Review: Hunger (The Energy Vampires #2)

Hunger (The Energy Vampires #2)

by Jacquelyn Frank 

Blurb:

Two strangers—one warm and human, the other deadly and craving—become pawns in an all-out vampire war as this series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightwalkers saga heats up.

As an energy vampire, Halo enjoys the chase for human blood—if it’s pure and consensual. But Halo goes from hunter to hunted when he is knocked unconscious and taken hostage by vicious sycophants. As he comes to, he realizes that he’s naked, starving, and trapped in a sealed room. With him is a deliciously human female, tempting him to feed—except her blood is heady with the scent of poisonous drugs. Never has nourishment been so near, yet so far . . . and it’s all part of the sycophants’ sick game.

The last thing Felice Mendoza remembers is everything going black. She awakens stripped, drugged, exposed, and alone—with a vampire. Halo is at once savage and tender, terrifying and alluring. Felice senses that her only chance to escape depends upon his survival. Given the choice between Halo and his enemies, Felice surrenders to his ravenous hunger. It’s a calculated risk—and a delirious pleasure. As Felice is ushered into a world as dangerous as it is desirable, their fight for deliverance is only the beginning.

Themes: Paranormal

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 Well this story just goes to show you that there are sociopaths in every race and nation, and that sometimes the best chance you have to survive is to throw your lot in with the most unexpected of individuals. This new series about a special type of vampire, Energy Vampires, is a twist on the classic story that is the trademark of Jacquelyn Frank’s writing that I have always enjoyed.  Ms. Frank has had hits and misses for me in the past, but this series is really interesting and the magic of her writing is back in a big way.  Halo was a character we met in the previous novel, and I can honestly say that I wanted to kick his irreverent and seemingly useless butt most of the time in that one.  But Halo wakes up after another night of debauchery to find himself stripped to the skin and left locked in a room with only a television and camera to give him clues to his fate.   When he finds that the TV shows him a woman in just the same situation, his anger is immediately shot through the roof, even as his protective instincts kick in big time. Felice wakes in a situation she has no idea how to even understand, naked and trapped in a room she is overwhelmed when she hears Halo through the TV. Thrown together they fight to resist their attraction, even as they work together to try to escape their captors; but when he is forced to explain the truth of his nature, Felice’s acceptance of his people amazes Halo.  Once they are free, Felice throws her lot in with Halo and his people in order to find the assholes that kidnapped them in the first place. But the more they are together the harder it is for either of them to deny the emotions that they inspire in one another.  I loved seeing Halo step up and be the hero he should have always been, even if he did have his asshole moments here and there,  in the end he becomes the type of man I would be more than happy to feed for the rest of my life.  He was sweet at the most unexpected moments and truly came to care for Felice, even as he tried to push her away for her own good.  Felice was definitely the kind of woman that I loved getting to know.  While she was definitely not educated to the world she was thrown into, she takes everything in stride and works with Halo to earn their freedom instead of simply falling apart.  And when she is faced with the leaders of Halo’s race she refuses to back down and demands her due and the chance to prove her worth to their culture. As always with a Frank novel, the passion that these two feel is surprisingly strong and amazingly hot, leaving the reader needing a cold shower just to continue to read.   I loved this story and am looking forward to the rest of this series which will hopefully be coming soon.  Once again you have struck gold Jackie and I can’t wait for the rest of the stories in this series to hit my bookshelves. Keep up the magic.

*ebook provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.