I will admit that it took a little bit for me to get into this book, but once I did, I was hooked. There were lots of interesting twists and turns, a few of them I kinda guessed and some I didn’t. There were also a couple of things I wasn’t fond of, but they are a personal preference not a problem with the book or author. I hate it when characters don’t talk to or trust each other, and I am not a huge fan of more romance than mystery. This is actually a pretty good mix of romance and mystery, so I can’t be upset too much. LOL! This is an exciting, well-written, steamy, and interesting paranormal romance sure to please fans of the genre. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodderscape and author K.C. Harper for this eARC.

So I liked the writing in this book, it's light and easy but still captivating and descriptive. The plot had a good start but unfortunately became very much neglected which lead to it being very surface level and predictable.
Which leads us to our main problem I had with Shadowed Moonlight - our FMC Briar. She is just so, so unlikeable! And not in a good way. She kept telling herself (us, the reader) how she's strong and will do anything to protect the ones she loves while actually being just whiny, passive and an addict herself. She had very few redeeming qualities.
Also there is A LOT of miscommunication!
3.25 stars

- werewolves
- vampires
- murder mystery
- second chance
- fake mates

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of shadowed moonlight in exchange for an honest review.
Peaked my interest straight away, I enjoyed the pack and clan dynamics, loved the murder mystery aspect of the book and honestly wish I had more of that at times.
Sometimes it felt like nothing was happening other than relationship conversations between the main characters and it got a little dull.
It lacked in world building, I couldn't really picture what the world looked like outside of where the characters lived.
The magic system was interesting and I wish there was more on that too.
The ending fell a little flat for me but suppose it's potentially open for a second book
FMC: 23
MMC: 25

3.5 Stars

I love Suzanne Wright so seeing her name in the blurb was an automatic read. This book had a lot of promise but I found it difficult to connect with the female main character, I disagreed with many of her choices. K. C. Harper is an excellent writer and I really like her writing style just not this specific character, I would definitely read another one of her books!

I severely disliked the FMC and I disagreed with just about every choice she made in this book. Although I did finish the book it honestly felt like I wasted my time.

I do however see how someone could enjoy this, i would possibly recommend this to someone as their first urban fantasy however as a chronic fantasy reader it was severely lacking for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶🌶 / 5

✨ Second chance romance
✨ "Enemies" to lovers (one-sided)
✨ Touch her and die
✨ Fake mating
✨ Found family

I've been going into my ARCs blind lately (well, I read the description when I request them, but by the time I get approved and then read them, I've forgotten what they're about unless it's by an author I've already read before) and that's really been paying off for me. I had no preconceived notions with Shadowed Moonlight and that worked quite well for me.

If you've ever gotten one of those IG ads for those chapter by chapter apps about werewolves and the alpha is always a cheat-y mc-cheaterson, this is very similar in vibes, but infinitely less cringey and better written.

What I liked:
There was an actual plot! Did I guess pretty much every twist before it happened? Yes. But I usually do, so I'm not going to hold that against the book, especially since there were a couple non-major reveals that I didn't see coming.

The drama! Listen, maybe it's just because I've been binging Big Brother (and what an insane season it's been so far!), but I'm loving the drama. I'm not usually one who's big on love triangles and messy romance (unless it's of the stabby variety a la FBAA), but the drama in this was *chef's kiss*. Think like old school The O.C., not Riverdale.

What I didn't like so much:
I wanted more world building. There was so much to explore, but it felt very surface level. I wanted more of the lore and history, more on the different factions and why they came to be the way they were. And if you're gonna have a whole different world and talk about geography - give me a map 🙏

Lastly, I do hope that there will be a sequel because the ending could go either way - kind of like when show runners don't know if their season is going to be canceled or not, so it is nicely resolved so you're not left hanging (see: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and Standish), but there's definitely some threads that could be pulled to create another book (or more).

Overall, it was an entertaining read that I had trouble putting down.

If you liked McKenzie Hunter's Legacy series, I think you'll like this one too!

This was a refreshing and fast paced urban fantasy filled with all of our favorite paranormal creatures, murder mystery vibes, high stakes and great spice.

I could really feel the FMCs rage and the MMCs desperation as they worked through their issues. Definitely check the TWs before reading.

The world building and magic system was pretty straight forward and easy to understand. I honestly did not see the twists coming and loved how the author kept us on our toes the entire time.

There was a good amount that was unresolved at the end of the story and I hope we get more soon!

Thank you to K.C. Harper, the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the early copy of The Shadowed Moonlight. What a sexy supernatural fantasy! I enjoyed this book. The chemistry was so good. Thank you again

It wasn't what I expected but it was still relatively good. If you like urban fantasies you'll probably like this book. For me the biggest flaw was the characters, I really didn't like Briar and all the decisions she makes throughout the book were a bit irritating. The romance was ok but nothing very memorable too.

One thing I will say about this book is *French kiss* regarding the smut! The book is written in the POV of Briar and just a heads up does start out slow, but gradually moves faster if you can get past the first few chapters.

There are multiple plot holes missing and the dialog can be a bit rough to understand but the premise is there. If we can fix the plot from jumping all over the place this would be a solid book.

I won’t lie, I was frustrated a couple of times because it seemed like why we’re focusing to much on common slang and reusing words. One less “iron hells” lol.

I think the world itself is interesting and I truly wish there was more world building, but there isn’t much. There is some explaining but there isn’t much, it felt basic. So I didn’t really get pulled into the book like I wanted to.

I would truly give this maybe a 2.5 rating because I honestly see where this can go, but it needs some massive edits and a big white board to fill in the missing plots.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

“My nerves were bare. Torn open and debrided. Being in Kane's presence, having him touch me, inside of me, it stole my breath, and I wasn't sure I'd ever get it back.”

"And I'm not stopping until you scream my fucking name so loud, the whole world knows it."

"There it is," … "That's my girl. Take it all."

Paranormal creature. A drug no one knows how to deal with. A brother she is trying to save. The love of her life who abandoned her four years prior back in town. A series of murder mysteries to solve and she is the only witch with Aura powers to help. Basically a recipe for disaster right? Add to that the fact that he is an alpha of a pack and you have a very tension packed, quite spicy and possessive romance story in quite a dark setting with an unresolved past and a second chance romance with marriage of convenience. This book started out as confusing as it sounds but, at the end of the day every single fantasy book starts that way. But then the author slowly solved every mystery, answered every question and gave us all the spice we wanted in this complicated story. I enjoyed getting through it possibly even more than I was expecting. It didn’t feel like a particularly hard book to read and I have to admit that it hooked me in pretty fast. And the characters were frustrating at times but all with their good parts. I enjoyed reading about their dynamics and their found family tropes and their possessive alpha male, claiming mate scenes. The FMC was sometimes a bit too vexing (not always in the good way) but overall I could understand her point of view and I can’t complain. While for the MMC … well, he is another story entirely. Did I fall in love very fast very early on? Possibly. So much so that I would list him in the top ten? Not really. But the story is far from over so … I supposed he’ll have time to rise !!

"Power-hungry little minx." His fingers flexed against me. "Being mine, carrying me inside of you, makes you Pack, but it doesn't give you our powers."

"I held back because you hated me. I held back because this was my shot to fix things, and I wasn't about to fuck it up by scaring you off?" His head slanted toward mine, hands landing on my hips. His mouth was so close, the heat he kicked off enveloped me like a cloak. "I held back because if I fucked you, if I tasted you, if I kissed you the way I want, you wouldn't have been able to handle it."

“I smiled, soft and deep and not nearly sated enough. "Don't tell me you're done already, big bad?"
His predatory laugh was a hungry promise that brushed against my soul. I squealed when he flipped me onto my stomach and cocked my ass in the air. "Not even close."

DNF. Im happy i gave this book a try, i wanted to try reading a book revolving around alphaverse because i havent before. Maybe due to the fact i havent read this type of book before i didnt enjoy as much i wish i could have. I found some of it cringe and hard to read. I was more annoyed than anything while reading this. I also didnt understand what was happening it felt all over the place. The main character made stupid choices and was overall idiotic. The main characters whole personaliy was her trauma, nothing else. I plan to come back to this book once i feel more comfortable with these kind of stories. I felt the writting to be easy and understandable. I just didnt really like what its about.

This was a really fun, fast-paced urban fantasy! I enjoyed the cast of characters and the mysterious spins that the story takes. A great start to a new series!

Sex-filled, this book really leaned into the werewolf dominance dynamic - "Look away Briar" quickly became commonplace! Thankfully K.C. Harper managed to write this romance without the some of the other elements like Knotting. This book was an easy read, with comfortable tropes and a recognisable love triangle. Harper provides easy reasons to hate the people we should and redeeming arcs for all of the characters we are supposed to like by the end of the book, so very little thinking was needed our end to parse out any 'grey'. It took a while to understand some of the language of the world which you are launched into without preamble but overall this helped keep the books pace.

If you read books for the plot, I would give this one a miss. In between the sex scenes, the murder mystery plotline within the political machinations of werewolf/vampire/magi clans feels secondary. At least the usual communication problems that fuel romance stories were dealt with head on - thank goodness the protagonist's friend literally told her it was actually her making it all more complicated!

Unfortunately the ending felt rushed with a plot that neatly tied up with just about enough of a cliff hanger for that potential book number two, but again, if you're reading this for the plot alone then you're probably reading the wrong book!

Overall an enjoyable, guilty pleasure type read, I'd be hard pressed to suggest this to fantasy fans who love significant world building, but any fans of romantasy books like Fourth Wing or Bride would enjoy it!

I love fake dating and anything supernatural, but something about this book just didn't grab me until I was halfway through. Since it was an ARC, I pushed through to finish it before reviewing. The second half really picked up, so it went from a 2-star to a 3-star read for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC of Shadowed Moonlight.

A fun read but lacking substance. The ending was unsatisfying and felt open ended but this is a standalone?

I don't know, the smut was smutting and the dialogue was good but there were elements that felt shoe horned in.

Nice book.

I LOVE paranormal urban fantasy and I was so excited to see this come out!

The pacing is so brilliant and the characters are to die for and you will feel with them. It's sexy and fun and excellently positioned.

I think I could have done with a tiny bit more plot but I loved it regardless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a fun read! Super fast-paced and entertaining. I could really feel Briar's desperation to help her brother from the very first chapter. The fast-paced plot kept me hooked until the end. I docked one star for the miscommunication between Briar and Kane that did feel a bit YA for an adult book. A few conversations could've solved some of the biggest issues between the two characters. Additionally, I was a bit confused with the motives for our main villain, but I'm hoping this will be flushed out further as this is the first book in a trilogy.

Overall, I recommend this book if you're looking for a fun, fast-paced read with good spice!

Thank you to Hachette and Hodderscape for the ARC!

Shadowed Moonlight is a refreshing urban fantasy full of surprises and spice. The main characters, Briar and Kane, have amazing chemistry, and I loved the world-building created by the author. The new interpretations of witches, vampires, and wolf-shifters was one of my favorite parts!

This was a little slow for me to start out, and despite how much I loved the idea of this book, it was hard to push through.