The Hunted

by Anna Leonard

Beth Havelock always felt the pull of the ocean, tied to her Nantucket home even as she yearned for something new, something exciting. But when a handsome stranger washes up in a storm, she is cautious; her own immediate attraction to him frightens her. She knows nothing about him…except that he is hiding something.

As seal-kin—a shapeshifter—Dylan Meredith was happy with his own kind. But the beautiful Nantucketer drew him from his rocky home to live among humans…and risk discovery for the chance at love.

Neither can deny that the passion growing between them is real. But as Beth wrestles with her feelings—and uncovers her own mysterious origins—danger lurks. Dylan is being hunted, and now Beth is a target, too….

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Harlequin

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

aka Laura Anne Gilman
aka L.A. Kornetsky
aka L.A. Liverakos

Reviews

[Melindeeloo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lure of his nameless faceless mate pulls at Dylan from across the sea, but when he impulsively leaves his kin he never stops to think that he may have to do more than just find her but may have to woo her too.

Beth Havelock has been restless needing an indefinable something, the appearance of a handsome naked half-drowned stranger on the beach of her hometown has kicked the need up to a fever pitch. And though she's been drawn to seek the man out as he takes up residence in her town, when she's encounters him she flees and hides.

Knowing that he's pretty my blown it in his first encounters with Beth, Dylan sets about a campaign to get her to come to him, and in a small town Beth can not help but hear how Dylan is trying to learn everything about her. And when she can no longer stand hearing her friends sing Dylan's praises, she set out to confront him and ends up instead fleeing at his side when hunters, who know what Dylan truly is, come for him.

Leonard does a couple things really well in the story. From a romance stand point, the intensity of the initial mate recognition starts out the attraction between Beth and Dylan on a high level, but I loved that the pull of the mating instinct doesn't easily win Dylan his mate (and his simplicity in thinking that it will). By making Dylan really work to win Beth, the tension between the pair is allowed to build to and even higher level and it makes Beth's final surrender to her instincts so much more satisfying. I also really liked the way that Leonard uses the selkie genetic memory, to provide background details of the seal-kin in general and of Beth's family in specific.

I loved Dylan, he's not the typical alpha shapeshifter, he is sexy while being occasionally vulnerable and naive, but he manages to become 'more' than his nature because of his love for Beth. I also really liked Beth once she gets done hiding from the enormous life shift she senses comes with Dylan's appearance in her world. I thought that is great that Beth's reaction to the Dylan's 'memory' of hunts past is to fight back instead of taking the selkies' more passive approach. Though I do think that had the story ended differently - the hunters would certainly have been back as they weren't really dealt with in a permanent way - hmm, maybe this is left open for a selkie sequel.

Because of all of this and more, The Hunted is probably my favorite Nocturne in a long time and one of the best selkie romances in quite awhile too.I t is also the best of Leonard's Nocturne romances - I hope she writes more like this one.

Anna Leonard is urban fantasy author Laura Anne Gilman (The Retrievers series) in her romance author persona.

[Beth Cato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through a contest on author Laura Anne Gilman's blog (Anna Leonard is her nom de plume for romances).[return][return]Beth Havelock feels the call of the sea like an itch across her skin. When a handsome stranger washes up naked on the beach, her curiosity is piqued-along with something much deeper, something much more terrifying. Little does she know that this stranger, Dylan, is a selkie, a seal-kin, and he's there because of Beth's almost-magical draw. They are destined to be mates--if they can survive that long. There are others who search for the seal-kin with very dark intentions, and now Dylan is a target... and so is Beth.[return][return]I read very few romances a year, but I was very happy to acquire this one. I love, love, love selkies. Gilman's take here was quite interesting and worked for the plot. Dylan and Beth had incredible chemistry before they even met. They also defied many of the old romance stereotypes; Dylan was handsome, but he was by no means a fighter, whereas Beth could be quite a spitfire. The sex scenes were quite hot and well-written. I've never been to the setting, Nantucket, but her descriptions were vivid. I could see and smell the sea--and laugh at the residents' disdain for tourists.[return][return]Two negatives, though: I didn't like that Beth was in a relationship and didn't break it off formally. It was made clear it wasn't much of a relationship, but still. Secondly, a deus ex machina comes into play during a big confrontation with the bad guys and well... it was a handy-dandy plot device, and came out of nowhere and went away just as fast. Otherwise, I liked the ending and how Beth's painful decision was handled.[return][return]That said, this was an enjoyable read. Great romance, and featured one of my favorite mythical creatures. Selkies don't get enough love, and here they get some very nice lovin'.

[Colena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, dealing with the Shapeshifting Seal-Kin, as I've heard of different kinds of shapeshifters-this one was defintely different. I enjoyed the story of the book, it wasnt the best I've ever read before..but that by no means makes it a bad story, I actually enjoyed reading it.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but it wasn't by far a great little read. The plot was good but I was so disapointed that they didn't fight back more against the hunters. I guess I would have preferred them to be more proactive. I loved the ending and so this gets 3 1/2 stars from me.

[Heather Gunnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always interesting to read about selkies since they don't come up too often in paranormal romances. I like the way the mythology was handled, and I like the way Beth dealt with the Hunters.

[Amber Meller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and couldn't put it down as it had parts that were romance and parts that were a bit like an action thriller. I liked that there was a search for love and a fight for survival. As Dylan is searching for love, putting himself and, eventually, Beth on the front line as people want their skin to make money out of them. Before they live together in a place far away from where she grew up, just for love, to be with Dylan.