WITCHING MOON

Rebecca York

Berkley Sensation

ISBN 0425192784

October 2003

Paranormal Romance

I've had such a great time reading Ms. York's "Moon" trilogy and I'm sorry to see it end. In this final installment, the hero is Adam Marshall, brother to Ross, who was the lead in KILLING MOON. Adam has taken over the ranger job at a nature preserve when his predecessor died. Making the rounds one night in his new swampland habitat, Adam comes across a huge bonfire, that fills the air not only with smoke, but with a potent drug as well. As the drugging smoke takes a hold of his senses, Adam isn't sure that the scene before him is real. For around the bonfire are naked men and women dancing and engaged in sexual acts. When his presence is detected and a shot rings out, Adam knows that his life is in danger. Chanting the ancient words that have been passed down from father to son for centuries, Adam changes into the form of the wolf to outdistance his pursuers.

Dr. Sara Weston has just moved into the cabin that skirts the swamp and the nature preserve. Her job is collecting samples of swampland flora and fauna, analyzing them and determining if they have any medical usefulness. As she lives in the cabin, she starts to relive other people's experiences. Alarmed and confused, all Sara can think about is how these types of images were to be pushed into the back of her memory, due to her parent's urging, when she was a child.

When Adam and Sara meet, the attraction is explosive. But, the swamp and the local townspeople are hiding many secrets. One of which is murder. Soon Sara and Adam are pulled deeper into the local lore and a new, sinister threat reveals itself. For there is a new breed in town, a coven of witches, using the swamp's mysticism to amass power. They want revenge, and they won't let anyone get in their way.

WITCHING MOON is the perfect end to a wonderful trilogy. Entertaining and spooky, it's the perfect read on a dark Holloween night. The characters were interesting and enjoyable, but on the other hand I felt that some story points could have been more substantial. One issue I had with the book was when Adam revealed himself to be a werewolf to Sara. It seemed glossed over. Sara didn't really think anything of it, and that seemed a bit odd.

Ms. York does an excellent job of setting the stage with her descriptive passages, and at times I felt as if I were in the swampy nature preserve with her leads. Be prepared to read this book in one sitting. If you will excuse the terminology, the book will sink its fangs into you and not let go!