Book Review: Half Moon Hill by Toni Blake

Title: Half Moon Hill
Series: Destiny, Book 6
Author: Toni Blake
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: Avon Addicts
Published: April 30, 2013 by Avon

Trying to escape her troubled past, Anna Romo has come home to Destiny determined to carve out a place for herself. When she buys the old Victorian house on the hill with the intent of furnishing it into a Bed and Breakfast, she’s thrilled by the possibilities.

Ex-biker-gang member Duke Dawson is as much a fish out of water in Destiny as Anna, but he’s handling it fine until an accident scars not only his body but his mind. When Anna stumbles across him in an old cabin in the woods near her newly acquired house, at first she’s terrified. But they work out a deal - she’s willing to keep his solitary living arrangement a secret if he’s willing to help her with some of the heavy lifting at the house.

Working together on the renovations, romance brews between Duke and Anna. That is, until war hero Jeremy Sheridan returns home in a blaze of glory and sets his sights on Anna. Suddenly torn between the outgoing and charming Jeremy and the intriguing Duke, Anna’s heart is torn between two paths and left with only one solution.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Good small-town contemporary romance though likely should be read as part of the series.

The Set Up: Anna moved to small town Destiny, Ohio and wants to open her own bed and breakfast. Anna finds ex-biker Duke living in an old cabin on her property and they work out a deal for Duke to help Anna on her B&B renovations. Slowly a romance between them sparks until war hero Jeremy returns to Destiny and set his sight on Anna.

Why I Read this Book: Avon Addict here!

What I Liked: Anna and Duke’s romance is sexually intimate but with the touch of emotional intimacy that is a must for me in romance. Anna and Duke are both loners so I enjoyed watching them open up to each other. I was a tad surprised how quickly they moved their romance to the bedroom but since I like erotic romance that was fine for me.

What I Also Liked: I really liked the parallel romance in this book. Anna buys an old Victorian home to turn it into a bed and breakfast. During the interior renovations she finds the diary of a high school student from a wealthy family. The diary chronicles the budding love affair between the young woman and the poor drifter living in the same cabin that Duke does currently. I love this romance and its inclusion into Anna and Duke’s romance. Plus, the bittersweet ending made me sniffle a bit.

What I Didn’t Like: I’m not a small town contemporary reader and hadn’t read any of the previous five books in the series so I was a little lost. Lots of stuff is happening to the couples in Destiny that I’m sure will delight series fans but for me just stole the limelight from Anna and Duke’s romance.

Second, Jeremy. I’m not a fan of the love triangle in books and this one didn’t change my mind. He wasn’t a terrible character but felt like a place holder guy to add tension between Anna and Duke. The romance had enough tension in my opinion and didn’t need Jeremy’s addition.

IMO: I think series fans will gobble this installment up. New readers may be turned off by all the secondary characters and stories but Anna and Duke’s romance may be enough to turn it into an enjoyable read as it was for me.

 

J9’s Rating: