As soon as I started reading, I became immersed in all that was happening in this super sexy contemporary romance with unforgettable characters, sensual New Orleans backdrop, and a well written story that made me laugh, cry, sigh, and I loved every minute of it. I felt a real connection to Avery Barrows, curvy mechanical engineer who is trying to make partner in her Dallas firm and her instant attraction, sizzling chemistry, raw emotions and repartee with tall, dark and tattooed Declan McGinn, lead singer of BlackSmith and owner of Whiskey Moon bar in New Orleans.

Fans of this genre should plan to read Moonlight and Whiskey by author Tricia Lynne. I look forward to reading more from this talented author. I received an advance reader copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review. I enjoyed it so much, I purchased a copy to read at a later time.

The author is new to me but I requested this book because the cover appealed to me and I'm honestly trying to expand my reading repertoire. Unfortunately I really struggled with the book.

Avery and her friend Kat are in New Orleans for a much needed vacation and a commitment to cut lose and have fun. The story starts off with a bang when Avery bumps into this gorgeous tattooed man who unfortunately has to cut and run before things can really reach a satisfactory conclusion. From this promising start as the story got going it got really flat for me and failed to hold my attention such that I finally abandoned it.

I'm sure the fault is mine and I do apologize but this story was not for me.

I received this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Avery is a super curvy woman who has worked hard to get where she has. She has to hide her true personality though, and her curves. She is a woman in a man's world. She and her friend decide to go down to New Orleans for a girl vacation and to let loose.

The first night down in NOLA she meets Declan because he basically walked into her. As she is telling him off, the other side of her brain is observing just how HOT he is with his good looks and tattoos. Declan is loving her spunk and actually asks her to go out with him, which of course she ends up doing.

How can a woman who "hides" herself at her job because of stuffy, proper men want a relationship with a hot guy with tats? Could anything become of this relationship?

Well...you just have to read it and find out! It will be worth your time!!

The story between this couple is so intense! They both have their own issues and will have to decide if a relationship between them is worth the soul searching they need to do with themselves.

The writing is awesome! I just hung on every word and my heart hurt when theirs did. There is also a great "cast of characters", Avery and Declan's friends. I want to read more about them!

Moonlight & Whiskey by Tricia Lynne was a nice surprise by a new-to-me author. A Rockstar romance with a twist! Avery Barrows is a full-size beautiful woman. Though she may be comfortable in her own skin, she hides who she is more often than not. But when a chance to get away to New Orleans comes up, she is determined to let go.

Declan McGinn is one hot man and a musician dealing with a hard past. He does not do more than one-night stands. And yet with Avery one-night turns into more. I loved Avery’s feisty attitude and Declan’s sexy charm. They had great chemistry and banter. Could they learn to truly let the other in before it was too late?

I enjoyed reading Moonlight & Whiskey by Tricia Lynne and hope read more of her work in the future. It was emotional and steamy.

Happy reading!

I can’t believe this is a debut novel because Tricia Lynne absolutely blew me away with Moonlight & Whiskey. I was hooked from the first chapter. It was hilarious and I immediately fell in love with Avery. She was so easy to relate to and I wish she were real because we’d be best friends. I loved her effortless friendship with Kat. They were so open and honest with each other and you could totally feel the genuine love between them. New Orleans is one of the places I want to visit most in this world and I truly felt like I was there. This story just solidified the fact that I have to visit this beautiful, historic city.

I fell hard for the magic and romance in this book. This story is insta-love done to absolute perfection. I fell as Avery and Declan fell in love with each other. They were such a real couple. I love that they fought; it made them more believable. The chemistry between them was fire. They really brought out the best in each other and sometimes the worst, but I loved them together. This is truly a magical and swoony story with plenty of deliciously sultry moments sprinkled throughout. I am so impressed by this author and I can’t wait to see what she delivers next.

This was a fun read! While I have no problem with the heroine being curvy, I did get a little tired of hearing Avery mentioning her size over and over. But I liked the chemistry between her and Declan. I enjoyed how her friend, Kat, engineered a date between them and they couldn't fake that chemistry if they had tried. Neither one of them was looking for someone and yet they kept bumping into each other. I'm glad they didn't fight it and allowed themselves the chance. I enjoyed the banter between these characters and liked the friends they had around them, supporting them. I look forward to future books from this new author!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Avery is a beautiful full figured woman and is very talented with her job as an engineer. However, not everyone seems to agree with her. I feel that she has been taken advantage of. Her vacation to New Orleans leads her to a handsome rocker named Declan for a vacation fling. Her determination to cut loose, her mouth that loves to let loose and her fantastic personality lead her to many changes. Is this just a vacation fling or much more involved???


I have also reviewed this on B&N and Kobo under the name IrishEyes430

Moonlight & Whiskey is a book I've wanted to read since I read the sypnosis and read that the main character is a curvy woman. Not many romance books have a plus sized main characters, so this was really interesting to see. Besides that, this story sounded like it was going to be amazing!

Avery has made it career wise (well, it would be completely true if she still wasn't doing more work than she should be doing) and knows that she's smart. After not having the best childhood, Avery has built up some walls. She knows she's beautiful and she loves her curves, but society (especially at work) still makes her feel like she needs to be someone she's not!

Declan is the mysterious bad boy and it's clear there is more to him than meets the eye. He doesn't do relationships. Not after the way his mother treated his father and how that left him in pieces. Declan is a smart man though, owns his own business, plays in a rock band. His world just happens to get turned upside down when he meets Avery on vacation.

Avery and Declan are only supposed to be together while she is on vacation in NOLA, but it's clear they've got a connection that isn't going to let it go that easily. I loved seeing them connect and the chemistry was there from the start. There are quite a lot of steamy moments in this book, that romance lovers will definitely enjoy! I think my favorite part of their relationship is the fact that they start making the other feel safe. The need for the walls slowly starts to fade. On top of that, Declan loves her for the way she is. He embraces her curves and makes sure she realizes she should too! They both become a lot stronger in this book and fight for what they want.

While I loved a lot about this book, for some reason it took a long time for it to really grab me. I normally fly through books this size, but it felt like I just wasn't getting any further. I've been trying to put my finger on what it could be, but while I loved these characters, I was missing something. I'm wondering if maybe the "will they, won't they" took too long, or maybe things were described too much? In the beginning, we read about the mystery of NOLA. After their first date in the restaurant with the whiskey, I kind of missed that through the rest of the book. It would've been interesting to have that play a bigger part.

Moonlight & Whiskey is mostly told from Avery's POV. We eventually get to read how Declan thinks, but I think maybe this book would've grabbed me more if that had started sooner. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed this story, there were just a few things that felt off.

All in all, if you're looking for a steamy romance, a character who is comfortable in her own skin, great friends, tons of music references and even a couple of concerst and that has people who learn to love, Moonlight & Whiskey is the book for you!

I honestly struggled with this book - so much so that it took me 2 months to finish. It started out interesting and got my attention with the crassness of Avery and the mysterious rocker bad boy Declan. The middle of the book seemed to drag incredibly slow (which is what took a month to finish alone). The ending was decent and finally got me interested again. But for the most part, this just wasn't the book for me.

I quickly became annoyed with Avery's constant self-depreciating thoughts regarding her weight. I mean she complains because she's 30 lbs heavier than her taller former model friend. I know people have self image issues regardless of their size and can understand that battle (since I could stand to lose a 100 lbs myself), but after hearing about it every other paragraph it seems, I just got tired of reading about it.

Her crassness and flat out immaturity really bugged me as well. I thought it was funny at first, loved that she at least pretended to have a backbone. But then she started doing a lot of things that just made me question just how old she was, if she really was some engineer making six figures and why she'd act like that if she was supposedly a grown woman just on vacation. I mean I'd never think to do some of the things she did - that's stuff you expect from a spring breaker, not a grown woman.

I got her hesitancy to really allow herself to love Declan and give him a chance. She'd been burned before and wanted to protect her heart. I guess I can't be too mad at her for intentionally screwing things up just to run away again.

Then there's Declan. I didn't have a lot of issues with him. He was the typical moody, bad boy, running from 'demons' rocker. But he was also incredibly sweet and had a soft side to him. I also got why he was hesitant to allow himself to love. I mean he had it pretty bad as a young kid and saw how bad his dad loving his mom even after she left really hurt him. So again, I can't fault him and actually thought he was a pretty good guy and character.

But Avery just ruined this book for me and I wish she hadn't.

I did enjoy the descriptions and history lessons of New Orleans. I've never visited, but it's on my list. I also liked the secondary characters - they added more color to an otherwise blah book for me. The music references flew right over my head. When they play such a big part of the storyline, that's just disappointing. I'd normally immediately Google a reference and listen to the song, but I couldn't even bring myself to care for this book.

Obviously, a lot of people like this book, it just wasn't for me and may be better suited for a YA reader.

Moonlight and Whiskey by Tricia Lynn is a very cute story of a thick girl getting the guy. Avery is confident and can hold her own when it comes to the mean girls. Declan is the lead singer of a popular band. He is typical rocker. He has the looks, the voice, the tattoos and the demons. The two hit it off and have a hot and heavy time. What started out between them as something casual morphed into more. Loved their chemistry. This
was the first time I have read this author. The story drew me in and had me from beginning to end. Really like how this author told this story. Loved Avery's spunk and sass. For her first book she knocked it out the park. I look forward to reading more stories by this author. 5 stars for me.

A steamy romance that started off with smart-mouth sass, quickly turning into more as the chemistry grows out of control. Avery Barrows has been burned in the past and left with a less than ideal body image, but she's everything that Declan McGinn desires, especially her unfiltered mouth. They both have demons from their past to deal with, and watching them battle it out while fighting between the sheets...this book was one hot read, I couldn't put down!

Wow, I was really entertained by Tricia Lynne and Moonlight & Whiskey. First of all it was a well paced, well plotted story. I really appreciated the complexity of the characters, both primary and secondary. I was really drawn to the heroine. The chemistry between the hero and heroine was evident, and I was impressed that the intimate scenes were well placed and seemed to move the story along. There was a little too much dialogue "in their heads" for me, but it didn't hurt my enjoyment.
I received my copy through NetGalley and am under no obligation to the publisher.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance

I absolutely loved Avery. She was snarky, sassy, kind, intelligent, and sexy. She was what all women should strive to be. Comfortable with herself, after years of not being. She knew that despite working in a world dominated by men, she could hold her own and she didn't take much guff from people. She worked hard and played even harder. I also really enjoyed her relationship with her best friend. They complemented each other, pushed each other to be the best versions of themselves.

Then you have Declan. He is mysterious. His talent is singing, and he loves his band members as if they were his own family. He sees Avery and is instantly enamored. He knows that she is made for him. Declan knows that his time with Avery is limited, but he can't help himself.

The chemistry between Avery and Declan is off the charts and I loved their witty banter. They were strong characters, but they didn't overpower each other. Rather, they were complements of each other and to the other characters in the book.

I do hope that everyone else will get their own story and that we'll be able to see Avery and Declan more.

Avery admitted she had a porn habit. She liked watching people have sex. Avery would never be thin but she still wanted to be feminine and sexy in her skin. Just as she was. She had let kat/katia talk into having a Brazilian wax and Kat had made the appointment. Avery had learned to appear asexual - it was the role she had to play as a female engineer trying to make partner in her firm. She had an entirely different woman locked inside her who had a huge set of balls, liked hard rock music, and drank her whiskey neat. She mouthed off with great satisfaction and cursed like a well informed sailor. She had little filter between her brain and mouth and zero tolerance policy on stupidity. Kat and Avery were going on vacation to New Orleans. Kat is like family they had been roommates University Of Texas. Kat was a little famous as she had been a model but a couple of years ago she had moved behind the camera. Now kat and Avery were at their hotel and than someone ran into Avery from behind pushing her into Kat. Avery turned to tell this person to watch the hell where he was going. Than she actually saw the guy and he was really hot. This guy looked like he had done it all and posted bail. The guy’s name was Declan and he offered to take Avery to dinner for almost running her down and she declined but Kataccepted for her. Avery had met many jerks but after jason two years ago the scars were still healing . Now Avery’s walls were steep and her defense mechanism was razor sharp. But declan didn't back down and didn’t seem to be put off with the shots she took at his ego. Her body definitely reacted to him. They went and Avery felt Declan only7 wanted her as a friend but than he said she should see his bed. They left and flirted some more but than Declan said he had to go or he would be late for for his gig. Than Avery and kat later go into a bar and he was singing in a band on stage, he really did have a gig. Kat talked Avery into going up to declan and talk to him after the gig was over . Than Kat went and talked to the guitarist- Jamie. Avery finally purposely bumped into Declan from the back making him spill some of his drink and as he quickly turned around and than saw who it was and said she owed him a drink. Declan’s band was called Blacksmith. The drummer Matt also flirted with Avery and than she saw a look pass between declan and Avery. Than kat said they should be going. As they walked away Kat said he knows where you are staying. Avery couldn’t sleep and had been thinking about declan so she went outside to get some air. Than declan showed up and they made out but than he stopped and said he couldn’t do this and went to his room. Avery was angry and it brought back memories of Jason. Jason and Avery had sheared smiles at the coffee shop . finally he asked her out.They hit it off and over the next six months they spent a lot of time together. But he always took her to out of the way places. Avery learned jason was an oil executive and his parents were well known Dallas socialites. Than when Avery asked why she never met his family or friends he said he was expected to be with someone who looked a certain way, lived a certain lifestyle, came from a certain family. She then ended things as she would no longer be his dirty little secret. Avery had given up trying after jason. But she had never felt anything as intense with anyone else as she did with Declan. The next morning she told kat what had happened as Kat had already ordered breakfast for them. Than with breakfast was a bouquet of flowers and a note from Declan saying he would pick her up at seven to go out and Kat had a date with Jamie. After their date and they had returned to the hotel they went to Declan’s room. Declan made it clear he didn’t do the relationship thing when in the tub with Avery. Her quick answer was she was just on vacation. Declan explained he knew he was screwed up about woman after what his mom had done to him and his father. He didn’t believed he wasn’t capable of that kind of love. Avery admitted she had only been with five other men and two had been one night stands. Avery woke from a dream about declan being cruel to her and she grabbed her things and snuck back to her own room. She left because if she stayed he would end up hurting her. Than Declan showed up at her hotel room door very angry.
I loved this book. It was a well written romance with just enough angst and if you believe in fate and soulmates you will love this book like I did. I loved the pace and the plot. I loved Declan and Avery together and how they interacted together. This was a quick love brought between them Avery thought they were old souls who always found each other. I loved how Avery let herself be her real self with Declan and how she grew. Also she didn't put her real self back into hiding since she left New Orleans. I loved the relationship between Kat and Avery as well as Declan and his bandmates and Sadie- Shauns wife. .I didn’t want to put this down and really didn't and lost some sleep but this book was so worth it. I loved the characters and ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend it.

An ARC was provided to me from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was an incredibly promising debut novel. I instantly connected with the characters and found them to be very realistic and well-thought out. Avery was unexpectedly crass and aggressive. I think she had her charming moments, but eventually, her language became a little too much. It came off as childish and kind of ridiculous as she was a professional business woman... there was an obvious disconnect there. I think the body positivity in this book was wonderful, and Avery was perfect curvy girl rep. I also enjoyed Declan as the main love interest and could picture him easily. The one thing that left an icky taste in my mouth though, was his "demon" nature. Like, I understand the whole brooding bad boy, but his darkness and "demon" thing really wasn't needed. I also rolled my eyes at the fact he was a musician. There were just too many tropes to his character. The two characters did work well together and their banter was entertaining.

I think the best part about this was the setting. This was a true love letter to New Orleans. I could picture the city with vivid colour and the adventures Avery and Kat had were extraordinary. I've never been there, but it certainly made me want to make the trip.

Great debut romance

I thought Tricia Lynne did a great job with her debut novel Moonlight & Whiskey.
Avery and Declan felt like realistic characters both carrying a lot of baggage that needs to be worked through before they can get to their HEA. I liked that Avery was a legitimately plus-sized woman and Declan and his band weren’t superstars. The secondary characters were interesting and I’d love to read the other band members stories.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

A beautiful hot heartfelt read. Love Avery and Declan’s story. Love how they tear each other’s walls down and give with all their hearts.

One of the best books I’ve read this year!

Engineer Avery Barrows is full figured and knows how to work her curves even though being an engineer has her act like one of the guys at work. Avery and her best friend Katia decide to have a girls’ trip to New Orleans and the meet the gorgeous Declan McGinn and he shows her a good time but when he told her he was late for a gig, she didn’t know that he was musician until they heard him sing with his band. Avery and Declan are like match and a flame because they burn so hot together and match each other.

Avery and Katia definitely believe in laissez les bon temps rouler or let the good times roll which is the motto of Louisiana and makes this book hot and wonderful to read. I’m really hoping that Tricia Lynne writes many more books for me to read because the book is that good.

P.S. Avery running description of her Brazilian wax is worth reading by itself!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I might be in the minority on this one, I have to say I did not care this book at all. I couldn't connect with these characters. I found Avery abrasive and offensive at times. I didn't understand or feel the connection between her and Declan. On top of all that I thought there was too much focus put on the Avery's size and it took away from the story. Rarely do I choose not to finish a book but after about 60% of the way through I had to give up on this one. This is not a book I can recommend.

Loved it from the beginning to the end. Avery is a smart mouth engineer who don't take no mess other than the partners at her firm as she is the only female in a male world trying to fit in. Declan with his Irish accent is too hot for words, the sexy singer and guitarist. How does a local singer has own a black card, one of kind cars, property, etc. The two literally bump into each other or rather Declan bumps into Avery and she turns and rips him a new one. All he can do is blink in surprise. What is supposed to be a vacation fling turns into much more that the two definitely don't have time for or want to pursue further. Can't wait to read other books by this author.