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Georgia Arcana #1

Surrender to the Moonlight

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The Fouche women were blessed with magic, not so much in love.

Nicole Oliver had been warned that stepping even one foot on the Fouche land in Georgia would stir up a whole host of family secrets. But her grandmother had been murdered and she had no intentions of letting the murderer get away with it, family curse or not. Solving a murder wouldn’t be easy, and local help would go a long way to helping…even if help came from a distracting and super sexy alpha werewolf. It was said that the Fouche curse never missed. From a few great greats back all the way forward to the present generation, heartbreak awaited each and every woman. From Nic’s point of view love didn’t last and hadn’t proved worth the effort, so escaping the curse would be easy enough. Besides, she would be too busy solving a murder to even think about love.

Jeremiah, JT, Taylor was the leader of the local motorcycle gang and alpha of the Taylor wolf pack. Nothing magical moved down highway 95 unless he knew about...and got his cut. His pack’s reputation was well-earned and far reaching. He took the death of a practitioner on his territory personal and he had planned to find the murderer with or without Nicole’s help. But, if asked, he’d have to admit that having her help came with all types of bonuses. He didn’t believe in that curse mess, but neither was he looking for anything long term, so a no strings affair was right up his alley. He was warned that his wolf would have the last say. He wasn’t worried though, because he’s in control of the animal, not the other way around.


Nicole soon realized she’d bitten off more than she could chew, in more ways than one. One too many attempts on their lives makes them question if the curse has finally caught up with its latest victim, or if there is something more sinister at play.

CW: some violence on page

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2021

129 people are currently reading
143 people want to read

About the author

Dria Andersen

33 books187 followers
Dria Andersen is a full-time photographer, mother of two, and lifelong storyteller. After the birth of her first child, she made a promise to pursue her dreams boldly-starting with writing the kinds of stories she always wanted to see in the world. That leap of faith became her debut novel, and she's been writing ever since.

Dria crafts love stories that center brown girls with heart, strength, and agency. Blending romance with elements of fantasy and wonder, her books invite readers into richly imagined worlds where anything is possible and everyone deserves a happy ending.


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5 stars
158 (60%)
4 stars
74 (28%)
3 stars
29 (11%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for hea booktubes.
1,701 reviews383 followers
July 21, 2022
The romance wasn’t the complete focus. Idk how I felt about everything lol.
Profile Image for Sharonda Isadora.
202 reviews21 followers
December 29, 2021
If you love paranormal romance, then I highly suggest reading THIS book. Love the idea of a cat shifter and wolf shiter, Nicole and JT had such great chemistry on page. The push and pull between them was a mixture of funny, heated, tense with hints of sadness peeking through (because of Nicole's family curse). I feel like both their characters were likable but especially JT even giving his lifestyle, the man remain unbothered.

Another bonus in this book was the family dynamics. The stark difference between JT's and Nicole's family was a good thing to see in this story especially being that the characters are Black. I feel like there is this tone that folk want to set for Black romances, as if Black stories can't have a mixture of issues within it. I'm glad this author decided to step away from that "cloak".

At the end of it all, Surrender to the Moonlight is a great start to a standout paranormal romance series and I advise lovers of the genre to clock in early.
Profile Image for Courtnee Howell.
499 reviews1 follower
January 23, 2024
A strong start

Nicole Oliver returns to her family’s hometown hoping to solve her grandmother’s murder. Jeremiah Taylor hopes to solve Nicole’s fear of her family’s curse. But can Nicole give in to Jeremiah before something else takes him out?

This was honestly a great start to this series, and I really look forward to read more of it. I think the idea of a small town full of paranormal beings is definitely something to get into.

If you like shifters, family curses, and a murder mystery, this is definitely for you.
Profile Image for TyyLingAlwaysHasABook.
78 reviews2 followers
January 13, 2025
I originally thought my cousin recommended this to me but I guess I found it scrolling through Kindle lol. Anywayssssss y’all know I can’t leave the paranormal stories aloneeeee I’m addicted 🙃. So I thought this would be another shifter romance type book (no I don’t read summaries before I read …MOVING ON!) but I’m super excited for a little mystery caught up in there. It’s nothing like Granma or the passing of said Granma to bring family back together. The FMC came to town really focused on her mission of uncovering who killed Granny until she was distracted in the best way by the MMC. Being that he shifts into a wolf and she shifts into a cougar , I was like what’s going on here 🤣🤣 how this gone work baby ??!! Anyway just read it and love it like I did ✨
Profile Image for LaTosha Webber.
1,187 reviews72 followers
September 7, 2025
Stubborn

Working through one of my favs catalog. The pacing was such much slower than I’m used to. But one thing that’s definitely still the same is Andersen's signature dirty boy, slick mouth, rough neck, alpha male mmc. Nic and the cousin are an interesting crew and I liked them almost immediately. I really hoping for more backstory on the family and an increase in them learning and practicing their magic. For this series to be about the Fouche cousins it centered JT’s life a bit too much. So it wasn’t the pace of the romance that was causing me to fight my way through it was the pace of the plot. The ending makes up for and since I’m working my way back while this normally would be a 3/5 I’m gong 4/5.

Dria’s writing has definitely gotten cleanse and more concise with weaving the plot into the relationship and character building.
Profile Image for KB Jones.
11 reviews2 followers
December 26, 2021
My absolute favorite part of this book was the bond between cousins. I can relate to this book in so many ways from family drama to outgrowing what ppl think of you from when you were a kid! This book also had spice! I love spice

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Lauren loves llamas.
849 reviews108 followers
December 25, 2021
I’ve liked Dria Andersen’s other paranormal romances, so I was interested in this start of a new series. While it suffers from some first book problems, the chemistry between Nic and JT made up for those issues.

Nicole (Nic to her family) has spent most of her life away from her family in Georgia, following her mother from town to town. But when her grandmother dies and leaves her and her two cousins an inheritance, she’s looking forward to spending at least some time with her family in her childhood town. It’s soon clear, though, that her grandmother died under mysterious circumstances, and Nic is determined to get to the bottom of it. Having to get the help of JT, the hot wolf shifter alpha of the local pack, is a nice distraction, but that’s all they can ever be. But with a killer closing in, the curse may not be the biggest threat they’ll face.

“I won’t be able to rest until I find out what happened. I’ve failed my grandmother in so many other ways. I don’t want to fail her in this.”


Nic’s an interesting character from the start, one who’s curious about the extended family she left behind in Georgia, despite her mom’s hatred of the place. Watching her reconnect with her family, especially Ness and Audrey, was lovely. While Nic and her cousins were close as kids, they’ve grown apart, and even now that they’re living together they still have secrets. But they definitely have each other’s backs, no matter what, and seeing how they all came together to figure out what happened to their grandma was a lot of fun. JT’s the alpha of the pack, the owner of a dive bar, and part of a family business that deals in (the mostly legal) couriering magical ingredients to other paranormals. From the moment Nic walks into his bar, his wolf is hooked on her, and the man isn’t far behind. Luckily Nic’s interested in him, too. Nic wants to keep things light and easy, but from the first time they meet, it’s hard when all she wants to do – and all JT’s wolf wants to do – is get hot and heavy. But getting involved with him means risking the family curse. All the Fouche women are cursed to shift into pumas at the full moon, and anyone they’re romantically involved with ends up hurt, driven away, or dead. It’s something Nic seen’s over and over in her family, and it’s not like JT’s not aware of that as well, since he was close with Nic’s grandma. But they’re drawn to each other, and their banter (and inevitable feelings) were excellent.

Nic, thanks to her mom, it almost a complete outsider to the town and to magic, which works out well for the reader! It wasn’t too info-dumpy, though I do wish a bit more about the curse had been explained. A while I very much enjoyed the main relationship, the murder mystery plot didn’t work as well for me. Portions of the explanation were immediately obvious, while other bits seemed to come out of nowhere.

“I won’t be able to rest until I find out what happened. I’ve failed my grandmother in so many other ways. I don’t want to fail her in this.”


Overall, this is a good start to a new series, and I’m hoping to see what happens with the rest of the cousins. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSprout. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Content notes:
Profile Image for Nina.
Author 8 books6 followers
December 23, 2022
Shifter romance. Black shifter romance. Generational family curse. Who dun it. Witches. *squee*

When Nicole gets the summons from their grandmother after she passed to go back home to Georgia and get the affairs of her house and brewey in order along with cousins and just accepted, I felt that.

She doesn't fight it. She is scared but ready to dive into her family's links. To learn more about the magic that runs through her blood and also understand the power of her Puma shape-shifter ability.

I adored this story because, there's so much she missed and wants to understand and also has to grieve her grandmothers *murder* while also getting to know herself, reacquaint with her cousins and find answers out of her reach since her grandmother had the know how and I loved it.

There are so many things you want to know the answers to as you come into yourself and having your grandparents pass early makes that gaping hole worse and I related so much.😭

As Nicole (Nic) and Jeremiah (Jt), navigated the whole situation of undeniable attraction. Nicole trying to get a hang of the magic, running from the family curse that befalls all Fouche womens mates and external threats trying to move in with the territory matricach gone, and also trying to solve a murder, I love their growing pains.

Lawd, the murderer. Golly gee. 🫨

Love isn't easy and the right person cam still make it hard. A curse though, *chile*. But the flow of the story has such ease I wanted it to go on and on.
Profile Image for Lindaisa.
545 reviews61 followers
February 15, 2023
I think its safe to say that I can officially Add Dria Andersen to the list of trusted black paranormal/urban fantasy writers. Her writing and stories don't QUITE hit the mark that I have when it comes to my favorite genre, in that I am typically pleased and looking for a 70/30 split when it comes to Story, Character Development, World building, exposition, etc (70) vs Romance (30). Dria's stories have more of a 55/45 split. But for now...thats fine with me. Its a START!

I thoroughly enjoyed the slow burn and intense chemistry between JT and Nicole in Surrender to the Moonlight. From the beginning there was tension between the two and even though it was on the edge of "instantaneous" attraction/feelings which can sometimes go left, with these two it felt authentic and genuine so I was rooting for them to "make it" the entire time through.

I DO wish that the next book were a continuation of their story specifically, but i'm hoping that since the next book is going to follow Nicole's cousin, that we'll still get a glimpse into how Nic and JT's relationship is going and how Nicole is coming along with gaining control over her power and executing on the journey that she's been set on.
Profile Image for Weekend Reader_.
1,092 reviews92 followers
January 11, 2022
Y'all this started off with a who done it (RIP grandma Patsy), a curse, and a biker gang who might running black market merchandise. This book is fast-paced and pack with family drama/intrigue and mysticism. I love Dria's writing Black family dynamics and friends. How did she make JT - alpha wolf and Nicole - cougar work? Idk, but I'm here for the we are just going to be cut buddies turn more 😄 yeah it escalated that quickly.

The one thing I didn't understand was the Sorcerer and his magic. On page Andersen let's the reader know that in this world/town there's diversity in magical abilities but his power (I don't want to spoil it) didn't connect for me. And I wasn't sure about his hatred/motivation for the Fouche's. Other than that, this book was really interesting, I flew through it.

CN: murder, black market trade, gun violence, family curse, gambling, alcoholic parent, suicide, rough sex/choking (consensual), embezzlement

I was provided an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Tracy - loves to read .
1,022 reviews
October 14, 2022
no more running

Moonlight brings out the untamed and untrained cat of Nicole. She hates being a slave to the full moon and her family’s curse. Her mother did her a disservice by not telling her how to handle her cat, be around family, sheltered her and the curse. She goes back to her family’s home town to get rooted and find out about her grandma’s murder. She gets more than she thought and just what she needed.
JT is the alpha and takes care of a lot of people. He’s strong, confident and powerful. He’s connected to Nicole’s grandma and her family. He wants to be connected to Nicole too.
I enjoyed this book and the way the author describes the characters and their interactions. I also enjoyed the excitement and the mystery in the storyline. I’m so curious about the powers Nicole has and her potential that she has tapped into and I look forward to reading more.

Great read!
Profile Image for Desirée Niccoli.
Author 10 books166 followers
March 1, 2022
4.5/5. Wolf + Puma shifter. There’s a sexy motorcycle gang leader. A Practical Magic-esque curse. Plus murder, mystery, humor, and hot romance. I was a little fuzzy on how some of the magic system worked & its rules, but maybe that will get worked out in the books to come. In addition to the romance, I LOVED all the cousin camaraderie and family bonding moments. That element was so, so strong and one of my favorite parts.

This book has a little bit of everything and was quite an enjoyable read! Looking forward to the next books in Dria Andersen’s Georgia Arcana series.

Black Paranormal Romance.

CW: sex, grief, death of a loved one, murder, guns, violence, mentions of drinking and gambling addiction.
Profile Image for Nana Prah.
Author 24 books272 followers
March 2, 2022
This book was magic! A paranormal romance with African American characters is always a good thing for me. And they were shifters of different types of animals! The JT (the hero) was an alpha and Nicole was just trying to mind her business and solve a murder. Love was on neither of their minds, but the sparks flew from the first moment they met. It was fabulous. The progression of the romance made my heart sing for them.

There was everything that I look for in a great book: chemistry, romance, a bit of mystery, action, and of course that HEA. Such a fun ride. I look forward to reading more of her books, especially the ones in this series where I hope that we get to find out a little more about the magic that makes them who they are.
508 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2024
Book 1 of 3 book series

I’m writing my reviews after completing the series. Book 1 of the Arcana series revolves around the one cousin of a trio of witches. The death of the family matriarch brings the three cousins back together to claim their inheritance, part of which is a family curse. Solving the murder of the matriarch also uncovers other family secrets and the trio of cousins begin to rebuild their bond.

Dria Andersen does a great job of making each story unique and interesting. The close knit family, traditions, love, and (unrelenting) good natured teasing resonates so much with Black family traditions. I love this paranormal series with an all-Black cast. The heat is great too! Another great series. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Andersen.
142 reviews
December 31, 2022
Enjoyed this.

I enjoyed this book as I’m reading through the author’s catalog. I’m probably reading out of order, but this book gave me a scenario I was curious about, what happens when one person isn’t too sure about being bonded/bitten? I could understand Nicole’s apprehension, but I’m glad she decided to love than to never love at all. The murderer wasn’t too much if a surprise given that it was a small town, but it still unfortunate who killed Patsy and why. Overall, I have really been entertained reading this author’s work…on to the next!
133 reviews
March 15, 2023
slow burn but great story

This is the making of a great movie or even a series. This has just the right amount of drama, family, and love. I love the small town setup and the fact that Nicole returns back to her forgotten home to finally find love, and eventually finds trust. JT is definitely your dream alpha male. My wish was that they could have been more intentional. Paranormal tend to have better instincts and knowing there mating. The drama leading up to the love was good, just wish it could have happened all together and we could have had more of a love story.
9,377 reviews140 followers
December 25, 2021
This is an interesting paranormal romance between cougar shifter Nicole and alpha wolf shifter JT. The author does a great job building the story and painting her scenes as she delivers an entertaining story. There's drama and mystery along with some humor and a fun banter. The chemistry is hot and the scenes hotter. I enjoyed reading their story.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
21 reviews
April 18, 2023
Loved it!!!

Idk why but I passed this author up so many times. Now I’m binge reading everything she’s ever written!!! This was a good one. A few typos but the work is so good you don’t even mind!! I keep telling myself to slow down or I’ll be looking like a crackhead looking for something else good to read but I just can’t help but to breeze through these books. Part 2? Yes please!!
Profile Image for thebookcritic_.
873 reviews36 followers
January 22, 2022
enjoyable

Enjoyable. Loved that it was a murder mystery. Wished there was an explanation of their magic. Like is their family a line of practitioners and were just cursed? Or do they have magic because of the curse? The timespan of most of the book was only like 2 weeks and that’s a lot to happen in that time frame. Liked the characters.
Profile Image for Pamela Culbreth.
35 reviews1 follower
August 20, 2023
Loved this book because I'm into magic and shape shifters and their black was top tier. The characters sucked me in and some of the towns I know of was a selling point very interesting. I'm here for African Americans authors exploring different genres of story telling.My first time reading from this author and I'm on part 2 from this series. This book will not disappoint.
Profile Image for Trisha Taylor.
24 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2023
🔥😮‍💨😮‍💨

I went into this book not knowing that it would give me all the elements I love most; romance, fantasy, and mystery! Ms.Lady wrote the hell out of this family and book. I loved the chemistry between the cousins as well as Nicole and JT. I was living for all of the animal shifting and magical elements going on!
30 reviews
January 2, 2022
Love it

Great story, it's different from the every day shifter story. I was so caught up in it that I finish it in one sitting.I could not put it down,I can't wait for the next book.
14 reviews
August 7, 2022
The Fouche Women and the Taylor wolfs

I loooove this book!!! The bond between the main characters and how it was written. The suspense, family drama along with the magic was written beautifully. Definitely will be rereading it
465 reviews
April 18, 2023
JT and Nicole

Lovely story. Nicole finally made up her to love and not worry about the family curse. Her mother gave her good advice. I can't wait to see what's next for this family.
Profile Image for Freddie.
252 reviews2 followers
October 6, 2023
🌑🐺

I simply can’t get enough of Ms. Dria and her shifter romances. They make me wish I was a shifter. Or at minimum that my husband would be a shifter lol. That way that they bond, matter, love is so beauty delicious and I just love every minute of it.
Profile Image for Ciera Mona’.
105 reviews10 followers
October 14, 2023
Nic & JT

Super cute story.. but that aunt deserved way more than some slaps and punches.. i love Jeremiah, his whole character was nice to read. Just enough mystery/drama for the short story.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,862 reviews52 followers
October 26, 2023
It was good! I just don't think I was in the headspace for a more real life contemporary setting. I preferred the vampire short I picked up from Dria Andersen previously, though I'll continue the series in the future for sure.
Profile Image for Andrea.
47 reviews1 follower
February 21, 2024
I LOVED this story.

From beginning to end, the vibe of this book was comfortable and amazing. The setting, the characters, the danger, just everything.

I'm not rushing to read the next book in the series but so far I would highly recommend anyone read this book.
Profile Image for Bunni ♡.
100 reviews2 followers
April 4, 2024
I loved this book so much!! It’s exactly what I was looking for in a paranormal romance. As an AA woman this book was like a warm hug. Black shifters, wolf packs, and magic? Yes, yes, yes. I can’t wait to finish the whole series 😊
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