If you're a fan of Lori Handeland's 'Nightcreature' series about werewolves and the jager-suchers who hunt them, you owe it to yourself to read "Full Moon Dreams". This is a story published in 1996 that provides an early look at Handeland's world of nightcreatures. It's an historical romance that takes place in America not long after the Civil War about a traveling circus. Even though it's not Handeland's best work, the glimpse it gave me into the beginnings of her now-popular series was fascinating.

Emma is a female tiger tamer for her grandfather's traveling circus in 1870s America. She grew up in the circus and its the only home she's ever known and working with tigers is what she loves. Now, the presence of a werewolf stalking their circus has placed her life and her livelihood in danger. With four of her fellow performers dead, the appearance of any stranger is suspicious--so why can't she get the handsome wanderer Johnny out of her mind?

John is THE doctor in his small town. He raised his brother, Peter, after the death of his mother and both of them managed to live through the War. Yet his brother disappeared at the end of the war and that haunts him. When Peter appears one night John is happy...until he sees Peter killed by a strange wolf with the eyes of a human. That same wolf attacks John but he manages to escape with severe wounds. His brother's dying words direct John to a traveling circus so he heads out with revenge on his mind. The suspicious deaths quickly make a believer out of John in the existance of werewolves, but to his horror HE changes on the first full moon after his attack too. Now he's falling in love with a gorgeous, free-spirited tiger tamer but he knows his presence is dangerous. He must kill the werewolf who 'made' him and then find the strength to kill himself before he hurts Emma.

As I said, the story isn't Handeland's best and the date of the book, with all the attendant genre restrictions of the time, certainly doesn't help. But it is still a good story considering these things and a compelling look at how Handeland's writing skill and world changed with the passage of time. ( )