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Voodoo Moon #1
The Werewolf's Kiss
The world of the Louisiana werewolves… Sensual and seductive, it holds the secrets that only the initiated may share. Sylvie Marley is drawn to the moonlit bayous, to her lover, Lucien, and to a choice between the debutante's life she knows and the werewolf's life she craves.
But for Sylvie there is a hidden danger: a madman must have her power—the power she is unaware she possesses—to satisfy his desire, to make himself King of the Voodoos. All he needs is Sylvie's total surrender—and one act of ritual murder…
But for Sylvie there is a hidden danger: a madman must have her power—the power she is unaware she possesses—to satisfy his desire, to make himself King of the Voodoos. All he needs is Sylvie's total surrender—and one act of ritual murder…
262 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1992
8 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Cheri Scotch
8 books14 followersI grew up in both Dallas and New Orleans. Not knocking Big D, but New Orleans was more fun. One of my early memories was my dad taking me and my brother to the tomb of the great Voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, and telling us to make a wish. And people wonder why I write about the supernatural.
Now I live in Salem, Massachusetts with a couple of haughty cats. (Although that's Gatsby the Chow in the picture.) Naturally, considering where I live, I've written three books on witchcraft under the name Lilith McLelland.
Now I live in Salem, Massachusetts with a couple of haughty cats. (Although that's Gatsby the Chow in the picture.) Naturally, considering where I live, I've written three books on witchcraft under the name Lilith McLelland.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 19, 2010
Although not completely without merit (I suppose the writing technique isn't too horrible), the book rests on shaky moral ground. I bring up morality only because the characters in the book do. These wolves justify their existence, killing a dozen or more people per year, because they only kill "the bad people" who rob, hurt, and kill. And yet, the "good" werewolves sometimes slip, with unsatisfying kills leading them to massacre innocents. And yet not a single character actively contemplates suicide as a just act to keep from those monthly murders (although cursed werewolves do commit suicide in third hand accounts, particularly in Sylvie's family).
I really don't believe a city the size of New Orleans could have 150 disappeared bad guys a year (assuming a dozen werewolves killing only the appropriate bad guy prey, even if the odd heartless body with telltale wolf hair forensic evidence slips in every now and then) nor could I buy that a minister would allow his daughter to start engaging in a lifestyle (to the extent he truly disapproves) that more or less guarantees she'll be killing and devouring a human heart every month and support her, however much, in that "choice".
The book tries too hard to be sensual, dark, and mysterious. Instead the teenagers "wakened to sensuality" are laughable in their depiction and mysterious characters with their improbable accents are simply annoying.
I really don't believe a city the size of New Orleans could have 150 disappeared bad guys a year (assuming a dozen werewolves killing only the appropriate bad guy prey, even if the odd heartless body with telltale wolf hair forensic evidence slips in every now and then) nor could I buy that a minister would allow his daughter to start engaging in a lifestyle (to the extent he truly disapproves) that more or less guarantees she'll be killing and devouring a human heart every month and support her, however much, in that "choice".
The book tries too hard to be sensual, dark, and mysterious. Instead the teenagers "wakened to sensuality" are laughable in their depiction and mysterious characters with their improbable accents are simply annoying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2017
Oh my God! I found a perfect werewolf series! I can tell already this will be a nice quick series. I've read a few of Laurel K. Hamilton's books starring the vampire hunter, Anita Blake but almost none of Anne Rice's. I can see where Scotch's writing is reminiscent of Hamilton. The first few chapters tie in different characters to build the scene as a whole. You have the cop-werewolf who solves murders, the Voodoo community, the hidden werewolves all bringing the story to it's juicy beginning; great character build. The story pans from different points of view; different times in this werewolf type history, it's all necessary to explain the story as a whole. This book ended on a good note and I'm wondering if the series is similar to Ray Garton's Ravenous, where the books are in the same universe, the same characters but books written in the style of Prequel, Main and Sequel. Sometimes annoying but only if the book hasn't been written well! Scotch brings memorable characters together and tells a story that is gripping and interesting. I look forward to the next 2 in this series!
June 19, 2022
I bought this book based solely upon its appearance as a cheap, sexy romance novel that promised tawdry but titillating writing. "It'll probably be bad, but I'll have a larf," I thought to myself.
Instead, the first 120 pages or so won me over with fast-paced, stylish writing that had the feeling of an authentic knowledge of the New Orleans culture it was depicting. The chapters flew by, and I found myself intrigued by the strange mythos of a world of voodoo practitioners intertwined with a secret league of werewolves.
But then the 'newly flowering werewolf' of the story got introduced to what I could only think of as 'Professor X's home for gifted werewolves', and everything took a sharp downhill, beginning immediately with the apparent presentation of the local werewolves' favorite activity being to nightly roast the universal classic 'the wolfman'.
From here it becomes page after page of tedious exposition about how lovely and wonderful werewolf culture is; how it's just so much sexier, so much better, how muggles love to be around werewolves because werewolves are just so cotton pickin' cool, how they're practically immortal and talented and lovely etc etc etc. It was nearly enough to bury the very strange confession that these werewolves just love murder, a past-time they try their best to limit to 'bad people', but hey, they don't sweat it if they've had a rough day and need to work out some frustrations by eating a couple of innocent tourists. It's an admission that bizarrely gets no reaction from our lead heroine the first few times it's brought up, until finally it seems to sink in that being a werewolf just might mean occasionally killing some people who don't deserve it, to which she responds with all the distressed pondering of someone deciding whether or not to sign up for yoga or kickboxing.
It was a strange moralistic viewpoint I just couldn't get over, considering that 'good vs evil' seemed to be a central conflict of the story, the 'good' voodoo queen opposing the 'evil' voodoo king, and the two great werewolf patriarchs of old that promote reckless slaughter and the just killing of the guilty.
Add to this a slowly growing flavor of gary-stuisms, as every character has heaps of things to say about how brilliant particular characters are, how they're fabulous and wonderful and sexy and (etc etc etc), and in the end I couldn't finish this book quick enough - not, unfortunately for the thrill of seeing how it ended, but just to be done so I could move on to the next title in my list of 'to read's.
It's a pleasure to criticize some books and point out their many flaws, but in this case it's with disappointment that I do so. If the second half could have only delivered on the setup and momentum it began with, I would have found myself racing out to the book-store to look for the other titles in this series.
Instead, the first 120 pages or so won me over with fast-paced, stylish writing that had the feeling of an authentic knowledge of the New Orleans culture it was depicting. The chapters flew by, and I found myself intrigued by the strange mythos of a world of voodoo practitioners intertwined with a secret league of werewolves.
But then the 'newly flowering werewolf' of the story got introduced to what I could only think of as 'Professor X's home for gifted werewolves', and everything took a sharp downhill, beginning immediately with the apparent presentation of the local werewolves' favorite activity being to nightly roast the universal classic 'the wolfman'.
From here it becomes page after page of tedious exposition about how lovely and wonderful werewolf culture is; how it's just so much sexier, so much better, how muggles love to be around werewolves because werewolves are just so cotton pickin' cool, how they're practically immortal and talented and lovely etc etc etc. It was nearly enough to bury the very strange confession that these werewolves just love murder, a past-time they try their best to limit to 'bad people', but hey, they don't sweat it if they've had a rough day and need to work out some frustrations by eating a couple of innocent tourists. It's an admission that bizarrely gets no reaction from our lead heroine the first few times it's brought up, until finally it seems to sink in that being a werewolf just might mean occasionally killing some people who don't deserve it, to which she responds with all the distressed pondering of someone deciding whether or not to sign up for yoga or kickboxing.
It was a strange moralistic viewpoint I just couldn't get over, considering that 'good vs evil' seemed to be a central conflict of the story, the 'good' voodoo queen opposing the 'evil' voodoo king, and the two great werewolf patriarchs of old that promote reckless slaughter and the just killing of the guilty.
Add to this a slowly growing flavor of gary-stuisms, as every character has heaps of things to say about how brilliant particular characters are, how they're fabulous and wonderful and sexy and (etc etc etc), and in the end I couldn't finish this book quick enough - not, unfortunately for the thrill of seeing how it ended, but just to be done so I could move on to the next title in my list of 'to read's.
It's a pleasure to criticize some books and point out their many flaws, but in this case it's with disappointment that I do so. If the second half could have only delivered on the setup and momentum it began with, I would have found myself racing out to the book-store to look for the other titles in this series.
June 3, 2023
Set amongst the werewolf and voodoo communities of New Orleans, ‘The Werewolf’s Kiss’ follows various characters, flipping between perspectives with each chapter. Though these are all intertwined, the execution did make the plot feel a bit all-over-the-place. One moment we’re in modern-day New Orleans with the new voodoo queen, the next it’s hundreds of years ago in France and we’re learning about the past of one of the werewolf leaders, then it’s back to Louisiana in the present day with a young woman wondering whether to become a werewolf.
This book’s werewolves, or loups-garous as they’re known, are not mindless monsters – though they must kill humans to survive, they select criminals who have escaped justice as their victims. They see this as a noble calling, but at they end of the day they are still killers. Their moral ambiguity is interesting, making them seem more like real people with elements of both good and bad. The villains of the story, on the other hand, are essentially cardboard cut-out bad guys, portrayed as pure evil with no nuance whatsoever. This made them less realistic and rather boring.
For the most part, I enjoyed the book. It’s not your typical werewolf tale, but it was entertaining. The edition I read has a hideously cheesy cover that makes it look like a tawdry romance novel – do look past that if you come across it, as this is worth a read for werewolf fans.
This book’s werewolves, or loups-garous as they’re known, are not mindless monsters – though they must kill humans to survive, they select criminals who have escaped justice as their victims. They see this as a noble calling, but at they end of the day they are still killers. Their moral ambiguity is interesting, making them seem more like real people with elements of both good and bad. The villains of the story, on the other hand, are essentially cardboard cut-out bad guys, portrayed as pure evil with no nuance whatsoever. This made them less realistic and rather boring.
For the most part, I enjoyed the book. It’s not your typical werewolf tale, but it was entertaining. The edition I read has a hideously cheesy cover that makes it look like a tawdry romance novel – do look past that if you come across it, as this is worth a read for werewolf fans.
January 7, 2023
I got this as a white elephant gift because it looks like a very cheesy romance. However, this book was surprisingly good??? (although my expectations were very very low. Like buried in the ground low). The setting was unique and I like the blending of various mythologies, including North American indigenous beliefs. Who would have thought, huh.
November 24, 2021
fantastic book!
I was immersed from the beginning. Strong characters move the story along many twists and turns. What a fresh take on werewolves in modern fiction. I really enjoyed this book.
I was immersed from the beginning. Strong characters move the story along many twists and turns. What a fresh take on werewolves in modern fiction. I really enjoyed this book.
December 17, 2018
Love this book
March 31, 2020
Loved this series so much!!! I could read these over and over. So powerful and rare.
June 24, 2009
This book was the first in a trilogy, and from the way it ended, I believe it is one of those trilogies that is really one story cut into three books.
The spine says romance, but the couple "featured" on the back flap didn't really even meet till the last 1/3rd of the book. What kind of romance is that? On the other hand, two other characters stories were told in the middle of the book in a sort of disconnected way. Was it their romance, too?
Mid-way through, I was thinking I wouldn't touch the other two books in the trilogy, but by the end of this book, the stage for the remaining two books was finally set. Now I'm kinda curious.
As for werewolf legends, this wasn't my most favored variation. Most werewolves in this universe are "born" in the sense that they yearn for something they don't have, but they must be given the "werewolf kiss" - be bitten - to become a wolf in the flesh. They can also become a werewolf through some strange voodoo magic. (Another detractor of this book; I'm not fond of voodoo as a story element.) Or, rarely, they can be cursed to be a werewolf.
During the full moon they must shift and kill humans and consume their hearts, but they can choose to be good little wolves and kill bad humans. They can also shift at will. Their wolf form is the man-wolf form. They never become fully the animal. They also have a longer lifespan once they change.
Like I said, not exactly a romance, not exactly my favored version of the werewolf myth, but I'm strangely intrigued and will probably read the next book.
It was first published, I believe, in 1992, so don't expect the current variation of paranormal romance, because this is a little different. Very little romance. But not exactly urban fantasy either. More the old fashioned horror with a touch of romance.
The spine says romance, but the couple "featured" on the back flap didn't really even meet till the last 1/3rd of the book. What kind of romance is that? On the other hand, two other characters stories were told in the middle of the book in a sort of disconnected way. Was it their romance, too?
Mid-way through, I was thinking I wouldn't touch the other two books in the trilogy, but by the end of this book, the stage for the remaining two books was finally set. Now I'm kinda curious.
As for werewolf legends, this wasn't my most favored variation. Most werewolves in this universe are "born" in the sense that they yearn for something they don't have, but they must be given the "werewolf kiss" - be bitten - to become a wolf in the flesh. They can also become a werewolf through some strange voodoo magic. (Another detractor of this book; I'm not fond of voodoo as a story element.) Or, rarely, they can be cursed to be a werewolf.
During the full moon they must shift and kill humans and consume their hearts, but they can choose to be good little wolves and kill bad humans. They can also shift at will. Their wolf form is the man-wolf form. They never become fully the animal. They also have a longer lifespan once they change.
Like I said, not exactly a romance, not exactly my favored version of the werewolf myth, but I'm strangely intrigued and will probably read the next book.
It was first published, I believe, in 1992, so don't expect the current variation of paranormal romance, because this is a little different. Very little romance. But not exactly urban fantasy either. More the old fashioned horror with a touch of romance.
January 27, 2012
I first read this book, and it's companions in the series, over 15 years ago. Some years ago, I remembered them and wanted to re-read them, but the local libraries and bookstores had no copies available. I searched for quite awhile, off and on, to find copies that were not outragiously priced and finally received the copies I ordered today.
If you love the supernatural, definitely read these books! I wouldn't recommend them for anyone under the age of 16 due to the language and "romance novel" scenes described, but that's just my opinion. These are NOT romance novels, nor are they horror novels (as they are classified), just very well written stories.
The author draws the reader into their world easily and keeps you there until you finish the very last page. I received my packages about two hours ago and read them all through in about 20 minutes per book, so they are ideal for short trips.
If you love the supernatural, definitely read these books! I wouldn't recommend them for anyone under the age of 16 due to the language and "romance novel" scenes described, but that's just my opinion. These are NOT romance novels, nor are they horror novels (as they are classified), just very well written stories.
The author draws the reader into their world easily and keeps you there until you finish the very last page. I received my packages about two hours ago and read them all through in about 20 minutes per book, so they are ideal for short trips.
October 11, 2014
I'll be totally honest, I got to about 52% on my kindle and had to give up. Normally I would just push through with a book after half way because the hard bit should be over and the end is only drawing nearer the more you read. Except I wasn't getting that feeling with this book. I thought I was, and then what felt like a whole new plot was thrown in. It will probably make sense later, but I honestly cannot read anymore. I left the book for a couple of days and still could not get into it so I'm calling it quits. I hate doing it but I can't suffer any more and what to enjoy reading again. There were too many characters and the plot wasn't all that clear.
October 28, 2008
Wonderful story of Voodoo and Loup-Garou in New Orleans. I loved hearing about Zizi's life. Interesting who she(the author) chose to be the Father of the Justice werewolves.
August 21, 2012
The second of the trilogy... Great book. Continues on with the Marley curse and gets more involved in the voodoo side of it.
October 6, 2012
I still have the other two in the series, which I haven't read...
February 24, 2018
Great story about Loup Garou. I suggest it to anyone who is interested in something that does not lead to just romance between werewolves and humans.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews