Moonburn

Abra Barrow #2

by Alisa Sheckley

Some instincts are too powerful to deny.

In the past year, veterinarian Abra Barrow has gone through some major She’s left Manhattan for the deceptively quiet small town of Northside, ditched her cheating husband, and discovered that he has infected her with the rare werewolf virus. Now Abra is finally beginning to feel as if she has her life under control–except when the moon is full.

But then, all of a sudden, Abra starts losing her temper–and her inhibitions–even when the sun is shining. Her new man, shape-shifting wildlife expert Red Mallin, seems to know more about her condition than he’s letting on, but he’s a little preoccupied with strange creatures that have been crossing the dimensional border.

With her hormones in overdrive, Abra finds herself releasing the beast in all the men around her. As life in Northside becomes increasingly more peculiar–and more perilous–she must decide whom she can trust . . . when she’s not even sure she can trust herself.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Werewolves, Fantasy, Supernatural

541 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 7, 2009

About the author

aka Alisa Kwitney

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with the ending...it felt rushed and too quick a wrap up for me. Left me going HUH what just happened.....But up until that point it was a good story.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, the sequel to Better to Hold You, is both f*cked up (emotionally) but written so well that it becomes realistic enough to feasible understand why choices were made and decisions were had.

Abra and Red....well let's just say that nothing is easy...especially when a little thing like Estrus gets in the way. Not to mention Red is hiding things and when Abra needs him the most, he's a little busy making sure s*it doesn't fall on their heads. But is everything as it seems?

Abra, who is suddenly attracting anything with a penis, is living her own confused hell. Faced with decisions about who she is, what she wants and what she needs...poor Abra is about to fall into a deathtrap of insanity if she doesn't get a grip.

Let's just say, everything works out but not without a few "are you f*king kidding me???" moments on both Abra and Red's parts. Things that most people wouldn't forgive ... well they are apparently par for the course in this book. That would be my only criticism...the amount of grey area they expect readers to forgive, never mind Red.

Anyway. A good read. Read the first then read this.

[Satyros Brucato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the first book in the series. Abra is still an infuriating protagonist but at least she, the author, and the supporting characters are aware of it. The transition from the person she has been to the person she'll become provides the core of Moonburn, and while the story features several moments where I'd been tempted to shut the book and walk away for good, I stuck it out to the end and wound up glad that I did. Although that climax feels a bit abrupt after hundreds of pages of buildup, the author subverts a lot of expected tropes in a way I rather enjoyed.

This appears to be the end of this series, and I'm actually okay with that. Many urban fantasy series (and other series too, for that matter) wear out their welcome and go on too long. This one ends right where it should, in a more satisfying way than most.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich habe dieses Buch mehr als nur verschlungen und liebe die Geschichte und Abra selbst! Leider ist mir das Ende dann doch etwas zu abrupt gekommen. Die Geschichte ist stellenweise doch sehr detailreich ausgeschmückt und am Ende hatte man den Eindruck, dass die Autorin sich schon in der Zielgeraden fühlte und die letzten Kapitel nur noch schnell hinter sich bringen wollte! Dafür gibts leider den einen Stern Abzug, da ich mir, bei einer Geschichte mit Charakteren, die mich so berührt haben, ein ‚größeres‘ Ende erwartet hatte und doch zu vieles ungeklärt blieb …..

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"...First off, I rather enjoyed The Better To Hold You, and likewise, I also enjoyed Moonburn. I think I enjoyed the former just a little bit better overall, though, if I had to pick one over the other. Don't get me wrong, this one is certainly not lacking for action of any kind, but it was sometimes almost a little too much. But I also have a tendency to gag myself and roll my eyes at any tale of The Beautiful Girl Who Doesn't Realize That She's Beautiful Even When Every Boy Wants Her And Is Embarrassingly Obvious About It. I do like Abra, though. She's not typical as far as heroines of urban fantasy novels go - she doesn't really kick that much ass, and more often than not, she has a tendency to want to shy away. That makes her feel more like a real person to me, since let's face it - not everyone is some leather-clad, ass-kicking dynamo who seems to live for the moments when danger dares to present itself to her. Some of us will do what we have to, but would really rather be home in our pajamas doing a whole lot of nothing. The latter is more Abra's style. She is a pretty simple lady (you know, apart from the whole werewolf thing) and I can relate to that..."

For full review, please visit me at Here Be Bookwyrms on Blogger:

http://herebebookwyrms.blogspot.com/2...

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good follow-on book, but the romancy bits stick out to me in this one--like she's following an obligatory formula and then BANG, back to urban fantasy. Maybe because I'm a guy, I never see what so many romance heroines see in the men they choose and this is no exception. I really like that her protagonist is a vet and all the science that brings to the lycanthrope table and I like the fact that she's not a macha action hero, acting and reacting like a normal person--I notice that some reviewers don't care for that--but IMO it gives depth and realism to the character. I'm assuming there'll be a third book. Right now the series is hunched between full-on urban fantasy and paranormal suspense/romance. I almost wish she would commit to one or the other, but I think that might destroy what is unique about this series. In many ways, these remind of Ann Aguirre's Corine Solomon novels.

[Runningrabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This duology was really great. The vocabulary and general knowledge/research was thorough, the plot was good, the characters were diverse, realistic and observant. The topics, pace and thrust of the story was engaging and a good read.

Definitely be looking into what else this author has written.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this 2-book series. I'm hoping for at least one more. Alisa has done justice to the telling of shapechangers and all the other paranormals in the town of Northside. The growing relationships and the strange occurrences that follow Abra & Red make you want for more.

[Ashley Kannenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

so glad that Abra and Red worked out their relationship i like how sheckley uses so many different myths and legends to create her story this was a great book

[Scott Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has a nice gothic twilight zone look to the book cover. I give the book 5 stars

[Lynn Calvin]

Amazon preorder

[Mei · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, this was definitely on the wrong side of the urban fantasy line for me. It felt like watching something on the Sy-fy channel. And not really in a good way. Too much urban fantasy, and I feel dirty. Dirty.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice take on the werewolf with Abra Barrow as a strong, main character. I liked Abra and Red together. Looking forward to reading more in this world.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Amelia Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very different and very interesting to read.

[Kai C · Rating 1 out of 5]

It maybe unfair for me to rate this book because it belongs to a series and i have not read this series at all. I also have not read anything by this author. None the less I felt like I could make a good case that this book, Moonburn was not very good. In fact the main character was unstable and made poor decisions like a teenager. I feel like the excuse of her being a werewolf in heat seemed silly (shouldn't matter). another disappointing flaw to the main character is how she wanted a trusting relationship yet she made no effort to communicate with her partner and made little effort in general to show commitment. she really did seem as if she rushed into another relationship. The relationship with her and Red was weak and did not appeal to me. when the two did act like a couple it only happened out of childish reasons such as jealousy. the plot seemed to make splashes meaning it would appear abruptly and then die into pointless. the plot sorta is slap together in a strange and non-organize fashion. it seem poorly written. I did not care for this book and felt like i wasted time with this book and one star is well suited.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to The Better To Hold You, I read this one just as quickly due to it being as solidly entertaining as its predecessor while widening the world in which it's set a little.

We catch up with Abra at a tricky time - still living in Northside after Magda and Hunter claiming it as their territory, she's also in season leading to jealousy (from Magda) and arousal (from every man and canine). While Abra can't seem to pick her mate, even though she's still with Red, something else is up in Northside; with the building of new houses in a supernaturally sacred part of town a creature called a manitou is roaming freely around.

While I liked most elements of the supernatural side of the story some of it did seem a little vague and pulled out of a hat, with the ending in particular feeling a little rushed. That said, if I'm honest that side isn't really the main thrust of these stories which are definitely romances in wolf's clothing and on that point they not only meet the job description but do so in a far less annoying way than many others that I've read.

[La La · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine has left her cheating jerk of a husband and has moved in with the hero. She is now trying to come to grips with the changes in herself when a new threat pops up on the scene. A development company is trying to build on sacred land which has disturbed the spirits and now they want revenge. Now the heroine has to try and save the town while also fighting her soon to be ex husband and his pyscho new girlfriend. Oh yeah, and she has to try and figure out her feeling for her lover Red.

I love the fact that the heroine didn't know what to do in every situation and had no shortage of freakouts. She's also honest about her confusing feeling for Red and dealing with her Lycan status. The book did get slow in parts and I did find myself skipping pages, but overall a pretty good read.

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author states that this is her first book published under her real name, and that her father, Robert Sheckley, wrote science fiction. Her penname is Alisa Kwitney. Her Kwitney books are recommended by author Neil Gaiman, and critic/author Carolyn See, which is why I bought it. The book has good bones. Still, I don't read bodice rippers, and it does have a lot of those characteristics. Also, the character is always menstruating! Makes sense, in a book about shapeshifting lovers who become wolves and have a heightened sense of smell and are into hunting, I guess. Sheckley frequently has her tongue tentatively poked toward her cheek, which made the sex tolerable to me (not into steamy, thanks).

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this any better than the first one. Abra is still an idiot who doesn't stand up for herself. She still has a man (Red this time) who ignores her and hides way too much. Werewolf Abra is experiencing mating heat and all the men, dogs, wolves, etc are after her and she's basically hot for anything male. She's supposed to be with Red yet she's hot to trot with way too many other men, even her cheating ex. The plot seemed to be all over the place too. Too much was thrown in for no apparent reason. I guess the series is over since we haven't seen book three in 3 years which is a good thing because I don't think I could honestly stomach another installment of this.

[Tasula · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was more of a fan of PNR I would have enjoyed this more, but it was still good. Interesting concepts and a heroine who had some intelligence. Basic story is a veterinarian who is also a werewolf in a town called Northside, where supernaturals abound, encounters creatures from the Liminal- sort of a parallel world. She and her boyfriend Red, with whom she is ambivalent about commitment, and her scientist boss Malachy, help the town to fight them and resolve the conflict. There are a bunch of loose ends, which I assume will be resolved in book 2.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book and I enjoyed it up until near the end. I still like the characters but it just got too weird for me. Bruin from another realm and the entire town being altered...I dont know. I just wanted a werewolf story I guess. Got a little too Sci Fi rather than Paranormal. I also thought her boyfriend Red, who I really liked in the beginning, got too much like her ex who I really detested. She needs to learn how to stand up to her men and have them treat her right. Anyway, that was my opinion. You may really dig it.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was sort of all over the place and ended with unresolved issues. Unfortunately I have read worse and I liked the fast paced, keep you guessing flow of the book. None of the main characters were likable any way and I didn't really care who ended up happy and who didn't.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's was interesting to read, took me a day to finish reading the book.

[Grae]

This was alright. Kind of fun, brain candy.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good shapeshifting story

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice story, but some of the writing was a bit confusing.