Book 4, 2025

Moon Dance by J.R. Rain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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I've just finished reading Moon Dance by JR Rain. It's the first in the "Vampire for Hire" urban fantasy series. The main character is Samantha Moon--mother, PI, vampire.

Samantha had the perfect life: she was a federal agent and a loving wife and mother. An attack changed all that, and now Sam works the night shift as a PI. Her latest client has hired her to find out who attempted to murder him in broad daylight. Sam soon suspects that Kingsley isn't telling her everything, such as how he survived being shot five times in the head and face. As she digs into the case, Samantha is still learning about her new reality, dodging her own newly-acquired would-be assassin, and trying to hold onto her failing marriage.

I have several books in this series loaded on my Kindle, and I finally got around to reading the first one. Color me impressed. Story is in Sam's first-person pov, and she's both witty and wry. She's tough and strong, but also vulnerable and fearful of losing her kids. It was interesting to learn new things right along with her, and I enjoyed her relationship with her sister, who is one of only a few people who know what Samantha has become. Action was fast paced and the plot flowed well. I appreciated the short chapters, which made it easy to read "just one more". Or two or three. LOL! I liked that Samantha could be awake in the daylight, although it made her lethargic, and that she could go out in the sun briefly and well-protected. I did not like the old vampire trope of her having no reflection, however.

Favorite lines:
♦ Good point. I decided not to tell the detective he had a good point. Men tend to think all of their points were good, and they sure as hell didn't need me to boost their already inflated egos.
♦ "You only work nights, Mrs Moon. You wear an exorbitant amount of sunscreen. Your windows, I noticed, were all completely covered. You lift two hundred pounds without a moment's hesitation. Your skin is icy to the touch. And you have the complexion of an avalanche victim." // "Okay, that last one was just mean."
♦ Even vampires need to breathe. Actually, I wondered about that. I held my breath, timing myself. A minute passed. Two minutes. Three. Four. Five. I let out my breath. Well, hell, you learn something new every day.

Entertaining and engrossing. Five stars.