Predator & Prey

Predator & Prey #1

by James D. Horton

Lily works the night shift at a radio station, taking calls from forlorn and damaged souls who can't sleep. She knows their pain and they find solace in her comforting words. The city is ruthless; nameless creatures roam the streets and prey on the lost and innocent.

As she leaves work one night at the crest of dawn, Lily comes face-to-face with depravity. She is a survivor at heart, but she is unfairly outnumbered and surrenders to her fate. From the shadows an ally emerges, the mysterious and alluring, Wolf. After coming to Lily's aid, he takes her to shelter.

The immediate danger has passed, but the incident is far from over. Wolf tells Lily she is not prey, and sets off into the night with her by his side to set a wrong right. What she sees when entering the dark heart of the city will change her existence forever. Has Wolf taken on a force too big? Will Lily survive the night?

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Short Stories, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 20, 2014

Reviews

[Veronica Morfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5

Predator & Prey is a short story and sometimes my problem with shorts is that things don't really get explained and this is exactly what happened here. I went in trying to accept everything the author threw at us but still I wish there was a bit more.

This is the story of Lily. She works at a radio station, having her own late night show where she talks about the Vampires and all the horrors of the city. One night after leaving her job she gets attacked and saved by a mysterious gyu who soon she figures out is one of them, a Vampire. And from there on her life is bound to change.

I really enjoyed Lily as a main character, she was strong and determined, fearless in her own way, even when she was scared out of her mind. I really enjoyed her PoV. Also I really liked Wolf, the guy that saves her, he had the whole cowboy look going, which for some weird reason I find so hot. Anyways, my issue with Wolf, is that I couldn't believe he was a Vampire, I mean come on! His name is Wolf, he hangs out with actual wolfs...what the hell?

Besides that, the story moves really fast, as expected from a short and it's action packed. But still Lily just goes along with everything that is happening without really thinking about what is happening and that never really sits well with me.

All in all, this is a quite interesting read and I do want to know what will happen next, so I will probably pick up the next short once it's out.

[Diane Ehlers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was originally posted on Paranormal Sisters: http://paranormalsisters.blogspot.com...

In Predator & Prey Lily's voice is strong and captivating, I was hooked instantly! I was no doubt in a trance as she talked about the world she lived in. And then we got to see first hand how truly bad it is as she leaves her job late at night and a gang of guys surround her, I felt the intensity and her will to fight back even though the odds weren't in her favor. Certainty a sitting on the edge moment!

And then a blurred hero comes and saves her, which we find out later was the reason why the men attacked her. The story becomes even more intriguing as Lily follows a man name Wolf, who has a couple of fangs and only lives when it's dark, and learns more about the beast that haunt the night. It was interesting to read how her town knows about the going ons at night but chooses to ignore it all, which makes me wonder how this all started, I'm hoping in the next book we'll be able to learn this. That's the only thing I think was missing, we don't really know when this is taking place (the present or future or even what big city Lily lives in or really how the vampires came to be in this world and how did the residence became okay with knowing about them) these things I question and hopefully we'll be able to get an answer for them in the next two books.

Overall this was a fun and interesting world to fall into. I fell hard, I read it in one sitting and I did not want to do anything but read this short story! It was a unique world and I found this to be very original, I haven't read many vampire books in a while so it was nice to fall back into their kind of world. The only other thing that helped me rate this a four instead of a five was that some of the dialogue felt a little cheesy, especially this one scene when the two characters first stepped foot into the woods and they had a Belle and Edward moment. "Say it" "Vampire" you know what scene I'm talking about, that's kinda what it felt like when Wolf explained what he was to Lily haha. But other than that, I truly liked the book and would love to read the next ones! I'm glad to see that they're longer!

[Jennifer Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my goodness I got sucked into this book! It really needs to be followed up with a full length novel because this was entirely too short, and in all honestly it felt like it opened the door to what could be a really great Paranormal Romance that I would love to read!

Wolf is the silent but deadly type and I have to admit I pretty much fell in love with his caveman ways. His actions scream Alpha male and although Lily isn’t quite sure what to think about him, it’s difficult not to be drawn into his strength.

Lily, on the other hand, has always been the one who does what others want just so she can get by in life, but Wolf shows her that she doesn’t have to be prey. She’s pulled to him like moth to flame and although she should be terrified, she simply isn’t. She draws on his strength until she can find her own.

I absolutely loved Predator & Prey! But please (please, please, please with cherry on top) continue their story! The line has been drawn…now what?

My Favorite Moment: When Wolf gives her the freedom to gain control in her life and bring judgment to one who deserves it.

My Favorite Word: A simple claim… “Mine.”

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

PREDATOR & PREY started off pretty strong and then kinda lost me towards the end. Note that there are only 31 pages so things move at a VERY fast pace. I think that was my problem. I just didn't buy the relationship between Lily and Wolf. Lily comes off as a pretty strong, independent young woman in the beginning and then she kinda falls off her horse and acts like she's OK with a man owning her? Maybe I read a little too much into the situation towards the end? There just wasn't enough explanation or getting to know each other for me to enjoy the story more than I did.

I'm being kinda generous in my rating of this book because I DO think that there is promise between the couple, but there really needs to be some more character/relationship building to pull off me reading past the next chapter of the story.

* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie Lasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!

I have never been a fan of short stories. I love getting enthralled for hours in a good, solid contemporary romance novel. With that being said, WOW was the first word that came to mind after finishing this story. Before I had finished reading the first page, I was hooked.
Intense, magical, stunning, amazing, and exciting are just a few adjectives that describe what you will find written on the pages of this short story.
I am making a plea to author James Horton; please, please expand this story into a novel. The possibilities are endless. Do I hear MGM calling?

Stephanie Lasley, from The Kindle Book Review
The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.

[Reba Rhynland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The night radio DJ, she was 5 foot 2 with hair of cherry red. A regular caller, he was tall and angular with a feral grin. He was the predator she had been warning the night denizens of the city about - and when they met, she was positive she was his prey. "NOT PREY" he said.

When I thought that there was not another possible twist to the vampire tale, James D Horton, in this first of a series of short stories, has come up with a riveting new world of the undead. You can experience Lily's angst, while at the same time, languish in the calm of Wolf's confident demeanor. Follow this adventure, then thirst for the next installment as Mr. Horton creates a series we will hopefully be following for some time.

[Bit'N Book Tours · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predator & Prey fulfills its title almost instantly, moving at a surprisingly rapid pace that made reading it not only easy but, well, swift! That isn’t to say by any stretch that this book is a “quick read” or a “light read” in a lazy way. Instead, it’s a recognition that the author’s deliberate choice to use a present tense beginning on page one (and never switching out!) for all dialogue and action creates a surprisingly subtle sense of immediate tension. With some books the reader has to willingly immerse themselves in the pond of pages the author presents them; with Predator & Prey the reader is pulled in at the beginning and swept along by the current of the author’s swiftly-moving scenes.

It helps that the concept is as refreshing an approach as the style and tense of the writing. There was no laborious backstory of overly melodramatic emotional character angst to plow through waiting for action. There was no sneaky foreshadowing delivered so obliquely that a second read is required to produce the “oh, duh!” face-palm moment of recognition fifty or a hundred pages earlier the second time around. There was no intellectually insulting belaboring of the obvious and stereotypical plot elements or character roles prior to their introduction and actions.

Instead, Predator & Prey strikes hard and fast- precisely like its title suggests. Lily is introduced on the first page as a strong, gritty female character with whom few readers can truly relate, but many of whom (myself included) can easily admire- or at least begrudgingly respect. Her hardened heart and jaded cynicism (or is it painful realism?), hurled immediately at the reader with a blunt honesty that demands respect through her brief autobiography, elicits empathy from any reader who knows the truth of her statement- “the dark hides things and most people get to deny it.” This tone of menacing, bitter darkness, lashes the reader like a chilled Autumn wind, sending an shiver down the spine and setting the mood for the dark to spring upon Lily and carry the reader with her.

That is, then, precisely what happens as within the first dozen pages Lily carries us through the frustrations of a dead-end life, the nausea of male lechery, and the vulnerability of a woman alone in the darkness of a failed city. She is not weak, she is not an angst-driven teenager on the fence between childhood dreams and adult choices, and she is not the prey she feels she is in her self-disgust at the world which ignores the darkness. She is strong, she is brave, she is honest, and she even remains defiant and rational in the face of fear- even the certainty of rape.

This makes Lily a potent contrast to the general string of female characters in this paranormal romance genre, as she is very much a woman who may need intervention and help against a world that has let her down, yet she remains resolutely independent and rebellious. Such a strong personality makes her an even more refreshing contrast for the surprisingly soft-spoken personality of Dallas, her dusty knight in black leather who erupts like a quietly violent force of nature to save her life- or destroy it.

The tension that builds quickly between them leads not to a gagging predictability; instead, even though the reader knows to assume that they will find love together in the darkest of places, what really moves the story is its almost naturalness. The author never wastes time elaborating on the obvious, or breaks the swift spell of tone to provide narrative perspective beyond Lily’s eyes and senses. Instead Lily’s gritty, earthy, guardedly curious perspective never loses its step, and Dallas, along with his obvious darkly anti-heroic character (and his true superhuman identity), is never demystified. This perpetuates the refreshing vividness of Predator & Prey, and keeps the reader eagerly moving along (and perhaps chuckling at the obviousness of what Dallas is which Lily never seems to grasp). By the end, despite a surprisingly brief but lethal cycle of menacing dialogue and vicious fighting, Lily and her story leaves the reader precisely the way they are introduced- swift and unhindered by needless apologetics, like a predator.

Predator & Prey is a romance, there’s no way around that, but it’s not a stereotypical paranormal romance (even one with vampires and beautiful females who find themselves in the woods, at night, in need of new clothes). There are no candles, no faux-fancy wine and cheese dinners meant to hide the brooding drama, no long emotional monologues or awkward half-honest conversations. There are also no love triangles, no painfully protracted indecision, and as I said above the author does a fantastic job of not beating the reader repeatedly with an elaborate explanation for the utterly obvious. There are, however, bugs and dirt and a fire in a dingy cave and gross fat man jokes and unabashed human reality… and sweatpants (yes, I said sweatpants!).

All these are wonderful breaks from the norm of the genre which, with the speed, undiluted violence in two scenes, and heavy veil of mysterious pre-narrative plot twists whose hints fill the book with unanswered questions, combine to make it a fast and extremely enjoyable read. Thus the Knight’s conclusion is- ladies, take it from a man with more real-life Rambo points than your bf, this is a book you OR your other half can enjoy in a single good night’s read, or one you can use to replace the vapid but hunky guy you sort of want around that night but, let’s face it, once he’s there he’s just pretty boring. Stick with Predator & Prey and you won’t regret your night!

Final rating: Speed, action, romance, cleverness/originality, complexity AND streamlined simplicity, vampires (and maybe a few other paranormal cousins), and a strong woman who learns how to kill (oops, spoiler?). Yes, there are a few grammatical bumps, and yes this probably could/should have been a longer book (really, I want more of Lily and the urban darkness), but nonetheless a solid 3 out of 5.

Reviewed for Bit'N Book Promoters web | facebook | twitter

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

just not my cup of tea

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the beginning, Lily is kind of whiny; complaining that she's traded all sorts of favours for this minimum wage job. Not to mention, she seems to think highly of herself, commenting that she thinks of her voice like a beacon, bringing out survivors and giving them a bit of brightness in the night. She's kind of a dull character; she's angry a lot and she bigs herself up as someone important, but I think that she's ultimately really boring. I don't see much of a personality, despite her having a semi-successful radio show, and the author tries to write it as if she's really edgy and has some sort of attitude. However the outcome is that she's mediocre, at best. Wolf is kind of dull as well. His part of the story is to be a hero, of course, but it essentially leaves Lily looking weak. Also, it really just makes her look stupid when she finally realises that he's her mystery caller; I know that people often sound different on the phone, but she would still be able to recognise it, being that she described the voice the exact same way both times when mentioning his voice. He's somewhat creepy as well; he's been a radio caller of Lily's for quite some time, and turns up when she needs the help. So, essentially, he's been stalking her. Later on, he claims he owns her. The other characters are pretty bad as well. They're mostly stereotypical bad people and the author is clearly trying to create and "us vs. them" type of setting where Lily and Wolf are a team, taking on the world and everyone but them are horrible people. Yet, there's nothing that makes me like any of the characters. Lily is a whiny girl who seems to think everyone else owes her something; she complains about her job (and the favours she needs to do to keep it), her apartment, her entire life. Yet, those are all things she can change, but she continues to be miserable about everything. By the end of the book, the author has written a tacky little note about how Lily feels like she's a changed woman, but she hasn't. At the end, she continues to whine and there's no real character development on her part to suggest that she has changed. Wolf is just a creepy guy. It's his fault that she was in danger in the first place, but she acts as if he's done her some huge favour in saving her life. He makes the same comment over and over again, that she's not prey (and that she's a predator). However, she is prey and I don't see why the author keeps on trying to say that she isn't.

The plot is somewhat generic. It's a standard vampires vs. humans where the main female finds herself in trouble, gets saved and taken in by a vampire. Lily, the main female, is the standard damsel in distress. Meanwhile Wolf, a stereotypical vampire hero, takes her in because he's a creepy stalker and he's got feelings for her. There are a lot of things that make little sense in this book. Firstly, we have little explanation as to why the two thugs went after Lily in the first place, save for a lame reasoning where they were apparently doing it to get back at Wolf. The events within the vampire community were just lazy writing and only served to make Lily look weaker, in my opinion. Wolf makes huge claims that she's a predator (not prey), but he has to go and fight the battle for her, giving us no indication as to why she's meant to be some sort of predator when she's done nothing to suggest that. Apart from that, the whole scene in the vampire community is pretty stereotypical; there are so many scenes like that in so many vampire movies, tv shows and books, right down to the part where everyone stops to look at them when they enter as if they're something special. Going on about the vampire thing, it was ultimately a pretty lame version of vampirism. There were little personalisations or good usages of the vampire theme. If the vampire portion were taken out, it wouldn't be much different.

Overall, it was a lame book. I can see where the author was intending for the story to go, but there were no good characters and nothing of the plot was unique. It's a pretty disappointing book. 1 star.

[Jasmine G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

MORE BOOK REVIEWS:
500daysofbooks.com

I'm going to be completely honest and say I was a bit hesitant to read this book only because it's a short story. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them other than the fact that they are too "short" for me. I always end up needing more! And, that's exactly what happened to me with this short story.

You have Lily, a "survivior". She's pretty much your average being, surviving the mysterious nights and what lurks within them. She knows there are "things" out there, other than humans. Is she right, or just simply crazy? She does what she has to, to keep her job and survive. She takes one day at a time. No matter what, she doesn't want to give in to what others have. She won't hide during the night, like most "sane" people. But are they really sane, or ignorant?

Now, mix in a cowboy who seems to look as if he just came out of a western movie - he has the whole look down, to the cowboy boots and hat. However, this mysterious cowboy seems to evoke feelings within' Lily. And, when something happens that leads her straight into his arms, can she really trust the cowboy who has nothing but few words to say? She knows he's different, yet she can't seem to stop herself from wanting to know more about him. And, trust me, I was right behind her.

Within' pages into the story, you're already stuck with twists and turns. There's nothing about this story that will have you wanting to put the book down. I couldn't! And, with the way it ended I'm sure there's more to come. I can't wait to find out what happens to Lily "Lynx" and Wolf. I recommend this book to people who are wanting a quick read. You won't go wrong with this 31 page story.

[Reading Bifrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

www.readingbifrost.com

“We all pretended the monsters don’t exist. Most people can get away with that. They live in the day and lock their doors at night. They don’t look at what is out beyond their thin walls. They don’t see what the night shift brings out.”

Predator & Prey is a very short story, only 31 pages long, but packs a punch for paranormal romance readers. Horton sets his story in a city of dark corruption, where some of the more sinister crimes are overlooked due to their supernatural nature.

Lily labels herself as a survivor and hosts her after dark radio show to share with fellow survivors their experiences, but after she’s attacked one night and a mysterious man named Wolf tells her there’s only predators and prey she begins to question what she really is.

Wolf is most defiantly an Alpha-male character; very demanding and possessive. What he is isn’t exactly clear yet.

The romance isn’t quite strong between the characters yet, but there is an instant connection that pulls Lily to trust Wolf, going against her naturally distrusting personality.

Overall this is a great short story that I would recommend to paranormal romance fans, but since the author has promised more short stories with the same characters I’m hoping for a collection to be available instead of buying the individual shorts.

[C. Mcgrue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was a little hesitant about it, because I'd begun to worry that I just don't enjoy romance books written by men. Mr. Horton has helped show me this is not the case. He even managed it with the main character being female and the book in first person.

I was a little bit hesitant when there is a rape-attempt in the very beginning. I typically find these scenes not very well written. However, I found it not wince worthy (aside from how much so the subject matter normally is) and well written. I really appreciated how real Lily seemed to be, and how strong she was. I felt that the way she reacted to things would probably be the way I might respond to things.

This is a really quick read, but I like the world that Mr. Horton has set up. I love the character he has set up in Lily. I'm curious about Wolf and would like to get into his head. Overall, I would recommend this book to PNR lovers.

I know I'll be looking forward to what comes next after this book.

Why you should read/get it: You like vampires. You like books with a strong female lead. You like male protagonists that are the strong silent type. You love PNR books.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predator & Prey is a short story, just as it's getting good it ends! Thankfully I have book #2 to go into.

Lily hosts a late night radio call in show. Her audience is lonely, sad, pathetic people. But there is one caller, that she lives to hear from at 3am. When her shift is over and her gravelly voiced called doesn't call, she packs up to head home. Only things don't go as planned. The radio station isn't in the best neighborhood and Lily is confronted by a gang of thugs.

Wolf rushes in to save Lily. He takes her into the woods with him, not telling her anything other than, they used her to draw him out. Lily goes 'home' with him and the next day they go see the things that go bump in the night. Where Wolf declares Lily his with one word - MINE! He teaches Lily that she is either Predator or Prey in the city.

This is a really quick read and like I said, right as the story was getting good, it stopped! OMG!! But it was enough that I will be reading book #2 right now!

[Nadia Debowska-Stephens (Obsessed by Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Obsessed by Books copy given in exchange for an honest review***

This is a short story. Too short for me and that's why I have only given four stars as you just start to get sucked in and then it stops! Other than that I highly recommend this book, I will provably revise my review once I have read the full series as it definitely leaves you wanting more!

This story has many great plot ideas that I hope are explored later in further books...Lily has had a difficult life that has left her very aware that the things that hide in the shadows are more than myth. She finds herself rescued from a potentially lethal situation by the enigmatic Wolf. Their attraction is instantaneous and undeniable. Sunddenly Lily finds the strength to no longer class herself as a scared victim,
"I see, I judge, I act. I am a predator, not prey."

This is an excellent fast paced introduction to a series that has the potential to be a gripping vampire/shifter romance. I look forward to reading more of their adventures.

[Arlene Mullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily works as a radio show host at night. She is able to be in control when she doesnt feel she has control anywhere else. In this town though there are vampires. You stay away at night and out of the forest.
She leaves for work and gets attacked by a group of low lives. It turns out that it was an attack on her to draw out a vampire named Wolf/Dallas.
He saves her and then takes her home to protect her. The he claims her to the others as being his.
THis story is very short but very good. Before I knew it I had finished the book and was wanting more. Lily is a character that I feel is very relatable. She struggles with feeling control in her life with all that she has experienced.
I did not really feel I learned much about Wolf/Dallas in this book. I know that he has liked Lily for awhile and that the main vampire people wanted him drawn out to attack him. Besides that knowledge was very lacking.
I am hoping that the next books talk more about Lily and her past. Also letting us know more about Dallas.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for a honest opinion. This is a really quick read, but I like the world that Mr. Horton has set up. I love the character he has set up in Lily and I'm curious about Wolf and what his story is.

While, Lily has always been the one who does what others want just so she can get by in life,Wolf shows her that she doesn't have to be prey. She’s pulled to him like moth to flame and although she should be terrified, she simply isn't. She draws on his strength until she can find her own. Wolf is your typical alpha male. Very confident and demanding, what he is I'm not sure of but i have my suspicions and I can't wait to see if I'm right.

The romance is not strong in this book, but there in no doubt a connection between Lilly and Wolf and I can't wait to read more about how there connection grows through out the book and therefore I'll be looking forward to reading book 2 'Beast'

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Predator & Prey? Yes, please! This novella is very short, coming in around 30 pages. The punch that James D. Horton packs into those pages is phenomenal, though! This story came to a close way too early for me. I enjoyed every element of it, and I can't wait to spend more time with Lily and Wolf.

Lily is my kind of heroine. She radiated determination and grit. I wish more heroines were written like her! I really enjoyed Wolf, too. I chuckled at his ironic name. The relationship between the two really works out well. Intensity, of the good kind, is one of the adjectives I'd use for them!

Like I said, this book is on the shorter side. But I am still amazed at how quickly I was drawn into it. You just simply cannot go wrong with reading about Lily and Wolf. I know the second book in the series is going on my TBR pile!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

[Michelle ♥ The Romance Vault ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predator & Prey is a fast read. There's no hanging about, no waffle or pretty much no setting the scenes but then you are there 'in' the scenes and it all just happens. And I kinda like that.

Everything is pretty much insta, and anyone could (and probably will) argue why would she go off into the woods like that, but bah who cares, its fiction, it's definitely visual reading and it captures you. The downside is, it's then over. You have the need to jump into book 2 (in the hope you've got it)and that's great James has snared you into Lily's world.

Very good writing skills, the 'whole' story was delivered very succinctly and just like Lily's insta connection, the reader has that same connection too from the get go.

Really enjoyed this quick read and I'm looking forward to finding out whats in store for Lily and Wolf in book 2.

I received a copy of Predator & Prey in return for an honest review. My reviews are my own and are 100% honest.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Horton has a bit of a Beauty and the Beast short story series going on… except add in vampires, some hot attraction/sexy time, and a messed up, crime ridden city. Lily is on the radio at night a la Dr. Phil, consoling and encouraging the night shift folks who know what goes bump in the night. Wolf, tall dark, gaunt, and handsome is a secret admirer and caller. Due to his interest, Lily becomes the target of a violent assault. Wolf saves her, brings her into the oh-hell-no-don’t-enter woods. Their attraction a sure thing and Lily’s old life out the door, Wolf teachers Lily what it means to be a predator and not a prey.

Fast pace, spunky, and fun this was an easy paranormal romance to gobble up in a few hours. Look forward to reading the rest of their story and learning more of Wolf and Lily’s world.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars as this had me captivated. Although relatively short and a very quick read it left me wanting the next book automatically to follow Lily. Lily does not expect to meet her late night caller that always called except ……. For one night. She knows most of her callers are damaged in one way or another. She tends to help them in her own way. Except for one….. Leaving the station she does not expect to be attacked not even a short distance from her car. The man that came to her aid…Wolf… also happens to be the one caller that always calls every night except for this night. He rescues her… and helps her realize that she is not prey………she seems to have a different mindset after this……..I can't wait to read the next book! I know you won't either!

[Vi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delves into the live(s) of Lily. She's led a hard, struggling life, doing y she must to survive. She's smart, pretty and alone. She knows the night is filled with monsters which most people choose to ignore or deny. On the most terrifying night of her life she comes face to face with a monster. ..
This is an action-packed, sci-fi, somewhat darkly written, adventure series (thogh it reads well as a single book). It's cleverly written and hard to put down!
This book was provided free for an honest review. I gave it 3.5 stars only because i ended too soon!!
Great job, Mr. Horton, I look forward to reading many more of your books.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily live in a world where monsters live in the darkness but people pretend that they don't. there is a small few who know that they exist and each night Lily talks to them on air on her radio talk show. One night the monsters come out and have her attacked. Just that she thinks she's going to be raped and killed a hero comes out of the darkness and save her. Wolf takes care of her and defends her at all costs and this is just the beginning...
This is a good game short story to a series that catches your attention and makes you want to read the next one to find out what happens I recommend this book,I just cannot wait until the next one comes out.

Reviewed for Renee Entress's blog

[Samaris Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily has lived her life the only way she knows how, by doing whatever it takes to get by. She knows she lives in a world where nightmares stalk the dark but everyone turns a blind eye. Through her radio show she tries to comfort those who have seen the darkness that dwells in the city. Wolf has fallen for the radio personality. Much to her detriment because of wolf’s interest in her she is soon the hunted. Wolf steps in and saves her. Now she has a choice: remain with the label of prey or reinvent herself alongside her hero and become a predator.

[Michele Gantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆
4 Hooked Stars

Predator & Prey is short story by new author James D. Horton, in which you join Lily, a late night radio host, and her journey into the seedy dark world of her city. She meets Wolf, a vampire who she has an unexplainable connection to.
This is a very short story, but it's a good introduction... and as I imagine is the goal, left me wanting to know what happened after Lily became the predator. I throughly enjoyed the book, though I wish there was more... which is why I will be looking into the others in this series.

[Hooked On Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Hooked On Books Forever

☆☆☆☆
4 Hooked Stars

Predator & Prey is short story by new author James D. Horton, in which you join Lily, a late night radio host, and her journey into the seedy dark world of her city. She meets Wolf, a vampire who she has an unexplainable connection to.
This is a very short story, but it's a good introduction... and as I imagine is the goal, left me wanting to know what happened after Lily became the predator. I throughly enjoyed the book, though I wish there was more... which is why I will be looking into the others in this series.

[Emma Jaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a prequel designed to draw you into a series, this is ten out of ten.
Its set in a society on a downward spiral where the humans try to pretend the vampires aren't in charge.
Lily becomes a pawn to be used by an evil vampire who has nothing against her personally, but has a grudge against another one who has taken a liking to her.
Even though it is short, only 30 odd pages long, it draws you in, full of action and angst.

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written short story. Lily's life hasn't been going well, since those things that go bump in the night are real. She is barely surviving as a late night radio talk show host, helping people that are in pain and suffering from the violence that surrounds them. Wolf is her nightly, mysterious caller, which is a bad and a good thing for Lily. She overcomes the bad with Wolf's help, and becomes someone new. It will be interesting to see how the story continues in the next two books.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A REALLY quick read. I’d barely even call it a novella. While it’s barely an introduction to Lily and Wolf… it’s full of action and is intriguing. Horton gives you just enough to make you rush right into the next installment. I usually can’t stand a story that doesn’t give you enough character development… but for whatever reason not knowing enough about Lily and Wolf just makes me crave more of them.

[Countrygalssexyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a novella and a fast read. Sometimes as bloggers you do appreciate the faster past books.
With that being said, things happen pretty fast in this book. You feel you are right there in the scenes. I just loved the story of Lily and Wolf. Lily is a bad a@#, in my eyes I see her like wonder woman. You really get into the story and fall in love with their story.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something different

This Author has a different way of looking at the "bad guy". I found it very refreshing. The plot was intriguing and well thought out. I am looking forward to the next part of the series. Not a lot of information about the characters yet but it just helps to make you look forward to reading more.