Under the Blood Moon (Under the Moon Series Book 1) by Tracie Provost on January 31st 2018
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A supernatural war is brewing in New Orleans, threatening to expose the existence of vampires, werewolves, and Gatekeepers to the wider world . . .
Ritually staked and hidden for two hundred years, Juliette de Grammont, voodoo priestess and vampire, is found and revived. Just days after she is freed, still coping with a world she could never have imagined, she loses her sire and vampire coven in a fire. Confused and alone, Juliette seeks the help of the city’s powerful Grand Master, but dark elements within the city are conspiring to topple that regime. Soon Juliette’s struggle for survival places her in the middle of a supernatural war for control of the city.
Josh Bouchard, former Texas Ranger now vampire and coven lieutenant, is drawn into the conflict and appoints himself Juliette’s protector over her objections. They must enlist the help of both the city’s werewolf pack and the Gatekeepers—a shadowy group dedicated to keeping the paranormal world secret from humans—to forge a coalition to save New Orleans from the powers that seek to destroy it.
After traveling extensively with wanderlust struck parents, Tracie Provost settled down to small town life in rural Georgia. There she teaches history at a small university and writes to keep her cats in the luxury to which they have become accustomed.
~~Reviewed by Monique~~
Juliette de Grammont, a vampire, was staked in 1797 by the Hunters and placed in a crypt. Her sire finds her and brings her to make her presence known to the New Orleans Grandmaster Marc Gautier. No sooner has she been introduced that the Grandmaster’s nephew Chris is brought in: he has been attacked and bitten by stray werewolves The twelve-year truce between the vampires and the werewolves is tenuous, but they must work together to stop the attacks that threaten the paranormals’ exposure. But the Strays are only the tip of the iceberg when the supernatural politics turn even deadlier.
UNDER THE BLOOD MOON is the first instalment in a promising new paranormal romance series. The paranormal beings are, for the most part, what we are accustomed to, albeit with a heavy dose of magic thrown in. New Orleans is an ideal location for this sort of series, and Ms. Provost uses the lush settings to its advantage, even providing a bit of local history while showing us around. As is customary, this first book serves to establish the world in which the series will take place, and apart from a few paragraphs of info dumping about the various members of the paranormal hierarchies – which I knew I would promptly forget anyway until they entered the narrative – the information was seamlessly woven in.
UNDER THE BLOOD MOON is told in the first person, from Juliette’s point of view, and I really liked her voice. She has retained the speech patterns of her time, which contrasted nicely with the other supernaturals who’d had decades to adapt. The “fish-out-of-water” element was skilfully exploited: Juliette is a smart woman, but there were a few amusing episodes with “novelties”. I also really enjoyed the fact that Juliette is a woman of colour, and her backstory is not what most readers would expect, which I found truly satisfying. There are numerous characters, but it was never confusing, as they were sharply defined, and I particularly liked Chris, Jaime Sprenger – a Gatekeeper, responsible for maintaining order – as well as Josh Bouchard, a vampire and nightclub owner, who ends up acting as Juliette’s bodyguard and budding love interest. If Juliette is intriguing, Jaime is a very exciting character, and Josh is an utterly delicious – and witty – cowboy. I loved the passages where he referred to choice vampire eating spots! If the pace is unhurried, it is steady, and it suits Juliette’s calm and poised nature, the writing is smooth, and it all adds up to a very pleasurable reading experience. UNDER THE BLOOD MOON is a fine introduction to a new magical series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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About Tracie Provost
Tracie Provost grew up all over the US, rarely staying in one place for more than a year. She dreamed of becoming an author but decided that that career path was not secure enough so she got a Ph.D. in European History. Despite the odds, that actually was more secure, landing her a job at a small southern college. Tracie never forgot her dream however and began writing again.
Still teaching full time, Tracie divides her time between academic and fiction writing. There is a surprising amount of carry-over between the two. In her spare time, she reads, watches bad TV on Netflix, and is ruled over by her numerous feline overlords. The common joke is that Tracie writes to keep her cats in good kibble.
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