Review: Full Moon Rising

I'm not sure how to feel about this novel. I'm considering reading the next one in the series, but I don't know whether it's because I like the plot and care about the characters or simply because it ends with a blatant "To Be Continued..." I feel angry at such a cheap trick -- the next three novels in the series were scheduled to come out once a month, which indicates that they were all written in advance and designed to sell as a series. The next book in the series probably has an ending similar to this one, and so on until you've bought all the books in the series. Basically, the end of Full Moon Rising is an attempted guarantee that the next book in the series will be read, because it isn't a complete novel in itself. It's an effective lure, but it annoys and offends me. I much prefer J.R. Ward's method -- she effectively ends each character's story, she makes each novel complete in itself, but leaves the reader fascinated by peripheral characters so that they'll want to read the next books when they are published.

Besides the sneaky non-ending, I'm also not sure I believe in or like any of the characters in Full Moon Rising, including the male romantic interest. For a novel to have an unlikeable male hero is, to me, absolutely unforgivable. Also, because sex is so open, some (most...all?) of the angst is removed from the sexual encounters.

So why, despite all this, am I considering reading the next novel? Well, the series might improve, right? The writing itself isn't terrible, and there is a possibility that the next novel might be more to my liking. I'd hate to think that I'm aware of the "To Be Continued..." but still unable to resist its lure. Also, I understand that writing a series is the most effective way for a romance writer to make sure his or her books stay on the shelf -- the most recent book is on the shelf, and because it's part of a series, all the other books are up there, too. There is such a rapid turnover rate for romance novels that this is really the only way to make sure your books are represented at bookstores for more than a month or two.