Hunted

3.5 Stars

Previously published as Under the Moon’s Shadow by T. L. Haddix, this works well as a stand alone. Warning: There is a small cliffhanger at the end which is picked up in Book 3 ... VANISHING POINT.

Beth Hudson, a newspaper reporter, is following what she believes are two unrelated stories. Local farmers are being visited by strange lights and sounds in the middle of the night. Ritualistic altars are found leading residents to wonder about devil worshiping in their midst.

There are also some mysterious disappearances that no one seems to have noticed. Those who have disappeared, are high risk, illegals, ladies who walk streets for a living, people with no family, no friends.

Beth must be getting close to something .. or someone. She has attracted a stalker. Her home has been vandalized, unwanted flowers delivered, her underwear which was stolen before is now being mailed back to her .. piece by piece.

Detective Ethan Moore and Beth have known each for years. Although they act more like oil and water, there is a strong attraction. Ethan will do anything to keep her safe.

The first half of the book is all about the crimes and the stalker. There are several suspects, but it was easy to pinpoint who was responsible for the stalking. The second half of the book is all about the romance. They both have issues and they're both working toward a future together.

There are some twists and turns along the way, and the cliff hangar is a small, but important one. The story premise is not unique, but it is well written. It's not terribly suspenseful, but the characters are likable for the most part.

Many thanks to the author / Streetlight Graphics Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Romantic Suspense. Opinions expressed here are unsolicited, unbiased, and entirely my own.

I enjoyed Hunted. I actually have read the earlier version of this book published by T.L. Haddix, which I also enjoyed. I do feel that this shorter version and rewrite actually made this a stronger book. I did not find this book suspenseful, mostly because I already knew who the bad guys were.

I did really like the main characters Beth and Ethan. I like Ethan quite a bit more in this book. (In the original version he was a pretty big jerk much of the time.) I found the book entertaining and well paced (even though I knew a lot of what would happen).

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance with an element of suspense or mystery.

I loved this book, but once I found out the author was T.L. Haddix there was no doubt that this book was going to be great. Beth is a news reporter on the trail of a surprising lead that puts her in the path of Ethan the police detective and man that she has found attractive for years. Beth uncovers something that rocks the core of the town and puts her in the way of unforeseen evil, Will past troubles impact the relationship that was possibly developing between them or will something else altogether interfere? Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and write a honest review.

A yo-yo of a read.

I'm not really sure what the author was trying to do with this one. I really enjoyed the first novel in the series, Homecoming, but with this one, I just felt like the author was playing with the reader like a yo-yo. One minute I was really captivated by the storyline, and the next, I just couldn't figure out where the story was heading. And so... the yo-yo effect, I was pulled in, and then pushed back out.

I'll start with the main characters of this novel, Beth and Ethan, while we are familiar with these characters from Homecoming, I honestly wasn't sure that I really cared for their story. I didn't quite connect with them the way I did with Lauren and Charlie. I can't say it was the chemistry so much as it was the characters themselves. Beth is portrayed as this spoiled, yet independent woman, yet somehow, it just doesn't work for me. Ethan, on the otherhand comes from a difficult background, he struggles with alcohol abuse, he seems to have a complex about his nationality and being accepted by others, yet, all the while he can maintain a career as a cop? It didn't quite jive for me. Because the characters were flawed in my eyes in terms of development, I didn't quite buy into the romance. I didn't love their love story. There was nothing about Ethan that made me swoon, so I couldn't see what it was that Beth would want in the man.

Now, while Ethan and Beth are discovering their new romance, there's also strange things happening within the town... reports of devil worshipping, and people have also gone missing. Are the two connected? Okay, so a couple of things here... I thought the devil worshipping and reports of ritualistic altars in cornfields was a somewhat bizarre and corny choice. I didn't really care for this and it didn't fit into the storyline well. But, I will say, with this novel compared to Homecoming, I was glad that the suspense was turned up a notch. Even if only for a bit we aren't aware of who is behind the "killings", we don't know who is stalking Beth. This made for a better read, at least at first.

BUT... all is revealed... and rather early in the novel. I thought... Okay... this is strange. Where is this going? There must be some other big finish ahead? Uhhh... nope! Instead we get several chapters of Beth and Ethan going through rehab. I wanted to understand where this was taking the story, but for the life of me I could not get into it. Surely it was meant to strengthen their characters and their love, but to be honest, by this point, I don't think I was connected to them, so it just didn't work.

Lastly, we get a very small glimpse of a cliffhanger... I guess you could call it that. An insight into what the next novel could pertain. Only it was rather convoluted and I can't say that I really even took anything away from it. Perhaps it was the fact that by this point I had already checked out of the novel. I'm not sure at this point if I want to continue with the third in the series, but at the same time I'm torn... I really did enjoy the first one in the series, and I didn't completely hate Hunted... it was just all over the place. I'm just afraid that they get worse as you go. Hmm... something to think about.

I want to thank NetGalley, Streetlight Graphics Publishing, and T.L. Haddix (aka Alex Collins) for allowing me the chance to read this novel in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed the first oart of the bik which deals with the crmes but then didnt enjoy the second part which is mainly about the romaamce of the two main characters, I think it is the second book so maybe would have done better teading the first one before!!!
Shame the first half did not carry on into the second half

Hunted by Alex Collins and tl haddix.
Beth hudson is a newspaper reporter. She finds herself tangled in a deadly web when she follows the leads on two seemingly unrelated storied. Detective ethan moore is on the case.
Can he and beth catch the dangerous stalker or will beth become his next victim?
Fantastic read. Loved the story and the characters. 5*.