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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
An Intriguingly Different, & Quirky Delve into Vampirism...
I wasn't initially sold on this book as the beginning read a bit stiff and sleepy with a lot of seemingly unnecessary descriptive noise reminiscent of George R.R. Martin's, A Song of Fire and Ice series. A set of books containing enough mind numbing pages about jewels on dresses, and the colors of fabrics to make me throw the books away and never look back. However, a few chapters into "Moon Dance" and I was genuinely happy to discover that unlike Martin, J.R. Rain's descriptive prose actually has a meaningful purpose, as it pulls you deeply into the rapidly spiraling world of his protagonist Samantha Moon's stream of consciousness. The stream of consciousness of a woman grappling with her out of control reality after a brutal attack years earlier leaves her a vampire.
A reality that finds Sam trying to come to grips with having her humanity ripped away and the subsequent after effects of dealing with a husband who slowly comes to find her new non-human status revolting, and trying to continue being a mother to children she adores while explaining mommy's new "illness". All while working to grow a new career as a private eye while mourning the loss of her job as a government agent, a job she loved.
What follows is a quietly powerful story of survival. A story where Rain's introspective, contemplative writing unobtrusively leads "Moon Dance" down a path that is unexpectedly profound.
You will unknowingly disappear into this sneaky surprise of a book. You will fall in love with Samantha's smart wit and endless will to move forward. You will become immersed in her thoughts, her struggles, her life. You will unknowingly cheer for her triumphs, and unexpectedly rage at those who abuse her and cause her emotional harm. And your heart will thunder dangerously in your chest as she twists and precariously veers her way through her client's case; finding the person who tried to murder him. A case that brings her face to face with werewolves, hunters, and other dangerous things that go bump in the night.
You will, without warning, fall in love with this quirky woman and her magically imperfect but heartfelt world.
It isn't often a book comes along and makes me do a literary double take. "Moon Dance" however did just that, as at first what appears to be a muted and benign book about a vampire mom. Turns out to be a vibrantly sassy and emotionally spot on book about struggling to cope with unforeseen catastrophes. And about learning to live in the moment, making the best of what you have instead of drowning is the sea if "what ifs" and "should have beens". It is perfectly imperfect, and worth the read.
I wasn't initially sold on this book as the beginning read a bit stiff and sleepy with a lot of seemingly unnecessary descriptive noise reminiscent of George R.R. Martin's, A Song of Fire and Ice series. A set of books containing enough mind numbing pages about jewels on dresses, and the colors of fabrics to make me throw the books away and never look back. However, a few chapters into "Moon Dance" and I was genuinely happy to discover that unlike Martin, J.R. Rain's descriptive prose actually has a meaningful purpose, as it pulls you deeply into the rapidly spiraling world of his protagonist Samantha Moon's stream of consciousness. The stream of consciousness of a woman grappling with her out of control reality after a brutal attack years earlier leaves her a vampire.
A reality that finds Sam trying to come to grips with having her humanity ripped away and the subsequent after effects of dealing with a husband who slowly comes to find her new non-human status revolting, and trying to continue being a mother to children she adores while explaining mommy's new "illness". All while working to grow a new career as a private eye while mourning the loss of her job as a government agent, a job she loved.
What follows is a quietly powerful story of survival. A story where Rain's introspective, contemplative writing unobtrusively leads "Moon Dance" down a path that is unexpectedly profound.
You will unknowingly disappear into this sneaky surprise of a book. You will fall in love with Samantha's smart wit and endless will to move forward. You will become immersed in her thoughts, her struggles, her life. You will unknowingly cheer for her triumphs, and unexpectedly rage at those who abuse her and cause her emotional harm. And your heart will thunder dangerously in your chest as she twists and precariously veers her way through her client's case; finding the person who tried to murder him. A case that brings her face to face with werewolves, hunters, and other dangerous things that go bump in the night.
You will, without warning, fall in love with this quirky woman and her magically imperfect but heartfelt world.
It isn't often a book comes along and makes me do a literary double take. "Moon Dance" however did just that, as at first what appears to be a muted and benign book about a vampire mom. Turns out to be a vibrantly sassy and emotionally spot on book about struggling to cope with unforeseen catastrophes. And about learning to live in the moment, making the best of what you have instead of drowning is the sea if "what ifs" and "should have beens". It is perfectly imperfect, and worth the read.
I almost tossed this during the boxing scene. But, I powered through. I’ve enjoyed many books with this same formula. This was a new twist with the protagonist having children. I’m just not sure I can handle rolling my eyes that much while reading.
Pretty good so far. This book would appeal to fans of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Female detective who just happens to have a skin disorder, aka, a vampire.
I quite enjoyed reading Moon Dance and look forward to reading the next in the series. Like anything dealing with vampires, werewolves, etc. you are reading for entertainment value and I was entertained.
I enjoyed reading this but while I liked the main character for the most part her relationship with her husband really frustrated me
Spoiler
and why the hell doesn't she talk to kingsley the hotshot lawyer about a divorce? she just rolls right over and lets him walk off with both kids
Quick read - recommendation from a friend - free on Kindle. Not sure if i'll read more in the series, but it wasn't half bad for this type of writing.
Not a bad little escape book. Picked it up from Amazon fot free. Really enjoyed the storyline and can't wait to see hos the characters develop
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Reading a vampire novel is, to me, like coming home. The bloodsucking trope was my introduction to the world of horror novels and remains my go to refuge when (if you'll pardon the quote) "this old world starts getting me down." Each time I start a series such as Vampire for Hire, I am looking for a new take on an old idea. In this respect, J. R. Rain succeeds admirably.
Meet Samantha Moon — mother of two, wife, private investigator, vampire. She lives in Fullerton, California with her husband Danny and their two children Anthony and Tammy and copes with her condition in the best way she can. Unlike her earlier gothic counterparts, Sam uses copious amounts of high-powered sunscreen to move about under the California sun to do such mundane things as picking up the kids from school. She is not the first vampire to cope with daylight, but she is certainly the most modern.
Along with her mom duties, Samantha Moon is also working on a case. She has been hired by defense attorney Kingsley Fulcrum to find out who tried to kill him. He's a great bear of a man, and he withstood five bullets, at point blank range. The suspect list is large. His clients include killers and rapists that he's gotten off. There are some very pissed off people out there.
Much like a television series, the first outing may not be all you think it should be. Characters have to get better acquainted. Themes need a bit of polish. However, it is easy to see where this is going, or at least I think it is. Samantha Moon is a strong female protagonist whose story needs time to unfold. I'm ready to follow her story as far as it goes.
The Tenth Anniversary Deluxe Edition of MOON DANCE also contains an interview with the author and two short stories ("Moon Quiz" and "Teeth") and a long poem ("Vampire Alley").