Customer Reviews

Hunters: The Beginning

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Shiloh Walker is simply one of the best writers of the newly dubbed 'Romantica' genre. (The term,I believe, comes from the e-publisher, Elloras Cave.)

The Hunters is a series of stories whose lead characters,ie.(the romantic interest couple) are vampires, werewolves, witches....well you get the idea. Each story is a completed story within a series, and though Elloras Cave standards list the individual stories as novel length, they are really novellas. (They are not short stories though so relax)

The characters are fun and hot...and true to the signature of this genre which crosses WAY-HOT erotica with romance and in many cases Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery...you name it and Shiloh Walker has an excellent series for all taste.


I'm not going to tell you the story in this review. What I will tell you is that though it will never win a Nobel Prize, it is fresh and exciting especially for a vampire story, which have just about been done to death in publishing. (Great villian too as well as the ghost of the villians Mother.)

Declan and Tori are the 1st in this series. Declan is an 'inherent werewolf' (read the book to find out what that means), and Tori is almost a vampire. (read the book to find out what that means), its just too darn complicated for a quick synopsis. (If you want to read sample chapters and a synopsis go to www.ellorascave.com to find a listing of Shiloh Walkers prodigious, wonderful stories complete with cover art and more.)

The 2nd story is the story of the powerful leader of the Vampires, Eli, and a vengeful witch, Sarel. Eli is introduced in the Declan and Tori tale,(you'll love him, all of them really). Shiloh Walker writes about Super-Alpha males and tough bold women.

What you need to know about this book: 1. Its an adult book, it contains all the elements many Romance readers look for and then add to their keepers shelf and its blazing, ass-scorching hot! (Made me fidget) ( : Elloras Caves stable of writers, write erotic romance...very erotic. (You can check out the rating system at the Elloras Cave web site stated previously.)

2. The plot will hold your interest...no doubt about it. Shiloh Walker is an expert world builder, she takes you places that don't exist and makes you believe in magic and love and anything else she wants you to believe for that matter.

3. If you are not interested in reading sexually explict material or have issues with naughty language don't bother with Shiloh Walker because her books sizzle with heat...all kinds.

4. Most of her titles are available only in e-book format...so you should grab this paperback,(which by the way Elloras Cave publishes a wonderfully bound trade paperback for all its titles in print) if you don't have e-book resources these well made books are a pleasure to own and read.

I'm a bookseller, and I never have used copies of Elloras Caves printed titles, I can't seem to keep this title in stock even new, and as I mentioned above Elloras Cave has done a great job with the quality of their printed titles. The art work on the covers, which is important to book people, is hit and miss with some of Elloras Cave titles, but not The Hunters, by Shiloh Walker. The cover is interesting and...well...hot.


Buy this book if you like it wild and hot and Bad to the Bone. You won't be sorry.

Blush for Pink Books

Shiloh Walker's Hunters: The Beginning contains the first two stories from her Hunters series. The first story Declan and Tori starts off her Hunters series. Tori is a detective who is bitten by a vampire while doing her job. Starving and not sure what is wrong with her she turns to Declan, a police detective, for help. Little does she realize that he is a werewolf.
The second story is Eli and Sarel. Eli is a powerful vampire and Sarel is the witch who is trying to kill him. Sarel believes that Eli killed her family so she's determined that he will pay. She almost accomplishes her goal before she realises that Eli is not the guilty party.
***Shiloh Walker is most certainly an author to watch. Her books are loaded with steamy, erotic love scenes. But unlike many authors who write romantica(erotic romance) the highly erotic nature of the book does not distract from the romance or the storyline of the book. However, readers who are not comfortable with books that have non-traditional love scenes will probably not like this book but those who are looking for a lushly sensual story will do well to give The Hunters a try, you won't be disappointed.*****

The Hunter world of magick and the paranormal is bursting with vivid images and emotion, and will surround you like a seductive spell.

The journey begins with Tori McAdams, a practical woman who never believed in vampires until she became one. Bitten by a vengeful vampire, she is left to die an agonizing death until a voice in her head guides her to survival. It also leads her to sexy Declan Reilly, a cop who's been trying to seduce her for months, only she doesn't get involved with cops. Now Declan is her lifeline to getting through the Change and dealing with the uneasy feelings and physical adjustments that both amaze and horrify her. Only some of the changes mystify Declan, a man with his own secrets, and he brings her to someone who might be able to help, a friend, a centuries-old vampire named Eli, to complete Tori's transition to her new existence. Eli has an aura all his own, as most vampires do, and it calls out to Tori. She is an exceptional creature, a Hunter, and able to resist the calls a lesser vampire is forced to answer. Only not all does she choose to resist. Shiloh creates a sexy love story of two bonded mates who truly belong to each other. You will be fascinated by the paranormal world she has created that blends blood, sex and magick with a generous amount of eroticism. The love scenes will leave you breathless and the bold sexuality of the lovers is unbelievably hot and intense - they will definitely make you squirm. Tori is a strong, passionate woman conflicted by her new life, but one who learns to come to terms with it so she can find happiness with her true mate. Declan fiercely loves his vampire and stands by her side as together they fight an evil determined to destroy them both. These characters will capture your heart before you even realize it's happening. *****

Eli is longing for Tori, the mate of his best friend Declan, and wants so desperately what they have found together. While he truly loves his dear friends, being with them is becoming unbearable, and he feels that an existence without his own love may not be worth continuing. But Eli has a calling, a need to save innocent souls that keeps him from giving up quite yet. While out on such a mission, he is being hunted by someone who hates everything he stands for. She is a powerful witch, and Sarel wants Eli dead, to suffer as her family has suffered. Only her wish for vengance doesn't go as she planned, and she discovers how wrong she's been about Eli all this time. As she learns to control her magick, the two are separated, but the distance of time and space is agony to them both. Once reunited, their intense desire for each other consumes them, but neither realizes that it is more than lust driving them to be together.

WOW!!!!! These are two very explosive stories that tie into each other in a rather unique and bold way. While very graphic and sexual in nature, the impact of these longer novellas would not be as potent without the strong emotional connection between the characters. Walker is a master at creating strong and lasting bonds that transcend the traditional romance, yet still manage to touch you with their poignancy. I am anxious to learn more about the Hunters and their brethren, and can't wait til the next story.

This book is the first of the hunters series and it is an awesome introduction to the world Shiloh Walker has created. Get ready to meet some extremely HOT, SEXY Vampires and Werewolfs!!!! If you enjoy reading about this type of Hero, you will not want to miss Hunters: The Beginning and I think you will quickly want to purchase the others of this series!!!! I can say I would love to find one of Shiloh's Vamps/Were's Hunting me!!!!*sigh*

I was so disappointed by this book. I thought I'd found another sexy paranormal series - well, I guess I did, just not one I'd bother reading. Don't get me wrong, I like a sexy read - I just expect there to be more to it, you know, like an interesting story, characters I care about and have interaction with each other apart from the physical.

To be honest, I couldn't even finish Declan & Tori - I put it down and only realised 4 days later that I not only hadn't bothered to finish it, but couldn't be bothered to either (normally, I am glued to a story from start to finish).

Of the three main characters - I really couldn't have cared what happened to them one way or the other. Definately not an engaging story.

I am stunned at all the high ratings, I feel like maybe we weren't reading the same book!

Where do I begin? The writing is so bad, but there's a lot of sex. The writer sure does not have a way with words, but there's a lot of sex. Where's the depth of relationship between Declan and Tori? There isn't any, but there's a lot of sex. For a second, in the beginning you think he cares about her, she steers clear because he's way too sexy for her. Finally they succumb and there's a lot of sex. "Suddenly" he's in love with her and she with him. Uh, what? When did this occur? OH, during the alot of sex. There are words like reamed, pummeled and rammed. Guess who's doing what to whom? This first book shouldn't even be allowed in the Paranormal Romance Genre. Plot, I need plot! Won't be going to book #2. Time to read Highlander for 4th time to to cleanse my mind from Declan and Tori. ;)

I am a new Shiloh Walker fan and wasn't sure whether or not I would like this book. I loved it. It is smoking hot and did not disappoint. I immediately went online to order the rest of the books in the series.

If you are a fan of the Lora Leigh breed series, and like vampires you will most definitely love these books too.

My advice, if you're not into hard core erotica you will not like these books. So don't say you weren't warned! For the rest of people out there like me, I'm pretty confident you'll like this book as much as I did.

This was my first book by Shiloh. Needless to say, I will be reading everything else she has written. If you like paranormal romance with a lot of sex and plenty of action, then this is the series for you. I loved Declan and Tori. I'm not going into detail since the other reviews have done that, but this is a book not to be missed. Jaid Black and Lora Leigh were mainly the only authors I read from EC, but now Shiloh will be added to that list. Good job.

I recently read (and loved!) Shiloh Walker's stand-alone paranormal romance novel, `The Missing'. I had been meaning to read a Shiloh Walker novel for some time, based on the solid recommendations of many fellow paranormal-romance lovers who highly recommend her work.

So I decided to give her long-running paranormal erotica series, `The Hunters' a read. This series is currently eleven books deep, and have recently been re-released to include two-stories-for-one.

I was really excited to delve in Walker's world, especially with the memory of `The Missing' fresh in my mind. Sadly, I found these books to be quick, throw-away reads with little substance but lots of smuttiness.

*** Declan and Tori ***

Tori is a private investigator on the hunt for a psychotic stalker. This guy is a real nut-job, believing himself to be a `vampire' and frightening his victim so much that she's also convinced of his fanged bloodthirstiness.

But it's too late for Tori when she learns the truth - vampires are real, supernaturals stalk the night and she has just been bitten . . . and is turning into a vampire.

She turns to the person she trusts most in the world - a local cop called Declan who she has been lusting after from their first meeting.

Declan can smell the change coming on Tori, because he is a werewolf. He can also smell that she is his mate, his to protect and save from the crazed vampire who is hell-bent on making her his master. Luckily, Declan is a werewolf and can offer a helping-hand with Tori's transition . . . while at the same time succumbing to their mating bond.

Walker's first book in `The Hunters' series feels like half a novel. Reader's are instantly on the back foot because Delcan and Tori have known (and worked) with each other for months already. Her as a PI, and he has her police informant. They have been fighting a burning attraction since their first meeting, or so we're told.

It's hard to play catch-up with this couple and really feel the attraction that Walker tells us is scorching between them. Honestly, it felt like Walker was rushing their romance so she could jump right into their bedroom sport (of which there is PLENTY).

I have no problems with a good bit of erotica. And paranormal-erotica is a particular favourite of mine . . . but even I need a bit more build-up and back-story before being thrown into such scorching sex scenes. It felt like Walker did a slight cheat by putting all of Declan and Tori's attraction down to months of pent-up sexual frustration and yearning.

Things get particularly heated and ménage when Declan takes Tori to a vampire master friend of his, to show her the ropes. Elijah Crawford feels an instant attraction to Tori . . . and the three of them engage in some more bedroom shenanigans.

Once again, instant attraction + lots of sex didn't really equal `hot' to me. It all felt rushed, and slightly dirtily-lascivious in the wake of Declan and Tori's bond (effectively a marriage). And I again felt like Walker copped-out by putting it down to (yet another) instant attraction between Eli and Tori. . .

Having said that, I was very intrigued by Eli. He is a very old, very lonely vampire - and while he enjoys his ménage with Declan and Tori, he also harbours a burning jealousy for what the two of them share. Knowing that Eli's novel was #2 in `The Hunters' series kept me going when I was experiencing some serious scepticism . . .

*** Eli And Sarel: ***

Elijah Crawford is a centuries-old vampire, but he's lonely and bored as hell. For years now he has watched his best friend reap the benefits of love with the women Eli also harbours an intense lust for. But what Declan and Tori have is not meant for Eli. And when a witch, hell-bent on misguided vengeance, sets out to kill him he almost welcomes the release of death-oblivion.

What he doesn't count on is an intense attraction to the witchy hellion, and what he is willing to do to keep her, forever.

I quite liked the character set-up for Eli in book #1. He's that lovely sort of tortured hero - ancient and lonely and on the brink of ending his mortality.

This series started to perk-up for me when Eli meets his mate in the most unusual of circumstances - with her hell-bent on murdering him.

But then Walker lost me again by skipping the novel ahead five years and (conveniently) saying that both Eli and Sarel had been pining for one another throughout those five years. . . urgh. Half a decade worth of wanting and lust and Walker just breezed over it and (once again) went straight to the sex.

I was really impressed with Shiloh Walker's stand-alone paranormal romance thriller `The Missing'. That was a novel of sweet yearning and complex characters, and I thought that Walker's first forays into paranormal romance would follow along similarly heatedly-multifaceted plot lines. Sadly, no. The first two novels in her `The Hunters' series are cheap tricks; full of smut but little else. Admittedly, the first five novels of the series were published by Ellora's Cave (notoriously smutty), while the last three books (with slightly naffier front-covers) are Berkley Sensation publications. It does look as though the series was improved over time . . . . but, honestly, I can't be bothered wading through books 3 - 7 to get to the good stuff.

Admittedly, Walker knows what she's doing when it comes to writing bedroom sport. Those scenes were gratuitously sexy (and if you want a bit of easy, sexy reading then I highly recommend) - but when there's no characterization or plot to back it up, the books deteriorate into cheap erotic thrills.

This book contains two stories from the awesome Hunters series by Shiloh Walker. It begins with Declan, a werewolf and Tori, a human who turns into more than your average vampire. Both characters complement each other and Ms. Walker lays the groundwork about paranormal shifters who protect the innocent and punish the bad guys.

The second story involves a Master Vampire named Eli and witch named Sarel. Each story continues to build and their world continues to expand with rich characters and multiple layers. It is so difficult to explain all and everything about their world without giving away the entire story. The sexual energy is very intense and graphic. This is not your average romance novel. However, each couple are clearly destined for each other provided they can overcome a "few" obstacles.

The ebooks are great but the print cover for this one is awesome. A definite keeper. Once you start reading this series, you will be hooked.