“When a vampire gets involved in a werewolf mating ritual, you know there’s going to be blood . . .”
Gia is a werewolf with a mission: to have a submissive mate who will never threaten her dominance. For years she has ruled as the lupa of her pack with just such a mate. Then one night her perfect little arrangement comes to an end when her mate betrays her with another woman. Outraged at the insult to their lupa, the pack calls for one of their most sacred rituals: Aphrodite’s Hunt. For three nights Gia will be the prey, hunted by the eligible males of her pack until one proves himself worthy by finding her and claiming her as his own. If Gia wants to escape the erotic ritual that even her own wolf longs for, she will have to find someone to protect her not only from her pack . . . but from her own carnal desires.
Sorin is a vampire with a secret. Haunted by the macabre sins of his past, he has sworn off blood, determined to stick to a diet of siphoned energy that leaves him too weak to pose a threat. When Gia comes to his door, possessed by a heated desire and desperate to make a deal, Sorin quickly turns her away. But he soon finds out that Gia is not a werewolf used to taking orders. One bloody kiss is all it takes to awaken the beast he has kept trapped inside of him for so long and suddenly Sorin finds himself swept up by a renewed hunger for the warmer things in life.
Now Gia wants out of the deal and Sorin wants . . . her.
Jennifer Blackstream is a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is amazed and grateful to have made a writing career out of a Master’s degree in Psychology, hours of couch-detecting watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and endless research into mythology and fairy tales. She firmly believes that whether it’s a village witch deciding she wants to be a private investigator, or a single mother having a go at being a full time writer, it’s never too late for a new adventure.
A fervent devotee of cooperative board games, Jennifer sets aside at least two nights a week for team-based adventures such as Mice & Mystics, Sentinels of the Multiverse, or Harry Potter: Battle at Hogwarts. She uses games with dice-based mechanics to lure in her ridiculously lucky-rolling son and daughter in the hope that they too will develop a passion for cooperative escapism.
Jennifer currently has three series going:
BLOOD PRINCE SERIES (PARANORMAL ROMANCE, COMPLETE):
Book 1 – Before Midnight
Book 2 – One Bite
Book 3 – Golden Stair
Book 4 – Divine Scales
Book 5 – Beautiful Salvation
Bonus Adventures in the Blood Prince World:
Book 2.5 – What Big Teeth You Have (free when you sign up for mailing list mentioned below)
Book 4.5 – The Pirate’s Witch
Book 5.5 – Dead to Begin With (available only between Thanksgiving and whenever Jennifer takes her Christmas tree down)
BLOOD REALM SERIES (PARANORMAL ROMANCE, IN PROGRESS SPIN-OFF OF BLOOD PRINCE SERIES):
NOTE: This book contains material that is not recommended for those under the age of 18 or those who are offended by sexually explicit material. All others…enjoy!
Sorin is a vampire who uses energy instead of blood to maintain his life force; he has long since given up on pursuing any real life for himself. Energy from his small Brownie servant/friend, Grigore, simply isn’t enough to keep him going. He has become so weak that merely walking has become a chore for him.
Gia, an alpha werewolf from a nearby pack, shows up on his doorstep asking for his help. Sorin is instantly attracted to her, though he doesn’t understand why, since he, a consummate gentleman in every way, has always held himself above werewolves with their beastly ways.
Gia asks for his help to hide her from the pack during the three days of the full moon in order to avoid Aphrodite’s hunt. Her pack, sick of her weak and traitorous mate has asked Aphrodite for help in finding Gia an appropriate mate by bringing on the Hunt. So, for the three days of the full moon, Gia will be attracted to all werewolf males strong enough to be her mate. She wants to avoid having a mate thrust upon her, so she believes she can avoid the werewolf mating ritual by hiding at Sorin’s house for the duration.
Sorin has a dark history he hasn’t shared with the people in the area, so Gia may have bitten off more than she can chew.
Jennifer Blackstream has no problem keeping this story scorching hot. In addition to the very passionate sex, there is an interesting story line that is compelling, main characters that are developed and extremely interesting, and the possibility of a follow-up on the story line, if the author chooses. Blackstream has an easy writing style with few issues that interrupt the narrative flow.
This novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review (participating in Goodreads Read for Review program).
Ready for a little sexy time? Well then you've found the right story. There is a great deal of good 'ole fashion sexy time between vampire and werewolf - a combination that is not often seen as they are suppose to be enemies.
However Ms. Blackstream slides in a twist of paramount importance that makes the idea of the two main characters, a vampire and werewolf, getting it on easier to understand: one of them is both! An interesting plot twist, and a beautiful mythology that explains the plausibility of a hybrid creature, much better than say Underworld.
Sorin and Gia are two complicated characters that come into the story with baggage and deep secrets. Gia, lupa of the local werewolf pack, comes looking for a place to hide when the ancient custom of Aphrodite's Hunt was forced upon her, a custom designed to mate a lupa with a strong partner. Sorin is a vampire barely surviving and wallowing in memories of mistakes he's made. Add in some sexual tension and the magic of the Goddess of Love and you've got a powerful blend of sex and dominance. A story older than time itself.
It was a good story. However I think it could have been teased out a little bit more with the background of each character. Their back stories seemed a little forced and rushed, like an afterthought. Since Sorin and Gia both enter the story with baggage there is plenty of opportunity to open it up a bit more. You know from the beginning there is more to the two of them, however the sex seems to overtake this depth of each character and creates a primal character that while fun to read, leaves you no connection.
All-in-all though I did enjoy the story. I loved the new mythology that I hadn't read before. I loved the characters and their struggles to find balance in power and control, and well the sexy time scenes were fun: primal and raw. A good read for the Paranormal Romance book-lover!
Book received from Library Thing with request for a review.
Sorin is a vampire who, due to a tragic event 7 years earlier, has stopped drinking blood. He is existing on the smallest amount of energy he can siphon from others and remain minimally functional. Gia is a werewolf who seeks out protection from Sorin during the three nights of the full moon. Sorin initially refuses Gia's request but she persuades him by forcing her blood upon him, and promising more. Once that happens he is unable to resist.
Gia does not give Sorin the full story behind her need for protection. She is the lupa of her pack, and her mate betrayed her by being unfaithful. The pack decided to call for Aphrodite's hunt to choose a new mate for Gia. During the hunt the males of the pack all try to catch and claim the lupa; the one who does this then becomes her new mate. Gia wants to choose on her own mate so she attempts to thwart the hunt by hiding out with the vampire. Sorin has his own secrets, however, so hiding out with him is much more complicated than Gia could ever have imagined.
The chemistry between Sorin and Gia is immediate and HOT! I don't want to give any more of the story away but suffice it to say that several times things seemed to be winding down when a new and exciting twist was presented. It was a really great read and I highly recommend it. Note that this falls under the category of erotica because of some explicit sex and associated language. But that's what makes it fun, right?
Oh so steamy! I really liked this book. I loved the story behind the Aphrodite's Hunt and the animistic qualities of the characters. I read this with a buddy for a fun read that she recommended and I am so glad she did!
Sorin is caught between two worlds and randomly one night Gia comes to him for protection. As their time together grows more and more intense he fights to keep his old lifestyle while she rips the beast from within him.
Read this book if you love everything fantasy sexy time!
Aphrodite's Hunt was written for readers exactly like me. If you like paranormal romance with vampires and werewolves, heavy on the erotic with plenty of blood drinking, wolf chasing and dominant males, then this is an excellent choice. It was a quick and smooth read. The pace was steady but fast. There was no slow build. We are introduced to Gia on the worst night of her life. Her mate has just cheated on her and her pack has called for an archaic (in her mind) ritual in which she must run and be hunted. The victor will become her new mate. To make matters worse, there is real magic here and her body betrays her at every turn. She is aroused by the dominant males that would normally repulse her. She runs to the only safety she can think of - the local vampire, Sorin. Sorin is something much more interesting than a mere vampire and his condition complicates matters when all Gia wants to do is hide out in his home until the hunt is over. Well, that's what she wants until she is actually inside Sorin's home. Once there she is consumed by the need for him, and resist it though she might, she can't hide her arousal and increased heartbeat from a vampire.
This book was well done for erotica that skirts the edge of horror. I would say that a good 60% to 70% of the book was sex or thinking of sex, but maybe that was just me. When it is not about sex, there is a lot of fighting, scrapping, and chasing (sometimes even those things are about sex). This was an action packed read that I finished in just two nights. There is quite a bit of blood. Sorin has lived in denial of his true nature for ages and when Gia comes in he loses all control. He almost kills her several times, at least one of which is while they are having sex. There is a lot of gripping of hips until they bruise. Vampire/Werewolf loving...ah, sweet beautiful agony.
The characters' back stories were wonderful and the creatures' mythologies were rich. Both main characters do a lot of real growth. They change throughout the story which made for a well rounded read. Gia was just as strong as Sorin and that worked for me. I don't enjoy wilting weeping female characters. This had none of those. It was well written and well planned. I did not know what was going to happen next but I knew I had to keep reading. I plan to read more from Jennifer Blackstream. I've already bought, read, and reviewed the first in her Revenge in Vein Series.
I was pleasantly surprised by Jennifer Blackstream's erotic paranormal romance, Aphrodite's Hunt. I've read tons of paranormal romance, but not much where the emphasis is on the "erotic," so to be honest, I was kind of expecting porn (no plot or character development, just graphic, perhaps kinda nasty, sex). However, there is a real plot to this story and Sorin and Gia seem relatively real. Neither of them is perfect and both had difficult past experiences that caused emotional obstacles to their relationship. While the story started with a *bang* before the real romance came to the fore, the tender feelings do develop in this story--it wasn't just wild, hot, monkey sex (though there was plenty of that too :) There were a couple of typos (nothing too jarring though), and I was a little frustrated with Sorin's rather vague mental references to "Cosette." I could tell it was unpleasant, but I don't remember the details of what exactly happened. Either it was never explained, or maybe it just wasn't memorable because he never actually told Gia about it. I was also a little confused about Marco's assertions about Sorin having it easy during the Hunt, since they had already "met." That was just a minor annoyance, though. I'd definitely recommend Aphrodite's Hunt to adults who enjoy reading romance, especially with a supernatural flavor, and who don't mind a healthy dose of the steamier side of a love story.
**Disclaimer: This reviewer received a free copy of Aphrodite's Hunt via the Goodreads First Reads program. Writing a review is encouraged, but not required for participation in the program.
I enjoyed the book and I'm not sure if it's going to be a series or not but I think one or two more books may be needed.
There is a lot of sex but there is not a lot of relationship building when Gia and Sorin meet. When Aphrodite's Hunt is declared there is not much Gia can do to control her body's need to mate whether she wants to or not so at least the instant sex is understandable.
Gia gets into this mess because she decided she wanted a mate she loved not one that would help her rule. She has issues to work out and so does the pack because of her stubbornness.
Sorin is like all vampires it seems, a walking body of secrets. He is beyond damaged and he also has issues to work out. Put him and Gia together and you can imagine the mess. These issues are what took up most of the book.
I like sex in my books but even if the characters don't know each other I still want it steamy. The sex with them was just lukewarm for me. I was actually looking forward to seeing someone from Sorin past showing up. Maybe that will be in the next book. But I did like the interaction between Sorin, Grigore (a brownie) and Morgi (a pixie). I also like reading about Gia's pack.
(I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
I loved Aphrodite's Hunt (a Goodread's giveaway book). The story was well written, and I was instantly caught in the story that I had to finish reading the story all the way through. My favorite character was Grigore, simplely because I say he was the major influence in pushes Sorin and Gia together-the Aphrodite's magic may have played a small role, but I believe Grigore was the little cupid in this story. I also liked tat J.B. add a little fey by the name Morgi-she was just so fun to me. Although I would have loved to know more about her and her relationship with Grigore and the way Sorin functioned in his house, the story hints at this, but doesn't really go into details. I completely loved the fact that J.B. incorporated the idea of a vukodlak-this was my first time reading about one. Plus I loved how she classified the vampires-a different approah than Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
So when I first read the description I was intrigued I loved 50 Shades of Grey and I was like ok this would be perfect for me because it has a little of that and then a paranormal twist which I love. The first 75 pages I liked it, the story was building and there was a nice mixture of the erotic and a storyline, but as we progressed I started to lose interest. The story line was simple not to complex and kept me somewhat interested and the erotic scenes were good. The main thing that ruined the book for me is I am not into all of the blood and gore, which there was a lot of. Ultimately this book really didn't do it for me maybe it was to far from what I normally like, but I figured I would give it a chance because there have been plenty of books that have surprised me in a good way. Unfortunately this book was not one of them.
Overall: Wow, this was an exciting but at times very confusing "love story". I LOVED the idea for this story and most times I was really enjoying all the action that was going on . . . BUT i will be honest and say that at time i felt that i was given too many details, especially about how everyone felt. However i couldn't complain about all the extra details when all the steamy parts were happening. lol After reading about Gia and Sorin, it made me want to change places with her and get a little Sorin action. Also that bullshit drama that happened at the end kind of bothered me. I felt that at least SOMEONE in her pack should've stood up for her, but i guess in the end it all worked out for the best.
I received this book to read and review it and I really did enjoy it. I would highly recommend reading it when you are alone or not out in public because of the sheer amount of sex in it. It was hard to keep a straight face sometimes when it got really good. I liked the animal instincts mixed with a vampiristic feel which I haven't encountered within one character quite so well before. I did think a good in depth analysis of the characters developed a bit too slowly but it helped the action to be able to get started faster. Overall I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a good,erotic, paranormal read.
Aphrodite's Hunt will reel you in from the start. Vampires, werewolves, a few fey and VERY steamy! The author created a very compelling story line with twists that had me coming back for more (even when the early am hours declared it way past my bedtime! lol). The main characters personalities were well thought out, beautifully portrayed, charismatic and scorching HOT!
This was overall, a really fun read and I am looking forward to more from this author!
Aphrodite's Hunt starts off fast paced, and does not slow down. I read this story in one night, but it took me a while to really write the review. It was so quick, I was fuzzy on the details the first time through. I really enjoyed the story and characters, but would have loved it more if it had been a little slower paced, and more time spent developing details (except the sex scenes... PLENTY of detail there). Also there was a little more violence than I prefer, generally. That said, it was overall a very fun read.
Meh. Too torrid even for me and I like all talyn Scott's crazy sanibel ménage series. Started promisingly, got to twenty seven percent, and felt like it was going to devolve into misunderstandings and sex only. Maybe also didn't like it because I'd just finished Love Tokens and it is so hard to compete with the incomparable Ms Derr (even though I would like more smex in her books ).
I feel very conflicted with this review. Aphrodite's Hunt, what to say? Having finished the book, I think the story line was good but would have liked to have more to the story and maybe (heaven forbid) less graphic sex scenes. For me the graphic detail of the sex in the story was a little overkill to the story. It kind of crossed the line, making the story seem more like a late night HBO movie than something I would just pick up and read for the fun of the read.
I received this book to give my honest opinion on . I have to say this is one amazing read I didn't put it down unless I had to and then when I had a free moment I dove right back in. .I was hooked from page one and loved every minute of it . I am looking forward to reading more by this author .Werewolves and vampires , a couple of fey and lots of action I highly recommend this book .
The messed up alpha wolf Lupa falling in love with a vamp/wolf in denial story is different but was not expecting half the book being wild sex (pun intended). I skimmed through alot of that trying to find the story lost within.
After reading the description I was interested. Started reading and was so immersed couldn't stop til the end. It gave me a reason to give this genre another thought in the stories I read.
It's the first erotica I've ever read. It was hot, violent and full of passion. Also rather violent. But that would be expected when a vampire and a werewolf become mates.
I love this book. Gia and Sorin connections is great to read. I love the characters. I can't wait to read the authors other books. Overall this book is really great read.