Hunter’s Moon
Lori Handeland
St. Martin’s, Feb 2005, $6.99, 352 pages, ISBN: 0312991355
reviewed by Harriet Klausner.

Following the slaughter of her parents and her fiancé by werewolves, former kindergarten teacher Leigh Tyler lives to kill these vile monsters. Her elderly mentor Edward Mandenauer orders her to leave Canada to train a rookie Jessie McQuade in Crow Valley, Wisconsin. Reluctantly she heeds his demand, but upon arrival kills a werewolf.

Leigh and Jessie are two alpha females ready to brawl at the drop of a hat. As Leigh learns that apparently a rogue werewolf is killing her kin, an unprecedented scenario, she is also upset that Jessie loves Native American history Professor Will Cadotte, as their line of work does not lend itself to caring relationships. However, she is unable to follow her own advice as she is extremely attracted to bartender Damien Fitzgerald though he shows traits that seem paranormal.

This sequel to the delightful BLUE MOON is an excellent paranormal romance with the twist that the two tough guys are females. The story line contains a deep mystery as the werewolf hunters wonder why fratricide is occurring. Readers will enjoy the return of Jessie and Will (see BLUE MOON) while the romantic subplot between Leigh and Damien blends in well with the monster theme so that sub-genre readers will appreciate this deep supernatural suspense thriller.