Beneath a Midnight Moon (Starlight Grove #3) by Catherine Cowles
Aster Carrington wasn’t sure she’d ever return to Starlight Grove—the town that broke her trust and destroyed everything she once believed in. But when her grandfather needed help on the ranch, the therapist known for helping others heal had no choice but to face the ghosts she had buried long ago. What she never expected was the man she once loved to be waiting in the shadows for all these years…and that marrying him might be the only thing to keep her and her beloved ranch safe.
Maverick Archer has built a life in the flames: smokejumper, firefighter, adrenaline junkie—anything to outrun the shadows of his family’s violent legacy and the grief of losing the only girl he’s ever loved. But when Aster surges back into his life, the fire he’s fought to snuff out roars back to flame. Only this time, the danger isn’t just in his blood. It’s coming for her.
As long-buried secrets surface and a killer’s obsession threatens to destroy everything they’ve rebuilt, Aster and Mav must decide if some scars are reminders of survival or warnings of a past that refuses to stay buried.
Review: Thank you to author Catherine Cowles for the ARC, out on November 17th!
Aster and Maverick have been part of each other's lives since they were children and as teenagers they had feelings for each other. But then Aster ran from her life and left Maverick with little answers. Now, she's back on her grandfather's ranch and battling to keep it safe. Meanwhile, a killer with an obsession is threatening everything these two are trying to build.
This was the ultimate slow burn, and I loved every minute of it! These two have so much history but have both been burned. It takes a lot for them to get back to seeing eye to eye but it was worth the wait. This was probably my favorite romance out of the series so far!
Like always, despite very much being on the lookout, I was not at all able to predict who the bad guy was in this story. The ending of this had so many twists and big reveals and I was gasping at every turn and shocking revelation! Catherine Cowles' books are such a fun mix of romance and suspense, and she combines the two in a really satisfying way that maximizes tension and has me absolutely racing to finish these.
One element I didn't expect to love so much is what a wonderful aunt Aster is for her nephew. She really shows up for him in a way I really admired. I also love a marriage of convinence trope and the way Maverick absolutely loved to call her his wife.
I still can't stand the way Catherine Cowles uses nicknames. This one felt particularly over the top because there were SO MANY: Kitten, Rebel, Ice Princess, Pookie, Trouble, Satan...Can we normalize them just calling each other by their real names? There were also some cringe lines, like Mav constantly referring to her lady bits as "his heaven" and her saying he tastes like "mint and moonlight." BUT I don't even know what she puts in these books...I acknowledge parts of them are cringe, parts are unbelievable, but I still devour them. A potato chip type read that is so entertaining.
This is the third book in this series, and it has been so fun to slowly get a book from each of the Archer brothers. While these can absolutely be read as standalone, (and the author does a good job of providing plenty of context if you haven't read the others) it is way more fun to read them all and in order, so you know everyone's full story! Characters from the first two books continue to pop up in this story. I can't wait for the remaining brothers, Wylder and Orion, to get their full stories in the next two books.
Favorite quotes:
"I loved her jagged edges and her smooth curves. I loved the things about her that were easy and that were hard."
"I'd known I loved her from nearly the moment I met her. I'd loved her as the friend who'd been my haven, as the girl I'd stargazed with beneath a midnight moon, and as the one person who'd been able to make me feel after everything went numb. I'd loved her when she broke my heart and when she came back to town as a stranger. But the woman in front of me now? I loved her most of all."
"This dress was made for you,' he rasped. 'But all I could think about was taking it off."
"Fuck only friendship. I was on a one-man mission to seduce my wife."
"A man who moves heaven and earth to make all this happen? I don't see how this could possibly be fake."
Stars: 4
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