Lee Roland is one to watch. She's got scads of talent as a writer, plotter and character developer, and VIPER MOON is easily one of the best urban fantasies I've read so far this year. Cassandra (Cass) Archer is the Huntress, called by the Earth Mother at age 18, to rescue children from the abandoned district of Duivel, Missouri called The Barrows. The Barrows is filled with monsters, and most citizens of Duivel haven't a clue what goes on there. But Cass does, having fought these monsters with bullets and bronze knives to return kids to their homes. But the latest two missing children seem as if they might be related to a cataclysmic event to take place on the next dark of the moon and may be more than Cass can handle.

First, Detective Flynn has asked her grudgingly to help look for his kid sister, Selene. Then Dacadi, the town's mob boss, seeks her assistance in tracking down his missing son. Cass senses that she will not only face monsters, but The Darkness as well, an evil demigod that the Earth Mother has trapped in the Barrows. With monsters below and gangs above, Cass may have bitten off more than she can chew this time.

Lee Roland has written a fast-paced, page turner that's a joy to read. Be careful that you don't start this too late at night or when you have an important paper or job at work to accomplish as you'll get sucked in immediately and won't want to put it down. Cass is tough on the outside and a fighter but she's emotionally fragile with little luck in her relationships with men. They tend to bail after getting to know her. But she's falling for Flynn nonetheless, and he for her, even as he tries to turn a blind eye to some of her actions.

Action, romance, and mystery all collide in this tale to entrance readers and keep them wanting more. This is the first book in a series, but it's clear from the excerpt of the next book that it will have a different, although equally as tough yet damaged, heroine. Fans of Patricia Briggs, Suzanne McLeod, and Faith Hunter will gobble this one up.