Moon Child by J.R. Rain

The fourth book of the bestselling Vampire for Hire series!

Mother, wife, private investigator... vampire. Six years ago, federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now in Moon Child, private investigator Samantha Moon is faced with an impossible decision - a decision that no mother should ever have to make. A decision that will change her life, and those she loves, forever.

And through it all, Sam finds herself in a lethal game of vampire vs. vampire as a powerful – and desperate – enemy will stop at nothing to claim what he most desires.

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Moon Child picks up exactly where American Vampire left off, overlapping a few pages, as Sam struggles with a conflict of conscience.

Sam makes a difficult choice, knowing those in her life won't understand. Danny, her ex, and Kingsley think her a monster for doing the unthinkable. But Sam has nearly four days to find the answer to how to unlock the amulet and use the cure on her son.

Sam uses her abilities as a medium to speak with spirits, along with Fang, to find the answer she's seeking, but she finds something much more evil in the process.

There is always an emotional bent to the story, anchoring an Urban Fantasy novel into reality, with real world issues, causing readers to be able to empathize and identify with our heroine.

There are still some mysteries to be had, when it comes to Sam's burgeoning abilities, who Fang is – because there seems to be more to him than meets the eye – and a new one – who is the entity speaking through Sam. After witnessing Anthony having an 'old soul,' I often wonder if who Sam is communicating with is an older facet of her soul, the otherworldly version.

These books have a swift pacing, closer to novella in length, creating a page-turning, addictive experience. As soon as you finish one installment, you're eager to read 'just a few more chapters' of the next, only to discover it's the wee hours of the morn, and you've yet again finished an entire installment.

Also Available in the Vampire for Hire Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Moon Dance post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Vampire Moon post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our American Vampire post.

J.R. Rain is an ex-private investigator who now writes full-time in the Pacific Northwest. He lives in a small house on a small island with his small dog, Sadie. He is the author of over sixty novels.

Connect with J.R.

Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
J.R. Rain Fan Club Facebook Group


Brought to you by

Erica reviewed her personal copy of Moon Child (Vampire for Hire #4) by J.R. Rain for this post.

American Vampire by J.R. Rain

The eagerly awaited third book in the #1 bestselling Vampire for Hire series!

Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago, federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now in American Vampire, private investigator Samantha Moon receives a heartbreaking phone call from a very unlikely source: a five-year-old girl who's been missing for three months. Now on the hunt, Samantha will use her considerable resources – including her growing supernatural abilities – to locate the missing girl before it's too late.

As she gets closer and closer to the horrible truth, she receives devastating news on the home front. Now with her world turned upside down, Samantha Moon is forced to make the ultimate choice of life and death.

And through it all, she discovers the identity of one mysterious man... a man she has grown to love.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
J.R. Rain seems to utilize the cliffhanger. This isn't a negative for me, because I'm lucky to have found this series when it has 10+ books. Every installment ends with a humdinger of a cliffy, and picks right back up in the start of the next novel.

Who is Fang is partially answered from the cliffhanger of the last title, and an emotional extortion storyline is introduced, which becomes the ending cliffy.

Sam is now living back at home with her children – she hasn't found a happy medium with her ex-husband. Ignoring him is probably the best way to describe their relationship.

She's dealing with who Fang represents to her, as well as Kingsley and his unethical yet necessary practice of defending the worst of criminals. Basically, Sam is at a crossroads, where she has to come to terms with how her life isn't how she expected it to be pre-attack. Does she empathize with the monsters, or does she push them out of her life because they don't fit into her black and white views? But, where does that leave her, morally, with the brutal actions she uses?

Sam metaphysical abilities are gaining strength, which she uses to her advantage. Her ability to see spirits, and act as a medium, is helpful in the scariest of situations. She's getting a better grasp of what her vampirism entails.

The hardest, most emotional thread of the novel features Sam's son, and a sudden illness that no doubt will torture readers, especially near the end.

My only suggestion, make sure you pick up book four before starting book three, as they definitely need to be read back-to-back.

Also Available in the Vampire for Hire Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Moon Dance post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Vampire Moon post.

J.R. Rain is an ex-private investigator who now writes full-time in the Pacific Northwest. He lives in a small house on a small island with his small dog, Sadie. He is the author of over sixty novels.

Connect with J.R.

Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
J.R. Rain Fan Club Facebook Group


Brought to you by

Erica reviewed her personal copy of American Vampire (Vampire for Hire #3) by J.R. Rain for this post.

Vampire Moon by J.R. Rain

Book 2 of the bestselling Vampire for Hire series.

Mother, wife, private investigator... vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now in Vampire Moon, private investigator Samantha Moon finds herself hunting down a powerful crime lord and protecting an innocent woman from her ruthless ex-husband – all while two very different men vie for her heart. And as the stakes grow higher and her cases turn personal, Samantha Moon will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent and bring two cold-blooded killers to justice – her own brand of justice.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
In the second installment of the Vampire for Hire installment, Sam is still dealing with her ex, regarding her children. This portion of the story was frustrating, because she is quite passive with Danny, but I understand from her point of view. Sam still loves her ex, simply because he is the father of her children. She's mourning for the life and love they used to have, while realizing who she thought Danny was never existed in the first place.

There are several mystery threads woven into the novel.

Who is Fang? This one pops up time to time, intriguing the reader, and keeping the pages flipping by quickly. Especially mixed with the hot angst with Kingsley.

Sam takes on a client, investigating the death of a plane-load full of witnesses against an organized crime lord. The mourning widower lent a bent of humanity to the novel, showing his gut-wrenching pain, and the ends he was willing to go to seek justice for his wife. It also showed the complex differences between the husband and deceased wife compared to Sam and her husband.

Sam also takes on a pro-bono case, involving a beaten wife, whose husband is now on death row for killing her father and having tried to kill her twice. The maternal side of Sam is shown through her actions to protect Monica. There is a girl power vibe of empowerment as they stick together.

Toss in a few hits on Sam's life, with all the other threads, and you've got a ton of action, with the everyday life of custody issues, and the humanity of Sam wondering if she's a monster. What I loved is how Sam owns who she is, embraces it, after justifying her extreme means. Sam respects life, but isn't a ball of guilt. She's the ultimate in badass.

The world-building is expanded in this novel, as Sam learns to navigate her nature, opening up and exploring the bounds of her limits, while taking the reader along on the journey.

I'm already partway through book #3, and thoroughly enjoying the rapid pacing and Urban Fantasy landscape J.R. Rain has created.

Also Available in the Vampire for Hire Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Moon Dance post.

J.R. Rain is an ex-private investigator who now writes full-time in the Pacific Northwest. He lives in a small house on a small island with his small dog, Sadie. He is the author of over sixty novels.

Connect with J.R.

Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
J.R. Rain Fan Club Facebook Group


Brought to you by

Erica reviewed her personal copy of Vampire Moon (Vampire for Hire #2) by J.R. Rain for this post.

Moon Dance by J.R. Rain

The thrilling first novel in J.R. Rain's epic #1 bestselling vampire mystery series! For fans of Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton and Janet Evanovich!

Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn't exactly what he appears to be; after all, there's a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
About a week ago, I stumbled upon this book as a freebie. With Wicked Reads reviewing our personal copies, I thought it the best time to delve into this long-standing series. I wasn't sure what to expect – truthfully, I was surprised I'd never found this series years back, when I was a voracious Urban Fantasy fanatic.

It was a refreshing change of pace to have a mature, married mother as the heroine. Most often, this type of book features a young, naively attractive woman, with the book starting out as she is dropped into a world she never knew existed.

For the reader, this happened to Sam six years in the past. At the start, our heroine is a vampire (which is a mystery to her as much as it is to the reader) – a mature woman in her late thirties, but also a married mother of two. She has real-world problems while struggling to handle her nature. Sam's an 'every woman,' where most female readers can relate to specific parts of her characterization.

Ex-FBI, Sam is now a private detective, because this can fit into her nocturnal schedule. She's forced to be a loner, unable to let anyone in to know the real her due to her vampiric nature, when she enjoyed the camaraderie of a partner.

The reader discovers the world-building as Sam stumbles upon it, answering her own questions as she investigates an attempted murder.

I've read many UF series, and most of the heroines are kick-ass, yet turn into too-stupid-to-live damsels in distress – basically doing anything to put themselves in precarious positions to gain attention, and draw them near their love interests. Sam can and does take care of herself, not needing a knight to ride in for her rescue.

The Vampire for Hire series has a similar feel to old-school Anita Blake (LKH) – the writing style, the bluntness of the main character, but is also original and inventive in its own right.

After finishing Moon Dance, the first thing I did was seek out the next, curious to see where the series heads next.

J.R. Rain is an ex-private investigator who now writes full-time in the Pacific Northwest. He lives in a small house on a small island with his small dog, Sadie. He is the author of over sixty novels.

Connect with J.R.

Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
J.R. Rain Fan Club Facebook Group


Brought to you by

Erica reviewed her personal copy of Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire #1) by J.R. Rain for this post.