Review: Autumn Moon by Jan DeLima (Celtic Wolves #3)

Autumn Moon (Celtic Wolves #3)
Jan DeLima
Published: Sept. 29, 2015 (Ace)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Krista

Rating (out of 5): 3 stars

I’ve read a lot of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. So, it’s rare when a book takes me by surprise. Jan DeLima’s first book in the Celtic Wolves series, Celtic Moon did just that. It dealt with shifters and mythology in a way that I found original and intriguing. It was a very strong debut for a new author. The follow up Summer Moon, built on the momentum of its predecessor and was a solid sequel. So I had high expectations for this third book Autumn Moon.

Elen is a gifted healer and a powerful newbie sorceress. Although she is dearly loved by her family, she is ostracized by the clan her family rules and protects. Our hero Cormack is a human who has been trapped in wolf form for centuries before the events of a recent battle where Elen stripped the shifting ability from an enemy and gifted it to Cormack. For the first time Cormack had to learn how to walk, talk and act like a human. Unwilling to look weak in front of the woman he loved from afar for centuries, he pushed Elen away and went to an ally’s home to learn how to become worthy of her. Returning to the present, Elen’s display of power has garnered the attention of their worst enemy. Elen’s family assigns Cormack, against Elen’s wishes, to be her personal guard.

Matters between Cormack and Elen quickly come to a head. The tension between the two is undeniable as each struggles with how to behave. They have spent centuries as almost constant companions, but that was as wolf and woman. Now that Cormack is human, neither knows how to act. Cormack knows he has been in love with Elen for years but is clueless on how to act on his feeling. The numerous times he clumsily tries to hide his body’s reactions to Elen are hilarious. When they finally move beyond all the miscommunication and awkwardness, things quickly become very hot and heavy. They develop from beloved friends to a mystical mated couple almost instantly.

The action and villain had a lot of buildup, but not as much follow through as I would have liked. Right from book one and through this book, Pendaran was built up to be this ruthless, corrupt badass. So I was expecting something epic and instead I got disappointing. It really felt as if the author decided to take the book in another direction mid-series so she needed to change the villain up. Which is fine, but the transition was too clunky and unbelievable. The action sequences in the book are very quick and easily skimmed. This is definitely a very relationship-heavy book.

My overall feelings toward Autumn Moon, are somewhat jumbled. Did I enjoy the book? Kind of, but I really liked Celtic Moon and Summer Moon. So I feel disloyal saying that I didn’t really get into it. I am still unclear as to whether it was the book or that I just wasn’t in the mood for paranormal romance at the moment. Meh. It is also a hard book to read on its own. So here is what I suggest, pick up the aforementioned first two books in the series before trying out Autumn Moon. Hopefully, the next book with pick up on the potential of the first two.

Sexual content: sex