Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian, #1)

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Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian #1)

by Keri Arthur (Goodreads Author)

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 15,715 ratings · 817 reviews

Paperback, 372 pages

Published December 26th 2006 by Dell (first published January 31st 2006)

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Oct 12, 2010 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reading Full Moon Rising left me confused. I’m not sure how to rate this book: I’m torn between a 2 and a 3 star rating.
There’s one thing I am pretty sure about, though: miss Keri Arthur either had a very strict and conservative upbringing or she was an extremely insecure and overweight wallflower during puberty. Whatever the reason, it seems like she’s been living out her fantasies through her heroine.

Riley Jenson is fan-ta-bu-lous, apparently. She is the center of attention, loved and lusted...more Reading Full Moon Rising left me confused. I’m not sure how to rate this book: I’m torn between a 2 and a 3 star rating.
There’s one thing I am pretty sure about, though: miss Keri Arthur either had a very strict and conservative upbringing or she was an extremely insecure and overweight wallflower during puberty. Whatever the reason, it seems like she’s been living out her fantasies through her heroine.

Riley Jenson is fan-ta-bu-lous, apparently. She is the center of attention, loved and lusted after by everyone, because she’s pretty, sweet, tough and smart. She proves the latter within the first chapter of the book by wearing 6 inch heels on the job in stead of 8 inch heels, because those are ‘easier to run with’. Atta girl!

Other than that, quite frankly, she didn’t make very well thought out decisions. What she did do, however, was run around semi naked (or completely naked) throughout more than half of the book. The other half she was having sex. And doing stupid things. Mostly simultaneously.

Writers being head over heels with their protagonists are a big no-no for me. Another thing I don’t like is bad and/or illogical world building. Riley's world seemed really interesting in the beginning. There were several supernatural communities and the fresh take (well, maybe not so ‘fresh’) on vampires was nice. But as the book progressed and we learned more about the world Riley is living in, things stopped making sense.

My biggest peeve being the whole ‘moon craze’ thing. While it was the perfect means for having Riley prance around naked and horny for most of the time, it did take away the credibility. Whatever your beliefs, there’s no denying that natural selection ensues that a species’ traits is based on survival, not the opposite. Having werewolves follow their sexual instinct for a week per month (in which they lose all morals, control and not to mention: common sense) is a sure way to get a species extinct within no time. Still, in Arthur’s world, werewolves have been around for centuries. In relative secrecy even, until recently.
Another thing that seemed illogical was the fact that the different species of the supernatural community didn’t know much about each other, even basic stuff like general powers and longevity.

The secondaries in the book were pretty one-dimensional. The scary vampire, the asshole boyfriend and of course: Quinn. Quinn’s hotness is pretty much shoved down our throat but by the end of the book, I can’t really say I’m interested to read more about him.

In spite of all my ranting, I can say that the writing in general was pretty okay. But due to my annoyance with Riley and the lack of logic, I couldn’t really enjoy the book. But since this is a first in the series: I’ll be mild and round up my rating to three stars.
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Oct 19, 2010 Izabela C rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm sorry, but this book is just terrible. I seriously regret buying all nine books in the series, because I couldn't even finish this first one. They're going to the second-hand bookstore TOMORROW, lol - no way in hell am I wasting another minute of my life on Riley Jenson and Co.

There's so many things about this book that put me off, but the biggest one would have to be the superficiality ... there's no depth, whatsoever, to ANYTHING - and this makes it very difficult to connect to the charact...more I'm sorry, but this book is just terrible. I seriously regret buying all nine books in the series, because I couldn't even finish this first one. They're going to the second-hand bookstore TOMORROW, lol - no way in hell am I wasting another minute of my life on Riley Jenson and Co.

There's so many things about this book that put me off, but the biggest one would have to be the superficiality ... there's no depth, whatsoever, to ANYTHING - and this makes it very difficult to connect to the characters or the storyline. No emotions, no nothing. What? I've just been shot? That's okay, I'll just do an instant shift into werewolf form, then back to human form, then - what do you know?! - instant healing!! - problem solved. Love?? Who needs that?! In my world, werewolves are overcome with the need to MATE for a quarter of every month. Yeah, we just have sex with everyone, all over the place. Sex. Sex Clubs. Sex. Sex Clubs. Sex. Sex Clubs. Sex Clubs. Sex. Sex. Sex. What? You're a nasty scum-type clone-freak trying to rape me with your barbed penis? OMG! I'm so freaking horny! But NO I'm going to use my super powers of awesome to make you have sex with your partner in crime, THEN make you sit down and stare blankly at the wall. Oh yeah, as for those powers of awesome, I just have them. So many of them. I'm just absolutely freaking amazing.

While I have no problem with a lot of sex in books, it just gets on my nerves when characters are sleeping with MULTIPLE people they have absolutely no feelings for, for some stupid contrived reason. I MUST HAVE SEX ALL WEEK!!! SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! Meaningless sex is just - well - MEANINGLESS. It serves no purpose in this story, apart from filling the pages with sex. It's one thing when it's between two people who have feelings for one another, or are in some sort of situation where it makes sense, but when people are just sleeping with each other for the sake of it, it's just stupid. What? My twin brother's missing? Too bad! I must have sex! Then I must have more sex with another guy. Then I'm thinking about sex with the random vampire stranger trying to help me find my brother. Then I'm turned on by the bad-guy clones, or whatever the heck they are, then MORE sex with the guy who SO OBVIOUSLY drugged me the other day and sliced out my contraceptive chip because he's obsessed with having my baby, yet I'm Too Stupid To Live because all I can think of is SSSSSSEEEEEEXXXXXX!!!

I didn't even get half way and she's already had sex about 10 times ... it's all she thinks about ... it's all everyone does ... SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! My god. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.

As for the plot? Please. It's so freaking boring and hardly makes any sense at all. Clone this. Experiment that. Genetics blah blah. Interesting? NO.

Also, everyone has so much MONEY! Ferrari this, multi-billionaire that ... but - hey - no big deal, Riley's had sex with rich guys before. *nods* She sure has. She only mentions this about FIVE ZILLION TIMES.

Anyway, I have a feeling that if you like Adrian Phoenix's series - the one with Dante the OMG AMAZING GOD-LIKE CREATURE - you might just enjoy this one.(less)

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Feb 16, 2010 Kay rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who use universe building as an excuse for idiotic sex.

Shelves: oh-the-hatred, someone-please-kill-main-character, you-must-be-joking, shoot-stab-burn

Riley Jenson gets a fairly decent introduction, where she saves a bunch of humans from vampires despite the fact that she is utterly terrified. Physically strong, but emotionally normal. Identifiable. Believable.

And then the entire book goes to hell.

Instead of focusing on the fact that her twin is missing for the first half of the novel, Riley puts on a brave face and gets on with the day-to-day. Huh? Why isn't she curled up in a ball sobbing? Why isn't she taking off the heads of people getting...more Riley Jenson gets a fairly decent introduction, where she saves a bunch of humans from vampires despite the fact that she is utterly terrified. Physically strong, but emotionally normal. Identifiable. Believable.

And then the entire book goes to hell.

Instead of focusing on the fact that her twin is missing for the first half of the novel, Riley puts on a brave face and gets on with the day-to-day. Huh? Why isn't she curled up in a ball sobbing? Why isn't she taking off the heads of people getting in her way to find him? Why isn't this taking up her every waking moment? Because she is horny - that's why. The moon is calling to her, so she must have sex right now, and I mean rightnowmusthaveGRR. In Arthurs's world, all werewolves spend a week a month having non-stop sex with anyone until they meet their one-true-love. Uh-huh. Sure. How very practical.

But whatever. So she is sleeping around while searching for "the most important person in her life" - I can get over that. My issue is with the, er, three (?) times Riley was forced to have sex because she was drugged/kidnapped/on a mission. Apparently, this is only slightly unacceptable in Riley's deluded mind. Why? Because with the insane plot device that is the "moon heat" she would have been unable to say no anyways. So really, it isn't too big a deal.

And when it's all over, is she overcome by her desire for revenge? Nope. When she is betrayed, physically and emotionally, by people she trusted for years - does she feel the need to visit a shrink and let all her emotions pour out? Of course not - that would be completely against her lack-of-character.

Honestly. Despite 300-odd pages in her POV, I don't know Riley. One minute she is all touchy feel "oh gosh, I hate to kill"; the next she is eagerly dressing up as a prostitute while psychically forcing two guys to rape each other (and no I don't care if they deserved it). What was going on in that fictional brain of hers, who knows. Although I imagine if I had, this review would have been significantly more explicit.

http://deadbookdarling.blogspot.com/2...(less)

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Apr 13, 2010 FlibBityFLooB rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, witty-i-am-not, shifters, vampires, read-more-than-once, read-in-2011, urban-fantasy-or-paranormal

Re-read June 2011 --- I found myself more invested in the characters on re-read. I'm planning on continuing the series after this re-read.

Original Review:
Reading this was kind of like watching an action movie on basic cable -- it served its purpose and was moderately interesting, but it was kind of forgettable after finishing. That being said, it wasn’t a bad book. It kept my attention while reading it, I liked most of the characters, and the mystery was something that managed to pull a bit of c...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vamps, werewolves, adult, did-that-just-happen, shapeshifters, supernatural, whoa-thats-a-lot-of-sex, read-in-2013, sassy-heroines, romance, hawt-heroes, action, keri-arthur, riley-jensen, ntotrya-feb-2013-challenge

Synopsis:

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period bef...more Synopsis:

A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.

Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.

In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her.

My Thoughts:

I liked this book, but didn't love it. The rating is more like 3 1/2 stars as opposed to four, but I am intrigued enough to find out what's really going on with this clones/halfbreeds mess, so I will continue on.

I'm not sure how I feel about Riley as a heroine, yet. She seems fun and doesn't let what other people influence her too much. She can kick ass, too. I have no problem with her sexuality since I knew about it going into the book. Though I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about it. There were maybe some times when the sex seemed to happen at inappropriate moments. Also, I do hope that there are too many instances where Riley is on a case during the week of the full moon. I can only read about her fever rising but so many times. It reminds me of Anita and the ardeur before she got more control over it. Only in this series, moon lust is such a part of what makes weres, weres that I'm sure it will be a prominent theme in the series. I just don't want it to interrupt the ongoing plot.(less)

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Jul 01, 2012 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-series, books-i-own-audio, 2012-challenge, review-for-vbc, books-i-own-ebook

Originally reviewed for and posted at Vampire Book Club

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Full Moon Rising, the first in Keri Arthur’s sexy Riley Jenson Guardian series, hits the ground running from the first page and the action keeps coming thick and fast.

Set in Melbourne sometime in the near future we see Riley reluctantly get pulled deeper into the Directorate, a government agency tasked with policing the supernatural community, after her twin brother goes missing. This book has a great blend of urban...more Originally reviewed for and posted at Vampire Book Club

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Full Moon Rising, the first in Keri Arthur’s sexy Riley Jenson Guardian series, hits the ground running from the first page and the action keeps coming thick and fast.

Set in Melbourne sometime in the near future we see Riley reluctantly get pulled deeper into the Directorate, a government agency tasked with policing the supernatural community, after her twin brother goes missing. This book has a great blend of urban fantasy and sci-fi with Arthur building the mystery throughout for some great twists and turns.

Riley’s dhampire genetics gave a great platform for a mix of werewolf and vampire abilities, although I did wish we could have seen more of her wolf. As the conspiracies and betrayals build against her, Riley struggles to come to terms with her heritage and it’s implications. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly and uses her sexuality as a weapon, which makes for some great verbal sparring (and interesting costume choices!). She can take care of herself but I liked that she never loses sight of her goal. She walks away from dangerous situations or people when they wouldn’t help her achieve it.

Full Moon Rising also has a well-rounded supporting cast of characters, good and bad. The connection between Rhoan and Riley is so strong it drives the plot. You get the feeling it’s been them against the world for a long time. Quinn is your typical brooding-yet-charming love interest. While I appreciated his determination and loyalty, his treatment of Riley is sometimes less than stellar. I enjoyed the flawed (and seemly doomed) nature of his and Riley’s attraction though and am interested to see where it goes.

There is a lot of sex in this book… a lot. The werewolf culture is built around the ‘moon fever,’ an intense sexual need, that they each experience in the week leading up the full moon. This means there is causal sex with multiple partners, which may not be the taste of readers looking for more of a paranormal romance style. This is not without repercussions for the wolves, however, and we see Riley dealing with a fair amount of prejudice about her nature. There are important relationships though, some of which I can easily see leading to more of a steady romance plot in later books.

If you’re looking for a hot and steamy urban fantasy filled with supernatural espionage and darker undertones, Full Moon Rising is one to pick up! Arthur sets the wheels in motion for some long reaching plot arcs and slow building romance, that suggest this is going to be a great series… Even better this series is complete, so no waiting time!

Sexual content: graphic sex, rape(less)

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Mar 08, 2009 Karyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-n-before, fantasy, paranormal

OK, Weird shit is happening people. Between reading all 6 books of this series one after another, forgetting to get up in the morning to go to work (i don't know does it count as forgetting, if you have 4 alarms and you don't hear any of them because you were awake reading till 5.40 am and had to get up at 8) and then realising it makes more sense to stay home and read until all the books are over, i think I've lost perspective on other important things in life. Like making sure there's enough c...more

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Jan 18, 2009 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, urban, ebook-read, read-in-2009, vampire, werewolf, ebook-owned, twitter-author

A very good dark fantasy series. Great lead character, a mouthy half-werewolf/half-vampire. Good mystery that kept me interested. Billed as a romance series and has a lot of sexual situations, but not especially erotic.

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Jun 18, 2010 Zeek rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, dnf

I tried this, the first Riley Jensen novel by Keri Arthur, but couldn't get into it- I'm realizing I'm really not a huge fan of Urban Fantasy. I need a Happily Ever After with one hero/heroine to root for- the bed hopping ala Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series makes me insane and this story was stacking up the same way.

I also had a hard time connecting with Riley. So-

passing on this series.

DNF

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Jul 15, 2011 gina rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like werewolf rape. jeeze.

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vampires-werewolves, audiobook

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 19, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

All I have to say is “WHY HAVEN’T I STARTED THIS SERIES YET!?” This wonderful book came out in 2006! I am behind the freaking times! This is my problem in most PNR series… I almost always fall for the guy she doesn’t pick! Then I find myself all sad when she does nothing more than kiss and maybe cuddle them (Poor Adrian, Poor Vlad). But in this book… she actually is able to do more with other people because of her werewolf urges from the full moon approaching, and not get labeled a slut. The onl...more

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Mar 28, 2009 Kelley Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, fantasy, vampires-shifters, audiobooks

This is one of those books that I'm not really sure how to describe and I am really wavering on what to rate it. Part of me wants to rate it a 2 and part of me wants to rate it a 4, so I compromised and gave it a 3. I enjoyed the action/suspense angle of the book. And for the most part, I like the world that the author has created. But, there were things about how the werewolf world is set up that I absolutely hated. I hated the EXTREMELY casual attitude that is taken about sex. Keri Arthur has...more

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May 02, 2010 Nina R. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-hold

This is the second paranormal romance/urban fantasy series with 'werewolves' that I have read. Besides her constantly thinking about sex, the story line is very entertaining. Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse Series, recommended this Series. I'm on page 194 of 374.

FINISHED! I enjoyed this story very much. I haven't really read a book from a werewolf's POV (besides Twilight). Riley is unique because she is half-were/half-vamp; but definitely more were-wolf. I give this book 4 sta...more This is the second paranormal romance/urban fantasy series with 'werewolves' that I have read. Besides her constantly thinking about sex, the story line is very entertaining. Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse Series, recommended this Series. I'm on page 194 of 374.

FINISHED! I enjoyed this story very much. I haven't really read a book from a werewolf's POV (besides Twilight). Riley is unique because she is half-were/half-vamp; but definitely more were-wolf. I give this book 4 starts because of the extraordinary plot, action-packed/suspenseful story-line, creativity, and entertainment value. This book is def more urban fantasy. The paranormal romance element is that Riley is eventually looking for her pack-mate; but I don't think she is anytime soon.

SUMMARY: We are introduced to her life and role in the Directorate for Supernatural Races. Her brother is a "Guardian" for the Directorate and ends up missing. Riley has to find him and also figure out who she can trust in her world of bizarre events. She also has to deal with the moon heat at the same time. *I kinda felt like the sex in the story was over-done, but in this world, it is part of being a were-wolf and a way for them to celelbrate their species.* The characters were well described. We meet Jack (The Director of the Directorate and Riley's boss), Rhoan (Riley's twin brother), Quinn (the amnesia suffering nake vamp that shows up at her doorstep), Gautier (villainous "Guardian"), Talon (one of Riley's consistent mates), and Mischa (another of her consistent mates). (Forgive me if I left anyone else out). I liked that Ms. Arthur did not overwhelm us with too many characters/POVs. There is way more to the story than what the back cover summarizes and I definitely want to check out book 2. My only complaint (and reason behind 4 stars instead of 5) is that throughout the entire story, I couldn't picture in my mind what Riley looked like. Ms. Arthur did not really elaborate except for the red hair and the style of clothes she wore. I got more physical description about the other characters, but not the main one! I was able to read the book in a few days and really enjoyed the story line. I will definitely recommend this series and will continue with it, once I get finished with my ridiculously long list of 'To be read.'
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Dec 18, 2012 ❉Olivia ツ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, 2012

Naked man covered in mud. I knew I was going to like this story when by chapter two we're introduced to a hot naked vampire named Quinn. I was actually determined NOT to enjoy this book. I did not want another series in my mountain of series to catch up on. Alas, that plan didn't work. This was a good balance of smuttiness and action. There were scenes that actually made me blush and I don't blush easily.

While I don't mind sex in books, I was a bit put-off by Riley's whoring. I was appalled at c...more

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Aug 29, 2012 P.A. Lupton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am doing a happy squeal right now because I loved this book! It was fantastic. I’m definitely a new Keri Arthur fan. And there are a lot in this series to keep me busy for a while.

One of my favorite things about this book is Riley Jenson. She is a kick ass heroine. To me, she was a cross between Cat from Night Huntress and Georgina Kincaid. She had all of the snark that Cat has and can kick butt, but she is also a little slutty and definitely compelling and fun like Georgina. Her sluttiness w...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Catherine Forbes rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: urban fantasy fans

Shelves: keri-arthur, urban-fantasy, vampires, werewolves

Riley Jenson is very special, for she is a werewolf / vampire hybrid, which is a very rare natural occurrence. She works for the Directorate of Other Races alongside her twin brother, Rhoan, which is an organisation to help keep humanity safe and keep in check the non-human races of the world. Things for Riley ‘heat up’ as the full moon is near and her need to mate burns in her veins, but it isn’t all pleasure for her. Being attacked by clones and unnatural cross-breeds sends Riley into a spiral...more Riley Jenson is very special, for she is a werewolf / vampire hybrid, which is a very rare natural occurrence. She works for the Directorate of Other Races alongside her twin brother, Rhoan, which is an organisation to help keep humanity safe and keep in check the non-human races of the world. Things for Riley ‘heat up’ as the full moon is near and her need to mate burns in her veins, but it isn’t all pleasure for her. Being attacked by clones and unnatural cross-breeds sends Riley into a spiral of events that will change her life. Can Riley keep alive even when the moon rides her so hard?

It took me a long while to read this book due to personal reasons and being in hospital, but saying that, I could have read it sooner. It just wasn’t something I was dying to finish.

I started reading with an open mind, taking into account the other reviews I had previously read about the book. I was prepared.

The casual and recurring sex didn’t bother me in the slightest. The celebration of sex was quite understandable, considering dogs and the like do go into heat. Not every month, but still do, nonetheless. Bringing more sexuality into the werewolf genre was interesting, but it failed. I don’t need reminded at every page that the fever is burning within Riley. I don’t need it repeated over and over. I don’t have a three second memory span.

I don’t have much to say about Riley. I do like her, even though she thinks she is just beautiful and amazing at sex. Yes, she wears high heels and barely any clothing but... so what? Can’t our heroines be more feminine sometimes? She could have been a LOT worse. With me, I care more about actions than clothes. Did she do anything to practically tick me off? No.

The author obviously loves Riley very much; someone who has no training but knows how to kick butt all the same. So, beautiful, amazing at sex and kicks butt. Could there be anything else to make her more perfect? Oh, yeah, she may recieve more awesome abilities in the future due to being drugged against her will.

One thing that bothered me to no end was the absolute lack of description of her wolf form. The 'changing into it and changing back' thing was just a total lack of imagination or plain laziness. We don't even know if her senses change or what she feels in that form. I like to know more about my werewolves.

The plot was not that great. It didn’t reel me in and get me excited. It was a bit different than the norm, but didn’t keep me interested. Riley seemed to be a very special girl indeed, as a lot centred on her.

I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. Rhoan was flat and I didn’t care for him at all. Did he even have a personality? Jack was okay, if a bit creepy. Quinn was HOT! Oh, apologies, it seemed the book has branded that into my mind. Quinn was all right. I would like to see more of him. Obviously he cares for Riley more than he lets on.

First book in the series, so perhaps it will improve.

© Catherine Forbes 2011(less)

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May 05, 2011 Hilary rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy-paranormal-romance

A few other people have already covered what I think, so this is basically a recap. I'd rate this one 2.5 if I could. I'll probably read one or two more to see if the series gets better (there are other series where I tend to skip the first book as being too bad/painful to read on a regular basis).

The positive: Interesting premise and urban-fantasy world, though the main character was slightly unbelievable (there were improvements as the book went on) and some of the situations were just plain w...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Pansy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: shifter-pnr

I really wanted to like this book. I did not totally dislike it but it did not keep my attention. The beginning of the book grabbed my attention. Riley Jensen was an ass-kicking vampire/werewolf who danced to her own beat. By the middle, my enthusiasm went down.

She and her brother were kicked out of their pack because of their mixed breed and stayed together and formed their own pack. Riley's brother is an enforcer and she works in the same department as sort of gopher. Riley's brother goes mis...more

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Apr 17, 2008 Esther rated it 1 of 5 stars

Full Moon Rising is for a more mature audience, revolving more around explicit and inappropriate content than necessary. Despite the fact that the blurb on the back of the book informed us about the heat of the full moon and its effect on Riley, the dhampire - half Vampire, half Werewolf - protagonist, I wasn't warned about the extremeties I had to encounter while reading the book. I thought that this book would have an interesting plot with all the distractions of a deliciously irresistable Va...more

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May 02, 2012 Carolyn F. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, audiobook-and-owned-book

Re-read by audiobook. I also have the paperback.
I liked this narrator because she's Australian. The next book which I've already started as I'm writing this is an American attempting to talk as an Australian. Sometimes it works, but not on the heels of listening to this book. I'm comparing and NOT enjoying the comparison.
I'm not liking Riley as much this book and I think it's all that over-the-top sexual innuendo. It's like the Monty Python skit where he says, "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no m...more

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Dec 16, 2008 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I liked this book, but the only reason I didn't give it more stars was because I didn't really like how the werewolves were portrayed in the story. I found it slightly annoying that the characters kept bringing up moon fever, and how they are basically slaves to lust every full moon. But I wasn't that annoyed that I didn't enjoy the book, and I will read the next one because Riley is an intriguing character.

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Aug 03, 2008 Jaime rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: keri-arthur

I couldn't put this book down!! This is the first book in the Riley Jenson Guardian series. Riley is half werewolf/half vampire, but her werewolf half is more dominant. She has a twin brother, Rhoan who is the opposite. His vampire half is more dominant.

One evening Riley senses her brother is in trouble, and when she reaches her home she finds a very attractive and very naked vampire on her doorstep named Quinn. His memory patchy, but determined to wait for her brother to return.

This is the star...more

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May 18, 2008 Sayuri_x rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This book has been sitting in my TBR pile for ages. I finally picked it up and I have to say I really enjoyed it, even with the almost constant sexual overtones in the book.

Now I like my nookie in my paranormals as much as the next girl. Hey I love Nalini Singh and Meljean Brook along with Erin McCarthy and JR Ward so a prude I am not but there is HUGE amounts of sex in this book, but it fits as it is part of the universe and the characters we are following.

So if you like fast paced action with...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Juana "Darkness" Duran rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, right-away

Riley Jensen and Roahn Jensen are the only pack each other has. Because their pack and mother threw them out. So anyway Riley is one of those wolfs that has fun but when messed with quick to the trigger. When Roahn, her brother goes missing she tries to look for him. But along with finding her brother she also finds Quinn, a very powerful vampire. When Riley finds her brother he is at a research lab who is trying to create super soldiers out of supernatural DNA. Now with Riley, Quinn, Liander, J...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Kathleen Burket rated it 3 of 5 stars

Believability was stretched in this opening novel of the Riley Jenson Guardian series. Werewolves fall victim to moon madness for a full week each moon driven by the need for sex. How do they keep jobs? More was needed on the werewolf mythos for this to make sense. Most of the mystery of the clones was well-done, but I thought that it was too much of a cliche for her evil boyfriend, Talon, to also be the person they sought behind the cloning experiments. Also, she was completely untrusting of Qu...more

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Mar 21, 2009 DarkHeart "Vehngeance" rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, shifters, vampires

I'd heard nothing but glowing reviews about this series, but I'm not sure. I question the use of rampant sex as a plot device outside of erotica, but I may be in the minority here. Riley is a likeable enough character, and I liked Quinn. The premise was interesting, but it did seem like Riley was either fighting for her life or having sex 95% of the time - which didn't leave a lot of time for further character development. I will read the second book though and see if it pulls me in enough to ca...more

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May 19, 2013 Lisa Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this series. I devoured them in about a week. If you are a fan of Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series, then you will enjoy this. I will use the Anita Blake series to compare with the Riley Jenson series, as they are the closest in genre.
Keri Arthur develops an intriguing plot for her readers to follow. She creates characters that are easy to like, and with enough depth that you really want to keep reading to see what will happen next. I love the world she creates (were's vamp's and...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Molly Jackson rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-haven-t-finished-because-th

I am not entirely sure where to begin with this. I didn't even finish this book, because of the fact I thought it to be bad, I believe I finished on page 244 before giving up.

I thought that there was absouletly no depth to this book at all, the beginning of the book,in the first chapter where Riley goes to save some humans from vampires, intrigued me, but then the rest of the book just fell to hell for me.

The main character is a suppossed half vampire-half werewolf, yet I noticed no vampiric c...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Miraphora rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance

Anita Blake beccati questa, tié!
Potevo sentire la mancanza della Hamilton e della sua creatura boriosa? GIAMMAI! Quando ci sono autrici e romanzi come questo, non rimpiango nemmeno per un secondo di aver abbandonato la HamHam.
Ebbene si, 5 stelline super meritati e faccio anche gli occhietti a stellina per la soddisfazione *_*
Quando si dice avere tra le mani quello di cui si ha bisogno, quasi che un libro sappia esattamente come proporsi e quando, e soprattutto cosa contenere per farsi piacere...more Anita Blake beccati questa, tié!
Potevo sentire la mancanza della Hamilton e della sua creatura boriosa? GIAMMAI! Quando ci sono autrici e romanzi come questo, non rimpiango nemmeno per un secondo di aver abbandonato la HamHam.
Ebbene si, 5 stelline super meritati e faccio anche gli occhietti a stellina per la soddisfazione *_*
Quando si dice avere tra le mani quello di cui si ha bisogno, quasi che un libro sappia esattamente come proporsi e quando, e soprattutto cosa contenere per farsi piacere.
La Arthur mi è piaciuta, e molto. A dispetto del fatto che non conoscevo la serie nemmeno in lingua originale e del fatto che, pur avendola comprata, non mi diceva granché. Appena l'ho iniziato già sono rimasta intrigata: Riley, una lupacchiotta mannara mezza vampira, è la protagonista; un pò sulla falsa riga di Anita Blake, ma senza la sua falsa moralità e le sue seghe mentali...diciamo che si avvicina molto a Rachel Morgan (la serie di Kim Harrison, Fanucci). Riley non è umana, vive in un mondo dove i non umani o i mannari sono conosciuti al resto della popolazione e quindi agisce in piena coerenza: agisce in base agli istinti e non si fa certo dei problemi. Mi piace, mi piace e mi piace ancora che la sessualità non sia un taboo e non venga per forza di cose infiocchettata per la storia d'amore. Il sesso c'è ed è pure casuale! Ma la cosa supermitica è che pur avendo un'eroina che se la spassa con mezzo mondo, la cosa non è per niente fastidiosa...perché nel suo mondo è perfettamente normale! In più Riley è a metà strada tra l'eroina super tosta e quella consapevole dei propri limiti, per cui abbiamo scene d'azione si, ma senza strane vittorie sconclusionate da parte della nostra. Coerenza anche in questo, per fortuna.
E poi abbiamo la storia: Guardiani che spariscono, cloni che compaiono in luoghi e tempi sospetti, tentati omicidi, aggressioni e il tutto che sfocia nella fine del romanzo e nell'inizio del mistero della serie. E' troppo? Ogni tanto si, ci si perde a little bit, ma poi si ritrova la strada (dopo che ci si riprende dalle crisi ormonali :P). E poi, once again, ci sono i fustacchioni. E quando uso il plurale c'è un motivo: Talon, Misha, Quinn e altri (anche se non utilizzabili dalla nostra) che si mischiano, si intrigano e rendono la storia un fitto mistero. Insomma, non sono solo mannari e vampiri da sturbo, ma sono pure molto più complicati di così: c'è chi nasconde una personalità megalomane, chi gioca sporco e chi entra ed esce da uno stato idilliaco, sparendo verso la fine. Non faccio nomi, perchè il divertimento sta anche nello scoprire chi fa cosa.
E' decisamente un vero urban fantasy, moderno, veloce e stuzzicante, senza peli sulla lingua ti prende per la collottola e ti strilla dietro 'leggimi lupacchiotta'...e io fossi in voi gli darei retta ;)(less)

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Mar 18, 2013 Falina rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm not sure how to feel about this novel. I'm considering reading the next one in the series, but I don't know whether it's because I like the plot and care about the characters or simply because it ends with a blatant "To Be Continued..." I feel angry at such a cheap trick -- the next three novels in the series were scheduled to come out once a month, which indicates that they were all written in advance and designed to sell as a series. The next book in the series probably has an ending simil...more I'm not sure how to feel about this novel. I'm considering reading the next one in the series, but I don't know whether it's because I like the plot and care about the characters or simply because it ends with a blatant "To Be Continued..." I feel angry at such a cheap trick -- the next three novels in the series were scheduled to come out once a month, which indicates that they were all written in advance and designed to sell as a series. The next book in the series probably has an ending similar to this one, and so on until you've bought all the books in the series. Basically, the end of Full Moon Rising is an attempted guarantee that the next book in the series will be read, because it isn't a complete novel in itself. It's an effective lure, but it annoys and offends me. I much prefer J.R. Ward's method -- she effectively ends each character's story, she makes each novel complete in itself, but leaves the reader fascinated by peripheral characters so that they'll want to read the next books when they are published.

Besides the sneaky non-ending, I'm also not sure I believe in or like any of the characters in Full Moon Rising, including the male romantic interest. For a novel to have an unlikeable male hero is, to me, absolutely unforgivable. Also, because sex is so open, some (most...all?) of the angst is removed from the sexual encounters.

So why, despite all this, am I considering reading the next novel? Well, the series might improve, right? The writing itself isn't terrible, and there is a possibility that the next novel might be more to my liking. I'd hate to think that I'm aware of the "To Be Continued..." but still unable to resist its lure. Also, I understand that writing a series is the most effective way for a romance writer to make sure his or her books stay on the shelf -- the most recent book is on the shelf, and because it's part of a series, all the other books are up there, too. There is such a rapid turnover rate for romance novels that this is really the only way to make sure your books are represented at bookstores for more than a month or two. (less)

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Paranormal Romance..What should I read	17	87	Feb 06, 2013 02:28am
Challenge Overloa...: Riley Jensen series by Keri Arthur	9	11	Sep 12, 2012 12:41pm
Paranormal & ...: Sept'11***Full Moon Rising	3	24	Sep 16, 2011 12:55pm
Character Descriptions	2	27	Jun 09, 2011 08:59am
Free book contest (2008)	1	16	Feb 21, 2008 09:06am

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About Keri Arthur

Keri Arthur, author of the New York Times bestselling Riley Jenson, Guardian series, has now written more than 25 books. She's received several nominations in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, and recently won RT's Career Achievement Award for urban fantasy. She lives in Melbourne with her daughter and two crazy dogs

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Books by Keri Arthur

Dangerous Games (Riley Jenson Guardian, #4)

Tempting Evil (Riley Jenson Guardian, #3)

The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian, #6)

Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian, #5)

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“It was going to be so much fun dragging his complacent sexual views out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary.” — 15 people liked it

“If I had a talent I could claim, it would be as a finder of trouble. Which is undoubtedly what I'd find by sticking my nose where it had no right to be. But would I let a thought of trouble stop me? Not a snowflake's chance in hell.” — 2 people liked it

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Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian #1)

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