Hunted by the Others

by Jess Haines

Book Overview

They are the Others-the vampires, mages, and werewolves once thought to exist only in our imaginations. Now they're stepping out of the shadows, and nothing in our world will ever be the same again…... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1420111876
• ISBN13: 9781420111873
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Zebra Books
• Length: 346 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.5" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Sucked

So boring it put me to sleep

Review from the book review blog, Book Faery

Where should I start? When I first heard of this series--months, and months, and months ago--I shrugged it off, thinking to myself "oh no... not another cop/investigator story!" I do not particularly enjoy these sorts of stories. In fact, if I discover that the heroine in the book is on the police force, I shy away from that text. (Don't ask me why, investigation stories of that nature simply bore me.) Then a month or two later, before the book was released, I read a snippet. Then I started hearing the reviews. Despite myself, I was intrigued, especially after reading some of the guest posts Jess has written. Imagine my delight when Jess approached me with an offer to review Hunted by the Others. Having the actual book in my clutches somehow managed to erase my initial trepidation. Now, imagine my pleasant surprise while reading through the text that I realize how un-police and investigator-like Shia (the main character) actually is. Here is a modern young woman who has fears, who is overworked, and who simply wants to earn enough money so as not to lose her business. She has no interest in meddling with immortal affairs. In fact, she makes it perfectly clear that if her company was not so pressed for money, she probably would have passed on the job offered during the initial stages of the novel. Alas, money is an actual problem, so Shia finds herself thrown none-too-nicely into the jaws of an extremely sexy and intimidating vampire: Royce. I guarantee you that most readers will probably fall for Royce. He is suave, dark, mysterious, and takes an initial interest in Shia... which means you will be reading more of him in this book and in later novels! But that is not it. Jess also introduces a geeky yet cute Magi, and an equally sexy alpha werewolf--who happens to be Shia's ex boyfriend--into the mix. What on earth is a girl supposed to do surrounded by all this testosterone? An interesting new concept Haines has introduced into her world are contracts. When an Other manages to convince the humans in their lives to sign off on one of these contracts, said human pretty much sells their entire life to the immortal in question. Now, one would imagine this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if one had a sexy werewolf of vampire for a boyfriend. Think of it this way: if you were dating said vamp or were, and if they became overly excited and ended up biting half your face and neck off while you two were doing the deed, you could sue them. However, if you signed off on the contract, stating that you were their property (which is how I pretty much imagined it as), you cannot sue. You are theirs. If they decide to turn you, and the transformation leaves you horribly deformed, tough buttons. Doesn't sound so great after all, huh? For me, this sort of contract, and the legalities behind it, really opened my eyes once again to the animalistic, predator-like qualities most immortals should have in paranormal books. Vampires aren'

Hunted By The Others

I found this book to be overall enjoyable and a very good, solid first book for what will (hopefully) be a rather lasting series. The protagonist, Shiarra, breaks the normal mold for urban fantasy females - if you just want an Anita Blake carbon copy, you won't like Shiarra as much as I did. I would recommend this book for anyone who is just getting into the genre as well as fans of Laurell K. Hamilton (mainly her earlier work - there is no smut in this book), Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris etc. The sense of humor required to totally get into all the dialogue is Joss Whedon-esque, and I've found that if you're not amused by things like that, you won't get as much out of this book as you could. Overall, this book could have been better but it creates a very good foundation to build a universe off of, and I am extremely excited for the next book. :)

White Hats vs. Others

Quick & Dirty: An enjoyable read with danger, tension and a fascinating paranormal world. Opening Sentence: Long, delicate fingers caressed the stem of a wineglass, trailing upward to catch a few small beads of condensation on the glass. The Review: Supernatural elements known as the Others have revealed themselves to the public. Our protagonist, Shiarra Waynest, is a private investigator struggling to make ends meet. Seeing no other alternatives, and against her better judgment, she decides to accept an assignment from a coven of mages known as The Circle. The Circle wants Shiarra to obtain an important artifact from Alec Royce. He's a very powerful vampire and runs a large portion of New York City. Royce is basically the supernatural King of New York. Naturally, things don't go as planned, and Shiarra finds herself facing dangers from all sides. Shiarra isn't the typical urban fantasy heroine. She has her share of flaws, and comes across as much more vulnerable, inadequate, and unsure of how to handle certain situations than the typical take charge/kick-butt action heroine. Shiarra isn't unrealistically competent or proficient in the field of investigative work. She really does capture the essence of what it's like being human and trying to navigate dark and deadly territories. Fear, prejudice and inexperience make her irrational at times. Shiarra is leery of supernatural creatures, and really doesn't want to get close with them. At times she was so caught up in her disdain and biases against the Others that she wasn't able to clearly access the situation. Ultimately, Shiarra leads readers on an amazing journey filled with danger and mayhem. Hunted by the Others isn't an overly dark and gritty story, but it's a solid urban fantasy. Ms. Haines delivers plenty of action and character development. A well-rounded supporting cast of characters help to give the story depth, and keep the story interesting enough to keep readers engaged. Sara plays the role of Shiarra's business partner and best friend. Chaz is Shiarra's ex-boyfriend with some supernatural secrets of his own. He plays a large part in getting Shiarra to deal with her fears and judgment about the Others. Arnold, who is a mage from The Circle, also helps Shiarra navigate the deadly elements plaguing this supernatural world. I know that there is something deeper going on with him, but I guess I will have to wait until the next installment to find out. Royce is definitely an intriguing character and I'm looking forward to learning more about him. I don't want to give too many details away, but I like what Ms. Haines does with the White Hats and the concept of legal arrangements between humans and the Others. Overall, this urban fantasy romp doesn't disappoint. Hunted by the Others is an absorbing and fast-paced tale. Ms. Haines does a fabulous job worldbuilding and her characterization is excellent. I loved being pulled into the supernatural world that Ms. H

entertaining urban fantasy

Following 9/11 the Others came out of hiding to help the city. Several years since the werewolves, vampires, and magi surface, Shiarra Waynest and Sara Halloway run a private investigative firm that avoids the Others as clients; preferring cases with purebred humans. However, they have a financial crisis as business has been poor so the two female sleuths accept Veronica and her coven as a client. The mage wants them to obtain an artifact that allegedly can control the Others; it is in the possession of vampiric club owner Alec Royce. One of his agents reports Shiarra's plan to Royce; he in turn places her in a precarious situation with her agreeing to a lethal contract. This is an entertaining urban fantasy starring a strong support cast and a feisty female who needs to find another vocation as her sleuthing skills seem lacking. The Others seem genuine especially in how they relate (or not) with the two private detectives as Shiarra's friend Arnold the Mage, her former boyfriend, Chaz the werewolf and Alec the vampire make for an exciting tale. Harriet Klausner

A paranormal world that sucks you in, characters you actually care about, romantic tension that trul

Review courtesy of [...] HUNTED BY THE OTHERS reminded me why I fell in love with the urban fantasy genre in the first place. Shiarra Waynest is about to lose her P.I business because she can't pay her bills. Rather then be seen as a failure in the eyes of her family, she accepts a case from a client who's willing to pay big. The only problem is that the client is a Mage and the job involves getting close enough to steal from Alex Royce, the most powerful Vampire in New York. Working for the Others (e.g. Vampires, Weres, Mages, Elves etc.) isn't exactly high on Shia's to do list. In fact it ranks just above getting back together with her lying Were ex-boyfriend. But she really needs the money. Soon, Shia finds herself shopping at The Circle's armory and outfitted by the White Hats underground anti-Other store as she prepares for a showdown with something worse than the Vampires and Weres put together--the person who's controlling them. Fans of Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series and Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series will love the world building in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS. Immediately following the attacks on 9/11, the Others seized the opportunity to reveal their existence to the world. Weres were among those rescuing people at ground zero, and Mages provided significant financial aid to prevent economic collapse in the days that followed. These efforts greatly helped ease public acceptance of the Others, but fear and hatred resulted in forming groups like the White Hats who's sole purpose was to eradicate the Others from the face of the earth. While the fanatics formed several hate groups, the more sane yet cautious members of society sought out political means of protecting themselves: laws. One of the more interesting legal arrangements allows humans to contractually sign their lives away to Others (the Others have lawyers too). These forms have to be signed prior to any kind of intimate (pleasant or otherwise) contact between humans and Others. These legal arrangements make for some very interesting and terrifying (depending on your perspective) scenes in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS. Shiarra isn't a White Hat nor is she exactly ready to cozy up with the Others (at least not knowingly). She's just a normal person who unwillingly gets caught up in a power struggle between the Others. She exhibits real fear in the face of danger, but she never lets that fear paralyze her. She forces herself to be brave (along with some encouragement and a healthy dose of magic from a possessed Vampire Hunter's belt, that is) when those she cares about are in danger. And speaking of danger, Alex Royce is seductive and scary (which according to a recent Throwdown makes him the best kind of Vampire). Half the time he is stalking Shia I don't think even he knew if he wanted to eat her or sleep with her. So, yeah, plenty of romantic tension here. I can't wait to see where that relationship goes in the next book. HUNTED BY THE OTHERS is everything you want in an ur