 | Title: Hunting Human
Buy from: Sexual Content: References to rape including a POV from a rapist immediately following a brutal rape. Several graphic sex scenes. Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
For two years, Beth Williams has run from the past, and the beast that dwells inside her. She is haunted by memories of being kidnapped and the savage attack that killed her best friend. Now Beth finally thinks she's ready to move on...with Braden Edwards, a charming, irresistibly sexy man who tempts Beth to embrace the present.
But the past lurks closer than Beth realizes. Markko Bolvek, one of the werewolves who kidnapped her, has tracked her to Portland, Oregon, his pursuit fueled by a hunger for vengeance. Only Braden, a werewolf himself, senses the danger shadowing her steps. The Edwards and Bolveks have been enemies for centuries—and despite the instant connection he feels with Beth, Braden isn't sure which side of the war she's on.
With suspicion at odds with their attraction, Beth and Braden must learn to trust one another to stop Markko for good. Can Beth accept the wolf within—and love a man who embodies everything she fears
Review
With the seemingly never ending deluge of werewolf books released each month, it is harder and harder to find werewolves that are written in new and exciting ways. In her paranormal romantic suspense novel HUNTING HUMAN, Amanda E. Alvarez distinguishes her werewolves from the rest of the pack with a unique mythological origin story and age old feud between rival clans that has endured to modern day.
Reminiscent of Patricia Briggs’ Alpha and Omega series, HUNTING HUMAN follows a brave but wounded woman hiding out in a small town whose traumatic past catches up with her. She meets werewolf, Braden, and his loving family and must decide who to trust and to either embrace her future or continue to run from it. Beth, though scarred from her past, is stronger than she realizes. With Braden’s help, and the life she experiences with his family, she begins to hope again. It’s more a suspense novel with strong paranormal and romance elements than anything else. The werewolf mythology, though subtle, was enough to appease this paranormal fan.
I do want to give a heads up about the scene that introduces us to the villain. It is from his POV and takes place immediately following a rape that is referenced as brutal in the extreme. I appreciate that we did not have to read about the rape itself, but the aftermath was still very disturbing. The scene begins the moment after the rapist ejaculates and we read about him pulling out of the ‘pathetic bitch’ who is whimpering and trying to move away when ‘Boredom and disappointment pushed him to shove her the rest of the way off the bed.’ Yes, he’s the villain and we’re supposed to despise him, but the level of callousness and vileness described in this scene almost kept me from continuing. Potentially worse is that we have to endure another scene where he fantasizes about raping Beth.
That scene aside, I thought HUNTING HUMAN was a well written, suspenseful paranormal romance with well developed characters and a few subtle changes to the traditional werewolf mythology. There is definitely potential for a follow up book about two of the secondary characters, but no word on whether or not that will happen.
|
