If you’re looking for a charming and engaging historical romance with a touch of intrigue, look no further than The Moonstone Duke by Meara Platt. This is the first book in the Moonstone Landing series, which follows the adventures of three sisters who move to a seaside village in Cornwall after their father’s death.

Lady Henley Killigrew is the eldest sister and the heroine of this story. She’s determined to protect her younger sisters and secure their future by marrying well. But her options are limited, since their new guardian, a distant cousin who inherited their father’s title and estate, is a miser who refuses to give them any money.

Enter Cain St. Austell, the Duke of Malvern, a war hero who has returned home with scars on his body and soul. He’s looking for peace and solitude in his newly acquired property in Moonstone Landing, but he finds himself intrigued by his lovely and eccentric neighbor, Lady Henley.

There is an instant attraction between these two and it doesn't take long (about a hour) for a marriage of convenience to be proposed. It has many things that would aide both of them; Cain could take care of the banker and her cousin to assure the monthly stipend and the past amounts due Henley, and her sisters would be paid plus they would all be under his protection. As far as his upside of the marriage, he would be getting a beautiful lady, that doesn't care about his title, and he hopes that Hen can help him heal from his war torn past.

As they navigate their new relationship, they also have to deal with a mysterious threat that seems to be targeting them. Someone is trying to sabotage their happiness and possibly harm them. Who is behind it and why? And can they trust each other enough to overcome it?

The Moonstone Duke is a delightful read that will keep you entertained from start to finish. The characters are well-developed and likable, the plot is fast-paced and suspenseful, and the romance is sweet and steamy. Meara Platt has a knack for creating witty dialogue, humorous situations, and heartwarming moments that will make you smile & swoon. I voluntarily read & reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book; all thoughts & opinions are my own.

There is an immediate connection and chemistry between the Duke (Cain) and Henley when they encounter each other after she is injured. Henley share her worries with Cain and he wants to help her, protect her so he proposes marriage at their first meeting. Henley is shocked but thrilled and anxious to share with her younger sisters that there might be answer to their problems. As Cain and Henley continue their relationship throughout the trials, they realize they are meant for each other and have been since first glance.
A beautifully written romance set in Moonstone Landing where anything can happen and does.
Highly recommend the first book in this series.

When Lady Henley Killigrew’s father dies and his title of earl passes to a cousin who throws them out of their elegant London townhouse, she takes them to Moonstone Cottage, a lovely manor house they inherited from a maiden aunt in the Cornwall seaside village of Moonstone Landing. The new earl is keeping their money from them. The only way to save them all is for her to marry, for that is the only way to claim her trust fund. Cain St. Austell, the Duke of Malvern, has returned home now that Napoleon is defeated. However the war years have left him scarred both physically. Knowing he needs time away from London society and the madness of the Marriage Mart in order to heal, he retires to a property in the quiet village of Moonstone Landing. Marriage is the last thing on his mind, until his neighbour, the beautiful and slightly eccentric, Lady Henley Killigrew, appears on his doorstep.
An absolutely delightful read, the characters have lots of depth, the pace never lags & the chemistry between Cain & Hen is sizzling, they both fall hard & fast for each other. I loved both Cain & Hen, he's the returning war hero who suffers from nightmares, she’s a ray of sunshine, kind, caring & sees Cain not the title. I loved their journey to a HEA. I also really liked Hen’s two sisters & Cain's best friend Cormac. I loved this story & read it in a sitting & look forward to the rest of the series
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A bewitching and beautiful romance, love at first sight for me too. I am quite taken by Moonstone Landing and its characters. Cain and Henley meet at a time when they both need each other and it all falls into place, a love at first sight story with a heart-felt journey to their happily ever after.

Something magical happens at Moonstone Landing. They fell in love at first sight, or their souls just recognized each other as mates. But first they have to deal with an embezzling relative, ptsd before getting their HEA. This story also gives a good insight into how some people, women in this case, are not able to do things for themselves because they didn’t have rights that we take for granted today. Excellent read.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

If you cannot get behind a love-at-first-sight premise this is definitely not the book for you. I will be honest and say that I am not always a fan of that particular plot device, but I found I did not mind it at all here. Mostly because the characters point out how crazy it all is and how if they saw this behavior in others they would think they were crazy. I liked Hen a lot, but at times her repeatedly telling Cain that he could back out of the engagement got a little annoying. She was such a strong, tough woman I found it disappointing that she couldn't understand how great she was and what she could bring to the marriage. I appreciated how Cain understood her frustrations about not being allowed to be involved in the battle to gain control of her own money. As a side note, that whole part of the plot got resolved almost too easily. The part toward the end between Hen and her cousin's wife was pretty comical with each of them thinking the other was trying to poison their husband. Overall, a really great start to this part of the series (there have been other Moonstone novellas). I am certainly looking forward to seeing what happens between Cormac and Phoebe in the next book!

Cain, the Duke of Malvern is using hard physical work on his new property to help him sleep at night. He carries nightmares that so many suffer the after effects of the war, and he can do nothing to help.

Lady Henley Killigrew and her sisters are desperate to find a way to regain control of their trust funds. An unscrupulous guardian is stealing from them.

This historical romance is a love at first sight story. There is something about Moonstone Landing that seems to encourage it. Our characters are complete opposites in the way they solve problems. That will add some humour to the troubling emotions they face.

This is the start of a new series that looks like a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

Good fun.

Loved It!

I loved everything about this romantic historical romance. The feelings and emotions shone through.
Cain the Duke of Malvern was more than happy to help Lady Henley out once he met her. He had escaped London to get away for some peace and quiet but once he met Hen he was smitten.

A wonderful storyline with wonderful characters, Hen and Cain were perfect for each other, yes Cain still had issues but Hen was the perfect person to help him heal.

I’m so looking forward to the next story in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ms. Platt is one of my favorite authors and her books are absolutely wonderful. "The Moonstone Duke" is the first book in a new series about the Killigrew sisters.

Cain St. Austell, the Duke of Malvern, has retreated from London to his country home in Moonstone Landing. He's trying to defeat the demons from the war that plague his mind by working alongside his tenants, hoping to exhaust himself so he can sleep at night. One day while out in the pasture, he meets Lady Henley Killigrew when she is injured on his property, and it is like being struck by lightning. He is immediately drawn to her inner sparkle and vows he'll make her his, but Lady Henley is known to be very cautious. Can Cain convince her that it's love at first sight?

This was a delightful story of a war veteran trying to tame his demons. Ms. Platt does a good job of not minimizing the trauma that the soldiers endured, and I was glad Cain wasn't all of a sudden relieved of his nightmares. Little did Cain realize it was Lady Henley who would be the key to healing his tortured mind. He'd never been affected by any other young lady like he was when he met Henley. When Cain learns of her family's plight, he offers to help her recover her funds which have been stolen by her evil cousin. Henley is reluctant to trust a man she just met, but there's something about the duke that pulls her closer. Against her better judgment, she agrees to accept Cain's offer. I loved this couple. They complemented each other so well--Henley was all goodness and kindness, while Cain resembled an angry bear. It was a good balance for both of them.

It's good to be a duke, and Cain works hard to make things right for Henley, her sisters, her cousin, and two spinster aunts. There is a good mystery in the story of how the current Earl of Stoke managed to steal from the young women. I loved seeing Cain and Henley grow closer and realize what they have is a once-in-a-lifetime romance. After a few more twists and turns, Cain and Henley finally get their HEA.

Cain, a troubled war hero, goes out to his country estate to recoup. Hen, the oldest of three orphaned girls, tries to help him chase away his demons. When Hen and her sisters are threatened by nasty distant relatives, Cain can not help himself to try to save the day. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

This is a love at first sight storyline, not my favorite. The Duke, Cain, knows within an hour that he is going to marry Henley (Lady Hen). He proposed right then and there. Not much romance but he is trying to be her hero.
Lady Henley has been kicked out of her home with her two younger sisters when their father dies. Now her cousin is stealing their money and Lady Henley is not sure what to do. This is where the Duke comes to the rescue. He totally takes over the situation and within days has her money restored, her sisters are under his quardianship and her and Hen are married.
I thought the story was good. I thought Henley was a little too soft. I thought Cain was a little too dominant. But mostly I felt it lacked romance. Before you knew it they were married and living together.
3 1/2 stars rounded up.
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A very sweet story; not a lot of conflict. Cain is a war hero who has come home to conquer his demons. Hen is the woman Nextdoor who is in need of a hero. When they meet, it is love at first sight. Cain plans to help Hen rid her family of their cousin who is stealing their inheritance. This was a quiet easy read.

I relished this gratifying, love at first sight, romance that I devoured it in one sitting!

Platt has brought to life, in idealic dreamy proportions, the tranquil, friendly, coastal village of Moonstone Landing and introduced us to the delightfully evanescent Killigrew sisters. Henley, the eldest and our heroine, is full to brimming with kindness, perception, warmth and a bold streak of independence slash eccentricity; a beguilling mix that had me instantly warming to her. But, she is struggling to deal with her odious, weasel of a cousin, the newly appointed earl, for embezzling their trust funds. Can a marriage proposal from a deeply scarred war hero who is tormented with survivor's guilt, the gruff, take charge, never lost a battle, but you can't help but want to unravel, bear of a duke next door, Cain, be the answer to all her prayers? I really loved finding out as THE MOONSTONE DUKE, really pulled me in and left me uplifted.
I've always been dazzled by Platt's style of writing and her ability to tangle you so effortlessly up in the magic of sweetly affecting romance by making you care for her characters, through their expressed desires, uncertainities and insecurities, as they are so irredeemably shaped by the love and soul deep connection of a true partner on equal footing. And Cain and Hen's relationship was a delightfully statisfying example of this.
Infused with witty banter, sweetly touching romance, a spot of jeopardy, a meddlesome exlover and a lost and deeply wounded longtime friend to kick into life... the hurting ex soldier, Cormac and his adorable, whirlwind nieces. All intertwined and swept me along as I enjoyed every moment of Cain falling, in a smitten haze of overwhelming love, for Hen which mutually ignites and creates within him a desperate need to grasp at the hope and light she radiates as his heart reawakens and begins to heal.
Sweet, fun escapism where I can't wait for book 2. It's promises to be a treat of witty playful banter, projected through a veil of frustrated attraction and rightful indignation, between two selfimposed, stubborn and sassy, aversaries. I can't wait!

Hen is guardian of her younger sisters after their father’s death. Their father’s cousin is guardian of the trust and hasn’t sent any money to Hen, as well as other family members. Hen goes for an angry walk, gets a cut on her hand, and is crossing the duke’s property trying to get home to treat her injury. The duke sees her and things she is just another young lady pushing to marry a duke, Hen has no earthly idea who he is and she’s pretty, so he’s immediately taken with her, tends to her wounds, feedsher a snack, talks with her about her pos relative, and then springs a proposal on her (see below)
* insta insta love - marriage was proposed right before the 10% mark 😡
* Hen’s consistent total lack of self-esteem was really grating
* negative mental health rep - “all my issues will miraculously go away now because of my partner’
* say something wildly provocative and then when asked about it, respond with ‚we’ll talk about it later’ 🤬
* mention of a mysterious former relationship partner pops up every so often and after my reading I still had no idea what happened there
* now I’m going to try to make you responsible for my mental health 🤬

I didn't continue reading after the 50% point.



Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC.

This was exactly what I needed! The author takes you into the setting of the historical London Social Season with ease and beauty. I love the romance, the scandal, the plot… Awesome book!

This was a lovely read! However, I would've appreciated it if the book was a little more focused on getting to know each other and spending more time together instead of being so centered on the fund's issue.
Because of this, I think it felt much longer than it actually was.

All in all, their chemistry was fantastic, and Cain was heartbreakingly wonderful.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.