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. 

Looking for Trouble by Victoria Dahl: Revealing the true nature of librarians

Victoria Dahl was the keynote speaker at a past Southern Magic Reader’s Luncheon, and I loved her sense of humor. I kept meaning to read one of her many contemporary romance novels, but just never got around to it. Then I started following her on Twitter, where she made me laugh on a daily basis (and was so NSFW that I had to read her on my phone instead of my work computer, just in case someone came in and looked over my shoulder). A couple of weeks ago her Twitter feed blew up with the news that Looking For Trouble was on sale. I ignored them until I read one mentioning that the main character was a librarian. A naughty librarian. SOLD!

Small-town librarian Sophie is chaste, sweet, and mild-mannered…at least in public. Her soul yearns to be wild and reckless, however, so a few times a year she picks out a tourist and has a one-night fling. Alex, the dangerous, tattooed biker she’s just met, is exactly the wrong man for her plans. Sophie can’t resist their chemistry though, and one night turns into two, then three, of the hottest sex Sophie’s ever had. But the intertwined ghosts of their pasts refuse to stay buried, and old scandal turns into new gossip, all of which threatens to ruin whatever is building between Sophie and Alex. It’s a good thing Alex will be leaving town for good in a few days….isn’t it?

As a lifelong librarian with a wild side that occasionally comes out to play, I loved this novel, and could completely relate to Sophie’s yearning to break out of the mold she’s cast for herself. And the sex scenes…whew! THE SEX SCENES!! *fans self just thinking about them* 

I devoured Looking For Trouble in under 48 hours - just in time for the release of the second title in the series. If you’re looking for hot sex, great characters, and a very readable story, this is the book for you. Just take my advice and set aside a chunk of time, ‘cause you won’t want to put it down.

Note: The second book in the Jackson: Girls' Night Out series, Flirting with Disaster, is just as good. I am amazed by Dahl's talent. FwD has elements of suspense, strong females, well-developed secondary characters, and downright amazing sex scenes. What else could I ask for...other than book three?!?!

Dahl, Victoria. Looking For Trouble. New York: Harlequin HQN, 2014. 4 stars.