Hunt & Pray by Cindy Sutherland

Title: Hunt & Pray

Author: Cindy Sutherland

Genre: Contemporary, Suspense

Length: Novella (169pgs)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (10^th April 2013)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥4 ½ Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Reporter Drew Edwards got too close to his story and now finds himself a hunted man. After being kidnapped and then released in Colorado Springs Forest, he has six hours’ headstart on a madman trying to teach his son a lesson.

Chance Collins gets one warning from his bigoted, abusive father: “Kill him or be killed.” Horrified, Chance sees only one real option—run with Drew. When he takes it, there’s no turning back. If Drew and Chance can work together, they might make it out of the mountains alive to the promise of a brighter future.

Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3748

Review: When reporter Drew is snatched off the street one night he finds himself fearing for his life. Connecting his abduction to the mysterious disappearance of three other young gay men, a story he had been investigating, he discovers the sick games of a madman. Chance is horrified by his father, but he has little choice, do what his father wants or be hunted himself. There’s only one chance for Drew and Chance to escape before they are caught. With skilled trackers on their trail and unsure of the terrain, their survival hinges on them working together.

Holy hell. This is a spine chilling story of not just being hunted by madmen, but also of physical and psychological abuse. Drew storms off upset after a showdown with his boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend now, he gets snatched off the street and wakes up bound and gagged and listens to plans his kidnappers have for him and he knows he has very little chance of survival. Chance has returned to his father when he is home from the military, when his father drags him on a hunt and Chance discovers what his prey will be he is horrified. But, his father makes it clear that it is a ‘kill or be killed’ situation. Chance and Drew grow close as they flee through the forest and if they want to see if they can make a go of it, they have to get out of the forest alive.

I loved this story. It is a story that you could easily see on the big screen, a thriller, suspense, action romance where the lead characters fall in love as they fight for survival while fleeing from madmen who see them as nothing but prey. Drew finds himself in a situation that makes him curse his bad luck, but he doesn’t lose hope. He wants to hate Chance, but he quickly realizes that Chance is in a terrible situation himself. Chance has suffered years of physical and psychological abuse. Challenging his father just ends in pain, but something about Drew makes him want to escape from the madman his father is.

You will love Chance and Drew. Drew with his determination to survive and his slightly cocky attitude, Chance with his vulnerability beneath his tough exterior and his longing for something he has not had since he was three… love. This story takes you on an emotional rollercoaster as we process fear, anger, desperation, loss, regret, attraction, developing love, hope and then relief and joy, we connect with these characters as they run for their lives and we pray along with them that they will overcome the obstacles that they face.

I will recommend this to those who love thrillers, suspense, action, falling in love in hard difficult conditions, finding hope in a bleak landscape and finally having a love that will survive anything.