Full Moon Howl (Montague \u0026 Strong Case Files, #2) by Orlando A. Sanchez

Full Moon Howl (Montague \u0026 Strong Case Files, #2) Reviews

• 
  Montzalee Wittmann

  Full Moon Bowl by Orlando A Sanchez and narrated by Kevin T Collins is book two in the series. This book continues with the mage and the detective getting into more situations where something is sure to be destroyed and someone maybe dead! This book has crazed werewolves, dragons, gods, mages, lots of magic, someone trying to set our guys up, and a hell hound named Peaches! An action packed book with a few side stories that blend into the main story and make it super great!
  The narration was terrific! Great performance!
• 
  Deborah

  I really glad I started this series. It makes a bit of a change for me since my genre of choice is romance. But I do love books with humour and I’m a huge paranormal fan.
  
  These books have everything except the kitchen sink. And this is only book two so there’s time for that to appear yet. They’re nonstop action, adventure and crazy let’s not forget the crazy. But I’m really enjoying the ride.
  
  Bring on the next one….
• 
  Cherry Mischievous

  My Thoughts:
  The book picks up where the first book left off. We get more of the same action like we did in the previous book. It is still exciting, however, I fear that it is going to get monotonous soon! I hope
  Orlando Sanchez has some more tricks up his sleeve for the next book...
  
  
  Kevin Collins' voice is not bad, but for some reason I needed to stop listening and start reading with my own eyes instead. I don't know if it is just me wanting to savour the book, something to do with the narrator's reading, or something to do with the book, or a combination of factors... I don't know. One thing is for sure, I ended up reading this book instead of listening to it.
  
  Anyway, at the end of it, I enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next installment in the series! Peaches is still my favouritest character!
  
  Empirical Evaluation:
  Story telling quality = 4
  Character development = 5
  Story itself = 4.5
  Writing Style = 4
  Ending = 4
  World building = 4.5
  Cover art = 4
  Pace = 3.5
  Plot = 3.5
  Narration = 4
  
  
  Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
• 
  Lianne Pheno

  3.5/5
  
  https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
  
  Il s’agit de la fameuse série ou on suit un duo d’inspecteurs, Simon et Monty, dont j’avais vraiment aimé le premier tome. Ce tome était une bonne lecture page-turner. Certes il était un peu moins long que le précédent et je trouve que ça c’est senti, mais il est plus basé sur l’action et tout s’enchaîne à toute vitesse.
  
  Dans ce tome il se passe des choses bizarre avec les garous. Ceux ci perdent le contrôle de leur moitié loup. Ils deviennent fou et se transforment même en dehors de la pleine lune. L’un d’eux se transforme en présence de nos héros et bizarrement se met à parler a Monty (le mage) comme si il le connaissait. Celui ci ne comprend pas et ne reconnait pas la personne en question.
  
  Après un premier tome quasiment entièrement consacré à Simon, il était temps d’en savoir plus sur le second enquêteur du duo. Celui ci traîne un sacré passé derrière lui qui le rattrape totalement dans ce tome. Les conséquences des problèmes de ce tome sont énormes que ça soit pour la ville ou pour nos personnages. D’ailleurs à la fin de ce tome ci on n’a pas encore tout fini de gérer et Monty va devoir répondre de ses actes devant les autorités (et celles ci ne sont pas contentes).
  
  Il faut savoir qu’on suit l’autre Simon (Strong), et donc que pendant l’ensemble du roman les motivations de Monty et ce qui lui arrive vraiment nous sont cachés car ils concernent un passé qu’il voudrait oublier dont il n’a pas envie de parler. Il fini bien sur par nous donner tout les éléments dont on en a besoin pour l’intrigue au fur et à mesure, mais c’est pas une personne habituée à s’étendre sur ses sentiments. Il est plus dans la retenu et il garde pour lui ce qui le dérange.
  
  Du coup j’ai bien aimé le fait que ça ne passe pas inaperçu et que tout ai un prix. Après c’est vrai que Monty est vraiment très puissant. Peut être un peu trop. Mais c’est compensé par le fait qu’il en paye les conséquences heureusement.
  
  J’ai trouvé que ce tome passait tout seul. On a encore pas mal de mystères qui tournent et qui rendent le tout intéressant, le tout dans un rythme effréné. En plus la dynamique entre les deux personnages est toujours aussi sympa et m’a fait passer un excellent moment !
• 
  Jenn

  Another great Simon and a Monty book
  
  I’m so glad I discovered this series. This had a lot of action and I’ve grown very attached to Monty and Peaches. Simon cracks me up. I liked in this book how Simon is able to communicate with Peaches now, and some of the things that come out of Peaches mouth are great! On to the next book in series
• 
  A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol)

  Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited
  
  Bad juju is going down and The Dark Council wants Simon and Tristan to investigate. However, the evidence is pointing a finger right at Tristan. But you know what they say? If you are pointing 1 finger at someone then there are 4 more pointing back at you. Or something like that. Because we all know it’s not Tristan who is doing this nasty stuff. Montague & Strong need to find out who is behind the nasty business. Preferably before Tristan is taken out for something he didn’t do.
  
  There’s lots of magic and danger going on and the world is interesting. The writing is a bit sparse. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, it just seems a bit lacking in…I don’t know, filler, for want of a better word. Like I said, not necessarily a bad thing, but I like a bit more fiber to my reading meal. Simon is a smartass and it can get a bit irritating which is also why I don’t rate this higher. However, it’s decent entertainment and enough to keep me going with the series. Also, Peaches is the best character of all. Just sayin’.
  
• 
  Emmalynn

  Another frantic, wild magical adventure for Simon and Monty with Peaches along for the ride. Peaches, the giant TALKING?????? Hellhound who wants to bite everyone is hilarious his prim and proper character is so at odds with his desire to inflect bites on all the people 😃😂😂😂 I just love it.
  
  This one a great fast moving plot and once the action starts it never really stops. What I do like is that even when Simon and Monty are not in scenes together, the plot nor the action suffers because the supporting/secondary characters are so well written that they enhance rather than detract from the main characters relationship, while taking on a life of their own and you’re either intensely disliking those secondary characters are rooting for them as well.
  
  With this book, the race is on to save Monty, save NY, discover some secrets Monty has kept hidden from Simon and the overarching theme is about family. What would you do to save family? How many bodies would lie in your wake to protect your family??
  Also, what is up with the Dark Council??? 😒😒🤔🤔
• 
  Cyrene Olson

  Uncaged Review: This series is getting better - if that’s even possible. Simon and Tristan are back, with Hellhound, Peaches in tow. Werewolves are going rabid, and killing innocent people. On top of it all, something is wrong with Tristan and he may be going “dark.” Simon has to get help from another powerful mage that could put his immortal life in danger.
  
  The fun, the action, the witty dialog and even a great supporting cast pack the pages of this urban fantasy, and this is an author that has moved high on my list of “authors not to miss.” When I finished this book, I went straight to Amazon and downloaded book three and I can’t wait to hurry back to this world. Reviewed by Cyrene
• 
  Yoanna

  I see a trend. We don't get a prolonged fight with the Big Bad of the book, but we get a nonstop action with lots of humour. I like it.
  
  Want to see what happens next with the Golden Circle. Starting the next book now.
• 
  Carol

  Different
  
  Lots of action, magic, and super natural creatures. Loved the Easter eggs. I would recommend this book to my family and friends.
• 
  Ladyhawk

  This was fun! Enjoy the many mythological appearances. And references to other fictional wizards.
• 
  Gareth Otton

  I had the same problem with this book as I had with the one before, it is underdeveloped. There's a lot here that's interesting, the comedic moments made me laugh and the action was engaging, but without that development, nothing hit as hard as it should have.
  
  The other issue I have is that the protagonist is woefully underpowered for what he's facing, and also is constantly depowered by the plot. While series like the Dresden Files have made their name by sending their protagonists into situations that are out of their weight class, I find those books only work because it feels like the protagonist is just out of their league, and usually because they underestimate themselves. In these last two books, there is no question, Strong is seriously out of his league. There's not a small gap he needs to leap to go toe to toe with his enemies, it is an enormous chasm.
  
  To make matters worse, the author is constantly depowering him. Like the main character, I too have a strong interest in Wolverine's (from the X-MEN) powerset. This is because the idea of an immortal character is fascinating and exploring that concept is why I pick up books about that character. It is also why I'm interested in this series. Unfortunately, the author here has the same problem as many authors who handle the Wolverine character, they don't think you can create tension without the danger of death. That is a mistake.
  
  Tension is created through conflict. The most obvious form of conflict is violence, and this is where this myth has come from. If someone can never be hurt, how can any violent conflict have consequences? However, that is not the only form of conflict. You can get conflict from something as simple as working against a deadline, or from facing an impossible choice, or from fearing for other people, or from any of a near-infinite number of story elements. By developing your characters and story further, you can easily write a story about an immortal man where you don't take away the one thing that makes him truly interesting, his immortality.
  
  The problem with this author not doing that is that in every situation the protagonist might as well be a normal person because a loophole in his immortality is always exploited. This instantly loses my attention as a reader because I came to read a story about Superman, but instead, I got a story about Superman, and that's not nearly so interesting.
  
  Overall these last two books haven't hit the mark for me. There's potential here but not enough to make me want to read more.
• 
  David

  Second entry in
  Orlando Sanchez's new urban fantasy series the 'Montague and Strong Case Files' which continues to build on the world first explored in
  Tombyards & Butterflies: a world in which the paranormal lives (in secret) alongside the normal, with these novels all set (so far) in New York.
  
  Like the previous entry, this moves at a fair old lick, with the catalyst for the events this time around Montague and Strong investigating just what is happening amongst the werewolf population of New York; just why they are suddenly going all feral.
  
  I realise we're only 2 books in to the series, but I am findig quite a few parallels (so far) between these and
  Jim Butcher 's 'The Drresden Files' series: both concern detective magic-users in a world where the paranormal exists alongside the normal (indeed, I even thought I picked up a reference to Harry Dresden in ths one), both have a canine side-kick, in both cases there's a neutral venue and in both cases the second book in the series concerns werewolves (
  Fool Moon in 'The Dresden Files' case).
  
  Don't get me wrong: if you're going to, ummm, 'be inspired', be inspired by the best: I would just like to see this series take on more of it's own identity in future, and will be looking for other entries in it.
• 
  Carrie O’Leary

  I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in the Montague and Strong Detective Agency series. I love the main protagonists and in this story we learn a little more about their background. One of the things I enjoy about the series is that many of the relationships are already well established. I feel like I'm meeting new friends and, as you would in real life, getting to know more about them as you accompany them on their adventures. I enjoy the verbal sparring between Simon and Monty, as well as between their other friends and foes. We meet interesting new characters in this book. I'm not going to give you a synopsis of the story; Mr Sanchez does that far better, and I don't want to spoil any surprises! But if you enjoy a good fun, fast paced story, non-perfect good guys, thoroughly bad and misguided bad guys, magic and mayhem, then this is definitely the series for you. Do read the first book in the series, Tombyards and Butterflies, before this one though. Can't wait for the next book in the series. We still have secrets to learn, and I definitely look forward to the good fun one-liners
• 
  Anne Sturtevant

  I wish I could give it 5 stars. I really enjoy the characters, and what I can see of this universe. What I want is more. I need more details. The story rushes through at a breakneck pace, not letting you stop long enough to realize how many pieces are missing.
  
  We get a vague explanation of what is going on with the werewolves, and an even more vague description of Tristan's problem. Tell us more. What exactly is happening with the werewolves? They are obviously intelligent and aware enough that they should have been able to be a bigger part of the story. And how on earth did both Tristan and Roxanne misinterpret what was happening to him so badly? Should they not have been able to tell? And if not, why it seems that it is not something so unusual as to be easily confused with the opposite? And what exactly WAS it, the explanation left me confused. How did Ebonsoul help?
  
  Obviously I enjoyed the book, I still gave it 4 stars. I enjoy his style and am attached to the characters, and will read the next one, I just wish it had more detail and depth.
• 
  Boingboing

  Follow on review from book 1.
  
  All comments about book 1 are still in effect.
  
  But something's happened that has perplexed me. Happily, though.
  
  I am hooked on this series. I blew through the book in two days. That rarely happens for me. A week is about the time I need to read a book.
  
  Not so with Montague & Strong Case Files.
  
  Yes, some of the UF elements are still a bit clumsy but not as much as book 1. Which pleased me with my prediction that the author would mature in to the series. So far, he's showing that's the case.
  
  I can see the larger picture slowly starting to develop. I like the direction.
  
  Peaches is still my hero for the book. I actually love his relationship with Simon.
  
  Not really fond of Simon's big mouth but I kind of get the UF expectation and it's kind of growing on me in that I am always interested in what shitpile shooting his mouth lands them in, only to have Monty have to mage their way out.
  
  Overall, enjoying the story, even with the flaws.
  
  But...what story doesn't have flaws?
• 
  Maryann Sims

  Well, the werewolves are restless, old family and friends show up and we get to see what mages like to do in their spare time This is the second book that deals with Monty, a mage you should never call a wizard and Simon, who is cursed alive by certain Goddess he ticked off with his charming personality.
  Not to forget Monty's old love interest showing up, and she is not one to tick off. A dragon whom seems to be playing both sides, and let's not forget that ever loving puppy dog Peaches. And a necromancer that can't seem to take no for an answer.
  
  I enjoyed it very much and cannot wait to see what happens next since Monty has done a few things to make some more interesting people show up in the next book.
  
• 
  Judi

  Let's call this a 3.5 star.
  
  The story is getting better. At first I wasn't bowled over but I'm glad I'm continuing. Monty and Simon are very funny main characters and play off each other really well. Peaches is my favorite. The story is cohesive, but if I'm going to be honest, I'm getting the impression that the author wrote this out as a 2-3 book series and decided to break it up into many more smaller novels. The result is they are "ended" at weird points leaving you more than hanging. They leave you in the middle of a scene. If that's what he did, I guess I understand as the target audience tends to prefer the shorter books. But I'm finding that part of his storyline a bit frustrating.
• 
  David

  Another great book in the series. I think the relationship between the Team and the Police department is well written, a touch of antagonism and respect. The author states that he piece meals out information so we learn about things rather than dump everything in exposition. Monte's 'upgrade' should be interesting along with the developments involving the Golden Circle.
  The death of one of the characters was a bit shocking, not surprising though given all the warnings and the level of enemies that were presented but if you gotta go, it was epic.
  Simon. If you blended Spenser and 'that Wizard from Chicago', that's who you'd end up with. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series and discovering more about this world.
• 
  Marie

  Can Strong and Montague save the day? Will they survive?
  We join Simon and Tristian on their adventures. Ancient magic is being sought after.
  The Phoenix Tail has been stolen from the White Phoenix which sent an extremely violent assassin to retrieve it but she is the least of the worries. Messages from brothers long dead but not; delivered by drakes (dragons). Mages of the highest caliber escape and is trying to collect all the pieces for an ancient spell.
  Ramirez is director of NYTF now and dealing with the Den of Werewolves waiting for our duo to get uptown as reinforcements.
  The Dark Council is sending "Beck" to erase Monty and maybe snag Strong along the way.
  
• 
  Natalie Fallon

  Full Moon Howl is full of action and a slightly warped sense of humour throughout from great characters with brilliant interconnectivity. Monty and Simon are back (Tombyards and Butterflies is the first book in the Series which was great but this is even better) and as their dysfunctional family grows the story goes more in depth into characters you already knew as well as introducing you to new ones. There are humans who are part of this family but so many supernatural and mythical characters that I can't be seen to have favourites by naming them?! You probably ought to set some time aside as once I started reading I really didn't want to stop.
• 
  Matt Shafer

  So much fun
  
  I love this series. So many urban fantasy series take themselves incredibly seriously, but this one is just plain irreverent and fun. It has all the usual tropes: a wisecracking narrator, his supernatural guard dog, vampires, cops, and all sorts of other things. There are good-natured references to other series (ie., "that guy in Chicago with a staff" or "the guy in St. Louis") and little Easter eggs all over that are a joy to find. I especially love that the reader is just thrown into a world full of references and unexplained backstory and left to catch up as we can. It's so refreshing to read without a ton of exposition. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
• 
  Linda

  I received this book for free in return for an honest review.
  I really enjoyed this story. Sanchez has written an amazing story that I could not put down until it was finished. The action is on the edge of your seat. You take a deep breath and it starts again. The characters are so well written and feel so real even though they are truly fantastical. Who could not love Peaches, the hellhound puppy? This is the second in the series and is a must read. This series is my favorite that he has written. I will certainly be reading volume 3 when it comes out.
• 
  Mandy Walkden-Brown

  I really enjoy these characters and this was a terrific sequel.
  
  Plenty of paranormal mischief for Monty and Simon to put in its place, this time it happens to be an unstable, rather psychotic mage and a manipulative dragon.
  
  Davros Dahlech the mad mage did cause some hilarity. Kept expecting the usual utterance whenever a Dalek appears…
  
  Great sense of humour from both the characters and the author.
  
  Action, magic and a very enjoyable series. Patiently awaiting the next book in the series.
  
• 
  Helen Lester

  I'm enjoying this series so much. I love how English Monty is - he's perfect, no trace of stereotype or annoying mistakes. He's utterly convincing as a Brit and it makes such a difference.
  
  I also love what a bad arse he is turning into. It's great fun.
  
  Again, there's a lot going on that you're just supposed to 'know', despite being the 2nd full length (or 3rd if you include the much shorter No God) story. It's got great pace, though, and I just couldn't put it down until the end. Then I wanted more. Can't wait for the next installment.
• 
  Christy deSade

  Again, 1/3 missing
  
  I was going that the second book would fill in the missing backstory since a good 3 years of action took place off the pages of this series. Alas, such was not the case. It's aggravating in the extreme.
  
  Added to that were the grammar issues and missing words. This series is going downhill, and it's sad. It started with such promise....I don't know if I can make it through the next installment. It's too bad that the author failed to provide us with a comprehensive story.