Review: All Hallows' Moon (Seasons of the Moon #2) by S.M. Reine

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Rylie survived becoming a werewolf at great cost. She moves to her aunt’s ranch in the hopes she can enroll in a new high school and quietly continue her life... with a few distinct changes. She transforms into a beast every new and full moon and struggles to control her murderous urges.

Without many werewolves left, it’s hard to stay in hiding. A family of hunters -- Eleanor, Abel, and Seth -- recognize the signs and follow Rylie to her new home. They want to stop her before she murders someone, and the only way to do it is with a silver bullet. Seth soon realizes the werewolf is Rylie, the one monster he failed to kill. Worse yet, he’s still in love with her.

Torn between family and love, Rylie struggles to reconcile her feelings and control the wolf within while Seth fights to do what’s right. But what is right-- obeying desire or duty?

My Thoughts: Big fat disclaimer: I love werewolves. Like, I get ridiculously excited whenever a new werewolf book/author/movie/whatever pops up on my radar because those werewolves are just so darn fun to play with. That said, I tend to gravitate toward the paranormal romances (mmm... big strong Alpha who need to claim their mate) where the werewolves in question are strong, powerful individuals. So, when I first read book1 I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying Rylie's tale as much as I did. I mean, she didn't have any sort of easy werewolf-y transition. It was brutal and bloody and when the wolf takes her over she doesn't have much (if any) control over her actions. But I really enjoyed her journey and I was thrilled with the way the book ended.

So, then book 2 migrated into my hands and I was all "YAY! More wolves! MOAR!" and there was great rejoicing. Or at least I devoured the book in record time because I needed to know how Rylie was going to get out of her situation. Now, I'm all emotionally wrung out and I'm sending mental pokey fingers at S.M. Reine because I can only imagine what the next book is going to bring. *poke, poke*

I loved the comparison between Seth's extremely dysfunctional family life (Whoa! Hey there, crazy mom. How you doing?) and the life that Rylie's begun to carve out with her aunt, as unconventional as it might seem on the outside. Aunt Gwen might seem like a hard lady on the surface but she's there for Rylie whereas Seth's mom is just a fanatical nutjob who's more concerned about their next kill than whether or not her youngest son graduates from high school. There was something poetic about that.

Probably the biggest thought that kept running through my head was how Rylie was a wolf without a pack. Right now, she's doing her best but she really has no guidance. She needs someone experienced in being a werewolf to show her the ropes and I'm desperately hoping that she finds someone soon. Not that Seth isn't trying his hardest to help but, well, he doesn't go furry twice a month and he's flying just as blind as she is.

A fun book with enough blood and guts to keep me smiling (What? Werewolves need to eat, too, you know!), I am super excited for book 3.

Other reviews in this series
Book 1: Six Moon Summer

More books by S.M. Reine

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