Hunter

Winter Jacket #0

by Eliza Lentzski

The Winter Jacket prequel

It all started with a navy blue dress...

In her junior year of college, Hunter Dyson has some big decisions to make about her future. She wants to be a nurse, that much she knows, but everyone from her parents to her academic advisor is nagging her about what kind of nursing she wants to pursue. But before she can worry about those details, she's got to survive Professor Graft's writing seminar. And her legs.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Lesbian, Lesbian Romance, Contemporary, Femme Femme

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2017

About the author

Eliza Lentzski is the best-selling author of sapphic fiction, romance, and erotica including the Winter Jacket and Don’t Call Me Hero series. A historian by day, Eliza is passionate about telling the stories of marginalized communities.

Born and raised in the upper Midwest—a landscape that often shapes her novels—Eliza now lives in Boston with her wife and their cat, Charley.


Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giddy 5th series! Great depth,great supporting characters,funny moments,chemistry of course and do not talk about the author's great storytelling about this couple -- and there is excellent writing as usual. Highly recommended series to everyone!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decided to go back and read the prequel to Winter Jacket instead of moving on to Book 2. No regrets there. I guess this is the only book in the series where we get to read Hunter’s POV and get some insights on old soul Hunter Dyson. There were some repetition from Book 1 but not a deal breaker for me. Another great read filled with sweetness and one which I so thoroughly enjoyed 😀

4 ⭐️

[Jo reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

'When I finish a good book, I mope around for a few hours because I feel a hole in my heart. When I finish a series, its a hell of a lot worse'.



......... She needs to write another one!

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excuse Me!! Loved this - brilliant, blah, blah, blah - but Book 1 not available?? What's this? Total torture, my friends, that's what! There should be a health warning on the cover: "You'll love this book, set you up for and get excited about Book 1 - but it ain't available!" Terrible. Now sorted, but initial panic abated. Thanks for all the advise.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. I’m a big fan of the Winter Jacket series, but I have always had the feeling that I didn’t know how Hunter really was or thought. However with “Hunter” and from her POV we can see what her feelings for Elle are (sometimes bordering on the obsession in a good way). I love also how the author writes the same story from both perspectives. First from the pov Elle in Winter Jacket and now from Hunter, and with the help of this book you can better understand the story. This book is not only about Hunter and Elle’s relationship; it’s also about Hunter’s dealing with her sexuality and family. My only complaint is that it was very short.

[Starsandsun18 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Hunter's POV I like to read more from her.
Goodness! Now I have to read all the previous books. I'm in the mood 😁😁
I think is it also less angsty than Elle's POV.


While Elle have Troian as her cheerleader -Hunter got Colette.
I wish this book was longer. 😭😭 I think this is only 1/2 or even less compare to Winter Jacket.
4.5

[Gaby LezReviewBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m an absolute fan of the Winter Jacket series, especially in audiobook format, narrated by the one and only Angela Dawe who does a dreamy voice for Hunter. I was secretly hoping that this book would be released on audio but my hopes were crushed after I asked the author directly and got a negative response. As there isn’t going to be an audiobook for Hunter, I’ve finally decided to read the book. Why did it take me so long?

Hunter Dyson is in her junior year of college facing the big decision of which specialty of nursing she’s going to choose. However, Hunter gets completely distracted by her English writing teacher, the enigmatic but very hot Professor Elle Graft…

This is book 0 of the Winter Jacket series. Unlike the rest of the series (books 1 to 4) which are told from Elle’s point of view, this one is told from Hunter’s. It’s not strictly a prequel (it’s more a “paraquel”) as this novel covers the same events of book 1, Winter Jacket, but it stops in the moment of the story that corresponds to the 37% mark (at the end of chapter 7) of book 1.

I normally recommend reading book series in chronological order but I’m not sure whether to suggest starting from book 0 or, as I did, leaving this book for the end (after all, Ms. Lentzski wrote this book last). I personally loved getting a glimpse of Hunter’s headspace after four novels being told from Elle’s. This was a refreshing approach, which tied some loose ends and helped me see Elle from another perspective. I approached this book in an unconventional way: I read a group of scenes or a chapter, and then listened to the same scenes on the audio of Winter Jacket. It gave me the perspective from both main characters on exactly the same circumstances and also helped me to have their voices fresh in my mind while reading the book. This might not work for everyone but, whichever way you chose to read it, I strongly recommend not to miss this book.

If you’ve read the whole series, then you know that Hunter is a lovable character, mature for her age, and a compassionate person. By being in her headspace you’ll also see her struggles with her career choice, her relationship with her family, and her budding feelings for Elle. It helps you understand the character better. Not only that, but it also shows you how she develops her attraction for Elle, how she sees her, and their miscommunication woes.

I’m really disappointed that there isn’t going to be an audiobook for this novel, I would have loved to hear a bit more of Hunter’s seductive husky tone interpreted by Angela Dawe. 4.5 stars.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely my favourite book in this series

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series very much and it was nice to go back in time and read the story from Hunter's point of view. The introduction of Colette was a pleasant surprise. She proves to be an interesting sounding board for Hunter. I know what I want and I want you! Wonderful story.

[Lady Olenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

This was such a perfect conclusion to the series, Hunter’s perspective, I didn’t know I needed this POV so bad! It’s so refreshing to get a glimpse of the other person’s backstory. It’s so nice to read how insanely attracted they were to each other from the get go. Aaaah swoon!

[Best Lesfic Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though this is listed as a prequel to Winter Jacket, this is more of a parallel-quel (okay, from now this is a thing). Covering about the first 30% of Winter Jacket, this is the story from Hunter’s PoV and also Hunter’s back story.

Read the full review @ https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...

[Alexa Steli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate the teacher-student trope,but this book is my new obsession,I need to read this whole serie,I don't know what's special about it trough,but I can't find nothing bad about this book for some reasons.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice to read Hunter's point of view. One of my favorite series.

[Swaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delicious prequel, I can't wait to dive right into book one. No pun intended. 😏

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is one of my favs and when I saw another book was coming out in Hunters perspective I was so excited but not sure what to expect!

I was not disappointed because it was done so well!! It was like the missing puzzle pieces to the story were finally put in place.

My only complaint is that it finished! I hoping another one comes out because I am seeing the characters in a completely different light and I want more of it.

Loved it!!!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not very often do I get to know for sure what another character is thinking in a fixed perspective story, so I'm really happy this was written. I love this book.

(Prepare for a wall of text,) It's funny—after reading Winter Jacket, I didn't have much of an opinion of Hunter. That was obviously a more Elle-centered story, and Elle's view of her was an idealistic one, so Hunter felt a bit bland to me at first. That's not the case with this book. Perhaps I shouldn't be, but I'm honestly surprised at how personally relatable Hunter is.

Maybe I just don't read enough Coming Out stories—or talk to enough people—but is it standard to steal the library's queer fiction when you're questioning? Because I was totally going to do that if the books hadn't been alarmed. Instead, eighth-grade-me read Annie on My Mind in the library over two days, cover facedown on a table. So, is that fairly normal, or is it just an odd thing both Hunter and I have done before? I wouldn't know, being an introverted recluse who lives her life vicariously through books, but I'm sort of curious.

I've always identified with Hunter in general though—even back when I thought she was plain. We're both college-aged millennials (am I still a millennial if I was born in '95? Honestly wondering here.) who don't use social media, and we both tend to come off as older—although apparently it's world-weariness I exude, not maturity. Still, I don't remember the last time I really felt young.

I don't see many characters with these traits—in contemporarily-set, fairly recent releases, I mean—so I like that Hunter has them. The not-using-social-media thing especially; sometimes I feel like the only person my age who never took to it.

Also, I really liked the meta Second Chances Easter eggs. A couple years ago, that was me reading Second Chances before dinner and then hiding it from my nosy family, so again, really relatable.

The fact that Hunter was actually a nervous wreck on the inside, and not actually all suave and graceful the way Elle saw her makes sense, and I like to be reminded that ordinary people can, in fact, at times be anxious and self-doubting. (Sometimes I forget.) Nobody has that much confidence when they're pursuing someone for the first time, (I imagine,) and Elle was Hunter's first self-aware crush too. Now that I think about it, it's semi-miraculous they were able to get together at all—there was a lot of chance involved. What would've happened if Sylvia hadn't knocked over that stack of papers? Or if Hunter's necklace hadn't gotten caught in her hair? I wonder if they still would've found other pretenses to interact. Probably. At least I'd hope so.

The amount of pining that Hunter did over Elle was cute, and I kind of wonder if there was anyone in that English class who could tell what was going on. Of course Elle had no clue that Hunter's unwavering eye contact was her checking her out, but I think it would be funny if there was a classmate who could tell... Wait, was there? Was there a reference to someone like that in the second book? I don't remember right now... Anyway, the first love quality to Hunter's pining was nostalgic for me, and I liked it better than the angst-ridden quality Elle's own pining had.

Elle was a lot cooler through Hunter's eyes than I found her originally, but then again, I suppose that makes sense. Rose-colored glasses and all that. But as a side effect, Elle didn't remind me of my dad much at all, unlike in Winter Jacket, so I suppose I'm personally grateful to the blindness of infatuation. Of course, Hunter only follows like, the first third of Winter Jacket though, so Elle through Hunter-vision may yet make me cringe.

I'm glad that Hunter had a friend like Colette this whole time, but the nitpicky, just-can't-enjoy-things side of me wonders why she wasn't mentioned until now. Does Elle know about her? I wonder if they've met over video chat yet. I wonder what that interaction would be like. I wonder if Colette would be Hunter's maid of honor at the probably-going-to-happen-at-some-point wedding. I wonder if these questions will ever get answered...

If there's one thing in this book that annoyed me just the teensiest bit, it's that Hunter was annoyed with her parents' middle-aged mundanity and routine. That's normal I guess—I get annoyed at my own parents for petty things like that too—but family dinners and routines and parents are about a hundred times more annoying when the parents vehemently hate each other, yet don't have the decency to just divorce and end all the suffering. (Pay no heed, this is the giant chip on my shoulder talking. Occasionally it needs to vent. I may even delete this paragraph later; haven't decided.)

Somehow I doubt the whole series is going to get rewritten from Hunter's perspective, because that seems time consuming and sort of redundant, but I hope there are little snippets that get rewritten, maybe. (I mean, who knows if Eliza Lentzski will ever see this, or even care what I think. I could be shouting into the void right now.) Like, I wonder how Hunter decided on her nursing speciality. I wonder how she Came Out to her family. Individually? All at once? By blurting it out randomly and surprisingly? I wonder what Hunter got up to while Elle was in L.A. I wonder what she was thinking when she was planning all that really cute shit—the scavenger hunt, and the picture book, and the cuttlefish drawing. I wonder how the breakup went from her point of view. I wonder what she was thinking when she was dragging her feet after Elle moved back. I wonder what she was thinking while she was watching the tv show unfold. I wonder about their future too. Marriage? Kids? A second cat? The possibilities are endless...

It's totally set up like its going to happen, so I hope there really will be a Jessica/Leah spinoff and I'm not just seeing things. I also want a Troian/Nikole origin story, but that doesn't seem as likely. Troian's grown on me though—I haven't always liked her as a person, but as a character I think she's interesting. So I'd definitely enjoy an origin story.

... Oh! Would you look at that! There're no inconsistencies for me to passive-aggressively list like a type-A fun-ruiner! Huzzah!

[& · Rating 3 out of 5]

depois desse livro minha conclusão é que por mais que eu goste mais da elle pelos olhos da hunter (mesmo assim não simpatizo 100%) não vejo como elas seriam um casal realmente... no pov da elle parece mais como uma conquista e como uma paixão? já no da hunter da p ver que ela admira muito a elle, quer passar tempo com ela e começa a "precisar" dela em um sentido mas fora isso... não sei como elas durariam mais de 2 meses juntas sorry not sorry. provavelmente vou continuar a série sim pq amo a hunter e me vejo muito nela e por mais que eu ache q não terá pov dela (ainda mais um livro inteiro) futuramente, tenho sim vontade de continuar a série pq estou curiosa p saber se uma suspeita minha vai se concretizar e também gosto da escrita da autora, prende facilmente.

[Mirtha Siblesz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

This was a great book! The portrayal of Hunter and her struggles with her coming out process and her growing attraction for her professor Elle was beautifully done. It was very poignant and sweet. Overall, very well done!

[Wendy Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is great to finally have Hunter's perspective from the beginning, I'd willingly pay for the experience of the other 4 books too ☺

until then, I can fill in the blanks myself I suppose. And now to re-read Winter Jacket, and the others yet again... 😀

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! Exactly what I was wanting.

I love that the author went back to the beginning of Hunter and Elle's story to tell it from Hunter's point of view. I ALWAYS want to know both sides of a relationship. Always wondering what the other person is thinking. Thank you Eliza for putting those thoughts to rest. I loved this prequel so much I will be purchasing the physical book asap.

[Michele Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was a fan of the first Winter Jacket book and continued on with the series ONLY because of Hunter, who the reason I enjoyed the first book as much as I did in the first place. That said, I was incredibly curious to read the story of Hunter and Elle through Hunter's perspective only to find that now I like Hunter even more! It's both sweet and sexy. Definitely an entertaining read. I do recommend reading at least the first book of the Winter Jacket series to fully appreciate this read but that's just my opinion.

[S-Jay Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binged all 5 books in 12 hours, Eliza Lentski is my be of my fave authors in this genre. There were a few mistakes that caused me to have to stop and re-read and then cope with the lack of word, or wrong spelling but... what can I say.

Hunter is such a beautifully written, complex character and it was wonderful to see through her eyes. Whilst I love that the series was told from the perspective of Elle, I felt there was always something about Hunter that drew me to her.

If you’re looking for series that has it all, it’s this one. The angst, heartache, jealousy, butterflies, excitement... love, real unconditional love, it’s all there. These characters leapt off the page and into real life and their story had me entranced from page 1.

Amazing story. Amazing characters. Amazing author

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read for Winter Jacket enthusiasts.

If you have already read the "winter jacket" series you will enjoy this book. If you havent I would suggest that you read book 1first. Book 1 is the beginning of Elle and Hunters relationship basically from Elle's point of view. Book 5 tells it from Hunters point of view. It had been awhile since I had read book 1 so I opened it and found it fun to read them side by side. The setting and dialog was the same but the inner voices were different. I did not realize in book 1 that Hunter was struggling so much.
My only complaint was the abrupt ending. It only covered about a third of the original book. So I read book 1 again. Crazy, but its a great series with many ups and downs that makes it a real page turner.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Hunter's Perspective

“I was trying to drown my sorrows, but my sorrows learned to swim.”

“If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, how did you win a woman’s heart?”

Just speechless…

…Another awesome, entertaining story
with captivating characters. Very very very enjoyable to read.

Loved this journey of attraction, recognition, understanding & appreciation of love developed & intensified between Hunter & Elle— all while in the midst of Hunter's redefining self-discovery of awareness & acceptance of her Self— is an excellent example of art effectively & marvelously crafted!!

[Alena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this series I really enjoy.

I DNFed the previous book I was reading because the inner-monologey comments in regard to the love interest when they met really annoyed me (variations on commenting on the hotness of the other woman). There's some of that here, but it didn't annoy me at all and I can't figure out when exactly it annoys me and what about it specifically annoys me.

Anyhoo... nice to get some of Hunter's perspective.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I read this after the first book Elle's pov because I have no intentions of continue with it.

I enjoyed the Hunter's perspective, I love that authors do this kind of things.

[A. N. Enigma · Rating 4 out of 5]

TLDR: A college student falls in lust with her English professor, but needs a lesson in love.

Usually, I prefer to review books individually rather than by series. This is because a series demands a broad perspective, whereas an individual book allows me to focus on what that particular book does well. However, Hunter is a quick read and I’m missing context that might dispel some of my criticisms. So, my disclaimer is that this review is subject to change, pending my progression with the series.

Hunter is a tale as old as time – a student falls for a professor and that professor tries to maintain blissful ignorance. Judging by how popular this trope is in lesbian fiction, I’m beginning to think I wasn’t alone in daydreaming about my history professor. Twenty years later, I still have the occasional dream about us discussing Nixon’s presidency right before I turn to leave, walk up to the podium, and teach the class. So, it’s hardly surprising that Hunter has become infatuated with her beautiful, intelligent, well-dressed English professor.

Much like The Woman in 3B, Lentszki is in her element writing short fiction. If being succinct and as detailed as necessary is an art form, she’s mastered it. Each page feels like it is packed with exactly what the reader needs to know without making it feel like a diet novel. What is a diet novel? It’s a work of fiction that skips over important things, like characterization, in a rush to get to plot points. You’ll know it when you read it because the feeling that something is missing lingers like a dark cloud.

My chief complaint about this story is that Hunter knows almost nothing about her professor all while pondering whether or not she loves her. However, after reading the synopsis for the next book, I imagine I’m going to learn more about Elle going forward. So, maybe this criticism is totally off-base? I certainly hope so. Additionally, I feel like Hunter’s friendships are shallow. In fact, they’re so shallow she feels like she has no one to talk to most of the time. This is one of the reasons she ends up in the rain, or so she claims.

All in all, this is a quick read and definitely worthy of a lazy afternoon.

[Nessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot: The book starts with Hunter questioning her sexuality. Then when the new semester starts she sees her new English professor, Elle Graft. Hunter is instantly attracted to her. Through out the book Hunter struggles with accepting her sexuality but at the same time she wants to date Elle. By the end of the book they have admitted their attraction and will hopefully be able to start a relationship and work towards their HEA.

Characterization: Hunter is struggling with her sexuality throughout this book. She is close with her family but worries about their reaction when she eventually comes out.

Elle is Hunter’s professor for most of this book. Elle maintains a professional distance while still Hunter’s professor but still wants to spend time with Hunter.

Writing: This was written in first person perspective from Hunter’s POV. This book broke my personal rule of using the word “impossibly” to describe very possible things. I think this is lazy writing because it’s a short cut to not think of an appropriate adjective that actually describes the situation. I also noticed a couple typos and some awkward sentence structures but overall this book flowed well.

[Stacy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

I read all 5 books before I gave a review. I wanted more of Hunters story to maybe see Elle from Hunters eyes. And I wish there was a second book to Hunters story, I wanted more of her she was kind and polite she was the kind of character you fell in love with. But Ella I enjoyed reading the first book but as I read through the second and third and so on I got bored with her, I just had a hard time liking her. I guess we all have issues and insecurities but she was over the top and I felt she was selfish with Hunter and hurt her for no reason. These books were pretty steamy and that was great. I would re read Hunters book but not Ella’s I give Hunters book 5 stars and Ella’s 3.5

[Janne Magalhaes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved meeting more of Hunter!

I loved seeing Ellie through Hunter's eyes, knowing her thoughts and insecurities, learning about her friends, family and day and day. It was great.

I think that because my age is close to that of Hunter, Ellie has always been the one that captivated me the most; I love Hunter. But Ellie .. No need for comments.

I also loved seeing how Nikk and Hunter met, I loved meeting Collete!

This saga is so good! Characters so royal, who make mistakes, learn, are not perfect, just like us in "real life", it is so hot, but also romantic.

I highly recommend these books!