A first in a series and a last in a series.

Hi and welcome to your Wednesday fix of Shapeshifter Romance! This week I’ll be reviewing “Serpent Moon” by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp. This is the eighth book in the “Tales of the Sazi” series. According to the authors’ website, this isn’t the last one planned but it is the last one currently in print. This book was just release March of 2010, so you should be able to find it pretty easily.

But First: I am going to shamelessly plug my own book, “The Hawk’s Bride,” which was released last week.

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In a realm far away and almost lost to living human memory, there are dark forces at work trying to tear the fabric of existence apart. The high Sidhe struggle to keep the cosmic balance and leading the way are the Wild Lords: mythological elves with the power to shift into animal forms. For the most part, the Unseely, or dark fae, keep to the shadows in this struggle, but every now and then a bold- or particularly foolish- faction rises up and attacks the great lords of the Wild Hunt…

Someone is assassinating the heirs to the Mountain Elf king. In an attempt to foil the assassin, King Patton names his surly nephew, Lucan Hawk, his heir. Banished as a child and trained to be a Lord of the Hunt by the feared Black Lords of Argental, Lucan has become a hard and bitter warlord. He can’t forgive his uncle for the betrayal and wants no part of his kingdom- until he is offered the chance to marry the only woman he’s ever loved…

Orphaned as a young girl, Cait was found by a mountain elf warrior, who took her home with him and raised her as his daughter. As a human-born cat shifter, Cait’s life with the elves hasn’t been easy. The one bright spot in her childhood was Lucan, the only other shifter cub in the court of the Mountain king. They were playmates as children, then sweethearts as they grew up. Cait was devastated when Luc was banished for refusing to let his abusive father beat him for defending her against the castle bully, Lady Donnella. She never thought to see him again, so when he came to claim her one night, she thought she was dreaming. But her dream come true turns into a nightmare when the assassin targets her!

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Ok, just so you know, I don’t do whiny heroines so no, Cait doesn’t wait helplessly for her hero to save her. And that’s all the spoiler I’m going to give you. J

To celebrate the release of my very first published book, I’m giving away several 4 gig USB flash drive bracelets in a random drawing to be held September 1st. All you have to do is buy a copy, read it, then enter the drawing on the contest page of my website, RebeccaLGillan.com. There is one question you need to answer and you need to have read the book to find the answer, but it’s an easy one.

And to celebrate having made #5 on Siren-BookStrand’s best seller’s list for mainstream romance, I’m going to do a pre-drawing. I’ll be giving away one USB drive today at 5pm MST. If you’ve bought a copy of “The Hawk’s Bride” but haven’t yet entered the drawing, pop on over and enter!


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And now on to “Serpent’s Moon!”

Holly Sanchez started life as a Sazi family member and daughter to the Boulder Pack’s omega. Her life took a sharp turn when she was attacked and turned (in book three, Howling Moon). Her life’s dream of going to vet school dashed, Holly finds herself floating, not sure of her place in the world.

Eric Thompson is a wolf with a bad rep he didn’t earn. Several years older than Holly, he has trouble connecting the grown, sexy she-wolf with the skinny fifteen-year-old he remembered. Eric had always felt at ease around Holly, though her father had made a point of never leaving the two of them alone back then. That ease of company with teenaged Holly has been replaced by a burning need to claim the grown woman before him now.

Just as Holly rediscovers her teen crush- and realizes he wants her as bad as she wants him- she’s given the chance to be human again by FMU, the underground support group founded by abused and neglected family members. They have a drug which they say can turn any Sazi Shapeshifter full human. Holly realizes she has a choice to make: life as a Sazi wolf with Eric or the chance to regain her lost human life and dreams. But before she can make that choice, she must first save her people and her own life!

I love this book. We have star-crossed lovers who get a second chance at love if only they are brave enough to reach for it. Eric is quite possibly the nummiest lead character of the series and you can’t help but root for Holly after following her story from being Cat’s human best friend to her current form. Holly’s story is why hope burns eternal in my heart that the mush beleaguered Raven will get a happily-ever-after of his own.

This book is written in third person and is the climax of not one but two major plots. It is a very dark book. While Holly and Eric get their happily-ever-after, several characters don’t. That being said, I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves epic tales of mystery, suspense and good vs. evil.

Next week, I plan on doing an author interview with Cathy Clamp. I haven’t received the completed interview form back from her yet and if I don’t get it in time, I’ll do a review of the series story arch, including a recap of all the couples who found love. Until next week!

Rebecca
RebeccaLGillan