Death of the Moon
By S.A. Pavlik
Secrets of the Moon, Book 1
A werewolf with secrets.
Alec Channing has lived a long life, going through the motions, lost in his troubled past, until fellow shifters start dying around him. An increase in werewolf attacks only adds to Alec’s problems. As his past closes in, his only hope lies in one man—an unaware human whose vanilla and spice scent and easygoing attitude draw Alec in. However, what happens when that man uncovers the truth about Alec’s world?
A homicide detective out of his depth.
Detective Damien O’Connor joined the Columbus Police Department to bring closure to victims and their families—closure he never got for himself. But when none of the evidence adds up for what should be a routine death investigation, he’s floundering. As the bodies pile up, the sweet man who caught Damien’s eye falls in the center of the storm. When secrets come out, can Damien reconcile his new reality and solve the case?
Death of the Moon is book one of the Secrets of the Moon trilogy, an 83k word M/M Paranormal Crime/Mystery Romance, with an HFN ending. While there is a complete story arc in this book, there are plot threads that will carry on throughout the trilogy. There are language and explicit intimate scenes not suitable for readers under the age of 18. Warnings: MC with PTSD, past torture implied through flashbacks, dealing with grief.
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Excerpt
“You don’t even have a television.” The pout in Collin’s voice was rather sad.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alec sighed. He didn’t really have the need for a television and rarely had guests aside from Ari. He didn’t make it a habit to mentor other preternatural creatures in his own home.
Maybe it was time to change that.
He could introduce Collin to one of his favorite radio dramas. “Grab yourself a drink and have a seat. Alexa, play War of the Worlds from my library.”
When the intro started playing, Collin groaned. “Really? You’re going to make me listen to this?”
Alec held a finger to his lips. “Just wait.”
When the program had first aired, he and Ari had been living in New York City. They’d spent months calming down the preternatural community afterward. Every creature that had reached out had been afraid the humans planned to pull together a militia to hunt them down.
Collin’s complaints grew silent when the announcer interrupted La Cumparsita to describe a series of explosions observed on Mars. As soon as the music started again, however, the kid acted like Alec was trying to torture him.
This generation had no appreciation for the classics.
The scent of miso soup followed Ari into the apartment just as the intermission started. Her sigh was a little dramatic. “Really? Did you not get enough of this nonsense when the trolls started demanding asylum in Canada? Alexa, pause the program.”
Alec grinned at the memory. At least he wasn’t the one who had ended up dealing with those particular trolls. “I was just trying to broaden Collin’s horizons. Not all entertainment comes in the form of TV.”
“What about all those audiobooks I got for you?”
Alec made a face. “Did you have to get me books that equate to shifter porn?”
Collin choked on his drink. “She got you what?”
“Well, it is not like he has his own love life.”
Heat rushing to his cheeks, Alec lobbed one of the throw pillows from the couch in her direction. He smiled when she huffed at him. Served her right for buying him so many fecking pillows.
Carra's Review
Debut novel? Could have fooled me. As the first in the Secrets of the Moon trilogy, this new author has completely hooked me for the rest of the series. I will say that the very beginning did feel like I was dropped into an already in progress story, and that maybe I had missed something as I was reading. Turns out this was more of a “tell-as-you-go” type style where bits and pieces were revealed along the way. Apart from that—which for me was a minor hill over which to tumble—everything else in this book had my full attention.
The two main characters, Damien and Alec, were each amazing in their own right. Damien was extraordinarily compassionate, exhibiting a high level of empathy that made him a more than an ideal match to Alec. Alec has been through so much, making it difficult for him to let anyone other than his long-time friend Ari get close; Damien easily blasts right through those barriers, even without knowing about Ari’s past—or his present.
The supporting characters were just as intriguing, and Ari in particular was quite complex. For much of the story I couldn’t settle on how I felt about her, though in the end the events that transpired made everything clear. The mystery aspect of the story made it so I couldn’t figure out who the baddie was, not realizing until right near the end…which of course meant that I was on the edge for the majority of the book.
Not everything is fully resolved here, which sets the stage for continued books in the series, There are also a few characters that caught my eye who I’d like to see more of later on. There was enough resolution in this story though to feel like a mini-conclusion for now, yet still have me watching out for the next one in the series,
4.5 stars for Death of the Moon, and I would absolutely recommend this to any M/M paranormal romance/mystery fan. This story is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release, S.A. is giving away a paperback copy of Death of the Moon!
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About the Author:
S.A. Pavlik writes what she wants to read, but it doesn’t exist… yet. An avid reader, she first discovered and promptly devoured hundreds of M/M Romance novels in 2019 and it rekindled her desire to write. She started her debut novel, Death of the Moon, the very next year.
She was born and raised in Wisconsin where it’s too cold but she loves it there anyway. She lives with her husband and her furbaby—a needy, elderly, deaf cat named Rise (Ree-say). Because who uses names that are instantly pronounceable? When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s obsessively playing video games or proving that an introvert can be an extrovert on the internet after all.
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