Leopard Moon (Moon Series) [Kindle Edition]

Jeanette Battista (Author)

Book Description

"The Moon series is filled with action and romance, shape shifters and strong heroines."--Melissa Marr, NYT bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series

How do you disappear when you come from a family of predators?

A wereleopard, Kess is forced to flee her home and family in Miami once her brother's obsession with her turns violent. She runs from city to city, trying to stay one step ahead of the investigators her family has dispatched to bring her home. Kess ends up in the mountains of North Carolina and attracts the attention of Cormac, a young man with a secret of his own. As she attempts to live as normal a life as her were-nature allows, her brother Sek continues to hunt for her. He believes she is the key to revitalizing their weakened clan and is driven to extreme measures to ensure their continued existence. As Kess' relationship with Cormac deepens, Sek closes in, threatening Cormac's life and Kess' freedom.

Whenthe moon rises, the hunt is on….

Product Details

• File Size: 546 KB
• Print Length: 204 pages
• Publisher: Jeanette Battista (March 4, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007HBKWJE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,124 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 60 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars multi-grain tortilla chips with real melted cheddar for the wholesome love story and delicious, snarky banter April 17, 2012

By kblincoln

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I first saw this, I thought to myself "Oh, no, not another were-creature girl rebelling against authority and striking out on her own!"

But when I started reading, it was nothing like Barnes' "Raised by Wolves" or Rachel Vincent's "Stray." It reminded me more of the quiet, dwelling on relationships and feelings-of-becoming of Maggie Stiefvater's "Shiver" than the tough-as-nails werewolves of those other books.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this take on were-creatures. I would love to have given it 4.5 stars.

Kess is on the run from her clan and her brother, Sek, in Miami. She finds herself in the North Carolina Mountains...and in the territory of a pack of werewolves.

In fact, she gets a job at The Barn, a restaurant run by the pack's Beta; and there she gets the attention of the Beta's nephew, Cormac.

Kess just wants to lay low, make money, and make sure none of her brother's investigators find her. Cormac is intrigued by the new waitress and her secrets, but he's willing to give her the space and time to figure out what she wants.

And that's what I enjoyed the most about this book, the way Cormac and Kess aren't headstrong, stubborn, aggressive, or stupid. They choices they make are well-reasoned. They don't choose to lie, even for eachother's own good (an often used and frustrating trope in paranormal fantasy) and take the difficult, honest, waiting road always. Cormac is so romantic when he is holding himself still so Kess won't get freaked out. Kess is so awesome when she goes into action (in a well reasoned) way while weighing the lives of Cormac and his family.

Cormac's family...another awesome thing about this book. The whole lodge full of snarky bantering werewolves sounds like a blast.

The reason this book doesn't hit the full 5 stars for me was my odd lack of connection to Kess. We spend quite a lot of time in Cormac's head, and don't get me wrong, that's a fine place to be. We also spend some time in Sek's head, and while I understand the desire to develop him as the villain, I felt we traded off a deeper relationship with Kess because of it. And because I didn't feel that Kess-love, I didn't get to experience her growing relationship with Cormac as fully as I wanted to.

Still, very nice addition to the YA paranormal were creature library, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for the next in the series.

This Book's Snack Rating: multi-grain tortilla chips with real melted cheddar and pico de gallo for the wholesome love story and delicious, snarky banter from the wolves. Can't stop eating until the whole plate is empty.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great new Author March 30, 2012

By The Book Runner TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I took the other reviewer's advice and bought this new paranormal adventure. It had a sweet budding romance, a cruel antagonist and a girl running for her life.

SPOILERS:
The book opens up with a heart pounding escape by Kess, a were-leopard who is evading the private investigators her brother has put on her tail since she ran away from him months ago. She finally ends up in the north, hoping the cold weather will deter them from finding her. While there, she meets Cormac who is a were-wolf and they begin to fall in love. But everything is not in their favor. Cormac's father does not like her and her ruthless brother will stop at nothing to get her back.

This was a fun story to read and I loved Cormac and his cousins Finn and Burke. I thought that Sek's narrative could be eliminated or at least summarized and some of the story was a little too repetitive. Also,time was tricky as weeks passed without any warning.

In the end, it was a good start to a new series. In many ways this book reminded me CAGED (The Caged Series), by Amber Lynn Natusch (but with a mature heroine) or Pride's Run (A Wolf's Pride novel, book 1), by Cat Kalen. If you liked those two books, you will probably like this one too.

Some editing issues: missing words and words out of order

Would I/Did I buy it? Yes (.99)
Would I read it again? For review
Would I recommend it to friends? Yes

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding series debut March 14, 2012

By Philip Melton

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Leopard Moon is an engaging, assured beginning to the Moon Series of novels. This work will likely find its largest readership among its target audience of young adults. However, the book is written in a fashion that will appeal to the broader audience for supernatural and fantastic fiction that enjoys the Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games series.

Leopard Moon features in Kess a protagonist that is strong without being a super heroine, while exhibiting a vulnerability that makes the character fully rounded and realistic. Secondary characters are fleshed out as well, with their three dimensionality making them fully part of the narrative rather than seeming tacked on for the sake of the story. The romance between Cormac and Kess is poignant and is skillfully interwoven into the suspenseful main plot that drives the narrative. Settings from Miami to the mountains of North Carolina are vividly rendered, and the group dynamics of the were clans are believably portrayed. The transformations from human to animal of the were-leopards and werewolves deserve special mention for their visceral, believable descriptions.

Leopard Moon would be an outstanding work for any writer in its genre. That it is a first novel as well makes it even more remarkable. When I finished Leopard Moon, I immediately wanted to continue finding out more about Kess, Cormac, and the other members of the were clans, as well to learn the rest of their story. Highly recommended.

More About the Author

I graduated with an English degree with a concentration in medieval literature which explains my possibly unhealthy fixation on edged weapons and cathedral architecture. I spent a summer in England and Scotland studying the historical King Arthur, which did nothing to curb my obsession. To satisfy my adrenaline cravings--since sword fighting is not widely accepted in these modern times--I rode a motorcycle at ridiculously high speeds, got some tattoos, and took kickboxing and boxing classes. I gave up the bike when my daughter came along, although I still get pummeled at the gym on a regular basis.

When I'm not writing or working, I spend time with family, hike, read, make decadent brownies, buy killer boots, and play Pocket Frogs. I wish there were more hours in the day so I could actually do more of these things.

You can find out more about me and my work at www.jeanettebattista.com