The Blue Moon Cafe

By: Rick R. Reed

Narrated by: Topher Samuels

Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

Someone - or something - is killing Seattle's gay men.

A creature moves through the darkest night, lit only by the full moon, taking them, one by one, from the rain city's gay gathering areas.

Someone - or something - is falling in love with Thad Matthews.

Against a backdrop of horror and fear, young Thad finds his first true love in the most unlikely of places - a new Italian restaurant called The Blue Moon Cafe. Sam is everything Thad has ever dreamed of in a man: compassionate, giving, handsome, and with brown eyes Thad feels he could sink into. And Sam can cook! But as the pair's love begins to grow, so do the questions and uncertainties, the main one being, why do Sam's unexplained disappearances always coincide with the full moon?

Prepare yourself for a unique blend of dark suspense and erotic romance with The Blue Moon Cafe, written by the author Unzipped magazine called, “the Stephen King of gay horror.” You're guaranteed an unforgettable listening experience, one that skillfully blends the hottest romance with the most chilling terror....

©2010 Rick R. Reed (P)2013 Rick R. Reed

I never write reviews.

I was severely disappointed in the ending of this book. Also, as a general criticism for the entire book, the complete lack of werewolf lore (or even a true glimpse into this book's pack universe) really upset me as this book is billed as a werewolf story. I kept waiting for the payoff but it never came. What is the point of a supernatural universe if the reader doesn't ever get an understanding of it? The entirety of the werewolf/wolf/supernatural plot elements could have been dropped altogether and this book may have turned out to be a fairly okay/run-of-the-mill (read: disappointing) mystery; but there was definitely little to no suspense - the 'whodunnit' plot was ruined immediately as it is very apparent who the antagonists are. The characters were likeable enough, but I certainly don't think a clear case was ever really made over the course of the story that supported the conclusion/resolution to the book. Again, extremely disappointed and a bit bewildered at the ending - zero resolution to the romance/relationship plotline, zero resolution to the human side of the crime and how that all resulted. That could be book 2 in a series, I suppose, but I am not sure I could bring myself to read it after feeling such disappointment at this book. I may have expected too much.

OMG!!!!!

it's so wonderful and sad.... I kept saying Sam don't go.....I feel so bad Tad . it's so messed up.......😢😢😭😭😭

Best story line ever!

Such a great story! Felt like some scenes needed more focus & details. But overall I was hooked right away and need a part 2 ASAP! Ending brought me to tears!

A Horror, Mystery Suspense/thriller & Gay Romance

Where does The Blue Moon Cafe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Blue Moon Café is a horror mystery suspense/thriller and gay romance all in one that will pull you in, scare the crap out of you and have you rooting for the unlikely relationship between human and werewolf. Non-traditional in that it strays from modern-day romantic epics and ends with a shocking surprise that just might break your heart. One of the best audiobooks I've listened to in years!

What did you like best about this story?

The horror, suspense and wonderful love story between two unlikely men.

Have you listened to any of Topher Samuels’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, and I really enjoyed Mr. Samuel's smoothe, calming voice, which he ratcheted up at the terror and suspenseful portions to scare the crap out of me!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Scare the crap out of me!

Any additional comments?

I usually listen to audio books (the unabridged versions) via headphones traveling on hours-long plane rides or driving long trips alone. So when a book I’ve had my eye on was released in audio book format recently, I decided to take a chance and listen while in my car – which proved quite often as I found myself looking for places to go, errands that needed doing so I could listen to Rick R. Reed’s suspenseful, romantic thriller, The Blue Moon Café.

Taken from the blurb for both print and audio format: “Someone–or something–is killing Seattle’s gay men...” Something moves in the dark night at full moon hunting and killing gay men in the places they gather. The protagonist is Thad Matthews, a young gay man done with relationships and certainly not ready–or willing–to take yet another dive for the perfect dream that presents in the form of a sexy, super compassionate, masculine, hairy and handsome Sicilian restaurant owner and chef, Sam Lupino.

Reed begins The Blue Moon Café with his signature terror/horror prose, which he is well-known for delivering, quickly ensnaring the reader–or listener in my case–with heart-racing, pulsating suspense. Vivid detail and full-moon-lit scenery ratchets up anticipation and ushes the listener forward, sans trepidation. Reed tempers the heightened elements of the novel with a strong romance that provides a little distraction from the bloody killings.

Read the rest of my review here:

A bit too "normal gay"

Would you try another book from Rick R. Reed and/or Topher Samuels?

I would give both a try, Topher Samuels is in the middle ground of narrators, he does not excel but his voice does not grate on the ears like some readers alas do.
Rick R. Reed builds most of his ensemble iut of the typicsl gay party goer and bar scene, well, personally, I have more a thing for larger than life characters or plots and am not to much into bears...

Did Topher Samuels do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Hmh, it was okay, though his Italian pronounciation seemed a bit off to me, unless he was deliberately trying for a Sicilian accent (I don't know how that would sound, but I dare to think it is mostly just the English/American trouble with foreign languages).

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Hah, well, it might actually do okay as a movie, so, why not?

Any additional comments?

I thought the book mostly suffers from being a bit too ordinary, if you seek something big and epic with paranormal elements, this is not it.
The story most likely would have worked well without the werewolf plot, just replacing it with a normal serial killer.
I felt the whole thing suffered a bit under too little detail and attention being put into things, the characters don't really manage to create true sympathy for them...

It is not a bad story just, not a good one either, and its likely biggest asset, being a paranormal story that is gay and not m/m did not really catch me and I am gay myself...
All in all, I really prefer the quirkier, less realistic, dramatic and over the top m/m stories to this.

Moonlight and Love!

What made the experience of listening to The Blue Moon Cafe the most enjoyable?

The narrator really brought the story to life.

What did you like best about this story?

The developing relationships of the main characters, the suspense and romance in equal measure.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

It is too hard to pick just one scene, so I have to say the whole book, from start to finish

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely, but just not possible.

Any additional comments?

I will return to this book - it's too good not to

Vampires

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it is a very enjoyable book. I have listened to it twice now

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the sister

Which scene did you most enjoy?

In the restaurant for the first time

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Sad at the end

Any additional comments?

This is a nice story and well worth the read