Hunger's Mate Part 1 by A.C. Arthur

Hunger's Mate Part 1 by A.C. Arthur

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is the first of four parts of the serial novel, Hunger’s Mate, and Ms. Arthur certainly has my attention. In this installment, we meet Ezra Preston, a Lead Guard of the Stateside Shadow Shifters. He has been sent to Perryville to infiltrate Comastaz Labs to find out how much the government actually knows about his people. While there he encounters Jewel Jenner, a human who works as the administrative assistant for the Mountain Zone’s Lead Enforcer, Jacques. She calls to his cat in a way that no female has in a very long time. Because of his treatment at the hands of the last female he was drawn to, he does not engage in emotional entanglements with women, not that he ever would with a human.

Fans of the series may recall meeting Jewel briefly in Shifter’s Claim. The Prologue of Hunger’s Mate Part 1 provides quite a bit of insight into Jewel’s past without actually revealing why she is on the run. Through her interactions with Ezra and Jewel’s own inner monologue, it is clear that she was abused – likely physically and sexually – and she is in hiding from the man who abused her. That she unknowingly happened to end up working for a resort owned by shifters who are not interested in humans as mates has given her a safe haven in which to hide. And all was well in her life until Ezra arrived on the scene. He makes her want things she hasn’t wanted in years and this scares her.

As expected, Ms. Arthur infuses an elevated amount of sexual tension between Ezra and Jewel – no sex yet, but the make-out scenes definitely got my inner kitty purring. Although there has been no mention of companheiro calor nor has Ezra considered it in this first installment, those readers familiar with the series will easily recognize the direction of Ezra’s behaviors and the writing on the wall is clear. However, Jewel’s past makes an unexpected intrusion in her life and she is whisked away before Ezra has a chance to take things further. Not only is Ezra left frustrated, but so is the reader as the author has set up the ending of part one with an action-packed cliffhanger that makes me relieved that I already have part two sitting on my Kindle.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Hunger's Mate Part 1 & 2 by A.C. Arthur blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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