The Hunter’s Moon (Unleashed Book One)
by Lee K. Rogers
Oct. 15, 2024
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Open Door Publications
ISBN:979-8-9871697-3-5
ASIN: B0DHLN7QW1
Number of pages:152
Word Count: 50,100
Cover Artist: Eric Labacz
Two passionate men but she can only choose one. Will Ana surrender to the beast or the hunter?
Two men, one moonlit choice—will she surrender to the beast or the hunter?
Ana once found peace in her late-night walks through Rivelou, a sleepy Kentucky town where on the surface, nothing much happens. But beneath the quiet streets and old Southern charm, a mystery is lurking.
When Ana is attacked by a vicious beast one night, she’s saved by a mysterious stranger. But as more people fall victim to the beast, she’s torn between the two men who have entered her life—one a fierce protector, the other a dangerous enigma. Both seem to know more about the dark forces at play than they’re letting on.
Caught between a deadly predator and a town full of secrets, Ana must decide: can she trust the hunter or the wolf?
The Hunter’s Moon, an enemies to lovers shifter romance, is Book One in the Unleashed Series.
Amazon
Excerpt:
The
animal stayed in the bushes, following along slowly and silently as it
tracked its prey. He could smell it. Taste it. And it attracted him like
nothing ever had before.
Do wolves think in the same way that humans do? Or do they rely only on instinct, hunting mindlessly?
Whether intellectual reasoning or animal instinct, the wolf knew it had to watch this woman. It wanted her. It needed her.
Ana
breathed in the early autumn air as she headed away from the university
and onto the darker streets of the neighboring suburb. It was an older
neighborhood, built in the 1920s when the town of Rivelou had begun to
spread from its central location on the river, south across the railroad
tracks. This particular section of town had been built for the railroad
workers: tiny shotgun houses lined up on even tinier lawns.
As
Ana crossed Roosevelt Avenue, the streetlights ended, and the sidewalk
was illuminated only by occasional porch or walk lights. She loved
sauntering home from her evening classes this time of the year. The air,
while it could not yet be called crisp, had lost its summer sultriness,
a welcome change from the blistering heat of a Kentucky summer.
As
she strolled down Harlan Street, farther from the more heavily
trafficked avenue, the road became even darker. It was too soon for most
of the leaves to have fallen; they were just beginning to turn red on
this last week in September and were so thick on the trees that they hid
the full moon. Part of the charm of the old neighborhood was the
beautiful, large, old maples and oaks, but their roots also tore up the
sidewalks. Ana tripped on one of those cracks. Papers, a lipstick, her
wallet, and a few other necessary items spilled out of her purse, and
she shook her head in disgust. How could she always trip in the same
spot, night after night? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t memorized the uneven
areas in the sidewalk after years of walking this way.
The
young woman bent down to gather her various belongings and froze. Was
that something growling? Somewhat spooked, Ana shoved everything back in
her bag and hurried down the street. After a moment she slowed,
listening carefully to the night noises around her.
Nothing unusual.
She
shook her head. It must have been her imagination. She had slowed her
pace and continued on when she heard the sound again. A low growl
nearby. A dog? No one on this block had an animal big enough to make
that sort of sound. That growl had definitely come from something larger
than Mrs. Ahearn’s yappy little Pomeranian. She picked up her pace
again.
Only a half block until she turned onto Sycamore, then another half block until she arrived at her own home.
The
growl came again. She settled her purse more securely on her left
shoulder, her computer bag on her right, and doubled her pace. There
were no lights on any of the houses on this part of the block, and of
course, the moon took that moment to hide behind a cloud. She took a
deep breath and tried to walk at a steady pace. She wouldn’t run even
though she could now hear the animal behind her as she rounded the
corner. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her own porch light
on as well as that of her neighbors, Joe and Linsdey. Only a few more
steps to safety.
She was almost in front of her own door when
she heard the rush of paws with nails clicking behind her on her
sidewalk. With a howl, the animal knocked her down. Holding her computer
case in front of her face, she yelled and pushed it at the animal’s
huge, dark head. “Take a bite of that, you nasty beast!” It was all
teeth and glowing eyes as it loomed over her, growling.
“What do
you want?” she shouted. Though it had her on the ground, it didn’t make
a move, just stood gazing at her. If she did move, it would strike. She
had to do something. She drew a deep breath and prepared to scream when
someone came running up behind her.
“Hey, you, get back! Get back!”
She
turned her head and saw a man running toward her and the slobbering
animal. The man grabbed a stick from the ground as he rushed forward,
waving it at the animal.
“Back! Get back, you ugly beast!” he
shouted again, striking the creature who turned, snarling at him. They
stared intently at each other for a moment before the canine finally
dodged the stick and lunged to take a bite out of the man.
The
man got in a couple of good blows before the dog suddenly grabbed the
stick, tugged at it, and knocked him to the ground. Fumbling in her
purse, Ana took action just as the dog leaned back on its haunches
preparing to strike. Just before he lunged on the fallen man, Ana found
her can of mace and hit the dog in the face with the noxious spray. With
a howl of pain, it ran into the darkness.
Several more porch
lights suddenly popped on to light the night, and the street was filled
with neighbors coming to check on the unusual commotion.
“Are you alright?” her rescuer, still gasping and out of breath, asked. “It didn’t bite you, did it?
About the Author:
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Lee K. Rogers has been reading fantasy since she discovered the Brothers Grimm, and her love of the genre has only grown from there. From classics such as the Narnia series and The Lord of the Rings (before the movies came out of course!) to Charlaine Harris’ series and Pamela Clare—she reads it all. When she discovered urban fantasy romance she found her new passion. She particularly loves adding a little spicy sex to her own fantasy adventures.
Lee once lived in the Kentucky/Indiana border town on which she has modeled Rivelou. While she never met a werewolf there, she was convinced there was an entrance to the land of Fae just down the street from her house.
The Hunter’s Moon is the first in her paranormal romance series, Unleashed. The next two books, coming in 2025, are titled The Artificial Witch and The Vampire’s Heart.
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