Early Review – Moonglow (Darkest London, Book 2) by Kristen Callihan (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 432 pages
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: July 31, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1455508587
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Darkest London series
Source: eGalley through Netgalley.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. I absolutely adored Firelight and was eager to see what Callihan would come up with next. This was a fun read, Callihan does an excellent job of blending sizzling romance with a solid story and an intriguing world.

This book is about Miranda’s sister Daisy. It’s been a year since Daisy’s horrible abusive husband has died and Daisy is finally free to stop mourning. Daisy wants to get back to living and on her first night out as a single woman encounters a horrible murdering werewolf in the ally. Ian Ranulf rescues her and is drawn to Daisy in a way he hasn’t been drawn to a woman in ages. Together can they solve the mystery of this murdering were and stop him from brutally slaughtering other women?

This is a very adult read; lots of violence and lots of sex…not ever together though. Callihan is very good at writing both the fighting scenes and the love scenes; she seriously writes some of the best love scenes I have ever read.

The characters are very well done. Daisy is a strong woman who has been harshly abused; but rather than let it tear her apart, she is doing her best to become the woman she wants to be. She is one of those women you can’t help but admire because she seems so lovely and soft on the outside but has a core of steel. Daisy ends up having some special powers of her own that were intriguing.

Ian Ranulf, is a character that most of us hated in the first book. In this book you learn so much more about him. He is a lycan and has lived a long time, as such he has a very complicated past. It was fun to learn more about him and learn what really lay beneath his foppish exterior.

Even though the characters are well done they don’t even begin to touch Miranda and Archer. Those two were just too interesting, too creative, and had such incredible chemistry that they can’t be topped. Ian and Daisy do develop a sweet relationship that is based on trust (at least as much trust as you can build over the short time period covered in this book). It is very much a protective alpha male guarding his true love kind of thing though. This is something that us paranormal fans have read before and it is kind of a typical relationship to see in these types of books.

The world created in this series is incredibly well done. The world grows in complexity in this book. We find more about where Daisy and her sisters got their strange powers. We also find out Poppy is part of a secret organization called the SOS (Suppression of Supernaturals). Additionally we are introduced to GIMs (Ghost in the Machine) which are an absolutely fascinating type of creature that I am dying to learn more about.

I also oved how Callihan handled lycan society and how weres are distinctly different form lycans. Shapeshifters were also thrown into the story. This are just so many interesting things in this world and I am dying to learn more about it.

Overall an excellent novel. I didn’t enjoy Daisy and Ian as much as Miranda and Archer; this book didn’t have the gothic overtone to it that Firelight did. But Daisy and Ian are still well done characters. The love scenes and story are incredibly well done, and the plot and world that backs up the story is fascinating. The world is growing in complexity and I am dying to learn more about some of the fascinating creatures introduced in this novel.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge