Seasons of the Moon Boxed Set

Seasons of the Moon #1-4

by S.M. Reine

This is a bundle of the first four books in the Seasons of the Moon series, the bestselling YA paranormal books! This collection contains:
Six Moon Summer
All Hallows' Moon
Long Night Moon
Gray Moon Rising

When Rylie went to summer camp, she didn't expect to get bitten by a werewolf and turn into a monster. She also didn't expect to fall in love--especially not with a werewolf hunter.

Between ravenous werewolf packs, a bloodthirsty family of hunters, and Rylie's battle with her inner wolf, all the odds are stacked against Rylie's love for Seth. But Seth will do anything to be with her... even if it means turning against his family and sacrificing everything.

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

649 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2013

About the author

Hi everyone! My name is Sara, and I write urban fantasy and paranormal novels as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). It's a good day when those three things have nothing to do with each other.

If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil

Reviews

[Sarah K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got these books as a free Kindle download from Amazon. I'm not sure if I would have picked up the first one if this wasn't the case, and I definitely would not have bought the second one.

The main character, Riley, was by far one of the worst characters I have ever read. She was whiny and self-centered and completely obnoxious. When she starts summer camp, she is standoffish and rude and then gets hurt that no one wants to be her friend. She is constantly acting the victim at her new school. Whenever another student tries to do something nice/work on a project/talk to her she goes off on a rampage about how everyone is always so mean to her and people suck and she always has to do everything herself. It made no sense. When she visits a deceased neighbor's family with her aunt, she gets upset that the boy - whose father was just killed - didn't smile back at her. She is also shocked at school when people are talking about the neighbor's death instead of about her because she was supposed to be some sort of "celebrity" to her fellow classmates. *gag* She spends most of the first book looking down on the girls from rich families who clearly drip money and then gets upset in a later book when she has to wear non-designer clothes. But somehow, despite her bad attitude and unending string of woe-is-me comments, we are constantly told and supposed to believe that she is the greatest gift to the world. At the end of the first book, Riley makes a comment about how she used to be whiny before becoming a werewolf and how much she had changed since then and I literally laughed out loud because she becomes a werewolf really early on. I cringe to think of how much whinier she was before that.

Riley, and really the text in general, is also extremely sexist. Riley makes comments several times over the course of the four books about how she doesn't befriend girls because they are "catty" and she likes to "avoid girl drama." *rolls eyes* It's the classic "I'm not like other girls, look how cool I am" syndrome. But then she spends most of her time thinking about how stupid and boring her boy friends are and I really had to wonder why anyone would even bother being her friend. The female characters that were actually portrayed in a positive light were few and far between. There was, somehow, Riley who wasn't like other girls, Aunt Gwynn who was a rancher and lesbian so that somehow made her immune to the awfulness that is inherent in females, and Louise, a camp counselor who, despite having to put up with Riley's incessant brattiness, could see what a great person Riley was and how much better she was than everyone else. We are shown Riley's mom trying to make a connection to her ungrateful daughter and told that she is basically the parent from hell. We are shown girls at school trying to make an effort to welcome a new student and are told how petty and mean they are. Seth and Abel's mom is a complete nightmare. I really hope, for her sake, that the author is not so misogynistic in real life.

Despite that, though, I found myself going back to the books until I finished the series. And though I can tell you for a fact that I would not have bought the second one if it had not come as part of the free bundle, after reading all four I'm tempted to get the follow-up series. I'm still not sure of this is because they got better or if it's the binge-watching-bad-reality-tv-until-you're-invested phenomenon at work again.

The writing wasn't great or awful. Another round of editing would have really helped it, but it wasn't bad without it. The secondary characters were more likable than Riley, though I felt like all characters could have been developed more. The final book had a bit of a Twilight's Breaking Dawn feel to it with werewolves from all around the world meeting up for an anti-climactic, almost peacefully resolved "epic standoff" with their worst enemies. The books were pretty quick reads, and the story was interesting even if it was predictable at parts.

[Coco.V]

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[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

All in all the series felt like a draft that needed to be revised and areas cleaned and expanded on. Some of the ideas concerning myth were interesting, especially how the werewolf origin story was a mixture of what is traditionally thought, and something different. That was one of the few things that kept me reading. Having said that I do have several problems it. Gray mountain was so important, but fell flat for me. It was just another mountain that happened to have an interesting rock formation at the top. It just seems like it would have character of its own. It also felt like a cop out when the author didn't put anything in for Native Americans, not that I can exactly blame her. A lot of authors do that because its a kettle of worms not many want to mess with. It just annoyed me. If a place was really that important to animal spirit or gods (which is another confusing part of the world that was never fully explained I can understand some vagueness but it was a bit too vague). There would have had stories about it predating white settlers or even trappers, even if it was just a made up place. Places like that are powerful and it would have been noticed, even if say it was set in Ireland or Japan it would still have some sort of history with the local people predating what ever you consider modern. Especially since the origin seemed so important throughout the books. And why were people even settling that area in the first place? Usually places were settled because of the natural resources around them like gold or timber, and I really don't think the animal spirits would have taken kindly to that.

The characters were okay, but very flat, nearly paper thin. Riley was aggravating in a why are you being so stupid sort of way. By the last book I was like oh she just fell of a cliff. Oh well moving on. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, and none of them seem to change. Well other then getting serious anger management issues, and more annoying. Seth was the only character I managed to like, and it annoyed me when he was never expounded on. If his life was so bad and Riley's comparatively good then it should have created more conflict in their relationship, but there was nothing. The only thing ever fought over was her with Abel. Another thing kopis might mean something to someone, but in the context of the story it was never explained, not in a way that made sense other then super warrior who really isn't all that super after all. If Seth and others like him can feel werewolves how did that come about? Abel... Abel just was. Half the things he did just seemed... off. He was a hunter for a very long time, and Seth even mentioned how he was like their zealous mother then he was okay with being a werewolf which doesn't make any sense. It would have made more sense if there was more background information on them as a family or a little information about how and why he changed his mind set. Nothing just suddenly becomes okay when its been ingrained in you from the moment you are born. All the characters suffer from the same problem, not enough important information, not even in a round about way. Abel may have not always been like his mother, but if that was so it was never shown or told. Another thing if the werewolves were so connected to the hunters wouldn't there be more of a connection between the two other then Seth's Dad's book and the book of myths?

Setting was confusing. There were three different major settings and none of them were explained properly. Like where is the camp? Why would witches live in California and what part of California? What state is the ranch in? There were places I recognized mentioned (and was a little excited about seeing) such as Boise, but there weren't enough details about the setting to make a guess to where everything was happening except that it was in the West, mountains are important (with the amount of mountain ranges in the West its a little difficult to know where) and there was ranches. Cattle ranching is major in most of the inland west, including Idaho, parts of Oregon, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, etc. None of this was really major even if it was vaguely confusing, until the last book when they were traveling. When the setting was just the summer camp or just the ranch it really didn't matter, but when they were traveling it got very messy and confusing very quickly. All I got was they were going West to East, to a mountain, and had to go east of Idaho (For eastern Idaho? maybe Montana? Somewhere in the Rockies? Sneak across the border to Canada?).

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good series for a YA age group. We meet Rylie who is upset with her parents divorcing and is really showing she is young and somewhat entitled and no I am not her biggest fan from the start. Things change for her and we go thru her growth into the position at the end of the series. Now the series itself is filled with action and loads of chaos and mayhem. The story does shift from Rylie being in control and then out of control for various reasons and yes sometimes it is hard for these over used brain cells to follow at times but it really is a good read with a lot going on. I do however think this is better appreciated for the age group it is meant to reach and those that are young at heart enough to appreciate it.

This is my first read by this author and I am happy to say that since I have acquired more of them I am glad she has style. I can't wait to see more of Rylie and the pack and more from this author.

[Natasha Banton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I thought that these four books were fantastic. I would love to read the others that are out. I have to read and review them. I've read about what they're about and I'm interested in reading them. This is one book series is a must read series and you'll be hooked on them from the first book like I was. I'll review the other's when I can when I've read some other books and reviewed them, I've got quite a lot I haven't read yet.
Just read, love and enjoy the books. Plenty of twists and turns to expect.

[Michelle Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my usual read. I was hooked on this book. A couple of times it was a little gory to a wimp like me, but it was well within the context of the story & didn't put me off continuing. I was desperate to get to the end & see what happened to everyone but also I actually didn't want this book to end. In fact I was pretty gutted when I reached the end. I see there is a kind of "follow-up" which I will probably purchase. I do hope the author will write further books to accompany these.

[lourdes loera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!!!

I give it 5 stars because I really enjoyed this story. It was a good book to sit and read on a cloudy day and let your mind wander. I loved Riley's story and I'm glad it had a happy ending. I'm glad it didn't and on a cliffhanger because I hate those. I loved reading it and am happy how it ended. I recommend this book, you won't regret reading it ☺

[A Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out as a good concept but over time I felt the character development just wasn't there. The main character, Rylie, became more childish. This made me lose interest but I look forward to checking out other books by this author.

[Gina Stanish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seasons of the Moon is a paranormal romance series written by urban fantasy writer SM Reine. Published in 2011 and consisting of four books it tells the story of Rylie Gresham; a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside down in more ways then one. Her battles will bring you into a world where the relationship between human and animal is put to the ultimate test.

“You’re such a freak” was all Rylie heard from the moment she stepped foot into summer camp. To make matters worse her parents were going through a divorce and this was not how she envisioned spending her summer. When she finds her roommates going through her things, reading her private journal aloud and making a mockery of her situation it becomes the last straw for Rylie. She quickly grabs all of her things and runs into the dark forest with every intention of escaping. But her journey ends with dire consequences; she’s bitten by a werewolf.

The aftermath of the attack leaves Rylie with gold eyes, a silver scar on her chest, a craving for raw meat and a budding friendship with Seth – a camper from across the lake whom Rylie had met earlier in the summer. Aside from sneaking over just to spend some quality time with her he also knows a lot more than he’s saying. Because he’s the only one she can talk to, the only one who understands her and the only one who doesn’t see her as a freak Rylie trusts him completely. When the truth is exposed Seth and Rylie must work together to find a cure before the rise of the sixth full moon because with every symptom and every transformation it brings her one step closer to becoming a full blooded werewolf forever.

But as the summer comes to an end and with the solution in the palm of her hand Rylie is forced to make a decision that she hoped she’d never have to make. The choice, however, will not be an easy one and she’ll have to learn how to live with the consequences. One of them being that she’ll no longer be able to live in the city.

Leaving everything that she loves behind, Rylie goes to live at the only place where she has left to go; her Aunt Gwyn’s ranch. Being invisible and ignored is how she hoped to start over but her heightened senses, uncontrollable anger and thirst for blood will threaten her very existence. A family of hunters – Eleanor, Abel and Seth – are on her trail and the new moon is only a few days away. Realizing that it’s Rylie they’re hunting Seth immediately sets out to protect her. After what went down at camp he owed her everything.

Shocked to find out that it’s his family who’s hunting her, Rylie is hesitant to let him anywhere near the situation. Even though she still has feelings for him she’s still not quite sure whose side he’s really on. Making it clear that he ‘only wants to help’ Rylie finally agrees to let him. But their plan backfires and sends them straight into the evil clutches of Seth’s sadistic mother. Torn between duty to his family and the love that he has for Rylie, Seth struggles to do the right thing. Even though he’s able to their worries are far from over.

Winter at the Gresham ranch brings with it yet another threat. Someone or something is encroaching on their territory and killing innocent people. Not only that there’s two new kids at school named Bekah and Levi. Gold eyes, a foul odor and the power to transform into a werewolf at will they become number one on Rylie’s suspect list. With Abel – Seth’s brother – back in the game it’s only a matter of time before they all figure out what’s really going on. The answer is out there and the awful truth will lead to a bitter sweet goodbye, a poisonous heart break and a near fatal tragedy that will tear them all apart.

One year later Rylie and the others find themselves back at Gray Mountain. The home of Camp Silver Brook. The place where it all began. Visions of the forest hills are calling the werewolves home. The convergence has begun. Unable to resist the pull Bekah disappears to the mountain. Back at the Gresham ranch Eleanor arrives with an offer for Seth; join the union and kill the werewolves once and for all. Knowing it’s the only way to protect Rylie he reluctantly agrees.

A few days later Rylie and Abel arrive at the place that has long since haunted their dreams and are shocked to find that Bekah isn’t there. However, they’re not alone. Other packs from all around the world have gathered there too. Unaware they’re being hunted they take refuge in some nearby caves. But the night falls fast with a surprise attack by the union leaving only a handful of survivors in its wake. Time was running out. An Alpha had to be chosen. But with Eleanor at the helm using her son as bait Rylie is forced to make the ultimate choice; the life of her pack or the life of the man that she loves.

Catered towards young adults this series will take you on a journey of good versus evil right from the very first sentence of chapter one. It has everything from fantasy to romance to adventure to military style action that will keep you on the edge of your seats. At 685 pages it’s a fast paced read that you will not want to put down. Even though it became a little but overly detailed throughout books two and three it was still highly entertaining.

The violence factor is kept to a minimum. The author gives you just enough detail. For example: “Rylie had a bullet in her shoulder.” “Abel had been stabbed.” “Wolves were being killed.” You get the point of what’s happening without it being graphic and gory. There’s a few sexual situations but it’s kept very clean which makes it appropriate for teen readers as well.

The wide array of depth and emotion that is given to every character makes them all relatable to us in some way. Rylie is the shy awkward teen who doesn’t fit in and is tormented by her peers simply for being different. That is every girl’s worst nightmare. Aunt Gwyn is the mother figure and role model that we all look up to and aspire to be like. She’s a strong independent woman who appreciates the little things in life and doesn’t take anything for granted. She loves fiercely and treats everyone around her with the kindness and the respect that they deserve. Then there’s Seth. He’s the man that every mother dreams will one day marry their daughter. He’s kind hearted, highly talented and treats women like a real man should. And Eleanor, well, she’s just the person that everyone loves to hate. Aside from the supernatural aspect, the real life challenges that these characters face will strike a chord within you and give the books more meaning.

For a self published author the editing wasn’t bad. With only a few grammatical errors here and there it was very well written. Reine created a strong series that captured your attention, kept you interested, touched your heart and then brought it to a climactic conclusion that truly did not disappoint.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable...but inconsistencies were distracting

I'm not sure the author realises that marshmallows are NOT vegetarian. They're made from gelatin, which is derived from animal carcasses. Not a big issue, but it was definitely an annoyance when the protagonist is meant to have been vegetarian prior to becoming a werewolf. There was more than one occasion where eating marshmallows was mentioned.

My second niggle, is lack of a proof-read before publishing. There were a few places where the wrong character name was used, for example Audrey - who had just left the scene - was mentioned again as if she were there and doing an action Riley was actually doing. It was confusing and threw me out of being immersed. Additionally there were some missing words and other small errors.

Other than the above, I enjoyed the series and the relationship building between the characters throughout the story.

[Robin Cappello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great young adult set

You think YOU had problems growing up? There's a little bit of everything here. Nasty rich kids, deceptive grownups, loss, violence, new love, war, arts & crafts, some supportive family members & strangers, teen angst up the wazoo, Wicca, and more.
There are definite moral choices given showing the gray areas that can make it hard to figure out the "right" choice in those kinds of situations.
It all helps the 3 focus teens grow as people & grow up a bit as responsible, impending adults. And it shows that "family" doesn't need to be defined by shared blood any more than "parents" need to be the ones who gave birth to you.
All in all, they were a very good read and I'm looking forward to the next books in the series!

[DonnaMoltoBella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to release my bias. I have to admit, I came in a little biased against our protagonista, Rylie, since my first experience with this "Verse" was through the Omega Series with Tombs and Rylie was seen as the cause of so much heartache for many of the non-human population. Yet, Rylie's story over the course of these 4 books have shown me that everyone's origin story is complicated and blame cannot be thrown around carelessly, placed solely on one individual. Rylie's stories set up the beginning of the Verse nicely, and also gets me excited for digging into the other series. I know there is much more to come, as this is merely the beginning.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. This was so so. More like 2 stars but I'm trying to be nice. I did not like the lack of control over the wolf. Let's be real, if someone is slaughtering your neighbors they should be locked up or put down.
It is clean but they do "it" in about the 4th book. No talk of marriage.
There are two LGBTQ characters who's orientations were totally unnecessary to mention. It did not add to the story and makes it feel like throwing that in was just to satisfy a check list for political correctness.
It is a violent book. Lots of blood.
Not a satisfying ending.

[Carol Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this box set as a freebie off amazon , having read & enjoyed S.M Reines books before i was happy to get a freebie & was even happier when i read it . Rylie is a shy teenager that doesn't fit in , sent away to summer camp while her parents divorce that soon becomes the least of her problems . This is a book about hunter & prey , although sometimes who is what can be a bit confused , young love & an internal battle with your inner self who just happens to be a werewolf .

[Angel Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad to see I wasn't the only one unimpressed. I chose this box set because I've read SM Reine before. Typically, she writes well...I don't know what happened here.

The whole set was a mess. Rylie is so unlikable, whiny, with major anger problems, even before she becomes a werewolf. After, it's just compounded. Truly, only Aunt Gwen was likeable in my opinion.

I'm going to be far less inclined to chose an SM Reine book in the future.

[MaryKaye O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally read the second set before this first one. It was still fun though. Maybe even more fun as I knew what was ahead. Admittedly, I probably would have got more out if I had read in correct order. I'm just getting into werewolf folklore & stories and this series is a great introduction to one view of how werewolves came to be. The terror one must feel is very well conveyed. I've been motivated to start reading other series of S.M. Reine.

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly (yet, at this point, unsurprisingly), Reine drew me in and made me think about the Seasons of the Moon series even when I wasn’t reading. Adult me loved the books, and I know eighth grade me would have eaten them up, too. The author beautifully appeals to readers of a wide age range. Another excellent addition to the Descentverse.

Check out the full review at Grab the Lapels.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Start rating

So the author had a few contradictory parts and there where a few grammatical errors, but my 5 star rate is for the story its self. As far as werwolf lore goes, Rylie’s story is pretty unique. The story griped and held me through the whole 4 book series. Though the end was a bit anticlimactic where the gods come in, I still liked the story.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this series it was fairly well written and easy to read. The only thing I didn’t like was the ending of the fourth book. It took the whole book to make the build up and the ending was wrapped up in less than a quarter of a chapter. It was a little disappointing. The other three books are worth the read though.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I literally cannot finish these books. I was going to quit reading them, but came to Goodreads and saw they got good reviews and so attempted again. But truly they are unbearable. They are written from a Viewpoint of a teenage girl and I guess that was done well because I could only abide listening to her whiny self-centeredness for so long and nothing of significance happened.

[Carol George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supernatural adventure with romance and danger in a youth camp wilderness.

Lots of adventure, excitement and young romance in the supernatural world of werewolves and human hunters. Follow the story of Riley an angry teenager sent to dreaded summer camp where an unexpected encounter with a werewolf results in a dramatic life change for Riley.

[Paula Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Very Addictive

I absolutely loved these books. Loved every detail of the story. So addictive that I had a hard time putting it down at night to sleep. Would definitely recommend reading.

[Am Brumpton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seasons of the Moon

Another great box set by SM Reine.
Good character building like the Descent Series.
Well described scenes.
Story flows well and if you think its going to get stale you are wrong, the 'on the edge of your seat must read another chapter' kicks in.

[Heather Morrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet love story!

Loved how Seth turned from a hunter to Rileys protector loved how he would put things on Rileys windowseal so she knew he was there loved how ables character evolved this book really had alot of unsuspected things happen it was a great read

[Dawn Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolves anyone?

I chose 5 stars for this book because it captured my attention from the start.It was hard to put down.I actually loved it.I hope S.M Reines next book is just as captivating as this one.Must read for shifter lovers or werewolves.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit of a different werewolf story.
With some twistsort and dark parts in it.

I had to read further because I wanted to know how it ended.
It wasn't an easy road all the time reading this

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome series!

Very well written. I fell in love with the book and the series from the first page that I read. It's one I couldn't put down. I can't wait to continue the journey in the next series.

[Gwynneth Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

And the best part, this isn't one book, it's four! Reine is a great author and knows how to write a book with a beginning and end. The tale of this werewolf is too much for one book, and you won't want to put it down either. Four stars due to typos.

[Jackie Macias · Rating 5 out of 5]

werewolves

The first, third, and fourth book were the best in my opinion. The s’énonce wasn’t the best as I thought it would be. But other than that it was a good series to read. I couldn’t put it down I read them all in four days!

[Paul A Kinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very captivatit

I am not the type to read about werewolves or romance, I truly enjoyed reading this story about Rylie, Seth and Abel. I do plan to read the next book The Cain Chronicles soon. Stay Safe and God Bless!