Dark of the Moon

Dark of the Moon (Dark Guardian #3) By Rachel Hawthorne

Summary:

Brittany grew up believing that under the full moon after her seventeenth birthday she would shift into a wolf like her mother before her. She had prepared for it. She looked forward to it. She dreamed of it. Female pack members were supposed to choose a mate to go through the first shift with them. Males went through it alone after their eighteenth birthday. It was supposed to be very painful to do alone. A mate could help you get through it alive. Brittany had no mate to take with her. She’d been set up but no guys seemed to take an interest in her. She knew who she wanted to go through it with, but he only had eyes for another. She would have to face it alone because she wanted to be a dark guardian and protect the secret of the existence of the pack. But the only secret she ends up protecting in the one where she doesn’t shift. The full moon came and went but she stayed the same. What is wrong with her? Is this why no guys had been drawn to her? Could she fix what was wrong with her? When she returns to find that, Conner, the guy she has felt drawn to forever is finally free to notice her, she realizes that if she ever has a chance with him, he can’t know she isn’t a shifter. But how can she hide this forever? Should she run away? Should she tell him and everyone else the truth? But there is a threat to the pack, she has to help. But without being a shifter, can she really be any help?

My thoughts:

Brittany was a minor character in the first two books in this series. In those books, she was didn’t really open up to anyone. She was lost in her exercise routine and seemed very standoffish. I will admit that when I realized that the next book was centered on her, I wasn’t very excited to read it. But I had loved the first two books and I really enjoy Rachel Hawthorne books, so I read it anyway. I am so glad that I did. What comes out of Brittany’s mouth and what is going on in her head is so different. She uses her comments to protect herself. She feels deeply about Conner and struggles to deal with it. I loved how she was so real. I think it made me realize how much people can be different from what they appear to be to other people. As for Conner, I was very impressed with him. Some people may think that he got over Lindsey too fast and fell too hard for Brittany, but I disagree. The world that Rachel has created in the Dark Guardian books is a world where the male shifter falls hard and fast for a girl he may have been around for a while. When the time is right, it happens. Such is the case for Conner. He had been committed to Lindsey during the first two books but when she chooses Rafe, it’s like Conner woke up.

Of course I loved the world of the Dark Guardians. Shifters that don’t shift the first time until their seventeenth (girls) or eighteenth (boys) birthday and the romance of having the guys help the girls through the experience makes for an exciting romance. The traditions of the pack make it easy to leave some old fashion but exciting customs in place. Love it. The plot of this book was unpredictable. I love it when a book fools me. I am really too good at guessing where a book is going but I didn’t this time. I figured a few things out but enjoyed the ride. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I wish all three books came together as one because they really go well together.

Enjoy the read.