Review: Masked by Moonlight by Nancy Gideon

Masked by Moonlight by Nancy Gideon
Paranormal Romance
Pocket (May 25, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1439149638
375 pages
Copy received from publisher for review

Synopsis from Amazon:

IN THIS STUNNING FIRST BOOK FROM NANCY GIDEON’S SIZZLING NEW SERIES, A TENACIOUS COP AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING ENEMY SACRIFICE EVERYTHING FOR FORBIDDEN DESIRE.

ALL SHE WANTS IS REVENGE.

New Orleans homicide detective Charlotte Caissie is dedicated to bringing down the crime boss responsible for her father’s murder. Using Jimmy Legere’s mysterious and irresistible right-hand man is a dangerous gamble, and not only due to his reputation as more monster than man. Because her feelings for Max Savoie are . . . complicated.

THEN HE RISKS HIS LIFE TO SAVE HERS.

Rescued from the swamps as a child, Max exists silently in Legere’s shadow, heeding only his voice—until Charlotte Caissie awakens his emotions and tests his loyalties. Stepping outside his cautious rules threatens more than just his heart. He could expose his darkest secret.

NOW THEY’RE BOTH IN OVER THEIR HEADS.

Testing boundaries they weren’t meant to cross means facing the truth about who and what they are—and what they need from each other. If Max is the murderer she seeks, Charlotte could be his next victim. She can’t afford to trust any man. Good thing Max isn’t one.

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 (6/29/10) and Captured by Moonlight (7/27/10), to cover and I very much look forward to seeing what's next for Max and Charlotte's complicated romance.

Grade: B

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