Customer Reviews

Crescent Moon (Nightcreature, Book 4)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The fourth in Handeland's Moon series (with this installment it's changed to the Nightcreature sereis) is a spectacularly engrossing read. Hooked from the first page till the very last, it was difficult to put the book down till I'd finished it. Handeland's talent just keeps rising and rising and "Crescent Moon" surely will land her in the paranormal romance hall of fame.

Diana is a cryptozoologist hired to find a wolf rumored to be terrorizing the swamps surrounding New Orleans, a place where no wolves are supposed to be. Thrilled to have a chance at proving the impossible to the world, she accepts and is soon immersed in The Crescent City's world of danger, intrigue and murder. Something is definitely killing the locals and though no one wants to tell, Diana is determined to discover this deep dark secret. She's in need of a guide for the swamps and when her first is inconviently disposed of in walks local Adam Ruelle to take up the slack. Rumor has it his family is cursed, deranged....mad. What Diana finds is a sexy and mysterious man that burns up her nights and he vows to protect her from anything she might find. But is he for real? Or is hiding something of his own? Strange beginnings on her trip to the Crescent City just keep getting stranger and Diana soon knows without a doubt that she is headed for danger.

This installment is without a doubt the most solid of the series to date. Emotionally engaging, witty and unique characters, from the hero and heroine to the spunky voodoo priestess Cassandra, ensure readers will love this book for that aspect alone. Diana's character was strong, level-headed and reading her dialogue was so much fun. Adam's mysterious allure was the perfect ignitor for the puzzling circunstances surrounding the wolf (and his obvious sex appeal didn't hurt either). The plot was enthralling, with so many twists and turns and it kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know, no, needing to know what happened next. This installment could almost stand alone, but some characters from the previous title, "Dark Moon", do make a guest appearance and their inclusion enriches the story nicely. The previous titles are good reads as well, but "Crescent Moon" lands the entire series on my keeper shelf. The great news too is there will be more books after this one and all I cannot wait to read them all! Five very enthusiastic stars!

This is the 4th book by Ms. Handeland in the Nightcreature series. I devoured the 3 preceding books just the same as this one. I debated giving this book 4 or 5 stars. It seemed a little better than 4, being not as good as the other books written before it.

This novel is set in New Orleans (with a note from the author that this was written before Katrina), the sultry and mysterious, yet elegant city of the South. Diana Malone is a cryptozoologist (a scientist who looks for Bigfoot, Nessie, and the like) with a tattered reputation. She is sent to Louisiana to investigate sightings of wolves and werewolves near the Crescent City. She meets Adam Ruelle there and the attraction is intense and immediate.

Just as each of the first three novels can stand alone, so can this one. They do not have to be read in sequence in my opinion. They are tied together by the Jager-Suchers and Edward Mandenauer more than by having the same characters in each book.

Voodoo plays a part in this book, but considering that it happens in Louisiana, I'd be more shocked if it wasn't included.

Diana is an Amazonian scientist, carrying the torch for her dead hubby by carrying on his research into werewolves and leading a lonely life. She is broke and disheartened when she gets a call to come down to the big easy and capture a real loup-garrou in the swamp. A wealthy nut says he needs the wolf and points her to a crumbling mansion and a cursed family.

Her first day there she meets a mysterious and sexy Cajun, and has a dream about him only to find a swamp flower in her bed when she wakes that magically disappears. Freaked out she gets a gris-gris from the sassy Cassandra, a voodoo priestess, then hires a local guide who shows her the swamp and a creepy mansion belonging to Adam, the sexy Cajun.

Her guide gets mauled to death and rather than get scared off, Diana stays to investigate, moving into the mansion. She hears the wolves but never sees them, falls deeper in lust with Adam, and forms a friendship with Cassandra while wandering the streets of New Orleans learning about the things that go bump in the night.

She chases zombies, meets a Voudoun goddess, learns all sorts of macabre death rituals, and along the way learns to heal her deepest wounds and open herself up to a worl she never dreamed existed.

This book kicks butt. It's, in my opinion, even better than her stunning series debut "Blue Moon" which won a RITA award for best paranormal romance. The characters are fleshed out, the mystery solid, and the story sensual in every way. You'll feel you're in the swamp staring at the sexiest man on earth surrounded by danger.

It plays out like a movie and you'll find yourself really caught up in the mystery. Is Adam a werewolf? If not, what is he hiding? Why does everyone Diana meets end up dead and foaming at the mouth?

This book is so seamless and smooth it had cemented me as a devoted fan of Lori's for all time. YOU MUST READ THIS!

I almost gave this story 4 stars but decided that, taken overall, it deserves 5. I really liked the two main characters of Adam and Diana. Handeland does a really good job of introducing very interesting new characters and letting us see characters from the other books. They are integrated very well. The chemistry between Adam and Diana was explosive to say the least...I loved it. My one criticism was the continued angst that Diana felt over her dead husband Simon. I felt it was a little over the top but the rest of the story was great. It leaves you with just enough information that you can't wait to read the next story.

As a lover of the Handeland series, I was not disappointed in Crescent Moon, the fourth installment in the series. Widow/Cryptozoologist Diana has been hired to hunt a wolf in New Orleans, where a series of deaths have been occurring. Trying desperately to hold on to the belief that her late husband was not insane, and that he really saw the things that he said he did, she sets out to solve the mystery of "who or what is killing people and why"? Once a reknown person in his field of study, the academic community now shuns her husband and has labeled him "crazy" because he believes in werewolves, and died while trying to prove it. Could werewolves and monsters be real? In order to find out, Diana heads into the swamps of New Orleans to solve the mystery.

Crescent Moon has everything a romance/paranormal fan would want....a sexy/mysterious tracker/guide who is possibly cursed, and who also appears to be helping to capture the evil wolf (or he is simply protecting the wolf, that he is), while solving several and lots of murders. You also realize, halfway through the novel, that Diana will make a wonderful addition to the Jager-Suchers organization.

If you like hot romance mixed with the paranormal, you'll love this novel. It's a sequel to 'Blue Moon', but can stand on its own if you haven't read the previous novel. I loved the added flavor of New Orleans mystique as well as a bit of history about voodoo and the Acadians (French/Canadian settlers). When rumors of wolf attacks lead to the legendary werewolves in the bayous, Diana Malone sets out to prove they exist. What she isn't prepared for is tangling with a mystery man who may be more animal than human. This is a great suspense tale with spicy sex scenes! If I met a werewolf that hot, would I even care if he ripped my throat out?

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

Diana practices cryptozoology, which is the study of paranormal creatures. Her husband Simon was obsessed with werewolves and since his death, Diana, has vowed to continue his work. When Dianna gets a call in the middle of the night from Frank Tallient asking for her help in investigating several suspicious deaths in the swamps of New Orleans, she jumps at the possibility of furthering her research.

Right from the start, New Orleans proves to be a mystical and magical place. On her first day there Diana encounters the mysterious Adam Ruelle in the swamp, but everyone tells her he is dead. Confused and wanting to find answers, she meets with a psychic to discuss werewolves and curses. As the days progress Diana's swamp guide is killed, Adam makes more appearances, and a man that is known to have died, watches her from across the street. Diana begins to wonder if she is going crazy, or could there really be such things as werewolves and zombies? More importantly, is Adam a man or some sort of beast?

As Diana gets closer to the truth, her discoveries put her in danger, with both her life and her heart at risk. Diana needs to find out what is going on in this town full of legends and murder, and she is falling in love with Adam, but is he the man she believes?

Crescent Moon is a thrilling and mysterious story that kept me glued to my seat. Every page reveals another secret, some of which actually spooked me a few times while reading it. The romance between Diana and Adam is really heart-warming; Adam is so lost and Diana is living in the past, together they try to find a future with each other that is just right for them. Crescent Moon has a heavy paranormal driven plot. The romance is there, but it is secondary. Crescent Moon is a witty, macabre, and sensual story. I really enjoyed it and I couldn't put it down.


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Like Handeland's earlier works, I enjoyed this book. It is always jarring for me initially because most of the paranormal romance/suspense books I read portray the werewolves as the heros or heroines. Not so with Handeland and I like the refreshing twist. This book wasn't as good for me as some of her earlier ones but I will give her the benefit of the doubt and figure that had more to do with me as a reader than her as a writer. Nevertheless, I did like the book and have liked her previous books a great deal. I will continue to buy Handeland's books.

When Diana Malone is sent to New Orleans to prove that werewolves exist, she sees her chance to achieve success on many levels, some more personal than others. Adam Ruelle is supposed to be her guide, if he still lives. The man is so reclusive that he might be dead for all anyone knows. However, he is very much alive and Diana is all too aware of that. Could he be the werewolf? Diana knows he has some kind of secret, but does not want to believe it of the man she finds herself falling for, albeit reluctantly. She has no idea how dangerous the truth really is. Once unleashed, it will take Edward Mendenhauer's special forces to save Diana and Adam.

**** Every book in this series is meant to be a keeper. Even in a paranormal atmosphere, the fears and hopes Diana and Adam experience are ones that strike a resonant cord within many people. This is a very different sort of werewolf book from the standard of today, where the wolf is a creature to be destroyed. It's a compelling read, that you will enjoy from start to finish. ****

Amanda Killgore

Fourth book in the series. Cryptozoologist Diana Malone's husband died four years ago. She promised him she would find a cryptid, an unknown animal. Diana is hired by a rich guy to find and trap a wolf in a swamp near New Orleans. There she meets up with Adam Ruelle, a former Special Forces operative who lives a wild and secretive life in the swamp. Voodoo, werewolves, ghosts, murders, zombies . . . and it's still a sub-par story. The characters didn't grab me, the dialogue went on and on with page-filling mediocrity. Maybe it's time for this series to get a silver bullet.