Vampire DawnSamantha Moon/Vampire for Hire #5J.R. RainAnother fun and quick read (started it on May 4; finished it on May 6). Rain’s Samantha Moon is an engaging character surrounded by a plethora of equally interesting and complicated characters, all placed in well-paced, intriguing situations. The author skillfully intertwines his multiple storylines, placing his readers directly into the life of this mother and former investigator, who is forced to make huge changes when she is attacked by a powerful vampire. The reader feels fully immersed in her struggle to maintain something resembling a normal lifestyle as she learns to cope with her new existence. As usual, this novel shows great attention to proofreading and editing. So much so, that I, an admittedly picky reader, could find only one proofing error. My only other notes on this novel are about a fun quirk of Samantha’s that Rain carries through almost every book. As I’ve stated previously, I’m reading novels 3-8 and the novella “Christmas Moon” in a book set for my Kindle. Reading on a Kindle, especially when reading a multi-book set, gives one a great tool for checking when one finds such an interesting thread as Samantha’s (and, by association, Rain’s) obsession with Judge Judy. Yep, that daytime TV favorite has so far shown up in books 1, 2, 3, 5 and in the novella. The only skip was book 3, “Moon Child.” The feisty Judge is mentioned 3 times in “Moon Dance,” 4 times in “Vampire Moon,” 3 times in “American Vampire,” 1 time in the novella, “Christmas Moon,” and 3 times in “Vampire Dawn.” I love details like this, as it makes the character instantly relatable. In this episode, Samantha is dealing with changes in her son, Anthony, as a result of his brief sojourn into vampirism in the previous novel. She is also pursuing a relationship with her werewolf friend, Kingsley, as well as keeping alive her friendships with the mysterious Fang and with Detective Sherbet. As a result of an article she obtained as pay for her investigative work in “Christmas Moon,” she is researching what powers her new medallion might have – and that means she is once again meeting with the oh-so-interesting entity in the occult reading room. Might it be possible for Sam to be able to once again walk in the sunlight? Well, while she’s researching this and determining how to make it happen and what the consequences of trying to make it happen might be, she must also deal with the mystery surrounding disappearances in her area. Samantha believes that some of these disappearances are connected to a blood supply business that claims to obtain the blood it provides to the local creature-of-the-night community from ‘willing’ witnesses. Samantha, although she finds the blood provided to her by her lover, Kingsley, and her vampire friend, Detective Hanner to be delicious beyond belief, she can’t shake her feeling that the term ‘willing’ might be a gross overstatement. This leads her to a local theater run by a well-known former daytime soap star, and she finds him very suspicious. What will she find out about this situation and, will she discover that her own friends are more involved than she had hoped? Complicated, right? Lots of strings to tie up, right? Yet, Rain does just that, leaving the reader imagining what Samantha might do in future episodes as a result of what she discovers, yet not really leaving the reader hanging on the edge of that proverbial literary cliff. Quick read. Fun read. Satisfying read. A good continuation of the Samantha Moon vampire detective story. Her life has improved now she has her children back, hercheating husband is out of the picture and she has a boyfriend who understands her, but life is still difficult because of her "condition". She uses her paranormal skills to trace what is happening to missing persons and also discovers something to make her life a bit more human.
What do You think about Vampire Dawn (2000)?
I'm not a big 'vampire' fan, but I am really enjoying this series :)
—vitty
