Review: Pack your bags for Reno!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 17, 2013
Polar opposites, shapeshifting jaguars and wolves are mortal enemies by nature in Kessler's new Moon series. When werewolf rancher, Adam Sloan, sniffs out a jaguar at the local diner the last thing he anticipates is that she has no clue what she is. Then fate does one bigger and he discovers that she's his mate. On the run from a mysterious group of mercenaries Lana finds both protection and answers to her strange new moon blackouts in Adam. But growing up in the foster system hasn't made Lana trustful of strangers and Adam can't tell her why he can't seem to let her leave Reno.If his pack finds out Adam is harboring one of the enemy the consequences are dire. Can he protect her from the dangerous organization bent on returning her to a place she knows she has never been while keeping his pack from killing her? Will Adam's pack make an exception if they discover that Lana's his mate or will they think she's the one behind the trouble brewing in Reno?I'll just say it... the shapeshifter genre has gotten a little stagnant. The same concepts over and over and over. But having read and been really impressed with Kessler's take on vampires in her Night series I knew she was going to be bringing something cool to the table with shapeshifters and boy did she deliver. Werewolves and jaguars are pretty much polar opposites as I mentioned in my blurbing. They shift at different moon phases and while the former lives in packs, the latter are loners. It makes for a cool dynamic and opens up a whole lot of possibilities. The one thing they do have in common is something I have been dying to see a writer do... twins! They're always born in pairs and only males are born shapeshifters, females have to be turned. Without spoiling anything that is where it gets reallllly interesting with Lana.Kessler has a great talent for building worlds worthy of urban fantasy for her paranormal romances and this one really shines. But it's her ability to set up a truly tense plot where the hero and heroine have the potential to be torn apart by elements beyond the usual tropes common in the romance genre that keeps it exciting and in MOONLIGHT she really delivers. There's so much keeping Adam and Lana apart that their HEA will be deliciously hard won and rewarding.Secondary characters play a significant role in this series and were actually one of my favorite parts of MOONLIGHT. I'm really hoping she gets the longevity of the series so I can see my favorite character get his own book. (Yep, that's my subtle way of saying you better buy this one!) I'm actually not a fan of fated mates or first person alternating chapter narratives between the hero and heroine so the fact that I still loved this one says a lot about the story's quality.Definitely one for fans of PNR that crosses into a more urban fantasy level of action and adventure. The romance is turbulent and there are some big surprises, one that had my jaw on the floor. A must read if you enjoy Sherrilyn Kenyon, Larissa Ione, or Kresley Cole.Notes: ARC received via publisher.