After Moonrise Review

Title: After Moon Rise

Author: P. C. Cast & Gena Showalter

Date of Publication: October 23, 2012

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: Possessed: Kent Raef is a psychic detective who can track negative emotions. Spending his days tracking the paths of murderers and their victims makes him a cold man, bad at keeping relationships. When Lauren Wilcox asks him to investigate her twin sister's death Raef is faced with an unusual case. With two sisters sharing one body and unable to tell him what really happened he must learn to track positive emotions before it's too late. Haunted: After painting horrific scenes from a murder in her sleep Aurora Harper is convinced that she has witnessed a violent crime. When handsome detective Levi Reid moves in next door she begs for his help, knowing that she has to discover the truth of her painting, even if the memories are so horrible her mind has repressed them. With the help of Levi, Harper is able to remember what happened, but everything is not as it seems, making Aurora and Levi questioning what really happened that horrible night.

My Review:

I've never liked short stories, but when I saw the name Gena Showalter I just knew that I had to read this book. With interconnected characters and a centered focus on the paranormal detective agency After Moonrise these two short stories fit together very nicely. While I did like Hunted much more than I liked Possessed I really enjoyed the way the stories fit together and shared characters.

The first short story is Possessed by P.C. Cast, unsurprisingly I found myself disliking Possessed more and more the longer I read. A vile main character paired with a disturbing story line made getting through the 124 pages of this short story proved to be a real challenge. Kent Raef was a cold and uncaring main character, sparing little to no thought of the feelings of the other characters in the story. Likewise, both Lauren and Aubrey were weak female characters who did nothing more than seduce Raef at every opportunity. With a strange ending that made me very uncomfortable this story definitely did not improve my view of Cast. (1/5)

However, I absolutely adored the short story by Gena Showalter. A fantastic writer her story had amazing characters and a fascinating plot full of intrigue and plot twists I never saw coming. Significantly longer than P.C. Casts short story Hunted was the perfect length for a short story, giving me enough time to get to know the characters but not long enough that it was entire novel. I loved both Levi and Harper and their romance felt real, not forced and rushed like the romance in Possessed. (5/5)

Hunted by Gena Showalter definitely made me see the appeal of short stories. With a fantastic plot and developed characters I was reminded, yet again, why I love her writing so much. Meanwhile Possessed by P.C. Cast proved to me why I've never really liked any of her books, while she is a good author I just can't relate with her characters and her story lines. I want to like her, but in the end I've discovered that I just don't.

After Moonrise is a great way to sample works from two of the most popular authors in paranormal romance, whether you're looking for a book to start with, or an old fan returning for more this novel is the way to go!

3/5