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Master of the Moon
by
Angela Knight
paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Berkley on May 3, 2005 and has 340 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Master of Smoke, Beyond the Dark, Bite, Master of Shadows, Master of Wolves, Hot Blooded, Hot for the Holidays, Master of the Night
Second in the Mageverse paranormal romance series and revolving around the Magekind (genetically changed “knights of the Round Table”), the Sidhe, and Dire Wolves. The couple focus is on Diana London, a Dire Wolf, and Llyr Galatyn, the king of Fairie. This story is set in South Carolina in the year 2005, and it’s been two weeks since Master of the Night, 1.
My Take
Wow, Knight starts off with a bang with a dying king and two brothers at odds with each other. She then slips right back to earth with the “blind” Clara who thinks her precious son can do no wrong. Oy. When will those parents realize they do their kids no favors!?! And how do so many people buy into Clara’s delusions! More wow is Dire Wolf culture with its centuries of secrets and lethal rules to keep those secrets.
Knight provides a good bit of back history on Llyr’s father, his awful brother, and events in Master of the Night. It does help that Knight is using third person global subjective point-of-view, which allows us to “hear” from a number of characters, discovering their feelings and seeing through their eyes.
She also provides interesting cultural references from how the Arthurian legends are so not true to the current human slang. As for human technology, pshaw, Llyr knows he can master anything, lol.
Llyr has an interesting character arc as he processes what Kerwyn told him about his relationship with Janeida, analyzing his personal curse, grieving the deaths of his family. He does give Diana a run for the money, as he brainwashes people right and left, paying no heed to how it’ll make her life difficult. Calling in the real FBI . . . oops.
Knight sets up their opportunity to get to know each other with a nasty bit of backlash, one that definitely makes this fairy an island. Master of the Moon does seem to have a theme similar to Master of the Night in that the principal protagonists each have their reasons to not fall in love.
Susan was a horrible woman, and I had to laugh when she discovered she wasn’t all-powerful.
There’s an imbalance of loyalty here. For all that Diana has done for the town and they’re ready to throw her to the . . . um . . . to dump her. I do love how supportive the cops are! As for Llyr . . . who knew he’d step up like this!
It’s character- and talk-driven action that runs it all in a case of proving oneself to be deserving.
The love for a woman can inspire a man to action. Not always for the good. And the Dowager Queen is concerned about puppies!
The Story
Llyr has been trying for a long time to secure one of the Maja for a bride. He’s so tired of his previous four wives being assassinated, his children dying. Now his world (and earth’s) has gotten worse with the evil vampires scattered throughout the world, continuing to use their magic and slaughter too many innocents.
Fortunately, a specific vampire comes to Llyr’s attention, and he and his guards become FBI, tangling up Diana’s life.
The Characters
Diana London, a Dire Wolf, is the city administrator who has saved Verdaville’s butt for the last five years. She’s also a volunteer police officer and Luna, a German shepherd police dog. Marly, a high school art teacher, and Andrew, a Vietnam vet turned mailman, London are her parents. Jim London is Diana’s artist brother with another New York show coming up. He’s also the family’s warrior male. Sandra Waltz is Diana’s third cousin. Tony Shay had been one of Jim’s best childhood friends . . . and still is or rather, was, in Clarkston. Mary Shay is Tony’s mother.
Verdaville City
Clara Davies is one of those self-empowered women who is enabling her hot-tempered son (who has no problem beating on women), Roger. The cowardly Don Thompson is the mayor; Jenny is his wife. Tammy Jones is the supportive city clerk. Other council members include Carly Jeffries and Roland Andrews. Bobby Greene is a pushy journalist who works for the Verdaville Voice. Sandra Kent is another reporter, but with WDRT News. Terry is a gossipy neighbor of Diana’s.
The Verdaville ten-man PD includes the happily married Chief William Gist; Officers Jerry Morgan, an ex-Marine; Mike Williams; and, Jimmy Patterson.
The publicity-seeking George Miller is the county coroner with no medical experience. Grayson County provides the sheriff’s department. Randy Johnson, the head of the sewer department, has bad news.
Ronnie Jones worked first shift and lives/lived with his brother Tim. Gerald Bryce had been playing basketball with his friends, Tyrone and Bill. Gerald’s mom, who works at the Kwick Mart, is not happy. Andy Evans did not live with his mother.
In 1604 of Llyr’s reign, the Cachamwri Sidhe Kingdom is . . .
. . . led by King Llyr Galatyn. Janeida had been Llyr’s mistress who gave her all in Master of the Night. Oriana, a Morven Sidhe, is Llyr’s grandmother, the Dowager Queen. Cynry had been her husband, the king, Dearg their son. Becan, a Demisidhe and Oriana’s lover, is her chamberlain. Isolde had been Llyr’s first wife. Kevir was one of Llyr’s children. Some of the Sidhe elders on the High Council include Cradawag and Lady Oppida.
Kerwyn Arberth is the captain of the king’s guard, a friend for the past six centuries. Lieutenants Egan and Bevyn Cynyr are twins; they and Iden Naois are Llyr’s new regular guards while Avar and Galyn come along later. Adsulata Cynry is married to the philandering Egan.
Avalon was . . .
. . . created by Merlin and Nimue to house and power their new creations on Sidhe Earth (now known as the Mageverse), the Magekind, who are based on King Arthur and his knights. No longer king, Arthur was elected Liege of the Magi’s Council. The males are vampires who need blood to survive; the females are witches who need someone to drink their blood. Merlin’s Grimoire is a sentient book. Morgana Le Fey is Arthur’s sister. Erin (Master of the Night) is now married to Reece Champion, a magus.
The Direkind were . . .
. . . also created by Merlin and Nimue in secret, a backup plan in case the Magekind go bad. The females suffer from a Burning Moon phase, i.e., they go into heat, for one month a year. Yep, it’s that time of the month for Diana. Unfortunately, a dire wolf can be created through a single bite, a.k.a. Merlin’s Curse. On the plus side, Dire Wolves are magic resistant.
The Morven Sidhe Kingdom was . . .
. . . conquered by the Cachamwri and is now led by the brutal King Ansgar Galatyn. Jetad is a hypocritic jerk. Trivag is a lord who acknowledges the truth.
Geirolf’s legacy
Steven Parker had been one of Geirolf’s priests, who scattered his version of vampires throughout the world at the last battle in Master of the Night. It was these vampires who had been the various terrorist cults. Susan Anderson is one of those vampires from Death’s Sabbat.
2033 of the Dearg calendar (A.D. 401 of the Christian calendar)
The Palace of the Cachamwri Sidhe finds the king, Dearg Galatyn dying. The bullying Ansgar Galatyn is the oldest son. Llyr Galatyn, the Heir to Heroes, is the younger son. The Galatyns have ruled since the first of their line helped Cachamwri slay Uchdryd the Dark One.
2031 of the Dearg calendar saw . . .
. . . the arrival of Merlin, a Fae dimensional traveler, and his mate, Nimue, who created the Magekind based on their own genetic structure using a magical grail. (The Sidhe reckon their years by the start of a king’s reign.)
Cachamwri is the Sidhes’ dragon god, formerly a king. The Dark Ones had also been dimensional travelers who wreaked havoc on Sidhe Earth thousands of years ago. Geirolf had been a general of the Dark Ones. Uchdryd had been the Dark Ones’ High General.
The Cover and Title
The cover is in tones of grayed pinks, from the gradated pink to gray of the bottom two-thirds to the pale, pale pink at the top. There’s a finely cut naked male torso, okay, mostly naked as he’s wearing jeans, dang it, in the top half. the author’s name is at the top in white with a purplish-pink outline. Immediately below it on the left is an info blurb in white. Just above Llyr’s jeans is a quick summary in white on the right. Immediately below that is the title in a purplish-pink with a white outline.
I don’t know where the title comes from, it should be Mistress of the Moon and not Master of the Moon.
