Savoie, Jimmy’s right-hand man. She knows Max is attracted to her and sees her opportunity to finally get to Jimmy and enact her revenge. What she doesn’t expect are the intense feelings she’s developing for Max. The more she’s around him, the more she cares for him. They both know their relationship is impossible. She’s a cop...and he’s on the wrong side of the law. Will they both be able to follow their hearts?
The premise was smart, the hero was sexy and fascinating, but the heroine was about as prickly as a porcupine. Max was vulnerable, confused and mentally suffering. He was alone in the world and looking for someone to comfort him...and Cee Cee was not that person. It seemed every other chapter she was betraying him, manipulating him and stepping on his heart at every opportunity. So like a beaten dog that doesn’t know what else to do, he kept coming back to her. It was frustrating to read.
I also extend the possibilities of reality with most, if not all books I read. I understand bending historical accuracies or the norms of reality can make for a great book. With that in mind, I accepted the attraction between the muscles of a crime mob and a cop. It had great potential to make for an dynamic story about an impossible couple. What I had difficulty believing was the lack on consequences each side faced. There was no mention of a supervisor threatening Cee Cee’s job when it became very clear she was crossing lines she wasn’t meant to cross. Max and Jimmy’s people were committing crimes and she was either looking the other way or willing to supply him with an alibi. I couldn’t determine if that was romantic or depressing.
The heroine was the main problem. Some of her issues ultimately just made me dislike her. Max on the other hand, was a well-crafted alpha who had insecurities that made him absolutely charming. His youth has been full of emptiness and lacking love, so his feelings towards Cee Cee filled a void in this lost man. It makes him see his life and situation in a different light and makes him want something better for himself.
Max was fragile on the inside, but to the outside he could be a force to be reckoned with. It was easy to see why Cee Cee would become weak in the knees around him.
“Nice coat,” he said at last.
“You like it?” She adjusted the lapels of his black trench and stroked her hands over the smooth fabric. The Armani label said it must have cost him a small fortune. “It’s hard to find the right fit when you’re as tall as I am, and so stain resistant, too. Even the nastiest stains.”
“Are you saying I’m the right fit for you, detective?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all, Max...You want your coat?”
“You hang on to it.” His gaze swept over her, the small, self-satisfied smile still on his face. “It looks right fine where it is. Think of me when it’s wrapped around you.”
Will I read book two? Probably. More than anything, I’m curious where this storyline is going. Maybe I haven’t had enough time to acquaint myself with Charlotte and perhaps the next book will shed a little more light on her character. While Gideon’s writing is solid, and her alpha hero is dead sexy, her storyline is full of holes and her heroine is cringe-worthy.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Heat Level: 4/5
Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Detective Charlotte (Cee Cee) Caissie is called to a crime scene that looks like it was committed by something superhuman. She's also trying to take down New Orleans crime boss Jimmy Legere and the two objectives intersect when his enforcer, Max Savoie, gets in her path. He's mysterious with an outrageous reputation but Cee Cee can't seem to resist him. Max was drawn to the courageous detective from their first meeting and to say a relationship between the two would be complicated is an understatement.
I enjoyed the story a lot though it was not without its issues. There are moments of writing brilliance, especially when capturing Cee Cee's emotional history. Oddly enough, it's the same character creating some unevenness in the story. Cee Cee's behavior at times was perplexing, downright cruel, which seemed off. Max, on the other hand, can't be more interesting and complex, completely mesmerizing me. Their relationship is at the crux of everything as all of the mystery and intrigue is tied to both of them in some way.
It seems like there are loose ends remaining and my hope is they're addressed in the next book. I liked the story's complexity and will definitely continue the series.
I enjoyed the story a lot though it was not without its issues. There are moments of writing brilliance, especially when capturing Cee Cee's emotional history. Oddly enough, it's the same character creating some unevenness in the story. Cee Cee's behavior at times was perplexing, downright cruel, which seemed off. Max, on the other hand, can't be more interesting and complex, completely mesmerizing me. Their relationship is at the crux of everything as all of the mystery and intrigue is tied to both of them in some way.
It seems like there are loose ends remaining and my hope is they're addressed in the next book. I liked the story's complexity and will definitely continue the series.
Nuda. Přečetla jsem 40 stran. Pak jsem se nutila pokračovat. (Když jsem si to koupila, tak to zkusím, ne?) Ale ne. Následujících 50 stran jsem buď přeskakovala strany nebo četla jen přímou řeč. Prolog byl dobrej. Ale ten nastavil laťku a pak to šlo celé dolů jak na horské dráze.
This book was nonstop from the very beginning. Loved the characters and to see Max start to come into himself forward the end. I can't wait to see how much of a badass he ends up being in the next books. Him and Charlotte are made for each other. I love the banter back and forth between them. So happy a group introduced me to this book. A fab read!!
This book is a bit different than other paranormal romances I have read. The first difference is the characters. The hero is the physical epitome of an Alpha male but his personality and brain were definitely not Alpha male. Max is an odd juxtaposition that I really liked reading, he is sensitive and broken in a way that makes him endearing to the reader. He is a bad guy yet he has a conscience and reservations about his evil ways once he starts taking the role of Alpha. Our heroine is also completely different than the norm. She is strong, kick-ass, and all about mowing down people who get in her way, to include the delicious Max.
Secondly, I think the relationship between Max and Cee Cee is a tad unlikely, I don't see a normal cop and a normal criminal becoming and item, the sex, maybe, but the love, probably not. I am not saying that it's bad, I just can't see it happening.
Anyway, I love the setting of this story, I love the southern mystery feel of the drama and the super evil mob boss. I really enjoyed the usual copy banter between Cee Cee and her partner as well. This is a great read, can't wait to see what else is in store for Cee Cee and Max.
Secondly, I think the relationship between Max and Cee Cee is a tad unlikely, I don't see a normal cop and a normal criminal becoming and item, the sex, maybe, but the love, probably not. I am not saying that it's bad, I just can't see it happening.
Anyway, I love the setting of this story, I love the southern mystery feel of the drama and the super evil mob boss. I really enjoyed the usual copy banter between Cee Cee and her partner as well. This is a great read, can't wait to see what else is in store for Cee Cee and Max.
Way more of a romance than an urban fantasy.
Charlotte is a detective in New Orleans. A rubbish one but that's ok because the murder mystery doesn't amount to much anyway. Max is the bodyguard of the underworld crime king and he has been in love with Charlotte for years. Cue much angst and drama.
The setting of New Orleans is massively underused. I understand that New Orleans is an unusual city with a distinctive style and atmosphere but this could have been set anywhere. The story outside of Charlotte and Max's relationship starts with potential but gets lost in all the romance drama.
There isn't one scene that Charlotte and Max don't end up together in, talking and flirting. Normally with Urban Fantasy, I get annoyed because the love interests spend so little time together so you'd think I should have liked this. But, I don't know why, it just got too much, even for me. I think it was done at the expense of building Charlotte's world and so it all feels very limited.
Max is a sweetheart and my heart breaks for him the way he's head over heels and just wants to be with Charlotte. For a character that's supposed to be a hardened killer, he seems like just a big softie. He carries the whole book and I read it really just for him.
Charlotte is independent and fun to read but also she's kinda mean and closed off. She has her reasons but Max is such a sympathetic character and it's easy to forget he's a killer so it makes it hard to like Charlotte when she is so cruel to him.
The writing is average, there are some dodgy bits here and there but it's not offputting and it's a fun and easy read. There are 10 books in the series though so hopefully it will improve as it goes on!
I intend to read the next one, all the setup has been done so I'm hoping for a bit of a more in-depth story. If not I'll be quite happy with just reading another book with a lot of Max in it!
Masked by Moonlight is a fun, quick Urban Fantasy romance read with a likeable and very sweet love interest!
Charlotte is a detective in New Orleans. A rubbish one but that's ok because the murder mystery doesn't amount to much anyway. Max is the bodyguard of the underworld crime king and he has been in love with Charlotte for years. Cue much angst and drama.
The setting of New Orleans is massively underused. I understand that New Orleans is an unusual city with a distinctive style and atmosphere but this could have been set anywhere. The story outside of Charlotte and Max's relationship starts with potential but gets lost in all the romance drama.
There isn't one scene that Charlotte and Max don't end up together in, talking and flirting. Normally with Urban Fantasy, I get annoyed because the love interests spend so little time together so you'd think I should have liked this. But, I don't know why, it just got too much, even for me. I think it was done at the expense of building Charlotte's world and so it all feels very limited.
Max is a sweetheart and my heart breaks for him the way he's head over heels and just wants to be with Charlotte. For a character that's supposed to be a hardened killer, he seems like just a big softie. He carries the whole book and I read it really just for him.
Charlotte is independent and fun to read but also she's kinda mean and closed off. She has her reasons but Max is such a sympathetic character and it's easy to forget he's a killer so it makes it hard to like Charlotte when she is so cruel to him.
The writing is average, there are some dodgy bits here and there but it's not offputting and it's a fun and easy read. There are 10 books in the series though so hopefully it will improve as it goes on!
I intend to read the next one, all the setup has been done so I'm hoping for a bit of a more in-depth story. If not I'll be quite happy with just reading another book with a lot of Max in it!
Masked by Moonlight is a fun, quick Urban Fantasy romance read with a likeable and very sweet love interest!