Werewolf for hire. Vampires on a train. One hell of a contract.
Kingsley Fulcrum is a werewolf and a lawyer. As the on-again, off-again boyfriend of vampire private eye Samantha Moon, he often takes on cases that tick her off. When his legal cases cross paths with her private investigations, the sparks can fly!
In WOLF MOON, Jolie Hart is a new vampire with a unique singing voice--and a serious case of amnesia. She hires Kingsley to protect her from clauses in her contract with a vampire who claims he’s the Devil. Kingsley hires Samantha to go undercover to help him prevent his client’s frightening destiny. Fang--a powerful vampire with a strong connection to Sam--has a compelling, romantic interest in the rising rock star.
Two days before the full moon, when the supernaturals head to Vegas on a train for Jolie’s debut concert, an ancient supernatural creature meets them at their destination. And he’s none too pleased at being summoned by Kingsley.
When the four immortals join forces to take a bite out of supernatural crime, things can get downright lethal. Or downright funny. Depending on who’s bitten and who’s smitten…
A werewolf, vampires and shifters! Will Kingsley, Sam, Fang and their unexpected fearless leader be able to save the beautiful Jolie from a fate worse than undeath?
WOLF MOON is the first novella of Kingsley Fulcrum, Werewolf for Hire, a planned series set within the licensed Kindle World of Vampire for Hire characters created by J. R. Rain, bestselling paranormal mystery romance author.
Author Eve Paludan lives in Mesa, Arizona, where she writes fiction. She also enjoys swimming, researching the paranormal world, and reading urban fantasy, mysteries and romance.
I bought this book as a support for the author. I have seen her interact on social media, and always liked how kind and helpful she was to everyone. This is not my typical genre, and I didn't read the other series by J.R. Rain. I have to say that it's extremely brave to attempt to write a book into someone else's world. I also think it's amazing, how Eve Paludan was able to write it in a male voice.
I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters, but some of the silliness of Kingsley didn't go with the three-hundred year old wolf. He was more like an unexperienced whiny bear.
Eve Paludan wrote an exiting story and crafted super-natural beings, into lovely imperfect humans....
I have to say at first when I heard that another author was going to write a series within the Vampire for Hire series by JR rain, I was a little apprehensive. I absolutely LOVE that series and the main character Samantha Moon and I thought…hmmm…no one can write the characters like JR does. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong!!! Eve Paludan who I have read many books by in the past, wrote an awesome story from Kingsley Fulcrum’s POV perfectly! This was so awesome hearing Kingsley…that big…wolfy lawyer tell his view of a story in which he and Samantha have to try and save a client of his was absolutely brilliant! To delve into his thoughts and feelings about Sam gave a whole new outlook on their relationship. Ms. Paludan never varied from the true characters from the series but added a whole new insight on how Kingsley himself sees things and feels about his love for Samantha. Fang also comes along for the ride and also Sam’s sister who has secrets of her own that are reveled. So if you are a fan of the Vampire for Hire series and are on the fence about reading this spinoff of the series…DO NOT hesitate to buy it!!! You will love this addition to the series and if like me finish and want more!!! Thank you Eve for staying true to the characters that many of us love and writing such an exciting story about one of my favorite were wolves. This should definitely be added to everyone’s TBR list!
Author Eve Palduan brings us into the worlds of J.R. Rain's Vampire for Hire. Kingsley is approached by the newly made Vampire Jolie Hart about the contract that she just signed to have her music be preformed on a Las Vegas stage. He takes on the case and finds out that the Vampire that turned her clams to be the king of Vampires. The contact that he overlooks burns his hands but there are other things in play like the fact that the he tried to put an entity within her and it died on contact. But the vampire that turned her wants to take the entity from Samantha Moon, Kingsley's on again off again love who is also a Vampire but has a ring that can keep her from burning in the daylight. And in the middle of this is a Vampire club owner named Fang who has a connection with Jolie but he can't put his finger on it. I won't spoil the ending but I highly recommend this novella for all classic WereWolf and Vampire fans as well as Fantasy fans.
I think this is professional fan fiction, and I think it's supposed to be funny. It's really badly written compared to the inspiration series. I hated it. The voice/tone was all wrong, and the characters actions weren't in line with the personalities I'd come to expect from the Vampire for Hire series. You know that summarizing thing some authors do to wrap up? She did that, constantly. I thought the book was nearly over at the end of every chapter. Worse sin of all: it read like the author was making fun of the characters - over the top and ridiculous. That's a big no-no for me. Authors should make readers fall in love with characters, not belittle them. Obviously, I don't recommend this spin-off series.
Think Eve Paludan, did exceptionally well, to write into another author's extremely popular series. As a spin off, this was a good read & one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Some of the interaction between Kingsley and Samantha didn't quite have the same tone as the original author & rather than an aged werewolf, who is confident and edgy.. Kingsley came across as a more impetuous pup at times. But on the whole I know I'll be looking forward to reading any follow-up reads.
Kingsley is one of my favorite characters in JR Rain’s Moon series. I loved that he got his own “spinoff” even if it’s not cannon to the original series. This was fun, quirky and a satisfying read. There is never a dull moment in Samantha Moon’s world regardless of who holds the pen.
Okay read. I wasn't sure if I would finish the book because I was put off by some of the pretentiousness of the werewolf and then always using the characters full names I got sick of "Samantha Moon" by the end of the book.
Totally into the Samantha and Kingsley’s adventures!!! Can’t get enough. Just wish there were more to read!! Also the adventures of Anthony and Tammy Moon left me wanting more
This was a very interesting story I'm the Samantha Moon series. It is told from the perspective of her werewolf boyfriend Kingsley. There is a plot to steal a particularly valuable soul and Kingsley has been hired to stop it.
This was a very fun Read! Quirky unexpected characters, completely implausible plot, but oh so Fun! A complete satisfying story from Kingsley's point of view.
((Full disclosure: I did get this e-book as a gift from the author.))
Writing in an expanded universe is always a challenge. Those who are used to the original expect both more of the same and something different, whereas those who aren't used to it have to be led into the full universe. A daunting task, to be sure. In an urban fantasy environment, that's even trickier, because the rules have to be introduced each time, but in a way that doesn't make the audience lose interest. With a romance angle, and a great deal of page space having to be taken up in advancing that, the challenge grows. Add in the elements of a mystery story, and this would be a very ambitious project, indeed.
I'll admit that I've never heard of the Vampire for Hire universe, and thus I fall into the 'everything has to be re-explained' category. And that is, in the end, where Wolf Moon loses its ratings for me.
The writing itself is pretty solid. The romance angle between Fulcrum Kingsley and Samantha Moon went over my threshold of tedium- I'm personally quick to get tired of one character lusting after another- but I recognize that it's a part of the genre and it works well for what it is. The plot line itself is good, too- a beautiful woman walks into a private i's office and asks for his help, despite having a mysterious past and no real way to help him. She's made a deal with the devil and she needs his help to get out of it, before it's too late. In true urban fantasy fashion, her problem expands to create a very much more dangerous one, for everyone. The writing, mechanically, is much improved over Eve's earlier works, showing both dedication to improvement and a willingness to do her best to create as good a story as she can. For all of these things, the story really should deserve a higher rating.
But. But.
The downfall of this story is that it throws too much at a new reader at once, expecting things to be swallowed without need for explanation or much reaction. I'd call it 'Double Mumbo Jumbo,' save that there's even more different kinds of magic than two, all wrapped together in a frustrating tangle. Allow me to give an example.
There are vampires and werewolves. Sure, that's one thing, in urban fantasy. There are also demons. Again, sure, we can nudge that in there. But then there are angels. And that's a bit more of a stretch, requiring a bit more explanation than "Oh yeah, there are angels and they can fall." Then we toss in the fact that vampires can read minds and werewolves have a talisman kiss thing. Now we're straining it, because neither of those two are things that commonly happen in urban fantasy. Then we toss in Dracula for good measure, because why not? And I mean it that way- Dracula is literally summoned because the main character speaks of him.
Which independently creates a new rule of writing for me, "Leisure Suit Dracula." But that's neither here nor there.
And then... Dracula is also a dragon. Or can transform into one, at least. And his blood is special. And there's precisely the moment when I can no longer mumbo jumbo my way through this. Right when heaven and hell threaten to get inverted because of a song- no, really- I just can't do it anymore. I finish the story, yes, but I've long since been able to buy into the story or really get that invested into it. It's a bit like someone speaking of a sports game that I'm not familiar with- I know kind of what's being said, but I'm completely removed from it.
Which is a shame, because this story didn't need all of those extras. Dracula the Magic Dragon doesn't add much to the story. Angels, fallen or otherwise, don't add much to the story. Simplifying and refocusing the story would have made it stronger, and not knocked someone like me out of the flow with all of the extraneous bits.
So, in the end, I have to go with three stars. For what it is, it's a good story, and Eve Paludan can rest assured that she's done well with the expanded universe she's written in. But personally, I just can't have the kind of reaction to this story that she would have wanted, and that's a loss for the both of us. Still, there are more stories planned in this series, so who knows, perhaps a second go-round will get me back into the Kingsley universe. Time will tell!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Moon Wolf: Kingsley Fulcrum, Werewolf for Hire, Book 1 By Eve Paludan
This is the first of a planned series based around Kingsley Fulcrum, a character from J.R. Rain’s Samantha Moon, Vampire for Hire, series. The author has a nice list of published work, so, although it is Fan Fiction, written for Amazon’s Vampire For Hire Kindle World, it isn’t the work of an inexperienced writer. That showed.
All my first and foremost concerns in any book I read were A-one rated: proofing, editing, character development (although, admittedly, she had an advantage there, with the characters already in existence in the Samantha Moon novels, and she did a good job of staying true to Rain’s characterizations), interesting storyline, good pacing, no cliffhanger ending, explaining nuances in the backstories, tying up loose ends, etc. Kudos. I am not usually an aficionado of fan fiction, and was very leery of delving into this Kindle World as I am very attached to the original series. The professionalism shown in the writing was a very pleasant surprise to this unrepentant doubter. I also think that the fact that this spin-off series revolves around a character who populates, but doesn’t dominate the world of Samantha Moon made it easier for me to accept. Not sure I could as easily accept fan fiction written with Samantha as the main character.
Were there things I didn’t particularly like? Sure, that goes for most any book I read (we armchair critics would all write something a little different, wouldn’t we?). In this one, I found the core story a little hokey. But, Paludan did it well, and once I was into the storyline, I lost most of my objection to it. From her list of published titles, Paludan writes a lot of paranormal/fantasy romance, and (unfortunately for me, as I am not a romance fan) that showed through in burgeoning trousers and passages written in obvious romance parlance. I also felt the novella could have ended within one chapter of the climatic Caesar’s Palace scene, but the last couple chapters were still well written and enjoyable to read, just not really necessary to my eye.
And I have a couple of questions about the influence of fan fiction on the continuing storylines of the original series. For instance, will Fang’s loss in this novel affect his behavior in upcoming Moon books from Rain? What about the turn-about in characterization of Dracula in this novel compared to the last time Sam met up with the first vampire? Will that change in character continue if Dracula shows up in upcoming Rain installments? How does the writing in fan fiction by multiple authors affect the writing of the original series or does it? Questions, questions, questions – I have them in spades.
So, yes I enjoyed this first installment in a spin off series greatly and I will keep an eye out for further episodes written by this author.
How about a rainy Saturday Book review? Wolf Moon By Eve Paludan, Author Synopsis: Werewolf for hire. Vampires on a train. One hell of a contract.
Kingsley Fulcrum is a werewolf and a lawyer. As the on-again, off-again boyfriend of vampire private eye Samantha Moon, he often takes on cases that tick her off. When his legal cases cross paths with her private investigations, the sparks can fly!
In WOLF MOON, Jolie Hart is a new vampire with a unique singing voice--and a serious case of amnesia. She hires Kingsley to protect her from clauses in her contract with a vampire who claims he’s the Devil. Kingsley hires Samantha to go undercover to help him prevent his client’s frightening destiny. Fang--a powerful vampire with a strong connection to Sam--has a compelling, romantic interest in the rising rock star.
Two days before the full moon, when the supernaturals head to Vegas on a train for Jolie’s debut concert, an ancient supernatural creature meets them at their destination. And he’s none too pleased at being summoned by Kingsley.
When the four immortals join forces to take a bite out of supernatural crime, things can get downright lethal. Or downright funny. Depending on who’s bitten and who’s smitten…
A werewolf, vampires and shifters! Will Kingsley, Sam, Fang and their unexpected fearless leader be able to save the beautiful Jolie from a fate worse than undeath?
WOLF MOON is the first novella of Kingsley Fulcrum, Werewolf for Hire, a planned series set within the licensed Kindle World of Vampire for Hire characters created by J. R. Rain, bestselling paranormal mystery romance author.
My Review: I am a HUGE Fan of Eve Paludan, I'm also a HUGE fan of Kingsley Folcrum, Werewolf Lawyer from the Samantha Moon books. As always you can read what the story is about in the synopsis, I LOVED this book and am soooooo happy Kingsley is getting a series of his own! He is just delightful! Hes always getting into mischief and mayhem and its no different in this book, he takes on quite a case with Jolie Hart. Shes beautiful, smart, talented and she's got a world ..or "otherworldly" problem. Can Kingsley get her out of this contract with evil? can Samantha and Fang.. yep Fang and Samantha are in here too... Can they help him.. will they all come out alive? This is a fast paced , "OH MY GOODNESS" did that just happen?, read so fast you can't wait to get to the next page , aaawwwww she does love him... and Ha! I never thought of him that way...Book.. I highly recommend Wolf Moon if you want to just really enjoy a good read!! I give this book 5 Tinkerhells ..yeah tha'ts what I said wink emoticon Well done Ms. Paludan!!
I'm not sure what is up with different authors writing the same series and characters, but this Samantha Moon is not the Samantha Moon I know and love. In fact, none of the characters are the same as J R Rain developed them. Kingsley, the protagonist in this book/new series is weak with love for Ms Moon. His internal dialog mimics but does not equal Robert Parker's lovable lunks. Disappointed am I.
Wolfman/Fulcrum saves the day, the angel, and his lady!
Kingsley Fulcrum finds himself in a pickle! He must protect his client, who is a fallen angel turned into a vampire, from an evil vampire/demon. He must also protect his vampire lover from being murdered for her inner entity. All before the next full moon turns him into a werewolf! Another great read!
This is more like a graphic novel without the graphics. But then it would have to be X rated if it was. I could actually envision this as one of those R or X rated cartoons. I had to get used to the juvenile voice of the characters, but the story was entertaining and fun. Easy, light, quick read.
I don't usually read books about werewolves and vampires, but I'm very familiar with the concepts. I have to say Wolf Moon was a lot of fun. It reads like a YA novel—except for the mature themes. The characters were likable, and the story, while not terribly complex, surprised me here and there as Eve explored familiar concepts in a clever way, with creativity and enthusiasm.
I highly recommend this book. I have loved the Samantha Moon books by J R Rain and Kingsley is a favorite character of mine. I loved reading a story that featured him and included Sam, Fang and others familiar. Also great new characters.
Did not notice it was going to have Samantha Moon or Kinsley in it since it was not by J.R Rain so I was pleasantly surprised and more than happy to read about them and Fang! Love these characters!
I loved it. And can't wait for the next book. It has got to be made into a series. Samantha, Kingsley, and Fang, were joined by a new allie, the Big Dracula. It was awesome. I give this book a HUGE FIVE STARS.
I love the twist on the love story and look forward to the next book. If you want a different tell about vampires and ware wolfs these are books you need to read.