Early Book Review: Flirting Under the Full Moon by Ashlyn Chase

 I have an advanced reader copy of this, and would love to pass it on to an interested reader! Come Monday March 25 I will pick a random commenter and mail them my copy! A special thanks to LM, a fellow librarian that passed the galley onto me because she was not going to have time to read and review it!

Flirting Under the Full Moon by Ashlyn Chase is the first book in the Flirting with Fangs Trilogy. The book opens with Brandee Hanson being dumped via text message. Before long this waitress that wants to be a photographer catches sight of a bar regular, known as One Night Nick. She would love to get a little closer to him, but not if that means it only lasts for one night. Little does Brandee know that she works in a paranormal bar, and that Nick is a werewolf. At least until she catches his shifting on film and a hailstorm of trouble from a kidnapping investigation and the Council that enforces paranormal rules surrounds them. Can the pair survive everything coming their way, and will they be able to carve out a happy ever after?

Flirting Under the Full Moon is a paranormal romance with a good sense of humor. It was a fun, quick read that made me smile a few times. I did have some moments when I felt like I should have already known some characters, apparently some are main players in the Strange Neighbors series, which I have not read. While Brandee and Nick both seemed to be intellegent and fun characters, I was annoyed at how easily and unquestioning Brandee was about the relationship. Yes, the pair casually knew each other from the bar, but I thought the leap from flirting in the bar to committed relationship was a little too fast, particularly in light of how often Brandee's abandonment issues are brought up. I know that the 'mate' or 'beloved' thing is often used in paranormal romance, but I much prefer it when the otherwise intelligent heroine questions her sanity, safety, and future a little bit more than Brandee does.

I did like the additional layer of mystery and action in regards to the cases Nick works on, but often felt like they where more of  a distraction or bonus to distract from the shallowness of the actual romance. I also liked the inclusion of Mother Nature and the added complication of the Council. It made the entire story more intense and left me wondering where the larger story arc might go from where Flirting Under the Full Moon leaves off.

While Flirting Under the Full Moon is not the best paranormal romance that I have read (I have read many, many of them) it was still a fun read that went very quick. If you enjoy a contemporary paranormal romance with some humor and some action or mystery then you are likely to enjoy the read.