A Review of Hunters by Stefanie J Pristavu

Hunters by Stefanie J. Pristavu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally: a vampire romance novel that doesn't make me nauseous! To be fair, the main characters in Stefanie J. Pristavu's debut novel are not fully vampires, but they're not fully human either. They're Hunters, a human/vampire hybrid, a separate species really. A Hunter's sole purpose in life is to wipe out vampires, rather like Blade. That alone makes them quite intriguing, but its their story that kept me turning the pages.

Daniel Paxton was born a Hunter, but knows little of his past or his heritage. The only thing he's been taught are bits and pieces from his late mentor, Max. Before the actual events of the book begin, we learn that Daniel saved (then human) Rachel Guiliani from a vampire attack by making her into a Hunter. So, now the two of them work together to kill as many vampires as they can. And they're really good at their job. Unfortunately for Daniel and Rachel, the two of them aren't aware of everything there is to know about being Hunters, and this weakness results in an epic battle to stay alive.

The book begins with Daniel and Rachel both attached to other people. Daniel is engaged to the very beautiful and human Cheryl, while Rachel's dating Chris, a human who's leery of Rachel's new identity. The two American couples are taking a nice vacation in historic Romania, until things take a horrific turn.

Without spoiling anything, both Daniel and Rachel lose their love interests. The resulting journey to seek vengeance on Vlad, the leader of the vampires, leads them to fall in love with one another. Their romance is stormy and passionate enough without being graphic to keep romance lovers rooting for them.

Of course, Ms. Pristavu couldn't just put them together and leave them be. She also had to put them in the middle of a war between the Hunters and vampires of Romania. So, when you're not smiling over their lovers' antics, you're smacking the table, wondering who the real enemy is. The story is chock full of wit, humor, action, passion, mystery, and fantastical things that I just love! It's a brilliant start for a new author's career, and I can't wait to see what Stefanie will deliver to us next.

This book is geared toward a YA market, but I'd recommend it to any paranormal romance lover. Go grab your copy today!

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