I'm sorry, but this book is just terrible. I seriously regret buying all nine books in the series, because I couldn't even finish this first one. They're going to the second-hand bookstore TOMORROW, lol - no way in hell am I wasting another minute of my life on Riley Jenson and Co.There's so many things about this book that put me off, but the biggest one would have to be the superficiality ... there's no depth, whatsoever, to ANYTHING - and this makes it very difficult to connect to the characters or the storyline. No emotions, no nothing. What? I've just been shot? That's okay, I'll just do an instant shift into werewolf form, then back to human form, then - what do you know?! - instant healing!! - problem solved. Love?? Who needs that?! In my world, werewolves are overcome with the need to MATE for a quarter of every month. Yeah, we just have sex with everyone, all over the place. Sex. Sex Clubs. Sex. Sex Clubs. Sex. Sex Clubs. Sex Clubs. Sex. Sex. Sex. What? You're a nasty scum-type clone-freak trying to rape me with your barbed penis? OMG! I'm so freaking horny! But NO I'm going to use my super powers of awesome to make you have sex with your partner in crime, THEN make you sit down and stare blankly at the wall. Oh yeah, as for those powers of awesome, I just have them. So many of them. I'm just absolutely freaking amazing.While I have no problem with a lot of sex in books, it just gets on my nerves when characters are sleeping with MULTIPLE people they have absolutely no feelings for, for some stupid contrived reason. I MUST HAVE SEX ALL WEEK!!! SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! Meaningless sex is just - well - MEANINGLESS. It serves no purpose in this story, apart from filling the pages with sex. It's one thing when it's between two people who have feelings for one another, or are in some sort of situation where it makes sense, but when people are just sleeping with each other for the sake of it, it's just stupid. What? My twin brother's missing? Too bad! I must have sex! Then I must have more sex with another guy. Then I'm thinking about sex with the random vampire stranger trying to help me find my brother. Then I'm turned on by the bad-guy clones, or whatever the heck they are, then MORE sex with the guy who SO OBVIOUSLY drugged me the other day and sliced out my contraceptive chip because he's obsessed with having my baby, yet I'm Too Stupid To Live because all I can think of is SSSSSSEEEEEEXXXXXX!!!I didn't even get half way and she's already had sex about 10 times ... it's all she thinks about ... it's all everyone does ... SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! My god. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.As for the plot? Please. It's so freaking boring and hardly makes any sense at all. Clone this. Experiment that. Genetics blah blah. Interesting? NO.Also, everyone has so much MONEY! Ferrari this, multi-billionaire that ... but - hey - no big deal, Riley's had sex with rich guys before. *nods* She sure has. She only mentions this about FIVE ZILLION TIMES.Anyway, I have a feeling that if you like Adrian Phoenix's series - the one with Dante the OMG AMAZING GOD-LIKE CREATURE - you might just enjoy this one.
Riley Jenson isn't like other girls. She is part vampire and part werewolf, she has a great self image and she has two delicious guys at her beck and call - during the full moon. Riley's work as a liaison has her in close proximity to Guardians (who round up non-human lawbreakers) so she gets to see more than she wants. Her secret twin brother Rhoan who is a Guardian has gone missing and left few clues to follow. Enter Quinn O'Connor, a potential for either the problems that are piling up or a replacement for at least one of her lovers which on the other hand is the same thing - a potential for additional problems. As Quinn and Riley work to locate Rhoan and put a stop the diabolical plot they are working to uncover, she is finding him harder to resist. The layers of said plot include clones, genetic mutations, betrayals, double dealing and manipulations. All of which keep the tension in this origin story high. I liked but didn't love Riley and I'm certain most of that had to do with expectations. One of the things that really worked for me was Riley's self image. I liked her confidence and acceptance of self and warrior attitude. I also enjoyed Quinn and the secondary characters each of whom had distinct voices and personalities. Even with such a full character roster there was never a doubt who was interacting with whom. The only character I found difficulty connecting with was Riley herself. The establishment of the foundation was done well as were the potential for future storylines. I also liked the writing style and pacing of the story. Sex was a major thread in and of itself - it was (unfortunately) the answer for every thread running through this foundation. So there was quite a bit of it and some seemed unnecessary. Sex notwithstanding I'm interested enough in the overall arc to go forward with the series (but really it's to get more Quinn).
What do You think about Full Moon Rising (2006)?
Riley Jenson gets a fairly decent introduction, where she saves a bunch of humans from vampires despite the fact that she is utterly terrified. Physically strong, but emotionally normal. Identifiable. Believable.And then the entire book goes to hell.Instead of focusing on the fact that her twin is missing for the first half of the novel, Riley puts on a brave face and gets on with the day-to-day. Huh? Why isn't she curled up in a ball sobbing? Why isn't she taking off the heads of people getting in her way to find him? Why isn't this taking up her every waking moment? Because she is horny - that's why. The moon is calling to her, so she must have sex right now, and I mean rightnowmusthaveGRR. In Arthur's world, all werewolves spend a week a month having non-stop sex with anyone until they meet their one-true-love. Uh-huh. Sure. How very practical.But whatever. So she is sleeping around while searching for "the most important person in her life" - I can get over that. My issue is with the, er, three (?) times Riley was forced to have sex because she was drugged/kidnapped/on a mission. Apparently, this is only slightly unacceptable in Riley's deluded mind. Why? Because with the insane plot device that is the "moon heat" she would have been unable to say no anyways. So really, it isn't too big a deal.And when it's all over, is she overcome by her desire for revenge? Nope. When she is betrayed, physically and emotionally, by people she trusted for years - does she feel the need to visit a shrink and let all her emotions pour out? Of course not - that would be completely against her lack-of-character.Honestly. Despite 300-odd pages in her POV, I don't know Riley. One minute she is all touchy feel "oh gosh, I hate to kill"; the next she is eagerly dressing up as a prostitute while psychically forcing two guys to rape each other (and no I don't care if they deserved it). What was going on in that fictional brain of hers, who knows. Although I imagine if I had, this review would have been significantly more explicit.http://deadbookdarling.com/2009/08/re...
—Kay
Full Moon Rising is for a more mature audience, revolving more around explicit and inappropriate content than necessary. Despite the fact that the blurb on the back of the book informed us about the heat of the full moon and its effect on Riley, the dhampire - half Vampire, half Werewolf - protagonist, I wasn't warned about the extremeties I had to encounter while reading the book. I thought that this book would have an interesting plot with all the distractions of a deliciously irresistable Vampire who appears naked in front of Riley's apartment door keeping Riley from finding her twin brother who is missing. However, the plot seems more focused on the lusty scenes than the "finding the beloved twin brother" plot. I think that the author could have focused more on the production and development and intensity of the plot, instead of making lust the dominating theme - although I acknowledge the fact that lust is supposed to be the main theme - without incorporating most of it into the actual plot. I think the plot could've improved if Riley's lusty romps and her search for her brother intertwined more.
—Esther
I was hesitant about starting this book because I was not sure I would like the concept of Riley Jenson having multiple partners in the story. Surprisingly, it was written in the context of it being her werewolf nature and did not dissuade me from reading the book. Of course, she does have one main love interest in the form of an Irish vampire named Quinn. I loved his character so I will be enjoying reading more about him as well. Although, this book left their relationship unresolved, I would guess he will be an even bigger presence in the following books (Did I already mention that I love Quinn???). I liked Riley because she was not all "rough edges" and "tough" with the way she approached situations. She was strong vampire/werewolf and knew what she had to do when the situation demanded it of her. The world Keri Arthur creates in "Full Moon Rising" is unique and the supporting characters in the story are intriguing. This is the beginning of a series that I am really looking forward to continuing!
—Ally72
