Moonlight

Kayla comes to spend a summer working as a guide at a national forest. She has come partially because she loves nature and the outdoors and partially because she hopes to get over a trauma in her childhood. This is the same national forest where her parents were killed. She was with them and has just hazy memories of what happened. But the memories have led to nightmares and sessions of therapy.

She and a group of sherpas including her friend Lindsey and the darkly, brooding Lucas are guiding a bunch of researchers deep into the forest. Kayla is also interested in Mason who is the son of the leader of the researchers. He seems to be busy courting her which she enjoys. The researchers are looking for werewolves despite the sherpas telling show more them that werewolves don't exist.

The only problem is that they are lying to the researchers. There are werewolves and many of the sherpas are werewolves or at least will be werewolves when they reach the proper age for their first shifts. Kayla is surprised and skeptical when she is told that she is a werewolf and that Lucas is her destined mate.

Kayla has to make a difficult decision about accepting a future she couldn't even have imagined while avoiding evil scientists and a disgruntled alpha wolf. This was an enjoyable story although I thought Kayla's acceptance both of her werewolf heritage and Lucas as a mate was just a little too easy.

This book begins a series. Each book tells the story of one girl who is a part of the Dark Guardians. show less

To be honest, the cover did nothing for me. I actually looked at it and moved on straight away. Then two young girls appeared beside me. One of them picked the book up and said, “This is a werewolf romance.” They walked off, book in hand, and I moved back to the pile of books and picked one up to read the blurb.

The blurb interested me. I’m not interested in reading vampires stories anymore, but hadn’t read a romance involving werewolves. The price was right, so I was willing to give it a go.

And I’m glad I did. Yes, it might be a bit cheesy in places. Yes, I groaned and rolled my eyes at a couple of spots where the romance was far from reality (in my honest opinion). But … the book was easy to read and quite absorbing.

I liked show more the characters, especially the main characters – Kayla and Lucas. Kayla isn’t sure of herself, which was a bit irritating, but she had a lot of baggage and I was able to make allowances for her. Lucas is the mysterious one. We know he’s a werewolf, but Kayla doesn’t. They are well suited, but then there’s Mason; smart, good looking and attentive.

The setting was particularly interesting. The group were hiking and camping through a forest, which presented its own dangers. I enjoyed the fact that whilst I had a clear idea of their surroundings, the author didn’t go on and on with long descriptions. Top marks for that.

The other thing I liked about the book was the fact that it is written in a way that shows werewolves (or shifters as they prefer to be called) as the good guys and a small majority of humans (or statics) as the baddies. It is refreshing to read about a topic (meaning werewolves), which is usually connected with death and violence, and have it approached from a different angle that shows it can be totally different to what is expected. If werewolves really existed, these are the type I’d like to see in the world.

I really did enjoy this book. show less

I can't remember how I came upon this series, but what I do know is that I'm so glad I did! Moonlight is the first in the Dark Guardian series and once again I've found myself a new series that I already can't get enough of.

As a fan of the paranormal genre, I'm always excited when I find a book within that genre that has a new twist to the old storyline. The Dark Guardians' series has taken the old tales of werewolves and produced a new and unique spin on the characters.

Rachel Hawthorne created a story out of her very realistic world and had me believing instantly! Her main characters, Kayla and Lucas were great. Brave and compelling Kayla meshed very well with the dark and brooding Lucas. Their story was romantic, yet frustrating, show more moving and yet so much fun. I loved it all!

With werewolves being a reality and some ill intent humans after them for their own nefarious purposes, readers will be on edge to see if Kayla and Lucas will be able to defeat them and remain safe or if their in deeper water than they thought. Will their romance and feelings be enough to keep them strong for the fight ahead, or will it all be just too much for Kayla to handle with the other revelations she's faced with?
I've always been a fast reader but I was able to really fly through this book, it took only one day for me to finish and after I was done I wanted to jump right into the next installment. There's a little bit of everything in this series; romance, adventure, action and suspense, plenty of description and depth to keep you interested and wanting to come back for more. I really had fun with this one and already ordered the second installment, Full Moon, because I just can't stand not knowing what will happen next, I'm hooked yet again! I'm really looking forward to see where Hawthorne and her Dark Guardians' series takes me next! show less

When Kayla becomes a wilderness tour guide for the summer the most she expects is to spend a lot of time in the woods and to face her fears. She never expects to find out her friends are Shifters. Or to find her soul-mate.

Honestly this book was just okay. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. It was fluff. I read it in one sitting.
The Characters are a little one dimensional. Lucas was a good character. He was mysterious and intriguing but Kayla was a little on the annoying side. The side characters were introduced nicely. The author did a great job of setting up for the rest of the series.
The backstory for the Shifters and the Dark Guardians was well done. It left me wanting to know more about the pack. In my opinion the ending felt show more a little rushed. The author spent too much time on minor elements of the story when she should have put more into the ending.
Regardless of all that I still enjoyed the book. It was a very fast read and I'm looking forward to reading Full Moon.

http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/ show less

Like many others in my collection, I picked this book up because of its pretty cover. When I saw it was about werewolves, I purchased it immediately. I haven't read much from the werewolf genre and was excited to add to my growing collection.

This is the first novel I have read by Hawthorne, and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick, fun read and I really enjoyed her take on the werewolf universe. I really liked the idea of involving sherpas, and the connection with the werewolves and nature right from the beginning of the story. Even before Kayla discovers who she is she has the strong feeling that she "belongs" in the forest. I also really enjoyed the tattoo angle. I only wish that these things had been expanded upon a little show more more.

Moonlight is the first of three novels currently planned in The Dark Guardian series and I'll definitely be picking up Full Moon and Dark of the Moon when they are released. From the hints of future plot lines given to us in the first installment, the next two stories should be good as well :o) show less

Read the full Review at Witchmag's Boekenplank

I loved reading this story. Werewolves were put in a new and refreshing view and this time it were actually the female werewolves who got a say in chosing a mate. Go emancipation! No more woman who are stuck with a mate they don’t want (at first of course, since mates are destined to be together and it’s always quite nice to see them growing to love each other ;) )

A couple of pages I had the assumption that a naked Lucas was carrying Kayla on his shoulder. Till the moment he planned on becoming a wolf and threw his pants to her (okay so he wasn’t naked -.-). I missed a small, important sentence phrase where he puts on his pants, but it made it a lot more interesting ;) (although I kept show more wondering why Kayla stayed calm. She would have had an amazing view ;) )

The moment Kayla turned into a wolf was an anticlimax. The description of becoming one is that it will be painful and even dangerous, people died when they transformed. The real scene is over in a minute and I didn’t get the feeling that it was that difficult or painful (not that I wanted her to suffer) but a piece of cake. That’s quite a contradiction….

As a rule, I’m a team player, except when I’m not.

Okay, this phrase seems logical, but I actually had to read it 4 or 5 times before I got what means. Is it me (and no, I was not tired at that moment ;) )?

My overall rating is 4 hearts. I honestly enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn’t enough for 5. Why? Not the faintest idea. It lacked that bit of magic to keep me glued to it. It’s still a great book to read and I will definitely read the next one in this series. show less

I found this to be a quick and enjoyable read. I first saw it on the teenreads website, and then at work where the cover caught my attention. This was the first book by Rachel Hawthorne that I have read, and I am looking forward to the next two books in the Dark Guardian series.

While I did enjoy the book, it feels like the relationship was rushed between Kayla and Lucas. She spent too much of the book being startled or scared by him, and then she suddenly loves him. And while I did want them together it just felt a little too quick for me.

Them being shifter instead of full on werewolves was nice. It was fun to watch the teens mock the team they were leading about werewolf myths and legends. I liked the set-up for the next two books in show more the series, Full Moon and Dark of the Moon. show less