Author: Penelope Black

First Published: 14 September

Series: Rosewood

“This is going to be a hulluva story to tell our kids one day, baby girl.”  

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much Penelope Black and the team over Valentine PR for sending a copy my way!

They say everything happens in threes.

Good luck and misfortune.

I got fired, inherited my late-grandmother’s house, and moved across the country all in a weekend.

I thought I would get a reprieve, eager and excited to spend my summer with my cousin.

But no one warned me the rule of three could apply to men.

The charming playboy. 

The enigmatic stranger. 

The grumpy single dad.

Known collectively as the St. James men. And the most coveted bachelors in all of Rosewood. They run the Rosewood Reapers, an allegedly reformed motorcycle club. I find myself irresistibly drawn to all three of them in a way I can’t ignore.

So I don’t.

The only problem is, there are more secrets than people in this town. And I fear there’s one that could shake our very foundation.

Holy hell! That last line! How is that all there is? What a cliffhanger. I have so many questions. So many! I’m going to need the sequel stat because what does this mean for Evangeline and her guys? I need to know!

Evangeline Carter is returning to Rosewood for the first time in eight years. Unfortunately, not for happy reasons. She has lost her job and is awaiting the reading of her grandmother’s will. The reading causes further tensions with her family when her grandmother left her as the sole owner of her house. She decides to spend the summer in Rosewood like she did when she was a kid. She is hoping it will be a chance to spend the days with her cousin and figure out what to do next. Little was she expecting to catch the eye of all of Rosewood’s most eligible bachelors, the St. James men, who are the leaders of Rosewood’s reformed motorcycle club, the Rosewood Reapers.

I adored Evangeline! She is such a ray of sunshine despite the crap her parents put her through to make her feel like a disappointment. Thankfully, she is spending the summer in the one place that feels like home and she has the support of her cousin, Coraline, to help boost her confidence. She has decided to try and live the way she wants and not get caught up with what she ‘should’ do or what’s expected of her. I love that she is taking the time to find out who she is and what she wants because Eve is such a sweetheart and honestly deserves all the love and support she can get.

Speaking of all the love she can get, Moonlit Temptation is a why choose romance, which we love. We have Nova, Bane and Silas. All three guys are part of the Rosewood Reapers Motorcycle Club. I love the way Eve’s relationship develops naturally between the three guys. The chemistry she has with all of them is off the charts. I cannot wait to see how these relationships develop. There is some tension between the guys because they all want to be with Eve and want her to themselves. They all give major protective alpha hero vibes. It will be interesting to see how the why choose dynamic develops in the next book. We have a whole host of amazing in here tropes including second-chance romance and nanny/single dad romance. There isn’t a ton of spicy scenes in here but the ones we do get are so good.

Rosewood has a charming small-town vibe, which gave me major cozy vibes. Everyone knows everyone’s business. Sprinkled throughout the novel are these Welcome to Rosewood chapters that spells out the town gossip in a Gossip Girl/Society papers vibes. I loved these sections. Each time they showed up, I could not get enough. As the story goes on and we learn more about the St. James men, we get the hint that this cozy town is hiding some dark secrets. 

I am normally not a fan of an MC romance, since I find they generally don’t treat women well and there can be other girl drama from the club’s groupies. Thankfully we don’t get any of that in here! I have no idea how Penelope Black has been able to merge the sweet small-town romance vibes with the suspense and drama of an MC romance, but she has and I loved it.

I had such a fun time reading Moonlit Temptation! I adore the cozy, small-town vibes which slowly give way to this suspense and drama surrounding the house and possible war brewing for the Rosewood Reapers. With the ending, I have no idea what to expect in the sequel, Shadow Obsession, but I cannot wait to read it. I need to know what happens next.