Full Moon Rising

I got this free with Stanza in what I can only imagine is an attempt by the publisher to try and get people to buy the rest of the series - I still feel short changed. I don't think I've come across a published book that reads as much like a bad teenage fantasy as this... and I've tried to read the Twilight ‘books'.[return][return]If you want a bunch of bad deus ex machinae, wooden characters that all have the same voice, and some really bad semi-furry sex then read away. Everyone else, life's too short.

I like strong heroines, lots of action, multiple subplots, character development, a good storyline, and compelling writing; and this book fulfills. Riley Jensen is a powerful personality, whose paranormal abilities are only beginning to surface. She is being courted by her twin brother's, Rhoan, covert agency to be a guardian and she is resisting those overtures. The disappearance of her brother, though, causes her to forge an uneasy alliance with the agency in order to rescue her brother.

A lot of reviewers complain about the amount of sex and the rape scene, but, Riley's drive to have sex at the full moon phase is secondary to the plot other than it nearly defeats her ability to solve her brother's disappearance and the larger threat behind it. The book also sets up a future love interest for Riley in the form of the vampire Quinn; and, it's clear that Riley could easily be monogamous if Quinn were only able to set aside his distrust of werewolves caused by previous betrayals of the lupi kind.

This was a good mix of paranormal mystery and romance. At times I worried that Riley's urges would hinder her, but she was able to use them to her advantage or resist them when she needed to. I also liked many of the characters, specifically Riley, Quinn, Rhoan, Jack and Liander. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Kissing Sin.