Howling Moon

I had trouble putting this one down. I read far into the night anxious to find out what will happen between Cat and Raphael as well as Jack. Like previous reviewers, it was a bit difficult remembering all the players in the Sazi. This being the fourth book, the list is getting longer and longer and I'm hoping the writers will consider this in the future---perhaps subtle reminders on who is who would be nice. This story was way more tense and drawn out than the others. Cat definately went through several dramatic events in her life. What I liked about the writing of this was that it was not overdone or understated. The reader also gets a real feeling for the bond Raphael and Cat share. It too was not overdone or overstated. Very enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the next one. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get a sneak preview. I do have one complaint. The authors need to get a new editor. The editing was horrible in this book.

A Sazi jaguar, Jack, attacks Cat Turner and her mother and father while they are on vacation. Jack kills her parents in front of her and Cat is turned into a jaguar. Cat's godfather, Charles, inducts Raphael, who is a wolf, to take Cat under his wing and instruct her in the ways of the Sazi, if she survives the turn. Happily, she survives and begins to learn the world of the Sazi, but unfortunately, wolves do not play nice with cats. Raphael soon discovers that Cat is his mate. Raphael's pack does not want to accept Cat and even more so, does not want Cat as Raphael's mate. I was quickly caught up in this wonderful love story between Raphael and Cat. It was a slow progression of building trust, friendship and love between the two characters. I loved the pack politics and the harrowing story of Jack, who has gone insane over the love of his mate, Fiona. My one small problem with the book was that several characters are mentioned and you do not have a clue as to who they are and then several chapters later, their story or part of their story is revealed. I was confused on more than one occasion, thinking I had missed something, but in actuality, these stories have never been told as I have read every book. Fiona has been mentioned in all of them and still I don't have a clear picture of who she really is. Maybe one day the authors will devote a book to her as she is mentioned in all the books. However, other than that one small problem, I absolutely loved this book and read with great intensity from cover to cover.

In their letter to readers at the start of their paranormal romance HOWLING MOON, Cathy Clamp and C.T. Adams said this was a terrific story. They were not exaggerating. I enjoy books with a strong suspense plot, a strong romantic plot, and main characters I like. HOWLING MOON had everything I want in a book and more: * main and secondary characters with interesting personalities, including insight into the villain's warped mind * suspense with plot twists and mortal danger for the hero, heroine, and people they care about * an intense love story between Catherine (or Cat) Turner (the were-jaguar heroine) and Raphael Ramierz (the were-wolf hero). In their earlier books, Adams and Clamp revealed some things about the culture, rules, and politics of the shape-shifting Sazi world, and HOWLING MOON provides a more complete picture of this fascinating world. The reader learns about the conflict between some of the different Sazi species, especially the conflict between were-wolves and were-cats, and more about the were-wolves' pack politics. I have been reading the Sazi books since the first one, HUNTER'S MOON. Each new book, MOON'S WEB, then CAPTIVE MOON, and now HOWLING MOON has become my favorite in the series.

Raphel is a former enforcer in the Sazi Police. Somehow he was caught up in some kind of trouble and has been on his on for a while now. He is a wolf and is living as the second in his pack to his alpha. He is called unexpectedly by the Chief Justice of the Sazi, it seems a renegade seriel killer has struck again and this time leaving the Justice's God-daughter mauled. He killed her parents. The sazi know who the seriel is, it is Jack Simpson, a jaguar shape-shifer. But Jack is a US Senator and the Sazi are afraid of the publicity if he dies. Jack has made a list of all the Sazi he knows and he knows alot of them because he was once head of security for the Sazi. When his mate chose someone else over him he went beserk. It seems several may mate to a female but she can choose who she wants. The Justice wants Raphel to find the god-daughter, Catherine, and help her through the full moon. If she makes it she will be a Jaguar if she looses it she must be put down. Catherine has no idea what has happened to her. She is visiting with her aunt when Raphel finds her and while explaining she undergos the change. Jack has not forgotten her either he is determined for her to die. The plot is fast and fasintating. The emotions between Raphel and Catherine are explosive and the pack hates her for being a cat. The enmity between the two types of Sazi is also explosive. They not only have to fight Jack and defeat him without revealing the presence of the Sazi, they also have to fight the hatred of the pack itself. I found it impossible to put down. Very good book.

Chief Justice and head of the Sazi community asks former shapeshifter secret police agent Raphael Ramirez to do him a favor; be there when his goddaughter Catherine Turner changes. Were-jaguar serial killer Jack Simpson murdered her parents; Catherine endured but she was mauled and will change at the full moon that is if she survives the transformation. Raphael heads to Boulder where Catherine, suffering nightmares from the lethal massacre, is staying with her Aunt Violet Wildethorne. He knows that Charles asks a lot of him because his pack would want Catherine dead and Jack is probably hunting her down to complete his kill. When Raphael meets Cat, he is stunned as she is his soulmate, but he is wolf and she is jaguar. The latest Sazi romantic suspense fantasy is a terrific tale starring a dedicated hero who knows scandal first hand from the incident that cost him his police position, but also knows he will risk anything to keep his beloved safe from his pack and Jack. Readers also learn a lot more about killing Jack whose previous appearances were somewhat limited. The star-crossed romance combines delightfully with the woman in peril subplot as the world seems to be focusing on a traumatized Cat. Harriet Klausner