ARC Review: Samantha Moon by J.R. Rain

Samantha Moon: The First Four Vampire for Hire Novels, Plus the Christmas Moon Novella and a Never-Before-Published Short Story
Amazon | GoodReads
Author: J.R. Rain
Publisher: BenBella Books
Release Date: June, 05 2012
Genre:Adult, Mystery & Suspense, Supernatural, 672 pages
ISBN-10: 1937856178
ISBN-13: 978-1937856175

SUMMARY:

Mother, wife, private investigator ... and vampire. Six years ago, federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happened, an attack that changed her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Samantha's adventures as a night-roaming vampire and private investigator in Samantha Moon include ...

Vampire for Hire #1) Moon Dance: Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the attempt on his life, a horrific scene watched on TV around the country. But Kingsley isn't exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

Vampire for Hire #2) Vampire Moon: Samantha Moon hunts down a powerful crime lord and protects an innocent woman from her ruthless ex-husband-all while two very different men vie for her heart. As the stakes grow higher and her cases turn personal, Samantha Moon will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent and bring two cold-blooded killers to justice-her own brand of justice.

Vampire for Hire #3) American Vampire: Samantha receives a heartbreaking call from a very unlikely source: a five-year-old girl who's been missing for three months. Using her considerable resources-including her growing supernatural abilities-to locate the missing girl before it's too late, Samantha also receives devastating news on the home front, forcing her to make the ultimate choice of life and death.

Vampire for Hire #4) Moon Child: Samantha Moon is faced with an impossible decision that will change her life and those of the ones she loves forever-a decision that no mother should ever have to make. And through it all, Samantha finds herself in a lethal game of vampire versus vampire as a powerful and desperate enemy will stop at nothing to claim what he most desires.

Christmas Moon: With Christmas just around the corner, Samantha takes on a very strange case: A priceless family treasure has been stolen, something passed down through the generations and buried in secrets. And Samantha gets half of whatever it is ... if she can find it first.

MY REVIEW:

For Samantha Moon, being a mom of two, the wife of a cheating sleazeball, and a private investigator is hard work. Not to mention the fact that she's also a vampire and can only work nights. Yepp, that's right, a mommy vampire. Who would've thought? Sam was attacked 6 years ago while out on a nightly jog when she was attacked by something much stronger than she anticipated. Before she could gather her barrings and reach for her gun, the thing attacking her had already ripped open her throat and left her to die. Now trying to balance the life of a mom and being a kick ass private investigator with heightened abilities, Sam is still trying to come to terms with herself...  her freakishly new self. 

I absolutely loved all these books. Samantha Moon is my new favorite fictional character. Right from the first sentence, of the first chapter, of the first book, I knew I was going to be a fan of this series. The romance in these books are there, but not the main topics that are brought to the forefront. Which I love. (even thought I'm a lover of everything dealing in romance) Following Samantha's journey through her vampirism, her job as a p.i. and her life as a mother, who is still trying to provide for her kids every which way she can, kept me turning the page. It helps that there are a few hunks mentioned in the books, one of them being a shaggy werewolf. The dialogue in these books kept me laughing for days! All the witty comments between the characters really brought the book to life.

What I like and didn't like about these books is the same thing. Talk about a double edged sword. I both liked and disliked the fact that the author used references to the stuff we use/talk about/hear about in our daily lives. Here's why I liked it... I liked it because it gave me a sense of time. When the author mentioned Charlie Sheen, Facebook, Lindsey Lohan, etc. It felt as if I was there in the book... or me living in LA County, I can be all... "Oh so that was that big black thing I saw soaring in the sky that night." Now, for that double edged sword. I disliked it, because I couldn't care less about those "reality" bits that were thrown in. I'd rather be so deep in the book without being pulled out by those little reminders that this is just a fictional book. That might make sense or that might not. Like I said, double edged sword and all. 

All in all, I thought this series was great and I will be itching to get my hands on Book #5 "Vampire Dawn" If you haven't read this series or never heard of it, I suggest you do so now! You will not regret it. 

MY RATING: