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Hunter & Prey #2
Bait
"None of us is immune to that poison love really is. If your case is already terminal, why not make the best of it?"
After spending six months in hiding, Penelope Thompson is back—and she’s out for blood.
Haunted by her memories, she is driven by one thing only: to make Darren Hunter pay for what he did to her. Upon her return to Chicago, she has to face the facts—plotting revenge is a lot harder than she expected.
Darren has been busy in the meantime—recovering from his “rafting accident” and finding himself some new eye candy for his arm make Penelope guess that he’s back to playing the same old games as before.
With the help of her contacts, she now has a clear goal: save the girl before it’s too late and get her hands on concrete evidence. But the stakes are high, and she knows that her task isn’t easy, particularly when it’s not clear who is the hunter and who is the prey.
The entire two-book series is out now!
Book #1: Hunter & Prey
Book #2: Bait
After spending six months in hiding, Penelope Thompson is back—and she’s out for blood.
Haunted by her memories, she is driven by one thing only: to make Darren Hunter pay for what he did to her. Upon her return to Chicago, she has to face the facts—plotting revenge is a lot harder than she expected.
Darren has been busy in the meantime—recovering from his “rafting accident” and finding himself some new eye candy for his arm make Penelope guess that he’s back to playing the same old games as before.
With the help of her contacts, she now has a clear goal: save the girl before it’s too late and get her hands on concrete evidence. But the stakes are high, and she knows that her task isn’t easy, particularly when it’s not clear who is the hunter and who is the prey.
The entire two-book series is out now!
Book #1: Hunter & Prey
Book #2: Bait
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 14, 2015
8 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Kira Barker
15 books115 followersKira Barker has always enjoyed telling stories. It has kept her sane through high school and college, and has become a true passion since. A geek gamer girl herself, she feels at home reading sci-fi and fantasy as much as writing romance. She likes her plots gritty, her smut realistic, and doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty when it comes to research. When she’s not writing, she loves annoying her cats or cruising country roads on her motorcycle.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 13, 2017
The realization that probably for the first time in my life, I hadn’t disappointed Darren Hunter, but had actually made him proud.
Bait picks up right where Hunter & Prey left out. Penelope made a deal with Agent Smith to bring down Darren. She does so get Adam to have full immunity and she wants revenge.
You should have seen your face when you saw him. Maybe then you’d stop lying to me.
I wonder, does Penelope really wants revenge? Or is she just jealous of Darren’s new love interest?
The sequel to Darren & Penelope’s story just blew my mind. It was a really twisted plot that went further and beyond my expectations.
“Why would I want to do this? You’re my wife, Penelope. What decent man would lock away his wife?”
I can’t and do not want to say too much because afraid to spoil it. There is so much happening that everything I mention will be a spoiler.
“Tonight you cemented what I already knew—you are my perfect wife.”
I love you because of who you are. Not because you could be the woman I want you to be.”
Told from Penelope’s POV Bait is fast paced and quite the page turner. Was this the perfect ending for Penelope and Darren? It certainly was a very unconventional one!
I can really see this turning into a big mind fuck movie! Come on screen writers, get to work!
I’m still wondering
Book 1 of the Hunter & Prey series that has to be read in order:
March 15, 2020
5 TWISTED, SERIOUSLY MESSED UP STARS
This is one of the most darkly wrtten twisted messed up love stories I have ever read. Seriously, every single character in this book and its predecessor are screwed up, and more than one might be certifiably insane; yet, I loved every second of it. What does that say about me? lol
So, Penelope is back in the sequel to Hunter and Prey and is out for revenge against Darren.
However, this revenge is not merely because he attempted to off her in the first book, no, it's because he's replaced her with what appears to be a soon-to-be new addition to his doll collection. That's right; she's jealous that Darren has a new girl on his arm. So, she is out to save this girl- not because she actually gives a damn about her but because the idea of being replaced by someone so inferior to Penelope herself, is making Penelope furious. You know, usually characters like this would drive me up the wall, but for all her fury or, if you want to call it jealousy, Penelope still isn't petty in her feelings of rage towards Darren; and, I don't know if I can completely blame her for still feeling love towards him….because *whispers this next part* I kind of still found him attractive despite his creepy psychopathic tendencies. During the scenes where Darren and Penelope interacted, I was always on the edge of my seat wondering who was going to come out on top; and, yet, there was still a very special intimacy between them despite their terrifying past and the fact that there is always a very strong possibility that Darren is going to permanently silence Penelope forever.
Don't get me wrong. Their relationship is definitely not a healthy one. Their feelings towards each other can be majorly described in the following 2 GIFs:
However, there still is still definitely feelings of love there between the two characters; you just got to go into these books knowing that the love story isn't going to be a typical one.
The sequel, like the first story, was full of twists and turns in its plot, making it a very suspenseful read. Like the first book, you don't always know exactly what Darren's motives are. Likewise, Penelope's feelings towards him put you and her both on an emotional roller coaster ride throughout the book since she isn't always sure exactly what her feelings are towards her ex-lover.
However, rather than feeling like you're suffering from whiplash (which I often find myself feeling in stories where characters can't make up their minds about their feelings), you, too, are kind of finding yourself going back and forth on feelings towards Darren since you never know exactly what he's thinking and if he can be trusted.
Overall, this book was great.
1. It had a plot that kept me reading the entire day when I should have really been finishing my grad school homework.
2. The characters, while seriously messed up, are all unique, complex, layered, and strong in their own right.
3. Lastly, what I loved most about this book was the fact that characters stayed true to who they were in their thoughts and actions. I love that both Penelope and Darren are unapologetic in who they are as individuals.
I've read books in the past with similar dark themes where the heroines completely act out of character and forgive the anti-heroes of all their past sins, and I can't stand it when this happens when these females are emotionally stable and not messed up like their love interests.
I mean, lets be real here, if what happened to Penelope happened to me, I would probably not be viewing the Darren situation in the same light; however, I'm not a jaded prostitute whose psyche and view of the world has been majorly altered, so of course, I'm not going to react to situations in the same way as her. That said, I felt that the book was a realistic portrayal given who the characters were at the cores of their personalities which I greatly appreciated. I can't stand when characters act out of character just so the author can create a cookie-cutter happily ever after that will appease the masses.
Take a risk and write the story the way it is actually meant to be rather than making your characters into different people!
And to think, Hunter and Prey started as Twilight fanfic. I don't mean for this to sound like an insult because there are great fanfics out there written by fabulous writers- some of which are even better than published writers. However, I rarely find P2P stories that have writing of this calibre that completely stand on their own away from their original source material.
To quote a certain someone from Bait, "I'm so proud of you" you wonderful story you.
This is one of the most darkly wrtten twisted messed up love stories I have ever read. Seriously, every single character in this book and its predecessor are screwed up, and more than one might be certifiably insane; yet, I loved every second of it. What does that say about me? lol
So, Penelope is back in the sequel to Hunter and Prey and is out for revenge against Darren.
However, this revenge is not merely because he attempted to off her in the first book, no, it's because he's replaced her with what appears to be a soon-to-be new addition to his doll collection. That's right; she's jealous that Darren has a new girl on his arm. So, she is out to save this girl- not because she actually gives a damn about her but because the idea of being replaced by someone so inferior to Penelope herself, is making Penelope furious. You know, usually characters like this would drive me up the wall, but for all her fury or, if you want to call it jealousy, Penelope still isn't petty in her feelings of rage towards Darren; and, I don't know if I can completely blame her for still feeling love towards him….because *whispers this next part* I kind of still found him attractive despite his creepy psychopathic tendencies. During the scenes where Darren and Penelope interacted, I was always on the edge of my seat wondering who was going to come out on top; and, yet, there was still a very special intimacy between them despite their terrifying past and the fact that there is always a very strong possibility that Darren is going to permanently silence Penelope forever.
Don't get me wrong. Their relationship is definitely not a healthy one. Their feelings towards each other can be majorly described in the following 2 GIFs:
However, there still is still definitely feelings of love there between the two characters; you just got to go into these books knowing that the love story isn't going to be a typical one.
The sequel, like the first story, was full of twists and turns in its plot, making it a very suspenseful read. Like the first book, you don't always know exactly what Darren's motives are. Likewise, Penelope's feelings towards him put you and her both on an emotional roller coaster ride throughout the book since she isn't always sure exactly what her feelings are towards her ex-lover.
However, rather than feeling like you're suffering from whiplash (which I often find myself feeling in stories where characters can't make up their minds about their feelings), you, too, are kind of finding yourself going back and forth on feelings towards Darren since you never know exactly what he's thinking and if he can be trusted.
Overall, this book was great.
1. It had a plot that kept me reading the entire day when I should have really been finishing my grad school homework.
2. The characters, while seriously messed up, are all unique, complex, layered, and strong in their own right.
3. Lastly, what I loved most about this book was the fact that characters stayed true to who they were in their thoughts and actions. I love that both Penelope and Darren are unapologetic in who they are as individuals.
I've read books in the past with similar dark themes where the heroines completely act out of character and forgive the anti-heroes of all their past sins, and I can't stand it when this happens when these females are emotionally stable and not messed up like their love interests.
I mean, lets be real here, if what happened to Penelope happened to me, I would probably not be viewing the Darren situation in the same light; however, I'm not a jaded prostitute whose psyche and view of the world has been majorly altered, so of course, I'm not going to react to situations in the same way as her. That said, I felt that the book was a realistic portrayal given who the characters were at the cores of their personalities which I greatly appreciated. I can't stand when characters act out of character just so the author can create a cookie-cutter happily ever after that will appease the masses.
Take a risk and write the story the way it is actually meant to be rather than making your characters into different people!
And to think, Hunter and Prey started as Twilight fanfic. I don't mean for this to sound like an insult because there are great fanfics out there written by fabulous writers- some of which are even better than published writers. However, I rarely find P2P stories that have writing of this calibre that completely stand on their own away from their original source material.
To quote a certain someone from Bait, "I'm so proud of you" you wonderful story you.
December 25, 2015
I'm stunned and disappointed at how this ended. I can't say more without spoiling it, except to say the turn it took wasn't at all what I expected. A third book called The Cull was purportedly in the works and now this story ends rather abruptly and, in my opinion, not satisfactorily. Sorry Kira, but that is how I feel.
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December 17, 2015Zero stars. I can't fathom such love. Not for me.
May 26, 2020
Love it...
All of it. I t was exhilarating, engaging kept me thinking and on my toes. Read book 1 & 2. I promise you will not be disappointed.
All of it. I t was exhilarating, engaging kept me thinking and on my toes. Read book 1 & 2. I promise you will not be disappointed.
May 11, 2021
I blame myself, really. This is the most pathetic heroine I've ever seen.
December 16, 2015
DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING!! WOW!! That's the only way to describe Bait!! The twists and turns have you second guessing everything you thought you knew from Hunter & Prey!!
There's a thin line between sane and insanity, but who's to say where that line is? That's what Penelope needs to figure out. Does she follow her current plan, to bring down Darren or does she create a new one? Is there a chance she can walk away or will she meet her demise once Darren finds out she's back? Can she save his new eye candy or will she too join his collection of dolls?
These are questions I thought I knew the answers to. Boy was I wrong. But I loved being wrong in this case. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!! Even then, I was surprisingly shocked at where Kira went with this story. I still couldn't get enough. I wish there was more to come, but this was an absolutely perfect ending for Penelope and Darren!!!
There's a thin line between sane and insanity, but who's to say where that line is? That's what Penelope needs to figure out. Does she follow her current plan, to bring down Darren or does she create a new one? Is there a chance she can walk away or will she meet her demise once Darren finds out she's back? Can she save his new eye candy or will she too join his collection of dolls?
These are questions I thought I knew the answers to. Boy was I wrong. But I loved being wrong in this case. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!! Even then, I was surprisingly shocked at where Kira went with this story. I still couldn't get enough. I wish there was more to come, but this was an absolutely perfect ending for Penelope and Darren!!!
November 3, 2017
This book was super different to the first one with the playing field being totally overturned from what I knew from the first book but I still really enjoyed it and maybe even loved it more than the first. It's sad that there are only two books because I love the author's writing and the story is fantastic but it was all wrapped up well so it was a great ending even if I'm hopeful for more!
Bait is different to what you've read before because when someone turns dark or does something evil the other usually run for the hills and does everything they can to stay away from them. However, I was very impressed to see this book take a turn with Penelope actively pursuing the "villain" after the events of the first book. It was dark and so twisted and it was just what I always want this type of thriller books to be. This book was a dream come true for my reading style and I'll definitely be re-reading this duo in the future.
Bait is different to what you've read before because when someone turns dark or does something evil the other usually run for the hills and does everything they can to stay away from them. However, I was very impressed to see this book take a turn with Penelope actively pursuing the "villain" after the events of the first book. It was dark and so twisted and it was just what I always want this type of thriller books to be. This book was a dream come true for my reading style and I'll definitely be re-reading this duo in the future.
December 23, 2015
So many twists! So many insights as we dig further into each character! A good actor, I believe, is one that can make you hate their character so much it is all consuming and then switch to make you feel compassion or go as far as cheer them on as the hero in a certain scene or scenario. But now I understand it all stems from a talented writer's ingenuity! I felt things towards each character that I never thought I would feel. A full spectrum of emotions for each character! I don't believe I have ever had that to this degree and with this kind of precision from any other book yet that I have read. Just wait this will open your eyes into the world of smoke and mirrors.
January 5, 2016
I wish I could give this book more stars. Holy crap. This book was intense from page one.
I don't feel like there's anything I can say that won't give this book away but...PENELOPE! DARREN! ADAM!! HOLY CRAP. WHERE DID *THAT* COME FROM?!?!?!?!
This book is an absolutely page turner and let's be honest - it's dark. It's one of the darker books I've read but man it is DELICIOUS. If you don't like dark and you don't like dirty and you don't like sex then this is not a book for you. It's seriously a page turner that I did NOT see coming.
God bless you, Kira Barker. Bait was worth every moment of the wait.
I don't feel like there's anything I can say that won't give this book away but...PENELOPE! DARREN! ADAM!! HOLY CRAP. WHERE DID *THAT* COME FROM?!?!?!?!
This book is an absolutely page turner and let's be honest - it's dark. It's one of the darker books I've read but man it is DELICIOUS. If you don't like dark and you don't like dirty and you don't like sex then this is not a book for you. It's seriously a page turner that I did NOT see coming.
God bless you, Kira Barker. Bait was worth every moment of the wait.
November 23, 2017
Woow.... just WOOOW!!! The story of Penelope and Darren continues... amazing, fan-fucking-tastic series/duology!!! What a turns and twists! I absolutely LOVED it!!
Note: before you read this book, you must read Hunter & Prey! I don't know what else to say about this book than: just READ IT!! Both books are more-than-5-star-reads for me!
Het verhaal gaat verder... en HOE!!! Ge-wel-dig!
Note: before you read this book, you must read Hunter & Prey! I don't know what else to say about this book than: just READ IT!! Both books are more-than-5-star-reads for me!
Het verhaal gaat verder... en HOE!!! Ge-wel-dig!
February 10, 2016
Absolutely brilliant!
This sequel didn't just meet my expectations but went by far beyond them! It was simply freaking brilliant! The twisted plot had plenty or surprises, more dead bodies than I expected, but I especially loved how Kira described the mentality of a whore, a man who loved them and how obsession can fullfil somebody's entire mind. Kira has always been great in describing psychological turmoil and the dark side of people and here in Bait she was doing what she's best at.
This sequel didn't just meet my expectations but went by far beyond them! It was simply freaking brilliant! The twisted plot had plenty or surprises, more dead bodies than I expected, but I especially loved how Kira described the mentality of a whore, a man who loved them and how obsession can fullfil somebody's entire mind. Kira has always been great in describing psychological turmoil and the dark side of people and here in Bait she was doing what she's best at.
December 18, 2015
Worth the wait
I love a good twisted plot and this series definitely has that.
I find in a lot of series that they can lose their cluster after the first book, they become predictable and boring.
This was just as messed up as the first, and I loved it. I was hooked and polished it off in a day.
And what I loved the most was that the bad guys won.
I love a good twisted plot and this series definitely has that.
I find in a lot of series that they can lose their cluster after the first book, they become predictable and boring.
This was just as messed up as the first, and I loved it. I was hooked and polished it off in a day.
And what I loved the most was that the bad guys won.
December 17, 2015
It was really great! I loved every second of it!
January 3, 2016
Great ending!
I loved both books. The ending was not what I expected but exactly perfect for the story. Great plot! Perfect story line, expertly executed.
I loved both books. The ending was not what I expected but exactly perfect for the story. Great plot! Perfect story line, expertly executed.
January 4, 2016
A ,***
A very good end to a thrilling story of love and deception with a little added twist to the tail
A very good end to a thrilling story of love and deception with a little added twist to the tail
September 15, 2016
Wow I didn't see that coming. Love it
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews