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Vampire Moon by J.R. Rain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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I completed Vampire Moon last night. This is the second book in the “Vampire for Hire” urban fantasy series by JR Rain. Main character is Samantha Moon: mother, private eye, vampire.

While her personal life is in shambles, Sam’s PI business is doing well. She finds herself on the trail of a notorious crime lord, while at the same time protecting a young woman from her abusive husband. As for her personal life, Sam may be the PI, but it’s her ex, Danny, who’s being a dick by not allowing her to see or speak to their children. Vampire or not, a woman can only be pushed so far, and Sam makes some hard choices in regards to meting out her own brand of justice.

Loved it! I admit to being vindictive, and I delighted in the retribution that Samantha doled out. In each case, it was justified. She’s a marvelous character—still learning about her own morphology, tough and tender, vicious and vulnerable. I enjoy her sarcastic wit, and the dialog between characters was entertaining.

Favorite lines:
♦ I flipped open the cell. “Moon Agency.” // “Is this the Moon Agency?” asked a male voice. // “Would be a hell of a coincidence otherwise.”
♦ One of the articles said that focusing on breathing was a great way to unclutter thoughts, but what if someone didn’t need to breathe? The article wasn’t very vampire friendly.
♦ Orange County’s only five-star hotel sat high on a bluff, which, if you asked me, looked exactly like a cliff.
♦ Now my fingers and thumbs were capped with very strong-looking nails. Not claws, per se, just ten very thick and slightly pointed nails. Okay, fine. They were claws. I had fucking claws. Sometimes I hate my life.
♦ If I wasn’t careful, I could step on my wings, which I had done before and it wasn’t the most graceful thing to witness. A vampire stumbling on her own wings didn’t exactly grace covers of supernatural romance novels the world over.
♦ Can’t have a big, bad werewolf picking off the surgically-enhanced ‘Desperate Housewives of Orange County’ one by one like so many slow-moving, top-heavy gazelles.
♦ “White guy. Thin. Black hair. Black eyes. Probably brown eyes, but they looked black in here.” // “Anything else about him?” // “He was wearing a sign around his neck that said, ‘I am exhibiting suspicious behavior.’ Does that help?”
♦ Vampires can chew gum. Wrigley should consider a new slogan: "So good, even a vampire won't projectile vomit."

This appealed to and satisfied my appetite for comeuppance. ALL THE STARS!

Current Mood: satisfied
Current Music: "Francis Forever" ~ Mitski

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.

Current Mood: okay

Over the course of two evenings, I read the ebook Ghost College by Scott Nicholson and JR Rain. It's the first in a series, but subsequent books appear to be credited to different authors. I don't know if that means they'll follow the same characters (in a round-robin format) or if the next books will branch out in different directions.

This story was wonderful. It's told in first person pov by skeptical ghost hunter Monty. He and his wife Ellen use a two-pronged attack when conducting their investigations. Monty relies on his technology, while Ellen is "sensitive". Monty doesn't really believe in ghosts, but he does believe in his wife, whom he adores. Their banter throughout was one of the best parts of the story. Monty and Ellen are called to investigate a small, religious college, where staff and students have been hearing voices, seeing shadows, and finding objects moved.

Ellen quickly connects with a young girl named Sophia, and Monty's instruments fail when the batteries are drained. When Ellen convinces him to act as a conduit to allow Sophia to communicate with them, Monty finds himself in a battle between good and evil, as he and Ellen try to save Sophia from the man known as the Dark Master.

This was a fun, engaging story. Even though it was short, Monty and Ellen are portrayed well, and I loved that Monty had so much faith in Ellen, despite the fact that he didn't experience the things she could.

Favorite lines:
♦ But this was also Southern California, where there were only two seasons: Oscar season and everything else.
♦ Middle age is hell, old age will probably be worse, and after that...well, we'll all find out when we get there.
♦ Me, I tended to ignore higher callings, because they entailed responsibility, and all I wanted was the next round of chocolate pancakes.
A man after my own heart!

Loved this one, and I am looking forward to reading the rest! Five stars:

*****

Current Mood: impressed

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