Book 1) - A Riley Jenson Guardian Novel - Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen

Keri Arthur has brought a new series to the genre - We meet Riley and Rhoan Jenson, employees of the Directorate of Other Races - twins who are half werewolf and half vampire - in a quest to find missing field agents, and to find who is trying to perfect cloning by experimenting on the missing - The book is filled with powerful characters, including a gorgeous ancient vampire, Quinn, who joins in the quest to find a friend who is so old that he participated in the original Olympics! The cast of characters is fascinating and sets up sequels - Fans of vamps and weres will be pleased -

I think the story was interesting, and I liked heroine Riley, but she spent too much time "in-heat", and it was a little hard to get into the story because so much time was spent on the sex. I like a story with attraction and heat and lust, and yes even some sex on occasion, but this almost got boring. The story did keep me interested enough to care how it ended, and I will read the next one - I just hope we can get into the story a little more and leave a few things to the imagination!

OK, I do love vampires & werewolves...but I have to admit I didn't know that this was a romance novel. I was reading it on the plane on my Kindle when I came to the first sex scene and actually found myself reducing the font size and skipping pages because it was not what I thought it would be.

What sick mind would have decided to rank this book in the teen's classification? I bought this book for my teen daughter, and came to find out this book is definitely not appropriate for young teens at all. The narrator goes way into too many details when describing a sex scene, which is very frequently throughout the story. This book should definitely be rated adult/porno. This is the worst book I have ever read.

The book started great with Riley having to same some humans. This showed us she doesn't run from a fight (or what she would call her duty) to protect humans even if she is only a guardian liaison and does mostly paperwork. It also showed the twisted personality of one of the guardians that actually do the protecting (or well.. should do).

When her twin brother goes missing, Riley steps up her game and makes it her mission to find him and bring him back home. If only it was that simple though, as things go far beyond the original scope and Riley finds herself deeper into the mess than she thought. Add to that her wolf part is in moon heat... yeah.. timing is everything they say.

Some would call it PNR but I think I'll go with sexy urban fantasy. Yes there is (a lot) of sex going on.. werewolves in moon heat and all that, but the bigger part of the story is still focussed around Riley, her allies / enemies, the investigation and lets not forget the handsome vampire Quinn.

World building was good as was character creation, but the development was lacking. We didn't really get a feel of who the characters are, what their backstory is, why they react this way (apart from the history Quinn has with werewolves). I hope we get to know the cast more in depth in next book, it would be a shame since it has so much potential!

The flow was great, not too much action at once (well.. apart from the sex) and quite a lot of interaction which was nice. I mean, a good conversation really helps the story along.

While the plot was super and the story had me hooked, it still felt as if we've only touched the top of what hopefully will be a whole damn iceberg. As I've said, this has so much potential, I will absolutely read the rest, just hope we get that much needed 'feel' for the cast.

In Full Moon Rising we are introduced to Riley Jenson and her twin brother Rhoan, who are a bit of a supernatural phenomenon as they are both rare hybrids of vampire and werewolf. Both of them work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization that monitor and polices supernatural activities in order to protect the humans. Where Riley is simply a liaison officer, her brother Rhoan is a full fledged guardian meaning he goes out on mission, to investigate, hunt down and assassin people who need to be put down. When Rhoan goes missing on one of his missions, Riley cannot stop herself from trying to find him even if that means bringing her one step closer to becoming a full guardian, something she has always refused, but for her brother she will risked everything.

Of course, the timing couldn’t have been more inconvenient as the moon heat is arriving, the weeklong period where were’s mate like bunnies, and Riley will have to keep her mind focused on finding her brother. But with two more than willing partners, missing guardians, and a naked vampire who is hotter than sin? Well she has her work cut out for her to say the least.

Rilye was an intriguing character and while some parts of me loved her, other parts of me…not so much. She is a hard headed, stubborn, bats*** horny, smart mouthed, kickass heroine who is also whiny, stupid at times, and has a terrible taste in men. But I think the thing that really confused me was her general attitude to the whole “I will never be a guardian” ordeal. Apparently she failed the test and refuses to retake it although her boss says she would be amazing at it, but she “doesn’t want to kill” yet the whole book she had absolutely no hangups about killing anyone. A bit odd for my liking but I can look past that because I do like this series…

There are several males characters in this book: Riley’s two lovers and the naked vampire, Quinn. Honestly, didn’t care for the two lovers ever so I will just say they existed. Quinn though? I wanted to hug him and slap him. He was hot, sexy, a multibillionaire (because apparently everyone in this world is one) and protective. The only thing that really annoyed me was his human hangups against wolves. Though I won’t get into it for fear of spoilers, but really? You’re over a thousand years old and you have human hangups like that?

Though this is classified as a PNR/UF I would also strongly state that this is erotica as well. For while there was a huge plot that went along with all the sex, the sex was a HUGE part of the book considering the moon heat is apparently an uncontrollable horny haze which requires all were’s to hump one another or else they will go into a blood craze and kill everyone instead. Riley screwed atlas three guys and multiple times at that. So while she wasn’t “in a relationship” with these men other than a shag and bag them kind of way, it was still a lot of shagging to wrap a mind around.

The plot itself was nifty and while I did enjoy it, I think it could have been done a bit better but with all the sex I am sure it was hard to focus on what the author was writing…Unfortunatelly because of this it seemed as though the plot took a backseat too the horny werewolf and while this is not a bad thing if you are expecting it and enjoy this, I am merely pointing it out so that others are fully aware as to what they are going to be reading.

Despite a major downfall (I'll discuss this issue later) this was a very good Urban Fantasy with an interesting female lead.

What Worked: Arthur did a great job of introducing us to the Riley Jenson world. I was never confused by the rules in play which follow some basic known "facts" about creatures like vampires and werewolves but there was enough originality to keep this Urban Fantasy fresh and not tired.

Riley is such a strong force to be reckoned with that I couldn't help but admire her strength and intelligence. Despite her ending up in dire circumstances (multiple times) I never thought she fell into the dreaded TSTL category.

What Didn't Work: The sex. In Keri Arthur's world, werewolves are sensual creatures that do not adhere to the standard morals and values ideal. Therefore they tend to have sex....a lot. AND that isn't even counting the "Full Moon" cycle when they absolutely have to have sex or go ape shit crazy. Like rabid-werewolf-killing-everything-in-sight crazy. They also only become monogamous when they find their soul mate so they often have multiple sexual partners that they use on a regular basis until they find their "forever" mate. So, I get it. Keri decided her werewolves were going to be free loving hippie children. Unfortunately she felt the need to have Riley explain this repeatedly to one of her sex partners who had a problem with all the free lovin' going on. He thinks werewolves are nothing more than whores. A little harsh but maybe not completely out of line. Riley has to tell him that werewolves are not human and should not be boxed into human ideals of sex and morality. My problem with this is that Keri somehow forgot that her readers ARE human and just might have a bit of an issue with a woman who has sex with several different men all in the same night.

In addition to the amount of sex (and sexual partners) that happen within the book it also has to be noted that there was a complete lack of romance surrounding the sex that it made it, well, unsexy. There was so much unsexy sex going on that when Riley did get with someone that she might have more of a connection to the reader is beyond caring and the scene ends up happening with no real fanfare.

In a Nutshell: Despite the HUGE issue surrounding all the unsexy sex and whatnot Riley, truly is a compelling heroine with an interesting background and a budding future as a Guardian in the Directorate.

Review by Cassandra from Book Talk

Riley Jenson is a anomaly in a world filled with the paranormal. She is a vampire and werewolf hybrid along with her twin brother Rhoan. They both work for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races, which is an organization created to help police the supernatural races. When her brother goes missing on a top secret assignment, Riley sheds her job of an office worker and takes on the tasks of a Guardian. With the help of a sexy vampire who showed up on her doorstep naked and covered in mud, Riley goes on the hunt to rescue her brother. While the heat of the moon is riding hard on her, the mystery of this new case has everyone scrambling to find answers. Will Riley be able to unravel this destruction against the laws of nature and science? Will she determine who is trustworthy once secrets are revealed? Can she survive the upcoming trial of events?

This is one of my favorite series. Keri Arthur creates a completely new world within our own world where humankind and parakind live in the open together. Riley is a hardcore, sensual woman who knows what she wants and goes after it. She is loyal to her brother and herself above anything. She suffers betrayals and the machinations of those around her while trying to find justice and revenge. The take on sexual relationships, especially with the werewolves, is more open and liberated than those of some other novels. This book is action packed, passionate, and gripping. The first time I read this series I couldn't put it down for anything else. There is constant intrigue and action to keep you entertained until the end. I would highly suggest this book to anyone who loves to read paranormal/urban fantasy/romance.

Keri Arthur's debut series, Full Moon Rising, takes us down under to Australia where Riley and Rhoan Jenson, twin vampire/werewolf siblings, take on the not so easy task of protecting the human race from their supernatural counterparts. However, the biggest question remains; who will protect them? Riley is left to ponder this after her brother goes missing on one of his missions. It doesn't help matters that the full moon is approaching, making Riley susceptible to moon heat, putting her need to mate above all else. But her will is strong and it will be tested as the prospects, werewolf and vampire alike, are tempting.

Her search for her brother uncovers an unholy harvest, where someone powerful is pulling to strings to create clones with the potential to become ultimate warriors. Possessing the best of both worlds like Riley and Rhoan makes them a huge target. Can Riley get to her brother in time before it's too late? Can she save herself from a similar fate?

Regretfully, I'm not on a good roll with my choice of books lately. I read this book a few weeks ago, so it's interesting to mull it over and think about what I can actually remember. To be honest, it's not much! It was shockingly dull at times. More story and less sex would have benefited it. It walks the line of UF and PNR, but not in a good way. I could have done without rapey werewolves taking up so much page time, though I honestly can't even remember the sex scenes. The characters lacked a lot of dimension and originality. Riley certainly takes a page from Anita Blake's world with her need of a "harem" to satisfy her insatiable needs. And the more prevalent that became there, the less I cared about the series so ultimately I dropped it.

I gave this series a chance because I began to take a liking to the spin-off series, Dark Angels, with Risa Jones. That didn't have the best start either, but the second book was a lot better. I am hoping Keri Arthur's writing can at least stay the same in that respect. What the Riley world has going for it is that I kind of know how things work out since she and her HEA are present in the Dark Angels series as side characters. I understand that as prequel there's a chance her writing simply improved later on and the second book may not be much better, but I'm hoping for something to pull me in and make me like the leading lady, the supporting cast, and the world as a whole. 1 down, 8 to go...hopefully.

Full Moon Rising is a supernatural romance novel where a thinly devised plot vaguely connects a large number of sex scenes. If that's what you're looking for, then you'll be pleased.

As for me, I was less than impressed. There were some nice elements here (the discussion of cloning, the treatment of different supernatural beings, Quinn) but overall there was just a lot of waiting around and repitition.

About five times during the novel a chapter ends with Riley blacking out. I always feel that this is a cop out by an author who needs to move from one place to another but doesn't know how to show it. If it happened once in the novel, I'd be OK with it...but not five times. And every time it happens the next chapter begins with "Awareness came slowly" or "Awareness came in short bursts". Always the same. Quinn ALWAYS has his hand on the small of her back guiding her as she walks. And it seems like every other page Riley says/thinks 'The moon fever rode me hard and I'd need relief soon" or "The moon fever was strong and I knew the rest of the week would be worse". Moon fever=horny werewolf. I got it.

And really, there's not reason for the moon fever other than to write a sex scene. Riley even pauses in the middle of a rescue attempt in order to 'find relief from the moon fever'. It just seemed like a rationale behind the 'romance' aspect of the book instead of a natural occurence in the story (or necessary to the plot).

Since I'm generally not a big romance novel fan, this book especially didn't appeal to me. But even if you are a romance fan, I suspect there are better options than this.

Riley Jenson is a werewolf-vampire hybrid. In this world humans know about supernaturals. There's a lot of sex, so if that's not your cup of tea don't bother picking this up.

Set in Melbourne, Australia, Riley's brother goes missing in the week before the full moon when were creatures are in heat, not the best timing. Sex is not optional during this time; it's a necessity to stave off the bloodlust that can literally drive a werewolf insane. Riley has to balance her need to mate with finding her missing brother. She works for the Directorate of Other Races and finds herself in one dangerous situation after the next.

I couldn't get into Riley's character straight away. She's so confident and empowered that I found it hard to relate to her. Even the way she speaks to strangers, cursing and being so forward had me wondering if a person like her could really exist, but as the story progressed I understood and even appreciated her no BS personality. The arrival of the lovely vampire Quinn O' Connor also helped!

Riley's mate Talon is a misogynistic pig and I never warmed to him, even at the start when I had no reason to be suspicious of him. I would have liked to get to know her brother Rhoan more, but maybe he's explored in greater detail in further books of the series. As a supernatural creature, you'd expect Riley to be able to handle herself physically. She is a skilled fighter and there are many scenes of her battling with other creatures of the night. It's great to see a woman taking care of herself and not relying on being rescued by a man. Riley is definitely not a damsel-in-distress. She's tough, smart and self-reliant, all things I can admire but she never reveals a softer side.

Riley and her brother were thrown out of their packs for being half breeds and their mother turned her back on them both. I wanted to find out more about how this affected Riley but we never see any vulnerability or a glimpse of pain. I get that she's an ass-kicking, alpha female, but she's also got a heart and emotions like anyone else but we never get to see them.

Overall, I found Full Moon Rising to be a fast-paced, action-packed read, but I would have liked to be able to relate to Riley more.

I'm quite new to the paranormal, urban fantasy universe, Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur was the 2nd book I read in the genre.

I very much enjoyed reading this book, it was like watching a very fast paced and steamy action movie.

I think Keri Arthur is brilliant in succeeding in creating that gloomy, suspenseful athmosphere that was lurking all through the novel. Great scene setting. I'm in awe seeing the universe she created with all the details worked out. And all the steamy sex scenes! wow.. though it was quite a change for me to see that here the sex wan't something that the hero and heroine shared because of their deep feelings for each other, no, here the sex is just a need, another sort of hunger, or in the case of werewolves, even some kind of sickness, that comes around the full moon, and that they can't control.

The hero and the heroine are interesting characters, they are 3D, complex and very believable: Quinn, the sexy and so irresistible vampire hero is everything you could ask for in a hero, and Riley the independent and very kick-ass heroine though she is feisty and very Buffy, she still remains feminine and vulnerable. A very endearing and human mix, though human she is not.

And something that I've found quite refreshing and surprising: that it seemed to me that in this novel, the romance storyline had to take a step back to let the stage to the plot. Because it is not some very stupid and simply solved mystery here, oh no, it is so complex and full of twists and turns, that you have to really read it attentively or else you will lose your way. The mystery is so compound, that you won't even see it resolved at the end of this first book, there will be a lot of loose ends that will make you want to grab the 2nd and 3rd,etc. volumes of the series and just read on to discover what is really happening behind the scenes...

What is with the paranmoral romance genre? I have had the hardest time finding good paranormal series. I thought I would try this one out since I have read and reread all my favorites like Cole, Shoewalter, etc. I got to page 100 and stopped. Maybe I am a prude but I didn't like reading about her having sex with other guys that weren't the love intrest in the book. I think it loses something in the feelings department. I get that she had needs but come on! A whole week every month! The concept of the guardians and the world that she created were interesting, but I just couldn't finish it. I read these series for romance as well and there was none. There was sex with a side dish of mystery. I would rather read a paranmoral with no sex but romance than just sex for the sake of sex. It may be just me but that is my preference. I hate writing bad reviews for books that I have not finished. This is only the second time I have done this, but I just could not NOT write a review. So if you find sex just for sex boring to read about than skip this book.

Werewolf novels and vampire novels are both hugely popular in the urban fantasy genre - and Keri Arthur, in "Full Moon Rising", has combined the two in her heroine, Riley Jensen, a hybrid of a werewolf and a vampire. Riley's Werewolf side seems mostly to the fore - she changes into a wolf, she doesn't need to drink blood, can go out in the daytime, but does have a few vampire tricks up her sleeve such as the ability to sense things in a psychic way and to resist glamour.

Riley's twin brother Rhoan works for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races as a Guardian - this means he is sent to dispose of any of the supernatural race that commit crimes (and the disposal is usually permanent). However when Rhoan goes missing Riley begins to worry, especially as ten other Guardians have gone missing and been found dead recently. Riley tries to persuade Rhoan's boss Jack to hunt for him, but Jack wants Riley to become a Guardian and seems to be using Rhoan's disappearance as a lever to persuade her to join. Just to add to the complication, Riley discovers a naked vampire camped outside her front door - Quinn, the vampire, can't remember what happened to him but knows he wants to talk to Rhoan and he gets dragged into the plot when it becomes clear he has a significant interest in what's been happening.

What follows is the hunt for Rhoan alongside the discovery of a plot to clone humans and supernatural creatures. Riley finds herself working with the now-clothed Quinn who turns out to be a billionaire who's over a thousand years old, with Rhoan and his lover and with the mysterious Jack, boss of the Guardians. Her time is also spent with her two lovers, Talon and Misha, both werewolves.

Although there's a well structured plot in this story it is interspersed with a lot of sex. Apparently werewolves have the mating urge for the week before the full moon and it's evidently very strong - Riley has two mates, has had up to four, and this polyandry is the norm. I wondered how, in this society, the werewolves had ever been able to integrate if one week per month they were raving sex maniacs. Anyway, Riley's making do with her mates until she finds her soulmate - but what happens if she does find him but he refuses to get into a relationship with a werewolf? Riley finds her problems compound as the plot continues as she doesn't know who to trust and who to believe and people that she thought were unconnected to the disappearance of Rhoan appear no longer to be innocent.

This is an interesting new twist on the werewolf and vampire story, although I wasn't very comfortable with the weeklong mating urge thing as I felt it rather derailed the plot and the pacing at times. Still it was an interesting enough read, it was fun that the setting was Australia rather than America, and Riley was an enjoyably feisty heroine. Quinn was an interesting character too, although I felt too much was made of his financial status (and also of Talon's) - are there that many millionaires/billionaires out there and would they hang out with people such as Riley?

This book is the first of a series and it was very clear at the end that the reader is encouraged to buy the next in the series. Although the story reached some sort of a resolution there were many significant loose ends which I imagine are to be addressed, at least in part, in the next book. Although I did enjoy reading this one I don't think I found the overall premise and the writing style gripped me enough to cause me to search out the next in the series.

Werewolf novels and vampire novels are both hugely popular in the urban fantasy genre - and Keri Arthur, in "Full Moon Rising", has combined the two in her heroine, Riley Jensen, a hybrid of a werewolf and a vampire. Riley's Werewolf side seems mostly to the fore - she changes into a wolf, she doesn't need to drink blood, can go out in the daytime, but does have a few vampire tricks up her sleeve such as the ability to sense things in a psychic way and to resist glamour.

Riley's twin brother Rhoan works for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races as a Guardian - this means he is sent to dispose of any of the supernatural race that commit crimes (and the disposal is usually permanent). However when Rhoan goes missing Riley begins to worry, especially as ten other Guardians have gone missing and been found dead recently. Riley tries to persuade Rhoan's boss Jack to hunt for him, but Jack wants Riley to become a Guardian and seems to be using Rhoan's disappearance as a lever to persuade her to join. Just to add to the complication, Riley discovers a naked vampire camped outside her front door - Quinn, the vampire, can't remember what happened to him but knows he wants to talk to Rhoan and he gets dragged into the plot when it becomes clear he has a significant interest in what's been happening.

What follows is the hunt for Rhoan alongside the discovery of a plot to clone humans and supernatural creatures. Riley finds herself working with the now-clothed Quinn who turns out to be a billionaire who's over a thousand years old, with Rhoan and his lover and with the mysterious Jack, boss of the Guardians. Her time is also spent with her two lovers, Talon and Misha, both werewolves.

Although there's a well structured plot in this story it is interspersed with a lot of sex. Apparently werewolves have the mating urge for the week before the full moon and it's evidently very strong - Riley has two mates, has had up to four, and this polyandry is the norm. I wondered how, in this society, the werewolves had ever been able to integrate if one week per month they were raving sex maniacs. Anyway, Riley's making do with her mates until she finds her soulmate - but what happens if she does find him but he refuses to get into a relationship with a werewolf? Riley finds her problems compound as the plot continues as she doesn't know who to trust and who to believe and people that she thought were unconnected to the disappearance of Rhoan appear no longer to be innocent.

This is an interesting new twist on the werewolf and vampire story, although I wasn't very comfortable with the weeklong mating urge thing as I felt it rather derailed the plot and the pacing at times. Still it was an interesting enough read, it was fun that the setting was Australia rather than America, and Riley was an enjoyably feisty heroine. Quinn was an interesting character too, although I felt too much was made of his financial status (and also of Talon's) - are there that many millionaires/billionaires out there and would they hang out with people such as Riley?

This book is the first of a series and it was very clear at the end that the reader is encouraged to buy the next in the series. Although the story reached some sort of a resolution there were many significant loose ends which I imagine are to be addressed, at least in part, in the next book. Although I did enjoy reading this one I don't think I found the overall premise and the writing style gripped me enough to cause me to search out the next in the series.

I'm a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong's supernatural series, so when I found Keri Arthur's first novel about a half-werewolf half vamp heroine, not to mention the fact that it was set in my home city, the premise immediately appealed. However, while there are a number of promising elements, it was ultimately rather disappointing. Aside from Riley, the characters were not particularly well-drawn and at times the novel felt like a pale imitation of a pastiche of Armstrong and Laurell K. Hamilton. Even the characters' names sounded like they could have come straight from one of Hamilton's "Anita Blake" novels.

I found the plot hard to follow, too, and I agree with previous reviewers that the sex was just too much. I have no problem with sex in literature (though I think it's overused as a device) so long as it advances the plot. In this case, they most often didn't - Riley's frequent bonk-fests seemed to be included for titillation and were pretty much extraneous.

Another problem (more of a nitpick, really): while this author is apparently Australian, the Americanisms bugged. I'm not saying the characters needed to go around bellowing, "G'day cobber!" (I don't know any Aussie who does, thank God!) but if an author's chosen a particular setting, the language needs to be relatively authentic. Riley "pops a can of soda" instead of opening a can of soft drink. In this book, there are no car parks in Melbourne, there are "parking lots." They don't get into lifts, they get into "elevators." And it's not South Bank, it's Southbank!! Okay, one or two instances, I'd let it pass, but these are just a couple of a number of examples. That's fine if you're writing a novel set in America, populated by American characters. It was not clear if she is originally American (which would explain it) or if these changes were made in the editorial process to make the book easily translate to American audiences or what. However, if the setting is Australia and the characters are Australian, I implore this author to make more of an effort to write how we speak (and in fairness, there were times she did get it right).

However, despite its shortcomings, "Full Moon Rising" was a good airport read (I'd picked it up waiting for an overseas flight) - not too demanding either intellectually or in terms of concentration. I think this author shows some promise, but this book doesn't quite meet my "Would read it again and again" test.

Full Moon Rising is an interesting paranormal story about a mix breed vampire/werewolf female(Riley), her (gay) twin brother and a billionaire vampire (Quinn) working together to find out who or what is behind some attacks on non human species. Along the way, there are interesting twists,turns and a whole lot of sex. The thing that bugged me the most about this book was the lack of any real romance. There is, as noted, quite a bit of sex---most of it between the Riley and characters other than Quinn, which frankly made no sense to me. The sex was mostly meaningless (apparently a part of being a werewolf is the uncontrollable urge to engage in meaningless sex. Constantly) and not even love could overcome this natural instinct. So, in the end, the reader is left with a story that is interesting, yes. Well written, sure. But, romantic? Not really. I feel that in order to satisfy the romance part of the paranormal romance equation, the book must have (or at least hint at) a happily ever after. This book doesn't quite fill that bill-. The ending is romantically ambiguous. I was left with feeling like I did not get the payout that I would expect in a romance novel. Overall, if you love paranormal / urban fiction that is steamy and interesting (maybe even a little dark), this is a good choice. But, if you prefer your paranormal romance to have some of the elements of traditional romance novels (i.e. a happily ever after), then this may not be your best bet.

The premise, a half werewolf-half vampire who works for the government sounded pretty interesting to me. Arthur first lost me almost immediately because I didn't like Riley Jensen. The whole free sex with strangers and no conscience and no worries absolutely doesn't work for me. More irritatingly, there are several times in this book that her 'werewolf lust' or whatever was rising at completely inappropriate times. If you are in danger, or are physically being hurt by someone, you should not be wanting to do the dirty with them. Sorry. This attitude also made most of the other werewolves unlikeable as well. It was all they can think of through the book, almost its main focus and not a side plot and it just overwhelmed everything else. Sometimes I would get intrested and pages would fly by as the action occurred or as people were being questioned and then just as suddenly I would be bored and skimming the pages which is something I don't normally do. I give this book two stars because it is a good idea and there is hope that one day Riley will find her soulmate wolf and won't have the need to spread her love with anyone, anytime. I am not a prude, and I know like I sound like one, but this was just not a good book.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book - very fast paced, unique and imaginative urban fantasy who dunnit. However, if you are in the market for a paranormal romance, you may be disappointed. There is a significant love interest but no happy ending and the sex scenes are pretty raw. There's also a fair few of them although in large part, they fit with the story.

I dont know what I expected when I bought the book as I was mainly interested as the setting was Melbourne where I once lived. It certainly surpassed my expectations, with good characters, a strong plot, plenty of action, it is dark and sexy - yet still left me with a bit of a lump in my throat.

The book seeded clues to the whodunnit (some resolution at the end of this book but many not until the end of the third in the series) in much the same manner as Robert Jordan does in the Wheel of Time series so it's a case of - note down that clue or you'll miss it!! For this reason, some readers may find it hard to follow as you need to be awake and kicking to keep up with who is who and what the implications are.

I raced out and bought the rest of the series the very next day. Great fun!

The hero and the heroine are interesting characters, they are believable. Quinn, the sexy vampire hero is everything you could ask for. Riley the independent and very kick-ass heroine though she is feisty and very Buffy, she still remains feminine and vulnerable. Though she is not human. She is a vampire / werewolf mix.

Full of twists and turns, you have to really read it attentively or else you will lose what's going on. The mystery is so good, that you won't even see it resolved at the end of this first book, there will be a lot of loose ends that will make you want to grab the 2nd and 3rd,etc. volumes of the series and just read on to discover what is going to happen. I am going to be reading the rest of this series. I haven't got the 2nd book yet. But I will be reading it soon.
This book is really for the maturer audience. The sex scenes are... very well did :) I'll leave that at that!!

This book was enjoyable. It offers a few new twists on the vampire and werewolf genre. Also offers a location twist in that it is set in Australia, a little in the future, where Supes live pretty openly. Instead of present day midwest, like most books out currently dealing with werewolves.

Riley and her twin brother Rhoan are a very rare werewolf and vampire mix. The twins work for the government agency that regulates Supes. The story centers around Riley's search for her missing twin; who she fears has gotten mixed up in whatever has been killing gaurdians in Melbourne. Too further complicate matters a sexy nude vampire, Quinn, has shown up at her door. Quinn claims to know Rhoan, but distrusts werewolves. Riley is very drawn to Quinn but does not know if she can trust him, even though he seems to hold information necessary to find Rhoan. Her boss is trying to force her into being a gaurdian, a sort of supernatural hit man, inexchange for helping Riley. Plus Riley fears that her and her brothers secret mixed heritage may be discovered.

As the book continues Riley finds out that things go much deeper than gaurdians being killed and that this mystery may hit a little too close to home.

Things are further complecated by the week of the full moon, an intire week in which werewolves must have sex. This is where some significant plot flaws/devices come in. It is pretty hard to believe that werewolves could ever keep a job if they have to take a week every month to have sex. Or that werewolves were ever able to hide among humans for the same reason. Plus Riley seems to know nothing about her "mates", which of course gets her into further trouble.

Personally I had no problems with Riley, or anyone else, having multiple partners. If you dislike nonmonogamous characters or sudden sexual incounters, this book is probably not for you. There are several instances where sex is a rather heavy handed device. It seems like the author used sex to solve plot problems. Also every man in this book is fascinated by Riley's boobs, even in the middle of fight. The "hey look at these" defense is annoying at the best of times. There are a few other plot holes. But I am hopefull that they can be explained later on in the series.

I found the book enjoyable despite some flaws. I will give the next book in the series a shot, because there is some potental here, but it is not one of my must reads.

I liked this new Riley Jenson series. She is half werewolf, half vampire as is her twin brother Rhoan. Rhoan is a guardian for the Directorate, and Riley is an assistant guardian. Guardians are disappearing. Rhoan falls victim also, and Riley must find him. I liked the character Riley, she is very tough, funny, down to earth except when the moon is rising and then her werewolf beast must be sastisfied by having lots of sex with her designated lovers. The plot was good, plenty of action, great secondary characters that will surely continue on into the next books in this series. The sex became a little reminiscent of Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake and her ardeur. But, not near as graphic, or as much. Thank goodness or I would have to stop reading this series, if it falls prey to being all the book is about. Otherwise, I enjoyed it, and will read the next books.

Warning: Anita Blake fans who have gone a prudish bent about the sex in her novels, stay far far away from this. For those of your who love her, love Sookie and love Rachel Morgen, Riley is right up your alley.

A tense twisting mystery, Rily is half vampire, half werewolf - more driven by her raging hormones as the moon reaches it's fullest state than by her recessive vampire genes.

Her twin brother disappears, she can feel his danger but no one will listen, not her two mates, not her boss at the Directorate not her brothers two lovers. Only the mysterious, hunky, amnesiac vampire who shows up at her door believes her something is wrong.

The world becomes a scary place, of clones, of chimeras and of paranoia and a wonderful place of amazing sex and tenuous love story.

There is a semi happy ending. The love scenes are graphic and hot and well worth cold showers. The mystery never stops twisting and you are never sure of the truth, even at the end.

Characters are well realized, touching on the pain of eternal life and the damage it can do. The pain of possible sterility on a woman driven to mate.

Very good, very sexy and very tense

Quite interesting and far better than some of the other books of this type by Patricia Briggs and Armstrong, although none of these writers hold a candle to Jane Lindskold's books, especially the out of print When the Gods Are Silent:

http://www.the store.com/When-Gods-Silent-Jane-Lindskold/dp/0380788489/ref=la_B000AQ8QQE_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433490647&sr=1-19

Nevertheless I am looking forward to reading more of the Riley Jensen books.

Full Moon Rising is about 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 powerful vampire, Quinn, appears on Riley's doorstep and asks for her aid. Riley and Quinn team up to find Rhoan and investigate the mysterious deaths of Directorate agents and determine who's been creating vampire and werewolf clones.

Full Moon Rising was an ok book. I'm not sure I'm that interested in the rest of the series. I was a little put off by the lack of a unique plot and graphic sex scenes throughout the book. I'm looking for more action and less romance in my books. The book seems like just another vampire - werewolf book nothing original stood out to me.

I love Keri Arthur. This series started my love for books. Her writing keeps you wanting to go back for more. I read this book about 10 times and still go back and start this series over. Riley is a very independent strong woman who can handle herself. She owns her sexuality and makes no apologies for it. I wish the series would have gone on forever.

The first chapter pulled me in, then it went downhill. I kept telling myself with each chapter that it would get back to being good, but in the end I had a hard time reading Full Moon Rising and staying interested. I found the storyline dragged. The sex scenes had a lack of heat and imagination and having Riley run around partially and completely naked for most of the book didn't really have me feeling sympathy for her not being able to have anything more than sex with the one man/vampire she could really fall for. She also appeared to have one purpose and that was to have sex with anyone close. She seemed to not have a problem going about her normal business, though she claimed to be worried about her missing brother, and even going so far as to have sex with one of her "mates" after telling her boss she was going to find Rhoan no matter what. Arthur portrayed the whole wolf culture as sex addicted animals. The rest of the series is going back to the library unread.

Riley and Rhoan are two hybrid siblings, half vampire and half werewolf with the wolf side dominating both of them. They keep their nature secret because the werewolves look down at the rare hybrid. Both work for the Directorate of Other Races, an organization that polices the supernatural and keeps humans safe from the ones that are evil. Riley enjoys sex with different partners because the heat of the moon demands she have sex as the full moon rises or she will be hit with moon madness, a state where she is not in control of her faculties and can commit damage without know she is doing it.

Although she has two fantastic sex partners, she is aroused when a sexy powerful vampire knocks on her door asking to speak to Rhoan who is out on an assignment. When she senses he is in danger, she with the help of her new vampire friend Quinn rescues her brother from a place that is collecting sperm and eggs from the supernatural community against their will. This ties into the disappearance of several guardians who are part of the Directorate and an illegal cross species clones project to create the perfect soldier. As Riley, Rhoan, their boss and Quinn investigate, attempts are made on their lives and Riley will soon learn the pain of betrayed by those she trusted most.

Keri Arthur is one of the best supernatural romance writers in the world and the best to come out of Australia. After the audience reads this book, they will want to read her backlist (see imajinnbooks.com) because they are as good as FULL MOON RISING. There is enough romance, action and intrigue to satiate the most discerning reader. Character development is fantastic making readers want to read future books starring Riley, an incredible person who will do what is necessary to keep her loved ones safe. There are several loose threads dangling so readers can be assured of at least one sequel and this reviewer can hardly wait.

Harriet Klausner

Riley Jenson is not much of heroine. Before she fights bad guys, she has to have sex. Then instead of fighting the bad guys, she has sex with them. After having sex with them, she wants more sex. She spends a lot of her time in dance clubs having sex. The author writes good erotic scenes but nothing else. The plot is terrible. There is no romance in this book, either. No one loves Riley, people just want to use her and she lets them, over and over. I am not going to read another book in this series and I probably will not read another one written by this author, either. I would recommend authors Kim Harrison and Karen Chance instead.

Although reminiscent of Hamiltons Anita Blake series I think Riley Jenson stands on her own two feet, as a character and book series. The concept of rare hybrid or breed of vamp/werewolf allows the writer to create scenes in both worlds. Riley is connected to her twin brother Rhoan, which gives it a more paranormal feeling. I like the way the writer has explored the promiscuous nature of the wolf that is led by the moon. Also the fact that no matter who she meets Rileys bond is meant to be with a wolf. Great series and I think para/supernatural readers will enjoy it

This is the first book in a paranormal series. Riley Jenson is half werewolf/half vampire. She works for a sort of secret service agency for paranormal beings. Riley is sent on special assignment when her brother, also an agent, turns up missing. Helping her search is Quinn, a very old vampire. Quinn has his own agenda but Riley is more focused on the chemistry between the two of them than Quinn's motives. This book had good action, hot sex scenes and great characters. I will continue to read this series.

[...]

Riley Jenson is a vampire/werewolf cross, like her twin Rhoan. The secret of their vampire blood they keep to themselves and no one is supposed to know, not only about that but that they are twins. Rhoan has disappeared and that twin link is telling Riley he is in trouble. Rhoan is a Guardian and works for the Directorate. riley is a liasion to the Guardians. Being a werewolf is not that different from anyone else until the burning moon each month, then it's everyone for himself in the sexual wars. As lust overcomes the wolf for a week. So not only is she worried because her brother has disappeared the burning moon is coming.

Quinn O'Conner is an old vampire who turns up naked on her porch. He is looking for Rhoan too. Quinn is investigating the clones that are turning up all over. They look like his best friend Henri. Finally he and Riley join togather to find her brother and solve the mystery. riley finds Quinn to be everything she has been looking for, but Quinn has had some bad experiences with wolves and is not going to give her a chance.

Togather with her boss and Rhoan and a few of each 's lovers they tackle the werecrosses and clones popping up all over. But the solution may be bigger than they think and not as easy to solve.

I enjoyed most of the story, I'm afraid the lust was a little over done, and more often than I liked the phrase, everything went black was used. She got over powered and knocked out alot!!

I think this is a very good set up for another book, maybe too good, I like a good stopping place, where you get closure even if only for the time being. There is a lot more story to tell and I will be buying it, I just hate the wait for it to come out.

Although reminiscent of Hamiltons Anita Blake series I think Riley Jenson stands on her own two feet, as a character and book series. The concept of rare hybrid or breed of vamp/werewolf allows the writer to create scenes in both worlds. Riley is connected to her twin brother Rhoan, which gives it a more paranormal feeling. I like the way the writer has explored the promiscuous nature of the wolf that is led by the moon. Also the fact that no matter who she meets Rileys bond is meant to be with a wolf. Great series and I think para/supernatural readers will enjoy it

This is the first book in a paranormal series. Riley Jenson is half werewolf/half vampire. She works for a sort of secret service agency for paranormal beings. Riley is sent on special assignment when her brother, also an agent, turns up missing. Helping her search is Quinn, a very old vampire. Quinn has his own agenda but Riley is more focused on the chemistry between the two of them than Quinn's motives. This book had good action, hot sex scenes and great characters. I will continue to read this series.

[...]

Riley Jenson is a vampire/werewolf cross, like her twin Rhoan. The secret of their vampire blood they keep to themselves and no one is supposed to know, not only about that but that they are twins. Rhoan has disappeared and that twin link is telling Riley he is in trouble. Rhoan is a Guardian and works for the Directorate. riley is a liasion to the Guardians. Being a werewolf is not that different from anyone else until the burning moon each month, then it's everyone for himself in the sexual wars. As lust overcomes the wolf for a week. So not only is she worried because her brother has disappeared the burning moon is coming.

Quinn O'Conner is an old vampire who turns up naked on her porch. He is looking for Rhoan too. Quinn is investigating the clones that are turning up all over. They look like his best friend Henri. Finally he and Riley join togather to find her brother and solve the mystery. riley finds Quinn to be everything she has been looking for, but Quinn has had some bad experiences with wolves and is not going to give her a chance.

Togather with her boss and Rhoan and a few of each 's lovers they tackle the werecrosses and clones popping up all over. But the solution may be bigger than they think and not as easy to solve.

I enjoyed most of the story, I'm afraid the lust was a little over done, and more often than I liked the phrase, everything went black was used. She got over powered and knocked out alot!!

I think this is a very good set up for another book, maybe too good, I like a good stopping place, where you get closure even if only for the time being. There is a lot more story to tell and I will be buying it, I just hate the wait for it to come out.

~This book has received some pretty mixed reviews in the past, mainly due to the overuse of sex within the book. However if you can see past that this can be a joyful, funny read~

Riley Jenson is a rare creature called a dhampire, half werewolf and half vampire and has the traits of both to prove it. She works as a Guardian Liaison for the Directorate of Other Races in Melbourne, as well as her brother, Rhoan, who acts as a Guardian.

When Rhoan goes missing whilst on a mission and a naked vampire called Quinn turns up at her door things are only just starting to go strange. With the full moon approaching her desire for sex has increased drastically due to her `wolf' nature and her 2 regular lovers are acting suspicious. To top it all off people may be realising her true nature as a hybrid and they want her. Bad.

When she is thrust into all the action she never wanted, she has no choice but to fight back, but to what end? Shooting, conspiracies, obsession and assassins plus a whole load of action make for a hard to put down read. The ending leads up to the next book, making this a series you could happily continue reading. I'm looking forward to learning more about some of the characters in the next book and would definitely recommend this.

Riley and Rhoan Jenson are twins: half-vampire/half-werewolf. Both work for The Directorate. But Rhoan is a Guardian (read assassin) while Riley is a Guardian Liason (read paper-pusher). But Riley is in trouble, because Rhoan has disappeared and the full moon is a week away. Riley goes hunting for her twin, while fighting the were-urge of the full moon, arguing with her two mates, and picking up a naked vampire with amnesia. Finding out that 10 other Guardians have disappeared doesn't help her anxiety - but without finding out what Rhoan was working on Riley can't figure out why he disappeared or why, suddenly, there have been multiple attempts on her life. Neat story - lots of sub-plots - interesting characters. I look forward to the next installment.

There is something to be said about predicting the likability of an author I've never read before. I ordered the whole Riley Jensen series ahead of time. Thank goodness because I was ready for the next book once I finished the first! I really enjoyed the overall involvement of the storyline and characters. Keri Arthur knows how to please her fans.

"The night was quiet. Almost too quiet." There is a distinct sense of dread and foreboding combined with a touch of knowing and self-referential humor that is palpable in these first lines of FULL MOON RISING by Keri Arthur.

Indeed, the sentiment may strike readers as familiar, cliché even, but FULL MOON RISING is hardly a conventional thriller. Indeed, when the protagonist Riley bemoans the "Hollywood images" of paranormal creatures of the night --- the myths and half-truths propagated by popular stories of the supernatural --- those essentially familiar first two lines become imbued with the humor and self-awareness of a writer who knows what is expected of the genre she is working in and who is determined to undermine the obvious and defy the predictable.

For Riley is by no means your typical femme fatal; instead, this sultry and wryly funny redhead is a rare crossbreed of Vampire and Werewolf. And her uncommon embodiment of the abilities of two such fierce and powerful supernatural beings is both a blessing and a curse as she battles unseen enemies and formidable foes who are targeting her --- and seem to want something from her --- because of her special abilities.

To complicate matters further, Riley's troubles begin in conjunction with the waxing of the moon --- a time when she and her fellow werewolves are unable to resist the call of the moon and the urge to mate that comes with it. Vivacious Riley usually welcomes the turning of the moon and the powerful urges it brings, but now those urges prove dangerous as she cannot resist the invitations of her less-than-trustworthy werewolf lover Talon, nor can she deny her desire for Quinn, a vampire with a long past and murky motives. As Riley's world is turned upside down --- beginning with the kidnapping of her brother --- and she no longer knows who to trust, Quinn seems at times to be both a threat and a loving protector. But one thing is certain: Riley's desire for him is stronger than any she has ever experienced before.

Keri Arthur treats the potentially chilling and unsettling themes of creatures of the night with a decidedly light touch. The danger Riley faces is real and deadly, and readers will turn each page with nail-baiting anticipation. But they also will find themselves chuckling at Riley's droll observations and dryly witty turns of phrase. She may be a rare and sought-after member of the paranormal race, but she also is a young woman with a powerful sexuality and a temper to match. Indeed, Riley's unabashed acknowledgment of the power of her lust is refreshing; her embodiment of werewolf traits renders her sexuality more a physical than an emotional need, thus freeing her to indulge her desire brazenly and without apology.

Furthermore, Arthur has a marvelous imagination and sharp attention to details. Her conception of a night club specifically catering to werewolves in heat and her descriptions of the events that take place within its exclusive walls are titillating, amusing and original. Much like Riley's unabashed sexuality, there is something bordering on political in her portrayal of a place where sexual pleasure knows no stigma and there is no shame associated with passionate indulgence among all creeds of night creatures.

The novel itself is a rather brazen and unapologetically indulgent treat of a read. It's easy to see why Keri Arthur is a much-lauded romantic thriller writer in her native Australia, and she should have no problem striking the fancy of American readers who hunger for harrowing and salacious tales of lust, intrigue and the paranormal. Furthermore, the ending of her American debut is just short of a tease, and is bound to whet the appetites of readers and even make them howl for more.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Krieger

Non-stop brazen and unapologetic sex is the main ingredient of Full Moon Rising, the first novel in Aussie writer Keri Arthur's new The Guardian series. A dark urban fantasy, it does an excellent job of interweaving highly intriguing suspense and the raw sexuality of its characters. Vampires and werewolves galore, this entire series will star the same heroine and I'm hoping, also a certain other character who reminds me of J.D. Robb's infamous Roarke. The book is written in first person.

Riley Jenson is a rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf. She and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races, an organization which tries to control the supernatural races and protect humans from falling pray to them.

Riley is more wolf than a vampire, therefore her need to mate becomes uncontrollable and all-consuming during the course of full moon. Unfortunately, as her phase of moon heat is approaching, her brother Rhoan mysteriously disappears while on a mission for the Directorate.

Riley has more powers than she's letting on or willing to admit to herself, but she's determined to use everything in her arsenal to find her brother. Her mission lands her in the midst of a powerful and unthinkably violent underground operation, where everything about her is about to be put to the test.

As if fighting to save her brother and her own lustful state aren't enough, enter a mysterious character, named Quinn. Erotically beautiful, all-alpha and beyond rich, this character is an Enigma, but one Riley can hardly resist... But is it only because of the moon heat?

That question is one of the reasons I simply cannot wait for the second book, Kissing Sin, to arrive in February of 2007. Although that date seems so very far away, I'm telling myself that good things are worth the wait... I read Full Moon Rising from cover to cover, with hardly ever stopping. I think that fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris and Kim Harrison will definitely enjoy this book!

Honestly, when I first picked up this book, I wasn't sure about the idea of it. However, I fell in love with Quinn right away and Riley is an interesting girl. Either way, this was an excellent read. I adored it. It's definitely unique and riveting!

Full Moon Rising is a steamy, fun read. Coming from a "left-wanting" LKH fan, this has the plot and suspense and romance - but not so much romance that I feel I can't read it in public. I do like it to have sex, i'll admit. But most books seem to have too little and LKH has too much at the cost of the plot. This was the perfect middle ground.

Some of the characters are a bit predictable, and that's what lost it one star. The other complaint isn't just to this book. The genre in general seems to have a lack of females characters aside from the main protagonist. Otherwise, it was still a lot of fun to read. I look forward to hopefully more books in this line.