Holly‘s review of Hunting Human by Amanda E. Alvarez
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?
Two years ago, Beth and a friend were kidnapped. She was unwillingly turned into a shifter. Since then she’s been on the run from the man who took her, and from her new animal half. She’s finally relaxing enough to settle into Seattle when she meets Braden. He seems like a nice enough guy, so she agrees to have dinner with him when he asks, despite being wary of it. But when her kidnapper comes unexpectedly catches up with her, she realizes there’s more to Braden than meets the eye..and she wants no part of it.
Braden was really digging Beth. He was starting to feel like she might be the one when all of a sudden he realizes she’s got connections to one of his family’s oldest enemies. He isn’t sure what her connection to his enemy is, so he does a little kidnapping of his own. Naturally this doesn’t endear him to Beth. Can the two of them work past their distrust of each other to defeat their enemy? And will love triumph in the end?
This book was much darker than I expected it to be. What happens to Beth in the beginning of the book was heartbreaking. To survive something like that and come back from it relatively whole is a pretty amazing thing. For her to open herself up to Braden was a pretty huge thing, which meant what she considered his betrayal of her was even more devastating.
Even though I was angry at Braden for the way he treated Beth at first, I understood his reasons for being suspicious of her. Likewise, Beth’s anger and mistrust worked in context. What didn’t work was the way Beth blew hot and cold. She’d snuggle up to Braden willingly enough, then push him away, disgusted with him as much as her own reactions to him. I understood at first, because Braden had betrayed her trust, but the longer it went on the less sympathy I had for her.
As I said, I was angry at Braden for the way he treated Beth, especially considering a lot of it was motivated by hurt pride. As the novel progressed, however, I was able to move past that because he truly wanted what was best for Beth. Yes he made a mistake, but he admitted it and apologized.
The shifter dynamics here really worked for me. Beth has denied her animal side, never allowing herself to learn to shift. Braden and his family help her learn to accept it and show her how to shift. That was one of the most fascinating parts of the novel.
This isn’t a perfect story, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it once I finished. The contrast between human emotions and animal nature made for a fascinating read.
3.75 out of 5
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here in e-format.