Wayward Moon

Souls of the Road #2

by Devon Monk

A deal with a god comes with deadly strings attached...

Lovers Brogan and Lula Gauge have traveled the haunted byways of Route 66 for almost a hundred years. Their deal with the god Cupid has brought Brogan back to life, but the return to the living world hasn’t been easy for him. What’s more, that deal left them deeply indebted to the god.

Now the god is demanding his due.

To honor their side of the deal, Brogan and Lula must find what Cupid wants found. The god hasn’t given them much to go on other than: find the rabbit that is not a rabbit. Do the right thing.

If the right thing involves facing down feuding werewolves, banishing vengeful ghosts, and venturing into the deep, ancient caverns beneath the Missouri hills, then Brogan and Lula might be on the right path.

But lurking deep within those caverns is an evil older than the gods. It is clever. It is waiting. It is hungry.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Paranormal, Fiction, Magic

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2021

About the author

Devon Monk is a national best selling writer of urban fantasy. Her series include Ordinary Magic, House Immortal, Allie Beckstrom, Broken Magic and Shame and Terric. She also writes the Age of Steam steampunk series, and the occasional short story which can be found in her collection: A Cup of Normal, and in various anthologies. She has one husband, two sons, and lives in Oregon. When not writing, Devon is either drinking too much coffee or knitting silly things.

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always happy with a new Devon Monk - this one is a follow up to last year's Wayward Souls which sets in the same universe with Monk's Ordinary Magic series.

Brogan and Lula now being "tied with making a deal" with Bo, the Cupid god, is tasked to find the Moon rabbit. Bo said that the rabbit would also help them find the book (I think this book is mentioned in Nobody's Ghoul, a missing god-spells book, which could be very important in the upcoming gods vs. demons war).

I definitely enjoyed this 🙂. I can't help wishing that Brogan and Lula will end up at Ordinary. But before that, this is all about their adventure (while looking for the missing book). In this one, they encounter werewolves, ghost, and a scary supernatural creature, the HUSH. Loved that introduction to a different supernatural being! Also Moon rabbit!! It seems that the rabbit will be part of their journey too, so I look forward to that.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy her books, and this series is fun for me because it's happening near-ish where I grew up. Her Ordinary series is on of my top favorite series of all time, so it was fun to see it get a small shout-out here.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

✮✮✮½

[Veronika Hrancova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting enough for me to want to continue with this series.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to part of this in Graphic Audio and finished up the rest by reading it. I enjoyed it more with the audio to be truthful. Some things are cleared up but a lot more mess is stirred up in this one. Brogan grew on me, i emphasized with him having to adjust to the times and not being incorporeal anymore. Him and Lula had a lot of adjusting to do, sure they are glad to finally be together and able to freely talk after 100 years but sometimes that isn't a good thing.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that Brogan Gauge has been brought back to life as a result of the deal he and Lula made with the god Cupid, he’s still getting used to being back in the living world. This doesn’t stop the couple from having to hold up their side of the bargain, they must look for a rabbit that is not a rabbit and do the right thing, whatever that means. In their search they run across a vengeful ghost, feuding werewolves, and evil beings that want to do harm to everyone, as well as Lula’s friend Ricky, a magical being called a Crossroads. I so enjoy this loving couple that have been kept apart and forced to roam the byways of Route 66 for almost a hundred years, being able to touch each other for a few stolen moments at a time through a magical pocket watch. It is so wonderful to see them able to express their feelings and be with each other, but they’re still not wholly alive or human and their abilities reflect that. The secondary characters in the story were great, especially the hunters that turned out not to be evil as hunters usually are, and Valentine, the werewolf ghost. I’m really enjoying this Souls of the Road series and more stories can’t come soon enough, I can’t wait to read more.

[A L Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get you kicks on route 66

2 people forced to travel on route 66 for almost 100 years. Bound together by love and death they travel together in search of a cure or revenge. Now having made a deal with the god Cupid "call me Bo" they are trying to find a rabbit and, "do the right thing." Whatever that is. I really loved both the books in this series and would highly recommend them. Lots of positive characters, no extreme violence or adult content. Just a good mystery romance with a bit of paranormal thrown in.
Nice characters the male main character is the central voice and I enjoyed that he wasnt perfect or all powerful. The female character came across as sassy but kind hearted and the two make a great mystery hunting pair. Anyway give it a go I read Ilona Andrews, etc and if you like their writing youll like this.

[Melindeeloo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Wayward Moon - this is a newer series from devon monk. This is the second book and the original premise involves the leads who are married. One is not quite alive and the other not quite dead and they are stuck traveling Route 66. (I liked the first story too but it was short if IRC.) I thought the tone of this story was interesting - it is narrated by the guy who is really essentially from another time. It's kind of a spinoff of the ordinary series same world but outside of the town of Ordinary

[Annie Yotova · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the end of the previous novel, Cupid decided to help Lula and Brogan and made Brogan alive again (or at least visible and being able to feel and touch - how dead or alive any of the two is may be a different conversation). Which sounds great (unless you realize that you made a deal with a god and that is never a good idea). But after almost a century of being non-corporeal, talking to himself when he chooses to (because noone could hear him), giving Lula advice she did not ask for (and could not hear) and being able to pass through anything, Brogan has a bit of a problem adjusting (if we want to be generous). And he is too much of a 1930s man to admit it.

And just to make things weirder, Cupid shows up to ask for something - he sends them to find a rabbit - a rabbit that had already seen and missed. So off they go backtracking and trying to figure out what Cupid meant (while most readers would have a pretty good idea what (or who) the rabbit is - but then we did not spend weeks driving on Route 66 with our lovers - we just saw a single scene.

They finally figure out the rabbit part but there is a bit of an issue - there are werewolves, there is Crossroads (who is a woman and a house and a place and... it is hard to explain) and there is the Hush. And none of them is happy with Brogan. A few uneasy alliances later, a bit more Moon-related lore and a battle which almost kills everyone and things start looking up. Except for the book Lula and Brogan are still supposed to look for - not only everyone wants it but it appears to be a lot more than they anticipated.

It is a nice installment in a series which does not really shine but is entertaining enough for me to consider looking at some of the other series by the same author. It's not sparkling prose but I don't need it in all my books. Now the long wait for the next novel in the series...

[EchoBaz(Unofficial World's Fastest Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tl;dr: Finished it in a Day Great, Mercifully Short Urban Fantasy Romance Graphic Audiobook


Really fun, sweet, cute romance novel, the exact kind of romance that I want more of, where the couple have been together for a while, and it's a real cute happy, healthy relationship. None of this will they won't they crap where they don't even admit their feelings until the end of the story so we don't actually get to see them in a relationship. The drama doesn't come in from them trying to make a shaky relationship work, the drama comes in them trying to stop things like other people trying to make it so they can't spend their time together.

spoilers for something that no one here is gonna read. I say click the spoilers if you wanna read about something heartwarming and inspiring.

So apparantly at the end of the first book the guy made a deal with cupid. He's some sort of alternative version of a ghost, and the god Cupid offers to give him a corperal form so he can be with the woman he loves all he wants. In exchange Cupid gives the couple special tasks, retrieving people and artifacts.He spent the last 60 or so years as this alternative version to a ghost, only being able to even talk to his partner for minutes at a time, not being able to touch each other. This couple is so inspiring!

4/5 would read again

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellence

Devon Monk is one of my top favorite authors. I've enjoyed each book from each series I've read by her. Some more than others but that's to be expected. I liked this second in series better than the first in series. This settled down in language and story. Book one wss heavy on similes and flowery descriptors. I realized it was because one of the main characters wss a ghost of sorts and he talked that way likely to remind him how things felt or smelled or tasted. This book he's corporeal so not as much need for reminders and the language settled.
It's Action and mythology was unique and intriguing in this . I liked it. The Hush was a shivery evil that I could feel in my imagination.
I liked Abbi and the werewolves inclusion in the story..
I can absolutely recommend this book, series and author.

[Piseog · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of book 2 was more interesting than book 1, with a clear beginning, middle and end (something that was lacking from the first one). However, Lula and Brogan weren't as exciting for me. I loved the potential of Lula and Brogan in book 1, and I'm sorry to say I feel like the author squandered it. I just want to learn more about them and we are distracted with other drama. I will say, I enjoyed Val and some of the comradery between everyone, but it's wasn't enough to make me love it. I still have so many questions about Lula and Brogan, and we get very little intimacy between them. It was fine but nothing great. My interest in waning so much I'm not sure I'll read book 3.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the start of this one Brogan and Lula are good, starting to live their new normal of a life. Then Cupid comes along and throws a wrench into things. Soon they are off on an adventure with a new ghost, looking for the rabbit. At the crossroads things change for them, because here is their stand. With a lot of new allies, some that don't seem like they should be working together the group manages to do what needs to be one to protect the rabbit and send them on the longer quest of the book. With new companions on this journey you know it won't be without drama.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

new adventure

Cupid has sent Lula and Brogan on a mission to find Rabbit and do the right thing. With that cryptic quest they team up with a ghost to find rabbit. It turns out the Hush have been up to no good and Lula And Brogan must enlist the help of the local supernatural community to stop their interference. Meanwhile Brogan must adjust to being a solid human again and get used to having feelings. I’m looking forward to the next book.

[cathy m freeze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this couple

Love the connections. Even love Bo, the love god. Dying to see what odd, scary vampires made this couple. Have a horrible suspicion about their connection to Bo, tho. That will be sad, if true.

This series has some of the best magical systems I've ever seen. Some the most interesting friendships. And some of the best writing, truth be told. Just lovely all around.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very good

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the story and the new characters that were introduced. I loved that there were some small references to other series from the author. It wasn’t something you had to know but more of an insider “wink”. Brogan’s whiny inner dialog became tiresome but his friendship with Val made up for it. I think Crossroads deserves her own book- imagine the adventures! I’m looking forward to the next road trip for theses two.

[John E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back the road

The not dead but not alive lovers are back on the road and visiting a crossroads. I admit to not loving this series as much as some of Monk's other works but I continue to find myself reading it cover to cover as quickly as possible. The small references to Ordinary are nice little gems.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this story. I love Brogan and Lula. The plot is interesting and kept me very entertained. I am a little bummed that Graphic Audio has not released the third book in the series. I hope that they will do so. If they don't I will still continue on to the next book in the series. Probably as an ebook.

[Nicole Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't get enough!

I adore this series. Fantastic characters with depth and heart, in a truly imaginative twist on the Urban Fantasy world.

Watch out - these books will hook you right in, in the best possible way.

[Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wayward Moon picks up from where Wayward Souls left off. Brogan and Lula are finally free of the half-dead existence they have been living for the past 80 years. But the god they made a deal with is still isn't done with them. And the book they lost? That's come to haunt them too.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome with a side of really cool.

[Shana Pare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love forever

This is such a great series with characters that walk in step through all kinds of trouble and grief. I also like the time-in with the Ordinary series and plot.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent read. I'm seeing a convergence with the Ordinary books and I'm soooo looking forward to it. I love these characters more with every page.

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book in the series as much if not more than the first. Such an unusual premise with a great cast of characters.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

New twists

I enjoy My and Brogan's story. This one involves werewolves, moon rabbits, ghosts, and crossroads as they continue along Route66

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

8/10 These books are soothing and wonderful in a way that’s hard to describe. Interesting magic, a fast moving plot and genuine connections. I want more!

[Georgen Charnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

So now Brogan is alive, by the grace of Cupid. He finds it hard to adapt to, but is happy to be with Lula again. They're on an enigmatic quest for Cupid, and end up developing their found family.

This review is based on the Graphic Audio production, so I don't know how much of the story was abridged.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty short, fun, and sweet, might just continue with the series

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

delightful tale

This adds more information about Lu and Brogan. It delights with mystery and danger. I like the ending and what it reveals.