The Hunter Within by Viki Lyn

Title: The Hunter Within

Series: White Tiger Shape Shifter 02

Author: Viki Lyn

Genre: Paranormal, Shape-shifter, WWII Historical (1951-1952 ish)

Length: Novel (169pgs)

Publisher: Loose Id (25th October 2011)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3 ½Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Jack is shocked to learn his wife is engaged to another man. She believes Jack died during the war, and has no idea he was altered into a soldier of super human powers. Now he’s a Sentinel agent fighting supernatural beings. He remains dead in her eyes. But now he wonders if he should tell Alice the truth. All he wants is to have his old life back and to be normal again. Alice can save him from his crazy life and his sexual need for men; especially his burning passion for a shape shifter who claims his body and now wants his heart.

Shape shifter Antoine Fortescue travels to New York City to find out why Jack went AWOL. What he discovers disturbs him. Jack has traveled to California to spy on his wife’s fiancé. Was Jack going to confront Alice with the truth that he is alive? Or the real truth – that he is gay? Antoine will stop at nothing to capture Jack’s heart.

Purchase Link: http://www.loose-id.com/The-Hunter-Within.aspx

Review: I’d recommend reading The Tiger Within first as you won’t know what this one is about fully if you don’t. Well, it has been two years since The Tiger Within and I’d often wondered what happened to Jack and Antoine.  In the previous book,  Jack had never fully accepted his sexuality so I was glad that we could see what had become of them, but two years, yeah a little bit of a wait.

In this story, it’s a few months after the end of the last one and Antoine has had to return to France for a while.  Jack receives news that his wife (who thinks he’s dead) is engaged and he goes off with the excuse that he is just checking the man out. When Antoine returns Jack has been AWOL for two weeks and finally learns what caused the man to disappear.

I really felt for Antoine… poor man.   He loves Jack whole-heartedly while Jack is determined to try to deny his sexuality; stubbornly thinking that Alice (his wife) could fix him again and he would stop having cravings for men. Jack leaves Antoine dangling from a string, wondering if he will lose Jack to Alice, and honestly it’s heart-breaking to watch Antoine hurting because the man he loves just won’t accept what he feels and would prefer to try to recreate the past.

Now, even though there is danger and an old enemy to face, most of this story is focused on Jack, Antoine, Alice and Randolph (the new fiancé). Jack works his way through his feelings for Alice and Antoine and it isn’t until it is nearly too late that he realizes just who he loves. Oh, before I forget, there is a scene where Jack and Antoine have sex where Antoine is partially shifted so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I recommend this to those who love shifters, super-enhanced soldiers, danger, some hot sex, emotional conflict and a kinda happy ending.