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

by Keri Arthur (Author)
Key Phrases: moon fever, moon heat, Evensong Air, Genoveve Confectionary, Director Hunter (more...)

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 the Hardcover edition.

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 the Hardcover edition.

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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: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,812 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Riley Jensen, Guardian Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Circejane (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 1) (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.

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keri Arthur delivers another incredible story..., February 14, 2006

By	Deborah Wiley (Winter Haven, FL) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 1) (Hardcover)

I was so excited to read a new book by Keri Arthur and she did not disappoint me! Riley and Rhoan Jenson are twin dhampires, the product of a werewolf mother and a vampire father. Both were kicked out of their pack once reaching adulthood and have tried to keep their heritage a secret since then. Rhoan is a guardian for the Melbourne Directorate of Other Races while Riley is part of the office staff. The Directorate was created to protect humans from the supernatural races and to police within the supernatural races without involving humans. Riley has not yet met her soulmate and thus has two wolves, Talon and Misha, with whom she regularly mates with when the heat of the moon rises within her. She has little interest in gaining other mates until a naked vampire named Quinn shows up at the home she shares with her brother. Riley is attracted to Quinn but is also very suspicious as she senses that Rhoan is in trouble. She locates and rescues Rhoan with the assistance of her boss and the head of the guardian division, Jack. Meanwhile, someone is trying to kill Riley while one of her mates has betrayed her and is trying to impregnate her against her will. I won't spoil more of the plot but will tell you there are missing guardians, clones, and even other supernatural species that play a part in the plotline. Keri Arthur leaves this book wide open for a sequel and I for one hope she writes one quickly! Definitely a recommended read!

13 of 15 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 "Paike" (NOVA, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.