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Vampire for Hire (world) #11
Moon Shadow
Ten years ago, federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.
Now in MOON SHADOW, private investigator Samantha Moon is asked to look into a mysterious sighting at Lake Elsinore. If the rumors are true, then southern California's biggest natural lake just might be home to its very own lake monster. As Sam looks deeper into the unlikely sightings, using both her natural and supernatural talents, one thing becomes increasingly clear: there's something in the water.
And when two boys disappear, Samantha Moon knows this is no legendary monster. Indeed, she is about to discover that something evil has taken over Lake Elsinore, an evil that spans centuries and even worlds—an evil that has set its sights on those she loves most...
Now in MOON SHADOW, private investigator Samantha Moon is asked to look into a mysterious sighting at Lake Elsinore. If the rumors are true, then southern California's biggest natural lake just might be home to its very own lake monster. As Sam looks deeper into the unlikely sightings, using both her natural and supernatural talents, one thing becomes increasingly clear: there's something in the water.
And when two boys disappear, Samantha Moon knows this is no legendary monster. Indeed, she is about to discover that something evil has taken over Lake Elsinore, an evil that spans centuries and even worlds—an evil that has set its sights on those she loves most...
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 21, 2016
1350 people are currently reading
903 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Rain
700 books1,728 followersJ.R. Rain is the author of 110 novels and counting. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest, where he's hard at work on his next novel... and fighting off sparkly vampires.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
May 6, 2017
I struggled to finish listening to this. I officially cannot take any more of the authors repetition without yelling at the Bluetooth speaker in frustration. Its book 11 for fuck sake. We KnOW her name and that she's a flipping vampire! I wonder if the narrator (a skilled narrator - which is probably the only reason I made it this far - well that and that the first bunch were free) has also developed homicidal tendencies toward the author.
I still recommend the first 5 or so in this series, especially the ones that are "read and listen for free" with kindle unlimited. But I see very little reason to pay for the later books or the hour long short stories.
I still recommend the first 5 or so in this series, especially the ones that are "read and listen for free" with kindle unlimited. But I see very little reason to pay for the later books or the hour long short stories.
July 10, 2017
“Moon Shadow”, Vampire for Hire #11, advances the roles of Talos (the vampire bat that Samantha often becomes) and Franklin (Kingsley’s butler). The rest of the book is darned annoying.
First, throughout the book the author very pointedly lets us know that we’ve missed some very important things by reading his novels in order, but by skipping his short stories. Thanks for the many annoying ads, Mr. Rain.
Second, Samantha’s daughter Tammy is completely over-the-top annoying. Seriously. The gratuitous “rebellious teenager” imagery is a complete mis-fit with Tammy’s powers and her awareness of what her mother has endured for ten years. I call bullshit.
Third, the author repetitively repeats, over and over again, events from previous books.
Fourth, like the originally great, later annoying, TV series “Once Upon a Time”, the author introduces yet another key figure from the paranormal world. I feel like he’s just ticking off boxes. OK, now Dr. Frankenstein is done.
Fifth, for a famed defense attorney and a former federal agent turned private investigator, Kingsley and Samantha continue to be REALLY STUPID at putting themselves in harms way.
Sixth, Samantha is overly comfortable with mind-reading and altering memories.
Seventh, 40 uses of the words “weird”, “freaky” and “cute”. The book would make a good drinking game.
2.5* for “Moon Shadow”, rounded to 3* - meh.
First, throughout the book the author very pointedly lets us know that we’ve missed some very important things by reading his novels in order, but by skipping his short stories. Thanks for the many annoying ads, Mr. Rain.
Second, Samantha’s daughter Tammy is completely over-the-top annoying. Seriously. The gratuitous “rebellious teenager” imagery is a complete mis-fit with Tammy’s powers and her awareness of what her mother has endured for ten years. I call bullshit.
Third, the author repetitively repeats, over and over again, events from previous books.
Fourth, like the originally great, later annoying, TV series “Once Upon a Time”, the author introduces yet another key figure from the paranormal world. I feel like he’s just ticking off boxes. OK, now Dr. Frankenstein is done.
Fifth, for a famed defense attorney and a former federal agent turned private investigator, Kingsley and Samantha continue to be REALLY STUPID at putting themselves in harms way.
Sixth, Samantha is overly comfortable with mind-reading and altering memories.
Seventh, 40 uses of the words “weird”, “freaky” and “cute”. The book would make a good drinking game.
2.5* for “Moon Shadow”, rounded to 3* - meh.
April 11, 2017
J R Rain tends to rehash much of what happened in the previous books in the series. Having read them all, I find this nothing but padding. He has also become too wordy for my liking.
April 21, 2018
Fun, fast read! New characters/monsters, new abilities discovered, and quite a few typos. All in all enjoyable read. Some real LOL moments, especially in chapter 38 "Kingsley's tale"
May 2, 2016
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I'm a big fan of the Samantha Moon series in general but this one was longer than the usual book in he series. I liked that about it as previously I have felt they were too short and over way too soon.
May 23, 2024
I kept reading but only because my book club selected this book and it was one of the members who loves the series who suggested it. The irony is that I actually got engaged about 3/4 of the way in but I really think it’s because the writing improved. The author seemed like they stopped trying to be clever and funny, and the writing was less defensively explaining why it was all over the place and more actual story/plot by then.
I’ve not written a book series, let alone one with 11 books in it, but I imagine if you’re continuing to add supernatural elements and keeping everything from previous books without some kind of character arc/growth/plot point that takes any of it away, this is what you get.
Where the action is, I could go whole paragraphs without feeling annoyed with the writing or editing (or lack there of). The first half of the book feels like you can’t go one paragraph without having trouble suspending disbelief or finding inconsistencies.
A lot of the writing, especially in the first half of the book, seemed to me like an attempted resolution to criticism.
I could imagine an editor saying, “Now THIS seems unrealistic.” As in, too much, let’s cut it or change it to improve the writing and the story. To which I can imagine the author responding by adding a because clause to the sentence. Or throwing in that the main character actually IS a possessed, private detective vampire witch who can read minds, see ghosts, and breath fire after transforming to a dragon, so of course it makes sense that she can be almost dead and still be able to make it an hour away to her house on her own without a car. See? I made it make sense. She *flew* there, duh!
I say that about a possible editor, but it’s probably a writing group critique, or the author’s friend or something. There really is not much evidence an editor had a hand in this book at all. We read about a character dropping a scalpel into a pan twice between several paragraphs as the character is introduced. There was no time for the character to have had a scalpel, dropped it and picked it (or another scalpel) up to drop it again. It is as if originally the scalpel drop was in one place, was moved, and then the author forgot to remove it from where it had been moved from. How did that second scalpel drop happen? Was the character actually holding two scalpels?
Also I’m shook that there are highlighted sentences in my Kindle copy of this book because that means many people thought the sentences below worth coming back to, or sharing with other readers:
-I nodded, picked up the McCup and took another McSip of the McCoffee. It tasted McHeavenly.
-I secretly questioned most laughed out louds. Were people really going around and laughing that hard over texts and emails... and, in this case, IM messages? Call me a cynic, but I thought “LOLs” were making liars out of most everyone.
-I thought of all of this as I flipped through the next magazine, which featured, surprise, a whole new brood of Kardashians. Apparently, they were attacking us in waves.
…
I just don’t get it.
The author needs to pick a lane. When trying to describe this book to friends, I really struggled.
The main character is a former federal agent, private detective vampire, but she doesn’t have fangs, and she can eat normal food. She has to sleep during the day but not really because she’s up all the time anyway.
I’ve former federal agent, private detective vampire has a token that lets her day-walk. When she day-walks, sometimes she burns and there is smoke? But she heals so fast there’s no visual damage to her skin? So she sticks to the shade, but really… how?! She is all over the place during the day. It seems like this burning in the sun is only talked about two times, and the rest of the time it’s ignored. The first time she is in a boat in the middle of the lake (during the day). In the second it’s hinted at with how she gets into the University library (during the day). These two instances (among many inconsistencies) feed my criticism-response theory. I can imagine a critique asking: How did she get into the library during the day? And response: She obviously walked in the shadows after parking in a shaded loading dock at the back of the library, duh!
Our day-walking, former federal agent, vampire private detective is also a mom with 2 kids under 18 years old: a son with super human strength and speed and a daughter who is a very powerful telepath. This is really hard to imagine when our day-walking, former federal agent, vampire private detective is not home at night and is supposed to be sleeping during the day but generally seems to be out private-detecting instead. She fiercely loves her kids but we don’t really see her being a mom very much. These kids have to be practically raising themselves.
Our day-walking, former federal agent, vampire detective mama is possessed by a demon who was banished from this world by the alchemists 500 years ago. It’s this demon that makes her a vampire, actually. She also *happens* to be a descendant of the greatest alchemist who coincidentally happened to be the arch enemy of the demon who possesses her. Also she knows Dracula and he is possessed by the main character’s demon’s lover. And he can turn into a dragon vampire bat.
In some previous book, our demon-possessed, descended-from-the-greatest-alchemist, day-walking, former federal agent, private detective vampire mama had a guardian angel but now he’s guardian-ing her son because her son almost died / was possessed by her demon so this is why she can’t get the demon out because it would just take one of her children.
Our demon-possessed, descended-from-the-greatest-alchemist, day-walking, former federal agent, private detective vampire mama is dating a werewolf lawyer who is rich and makes a lot of money for his hourly rate. So she thinks about how her talking to him (during the day) is costing him money. He also happens to have a Frankenstein’s monster for a butler (and by the end of the book, 7 more Frankenstein’s monsters basically running his house, cooking his food, cleaning etc).
Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire mama that doesn’t have a guardian angel does have friends though. She has a Librarian alchemist friend who guards the dark magic books in a magical place at the university library (during the day). He made her that day-walking token. He also runs or helps out with a non-Hogwarts magical school to unleash alchemists’ powers which is in an undisclosed location. And also he and others track all the alchemist descendants to protect them because they’re all in danger of being killed for their power or some other awful thing. But the main character doesn’t want to send her son to said magical school even to protect him, because she won’t know where that is. EVEN if it would teach him to protect himself against those who might try to steal his power.
Other friends? The vampire who runs the consent-based blood bank for vampires that she talks to once. The detective that sends paranormal stuff her way.
Also we have a whole chapter where she reveals what she is to her son’s boxing coach at the boxing club (during the day) to explain why she doesn’t want her son to become a professional fighter, and I’m sorry, but why? What did that do to advance anything in the story??
She also has a witchy friend. Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire mama was part of a powerful witch trio in a past life with her best friend who is a witch now, and who was also a witch in that past life. The third in the trio is a ghost named Millicent that only her friend can see that says our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire witch mama is a bad influence to the best friend. The two living witches talk telepathically together. Except our alchemist vampire witch mama is trying not to use her powers because… reasons.
But that’s not all! Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire witch mama is really OP.
- She can see ghosts, but not Millicent’s
- She has super human strength and speed
- She is telepathic
- She can mind control people
- She can place false memories, or wipe memories
- She can see auras
- She can teleport anywhere by summoning an image of a flame in her mind and imagining the place
- She can also (by summoning an image of a flame in her mind… confusing!) swap bodies with a dragon, sending her body to another dimension
- As that dragon she can fly, and speak telepathically with the mind of the dragon, and also breathe fire
- But the dragon is sometimes a vampire bat (the author can’t seem to make up their mind)
- Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire witch mama is a seer and has very important dreams and premonitions and they WILL happen and she can’t stop them, except actually she can change them right as they are happening
- She really is a good person. Or trying to be. She tries not to do bad things, think bad thoughts, and drink blood because that feeds the demon inside her who might take over and she’d cease to exist(?)… also it would endanger the world
- But also, if she uses her powers that will feed the demon so she’s tries not to use her powers, except she basically uses them all the time anyway
It’s like a five-year old playing make-believe: I’m a demon-possessed, alchemist vampire! Now I’m also a dragon witch! And I can see the future! Also I breathe fire and can tell people what to do and they do it!
I have so many questions:
- How much better could this book be with a good editor?
- How is this book 11? People buy these books and love them so much that 11 were written and sold?
- What is book 1 like? How much of this is added in books 2-11? (I’m not going to read to find out, so maybe this is more of a rhetorical question.)
- Why the nonsequitar ending chapter teleporting her to Mars?
- Did an early generative AI large language model write this? Or a middle schooler? Really.
- Did someone dare the author to put in so many supernatural tropes and not remove any? Related: has the author ever heard of Via Negativa?
I’ve not written a book series, let alone one with 11 books in it, but I imagine if you’re continuing to add supernatural elements and keeping everything from previous books without some kind of character arc/growth/plot point that takes any of it away, this is what you get.
Where the action is, I could go whole paragraphs without feeling annoyed with the writing or editing (or lack there of). The first half of the book feels like you can’t go one paragraph without having trouble suspending disbelief or finding inconsistencies.
A lot of the writing, especially in the first half of the book, seemed to me like an attempted resolution to criticism.
I could imagine an editor saying, “Now THIS seems unrealistic.” As in, too much, let’s cut it or change it to improve the writing and the story. To which I can imagine the author responding by adding a because clause to the sentence. Or throwing in that the main character actually IS a possessed, private detective vampire witch who can read minds, see ghosts, and breath fire after transforming to a dragon, so of course it makes sense that she can be almost dead and still be able to make it an hour away to her house on her own without a car. See? I made it make sense. She *flew* there, duh!
I say that about a possible editor, but it’s probably a writing group critique, or the author’s friend or something. There really is not much evidence an editor had a hand in this book at all. We read about a character dropping a scalpel into a pan twice between several paragraphs as the character is introduced. There was no time for the character to have had a scalpel, dropped it and picked it (or another scalpel) up to drop it again. It is as if originally the scalpel drop was in one place, was moved, and then the author forgot to remove it from where it had been moved from. How did that second scalpel drop happen? Was the character actually holding two scalpels?
Also I’m shook that there are highlighted sentences in my Kindle copy of this book because that means many people thought the sentences below worth coming back to, or sharing with other readers:
-I nodded, picked up the McCup and took another McSip of the McCoffee. It tasted McHeavenly.
-I secretly questioned most laughed out louds. Were people really going around and laughing that hard over texts and emails... and, in this case, IM messages? Call me a cynic, but I thought “LOLs” were making liars out of most everyone.
-I thought of all of this as I flipped through the next magazine, which featured, surprise, a whole new brood of Kardashians. Apparently, they were attacking us in waves.
…
I just don’t get it.
The author needs to pick a lane. When trying to describe this book to friends, I really struggled.
The main character is a former federal agent, private detective vampire, but she doesn’t have fangs, and she can eat normal food. She has to sleep during the day but not really because she’s up all the time anyway.
I’ve former federal agent, private detective vampire has a token that lets her day-walk. When she day-walks, sometimes she burns and there is smoke? But she heals so fast there’s no visual damage to her skin? So she sticks to the shade, but really… how?! She is all over the place during the day. It seems like this burning in the sun is only talked about two times, and the rest of the time it’s ignored. The first time she is in a boat in the middle of the lake (during the day). In the second it’s hinted at with how she gets into the University library (during the day). These two instances (among many inconsistencies) feed my criticism-response theory. I can imagine a critique asking: How did she get into the library during the day? And response: She obviously walked in the shadows after parking in a shaded loading dock at the back of the library, duh!
Our day-walking, former federal agent, vampire private detective is also a mom with 2 kids under 18 years old: a son with super human strength and speed and a daughter who is a very powerful telepath. This is really hard to imagine when our day-walking, former federal agent, vampire private detective is not home at night and is supposed to be sleeping during the day but generally seems to be out private-detecting instead. She fiercely loves her kids but we don’t really see her being a mom very much. These kids have to be practically raising themselves.
Our day-walking, former federal agent, vampire detective mama is possessed by a demon who was banished from this world by the alchemists 500 years ago. It’s this demon that makes her a vampire, actually. She also *happens* to be a descendant of the greatest alchemist who coincidentally happened to be the arch enemy of the demon who possesses her. Also she knows Dracula and he is possessed by the main character’s demon’s lover. And he can turn into a dragon vampire bat.
In some previous book, our demon-possessed, descended-from-the-greatest-alchemist, day-walking, former federal agent, private detective vampire mama had a guardian angel but now he’s guardian-ing her son because her son almost died / was possessed by her demon so this is why she can’t get the demon out because it would just take one of her children.
Our demon-possessed, descended-from-the-greatest-alchemist, day-walking, former federal agent, private detective vampire mama is dating a werewolf lawyer who is rich and makes a lot of money for his hourly rate. So she thinks about how her talking to him (during the day) is costing him money. He also happens to have a Frankenstein’s monster for a butler (and by the end of the book, 7 more Frankenstein’s monsters basically running his house, cooking his food, cleaning etc).
Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire mama that doesn’t have a guardian angel does have friends though. She has a Librarian alchemist friend who guards the dark magic books in a magical place at the university library (during the day). He made her that day-walking token. He also runs or helps out with a non-Hogwarts magical school to unleash alchemists’ powers which is in an undisclosed location. And also he and others track all the alchemist descendants to protect them because they’re all in danger of being killed for their power or some other awful thing. But the main character doesn’t want to send her son to said magical school even to protect him, because she won’t know where that is. EVEN if it would teach him to protect himself against those who might try to steal his power.
Other friends? The vampire who runs the consent-based blood bank for vampires that she talks to once. The detective that sends paranormal stuff her way.
Also we have a whole chapter where she reveals what she is to her son’s boxing coach at the boxing club (during the day) to explain why she doesn’t want her son to become a professional fighter, and I’m sorry, but why? What did that do to advance anything in the story??
She also has a witchy friend. Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire mama was part of a powerful witch trio in a past life with her best friend who is a witch now, and who was also a witch in that past life. The third in the trio is a ghost named Millicent that only her friend can see that says our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire witch mama is a bad influence to the best friend. The two living witches talk telepathically together. Except our alchemist vampire witch mama is trying not to use her powers because… reasons.
But that’s not all! Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire witch mama is really OP.
- She can see ghosts, but not Millicent’s
- She has super human strength and speed
- She is telepathic
- She can mind control people
- She can place false memories, or wipe memories
- She can see auras
- She can teleport anywhere by summoning an image of a flame in her mind and imagining the place
- She can also (by summoning an image of a flame in her mind… confusing!) swap bodies with a dragon, sending her body to another dimension
- As that dragon she can fly, and speak telepathically with the mind of the dragon, and also breathe fire
- But the dragon is sometimes a vampire bat (the author can’t seem to make up their mind)
- Our demon-possessed, day-walking, werewolf-dating, former federal agent, private detective alchemist vampire witch mama is a seer and has very important dreams and premonitions and they WILL happen and she can’t stop them, except actually she can change them right as they are happening
- She really is a good person. Or trying to be. She tries not to do bad things, think bad thoughts, and drink blood because that feeds the demon inside her who might take over and she’d cease to exist(?)… also it would endanger the world
- But also, if she uses her powers that will feed the demon so she’s tries not to use her powers, except she basically uses them all the time anyway
It’s like a five-year old playing make-believe: I’m a demon-possessed, alchemist vampire! Now I’m also a dragon witch! And I can see the future! Also I breathe fire and can tell people what to do and they do it!
I have so many questions:
- How much better could this book be with a good editor?
- How is this book 11? People buy these books and love them so much that 11 were written and sold?
- What is book 1 like? How much of this is added in books 2-11? (I’m not going to read to find out, so maybe this is more of a rhetorical question.)
- Why the nonsequitar ending chapter teleporting her to Mars?
- Did an early generative AI large language model write this? Or a middle schooler? Really.
- Did someone dare the author to put in so many supernatural tropes and not remove any? Related: has the author ever heard of Via Negativa?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2016
I love Samantha Moon. I love her continued exploration of what she is, of other realities, of spirituality, of her children's power. I love Kingsley and Allison and everything about this series. It's just a giant Samantha Moon love fest in my ereader right now. Thank you so very much, Mr. Rain, for continuing this series.
February 16, 2020
I am so sick of the author rehashing things that happened earlier in the same book. I am so sick of reading the same paragraphs of backstory in every novel and then seeing a rehash half way through.
I. Am. Done.
It has basically gotten too rediculous to read. I don't even want to read any of the other series the author has written.
I. Am. Done.
It has basically gotten too rediculous to read. I don't even want to read any of the other series the author has written.
October 26, 2017
I had a hard time getting into the story this time, which was disappointing because I was intrigued by the “Loch Ness in CA” possibility. It has just become increasingly difficult to slog through all the repetitive background/back story business to get to the meat of the current story.
There are still all the problems encountered in every other volume, i.e. missing words in sentences, lack of continuity, and the general feeling that an editor and/or proofreader has never seen these books. Those things can be grudgingly overlooked if the story is compelling enough, but most of the action is only taking place in the last quarter of the book while the first three-quarters are filled with ad nauseam rehashings of every book that has come before! I find myself wondering what these books would be filled with if the author wrote each story under the assumption that anyone reading a volume with the number 2 or higher after the title is already familiar with the characters and the action thus far! It is frustrating and unfair to those of us who have followed the characters from the beginning to have to sit through a very long primer before we can move forward with a new case and fresh adventures, and it gets longer and more frustrating with each new book!! I usually finish these books within 24 hours, but this one took a few days because I just kept losing interest.
When the story finally moved forward, it had interesting new characters, startling new revelations about characters we already knew, and more Southern CA locations to explore. I greatly enjoy reading about places I’ve known all my life, and seeing them through the author’s eyes. Because of my familiarity with these locales, it’s easy to envision the action, which adds a new depth to the experience each time. When I revisit these places in person, I will probably have moments of wondering if I just saw a ghost out of the corner of my eye, or if I’m looking at a building that has been newly repaired after a supernatural battle has been waged. I may even look up every now and then, wondering if that shadow I saw was a passing odd-shaped cloud or the fast-flying, quickly disappearing glimpse of a dragon from another realm!
These books can be a lot of fun to read. I just wish they would jump into the new material right away, and trust that the reader has all the back story they need.
There are still all the problems encountered in every other volume, i.e. missing words in sentences, lack of continuity, and the general feeling that an editor and/or proofreader has never seen these books. Those things can be grudgingly overlooked if the story is compelling enough, but most of the action is only taking place in the last quarter of the book while the first three-quarters are filled with ad nauseam rehashings of every book that has come before! I find myself wondering what these books would be filled with if the author wrote each story under the assumption that anyone reading a volume with the number 2 or higher after the title is already familiar with the characters and the action thus far! It is frustrating and unfair to those of us who have followed the characters from the beginning to have to sit through a very long primer before we can move forward with a new case and fresh adventures, and it gets longer and more frustrating with each new book!! I usually finish these books within 24 hours, but this one took a few days because I just kept losing interest.
When the story finally moved forward, it had interesting new characters, startling new revelations about characters we already knew, and more Southern CA locations to explore. I greatly enjoy reading about places I’ve known all my life, and seeing them through the author’s eyes. Because of my familiarity with these locales, it’s easy to envision the action, which adds a new depth to the experience each time. When I revisit these places in person, I will probably have moments of wondering if I just saw a ghost out of the corner of my eye, or if I’m looking at a building that has been newly repaired after a supernatural battle has been waged. I may even look up every now and then, wondering if that shadow I saw was a passing odd-shaped cloud or the fast-flying, quickly disappearing glimpse of a dragon from another realm!
These books can be a lot of fun to read. I just wish they would jump into the new material right away, and trust that the reader has all the back story they need.
February 4, 2016
Moon Shadow, Vampire for Hire #11
by J.R. Rain
One of the "writing rules" I often see is that you must put your favorite characters in jeopardy. Boy, howdy, is that ever a rule Rain takes to heart! As usual, this entry to the Samantha Moon series is chock full of angst, introspection, pop culture references, action, and danger, Will Robinson, danger!
Samantha's friend, Detective Sherbet has recommended her to investigate what might be living in Lake Elsinore in Southern California. Her client, Roy Azul, is a businessman who owns and operates a set of lakefront cottages and who believes he has seen some sort of monster swimming just below the surface of the lake. Coinciding with his sightings of this monster is the disappearance of two local boys. Although there is a long history of sightings of something large and odd living in the lake, Azul never really believed it until he saw it for himself. Can Sam help him discover what he saw?
Along the way to that discovery, Sam becomes interested in also finding the two lost boys. What she discovers is almost unbelievable even to Sam. Her investigation leads her to a whole new and unknown subset of supernatural creature and a mysterious castle sitting along the edge of the lake. Soon she finds herself in mortal danger that she escapes only with the aid of her dragon form, Talos. Determined to get to the bottom of what is going on in Lake Elsinore, she enlists the help of Kingsley and knowledge from Archibald Maximus. She and Kingsley return to the Lake, only to find themselves deep in an age old mythos and, of course, once again in mortal danger.
But that isn't the only thing Sam has on her plate.
Her longtime friend and boxing coach, Jacky, is pushing Sam to allow Anthony to train and begin competitive fighting. That's been going on for the last episode or so, but now Jacky is pushing hard for Sam's permission. If she tells him the real reasons behind her reluctance, will it change Jacky's relationship with her? Even more important, will it change his relationship with Anthony, for whom he has become a sort of surrogate father since Danny's death?
Also, Tammy has entered that fabled and dreaded stage -- the American teenager. At 14, she is testing her limits not only with her mother, but with her burgeoning powers, as well. Sam begins having a recurring style dream about Tammy; a dream in which Tammy has taken up with the wrong sort of friends, is smoking, drinking and dabbling with drugs, but the worst of the dream is seeing her daughter riding in a car that is broadsided by a big rig. Everyone in the car is killed. As the dream comes again and again, the details become clearer. Sam knows it isn't just a dream, it's a prophecy. How can she safeguard her child short of locking her up and throwing away the key?
What does the future hold for Sam's children?
Add to all this, that her best friend, Allison, has shut Sam out of her mind and is avoiding Sam because one of her coven mates, the ghost Millicent, thinks Sam may be a bad influence.
There are many issues and many backstories in this episode. Rain did a bang up job of telling those backstories, such as the relationship of Sam to the first alchemist, Hermes Trismegistus, and how that relationship ties in with her own family and with the boys who have disappeared at Elsinore. He does a wonderful job with the telling of the Frankenstein story by Kingsley, and he does it in a long sort of monologue, with no written dialogue for Sam, yet her sass and attitude is so very evident in Kingsley speech, that you can hear her voice and know exactly the comments she's made. Reading that was great fun.
I had a couple of questions going into this episode:
First: What would Sam think of Judge Judy's show being cancelled? Every episode to date has included references to the show and Sam's loyalty to it. Again, Rain handled that with panache, as the very first line of the book is: "I was missing "Judge Judy," and I wasn't happy about it."
Second: In "Moon Bayou," Samantha Moon Case Files Book 1, co-authored by J.R. Rain and Rod Kierkegaard, Jr., Samantha is propelled back into time to Civil War era New Orleans. At the end of the story, she is stranded there, with no way back to her own time. Yet, in "Moon Shadow" here she is back in present day. I wondered how that would be handled. And, (sigh) it is still somewhat of a mystery. Rain handles it by having Sam have flashes of memory of being in the time, but no real memory of it. She knows something is off, but what? This is mentioned a few times in the first half of the book, but really not mentioned again, so those of us following, I guess will have to wait for the coming of the second Case File, "Blood Moon," to see if Sam's predicament is solved in that episode.
There were some discrepancies I noted that stopped my progress in the book (hate that!). The first is at 220 on my Kindle:
...His guess: the thing was going about sixty knots.
"I assume that's fast?" I said.
"Almost seventy miles an hour."
...
"You blink and you miss it."
"Because it was going seventy knots."
Um, no, it was going 60 knots or 70 mph.
And at 705, I had to read this several times:
...to dip into his mind and tell him what to think, to gently suggest that he back off about my
son competing in boxing. Accept... accept I had seen inside his mind... and it was tortured,
deteriorating, damaged from years to taking punches. ...
I'm pretty sure that should have read "Except... except I had seen inside his mind..." I tried to make sense of it with the word accept, but just couldn't.
There were two other places that stopped me, for grammar reasons. I don’t think either was technically wrong, just a bit awkward (2885 and 3482 respectively).
But, for the most part, the novel was full of all the fun and exciting things that Rain seems to excel at writing. Lots of pop culture references, from Pawn Stars to the Kardashians to Harry Potter and Facebook. Enough action to satisfy the largest of adrenaline junkies and lots of insight into Samantha Moon and the world she now inhabits. I suppose I should have knocked a star off for the few negatives I mentioned, but then, if I could have I would have given the book 7 stars, so at 5 stars, there was nothing to knock off. And yes, I look forward to the Valentine themed Samantha Moon short coming out soon, the new Case File coming out soon, and the next novel in the series, “Vampire Fire.” I’m not sure how I feel about the Moon Origins series Rain is starting, but I am looking forward to the next in the Jim Knighthorse series. Looks like my 2016 might have a lot of J.R. Rain reading in it.
by J.R. Rain
One of the "writing rules" I often see is that you must put your favorite characters in jeopardy. Boy, howdy, is that ever a rule Rain takes to heart! As usual, this entry to the Samantha Moon series is chock full of angst, introspection, pop culture references, action, and danger, Will Robinson, danger!
Samantha's friend, Detective Sherbet has recommended her to investigate what might be living in Lake Elsinore in Southern California. Her client, Roy Azul, is a businessman who owns and operates a set of lakefront cottages and who believes he has seen some sort of monster swimming just below the surface of the lake. Coinciding with his sightings of this monster is the disappearance of two local boys. Although there is a long history of sightings of something large and odd living in the lake, Azul never really believed it until he saw it for himself. Can Sam help him discover what he saw?
Along the way to that discovery, Sam becomes interested in also finding the two lost boys. What she discovers is almost unbelievable even to Sam. Her investigation leads her to a whole new and unknown subset of supernatural creature and a mysterious castle sitting along the edge of the lake. Soon she finds herself in mortal danger that she escapes only with the aid of her dragon form, Talos. Determined to get to the bottom of what is going on in Lake Elsinore, she enlists the help of Kingsley and knowledge from Archibald Maximus. She and Kingsley return to the Lake, only to find themselves deep in an age old mythos and, of course, once again in mortal danger.
But that isn't the only thing Sam has on her plate.
Her longtime friend and boxing coach, Jacky, is pushing Sam to allow Anthony to train and begin competitive fighting. That's been going on for the last episode or so, but now Jacky is pushing hard for Sam's permission. If she tells him the real reasons behind her reluctance, will it change Jacky's relationship with her? Even more important, will it change his relationship with Anthony, for whom he has become a sort of surrogate father since Danny's death?
Also, Tammy has entered that fabled and dreaded stage -- the American teenager. At 14, she is testing her limits not only with her mother, but with her burgeoning powers, as well. Sam begins having a recurring style dream about Tammy; a dream in which Tammy has taken up with the wrong sort of friends, is smoking, drinking and dabbling with drugs, but the worst of the dream is seeing her daughter riding in a car that is broadsided by a big rig. Everyone in the car is killed. As the dream comes again and again, the details become clearer. Sam knows it isn't just a dream, it's a prophecy. How can she safeguard her child short of locking her up and throwing away the key?
What does the future hold for Sam's children?
Add to all this, that her best friend, Allison, has shut Sam out of her mind and is avoiding Sam because one of her coven mates, the ghost Millicent, thinks Sam may be a bad influence.
There are many issues and many backstories in this episode. Rain did a bang up job of telling those backstories, such as the relationship of Sam to the first alchemist, Hermes Trismegistus, and how that relationship ties in with her own family and with the boys who have disappeared at Elsinore. He does a wonderful job with the telling of the Frankenstein story by Kingsley, and he does it in a long sort of monologue, with no written dialogue for Sam, yet her sass and attitude is so very evident in Kingsley speech, that you can hear her voice and know exactly the comments she's made. Reading that was great fun.
I had a couple of questions going into this episode:
First: What would Sam think of Judge Judy's show being cancelled? Every episode to date has included references to the show and Sam's loyalty to it. Again, Rain handled that with panache, as the very first line of the book is: "I was missing "Judge Judy," and I wasn't happy about it."
Second: In "Moon Bayou," Samantha Moon Case Files Book 1, co-authored by J.R. Rain and Rod Kierkegaard, Jr., Samantha is propelled back into time to Civil War era New Orleans. At the end of the story, she is stranded there, with no way back to her own time. Yet, in "Moon Shadow" here she is back in present day. I wondered how that would be handled. And, (sigh) it is still somewhat of a mystery. Rain handles it by having Sam have flashes of memory of being in the time, but no real memory of it. She knows something is off, but what? This is mentioned a few times in the first half of the book, but really not mentioned again, so those of us following, I guess will have to wait for the coming of the second Case File, "Blood Moon," to see if Sam's predicament is solved in that episode.
There were some discrepancies I noted that stopped my progress in the book (hate that!). The first is at 220 on my Kindle:
...His guess: the thing was going about sixty knots.
"I assume that's fast?" I said.
"Almost seventy miles an hour."
...
"You blink and you miss it."
"Because it was going seventy knots."
Um, no, it was going 60 knots or 70 mph.
And at 705, I had to read this several times:
...to dip into his mind and tell him what to think, to gently suggest that he back off about my
son competing in boxing. Accept... accept I had seen inside his mind... and it was tortured,
deteriorating, damaged from years to taking punches. ...
I'm pretty sure that should have read "Except... except I had seen inside his mind..." I tried to make sense of it with the word accept, but just couldn't.
There were two other places that stopped me, for grammar reasons. I don’t think either was technically wrong, just a bit awkward (2885 and 3482 respectively).
But, for the most part, the novel was full of all the fun and exciting things that Rain seems to excel at writing. Lots of pop culture references, from Pawn Stars to the Kardashians to Harry Potter and Facebook. Enough action to satisfy the largest of adrenaline junkies and lots of insight into Samantha Moon and the world she now inhabits. I suppose I should have knocked a star off for the few negatives I mentioned, but then, if I could have I would have given the book 7 stars, so at 5 stars, there was nothing to knock off. And yes, I look forward to the Valentine themed Samantha Moon short coming out soon, the new Case File coming out soon, and the next novel in the series, “Vampire Fire.” I’m not sure how I feel about the Moon Origins series Rain is starting, but I am looking forward to the next in the Jim Knighthorse series. Looks like my 2016 might have a lot of J.R. Rain reading in it.
July 16, 2024
4.25 Stars
In our latest installment of Samantha Moon's life, there is love, chaos, danger and a snotty teenager. I enjoy this series because it's not too deep. Yes, we have a danger every book and different kid issues. Thank God we don't have to deal with the ex anymore (not much anyway).
Sam learning more about the Dragon and Dracula is so interesting. Oh and Franklin!!!! Finally we have answers regarding him. More info about her son and what is possibly coming.
I have seen some reviews that talk about the rehashing of previous books. I don't mind as I am a mood reader and don't always read books in a series back to back. I tend to forget why I am reading a series, as I have read so many books that when one comes in another goes out. I will absolutely be continuing this series, especially if I've read too many end of the world and anxiety giving books.
In our latest installment of Samantha Moon's life, there is love, chaos, danger and a snotty teenager. I enjoy this series because it's not too deep. Yes, we have a danger every book and different kid issues. Thank God we don't have to deal with the ex anymore (not much anyway).
Sam learning more about the Dragon and Dracula is so interesting. Oh and Franklin!!!! Finally we have answers regarding him. More info about her son and what is possibly coming.
I have seen some reviews that talk about the rehashing of previous books. I don't mind as I am a mood reader and don't always read books in a series back to back. I tend to forget why I am reading a series, as I have read so many books that when one comes in another goes out. I will absolutely be continuing this series, especially if I've read too many end of the world and anxiety giving books.
October 24, 2018
I read this entire 15-book (so far) series back-to-back for the last couple weeks, plus quite a few short stories that relate. Free on Kindle Unlimited. It's a great series for a fan of paranormal mystery. The set up is that a mom in California was changed into a vampire in an attack. Fast forward several years and she's struggling with a failing marriage and raising 2 kids with her day time disability. As the years progress, her marriage fails, her kids mature, and her relationships with love interests/ friends/family grow. The characters are relate-able, there's a little humor, and very entertaining mysteries with interesting treatments of magic. Solidly fun reading!
April 21, 2019
Interesting...
This installment renewed my interest in this series. I had started to lose interest because it was kind of becoming monotonous, but this deviate a little from the monotony. It is kind of different. Another angle about Dr. Frankenstein. He is the antagonist in this book. His products, the monstrosity he created are seen in a new light. After all Sam knows one of them. Yes, I kid you not. I like this one.
Borrowed through Kindle Unlimited. This is awesome for me. I can read all the books in this series ‘free’.
This installment renewed my interest in this series. I had started to lose interest because it was kind of becoming monotonous, but this deviate a little from the monotony. It is kind of different. Another angle about Dr. Frankenstein. He is the antagonist in this book. His products, the monstrosity he created are seen in a new light. After all Sam knows one of them. Yes, I kid you not. I like this one.
Borrowed through Kindle Unlimited. This is awesome for me. I can read all the books in this series ‘free’.
January 29, 2020
Moon meets Frankenstein and more!
Our goal Sam gets into one situation after another. Her daughter is getting to be a royal pain in the a**. As Sam deals with a rebellious young teenager, who can read minds, she needs to deal with the real Frankenstein and a host of his monsters.
I think anyone who starts this book without reading some, if not all, of the books preceding this one could wonder what they were missing. Go to book one and read Sam's life up to this point. It is fun reading, and at times educational. 😘
Our goal Sam gets into one situation after another. Her daughter is getting to be a royal pain in the a**. As Sam deals with a rebellious young teenager, who can read minds, she needs to deal with the real Frankenstein and a host of his monsters.
I think anyone who starts this book without reading some, if not all, of the books preceding this one could wonder what they were missing. Go to book one and read Sam's life up to this point. It is fun reading, and at times educational. 😘
January 16, 2018
Holy Guacamole
Wow is wow. Another amazing story. I was wondering about a lake monster about what it could be! Wow never thought. And so strange to think the dear Frankenstein was still alive so to speak! I like Franklin a little more now lol. So the premonition of Sam's daughter was a scary one and shown true! Dumb kids. Truth driver heart attack is a real fear for sure, glad he made it as glad the kids did as well and omg Luke. She saved him to. I love max so far.
Wow is wow. Another amazing story. I was wondering about a lake monster about what it could be! Wow never thought. And so strange to think the dear Frankenstein was still alive so to speak! I like Franklin a little more now lol. So the premonition of Sam's daughter was a scary one and shown true! Dumb kids. Truth driver heart attack is a real fear for sure, glad he made it as glad the kids did as well and omg Luke. She saved him to. I love max so far.
May 11, 2020
4.5 rounded up
The description of the lake went on way too long for me and made the book go slow in the beginning and middle. Plus, I felt the way she handled her daughter was a little out of character and exasperating. And the way they were misled by the villain was too naive.
But the action at the end made up for the slow start, although it was gory. I’ll read the next in the series.
The description of the lake went on way too long for me and made the book go slow in the beginning and middle. Plus, I felt the way she handled her daughter was a little out of character and exasperating. And the way they were misled by the villain was too naive.
But the action at the end made up for the slow start, although it was gory. I’ll read the next in the series.
June 22, 2018
I love this series! Sam is funny and smart. The PI job she is investigating is a monster in a lake and two 12 year old boys are missing. Sam has been having a dream about her daughter Tammy dying.
All of these books has so much going on besides just the investigation. We learn a lot about Sam and the people in her life. Really a great book.
All of these books has so much going on besides just the investigation. We learn a lot about Sam and the people in her life. Really a great book.
August 20, 2019
Its amazing! Where does he come up with all these story lines?
This is another excellent cant put it down exciting story from the world of vampire for hire. It is very hard to put it down. Im not sharing any spoilers but again all ends up more or less right in her world of course because thats how she makes it happen.
This is another excellent cant put it down exciting story from the world of vampire for hire. It is very hard to put it down. Im not sharing any spoilers but again all ends up more or less right in her world of course because thats how she makes it happen.
November 2, 2025
Great Story
Great story! There’s nonstop action, and I would love to see this one adapted into a movie. The tension builds beautifully—especially knowing Sam has to save both a young boy and her own daughter on the same day. The scenes were written so vividly that I could picture everything as if it were playing out on screen. This book had me hooked from beginning to end.
Great story! There’s nonstop action, and I would love to see this one adapted into a movie. The tension builds beautifully—especially knowing Sam has to save both a young boy and her own daughter on the same day. The scenes were written so vividly that I could picture everything as if it were playing out on screen. This book had me hooked from beginning to end.
October 22, 2017
Things are heating up
Frankenstein's monsters are real. What is the lake monster and where did it come from? Samantha has the toughest fight of her life, while also dealing with issues with Tammy.
Frankenstein's monsters are real. What is the lake monster and where did it come from? Samantha has the toughest fight of her life, while also dealing with issues with Tammy.
March 17, 2018
Kids
She loves her kids. I enjoy reading this book. Sam is a great Vampire. She's caring and exciting. Her family and friends she protects and also strangers. I'm loving this series. Thanks
She loves her kids. I enjoy reading this book. Sam is a great Vampire. She's caring and exciting. Her family and friends she protects and also strangers. I'm loving this series. Thanks
May 11, 2018
Another Marvelous read by JR Rain!!!
What a variety of fiction, Well thought out, made to be read with speed and no bumps. This writer has accomplished it all!! Very descriptive writing & very detailed for those with a squeamish bend. You will enjoy!!
What a variety of fiction, Well thought out, made to be read with speed and no bumps. This writer has accomplished it all!! Very descriptive writing & very detailed for those with a squeamish bend. You will enjoy!!
May 22, 2018
I skipped a lot of the in-between books from 4 to 10 and this one filled in a lot of the gaps. Kind of like reading the end to see if you want to read the entire book. I can come back to buy 4-10 next time I want to read this series but right now I have others I have to get to.
February 21, 2019
Another great book
I really enjoyed reading this book. Sam faces a new case concerning a lost boy, and new revelations concerning her family. A terror including her bf's butler's maker is included as well. For fans of mystery and paranormal writing, this book is for you.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Sam faces a new case concerning a lost boy, and new revelations concerning her family. A terror including her bf's butler's maker is included as well. For fans of mystery and paranormal writing, this book is for you.
April 7, 2019
Awesome storytelling
Five stars for the characters and the story!
I really liked her having a case of seeing a lake monster turn into 3 different things missing kids and Frankenstein! Plus her side story of her daughter.
Five stars for the characters and the story!
I really liked her having a case of seeing a lake monster turn into 3 different things missing kids and Frankenstein! Plus her side story of her daughter.
September 19, 2020
Samantha Moon the greatest paranormal mom there is
If you haven’t started this series of books from the start then stop what you’re doing and do so. It seems like there isn’t a bad book yet and there’s never a dull moment. You won’t regret it.
If you haven’t started this series of books from the start then stop what you’re doing and do so. It seems like there isn’t a bad book yet and there’s never a dull moment. You won’t regret it.
November 16, 2020
Bloodline
A different type of detective story for Sam and yes monsters are involved. We learn a lot about Sam her friends and lovers. Mary Shelly’s good doctor has been up to no good for years and has met his match.
A different type of detective story for Sam and yes monsters are involved. We learn a lot about Sam her friends and lovers. Mary Shelly’s good doctor has been up to no good for years and has met his match.
March 24, 2021
Moon
Sometimes I really enjoy it when classic horror is added in to new books. Especially if it's done creatively enough to not change the story but add depth to it. That happened here. We've got the Loch Ness monster and Frankenstein. Sam is leading the way. I loved it!
Sometimes I really enjoy it when classic horror is added in to new books. Especially if it's done creatively enough to not change the story but add depth to it. That happened here. We've got the Loch Ness monster and Frankenstein. Sam is leading the way. I loved it!
May 4, 2021
Too deep for words
I'm at a loss for words for how deep I'm into this series. I can't seem to pull away to read anything else right now. Thanks JR Rain. Awesome writer with a spectacular gift.
I'm at a loss for words for how deep I'm into this series. I can't seem to pull away to read anything else right now. Thanks JR Rain. Awesome writer with a spectacular gift.
June 29, 2021
For those complaining about the repetitiveness, I get it BUT each story could stand alone and you could pick up each book a year apart and not be lost because she refreshes our memory. Love it for what it is—a supernatural piece of romantic fiction.
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