Jackal Moon

Moon #2

by Jeanette Battista

Melissa Marr, NTY bestselling author of Wicked Lovely says "the Moon series is filled with action and romance, shape shifters and strong heroines."Laila has been pledged to serve the jackal god, Anubis, since she was a child. She wants nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of her father and brother and become a member of the Keepers of Divine Order. When her initiation into the Keepers leads her to Miami and pits her against the wereleopard Sekhmet, Laila is cast into a sea of clan intrigue and bitter rivalries. The stakes grow even higher once the rival pack of werehyenas, led by the beautiful and bloodthirsty Samara, decides to lay claim to the wereleopard’s territory. With the arrival of Kess, the true wereleopard clan leader, and her retinue of werewolves, violence threatens to erupt. Will Laila’s training and skills be enough to save the young werejackal and everything she’s worked for?The scales are ready and Anubis awaits...

Genres: Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

274 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2012

About the author

Jeanette Battista graduated with an English degree with a concentration in medieval literature which explains her possibly unhealthy fixation on edged weapons and cathedral architecture. She spent a summer in England and Scotland studying the historical King Arthur, which did nothing to curb her obsession. To satisfy her adrenaline cravings—since sword fighting is not widely accepted in these modern times—she rode a motorcycle at ridiculously high speeds, got some tattoos, and took kickboxing and boxing classes. She gave up the bike when her daughter came along, although she still gets pummeled at the gym on a regular basis.

When she’s not writing or working, Jeanette spends time with family, hikes, reads, makes decadent brownies, buys killer boots, and plays Pocket Frogs. She wishes there were more hours in the day so she could actually do more of these things. She lives with her daughter and their ancient, ill-tempered cat in North Carolina.

Reviews

[Jessica (Goldenfurpro)]

I gave up on this book roughly 10% in. Even though I did not finish it, it is handy for me to know why I did not finish it so here I go.

So, I read book one around six years ago. This book follows a different protagonist, so I didn't have difficulty understanding the book, but my reading tastes have changed the last six years. I don't gravitate towards paranormal romance anymore, and I'm definitely no longer interested in werewolf books. I also struggled to connect with the MC mostly because all the 10% of the book showed us was that this girl can kickbutt because she is a werejackal and not like other girls. She also can't wait to get out of high school so she could stop "pretending". Both these things were built on cliches. I rolled my eyes when I read the line "she wasn't one of those pretty brainless girls with nothing worrying her head but the next trip to the mall to buy the latest must-have purse or pair of shoes". We get that you're not like other girls, you're a werejackal, that makes you different, but do you have to demean a whole gender just to tell us that? In the same paragraph, she also says how she hates high school because it feels like she is under a microscope, so she has to pretend to be under the radar and normal. This means getting boyfriends. But, that's not what high school is like? Most people probably couldn't care less about what you are doing, and it's not a given that you have to date in high school.

Anyway, I just was not feeling the book. I think it could've turned out to be an okay read for me, not bad but not good. I figured that I could spend my time reading books that are more than an okay read.

[K. Lincoln · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought Jackal Moon mostly on the strength of liking the first in this series featuring young adult (college age/high school) shapeshifters secretly existing in our world.

The first in the series, Leopard Moon, follows Kess, a wereleopard fleeing from her family in Miami who ends up hanging with a bunch of cute and snarky werewolves in another state entirely.

Jackal Moon continues after the end of Leopard Moon. And I don't recommend reading this book without reading the first one, as half the fun was listening to main character Finn's reactions to and comments on Kess and Cormac.

While Leopard Moon was a complete, standalone story with a satisfying conclusion, Jackal Moon seems to have been conceived as a way to introduce more characters- both good and bad- as well as the various shifter factions (werejackals, werehyenas, wereleopards, and werejaguars being the main ones) about to fight for dominance over Miami.

Jackal Moon does contain a nice romance (one I wouldn't fear my elementary school aged girls to accidentally see on our family Kindle as the level of explictness is tame)the main focus of the book isn't on that relationship, nor on the changes that the two main characters go through within that relationship.

Finn is the little brother of the Beta-in-waiting for his pack. He's always been the goof off, but recently he's wanted people to see him as more serious. He agrees to accompany Kess and Cormac to Miami when she is recalled there suddenly to take over her wereleopard pack.

Laila is a werejackal whose family is one of the mysterious and deadly Keepers, a faction that serves as the defacto police and clean up crew for all weres. She has trained all her life in martial arts and intrigue and is ready to prove herself ready to become a full fledged member of the Keepers.

Both of them end up in Miami somewhat at cross purposes, but strangely relaxed in each other's company.

One of the good things about this installment is that the moments of truly delightful writing I encountered in Leopard Moon are also present here:

"Miami felt fresh and youthful, the energy flowing swift and edgy, winnowing through the city like a fevered school of fish racing in the ocean. New Orleans' energy eddied in the dark pools, laying trapped beneath huge trees and moving in a slow current like the Mississippi itself"

The snarky banter that was such fun among the werewolves is present in smaller bits in Jackal Moon. The most fun was Laila's human friend Gen, who had all too little face time for my taste. The martial art sequences where Laila either trains or fights are perfectly balanced in detail and action, believable without being overly emphasized/boring.

We still spend too much time, for my taste, in the head of the villain (Samara, a werehyena who is truly callously evil) for me to completely bond with Laila and Finn, and I was a little disappointed we didn't get the satisfying conclusion to their story at the end of this book, but as other reviewers have mentioned, this book seems to be setting up for the next one in terms of plot and character development.

Hopefully the next one will bring us more closure.

This Book's Snack Rating: Still more multi-grain chips with slightly hotter mango salsa for Laila's hand to hand combat and less closure

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me a bit. I was thinking that I might not like it like I did the first one but it was good and nice read but also setting up for the next book which I can't wait to read.

The story is hard to describe because of all the interlocking views of each character.
Here's a slight glimpse:

Finn a werewolf is tired of being the "goof ball" of his family finally gets a chance to prove himself by going to Miami with Kess and Cormac(previous characters from the first book). After the death of Kess's brother Sek.

Laila is a werejackel whose vying to get a position on an ancient society called The Keepers of Order. After years of training she finally gets her chance to the keepers that she has what it takes.

Samara is a werehyena who believes that she deserves the perks that a place like Miami can give her especially after her clan is pushing to the seams of her border and recourses are almost gone. After years of living on the fringes she ready to be apart of action and miami's her ticket.

[I · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right when you expected that this book will be like all the series out there it surprises you.This is avery good book.Not like your average series out there.

Its a very 'Goodread'.

[Penumbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book to read through the We Love YA Books ARR Group for an honest review, thank you.



First, I like the cover of this book. It’s in the same style as Leopard Moon and I liked that cover also. I’m curious as to what the next book’s cover will look like considering it seems to center around Rafe, the young hyena boy.

I think the book blurb needs to be fixed because it’s confusing:

Will Laila’s training and skills be enough to save the young werejackal and everything she’s worked for?

It’s more like Laila needs to prove that she can do what she’s been training all her life to do, or will she fail the Keepers and herself? That would be a more accurate and less confusing.

If you plan on reading Jaguar Moon; you’ll need to read Leopard Moon first. This is not a stand-alone book. There are many characters from the previous book that are in JM and too many references of what happened in LM are made so that a reader will probably get lost without the background info.

The story is told in third person through multiple POVs. The author did a good job of keeping the POVs separated by chapter and I didn’t have any trouble figuring out whose eyes I was viewing the story through.

I found that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did the first one and I’m pretty sure it was because of one of main characters, Laila. I’ll cover the other characters first before I get to her however. I liked seeing the return of Cormac and Kess and the other werewolf shifters in this book. I even liked the new evil character Samara. She was cruel and conniving and fit the story well. I liked the son Rafe and am looking forward to his story in Hyena Moon. I didn’t like Finn at the beginning of the book. He was an annoying, immature boy. Even in Miami he was that way for a while until he started to take his job of protecting Kess and Cormac more seriously. Although Finn had to have the carrot dangling on a stick before he got started. I’m talking about the carrot named, Laila. Finn did however grow throughout the book and I didn’t find him as annoying at the end. Oh and Bomani, can we say 'manipulative' much?

I didn’t like the werejackals, and that’s what ruined the story for me. Laila was arrogant, looked down on people, and was judgmental and childish. No one like that should ever have the power over life and death. The werejackals were no more than paid assassins no matter how they liked to justify what they did. Those kinds of groups and their fanatical belief in a religion, Anubis was their religion/God, and their ‘ideal’ are very, very dangerous. Yes, I realize that this is quite similar to trained people that are used by their governments to ‘take out’ crazed dictators or terrorists of other countries. I’m not going to mention what groups though. I suppose it depends on what POV one looks through. But someone like Laila is not emotionally stable enough to be a Keeper, maybe her brother is, but I wouldn’t trust him either. So the aspect of assassins, especially an unstable, impulsive assassin like Laila, really reduced my enjoyment of this story. In the end, Laila’s character did not grow, she continued to feel ‘hey, this is me, take it or leave it.’ She thought she respected Kess, but continued to pass judgment on Kess as if she were superior. I really, really disliked Laila. Mebis I disliked a bit less but I still dislike him. I’m curious if there will be some sort of contention in a future story between Cormac and Mebis, since Laila kept mentioning that Mebis seemed attracted to Kess and not in a business way.

There are a few instances in the first quarter of the book were the author repeated ‘scenes’ or ‘themes’ that she had written about previously only she reworded the scene differently. There was no need for the repetition. It actually felt like clobbering the readers over the head by pointing ‘Hey! Look at this! This is important!’ The sections I’m talking about are the following:

This first part was repeated three times regarding the scars cut into Laila’s face during her Marking Ceremony:

Page11- Her father drew the knife down her forehead in a vertical line above her left eye. Blood spilled out, dripping down her brow bone and into the cup he held against her face. (Similar to page 41)

Page 12- If her father’s scar was any indication, no one would be able to see it unless they knew where to look by the time she was his age. Her brother’s scar was still noticeable, although not glaringly so, but it too was fading with time. (Similar to page 37)

Page 37 – (Talking about her father) A very faint scar ran down the left side of his face, starting above his brow bone and running vertically down his cheek. Laila and Mebis sported similar scars, although hers was more noticeable since it was relatively recent. (Similar to page 12)

Page41 – It had been a family ritual, one of their few high rituals, performed when the moon was at its fullest. She had been fourteen and her father had taken her into the temple room and explained the role of the Keepers of the Order, of their place in the cosmic balance. (Similar to page 10-11)

He had drawn the knife down her face, whispering that she should close her eye…. The blood spilled over her eye, dimming her vision, making the world swim and she felt sick. (Similar to page 11)

All of the above excerpts reference to the same event but repeated over and over and over again in a different phrase. Rehashing the same event was excessive. The event would have had more impact if it was mentioned once in very graphic detail. As it was, repeating the same scene over and over only caused annoyance as if the author thought the readers might be too stupid to remember the scars or the Marking Ceremony. I wanted to yell “OK! I get it! She had a Marking Ceremony and she has scars and so do her father and brother! Can we get on with the story now?”

The second scene was where Samara thought about needing more territory:

Page82 – Her pack needed the new territory, but more importantly, Samara deserved it….
Instead because of what she was, she was forced to live on the fringes, living off scraps of the carcass.

Page 110 – They’d grown too quickly and now they strained and surpassed the local natural resources. She’d been hungering after a true city for decades, tired of making do with the fringes.

Again, we are subjected to a repeat of thought patterns, this time by Samara, that isn’t necessary. The readers don’t need to have something pointed out to them again and again.

The pace of the story stayed at a good clip. The only time I didn’t like the pace was when the chapters with Laila happened and especially when she was training with her martial arts teacher. But that’s because I didn’t like Laila and wasn’t interested in her character.

I’m curious as to how the werewolves will accept Cormac staying in Miami with Kess, especially if Kess plans on taking over the group there? She won’t be able to govern the wereleopards long distance permanently and Cormac is destined to become Alpha. It wouldn’t matter too much if Finn stayed in Miami since he really doesn’t have a ‘position’ in the were pack.

In the end, the pace of this story was good. I liked most of the characters, even Samara, but I really disliked Laila’s personality and what she stood for. To a lesser extent I disliked Mebis but also disliked what he stood for. I liked the reappearance of characters from the first book. The repetition of scenes only in different wording was very annoying. I ended up enjoying Leopard Moon much more and I look forward to the next book in the series. In the end I can only give Jackal Moon 3 stars.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Solid Second Book In This Series

I liked this second book. Whilst the story still involved Kess and Cormac, the POV's changed to Finn, who we've already met, Samara, the leader of a pack of werehyenas, and Laila, a Keeper. That being said, we are with Laila and Finn the most.

The story starts out with Laila, explaining who and what she is. Eventually we get into Finn's head. We zoom off to Miami where Sek is expecting trouble with some new visitors. This is where the story gets really interesting.

I found this book not quite as fast paced as the first, but there is still plenty of action. There is also some interesting power plays going on. The main plot of this book is wrapped up nicely, with a looming plot for a third book. It will be interesting to see how the final book in the series plays out.

Overall, not bad and worth reading. All the characters are pretty well written, as well as the world in which it takes place. Looking forward to reading the final book.

[Autumn Iriarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted to find the characters in the first book were continued in the second. Some new players were also introduced. Nothing has been finalized so far and like the first book in the series, this one leaves a lot of situations pending completion. The story line continues to carry me along and hasn't become dry or boring so I look forward to opening the third book to see what the author has written next.

[Zena L. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

Very good and fast read with nonstop action, Good character development, vividly detailed environment set up. Easy to imagine each picture scene and environment as if I was there with them. Very captivating and compelling with enjoyable good and bad Characters that were easy to identify with and we'll aligned with their Were nature if they were Were. I finished in two days only because I mostly had to stop to go to work and get work done.

[Jeanie's Kindle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Head spinning

Author got way too carried away with were's ! There were so many it was confusing to try to focus on who this book was about or why. If you had not read the first book in the series, a lot was lost in this.
This book was supposed to be about the JACKALS, but it blurred after they traveled to Miami. This reverted back to cats, wolves and hyenas. The jackals became supporting characters. Fin and Less became the focus.

[gail broomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read and a series that need to be read

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like Laila at all.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 Stars out of 5) After reading the first book in the Moon series, I definitely wanted to read "Jackal Moon." I enjoy Battista's writing style as well as the characters.
Book one introduces us to Kess, a werecat who has run away from a potential incestous brother. He locates her and she puts him in his place and I cheered because she did not rely on a man to protect her even though her boyfriend, Carmac wanted to do so. As a matter of fact, she actually rescued him.
Jackal Moon is told from the standpoint of Finn, Carmac's cousin and several new characters, Laila who is a member of the Keepers trained to protect the ananimity of the were species from the general public and whose job description including assassinations. She and her brother, Mebis were sent to Miami to deal with Kess' brother and see if Kess is capable of ruling her clan. While she is in town, she must perform a task that will be her final initiation into the Keepers. In addition, she finds she is attracted to Finn.
Meanwhile, Kess must prove her worthiness to fend off attackers for control of her clan. This includes a werehyena, Samara. Samara is ruthless and never developed the loving mothering gene. She is ruthless and very willing to sacrifice her own in order to get what she wants at any cost. We get to meet her evil in training daughter, Teresa and her browbeaten son, Rafe. What a lovely family tree!
I rated the first book a 3.5 star read and this one was as well. I've finally figured out why I have not been able to give these books a four of five star rating and it all boils down to three things:

1) I am still struggling to determine who the intended audience is. Is is Young Adult or Adult? At times the subject matter seems too much for YA but yet not enough for adults.

2) The climax to the stories just don't go as far as they should. It seems as though battles are half fought, issues are half resolved and not in a cliffhanger sort of way. Just as I was really feeling as though things were going to peak, the book was over and I said, 'Huh. what just happened?'

3) Lastly, the romance scenes are just plain lukewarm; never quite warm enough. If the author is writing for YA, the love scenes were weak even for this group. There are YA authors who do a really good job at writing romance scenes without sex. However, if Battista is writing for the adult market; then, she definitely needs to heat things up significantly

All in all, I enjoyed the first two books, I just wish Ms. Battista would make the above changes to really make them a great read rather than just good.

[Isis · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you haven't read the first book and don't want anything given away, look away now!!!

****SPOILERS CONTAINED****














Sek's advisor Bomani hires an assassin from the Keepers of the Divine Order to take out Sek as he has become too unstable, but also to force Kess back home to lead the clan.

Kess, Cormac, and Finn head to Miami after Kess gets the call the her brother has been murdered. When she gets to the estate she finds Mebis and Laila, werejackal guests of Sek's, still staying in the guest house.

Mebis has been in the Keepers for over a year, but this was Laila's first time out with any of the Keepers. She is acting as Mebis' assistant in order to gain field experience, or so she's told.

The werehyenas want to move in and take Miami from the wereleopards, but Kess has no intention of letting that happen. Luckily the Keepers have zero interest in seeing werehyenas run Miami. The hyenas are too much of a risk, but the Keepers need to be sure that Kess, or someone strong, is able to hold Miami. If Kess can't do it Mebis has orders to 'remove her & replace her with someone who can.'

The werejaguars come into town to ensure that their business dealings with the wereleopard clan aren't jeopardized in any way by Kess taking the reins from her brother. They are an unknown, and clearly planning to back whichever team wins.

Enter Samara, the egotistical, and beautiful (in a funny way if you watched her for too long), head of the werehyenas. Samara will stop at nothing to get Miami, she sees it as her due and the perfect setting for her 'beauty.' She hates her two kids, Teresa - a younger and coarser version of herself, and Rafe, her disappointment. Rafe is permanent whipping boy, and kept underfed so that he'll never become a threat (even though werehyena females are larger and stronger than the males), while Teresa is the 'golden child,' or as go,den as any child can be in Samara's eyes. Teresa is being groomed to take over for Samara, but Samara thinks Teresa is years ahead of herself, as she has no plans to relinquish control of the pack anytime soon.

During all this poor Finn is trying to prove to his pack that he is more than just the party boy, but at the same time he also still enjoys women and goofing off. Somehow he needs to find a balance between them - which he does by spying (openly) on Laila. And he ends up helping her figure out some issues of her own, allowing her to come into her own more fully.

Another good story with an interesting arc, and some creative confusion and tension at every turn. Who will end up holding the prize, the city of Miami?

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackal Moon takes off not long after Leopard Moon however we are introduced to Laila a werejackal who is training to become a member of the Keepers of Divine Order. Her father has retired from the Keepers but her older brother is currently working with them. She’s almost ready to join the Keepers when her brother comes to town and takes her with him off to Miami. The way the Keepers of Divine Order work is they are kind of like cleaners. If someone needs to be disposed in the shape shifter community those who know how to contact them will make a offering and a request. After everything that happened in Leopard Moon Kess’s brother Sek isn’t in the best of shape even though he’s healed.

When Laila and her brother are sent to pay Sek a visit it’s her brother who sends her in to kill Sek and take his heart. However instead of fleeing like she expected her brother has her hang around and it’s not till she meets Sek’s sister Kess and her two werewolves companion’s do things start to click together. Laila also meet’s the werehyena’s leader who is dying to get her hands on the city of Miami and with Sek’s death she sees her chance. Kess needs to figure out who killed her brother she has her suspects, thankfully she’s not alone her boyfriend Cormac is with her as well as his cousin Finn. Together the trio will learn who the werejackal’s are as well as find more than they bargained for with Samara the werehyena.

I was super excited to read more of Kess’s story however even though it starts after Leopard moon the book centers around a few new characters. We only had a taste of who Finn was in the first book so Jackal Moon gave us a new insight his personality. Plus we had the added new characters of Laila and Samara which each have their own stories to tell which captivate the imagination. I knew right off the bat I didn’t like Samara I mean her story makes sense but it’s hard not to dislike her. I wasn’t sure at first how I felt about Laila, I spent the first half of the book on the fence I wanted to love her as much as I did Kess but she for me was hard to relate too. However as the book progressed and we had some interaction between Laila and Finn I started to like her more. I think Jackal Moon is a great addition to the Moon series. The book flows along smoothly from character as the mystery unfolds. I really enjoyed Jackal Moon and look forward to starting the next book in the series.

[Alison Beechner · Rating 2 out of 5]

(This review is actually for the omnibus edition of book 2.)

Update now that I've completed the book:
So the first 1/3 of the book kinda sucks, but if you can make it through that part, it gets good again. And then it just kinda ends. There is so much about this one that could have been better. I wish I could fix it. Mostly I feel like this could have been a part of something bigger. Like having included Kess and Cormac's POVs in this story to beef it up. And then there were conversations and thought processes that aren't even included. Like, "Cormac and I had a talk about it last night and cleared everything up for me and now I'm fine with stuff."



I'm about 1/3 through and so far it isn't awful, but it isn't great. I do really like that it follows a different couple instead of messing things up with the relationship of the first couple like most stories do in book 2. And I like the dual (technically multi) POV.

But the first few chapters were just boring. So she spends all her time in a dojo training. This could have been covered in one chapter. Not three. So it felt like it took awhile to get the story going anywhere. A lot of redundant information or information that didn't need to be so drawn out.

Then there is the major mess up of completely reprinting chapters 8 and 9 as chapters 10 & 11. At least in the omnibus. Wow, 13 & 14 were repeats AGAIN. Even Groundhog's Day had events of the repeated day change.

Ok, Ch 16 and things are finally picking up.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason it gets three stars is that it was better than the first one. I wish they'd let us give half stars...this is really a 2.5. I really, really would have liked it if we'd gotten to see more of werejackal society and structure, but we don't. The focus here is on what's going on in Miami. The focus on romance is much, much less in this one, which is good. It's sort of a background theme, with no silly love triangles.

The werehyenas are really cliche bad-guys. They're super pretty, horribly evil and abusive, and utterly predictable. I'm pleased to say the main character from the previous book (who is a supporting character in this one) stays consistent and steps up to be a good leader.

The theme of strong women continues, something else I really approve of. I really wish the author was a more impressive writer and would flesh out the world a bit more. This could have been a really awesome book. The potential was there, the storyline was there, but it just fell flat. There is NOTHING about the werejaguars, who are the other big players in Miami. Nothing. Everything happens off-screen.

I won't be reading the third one. It's based off the hyenas and they're just not interesting enough to carry a book, in my opinion.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #2 in the Moon series is equal to the first book, if not a little bit stronger. Definitely a good 3 1/2 stars, so I'll give it 4, since that's my only option.

At first, I was a bit disappointed to not be following along with Kess and Cormac, but I soon became interested in the Jackals and their place in this story's mythology, so I began to enjoy the changing POV's. I can't say I like the character of Laila, as she is NOT an endearing sort of gal, but she was interesting, and has the potential to become a major power player as the tale progresses.

Again, I can't rave about the book as I would some of my favorite urban fantasy reads, but it is definitely growing on me, and I do plan to read the 3rd book, Hyena Moon. Not since Kate Daniel's "Magic" series have I encountered were-hyenas, and these are notably nasty, for the most part. I'm looking forward to learning more about their female dominated culture, brutal & cruel as it is.

All in all, well worth the read.

Bookin' It

[Christa Charman · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I was kind of disappointed because I was hoping it would pick up where Leopard Moon had left off. But, nope. Instead of following Kess and Cormac, we're introduced to Laila. I was about 1/4 of the way through the book, before it really gripped me and sucked me in. It took me awhile to accept that we weren't getting anymore about Kess and Mac. Well, that's not necessarily true - we DO get more about them, just not the way I was expecting!

But, man-oh-man! This book ended up being terrific! I can't decide which I like better: Leopard Moon or Jackal Moon!

I still can't believe that this series hasn't been picked up by a big-name publisher! There's only a minimum of grammatical errors, and the story-line is awesome! What's the problem?!?!?!?

Getting ready to start #3: Hyena Moon.

Can't wait to see how the author can pull THIS one off! Everyone HATES the Hyena's!

:)

[Maghon Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man, let me tell you how much I love this series! I read all four books in three days, which still include a full time 10.5 hour work day, and normal house chore, and building a house! This series has got me completely wrapped around its little finger! And book one starts the awesome journey continuing right into book two. Each book gets better and better.

If I have to chose, I will say the most main characters are Kess, Laila, and a bad guy! No spoilers remember :) there are still all my favorite characters- minus Burke- which include Finn, Cormac, Rafe, and Mebis, along with some new characters. And this series needs to continue! I will say I’m surprised, because usually characters are pretty set, but these characters are still growing and developing and even surprising me with their choices. I love when that happens! It’s pretty cool to me. I LOVE this whole series!! ;) Let's hope they keep coming!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Not quite as much as the first but I completely understand the reason behind this one being a little slower. We're being set up for a war of sorts and this book introduces us to several of the players. I liked getting to know Laila and thought she was a great addition to the story. She's honest and loyal and I liked that about her. I was glad that Kess was also a strong returning character. Given her past it would have been easy for her to shy away from the dealings in Miami but she didn't and I loved how she stood up to Samara. I'm really excited that the next book is about Rafe. All through this book I was hoping he'd be the next character. I do hope he has redeeming qualities unlike his pathetic mother!! It'll be interesting to see how things play out with Finn and Laila too! Anyhow, this was a great book and I can't wait for the next!

[Niala · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first book and really liking Kess, I would have liked to read more about her and not Liala. However, after the first couple of chapters my interest in Liala grew. In the end I liked her character. She was witty,brave and strong.

It was very interesting to read about Finn. In book 1 he was portrayed as a playboy and really didnt get around much to developing him. In this book, we get a glimpse at his psyche. We find out he is much much more than a hot body. The pairing of him and Liala was very clever.

Rafe! What is up with him? Is he going to fight for or against the mother that fed him to the leopards?

I cant wait to see what happens next!!!!

Happy Reading =)

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackal Moon is the second book in the Moon series. I gave this book 4 stars.

At first, I had a difficult time getting into the story. I had grown so attached to Kess in the first book and was a bit thrown by Laila. She is a much more in your face, I don't take anyone's crap kind of character. This took me a few chapters to adjust to. Once I really listened to her perspective and add in jokester Finn, I couldn't wait to read on. Their blossoming relationship and the challenges Kess faced as the pack leader for the were leopards, made for a great continuation of the series. I would definitely recommend this book and I plan to read the next book, Hyena Moon!

[Tatiana Chavez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book, completely different from the first but still connected, things only get interesting in this book!! I enjoyed it none the less but I am giving it 4 stars just because I expected more of the love story to continue!! I still think is a must read and definitely can't wait to start reading the 3rd book in hopes that Kess can finally return to what she now calls "home"
I wish I could give more out but I hate spoilers, one thing for sure is that these books are really easy readings and love the way the story is told by a third person with the casual conversations of the characters!!
I really enjoyed it and I definitely recommend this book if not the whole serie!

[Ashley Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first part of this series which prompted me to seek out the next book. I did see some reviews that made me hesitate but I am glad I went ahead with reading Jackal Moon. I think I liked this one even better than the first. The introduction of Mebis and Laila was interesting enough to keep my attention. Seeing Kess' character change and grow was enjoyable as well. Of course I spent half the book disliking Laila but strangely caring enough about her to WANT her to change her attitude and ways of thinking to be the awesome girl she is underneath it all. Very good read, engaging story and it made me want to continue with this series.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great continuation of the story from Leopard Moon, though honestly, I really did not care for Laila as a main character. With her personality, her ego, I found myself becoming impatient with her parts of the story, not caring what she thought, what she felt. Her parts were very tedious, I felt. While reading, I just wanted her narrations to be over with and get on to Finn's or Samara's parts even. Still overall, great story, great action scenes. I can't wait till I can get a copy of the next book in the series.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book and the story but Laila just annoyed the crap out of me. I just wanted to scream at her. She was so quick to judge and she didn't understand that you shouldn't hate someone when you are ignorant of their situation. And why does she still hate Kess? I understand the whole respect thing but all the problems that she listed as to why she was so disgusted by the wereleopard were answered. Other than Laila's personality I really liked the book and I loved how Finn was able to prove himself and change into the man that he finally realized he wanted to be.

[Brit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackal Moon picks up after the end of Leopard Moon. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Leopard Moon but I still think it was a nice addition to the series. Samara was every bit as disturbing as Sek was in the first book; although, her chapters seemed a bit repetitive. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of her so hopefully her character will develop more in Hyena Moon. I absolutely love Finn. I wasn't rooting for Finn & Laila the same way I was for Cormac & Kess, but I still enjoyed their bit of romance. Overall a fun, easy read. I’m looking forward to the next one.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concept, and I didn't even mind that we switched off to an alternative protagonist(s) for this book 2. I was interested in all the characters and the plot really picked up and left me wanting more in the series. I was definitely concerned that Finn would have no depth, and I do think we owe him a little more attention than he got here, but I ended up caring a lot more about his character than I might have predicted.
SO happy to see some good writing in this genre. I may have had to kiss a lot of frogs, but I found a gem of a series here.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good solid number 2 book.
*LOVED* Laila and enjoyed getting to "know" Finn a bit more. Mebis was intriguing.
Kess and Cormac return and remain part of the story, but I enjoyed the other facets of weres more.
I'm definitely seeing the setup for something big... #3 Hyena Moon!


Author has a fantastic character building quaility. The characters are all strong, yet fallible and believable.
5 stars

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought Jackal Moon after reading the first book in the series under the ARR program. I really enjoyed this story. Laila is a great character and I think Finn is a perfect love interest for her. This book sets up the next part in the series and I disagree with all of the negative reviews. it is a well written, interesting and engaging story. I look eagerly to the next installment.