Book Review of Hunter Betrayed by Nancy Corrigan

Tainted from birth, Harley lives a life cloaked in darkness and temptation. She resists the lure of her evil legacy by holding the memory of her ghostly savior close. Every night without him is agony. She fantasizes about him and yearns for his body, but he’s not the protector or lover she’s envisioned. He’s a Hunter bred to eliminate her kind. He’s also her only hope of salvation.
Calan, the leader of the Wild Hunt, was created to protect mankind from the Unseelie Court. For a millennium, he’s sacrificed to ensure the horrid creatures remain in the Underworld, but his strength wanes. He must rely on his enemy’s daughter to save him, but he doesn’t expect the intensity of their lust or love. Her touch calms his wild nature and ignites his carnal desires. He’ll risk all to save her, but doing so forces him to make the ultimate sacrifice, one that’ll damn him to suffer forever in his own living hell.

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With this first book in her Wild Hunt series Ms. Corrigan has crafted a sensual and action-packed read with an intriguing mythos of good and evil.  In this world it's the Huntsmen, the Devil's offspring, who protect humanity from bloodthirsty fairies.  It's an exhilarating ride full of erotic encounters and unexpected heroes where all is not as it seems.  When these two worlds collide in the name of love great sacrifices will have to be made before the Huntsmen are driven insane and the barrier falls destroying all humanity.

Long ago the Huntsmen shouldered the unrelenting pain of a curse created by Daum, a powerful fairy, in order to save humanity.  Since then they're slowly going insane from the pain with their only hope of survival in the hands of a remaining fairy struggling against the darkness eating at her.  Harley was a very sheltered child, kept hidden from the world by a mother who was cold to her.  The only person to love and protect her is her human brother Ian who has tried to keep her safe since she went on the run the night the rest of their family was slaughtered.  Other than Ian, Harley has been a loner since that night with her only comfort coming from the memory of a sensual man who came to her the night she ran begging for her help and telling her how to survive.  It's been many years, with many people killed who she befriended, but she's finally back and in saving her mystery man her life will never be the same.  Calan is his name and he gives his love and support to help her fight the evil coursing through her.  She's immediately drawn to him and only in his presence does she feel safe and in control.  Their relationship quickly evolves in numerous hot and heavy interludes and both ultimately make the most heartbreaking decisions to save humanity and those they love.  Early on Harley appeared bratty but life on the run hardened her in some ways but she still refused to give in to her dark side.  Being with Calan saw a weight lifted off her and though sharing her feelings wasn't easy for her, especially with a crazed and obsessed fairy constantly wanting to claim her and killing those close to her, she made the effort for the strong and sturdy Calan.

Calan is the leader of the Huntsmen and feels guilty for what befell his siblings.  He's tried to carry most of their pain and the hope he placed in Harley is the only thing that's kept him going.  When she finally comes to him he's immediately drawn to her.  He's honest in what he wants from her but isn't shy in unleashing a sexual onslaught as he wants her for his mate not only to save her but because he's come to love her for her strength and caring nature.  He's a bit Alpha in his dealings with her but explains the reasoning behind everything he does so she feels a part of the action.  Calan is an honorable man who's also struggling to keep his darkness at bay, which is common for his kind, and needs Harley to keep him for giving into his rage too.  There's a romantic and sensual give and take between them that makes for a powerful pairing.  Seeing this made their sacrifices late in the story especially heartbreaking and showed the true power of love.

Along with these two larger than life main characters comes a slew of memorable secondary characters that helped propel the action and set up storylines for the future.  Along with Calan we got a glimpse of his brother Rhys with his tell it like it is nature and his sister Tegan who's been unlucky in love in the past but who's new love is now closer than ever.  Harley's devoted and noble brother Ian goes through big changes throughout this story in his battle against evil alongside Calan.  Ian's been having dreams of a woman in unrelenting pain who he's inexplicably drawn to and whose identity is hinted at if you put the clues together.  Ian's friend Trevor also has a part in this fight and though he seems a bit of a horndog he's good in a fight and seems willing to take the plunge fully into the dark and dangerous world of the Huntsmen.  The action scenes and romance are nicely balanced in this story with each being vividly detailed.  The story had a fast pace to it and had a good flow that kept me on the edge of my seat.  The look we get of the Devil turns preconceived notions upside down as he's actually a kind-hearted father and makes this story even more original.  Once the final page was turned this story was a delightful and exhilarating start to an exciting new paranormal series and I look forward to the next battle and the sacrifices yet to come!

My rating for this is an A+

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.