This is an amazing read! I have a new author on my "must read" list. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Riley is cunning, gifted, strong and wounded. Letting people close is something she doesn't do. Until Conall and the missing children. She's attacked repeatedly and holds her own each time but not without injury. I read this book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

What drew me in to read Black Moon Rising: An Urban Fantasy Shifter Romance was the plot. I love a good crime solving, werewolf theme with some romance. The ending is definitely something I didn't see coming, and I can not wait to read the next book. If you are a fan of Patricia Briggs you will love this book.

3.5 ⭐️ 🌑✨ Started off as a five-star read… landed at a 3.5 for vibes alone.

Let me start by saying I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There wasn’t a single character I didn’t like. Our MMC was a bit of an asshole — and I see absolutely zero flaws with that. Our FMC was a badass who stood her ground in her opinions, even if she was a little flighty in her actions at times… but honestly, I completely understood why.

In addition to our main characters, the family/found family really made this book. I found myself laughing out loud (talk about awkward) more times than not!

The drop in rating comes from a writing standpoint, not the story itself. It wasn’t bad — there were just a few things I couldn’t get past.
1. The time jumps.
They felt unintentional. One second characters were mid-conversation and the next, a week had passed. Or they’d pull off the road and suddenly be at a gate in the next sentence. No paragraph break, no chapter change. I found myself rereading sections to make sure I hadn’t missed something, which kept pulling me out of the story. Some formatting changes would really elevate the reading experience.
2. The ending.
It was… an ending. I won’t spoil anything, and I want to be clear — the plot itself was GLORIOUS. It just ended oddly? Like there should have been more. Almost as if a chapter was missing in printing, not that the author didn’t write it.

That said, I finished this book at 10pm and stayed up until 1am just thinking about it — which tells me everything I need to know. It was clearly good 😂 I’m really hoping the next few months fly by because I will absolutely be reading book two.

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Thank you to NetGalley and J.L. Brannick for providing the ARC! 🖤

This book is gonna consume my every waking thought until I get the sequel.

I feel privileged to have been granted access to read it but I’m also currently cursing the author for leaving it on the cliffhanger even though I knew it was coming.

I was intrigued by the blurb, maybe not so much the cover, but I had to give it a try since it seemed to fall into what I wanted to read. At first, I was very happy that I started it. I was engaged immediately, liked all the characters, and was interested in the story. However, after a little while, I was so captivated, I didn’t want to put it down! Conall and Riley are such a great couple who are going to have to overcome many obstacles to stay together, and Conall already has stepped into it by the end. I can’t say much about the end, but I can say that I loved the suspense, the romance, and the high stakes action that is in the book, and I am so very eager to read more. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

A huge thank you to BookSirens, NetGalley, and J.L. Brannick for the ARC of this first book in a captivating urban fantasy series.

I could hardly put this book down. Taking place primarily in Colorado, a place near and dear to my heart, and having the MMC be a horse guy (lifelong horse girlie here)? This book was already off to a great start for me. Add in shifters, a unique magic system, and clever plotting? I was captivated.

Things I really enjoyed about this book:
- The somewhat familiar settings. It was so cool to be imagining shifters and cogs in places that I have been before.
- The relevance of the biases against cogs and how it compares to those that we see in every day life against marginalized communities.
- Conall is a horse guy! Who is sweet with his horses and takes Riley on rides! We need more of these.
- The suspenseful edge brought about by the case that is trying to be solved throughout the book and all of the twists that it takes.

Things that could have been better for me:
- I enjoyed the alternating POV, but it was a bit odd that it shifted between first person for Riley’s chapters and third person for Conall’s chapters.
- The ending (epilogue, mainly) seemed quite out of nowhere. Without giving away too much, it definitely left me on edge to read the next book but I would have appreciated something from Conall’s POV to give some insight into how things changed so drastically.

Overall this is a fantastic urban fantasy shifter romance filled with adventure, magic, and beautiful scenery!

watdafawkkkkkkkkk omgggg I don’t even know how to feel rn this was amazing. I didn’t realize I was craving urban fantasy until I started reading and suddenly hours has passed. I was engrossed with the story from start to finish, and if it wasn’t for having to work, I would have read it all in one sitting. The plot was engaging, the stakes were high, the conflict was nerve wrecking, and the romance was steamy.

I was actually so invested in these two I don’t now how to describe it. I adore Riley, I loved how complex she was and how she slowly opened up to Conall, even if it was kicking and screaming. When I tell you the gut punch I got in the last sentence of the final chapter and the epilogue, I cannot wait for April now. Whatdafawkkkk there is a lot of splaining to do.

Overall an amazing read and such a blast of a time. I cannot recommend this enough! Still reeling from everything, but this was a 5 star read for me.

If you like Romantasy & books about shifters, alphas & wolf packs... you will enjoy this book!! I never knew until recently how much I enjoy these types of books & this one didn't disappoint!!

The characters are so well written & wonderful - Conall is immediately taken with Riley & knows he wants her to be his mate... Riley is not a shifter & it takes her a bit longer to get on board with it, but finally falls for him.... the only thing I was disappointed with is that we have to wait until Book 2 comes out to read more!!!! Not left on a terrible cliffhanger... but still.... (also, I will say...the description said there were spicy scenes & I found the spice to be very mild...just my 2 cents)

Thanks to the author (J. L. Brannick), publisher (Smart Mouth Publishing LLC) & Netgalley for the ARC read. All opinions are my own.

The book is scheduled to be published February 12th, so mark your calendars! You won't want to miss this book!

This was an engaging urban fantasy with a great blend of mystery, crime-solving, and werewolf alpha romance. The FMC is strong, smart and compelling. The story has funny moments that made it even more enjoyable. The emotional tension kept me hooked throughout. The cliff hanger ending made me excited to see where the story goes. I have a new author on my radar!

This book was action packed and I enjoyed the variation in the storyline from other shifter books that I have read . The problem was solved and they accomplish what they set out to do but it feels that there are more secrets to uncover and the ending feels unresolved . Can’t wait to read book 2 .

This has to be one of my favorite reads of the year so far. It had me hooked from the very first page. If you like shifters/pack/ anything paranormal, you need to pick this one up immediately. I won't go to much into details, but just wow! Such great writing, great storytelling, and captivating characters right from the start. Absolutely going to be following this series as it continues.