ennifer McQuiston does it again... When it comes to snark and sassy historical romance, Jennifer rocks! And yes, that is a good thing. I loved What Happens in Scotland. I freaking adored Summer is for Lovers. And when the opportunity to read Jennifer's newest book came up, of course I jumped on it. It should come as no shock that I also loved Moonlight on My Mind. Patrick and Julianne... Where do I begin? I loved Patrick. To be accused of his own brother's murder and to have to flee from his family the way he did would break down anyone's character. The fact that he takes in orphaned lambs and wounded dogs just made me fall in love with him from the moment he was introduced. Definitely 100% swoon-worthy. He doesn't quite know what to do with Julianne, though. He feels the attraction, but she told the law and, well, everyone that she saw him kill his brother. That alone should make him run as fast as he can from her, but he doesn't. Instead, he places his faith and his future in her hands, hoping that she'll help him clear his name. Julianne, on the other hand, was not my favorite character in Summer is for Lovers. Honestly, she's an infuriating nut-job. One minute she is a hard-ass, take no prisoners kind of gal. And in the next minute, she is right back to being a snob and looking down her nose at people. And you know what... I liked that about her. She's honest and could really care less about what people think about her. As the book progressed, Patrick starts to break down the walls around Julianne and we get to know more about her right along with him. I adored them together. Watching her stand up to Patrick's family when they were ready to spread rumors about him and spoke unkindly about their marriage. That was the moment when she won me over. I loved all of the scenes between the two of them, but the absolute best scene in the entire book was Patrick realizing that Julianne had taken over his bedroom at his family home. I wish I could have seen his face as he opens the wardrobe only to find her dresses. Priceless...

I adore Jennifer's writing style. The mixture of snark, sass, and romance is perfection. Toss that with a lot of giggle-worthy moments and you have another perfect McQuiston creation. Her characters are real. They have cringe-worthy moments where I would love to throttle them. And Julianne has a lot of these moments... They are not perfect and I like that about them. I am so glad that I found Jennifer at the beginning of her career. I'm new to the genre and I know that now I will always pick up her new books and I look forward to continuing my McQuiston paperback collection (although I still need to pick up What Happens in Scotland).

I was provided a copy from Avon Romance in exchange for a honest review.

I really liked the hero, I liked the murder plot, I warmed up to the heroine though never really fell in love with her. Her vanity almost cost a man his life, even if everything worked out in the end. And then there was a moment in the ending where all the secrets were being revealed where I wanted to smack everyone involved because how stupid do you have to be to not have thought of this problem with the assumed timeline before? Especially Patrick. I would speak more specifically, but I'm on my phone and can't put it behind a spoiler alert.

Still, worth reading, especially because you get all three of the guys together again, which made me happy.

Originally published at Rookie Romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual regency romance with an impetuous heroine, surly hero and plenty of mysteries to unravel.

Julianne was a really interesting heroine, I thought. She could sometimes come across as a bit self-absorbed and vain, particularly to begin with, but she's complex and there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. She may be a society miss, but she's fiercely loyal, headstrong, passionate and intelligent as well. I liked that it's not just that her character grows through the story, we also see unveiled the myriad of layers that make her the whirlwind of a woman she is.
Patrick was also a great and unusual hero. He's a second son who never expected to inherit the Earldom, particularly since he has been accused of murdering his older brother in order to do so. He spent years studying veterinary medicine abroad and that's where his passion lies. He's very compassionate and kind, although this is hidden beneath a gruff exterior. Even when Julianne is trying his patience, he can't deny the irresistible attraction that burns between them.

The plot starts off largely centering on their attempts to clear Patrick of murder charges, but before long it starts to seem that initial conclusions about his brother and father's deaths are wrong. There's plenty of intrigue to keep the plot moving at a quick pace. I admit to being very surprised by the ending- I love when that happens because too often, you can work out an ending. This kept me guessing and held my attention easily.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this! I loved Julianne and Patrick together, they complement each other's personalities really well and I loved their passionate connection. The plot, writing and characters are all a breath of fresh air in a genre that can become steeped in cliches. I'm really looking forward to catching up on the previous books in the series and seeing what more Jennifer McQuiston has in store for us!

*I received a review copy for my honest opinion, Thank you!

"Moonlight on My Mind" is the third in the loosely connected "Second Sons" trilogy. It features veterinarian Patrick Channing and Julianne Baxter from "Summer is for Lovers." I admit wasn't too crazy about Julianne from the previous novel. She seemed like she liked a lot of attention and was a little catty towards women. That's the superficial side we're allowed to see. And it's only until we get her story that we learn that's her front (sort of).

But in this book we meet a very headstrong and stubborn, yet remorseful and kind young woman. She's seeking out Patrick to convince to return home and claim his new title of Earl. They previously met a year ago at a ball and she initially used Patrick to get his brother's attention and it worked. But little did they know, their game of flirtation and a kiss would sear into their brains for the following year. But Julianne gave testimony that she "witnessed" Patrick shoot his brother and since then, he has been on the run.

Patrick tolerates Julianne, he's attracted to her for sure, but she gets under his skin. Because of her testimony he's had to give up his cushy life in England and live in a small Scottish town. His father indulged his veterinary pursuits as a hobby, but has now made that into a career. When he sees Julianne, he suffers from the conflict of tolerating her to lusting for her.

We get cameos by previous heroes James MacKenzie and David Cameron. Solicitor James recommends he marry Julianne since a wife cannot give testimony. It'll will also save her reputation and potentially her life since James will go everything to disparage her character and testimony and she might be subsequently charged for giving false evidence against a member of the realm.
There's a lot of character change for these two. Julianne feels guilty for what she's done, she gave testimony for what she thinks she saw and didn't realize the damning consequences. She's stubborn as well. When it's time to consummate the marriage so that it's valid, he wants to take it slow so that a) it'll be somewhat pleasurable and b) as to not hurt her, but she wants to get it over with since she wants the control and she wants to control her destiny. I was a little surprised at how quickly he gets over his irritation of her. He mentions that because of her his life has changed and not for the better. At first there's friction between them, but he quickly thinks with the wrong head.

There are several red herrings as to the actual murderer, but once one villain comes out, the other does too and I was pleasantly thrown off. The evidence that Julianne gave as testimony was a little suspect, it didn't seem all the way thought out on the author's part - like I felt there were some holes. But given the identity of the villain(s), it makes sense.

Perhaps I overlooked it, but how old is Patrick exactly? There are several mentions of Julianne being underage and it's confirmed that she's 20. He seemed much older in his reserve, while she seemed younger (definitely not immature) in her manner.

Having read the entire series I think I would rank them as Summer is for Lovers first and I'm torn between the first and the third. I definitely liked them all. The characters are written well and you certainly get a sense of who they are and their motives. I think each book has a different theme to them, this one being a sort of murder mystery. I'm definitely looking forward to more work from this author!

Okay, kids, I read an earlier draft of this story. I liked that draft; I love this version.

Julianne Baxter, a supporting character from Summer is for Lovers, has impetuously run off for Scotland. Sure, she accused Patrick Channing of murder last year, but that was SO LAST YEAR. She's had time to reflect on the errors of her ways. Patrick should hate her for accusing him of murder and causing his exile, but a) she's hot and b) if she's married to him then she can't testify against him. So, hey, it's Scotland, why not get hitched?!

One reason I love McQuiston's stories is that they are different. The very first section of the story gets pretty gritty as Patrick treats a wounded dog. (Spoiler alert: the dog makes it through. Also, the story may be based on the marriage of (in)convenience trope, but Julianne is not your typical heroine. Yes, she marries Patrick because she wants to "help" him but she also marries him based on a flicker of attraction from a year ago, an attraction she hasn't been able to replicate. Sure Patrick marries Julianne to keep her from testifying against him, but he soon realizes there's more to his attraction than expediency or simple lust. Finally, there's a mystery to this tale, and I found it pretty darn genius. Even once you solve the mystery, there's one more twist to keep you reading.

I love, love, love her wry way with words and her take on romance. I laughed; I cried; it was better than cats. Or dogs, since there are several adorable puppies running amok in this book.

P.S. The delectable Dr Merial from this book is going to star in his own novel soon!

This was not as good at the first book in this trilogy, but a LOT better than the second one. It is essentially a murder mystery with some romantic intrigue thrown in and I have to admit that both of the characters that i thought were the guilty parties ended up not being who actually did the dead(s). The main characters of Patrick & Julianne while not totally lovable, were not nearly as annoying as the characters from the previous book, so that was a plus. They still refused to actually voice their thoughts to each other or else things might have gone smoother, but then the book might have been half the size if that was the case. At least it ended nicely.

DNF! Audiobook was due and I just let it back to the library. Not at all compelling in any way. ehh...

I listened to the audio books for all of this series except for the novella. The narrator, Lana Weston, was decent for all but this last one. For some reason she didn't seem to think she needed to modify the chirpy, irritating voice of Julianne that she used in the last main book in the series. But I would have preferred she do so to help me transform an unlikable character in one book into the heroine of this book. I wonder if I would have had a change of heart about Julianne if I'd read the book. However I found this story quite boring as well. So a reread is not going to happen.

The first two books were worth the listen however (although the male voices were just OK). And the novella about William and Pen was great.