I took this story to be a lighthearted romance. It was serious, but not too serious. It was almost as though the characters enjoyed their happiness from the joy of living and putting their noses in everyone’s business with their own critiques. I did have fun reading the very spicy romance between the two characters. Phoebe and Carmac are the absolute entertainment of the story. Their engaging interactions are the funniest that I have ever read. I do love it that Phoebe sees Carmac clear as day. I also love it that his nieces can always bring him back to his normal loving, caring self. This a sweet story that I curled up with to read.

The writing in this book felt extremely lazy. It was sweet but the plot was just a little too simplistic in my opinion and didn't need this long to resolve. I wanted to slap the friends so badly, too. 2.5 stars

Firstly, this cover is absolutely beautiful!

Meara Platt's writing is detailed, vivid, visceral, and emotional. Her characters are well-rounded and feel like such real people, and I felt completely immersed in this time period the story takes place in.

(Possible Spoilers!)
Phoebe and Cormac are such a beautiful couple, who truly bring out the best in one another. They respect and understand one another on a deep level, and watching them fall in love was so special. At times heartbreaking, and at others incredibly heartwarming, this novel truly has so much in it.

If you enjoy Historical Romance, I highly recommend this book! I look forward to reading the other books in this series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ARC of this novel! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Loved it as much as the first and the novellas. Wasn't too fond of Cormac in the beginning as he was a wastrel. However, after a set down by Phoebe, he begins to get his life together for his nieces as well as himself. And a little bit for Phoebe as well. Looking forward to The Moonstone Major!
Thank you Meara Platt, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

This is part of the Moonstone Landing series and is a lovely addition to the series. Ms. Platt's stories are always wonderfully written and she effortlessly pulls you in to her magical world of love. This story was no different! Cormac Stockwell, Marquess of Burness and war veteran, is neighbor to Lady Phoebe Killigrew, but has not been behaving very neighborly. She is annoyed by the outrageous parties he throws, and when his two nieces show up with their governess, she has had enough and storms over to his residence to tell him just that. But when she confronts him, she is shocked to realize that his nieces are not the only ones in need of rescuing. She doesn't trust him, and her mistrust deepens when he out of the blue asks her to marry him. Cormac had a heard a lot about Phoebe and was intrigued with her, and when he finally met her, she was everything he imagined and more and became completely captivated by her. Cormac is a broken man, in need of help. He lost a lot in the war, and is still trying to adjust, and Phoebe just might be the lady to help him.
Such a beautiful love story! It was wonderful to see how Phoebe didn't put up with any nonsense and helped Cormac mature and heal after his war trauma. They were an entertaining couple and I loved the banter between them. A fantastic addition to the series! I'm looking forward to the next one!
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

The Moonstone Marquess by Meara Platt
Moonstone Landing #2

Phoebe does not see Cormac in a very good light the first time they meet, and tells him exactly what she thinks of him, his guests, his behavior, and then heads home to care for his nieces that should have been staying with him. They get off to a rocky start but over time Cormac’s better side begins to show and things do improve.

What I liked:
* Phoebe: fiery & fierce, innocent, lives with her sister Chloe, artist, has the typical skills of a lady, giving, caring, kind, empathetic, has some trust issues, drawn to Cormac
* Cormac: marquess, issues dealing with his limitations due to the loss of his arm, honest, keeps his promises, protective, more than his rakish past, skeptical about love but drawn to Phoebe
* That Phoebe stands up to Cormac
* Cormac’s respect for Phoebe
* Imogen and Ella: Cormac’s nieces, young, trusting, and loving
* The supporting characters: sisters, brothers, in-laws, trusted servants, citizens of the town
* Being reminded of the story The Ghost & Mrs. Muir in the story of ghostly Captain Brioc Taran Arundel and his love for Phoebe’s aunt Hen
* The introduction of Lieutenant Fionn Brennan and wondering what part he will play in future books
* Wondering who Chloe will end up with
* That Carmoc’s younger brother, James, never gave up on him despite his surly behavior
* That Cormac and Phoebe seemed to be a good match

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how miserable some people in this book must have been and how miserable they made others.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I Read more by this author? I think so

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for the ARC – this is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Beautifully written, this sweet romance made me laugh and at times feel sorrow as the battle-worn and physically damaged Marquess of Burness has to sober up and face his responsibilities. Napoleon never had the ability to challenge Cormac in quite the same way as Lady Phoebe Killigrew did. A house party gone wrong makes Cormac realize that if he wants to spend time with his nieces, he is not only going to have to reform but clean up the mess as well. Unfortunately, things get worse before they become better and for the first time Cormac discovers that where his honor is concerned, he cannot depend on gentle words or a winning smile. Phoebe may well be a naive young woman living in a backwater, according to the Londers, but she has a good head on her shoulders and quickly takes charge of the situation in the house next door. Falling in love with Cormac comes with risks, and eventually, Phoebe sees that she cannot put all the blame on Comac, and with the help of her ghostly relatives, the novel comes to a delightful conclusion. I received a copy of this novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

At first I almost DNF"ed this book.

There is a forced kiss at the beginning that struck me the wrong way. But, then I decided to push through and I found I really enjoyed it. The characters have growth. The little girls are delightful. The romance is believable.

I really enjoyed this one, and I think you will too!

The Scarred Marquess and the Feisty Lady with the Heart of Gold

He calls her a lioness, and he does not lie; however, her roar is far worse than her bite. He is a rake, so how can she protect her heart? Despite his reputation, Lady Phoebe might just discover that there is much more to Cormac than meets the eye. his vulnerabilities make him all too human, and unlike those human shells around him, the feisty lady has touched the man beneath all the surface fluff and bluff. There will be those who will try to stand in the way of what is developing between the two, but you can never underestimate a feisty lady with a heart of gold and a scarred soldier with a generous soul hidden underneath the rakish reputation. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to those who like historical romance with strong women and wounded heroes.

Wonderful second book to follow the first. I dont expect anything less from Meara Platt.. although you know whose gonna wind up together its very entertaining to see how they finally get together. The cottage occupants are falling in love and now the second sister is in this book. I enjoyed seeing how the 'deceased' plays a part.
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book.

I love Ms Platt's books, but I didn't like the first in this new series. I did however LOVE this 2nd installment. I was actually appalled by Phoebe's nerve as she basically keeps Cormac's nieces at her place until he can get his life together. Good thing she does though! He needs to grow into the hero we see he can be. Of course, he is already a hero on the battlefield, but he needs to grow to become the romantic hero-- to rise up from his behavior and be the man he can be. Love this couple!

Cormac Stockwell, Marquess of Burness has always been a typical bad boy. Since losing an arm he has turned angry and bitter, mostly at himself. The only people he loves are his family.
Lady Phoebe Killigrew is not going to allow two innocent little girls to stay in that house of depravity, even if the Marquess is their uncle.
This historical romance gives us a particularly strong heroine. Nothing seems to scare this lady. Our hero has found exactly what he needs. Now he has to earn it. Lots of fun and games with the little ones, and some great adventures.
This book is part of a series set in a beautiful seaside town. The heroines in this series are related so they are best read in order. Each book could be read on it's own.
Great fun.

There's something very pleasant and lyrical in Meara Platt's writing. This is a sweet and uncomplicated book full of good dialogue (even if sometimes there is too much tell and not enough show).

I liked the magical and whimsical elements and wish those were taken a little further. I enjoyed the children, but thought the plot with friend Richard was a little hoaky.

Overall a good story, but as I've read several of her books, they often fall just middle of the pack for me, they spark instead of flame.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.

The Moonstone Marquess is the third book in a series though it can be read as a standalone.

This is a cute, insta-love story. At least, it's an insta-propose marriage story between Cormac and Phoebe. However, Cormac's past does haunt him a bit because it gives Phoebe pause to trust him and therefore, she does not take the marriage proposal seriously. This further isn't helped by the guests Cormac has been keeping in his residence and a past paramour giving him strife.

While I would have loved for a bit more self-discovery to happen for Cormac independent of Phoebe, I did love the conversation they had between them in regard to Phoebe being a savior to Cormac. For example this part:

"Do not say this. You cannot say you are doing it for me."
"But why not? I am here because of you."
"Do not play with my affections or put that burden on me. It is not up to me whether you succeed or fail."

I feel like there are a lot of books with this theme of the other person saving them but rarely is a conversation like this done between the two main characters. Phoebe is right, it isn't up to her whether Cormac changes for good or bad.

There are funny parts, for example Cormac and Phoebe's first meeting where she lambasts him for his decisions especially in regards to his nieces when they first arrive. And while this book is insta-love, it isn't insta-trust which I think is an important aspect in this story. It's also one that I wish I saw more often and talked about as forthright as Cormac and Phoebe.

As stated above, I do wish there had been more self-growth spurred on by Cormac's own discoveries instead of it being planted predominately on Phoebe and his want to be with her. Also the last 20-30 pages could have had one small bump in the road to make things a little more interesting or it could have ended a tad bit earlier and fleshed out the epilogue just a tad more instead. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading on in the series.

I loved the first book in this series (which says a lot about how good it is because I'm usually not a fan of the love-at-first-sight premise) so I had high expectations for the follow-up. And I can happily say that Moonstone Marquess lived up to those expectations. I liked getting more on Cormac after meeting him in the first book. He's definitely a more complicated character and I loved getting to be able to follow his transformation through his POV chapters. My heart broke a little for him when Phoebe didn't initially believe him when he told her the rumors going around him were not true. He had been working so hard to prove himself to her and had opened up to her only to have it not be enough to fully gain her trust. It was so clear from the beginning that Phoebe was exactly what Cormac needed - someone who would tell him when he was making poor decisions and being an ass while also being someone he could turn to when he needed help and was able to see the good in him as well. She had every reason to believe the worst of him after their first meeting, lucky for him she was willing to look a little deeper and find out who he really was. And who wouldn't have given him a second chance after seeing him with his nieces? I did get a little frustrated with him for not being sterner with Lord Crawford and his "friends" - he needed to stop being so nice and just kick them out of his house. I also kept expecting Phoebe to tell Cormac to talk with other men who had lost an arm - he obviously needed to see that other men had the same struggles and maybe he could have learned something from them. I liked the little preview into what I hope will be Chloe's romance for the final book.

I bought the first book in this series and when The opportunity arose to get an arc copy I pounced on it and I am so glad I did! I enjoyed this book as much as the first and I loved the characters and their chemistry and just the story in general was good! His nieces I loved them too!

Lady Phoebe Killigrew lives with her sister in Moonstone Cottage. Cormac Stockwell, Marquess of Burness is her new neighbor. There first meeting is not pleasant. When Phoebe comes to tell him his nieces have been dropped off at the Cottage by their surly governess, she finds him drunk and a scandalous house party under way. She lets him know in no uncertain terms that his nieces will not be brought to his home until he rids himself of his guests and cleans the place up. He has been looking forward to meeting Phoebe, but not like this. It doesn’t sound like the beginning of a romance, but this is Moonstone Landing. Cormac is somewhat grumpy and brooding except with his nieces whom he loves dearly. Phoebe is feisty and determined, and rather opinionated. Phoebe’s sister Chloe and Cormac’s nieces Ella and Imogen are totally adorable. There is a bit of trouble caused by a jealous ex, but it is handled rather nicely. This is a wonderful story with engaging characters, lots of fun, a spirited romance, and a happy ending. I look forward to Chloe’s story.
I received an AARC of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This is a very heart warming story. This is a perfect well written romance book for cozy reading. It reminded me a bit of beauty and the beast, him as a wild man and her as a beautiful lady who tamed him and loved him for everything he was, for the good and the bad.

This was a good addition to the series. It was nice to be back at Moonstone Landing and with the Killigrew sisters. Chloe is as fierce as ever and the person Cormac needs to get his life back on track. It is a sweet book and I enjoyed Cormac's nieces. I am still not sure about the ghost of Brioc and Aunt Hen, overall a good story. I look forward to Chloe's book.

Lady Phoebe Killigrew is appalled by the scandalous country parties their new neighbour, a war hero marquis, is holding at his estate in Moonstone Landing. She has every intention of keeping well away from him, until a governess arrives at her door with his two nieces. They are mere children and cannot possibly reside under the same roof as their uncle. Cormac Stockwell, Marquis of Burness, has given everything for his country, including his left arm. He just wants to be left alone to destroy himself, but his beloved and meddlesome brother John has unexpectedly sent Cormac his two little nieces, whom he adores, to care for over the summer.
There are some books that just draw you in & are a joy to read – this is one of those books. The hero is grumpy, a rake, a war hero, adores his two ducklings & is brought to his knees by one feisty lady who sees the man not the title or the wounded hero. I loved everything about the book, it was just brilliant & whilst it could be read on its own I’d seriously recommend reading the first book & the novellas. Why ? because it’s a series not to be missed. Kudos to the author
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read