Amanda Meuwissen – By the Red Moonlight

Today, I’m hosting author Amanda Meuwissen and her latest release By the Red Moonlight, book one in the Moonlight Prophecies series, a m/m paranormal romance. Be sure to read my review of this novel. And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Book Title: By the Red Moonlight
Series: Moonlight Prophecies, book one
Author: Amanda Meuwissen
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Genre: Shifter Paranormal M/M Romance
Tropes: Forbidden love, enemies to lovers, found family
Themes: Destiny
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 221 pages

On All Hallow’s Eve when the sky glows bright…

Blurb: Alpha werewolf, crime boss, and secret Seer Bashir Bain is neck-deep in negotiating a marriage of convenience with a neighboring alpha when a tense situation goes from bad to worse. A job applicant at one of Bash’s businesses—a guy who was supposed to be a simple ex-cop, ex-con tattoo artist—suddenly turns up undead.

A rogue newborn vampire would have been a big wrench in Bash’s plans even without his attraction to the man. After all, new vampires are under their sire’s control, and Ethan Lambert doesn’t even know who turned him. When Bash spares his life, he opens himself up for mutiny, a broken engagement, and an unexpected—and risky—relationship.

Ethan just wants a fresh start after being released from prison. Before he can get it, he’ll need to turn private investigator to find out who sired him and what he wants. And he’d better do it quick, because the moon is full, and according to Bash’s prophecy, life and death hang in the balance.

Note: It is book 1 of a new series but does not end on a cliffhanger.

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Buy Links:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner Press

Blood. Not visible, but he could smell it. A lot of it. Impossible to detect inside the parlor, because it always carried a faint scent of blood due to the needle work, but outside, Bash had no doubts. Those who knew about him being a Seer knew his hunches were never wrong.

A man sprinted toward him and was stopped cold when Bash shot out an arm to catch him by the throat.

No, not a man.

A vampire.

The hiss and growl and snap of fangs made it difficult to hold the creature at bay, especially since he was strong—incredibly strong. Bash could barely contain him, which should not have been a challenge as an Alpha against a newborn, but that’s what this vampire had to be, because Bash recognized him, and he hadn’t been a vampire a few hours ago. The sire had to be powerful to create a fledgling this strong on its first night turned.

“A shame we couldn’t offer you that job, Mr. Lambert,” Bash said evenly. Poor man never even made it out of the neighborhood after his interview.

Lambert—Ethan Lambert, Bash recalled—snapped again with a click of fangs. A shame indeed, but this had to be Ethan. Bash would have known anyone else lurking about these streets, shifter or human, and the young vampire had natural red hair and a handsome face beneath the raging hunger, just how Siobhan had described him.

Shifter eyes glowed with power when they gave in to their true forms, but a vampire’s changed entirely. They shone yellow when fed, amber when hungry, and red when feral. Ethan’s eyes matched the moon above. What little control he might have had if he wasn’t a newborn was buried in the back of his mind by the overwhelming need to feed.

“The hell?” Deanna bellowed from the mouth of the alley, throwing back her shoulders and letting her fangs and claws extend, her skin darkening to a deep indigo-black, fur sprouting rapidly across her skin. She was ready to tear the vampire to pieces as soon as Bash threw him her way, which was what Bash planned to do….

When he caught the glow of the scarlet moon above Ethan’s head.

Somewhere deep within the red of Ethan’s eyes was green. Bash couldn’t see it, but he knew, like a vision of the man Ethan had once been, beautiful and smiling and utterly enchanting.

With a howl, Bash slammed Ethan’s head down into the pavement once, twice, three times before he stilled.

“What did you do that for?” Deanna growled. “Rip his damn head off!”

“No,” Bash said, the claws of the hand that had seized Ethan the only part of him changed, and now that too shifted back. He bent beside Ethan, whose fangs were still visible with his lips parted, but his eyes were closed, chest still since he no longer needed to breathe. “We’re bringing him back to the den. I have questions.”

“What?” Deanna balked, all towering force even as she shifted human, save the glow of her burning violet eyes. “That’s a vampire, Bash! A parasite!”

“I’m aware, and we are taking him back with us. Now pick him up.”

“Fat chance!”

“Deanna, I am your—”

“Fuck you, big shot Alpha! When you’re being an idiot, you’re just Bash, and you can’t go bringing some fanger home when negotiations with Russell are heating up. If you ever thought a Halloween was the night, this is the one. Kill the guy and be done with it.”

That was the easy answer, but if it was easy, why bother with a prophecy? When had a vampire even entered Bash’s city? And what did it want? It couldn’t be a coincidence that Ethan had been turned and left on Bash’s doorstep.

Vampires were vermin, an infestation to be rid of if even one was discovered in pack territory. As they aged, they became far stronger than shifters, which was why they had to be eradicated before they spread, or they might take over. They were messy and foolish and too easily made feral, just like their wild newborns. Better to kill them on sight, always. Bash couldn’t even remember the last time a vampire had been spotted in Centrus City.

But if the prophecy meant for Bash to kill Ethan, why have his art so entrancing? Why have his eyes cut through Bash like bullets? Why have every part of Bash’s instincts screaming at him that killing was not the answer? There were too many connecting pieces for him to take the easy route like his father would have in his place.

“Pick him up. If I’m right, my future betrothed never needs to know.”

“Yeah,” Deanna scoffed despite bending to do as ordered, “and if you’re wrong, we’re all screwed.”

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Bash has his hands full. Not only is he negotiating a marriage with an alpha from a neighbouring pack, being a Seer, he is having visions, and not of the good kind. Now he has a newly-turned vampire to deal with.

Newly-turned vampire Ethan also has his hands full. Not only is he a vampire against his will, but this happened after he got out of prison and was simply trying to find a job as a tattoo artist.

It’s by chance the two meet. Or is it by chance?

That’s the big question for this thriller by the author. Not only does she have a romance going on, but also a big mystery for readers to solve. She creates a new world of every type of paranormal being you can imagine, and she explains not through heavy backstory or exposition, but as the characters are introduced. Well done.

The world she creates is real. One of contemporary times but full of things that go bump in the night. I was tiptoeing around with the main characters and their sidekicks every step of the way. The dialogue is cleverly used when appropriate, and very realistic for this new world the author has created.

The romance is strong. It becomes a big part of what’s unravelling, and I liked how she approached this in the writing. As for the pacing, it’s tight and there are no lags. The only quibble I have is the enormous cast of characters. I will admit I would have preferred less secondary and more main, but it did not stop me from enjoying the romance of Bash and Ethan.

The duo have great chemistry. And they are very likable. I found myself rooting for them, and hoping they would get a HEA, even though Bash is negotiating a marriage.

This is the first book in the author’s new series. It’s a read I recommend.

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Amanda Meuwissen is a bisexual author, with a primary focus on M/M romance. As author of the paranormal romance trilogy The Incubus Saga and several other titles with various publishers, Amanda regularly attends local comic conventions for fun and to meet with fans, where she will often be seen in costume as one of her favorite fictional characters. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, John, and their cat, Helga. Find her at http://www.amandameuwissen.com.