Book Description:
Book Two in
the Beautiful Monster series.
It takes one
Beautiful Monster to hunt down another. Alina, the best of the trained
assassins is called to duty to find and kill the rampaging Boris.
Excerpt:
If her heart
hadn’t stopped beating over two hundred years ago, Alina would have felt
something akin to love for this place. It was the most famous city in the
world—New York, New York! Though she did prefer her native Romania, and the
rest of Europe to trounce around in, this city was perfect for her and ZoZo.
The impish girl was an eye catcher for
sure, with her wild red locks and crooked legs, but in Manhattan, the two of
them walked down Fifth Avenue hardly drawing a glance. Alina wondered why she
hadn’t visited before.
As they made
their way past the gated and locked stores, she was pleased to see there were
still people milling about on the streets so late into the night. Her nostrils
flared as she passed a gaggle of young
women, all spiky heeled and short skirted, despite the late fall chill. She
turned to watch as they passed, cocking her head to enjoy the pattering of
their heartbeats, a growl escaping her. A
tug at Alina’s sleeve made her look down.
ZoZo stared
up at her caretaker, shook her head, and whispered, “Nooooo.” Her eyes were
large and filled with warning.
Alina smiled
warmly. “Of course not, child. Don’t I always behave myself?”
ZoZo’s
expression brightened, and she returned
the smile revealing a mouth of crowded teeth. The girl reached for Alina’s
long, slender hand and took it.
They walked
for hours, Alina slowing her pace to ZoZo’s. The girl’s legs were short and
uneven, giving her the waddle of a penguin. When she complained, Alina picked
her up and cradled her charge in her arms, ZoZo’s large head rested on Alina’s
shoulder. But as they neared their destination, a hotel in Chelsea, she
insisted Zo walk the rest of the way. Soon the child could get some sleep, and she could plan.
Once in
their tiny hotel room, ZoZo sat on the end of her bed. “Where?” she said, her
voice gravely, too deep and unnatural for
a child.
Alina knew
what the imp was referring to and tapped the side of her neck. ZoZo promptly
tilted her head to allow Alina access. With fangs at the ready, she expertly
sunk into the girl’s jugular. Once sated,
Alina pulled away and ZoZo, now exhausted, barely made it to the head of the
bed and the waiting pillow before falling asleep.
Alina
removed Zo’s tiny pink running shoes and pulled the sheets over the child’s
crooked body. She kissed her on the forehead before taking a seat at a small
desk beside the girl’s bed. On it was a newspaper and above the fold, a
headline—Vampire-Style Serial Killings. Fifty-One Dead.
She didn’t need
to read the article. She knew more than the reporters did; more than the cops
even. However, Alina did look at the pictures all lined up, row after row. The
victims were men, women and yes, even children. A grainy photo of a “person of
interest” stared back at her. Her eyesight was better than even the keenest
bird of prey. She knew that face and that long slender body, but couldn’t
believe Alexei Baranovsky was capable of such viciousness. Was he a bastard,
yes! Had he used her, played her, fooled her, yes! But she knew him well. That
was why she’d been sent by Those on High to stop him.
Bio:
Jeanne Bannon has worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years, first as a freelance journalist, then as an in-house editor for LexisNexis Canada. She currently works as a freelance editor and writer.
When not reading or writing, Jeanne enjoys spending time with her daughters, Nina and Sara and her husband, David. She’s also the proud mother of two fur babies, a cuddly and affectionate Boston Terrier named Lila and Spencer, a rambunctious tabby, who can be a very bad boy.
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MY REVIEW:
Having read and loved the first Beautiful Monster book, I was excited to read book two. Still painfully short, but with much more action, The Hunt takes the reader on a wild and dangerous ride through the streets of New York City. Dark, beautiful, and well-plotted, Ms. Bannon did not fail to disappoint.
I like the idea of vampire hunting vampire, instead of it being vamp vs mortal. Alina is a strong female character without having to be overstated or sexualized. From the beginning of her introduction, I liked her. Other female leads can overdo it in the author's haste to be "strong", but Alina is what she is, nothing need be said about it. I really liked that.
All in all, this was a fantastic follow-up. If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend you do so!
5/5--excellent!
