Review & Giveaway: Blue Moon by J.A. Belfield (Blog Tour)

 

Blue Moon

Holloway Pack Series, #2

by J.A. Belfield

Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing (Dec. 3, 2012)
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: eBook (novel length)
Source: From Publisher
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)

Summary
Someone is watching the Holloway Pack, and this time, the female isn’t the target.

Life with a group of seven male werewolves worries Jem Stonehouse not one bit. She is engaged to the Alpha’s son Sean Holloway after all. So what has Jem’s territorial instincts on high alert?

The pack’s latest addition. Both of them.

None of the men think there’s a problem with the new girlfriends. Jem’s intuition tells her otherwise—that and a nagging suspicion the new females aren’t there to partake.

Jem believes they’ve joined in to take.

The question is … What?

As the eve of the blue moon draws ever closer, Jem’s running out of time to find the answer and outwit a thief of the worst possible kind.

A woman who believes she can’t lose.

At a Glance
I so wanted to give Blue Moon more stars because I really enjoyed it, but the plot wasn't very structured and the ending could have been more exciting. But I still liked it a lot.

The Good
Here's The Story...
Jem is in a good place. She has the love of her life, Sean, by her side and a male pack of werewolves that adore and accept her. Then one of her packmates, Josh, had to go and get a girlfriend and ruin everything. Jem thinks this new girl is bad news, while the rest of the pack just thinks she is being a territorial female. But when Josh starts acting weird and the girl keeps trying to insert herself more into the pack, Jem decides to take action. But will she be too late?

The Pack...
The first thing that caught my eye was the amazing connection the pack of werewolves shared. They are all very playful and loving but they also have fierce emotions that bond them. I wish I would have read the first book because I would have liked to see Jem's initiation into the pack. Her being the only female in the pack gives her some advantages and disadvantages. They try to appease her as much as possible but they also see her fears as frivolous jealousy. But even through their squabbles, they continued to love and care for each other.

Jem...
Jem is both strong and vulnerable. Her emotions are so raw and Belfield let's see every heartbreaking moment Jem goes through in this book. We get so inside Jem's head, I literally felt her emotions as she experienced them. She is also greatly protective of her boys in the pack. She endangers herself to save them from harm. The new girlfriend, Marianne, is spooky in a sweet way. She has this gracious exterior, but we all see the deception that lays behind her eyes. But only Jem is suspicious enough to actively seek out Marianne's plans for Josh.

A Different Kind of Love...
Josh and Jem's relationship was an interesting one. You can tell Josh feels more for Jem than friendship, but he is trying to move on. But when Jem seems jealous of Marianne, Josh gets mixed signals. I felt heartbroken as they fought over the new girlfriend. They have love for each other, even if Jem is in love with Sean.

Getting to the Meat of It...
Though the first half of the book is a little aimless for my taste, the second half really picked up. The mystery behind Marianne was exciting to discover. And the little war between Marianne and Jem made me smile with glee as they tried to one-up each other. I was surprised how nefarious and dark things turned near the end of the book. That was the best part for me. When I read about werewolves I expect some blood and savagery, and we did get that in the end.

I liked the added mystery behind Jem and her lost memories. There is more to her than meets the eye and we find out all about her true past along with her. I would like to continue this series because I am dying to see what is going to happen next.

The Bad
This is a minor thing but the language was a bit off for me, but since the author lives in England, I guess it was to be expected. I started to get irritated with the constant use of "whilst."

My biggest problem was the aimless plot in the beginning. There is no real goal until half way through the novel. I wasn't quite sure why I was reading this book at first. It picks up half way through, which is when things got really interesting, but then the ending, which could have been epic, was pretty simple. No big struggle or "Oh my God, are they going to make it?" feelings.

Many of the characters decisions were annoyingly stupid. What did they think was going to happen when they let bad stuff keep happening without really trying to stop it? I felt like saying "duh" half the time. I like characters that take action, not let things sit till it's too late.

The Snuggly
This definitely has sex it. It was very cute and well done. Nothing overboard, but probably not suitable for YA readers.

I didn't get to experience Sean and Jem's beginning relationship, but I got a great impression of their love for each other in this book. You could tell it went soul deep.

Final Thoughts
Though I only gave Blue Moon three stars, I actually quite enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the aimless beginning and non-struggle ending, I would have given this book 3.5 to 4 stars. I so plan to read the first book and the third book of the series sometime. These characters interest me to no end, and I want to know everything about them. A recommend read.

Quote
Whilst I waited, I cleared away the breakfast plates, piling them into the dishwasher. My head tilted at Sean's footsteps padding back across the landing. Lids lowering, I envisaged his naked body glistening from the water.

My eyes opened. I turned toward the stairs, took a step.

"Sit down." Nathan's attention left his paper long enough to give me his 'stern' look.

When I peered once more toward where my mind had travelled, Nathan cleared his throat. With a sigh, I slumped into my seat, glaring at Ethan's quiet snorts of laughter into his mug.

Holloway Pack Series:
Book #0: Instinct
Book #1: Darkness & Light
Book #2: Blue Moon
Book #4: Caged

Author Bio
One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination, as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if …? How would they react if …? Who would they meet if …? Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.

One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop.

J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, three cats and a dog. She writes paranormal romance, with a second love for urban fantasy.

 

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