Product Description

In this exciting debut, author Keri Arthur explodes onto the supernatural scene with a sexy, sensuous tale of intrigue and suspense set in a world where legends walk and the shady paths of the underworld are far more sinister than anyone envisioned.

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.…

Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.

In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #251871 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-31
• Released on: 2006-01-31
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Australian author Arthur's fast-paced fantasy-romance, the first in a new series, introduces part vampire, part werewolf Riley Jenson, who works for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races, as does her twin brother, Rhoan. When Rhoan goes missing, a naked yet powerful vampire, Quinn, appears on Riley's doorstep and asks for her aid. Riley and Quinn team up to find Rhoan, investigate the mysterious deaths of Directorate agents and determine who's been creating vampire and werewolf clones. Despite their mutual attraction, Quinn—once heartbroken by a werewolf lover—will never fully trust another werewolf, but that doesn't stop him from helping Riley through the lust that engulfs werewolves in the days leading up to the full moon. Strong, smart and capable, Riley will remind many of Anita Blake, Laurell K. Hamilton's kick-ass vampire hunter. While Arthur (Beneath a Rising Moon) occasionally loses control of her plot as she sets the stage for later books, and some romance readers may be put off by the lack of monogamy, fans of Anita Blake and Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse vampire series will be rewarded. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
This novel about vampires and werewolves living among humans should not be listened to in a crowded elevator or at a PTA meeting. Tamara Lovatt-Smith's husky, sensual voice and Arthur's descriptions of unbridled sex may have you reaching for a fan or your partner. Lovatt-Smith's slow, clear cadence lets the writer's vivid descriptions do the work. In addition to the steamy but not over-the-top sex scenes Lovatt-Smith masters alliteration and scenes with multiple characters, but it's definitely not a performance for blushers. When the story's heroes and villains aren't having sex with each other, there's plenty of suspense in the plot and an ending poised for sequels that you'll want Lovatt-Smith to read. D.J.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Arthur's suspenseful, colorful debut introduces readers to a world in which vampires and werepeople work side by side. Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, have a secret: they are half vampire, half werewolf, which gives them extraordinary powers. Both are employed by the Directorate, which polices the supernatural world. Rhoan is a guardian, but Riley, wanting to keep a lower profile, is an operative. Her boss, Jack, wants to bring her into the ranks of the guardians, but she soon has her hands full when Rhoan disappears. Complicating matters is Quinn, the sexy vampire camped outside the apartment Riley shares with Rhoan, looking for Rhoan on a business matter. When Riley, Jack, and Quinn discover Rhoan's disappearance is connected to a shady company's cloning experiments, Riley isn't sure whom she can trust, especially when she learns one of her lovers may be involved in the conspiracy. Exciting fare with plenty of action, so that horror fans will eagerly anticipate the next installment in a fresh, sexy series. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Full Moon Rising
Lots of twists and storylines in this book - not to mention some seriously sexy scenes.

Stab it with a silver plated wood stake through the heart...please!
Took a risk coming to this from my typical sf/fantasy reads because I loved the Anne Rice vampire novels. Needless to say this is a literal waste of time. No character development, no...well I could go on, I realize...believe me there isn't much of anything in here - it reads like a late late late night soft porn it's so dark I can't see anything that's happening made for tv movie.

Someone must be reading this because I see there are sequels, but if you take your reading the slightest bit seriously, leave this one alone.

Not so much bite ... (2 1/2 stars)
I'm a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong's supernatural series, so when I found Keri Arthur's first novel about a half-werewolf half vamp heroine, not to mention the fact that it was set in my home city, the premise immediately appealed. However, while there are a number of promising elements, it was ultimately rather disappointing. Aside from Riley, the characters were not particularly well-drawn and at times the novel felt like a pale imitation of a pastiche of Armstrong and Laurell K. Hamilton. Even the characters' names sounded like they could have come straight from one of Hamilton's "Anita Blake" novels.

I found the plot hard to follow, too, and I agree with previous reviewers that the sex was just too much. I have no problem with sex in literature (though I think it's overused as a device) so long as it advances the plot. In this case, they most often didn't - Riley's frequent bonk-fests seemed to be included for titillation and were pretty much extraneous.

Another problem (more of a nitpick, really): while this author is apparently Australian, the Americanisms bugged. I'm not saying the characters needed to go around bellowing, "G'day cobber!" (I don't know any Aussie who does, thank God!) but if an author's chosen a particular setting, the language needs to be relatively authentic. Riley "pops a can of soda" instead of opening a can of soft drink. In this book, there are no car parks in Melbourne, there are "parking lots." They don't get into lifts, they get into "elevators." And it's not South Bank, it's Southbank!! Okay, one or two instances, I'd let it pass, but these are just a couple of a number of examples. That's fine if you're writing a novel set in America, populated by American characters. It was not clear if she is originally American (which would explain it) or if these changes were made in the editorial process to make the book easily translate to American audiences or what. However, if the setting is Australia and the characters are Australian, I implore this author to make more of an effort to write how we speak (and in fairness, there were times she did get it right).

However, despite its shortcomings, "Full Moon Rising" was a good airport read (I'd picked it up waiting for an overseas flight) - not too demanding either intellectually or in terms of concentration. I think this author shows some promise, but this book doesn't quite meet my "Would read it again and again" test.