This was fun enough and a very easy read. The detective story elements let it down but the vampirism was actually quite entertaining ( )

This was a fast, light read, but I don't think I'll be continuing with the series. I can see it being a good fit for readers who want fast paranormals with a bit of intrigue, but which go light on the romance and violence that are so often featured in paranormal romance, but there just wasn't quite enough depth of emotion for me. Everything felt a little too easy and casual, with even the most serious moments and interactions be delivered so fast and with so little depth that I never really had any emotional engagement or feeling for the characters. There was, much as I hate to say it, just no impact for me, and although it was a fast read and I kept going to see what would happen next, I didn't particularly care what was coming--and that's a problem.

If this had been a little bit heavier and more serious, the characters a bit more believable in the depth of their emotion, this might have been a series I'd stick to. Or, for that matter, if it had gone all-in on humor and lightness, I think it probably would have been a much more enjoyable read for me. There was nothing wrong with the writing, or with the story... it all just needed to be a bit more of one tone or another, and have a bit more depth. As is, I'll leave the series to other readers, and I'm not sure I'll pick up another by Rain. ( )

It was okay. A vampire who's also a mommy and a housewife was interestingly unusual, but became increasingly less important in the story - a trend that looks like it will continue. The mystery that was the nominal main plot of the book was overshadowed by the various developing vampire stuff. ( )

Other than Ann Rice I have never read vampire books, and have never been interested in contemporary vampire books. But I took a shot and I have really enjoyed these books, I'm on the third book now and they are really good. Samantha Moon is a soccer mom, mother of 2, private investigator and vampire. She is married to a jerk of a lawyer, who instead of loving and supporting her, has abandoned her emotionally and is having an affair with his secretary. Samantha has plenty of support from other people but no true love interest, so there is no unnecessary sex, which to many times distract from the point of the story. The story revolves around Samantha coming to terms with being a vampire, her failing marriage, her children and the cases that she has been hired to solve. ( )

I love the Jim Knighthorse series so thought I would give this book a try. J.R. Rain did not disappoint. Samantha Moon is a normal person just trying to survive life even though she isn’t technically alive anymore. The character is very well written and J.R. Rain does a great job of describing a normal life while at the same time weaving a mythology of werewolves and vampires into the mix. The mythology of the paranormal is so well written it doesn’t seem out of place in the modern story or too farfetched to be believed.

The imagery and scenery is very well described and helps paint a picture so much you could almost see Samantha’s office and house in your mind. I love Samantha’s relationship with her sister and was glad to see her sister love her while still wanting to be creeped out by the vampire thing. Her relationship with her husband was heartbreaking to read and you almost felt Samantha’s pain as the relationship deteriorated. I admire how Samantha did not lose her humanity or her motherly instinct – she truly loves her children and they are her anchor to the reality.

The mystery seems a little too easy and doesn’t add much to the story but that is okay because the focus of the book is on getting introduced to Samantha Moon’s world.

There were two downsides to the story to me and the first one was the werewolf thing was totally predictable and not surprising at all. The second one was the love story. I didn’t buy the love story though – it did not resonate with me at all. I totally felt like she had way more chemistry with the vampire hunter and the police detective than she did with Kingsley. Their romance just seemed like the author threw it in there at the last minute.

The narrator Dina Pearlman is fabulous and did a wonderful job with the voices so much so I never got confused about who was talking.

Overall a good story and kept me interested in continuing the series. Well done Mr. Rain.
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