The horny heroine who left me unsatisfied

Riley Jensen and her twin, Rhoan, are half-breeds: a rare combination of werewolf and vampire. Each has inherited different traits from the mix though, giving Rhoan abilities that make him an excellent guardian and bestowing upon Riley traits that make her an excellent…office worker. Both work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created as a sort of super-aggressive police force for the supernaturals. Police who are really unconcerned about the law or proving guilt before doling out punishment.

When Riley’s brother goes missing in the middle of a mission Riley is pulled further into the murky world of the Directorate in her efforts to find him. Unfortunately, Rhoan has gone missing during the week leading up to the full moon, when werewolves are vulnerable to amplified mating instincts. Riley must keep her mind on the job and her hormones in check in order to solve this mystery - and rescue her brother. Not easy when a very handsome naked and muddy vampire has shown up on her doorstep.

I read this one on audiobook, and I really enjoyed the reader's Australian accent as she narrated the story. Overall Riley is a decent heroine, and the writing was well done and very readable, but I had major issues with the plot of this novel. 

It's stated that ALL werewolves get horny moonfever, but only Riley seems so affected by it that she cannot function unless someone - anyone - gives her at least one orgasm. No male wolf, including her TWIN brother, seems to have this problem.

When Riley was in a potentially dangerous situation she frequently got out of that dilemma by flashing her breasts or body. Never mind that she supposedly has all the strengths of vampire and werewolf genes, can wrap shadows around herself to disappear, can control the minds of others, and has a quick, intelligent mind. Nope. The only thing that can save her is her boobs.

Plot points and devices seemed to be afterthoughts thrown in mid-story to get out of a corner the author has written herself into. For example, we learn halfway through that Riley has infrared vision ability due to her vampire heritage. She uses this to read heat signatures and find out how many humans and supernaturals are in another room, and exactly where they are, before she enters. Yet in the first scene of the novel she has to ask a full-blooded vamp how many hostages were in a vamp-ridden bar? Why rely on the word of a vamp she hated when she could check for herself?

Riley, despite the aforementioned abilities, had to rescued more than once. I repeat, this super strong, super intelligent female needed big, strong men to rescue her. Multiple times. Because reasons. And horny moonfever.

This diatribe makes it sound as if I hated Full Moon Rising, and I really didn’t. I was, however, very disappointed in the author’s portrayal of a “heroine.” It was the author’s debut novel, so I will read the second in the series, Kissing Sin, to see if the heroine lives up to her potential. 

Arthur, Keri. Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen Guardian Book 1). New York: Dell, 2006. Audiobook. 2.5 stars. 

Cursed with blandness

Indigo Blackwood is at the apex of high school popularity. She’s a cheerleader, dating the star football player, and her best friend has propelled them both into the most elite social circle on campus. Sure, Indigo’s mom owns a quirky new age magic shop, and there’s some teasing about that, but nothing she can’t handle. 

One day Indigo arrives at her mom’s store only to find her buried under a bookcase that couldn’t have fallen on it’s own, and her mom has no memory of how it happened. Worse, her mom’s witchy “Bible” is missing. In the family for decades, Indigo’s mom is OCD about the Bible, and goes into hysterics when she discovers it’s missing.  Indigo impulsively promise to find it in order to pacify and calm her mother, but where on earth will she start looking? Maybe the mysterious hot guy who’s been hanging around lately has an idea?

Indigo is a pretty dull character, and not really likable, but the plot of Hexed moved along fluidly nonetheless. The story included a few interesting characters (though not Indigo), a unique-ish plot, and a nice twist to the ending. That being said, the novel wasn’t standout. The scenes that should have been emotional fell flat, and others just didn't ring true. Hexed was readable, but it was also pretty forgettable. It showed promise, though, so I'm not washing my hands of the author just yet.

Krys, Michelle. Hexed. New York: Delacorte Press, 2014. 2.5 stars.

Review based on Advance Readers Copy from NetGalley.