Keri Arthur’s debut series, Full Moon Rising, takes us down under to Australia where Riley and Rhoan Jenson, twin vampire/werewolf siblings, take on the not so easy task of protecting the human race from their supernatural counterparts. However, the biggest question remains; who will protect them? Riley is left to ponder this after her brother goes missing on one of his missions. It doesn’t help matters that the full moon is approaching, making Riley susceptible to moon heat, putting her need to mate above all else. But her will is strong and it will be tested as the prospects, werewolf and vampire alike, are tempting.
Her search for her brother uncovers an unholy harvest, where someone powerful is pulling to strings to create clones with the potential to become ultimate warriors. Possessing the best of both worlds like Riley and Rhoan makes them a huge target. Can Riley get to her brother in time before it’s too late? Can she save herself from a similar fate?
Regretfully, I’m not on a good roll with my choice of books lately. I read this book a few weeks ago, so it’s interesting to mull it over and think about what I can actually remember. To be honest, it’s not much! It was shockingly dull at times. More story and less sex would have benefited it. It walks the line of UF and PNR, but not in a good way. I could have done without rapey werewolves taking up so much page time, though I honestly can’t even remember the sex scenes. The characters lacked a lot of dimension and originality. Riley certainly takes a page from Anita Blake’s world with her need of a “harem” to satisfy her insatiable needs. And the more prevalent that became there, the less I cared about the series so ultimately I dropped it.
I gave this series a chance because I began to take a liking to the spin-off series, Dark Angels, with Risa Jones. That didn’t have the best start either, but the second book was a lot better. I am hoping Keri Arthur’s writing can at least stay the same in that respect. What the Riley world has going for it is that I kind of know how things work out since she and her HEA are present in the Dark Angels series as side characters. I understand that as prequel there’s a chance her writing simply improved later on and the second book may not be much better, but I’m hoping for something to pull me in and make me like the leading lady, the supporting cast, and the world as a whole. 1 down, 8 to go…hopefully.
I’ve read a few of the Riley Jensen books, out of order because that’s how I found the series. I haven’t read the first one, but in my expereince the first book in a series is often a little stale. The books I’ve read were somewhere in the middle of the series and towards the end. I think they were pretty good. Not great, but they definately kept me interested. There was still quite a bit of sex but that’s part of Riley’s werewolf thing. Basically I’m saying, I think you’ll like it more as you keep going.
I’m glad you’re reading these in order. I keep meaning to do that but other books keep coming first. It’ll be good to get some feedback before I dive back into them.
Yeah, that’s why I see myself staggering my progress. I may read a book or so per month. It may take me the whole year to read them all. That will keep it from being too bad.
Am on the fence after reading some of the reviews, but I would need to read it myself before I could make a decision,of course…
I feel like I could have not even bothered reading the first book if the events are summarized in the second book, which I’m sure it will be.
I loved Arthur’s Riley Jenson Guardian series. Much more than her spin-off. There’s so much more passion and excitement with this series whereas her Dark Angels series has gotten bogged down and repetitive.
I’ve not read the latest Dark Angels book. I may wait until the summer when book 5 comes out.
I’m with Kathy, I absolutely loved the RJ series, and feel the DA books are only “good”. Sometimes I think how I feel about a book is based on what I’m in the mood for and less about the actual book. Maybe by waiting and reading bk #2 in RJ, you’ll be in a better frame of mind to enjoy it. Maybe not, tho …
I think it may have been a mood thing, Cindi. I hear the last book is really great so that’s why I want to keep trying! I’ll read the first 3 at least to see how it goes. Glad you’re enjoying it though!