Fab Fantasy Fiction

Can there be too much sex? Yes, Dark Moon is more erotica than erotic and the story is lost.

I love a good erotic romance. Throw in some paranormal elements and I’m even happier. When I received Kate Douglas’ Dark Moon (Spirit Wild Book Two) for review from her publisher, I was aware that it would have adult content. Knowing it was the second book in a series, I tracked down Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild Book One) to read first.

I really, really enjoyed Dark Wolf. I’d never read Douglas’ paranormal romances about the shapeshifting Chanku, so this was a totally new world to me. Both the romance between the two main characters (Lily and Sebastian) and the suspense-filled story as they track down a rapist-murderer was engrossing. I was surprised to find that “adult” in this case meant not just pretty explicit sex scenes, but foursomes. However it was all handled naturally within the story and never felt like it was sex for just the sake of titillation.

That said, I can’t make the same statement about book two, Dark Moon. Igmutaka, a Chanku Spirit Guide, and his former charge Star get together as well as Igmutaka’s lover Sunny and her new found mate. Then they all get together and have sex - and have a lot of sex. As Igmutaka says at one point, it’s not that they're bisexual or homosexual - the Chanku are just sexual. Yes, got that.

And my problem with the book two isn’t the Chanku sexuality, I enjoyed it in book one, but the fact that the story of Dark Moon seemed to take a back seat to the sex scenes. This, in my opinion, moved this book from the “erotic” to the “erotica” shelf.

As a dear friend said, who loved 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy, “I just started skipping the sex scenes. When you’ve read one, you’ve read them all.”

I burst into laughter at her statement, but do admit that when sex seems to dominate the story, I’ll start skipping pages. I know authors spend a great deal of time writing these scenes, and for most, I won’t skip. But when it’s just sex? Or when it all starts to sound and look the same? The pages of the Kindle just fly by pretty much unread till the "story" recommences.

In all honesty, I have to say that the pages Dark Moon flew by at an alarming rate. There is a sub story to the sex scenes that deals with another set of related killers to those from the first book who are preying once again on the Chanku. But it seemed such an afterthought that I barely realized it was there.

Now, my ultimate test for a book. Would I read this again? No. Would I recommend it to a friend. Well that depends. It’s well written and if my friend likes paranormal erotica - absolutely. It’s just not to my own personal taste. Frankly, I think I was most disappointed as I had really enjoyed Dark Wolf: 1 (Spirit Wild Book One) and wanted to know more about the Chanku. I didn’t feel the second book really elucidated that much.

Would I read other books in this series? Absolutely! In fact, I would like to go back and read the earlier series that dealt with many of the characters who serve as parents to this generation of Chanku. In addition, Douglas has just published another title in this series, Dark Spirit (Spirit Wild Book Three), that I’m curious about.

-Two stars to Kate Douglas' Dark Moon: Spirit Wild Book Two

Fab Fantasy Fiction
http://www.fabfantasyfiction.com/2014/01/review-three-stars-for-kate-douglas.html

I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley for use in the review of Dark Moon. I based my review of Dark Wolf on my own personal copy of the book.