I'm sorry to say that I did not enjoy this one. I loved the first one and had high expectations. However, I found this one mostly boring. I kind of had to force myself to finish it. It lacked the freshness of the first. The romance was barely there and seemed forced and what romantic conflict there was was resolved too rapidly.

The story mostly dealt with the struggle between the good guy werewolves and the bad guy werrwolves with a generous helping of ancient, mystica,l not clearly explained fae ish type stuff clouding the issue. I saw plenty of indications of future storylines but more than likely I won't continue with the series. ( )

Widowed by the death of her much older and abusive husband, the heroine calls in a debt from the neighboring clan for protection and control of her home. Immediately she takes note of the alphas brother who's inner wolf is becoming harder and harder to deny. Being born in wolf form, he feels sever and stabbing pain every time he pushes down his alpha instincts but he refuses to dishonor his alpha brother. They marry under a contract and know that their union will be nothing but business. Unfortunately it doesn't turn out that way. The hero awakens the heroines inner woman and she can't help but fall for her new husband who mourns the death of his mate and fights his feelings for his new wife. He feels like he's betraying his dead mate when he finds himself wanting his wife as more than just a marriage by convenience and spends the book locked in an internal struggle as to what to do. Though the heroine is understanding of his vows to the other woman, her wolf won't allow him to deny her any longer and she uses her feminine wiles and sexuality to push him over the edge. I really liked this book but it lacked the intensity of the first book. There was passion and the hero was soo delicious-I couldn't wait to read about his story after reading the first book in the series. But I didn't feel this addition had the same level of chemistry as the first and I did feel like the two characters feel in love together much too easily. There wasn't any real conflict either between the two or in the story in general. Other than the fight few chapters there was no villain or anticipation of a fight or really anything of much note going on. Sad to say that I found myself waiting for something big to happen and it never really came. It was a lovely book and I loved the two character as themselves and them together but the story was dull and very mellow. ( )

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

The sequel in Jan DeLima’s CELTIC WOLVES series has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2014 because I really liked the groundwork she laid in book 1, and fully expected this second installment to make my werewolf top 10 list once again this year. It only took a couple of chapters for me to fall in love with this author’s rich mythology, gripping characters, and captivating storytelling all over again, and to realize that CELTIC MOON barely even scratched the surface of this writer’s vast fictional universe.

One of the things that I enjoyed the most about the first novel was that the protagonists were older, so I was pleased that DeLima continued along that same path in SUMMER MOON. Rosa and Richard have both previously been married, are several centuries old on account of their shifter blood, and that maturity really shined through in both their personalities and actions. Their previous relationships were vastly different with one not being able to escape hers soon enough, while as the other is still lamenting over his loss some seventy years later. I loved the way that the author demonstrated how their past loves shaped their futures because getting readers to sympathize with a character who can’t let go of his long deceased wife while being married to another is no easy task. I never resented Richard, and I think the inclusion of Koko’s journal entries and artwork played a large role in that.

Rosa’s courage, strong protective streak, and loyalty made her the ideal wolf queen. I liked that rather than being cowed by years of abuse and neglect, she instead bided her time, and waited for an opportune moment to strike. Once her inner alpha was unleashed there was no stopping her forward march to free her people, even if it meant tying herself to yet another man. However, from her perspective, marrying Luke was indeed better than being raped by eight Guardians because of the council’s horrendous idea to revive an archaic fertility ritual in order to keep their blood ‘pure.’ The CELTIC WOLVES world is definitely not a kind one, but I appreciated that the author took the time to show Rosa what true love is supposed to feel like. The sex scenes were few in number, yet the steam factor was through the roof. This story sucked me right in with its mesmerizing mix of ugly and beautiful.

I’m grateful that this installment came with a glossary of terms because between the Celtic vocabulary and Fantasy writing style, it’s obvious that DeLima’s first career was as a researcher / librarian. As much as I enjoy this author’s way with words, it’s also her downfall at times. Now, her world-building on the other hand is absolutely phenomenal! I enjoyed learning more about the Guardians, who were only mentioned in passing in CELTIC MOON, and the lore surrounding the Beddestyr (Walkers), Bleidd (shifters born wolf), and Hen Was (slaves) was downright fascinating. There’s even a bit of Fae mythology which I suspect will come into play later down the line on account of the ending. I’m hoping for Elen and Cormack’s story next, but really there are so many great secondary characters to choose from that I’m sure I’ll be happy no matter which couple shows up in book 3.

SUMMER MOON is proof that Jan DeLima’s writing debut was no fluke—there’s a new werewolf queen in town (and I don’t mean Rosa)! ( )