A bounty hunter, a lone werewolf, vampires, drama, suspense, and romance. What’s not to like about this? Well, nothing. That’s why this book by Lise MacTague is one of my favorites. It’s like the Netflix series First Kill, but for adults 😏.

Bounty hunter Marie Alice Nolan, Malice, is genetically engineered and extremely trained making her ultra-strong. She needs this to be able to hunt so-called supranormals (supras), such as werewolves, vampires, demons. Malice is very good at her job and is very much feared by the supras. She leads a lonely life and the only human relationship she has is with her mother and sister. They are also the most important thing in her life and Malice will do anything to protect them.

The werewolf Ruri Samson has lived in her new guise for over a century. She leads a relatively quiet life with her pack. Until her mistress betrays the pack and Ruri’s Alpha leader is brutally murdered by a despicable rival. What’s left of her pack goes with the new Alpha. However, Ruri escapes. She continues as a lone wolf and wants revenge.

As Malice shows up to the new pack by rescuing Ruri from an attack, something happens that forces Malice to enlist Ruri’s help. Not that she asks her nicely 😈. The two powerful women discover through the forced collaboration that there is a huge attraction between them. A connection they cannot escape, however improbable it may be between these two rivals.

Five Moon Rising is really a wonderful book. I loved being transported into a totally different world. A world of werewolves, vampires and other supras. It is also a very exciting story. There are actually three stories playing at the same time, which come together. I also thought the story lines were very original!