Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Keri Arthur (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 26, 2006

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.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Dell (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553588451
• ISBN-13: 978-0553588453
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 4 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Keri Arthur has been nominated in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards, and recently won RT's Career Achievement Award for Urban Fantasy. She lives with her daughter in Melbourne, Australia.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#64 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#74 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#96 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#64 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#74 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#96 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 160 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Meh. Disappointing. May 9, 2006

By Circejane

Format:Hardcover

As an avid Kim Harrison fan, I read this book when she recommended it on her website. Her other recommendation, Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, was an excellent read, so I dug into Full Moon Rising with high hopes, but was disappointed.

Unlike other reviewers, Riley's promiscuity didn't bother me (although the idea that werewolves lose an entire week each month because they are driven to do nothing but have constant sex makes me wonder how they stayed employed, and also seemed like a contrived plot device). What bothered me were predictable, one-dimensional characters (when the secondary characters like Rhoan's boyfriend become more sympathetic than the main ones, there is a problem), a plot that lacks cohesion and focus, and silly twists that make you roll your eyes at both the story line and the character's actions. The premise was interesting, and this could have been a much better book than it is. Instead it's yet another mediocre offering in a genre that's becoming flooded with poor quality works. There are much better books out there to spend your money on. Check out Kelley Armstrong, Robin McKinley (Sunshine), and Kim Harrison, to name a few.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Give A Dog A Bone March 16, 2007

By L. J Lewis

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Keri Arthur is Australian author whose work I've been a fan of for some years. Unfortunately, she's had to publish under ImaJin Books, an indy publisher whose books are rather difficult to find and really expensive. I loved Dancing with the Devil and Circle of Fire, so it was with great joy that I ordered her mass market debut Full Moon Rising. I'm not sure I would have passed on it if I'd known even the slightest thing about the premise before hand, but it would have dampened my enthusiasm. I honestly love the urban fantasy genre, but when I read book blurbs like "...a sassy, sexy werewolf whose just gone into heat..." I know I'm heading for mediocrity-ville.

Full Moon Rising takes place in a future version of Australia (something I didn't figure out until the halfway point). Supernaturals of all kinds blend in with human society. Directorate acts as the police force for this community of Others. Riley Jenson is vampire/werewolf hybrid. Being more wolf than vamp, she is overcome for a week every month with Moon Fever, which makes her constantly amorous in the time period around the full moon. She is secretary for the Directorate, but her boss wants her become a Guardian, the muscle of the organization. Her twin brother Rhoan goes missing and she must find him. His disappearance is connected to something even more sinister, and Riley and Quinn, a vampire who is also seeking a missing friend, have to solve the mystery.

I really appreciate that Arthur tried to involve an engaging plot in what is essentially another book in that noxious publishing trend that has taken over the genre: Tough Girl shags anything and everything for Great Justice! The problem is the plot contrivance used to get Riley into hormonal overdrive is not compatible with sleuthing.... The Moon Fever causes Riley to constantly need sex, often at the most inappropriate times and it makes her come off as a complete bonehead. It's a shame, because I suspect she would be a pleasant main character if she weren't forced into lust-fueled idiocy by the plot. So desperate for sex she is that she is completely blind-sided by two skeevy evil boyfriends and engages in a rather emotionally charged affair with another guy whom constantly calls her a ho even as indulged himself in her ho-charms. And not in the "Come give Big Daddy a kiss" way, but rather the "Here's fifty buck on the dresser" way. Why her boss wants her in a more important position in the Directorate when she acts like a complete dunce for 25% of the year is beyond me.

Unfortunately, the slightly interesting mystery disengages itself from the novel almost entirely at the midway point. This novel is written in first person, so anything Riley doesn't take part in, the reader only hears about in passing. Increasingly other people do all the investigating work while Riley goes skanking it up all around Melbourne. For example, her brother goes to break into a suspect's office to find out who is behind a nefarious cloning scheme. Riley on the other hand goes to a werewolf sex club to pump one of her evil, skeevy boyfriends for information (and other things) with great gusto even though she already knows he is evil, skeevy, and wants to do bad things to her.

The final confrontation with the story's villain is so utterly ridiculous, it almost makes the non-climax of recent Laurell K Hamilton books look good in comparison. Riley, after being kidnapped by the bad guy, must fight her way out of his high security laboratory. A duel in werewolf form between the two seems eminent. There is a brief scuffle and then Riley settles things by playing with the bad guy's wing-dang-doodle. My jaw hit the floor, and I had to reread that section three times to believe what I had just read.

To top it all off, to get the complete story behind the mystery, there are three more books to buy. Will I read them? I don't know. I know Keri Arthur is capable of much better, and maybe she can reach that point if the next couple books feature a Riley unencumbered by the Moon Fever. Read more ›

40 of 47 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars She's making a series out of this? January 29, 2007

By D. Black

Format:Mass Market Paperback

While this proved to be a quick read, I really felt that I shouldn't have been able to skim chapters at a time and still understand what was going on. That's a tell-tale sign that there's very little plot and character development. The fact that Arthur ends her book with a semi-cliffhanger was yet another disappointment. I would much rather have had a more sensical plot in one book, than a contrive one over multiple books.

Her main character Riley is unrelatable. There's no nuiance to her. She's yet another hardboiled female character to join the ranks of the over-exposed and increasing derived Anita Blake character.

Even though this was placed in the genre of "paranormal romance," I found very little in the story to identify it as a romance. Sex does not a romance make. The promiscuity of the werewolves make them very ineffective characters.

Also, the concept of a lab for testing creatures of the underworld is such an unoriginal concept. It's been around since Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and has been revived in sometimes intelligent ways (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kelley Armstrong's "Stolen"), but this rehash came across as staid.

Many authors have caught the wave of paranormal fiction, and those who have done is successfully have taken the time to bring a sense of originality and intelligence to their characters and stories. Ms. Arthur's novel falls way short of such aspirations.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Dreadful August 22, 2007

By Henchperson

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The story could be interesting, but the writing is very disappointing. The sex scenes are just *awful*, and the pacing is off. Save your money - this is another author trying to cash in on the sex-and-supernatural trend.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars good! June 11, 2006

By Dondi VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

It read like the Anita Blake Series. The story is told from Riley's viewpoint. She has a twin brother, Rhoan, who has disappeared. They both work for the same agency. The only difference is that Rhoan is an assasin. What makes the twins different from the rest of the characters, is that they are dhampires. They are a combination of werewolves and vampires. Rhoan is more vampire than wolf and needs to drink blood. Riley is more werewolf and has more telepathic abilities. She has a stronger sexual urge than her brother.

I love the fact that the characters in this book are not sexually inhibited. I would think that other creatures or species especially ones that are like wolves are not afraid of their nakedness. The description of the clubs is interesting.

Quinn, a very old vampire, shows up on Riley's doorstep and claims to know Rhoan. Riley does not trust him which is refreshing that a female character does not immediately trust and fall in love with the male character.

I did find the book kind of predictable perhaps, it is because I have read so many other books like this one. It is refreshing to read that the setting is in Australia. It is very different for this genre. I did want this book to continue. At the end, it did feel like a cliffhanger. I bet that she is going to have a sequel. I want to see what happens with Riley and Rhoan next.