The Hunger (The Companion Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Susan Squires (Author)
Key Phrases: second innocence, made vampire, orlop deck, John Staunton, Lady Lente, Mirso Monastery (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Squires's third Regency vampire romance (after Sacrament and The Companion) isn't just dark; it's grisly with graphic scenes of heads being ripped off and worse. Through it all, vampire and self-made countess Beatrice Lisse and British secret agent John Staunton prove their resilience, though they rarely have an earnest conversation. Instead, from their first encounter, they engage in a verbal battle of one-upmanship. Beatrice recognizes that John is more than the smooth seducer he appears to be, and he in turn realizes that she isn't a mere courtesan. But after exchanging a few barbs and a little poetry, the two are swept up in a dangerous plot spearheaded by a power-hungry vampire from Beatrice's past. Squires lays on the suspense in the final half, keeping readers guessing as to whether Beatrice and John will wind up together... with all their body parts intact. Though there's little time for the protagonists to develop a relationship, and the level of violence may turn off some readers, this tale of redemption and lust will hold true vampire aficionados—the kind who admire Dracula, not Spike—rapt.
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Review

"Susan Squires has a fascinating, unique voice; she is a rare talent."
--Christine Feehan

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312998546
• ISBN-13: 978-0312998547
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #348,423 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Companion Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Hunger, October 10, 2005

By	Amanda Killgore (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

John, the Earl of Langley, and Beatrix, a lovely courtesan are two lovers both with dark secrets that they dare not reveal to each other lest they be rejected. Beatrix is not human, and never has been. By the gift or curse of a being called the Companion in her blood, she has lived for centuries. She is a vampire, one of the few that is born into the life. For a relatively brief era, she lived a life of pure depravity, trailing along with her "sister", the made vampire, Asharti. When Bea came to her senses and turned her back on that life, she began a quest for redemption, and never let another person truly touch her heart until John. In comparison, his secret is less dark, but equally dangerous. As a spy for the British Empire, he lives on the edge, and is in constant peril, but never so much as now. Asharti has returned, and both his position as a spy and as Beatrix's lover put John at risk.

**** Ms. Squires always delivers a carefully crafted book that moves rapidly. Her use of flashbacks is deft and well done; the reader never has to stop and think whether they are in the future or past, it is always clear. The Hunger's conclusion is among the most exciting ones ever written in a romance novel, you will be holding your breath until the end. If you enjoy reading about a complex alternate world, then this is sure to be a joy. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore,Freelance Reviewer.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars second in the Regency vamp tales, October 19, 2005

By	Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Susan Squires has a new vampire trilogy going for St. Martins. The first, The Companion, was a knock out of a story that took you into sweeping locales and into the dark realm of the vampire. The second book in the series is out now, The Hunger, and she continues to the dark and oft gory vamp tales with all the power of the first.

In the late Regency era, Beatrix Lisse has spent years atoning for her sins - literally six hundred of them. She is a vampire. Still, even though the centuries pass there is one man who stays in her heart and mind, a man she loved ages ago. However, when she crosses paths with John Staunton, the Earl of Langley, she is moved by him. John is a rake of the highest order, a notorious rogue. Or so he wants people to believe. Beatrix surrenders to the passion provokes within her, but she holds tight to her secrets of being a vampire. When John abandons her, she learns he was also holding a secret close to his chest.

John is a spy for England, with a mission to find who is behind the sudden shift in power within the French government. John is drawn to Beatrix, seeing an innocence within her that pulls him, yet he knows he cannot keep her close or he would be risking her life. Soon he learns dark secrets about his love and that her centuries old rival, Asharti, is the one he seeks and she means to see both John and Beatrix destroyed. John and Beatrix must unite to defeat Asharti as the madness of the French horrors increases about them.

It's beautifully researched. Squires brings the period to life. Be warned this is a very dark tale, so people wanting kinder gentler vamps need to know going in this is a very violent tale at times. People familiar with Squires previous writings in Historicals and Vamps knows she won't pull punches. Also, the focus is not really the romance, but the story. It's a vivid, passionate tale which is sure to please her fans and those readers looking for a stronger vampire tale, in the flavour of Anne Rice.

Highly recommended for those wanting a dark, dark vamp tale that leaves you eager for book three in the series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History & Vampires, June 4, 2006

By	Andi B. "Andi Bee" (Florida) - See all my reviews

I always like it when I come across a book that I don't want to put down. This was one of them. Squires manages to put vampires in an interesting historical context. Yeah, there was a dark and emotionally (and physically) tortured vampire, but he kind of gets over himself. The heroine was idiosyncratic, smart, independent and interesting. I could have done with less graphic torture scenes, but still liked the book very much.