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Moon Shadows
Not every werewolf is leader of the pack. Theo Dimitriadis, games tester by profession and werewolf by nature, has built himself a quiet life. But he puts himself into the public spotlight after he pulls Anastasia Shevchenko out of a river. This brings him to the attention of Max, Anastasia's brother. Max is a dog trainer who, like Theo, has a family secret. He's a medium, able to communicate with ghosts and spirits.
When life-draining shadow spirits appear in Fort Rivers, Theo and Max take action together. Max starts wanting the gorgeous man he sees hidden behind Theo's shyness. The more Theo retreats from his attention, the more Max goes on the chase. Theo loves to submit but fears that he'll give up too much control to Max. They struggle to understand each other even as they zero in on the shadow spirits. But before they can reconcile their differences, an even darker threat comes along, intent on harming more than their relationship. If Theo and Max want to be together, first they have to get through this supernatural battle intact!
When life-draining shadow spirits appear in Fort Rivers, Theo and Max take action together. Max starts wanting the gorgeous man he sees hidden behind Theo's shyness. The more Theo retreats from his attention, the more Max goes on the chase. Theo loves to submit but fears that he'll give up too much control to Max. They struggle to understand each other even as they zero in on the shadow spirits. But before they can reconcile their differences, an even darker threat comes along, intent on harming more than their relationship. If Theo and Max want to be together, first they have to get through this supernatural battle intact!
276 pages, ebook
First published August 21, 2012
5 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Neena Jaydon
9 books37 followersNeena Jaydon teaches writing and Japanese, edits and tutors, and writes LGBTQIA2S romantic SF/F fiction. Her attempts to write are often limited by a house full of outrageously cute rabbits, an internet full of intriguing stuff, and an ongoing attempt to learn to roller skate.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 22, 2012
This new m/m paranormal romance is from the same author who wrote the excellent scifi romance Storms and Stars. This tale is more of a werewolf thriller. The book opens with Theo performing an almost impossible rescue of a young woman trapped in a submerged car. We realize very quickly that he is different, shy, geeky, and a werewolf. He falls very quickly for Max, the brother of the rescued woman.
Max is on the surface a successful, confident gay man. Underneath though, he is also hiding a family secret. Like his mother and sister, he is a strong medium who can communicate with spirits. There is a growing menace in the woods around their town. People are being attacked and left for dead and it's clear that it has something to do with malevolent spirits.
There's a real twist in the dynamic between shifter and human in this tale. Despite his innate power Theo is submissive and this leads to some very hot (occasionally verging on puppy play) encounters between Max and Theo as they stumble upon their kinks and start to explore them, at first awkwardly, but then with more fervour. They are both quite complex people. Max seems almost cruelly confident at first, disdainful of Theo's timidity and geeky ways, and too sure of his own appeal. He's not interested in anything serious and as the reader I was quite anxious for poor Theo, who was wearing his heart on his sleeve in a very endearing way.
The plot is tense and a little scary as the unpredictable shadow spirits do their best to destroy our MC's and their families. I liked the evolution of Max's character as he had to face his childhood fears and become the hero. I loved Theo! There are plenty of secondary characters. Both Theo and Max's relatives and friends have significant parts to play in the action. At 276 pages this is a fabulously long story and I was captivated all the way through. Great read!
Max is on the surface a successful, confident gay man. Underneath though, he is also hiding a family secret. Like his mother and sister, he is a strong medium who can communicate with spirits. There is a growing menace in the woods around their town. People are being attacked and left for dead and it's clear that it has something to do with malevolent spirits.
There's a real twist in the dynamic between shifter and human in this tale. Despite his innate power Theo is submissive and this leads to some very hot (occasionally verging on puppy play) encounters between Max and Theo as they stumble upon their kinks and start to explore them, at first awkwardly, but then with more fervour. They are both quite complex people. Max seems almost cruelly confident at first, disdainful of Theo's timidity and geeky ways, and too sure of his own appeal. He's not interested in anything serious and as the reader I was quite anxious for poor Theo, who was wearing his heart on his sleeve in a very endearing way.
The plot is tense and a little scary as the unpredictable shadow spirits do their best to destroy our MC's and their families. I liked the evolution of Max's character as he had to face his childhood fears and become the hero. I loved Theo! There are plenty of secondary characters. Both Theo and Max's relatives and friends have significant parts to play in the action. At 276 pages this is a fabulously long story and I was captivated all the way through. Great read!
September 7, 2012
Written for Pants Off Review
I’m a sucker for a well-written werewolf story and Moon Shadows did make me loose some pants!
It’s the ghost part that wasn’t all to my taste. Let me tell you why:
I missed the background about the ghosts, mediums, and why these shadows tried to cross into the world of the living. Also, about how spirits can possess humans. While I had some information about Theo and his werewolf family, the medium part was not really explained all that well.
After saving a woman, Theo becomes the hero of the small town where he lives, he gets noticed, something he has avoided so far, because of the secret he has to hide. Theo is a computer geek, he plays games for a living and is very shy, and he is a werewolf. This is supposed to be a secret but strangely enough, he didn’t have a problem admitting this to Max, the brother of the woman he saves. I overlooked this because I really liked Theo. He was strong, protective, but shy and sweet when it came to Max, though I liked it that he made Max chase him and did actually say no to him a few times.
Max is not a character that was easy to like, he was sure he didn’t want a relationship and was sometimes hot and cold to Theo. Theo fell pretty fast but I enjoyed reading how possessive Max felt towards him with time, and fell for him along the way. Mostly I liked reading about Max and Theo and the ghost were secondary. I still don’t know what the shadows wanted and what the role was, besides bringing the protagonists closer to each other.
There was one scene that led me to put away the book, after I stared at my ereader for a few seconds, and later checked that Theo was still a guy and not wolf but no he was and so I gave up on reading the book for a while. Imagine you read a sex scene and Max is treating Theo like a dog with commands like fetch and Theo doing that! So that was strange and not my cuppa, at all. I’m glad I went back to read it, because it got better and I ended up liking the book a lot. Max for all his bravado did turn out to be a caring partner, installing a full moon app so he remembered Theo’s shift and staying with him on the nights, was really sweet on his part.
The werewolves were quite interesting and there was something new added to the whole transformation issue, like the light and how they can change back in the nights of the full moon. I think the paranormal aspect could have been explained more at the end it felt a bit too easy how they managed to defeat the shadows. I still don’t know what or who those were and it’s one of those open questions that bothered me, but I liked the Theo and Max enough to let it go and just go with flow.
I’m a sucker for a well-written werewolf story and Moon Shadows did make me loose some pants!
It’s the ghost part that wasn’t all to my taste. Let me tell you why:
I missed the background about the ghosts, mediums, and why these shadows tried to cross into the world of the living. Also, about how spirits can possess humans. While I had some information about Theo and his werewolf family, the medium part was not really explained all that well.
After saving a woman, Theo becomes the hero of the small town where he lives, he gets noticed, something he has avoided so far, because of the secret he has to hide. Theo is a computer geek, he plays games for a living and is very shy, and he is a werewolf. This is supposed to be a secret but strangely enough, he didn’t have a problem admitting this to Max, the brother of the woman he saves. I overlooked this because I really liked Theo. He was strong, protective, but shy and sweet when it came to Max, though I liked it that he made Max chase him and did actually say no to him a few times.
Max is not a character that was easy to like, he was sure he didn’t want a relationship and was sometimes hot and cold to Theo. Theo fell pretty fast but I enjoyed reading how possessive Max felt towards him with time, and fell for him along the way. Mostly I liked reading about Max and Theo and the ghost were secondary. I still don’t know what the shadows wanted and what the role was, besides bringing the protagonists closer to each other.
There was one scene that led me to put away the book, after I stared at my ereader for a few seconds, and later checked that Theo was still a guy and not wolf but no he was and so I gave up on reading the book for a while. Imagine you read a sex scene and Max is treating Theo like a dog with commands like fetch and Theo doing that! So that was strange and not my cuppa, at all. I’m glad I went back to read it, because it got better and I ended up liking the book a lot. Max for all his bravado did turn out to be a caring partner, installing a full moon app so he remembered Theo’s shift and staying with him on the nights, was really sweet on his part.
The werewolves were quite interesting and there was something new added to the whole transformation issue, like the light and how they can change back in the nights of the full moon. I think the paranormal aspect could have been explained more at the end it felt a bit too easy how they managed to defeat the shadows. I still don’t know what or who those were and it’s one of those open questions that bothered me, but I liked the Theo and Max enough to let it go and just go with flow.
August 27, 2012
This is a, really, weird written story. Actually I don't really understand the main plotted storyline surrounding the shadow spirits. What was their purpose? I don't know....
Anyway I didn't like this heavy atmosphere between Max & Theo, too. Each one had his own problem, before they could find a compromise and become a couple. Their path was to bitch for me. They could at least talk it out. Max is really unpleasant character, I really didn't like him.
Anyway I didn't like this heavy atmosphere between Max & Theo, too. Each one had his own problem, before they could find a compromise and become a couple. Their path was to bitch for me. They could at least talk it out. Max is really unpleasant character, I really didn't like him.
December 7, 2012
Theo is a werewolf and Max sees dead people. They both know what it's like to be weird and different, but while Max has channeled that by becoming outwardly cool and confident, Theo is shy, geeky and insecure. Nevertheless the two find that they share a passionate attraction towards one another.
In the meantime, there's a secondary story of menacing spirits involving members of Max & Theo's families and we get a mix of interesting characters involved.
I like the mix of the story and the romance although I had a difficult time warming up to Max. He seemed a bit too controlling in his efforts to makeover Theo which in real life would be a red flag. But in the fantasy of the book it all somehow works out and we're given some explanation behind Max's attitude and behavior. As usual it's not enough for me as sex often takes the place of conversations in these kinds of books.
I should add the sex is of the dominant submissive variety with a little puppy style play in one instance. It's not my favorite but it's done well enough. It's only a little uncomfortable because sometimes it seems Theo is into it but when it's over he becomes ambivalent making it seem Max is taking advantage of him in some way. The feeling you get is that they have a difficult relationship with lots of issues to work through which they appear to do by end.
This was nice change of pace from your typical shifter m/m book. The relationship storyline is much stronger than the mystery which can be summed up with maniacal spirits attack. Nevertheless, I recommend this one.
In the meantime, there's a secondary story of menacing spirits involving members of Max & Theo's families and we get a mix of interesting characters involved.
I like the mix of the story and the romance although I had a difficult time warming up to Max. He seemed a bit too controlling in his efforts to makeover Theo which in real life would be a red flag. But in the fantasy of the book it all somehow works out and we're given some explanation behind Max's attitude and behavior. As usual it's not enough for me as sex often takes the place of conversations in these kinds of books.
I should add the sex is of the dominant submissive variety with a little puppy style play in one instance. It's not my favorite but it's done well enough. It's only a little uncomfortable because sometimes it seems Theo is into it but when it's over he becomes ambivalent making it seem Max is taking advantage of him in some way. The feeling you get is that they have a difficult relationship with lots of issues to work through which they appear to do by end.
This was nice change of pace from your typical shifter m/m book. The relationship storyline is much stronger than the mystery which can be summed up with maniacal spirits attack. Nevertheless, I recommend this one.
August 1, 2015
A thoroughly different take on the whole werewolf thing, and a good one, too!
dnf
March 17, 2017DNF at 51% because I couldn't stand that asshole Max, the dubious D/s relationship Theo and Max had, and the fact that werewolf Theo wasn't an alpha. Sorry, but I like my MC as an alpha male, moreover when he's a werewolf.
October 18, 2012
Interesting storyline, but I felt the mystery could have been handled better
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 6/10
PROS:
- There’s an interesting supernatural/paranormal/fantasy element in addition to the werewolf plot element. (see cons below also)
- I like that Theo still has some canine features even when he’s in human form. We get to see quite a few little insights into his awkwardness and disconnectedness from the human world. There’s one point, for example, when Theo “walked at the back of the pack [of people] so he could measure if he was walking too quickly.”
- There’s not a lot of outright humor in the book, but I found the whole situation rather amusing at times, if only because it’s preposterous if you think about it logically. Yet the characters just go about living their lives, accepting the reality of the environment in which they live. This is one of my favorite lines: “Fortunately he wasn’t afraid of the dark. With a very few notable exceptions, the things that went bump in the night just wanted to chat.”
- The writing is…strange. But not in a bad way. There are unusual metaphors throughout that made me pause and think, “now that’s an interesting way of putting it.” Here are some examples: “The living room wasn’t exactly out of control but clearly fought the reins”; “This brought not only cool air into his lungs, but a whole symphony of scents as well, set to the key of ‘kennel’.”
CONS:
- The plot is intriguing, but it’s not as deep as it could have been. Little hints about the mystery keep coming up, but they’re essentially the same little hints that we’ve gotten before: it’s not like the puzzle comes together piece by piece and we get to put it together ourselves. Early on, we find out something weird is going on, but then we don’t get much more than “the weirdness is continuing…” until the end, when the whole explanation comes tumbling out all at once.
- The use of sex (rather than talking) as a solution to every misunderstanding irritates me.
- It felt to me as though Max was simply playing with Theo much of the time, even after Max realizes that Theo is more invested in the relationship than he is. And the men’s emotional reactions to each other--anger, confusion, hurt--confused me because I didn’t often understand where those emotions had come from. It would seem as though things were fine, and then in the next sentence one of the men would be upset about something and they’d be arguing.
Overall comments: The action starts on page 1 and continues full throttle throughout the rest of the book. It does have a few slow moments, but they don’t last long. Overall, I appreciated the non-stop pace of the story, although everything seems to happen just a bit too quickly: conversations are brief, scenes are clipped, etc. I didn’t love the characters here, but if you’re looking for an intriguing paranormal story, especially one with quite a bit of sex, this might be a good one for you.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 6/10
PROS:
- There’s an interesting supernatural/paranormal/fantasy element in addition to the werewolf plot element. (see cons below also)
- I like that Theo still has some canine features even when he’s in human form. We get to see quite a few little insights into his awkwardness and disconnectedness from the human world. There’s one point, for example, when Theo “walked at the back of the pack [of people] so he could measure if he was walking too quickly.”
- There’s not a lot of outright humor in the book, but I found the whole situation rather amusing at times, if only because it’s preposterous if you think about it logically. Yet the characters just go about living their lives, accepting the reality of the environment in which they live. This is one of my favorite lines: “Fortunately he wasn’t afraid of the dark. With a very few notable exceptions, the things that went bump in the night just wanted to chat.”
- The writing is…strange. But not in a bad way. There are unusual metaphors throughout that made me pause and think, “now that’s an interesting way of putting it.” Here are some examples: “The living room wasn’t exactly out of control but clearly fought the reins”; “This brought not only cool air into his lungs, but a whole symphony of scents as well, set to the key of ‘kennel’.”
CONS:
- The plot is intriguing, but it’s not as deep as it could have been. Little hints about the mystery keep coming up, but they’re essentially the same little hints that we’ve gotten before: it’s not like the puzzle comes together piece by piece and we get to put it together ourselves. Early on, we find out something weird is going on, but then we don’t get much more than “the weirdness is continuing…” until the end, when the whole explanation comes tumbling out all at once.
- The use of sex (rather than talking) as a solution to every misunderstanding irritates me.
- It felt to me as though Max was simply playing with Theo much of the time, even after Max realizes that Theo is more invested in the relationship than he is. And the men’s emotional reactions to each other--anger, confusion, hurt--confused me because I didn’t often understand where those emotions had come from. It would seem as though things were fine, and then in the next sentence one of the men would be upset about something and they’d be arguing.
Overall comments: The action starts on page 1 and continues full throttle throughout the rest of the book. It does have a few slow moments, but they don’t last long. Overall, I appreciated the non-stop pace of the story, although everything seems to happen just a bit too quickly: conversations are brief, scenes are clipped, etc. I didn’t love the characters here, but if you’re looking for an intriguing paranormal story, especially one with quite a bit of sex, this might be a good one for you.
April 29, 2014
I read also other books of this author,but this one wasn't so good.
The plot is about,a modern setting,a dog trainer name Max who mets the man who saves his sister from a car accident.From there they start seeing each other,also if on start just for friendship,or so they think.
Theo is a werewolf,shy and submissive,and is his character that annoys me.He does all they say and never complains and also when he has sex he never does something,but waits Max to make a move or touch him.The strange thing,i could understand this if Theo was a virgin and that was the first time with Max,but they both had other relationships,so i dont understand,really.
When they start going out,Max discovers his secret and at the same time Theo,will find out that Max is a medium.There're shadows in the town that are trying to possess the mediums,but also if you read the book till the end nothing about this will be explained...bah....
When Max starts to see how Theo is when confortable,with his friends for example,he thinks that if the werewolf was always like that he would never be single,and after thinks about how he doesnt like the other people staring ad him,and is a bit jealous.
Another thing that i really didnt like,was when Theo's cousin,arrives in town and tells Max he was the first for Theo. WHAT THE ACTUAL F....????? and his fiancee was also there and hears,what the hell?...the only good part of this scene is Theon claiming Max saying "He is also mine",and after (later)they have sex also Max saying "It's because you're mine,Theo.Mine!",for the rest....
The first to say "i love you" is Theo(never thought it -_-),and only in the end(relly and like last page)u see Max saying the same,also if he doesnt want to be without Theo or never being able to see him again.Max sometimes is a bit of an idiot.
In the end of the book finally,Max says to Theo that before he never wanted to keep someone but now he wants and then "I think you're it for me,Theo." And he also imagines one day marring the werewolf.
I read all the book because i wanted to see an explanation for the shadows but there was none.Theo and Max could be better chars and really for a werewolf Theo was too submissive in a way that annoyed me a lot.
Too many things i didnt like in this book,but for the creativity of the author,and some good scene btw Max and Theo,i don't give 2 starts but 3.
The plot is about,a modern setting,a dog trainer name Max who mets the man who saves his sister from a car accident.From there they start seeing each other,also if on start just for friendship,or so they think.
Theo is a werewolf,shy and submissive,and is his character that annoys me.He does all they say and never complains and also when he has sex he never does something,but waits Max to make a move or touch him.The strange thing,i could understand this if Theo was a virgin and that was the first time with Max,but they both had other relationships,so i dont understand,really.
When they start going out,Max discovers his secret and at the same time Theo,will find out that Max is a medium.There're shadows in the town that are trying to possess the mediums,but also if you read the book till the end nothing about this will be explained...bah....
When Max starts to see how Theo is when confortable,with his friends for example,he thinks that if the werewolf was always like that he would never be single,and after thinks about how he doesnt like the other people staring ad him,and is a bit jealous.
Another thing that i really didnt like,was when Theo's cousin,arrives in town and tells Max he was the first for Theo. WHAT THE ACTUAL F....????? and his fiancee was also there and hears,what the hell?...the only good part of this scene is Theon claiming Max saying "He is also mine",and after (later)they have sex also Max saying "It's because you're mine,Theo.Mine!",for the rest....
The first to say "i love you" is Theo(never thought it -_-),and only in the end(relly and like last page)u see Max saying the same,also if he doesnt want to be without Theo or never being able to see him again.Max sometimes is a bit of an idiot.
In the end of the book finally,Max says to Theo that before he never wanted to keep someone but now he wants and then "I think you're it for me,Theo." And he also imagines one day marring the werewolf.
I read all the book because i wanted to see an explanation for the shadows but there was none.Theo and Max could be better chars and really for a werewolf Theo was too submissive in a way that annoyed me a lot.
Too many things i didnt like in this book,but for the creativity of the author,and some good scene btw Max and Theo,i don't give 2 starts but 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2012
4.5 stars. I loved this. Took me awhile to warm up to Max, but I ended up loving him and Theo together. And Theo is just freakin adorable! Great, spooky plot, but not too sure what the purpose of the shadows. They were sinister, but we never knew exactly why they were here.
Other than that, awesome m/m werewolf/ghost story. Recommended!
Other than that, awesome m/m werewolf/ghost story. Recommended!
August 27, 2012
From the review that story sounded really interesting but when I started to read I did not like it. Both main characters Max and Theo are unattractive and how they come together and there first sex together is like - ugly. Witting style is weak.
May 3, 2013
Cute read, with solid and diverse characters. Loved the werewolf writing, which was unique and fun. Most of all, in the midst of the romance, this author wrote some creepy dark ghost kind of stuff that was AWESOME!
February 19, 2015
Elements of Max's emotional abuse towards Theo disturbed me (frequent invalidation, blame, seeking to change him as a person etc.) but it was addressed in the book, just not satisfactorily for me personally. Otherwise, very much enjoyed it, good chemistry between the main pair.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews