The Huntress [Paperback]

Michelle O'Leary (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

The Hunter:

Traumatized at a young age by the violent death of her parents, Mea Brin becomes a Hunter, part of an elite policing force of the Planetary Coalition. She is the best of the best, ruthless and predatory on a hunt and driven by the memory of violence. But then she meets Seth Terrik, an escaped convict, and Regan Freya, a child recently orphaned. The pair make an impression on Mea that she can’t ignore—she feels a deep empathy for the girl and in Terrik she sees reflections of herself. Her choices seem limited—duty demands that she capture the escapee and turn the child over to the proper authorities. But Mea is not one to allow duty to define her. She creates a new choice.

The Convict:

Seth Terrik has spent more than half of his life in prison. All that he knows or cares about is survival and the fight for freedom until a trusting girl becomes his responsibility and a seductive Hunter offers him what looks like a second chance at life. The simple rules of his existence become much more complicated as he is forced to redefine the concepts of survival and freedom. What does a hardened criminal like him know of trust or love? Is he even capable of stepping beyond instinct and into human emotion?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fans of the Sci-Fi genre will absolutely love this fantastic tale -- Love Romances

If you don't buy another book this month, don't miss THE HUNTRESS. -- Timeless Tales

It's a rip roaring good adventure/romance novel to be savored. -- WEN Online

Terrific sci-fi! Very highly recommended -- Cindy Penn, Midwest Book Review

This is a very enjoyable, fast-paced, and exciting read, in a style that promises even better for the future. -- The Word On Romance

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

"What a shithole," Mea muttered under her breath, looking around the bar in disgust. She'd seen worse, but not by much. Half of the place had fallen into rubble and the other half wasn't far behind. Someone had thought to brace the ceiling with large metal beams, but that didn't lend much ambiance to the place. The lighting was dim at best and most of it was concentrated over the bar, leaving the rest in sullen shadow. Mea thought that was a blessing--she'd rather not know what was in the corners, cracks, and crevices, let alone what she was standing on at that moment.

Outside of the bar, the rest of the moonbase was not in any better shape. The atmosphere dome was so dingy, the stars couldn't be seen through it, and the settlement within it was little more than a ghetto. Hunting in this little piece of space was like wading through garbage.

"Best place to find shit." Warren's voice sounded tiny, but cheerful over the transceiver in her ear. She hummed in agreement as one man staggered from the bar to vomit on one of the steel beams, then meandered back to his seat. No one moved to clean it up--no one even noticed. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as the smell drifted over, but it was just the freshest of the variety of putrid odors in the place.

"Charming," she sighed and shook an arm out of her cloak, tapping the tracer on her wrist. It lit up like a nova when she turned it to the bar. "Target acquired," she murmured tonelessly.

"Acknowledged."

Having come in the back door following the man's genetic trace, she had yet to be noticed by the patrons. A few stragglers were dispersed in the rubble and a couple of people were in booths, but most were huddled at the bar. She made a quick headcount and moved like a living shadow to stand next to a beam in the cover of darkness. There were about twenty men hunched desperately over their alcohol and her target was dead center. As she considered how best to extract her target from the group, the front entrance slid open.

She looked--and then did a double take. At first glance, the man who stepped into the bar wasn't out of place. Hair buzzed almost to the skin like most spacers and face pale from lack of UV, he was of average height and well muscled, but he was wearing shaded goggles. This particular outpost was on the darkside of a moon and lighting in the dome of the outpost was dim at best. There was no reason for shades. Plus, his muscles moved over his bones with a powerful menace that kept her eyes trained on him, hunter's instincts tingling...

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: D L S I J Pr (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192897385X
• ISBN-13: 978-1928973850
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,604,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michelle O'Leary is a scifi romance author published through DLSIJ Press and Amazon Kindle. Her titles include The Huntress, Angels and Ministers of Grace, Sunscapes Trilogy Book 1: Last Chance, Stepping Stones, and several short stories. More about Michelle can be found at her website, Fertile Ground, but the important facts are as follows: Michelle is a mother first, a dedicated chocoholic, a contented Michigander, and a delirious word lover. She enjoys all feedback and is always happy to hear from readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very well done and enjoyable!, October 23, 2003

By 

m parsons (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Huntress (Paperback)

.
In a sordid bar on the wrong side of a moon, Huntress Mea Brin comes face-to-face with her most dangerous prey ever: an innocent child in the hands of escaped convict Seth Terrik - or in her eyes just another delectable challenge against which she must pit her talents as both woman and warrior.

An intriguing story with likable characters and a believable plot, "The Huntress" was one of those books that I found I wanted to keep reading once I began and almost felt a sense of loss when done.

The characters were identifiable as individuals and the descriptions of the locations, equipment, and personalities were enough to set the scene while still leaving room for a reader's imagination to roam.

O'Leary put forth an honest effort with "The Huntress" and proved herself very competent in creating a wide range of emotions and tension without becoming overly descriptive or narrative. The inner struggle of Seth is particularly well executed.

The manuscript was solid, except for an occasional awkward shift in point of view where a new paragraph would've helped. As for editing and formatting, there were a couple items that (I felt) should have been capitalized - and the application of "you're" and "your" desires some attention along with a very small number of hanging quotation marks and typos.

But I have to add that since the story itself is so well done and enjoyable, none of this should disturb the reader to any great extent and I fully extend my congratulations to Miss O'Leary for creating an absolutely wonderful tale.

Very Well Done!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love this genre!, March 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Huntress (Paperback)

I love this futuristic/sci-fi romance genre! This was a great plot, and Mea and Seth are great characters. Mea is The Huntress (sort of like a bounty hunter in outer space), and Seth is the hunted (an escaped convict). I would have given it 5 stars if the author had done a little bit more with the plot. It could have been developed so much more and even had a sequel.
I felt like the author only skimmed the surface.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Huntress, September 28, 2003

By 

"sjarthur2" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Huntress (Paperback)

THE HUNTRESS is a mix of science fiction and romance, a cross genre work that will leave fans of both genres crying for more. The story is centered on the bounty hunter Mea Brin, a strong, decisive woman who sees what she wants and goes after it. And what she wants is Seth Terrik. Terrik is an escaped prisoner whose entire life has revolved around survival, until he meets a little girl who inexplicably trusts him with her life, and a Hunter who entices him like no woman he's ever met before. Expecting to be hunted by this fierce beauty, he is surprised and suspicious when Mea offers him a second chance at life.

Though the fiery romance between Mea and Seth is compelling, there is another love story within this book. Regan is an orphan with no family who sees in Terrik and the Huntress a haven of love and protection. With the simple trust and unabashed love that only a child can express, she binds them to her with bonds unbreakable.

The plot isn't terribly complex, but the real magnetism of this book is in the characters and how they evolve throughout the story. Mea Brin was traumatized by the horrible deaths of her parents, an act which prompts her to become a Hunter. But Regan's dependence and trust bring her to terms with the wounded child she had been, while her rocky relationship with Terrik reveals a different kind of vulnerability. We first see Regan as a frightened and subdued child, but under the love and support of her two heroes, she blossoms into a determined and confident person. Terrik has never experienced love, so the overtures from these two females create quite a dilemma for this hardened, skeptical hero, and his road to redemption and acceptance is a rough one.

THE HUNTRESS is a fast-paced, action-packed adventure, well worth the effort for any reader of either sci-fi or romance. But I warn you - it's hard to put down once you pick it up!