Ritual of the Stones

Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire 1) By JR Rain

Review by Jacqui Slaney

It is strange how many different authors I have come across since getting a kindle. They have obviously always been there, but I have missed them on the bookshelves by looking for familiar names first.

This is such case; I came across this author shortly after getting the Kindle while looking at the recommended titles. I nearly passed it by, not a great reader of vampire books. Read a couple, Dracula and Interview with a Vampire, and do not mind watching films about them (though most admit- vampires that sparkle in sunlight, still strikes me as slightly odd) but they have never appealed to me that much.

However, the description on this one sounded interesting and a bit different, and the book was free so I thought I would give it a go:

Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago, federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn't exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

The writer makes Samantha Moon a very sympathetic character and you feel for her plight and her feelings for children. She has been a vampire for six years when you first start reading, and you feel her loneliness. She has made some new friends and as this is the first in a series, you are introduced to them briefly. They are still well described especially the husband, who I soon disliked intensely; I suppose to be fair you can understand his feelings of fear to find that his wife had been turned into a vampire, although the way he treats her will still have you booing him.

It is not a long story and it is not a complicated one, but it is an enjoyable read as the writing is fast and entertaining. Ok so it is soon obvious why her client survived the attack made on him, but the story is really about Sam coming to terms, which what she has become, and how she deals with her new life.

When you read other reviews on this series, there are complaints from some readers saying that each book ends on a cliffhanger, which forces you to buy the next one. I admit to not understanding these complaints, most series are like this and since when has some suspense been bad? These books are also inexpensive, so it is not as if you will have to spend a vast fortune keeping up with them either.

As you can probably guess, I have read the whole series, and enjoyed them all, if you want a short story that it is easy to read, then definitely try this one.

10 out of 10