I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the HUNTERLORE by Dana Claire Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Author: Dana Claire
Pub. Date: September 24, 2024
Publisher: CamCat Books
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 299
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/HUNTERLORE-Claire
Silver bullets aren’t enough to protect your heart.
For Liam Hunter, monster hunting is a way of life—a family tradition passed down for generations. But when campers are murdered in the woods, their hearts ripped from their chests, Liam finds himself facing his most terrifying adversary yet—his own mother turned monster. Her pack of werewolves will test Liam’s limits, and his connection with the girl who still has too large a claim on his heart.
Olivia Davis is determined to uncover her own place in Hunterland and hone her newfound abilities. But when Olivia has a terrifying vision, she’s faced with a much larger uncertainty: her feelings for the boy she let slip through her fingers.
Together, Olivia and Liam must survive the deadly game of cat and mouse, or else risk becoming victims in a world where the monsters are the hunters. The clock is ticking. The game is on. And the price of failure may be their humanity.
For readers who enjoy The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith, The Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, The Luminaries by Susan Denard, and the Teen Wolf and Supernatural TV series.
Hunterlore Review:
The Hunter and Davis families are thrown right back into another monster hunter case, and this time it's personal. Veronica Hunter, believed to be dead, has resurfaced as the Alpha of a werewolf pack. And it seems that there has been increased werewolf behavior around Falkview Falls. While Pepper and Olivia hone their new skills as hunters, Liam and his dad are on a hunt for the woman who was once their mother and wife.
Hunterlore jumps right into the action in book two of the Hunterland series. This time, the mission stays more focused as the Hunter and Davis teams are focused on a pack of werewolves and finding Veronica Hunter. I enjoyed the addition of the hunter twins, Jazzy and Nicki, and their abilities. Their presence added a layer of friction between Olivia and Liam as well. Told through alternating points of view between Liam and Olivia, their relationship woes take up some of the focus. I was happy to see Olivia work on honing her powers more in this book. I also enjoyed the one chapter from Pepper's point of view, I think she is very interesting, and I wish there were more chapters dedicated to her! I don't know how all these hunters with special abilities didn't put the clues together about the werewolves in their midsts; however, I loved Veronica's character and hope to see more of her. Hunterlore also begins to give some information about the creation of the Hunterlands as well as a change in mindset that the monsters they are hunting may not be the monsters at all.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Hunterland Review:
The Hunter family members have unique abilities that allow them to see and hunt monsters. They are part of the Hunterland network, trained agents sent to protect people and kill monsters. Liam and Jacqueline along with their dad, Jack, have been sent to Falkview Falls, Wisconsin on their latest assignment, a string a apparent suicides among high school nurses. Upon entering the Falkview Falls High School to see the latest death, Liam immediately clashes with Olivia Davis, the local sheriff's daughter. The Hunter's don't have any good leads for the string of suicides, but as soon as they get to the sheriff's house, they begin to see signs of the supernatural. Younger daughter, Pepper has been hiding her ability to talk to the dead and Olivia has premonitions. Bringing the Davis family into the Hunter fold, they solve the strange string of nurse suicides as well as get involved in a strange vampire incident that is somehow connected to the Hunter's dead mother.
Hunterland is a fun young adult supernatural mystery. Told through Liam and Olivia's alternating points of view, there is a younger focus as well as an emphasis on their budding romance. The mystery of the high school nurses was intriguing, although I figured out the connection pretty early on. I enjoyed learning about the Hunterland network and some of their history, especially how it has affected Liam and Jac's lives. The writing is very fast paced as the Hunter's integrate the Davis family and try to stop the killings while trying to figure out Pepper and Olivia's new skills. I do wish the book focused on just the one case instead of pulling in the vampire and werewolf storylines as well, there was a lot happening at once. Olivia and Liam's romance fit into the story, but Liam's character was a little too intense with the constant flirting and innuendo. With one case solved, but several more up in the air, the Hunter and Davis families have monsters to hunt and family connections on the line for book two.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Excerpt:
OLIVIA
I shifted my weight on the hard wooden bench we’d pushed against the wall, along with the rest of the furniture, to give Liam and Nikki space to spar in the center of the room. The basement had been meticulously transformed from a storage area into a small gym and studio apartment that played home to our Hunterland learning center, for all things monster related.
“Whoa!†My little sister Pepper covered her mouth, bouncing on the edge of the seat beside me as Liam ducked Nikki’s wild punch. Nikki staggered when her fist met air instead of bone but smirked anyway.
Our simple, small-town Wisconsin lives had changed a few months ago when Liam Hunter, his sister, Jacqueline, and their father, Jack Hunter, showed up to investigate a string of suspicious suicides in my high school. Well, there was also that bit about a vampire nest and my mother turning into a vengeful spirit. That had thrown us for an even bigger loop.
While the Hunter family helped sort it all out, Liam discovered my sister and I had some magical abilities of our own, and Pepper and I had been fast-tracked to join them as hunters of things that go bump in the night.
Which brought us here. Doc, Hunterland’s appointed leader and our current instructor, thought watching Liam and Nikki fight would make a good introduction to training. But each punch made me wonder if I’d withstand even a few seconds of a battle with either of them, despite my newfound healer abilities. All three of us were seniors in high school, but they felt years older than me, and watching them bob and weave only added to that experience gap.
Liam ducked again, and Nikki snarled as she regained her footing. Even when she missed, she did it with sex appeal, whereas I’d likely resemble a newborn baby deer discovering its legs. Nikki’s body language shifted from slinky feline to prowling lioness, and I saw the monster hunter within, brimming with the ferocity I knew I needed to find for myself if I planned to survive this new life I’d stumbled into.
“Wow, look at them go.†Pepper elbowed me in the side. “They look good out there.â€
Or they looked like two ex-lovers trying to show each other up, which for all intents and purposes they were. And of course, right after the twins showed up, Liam started to pull away. Instead of the budding romance I had thought we had started last month, now we felt like strangers passing each other in the halls of our shared living quarters. I asked for time to get to know each other, start with a friendship, with the assumption we’d end up being more. But his response was silence and distance. My ego was too fragile to actually ask what in the hell changed. So here we were, acting as if nothing had happened and the last several months between us meant diddly-squat.
My stomach clenched as Nikki flipped her perfect, lithe body on the exercise mats. Liam wasn’t mine, and probably never would be at this point, but seeing the kind of girl he’d chosen in the past made me want to crawl into an oversized set of sweats and eat ice cream until I puked.
Nikki kicked Liam in the ribs and muttered something that sounded like “Sorry, love†in her annoyingly sexy British accent.
Pepper snorted. Her blue hair flopped over one eye as she leaned in. “That’s gotta hurt.â€
I squirmed, unsure if she meant Nikki’s powerful blow to Liam’s kidney or the powerhouse-couple image the pair projected. As Pepper liked to point out every time I made doe eyes in the presence of our lead hunter, I’d been the one to push Liam into the friend zone first, so I had no cause to turn around and throw a jealous fit now that his old girlfriend had shown up.
Still, only a month ago . . . he’d been right there, sleeping next to me every other night, the two of us healing wounds we didn’t want to talk about with anyone else after we’d both lost our mothers in the worst possible ways. But maybe that was why I’d feared letting him in as more than an ally, someone who understood my odd abilities and who related to family trauma caused by the supernatural. If I’d let that relationship continue without a friendship first, I’d have risked Liam’s nomadic, closed-off lifestyle tearing us in two.
The air, already cloyed with sweat, thickened with the heavy scent of melted butter as Jazzy, Nikki’s equally beautiful but less obnoxious twin, plopped next to Pepper on the black painted bench. Her slender fingers were wrapped around a large, red bowl filled with freshly popped popcorn. She motioned for us to help ourselves to the snack.
Pepper dove right into the buttery bowl. Jazzy smiled with bubble-gum pink lips, exposing her bright teeth. She bobbed her chin in the direction of Liam and Nikki. “This is when the two of them are actually fun to be around. Hold on to your knickers, it’s about to get very entertaining. Nikki always says a good spar is just as satisfying as sex.â€
I groaned loudly, and Liam looked up at the sound. Nikki took advantage, landing a quick jab to his chiseled jaw. His blue eyes sliced into me as if it were my fault she’d clipped him. Grimacing, he rounded back on her.
Her lips curled into an impish grin, and she threw her perfect curls over her shoulder. “I’m going easy on you, mate. It’s been so long since you’ve teamed up with real hunters, you seem a tad rusty.†She purred—yes, purred—the last few words.
Ugh, what is she even doing here?
Of course, I knew the answer. Her and Jazzy’s uncle, Doc—our current houseguest—had asked for their help in training my sister and me. But why couldn’t Doc do it himself? I’d thought hunters worked in smaller packs—the lonesome road of a supernatural assassin traveling on society’s knife edge. Why had so many congregated in my house? The vampire nest and vengeful spirits that had started this mess were gone.
I didn’t have those answers yet. But I couldn’t help but feel that with nothing to fight, the Hunterland gang were restless predators—and as a newbie, I was still prey.
Liam sidestepped to the right, evading a roundhouse kick so high, I wondered if Nikki could take flight. Her uncle, who was basically a supercomputer database of monster-hunting knowledge and lore, had mentioned she possessed a supernatural ability. Whatever it was, it probably trumped my power of premonition and status as resident healer. Just one more thing she had that I didn’t.
Including Liam Hunter’s attention.
Okay, yeah, pity party for one here. I didn’t say I was above sulking, did I?
“Are you sure you’re taking it easy on me?†Sarcasm soaked Liam’s words. “From the way you’re panting, I’d guess you’re either in heat or out of shape.â€
Liam’s dig didn’t faze Nikki’s performance. Her leg kicked out and swiped Liam’s, sending him to the ground. She drove her fist toward his gut, but Liam rolled and scissored a leg around her neck, pinning her. Within seconds she tapped out, and not a moment too soon. My throat had dried, and my angst was elevated to gag-reflex level.
Liam extended his hand, and Nikki accepted, rising with his assistance. His full lips were drawn upward. He rarely allowed peeks behind his hardened badass exterior, but when he did, that smile was so beautiful, it landed a gut punch to the heart.
I stood to excuse myself and end the torment, but the thunder of barreling boots on the stairs made me pause.
“Liam.†Doc appeared, his wide-eyed gaze landing on each of us as he descended, fixing upon Liam last. He adjusted the maroon turban that matched his sweater. “There you are. You’re needed. We have a situation.â€
My eyes trailed above him to my father, who followed. He stood dressed in full police uniform—odd considering this was his day off.
“What’s going on?†My gaze darted back and forth between Doc and my father.
Dad’s tired eyes found mine beneath lowered lashes. “We have a murder case. A Hunterland murder case.â€
About Dana Claire:
Dana Claire is an award-winning author whose stories explore identity, fate, and destiny in the crossroads of romance and adventure. But her writing career didn’t begin when she published her first book, The Connection, in 2020. It started as a young girl when her mother, an elementary school teacher, inspired her to create imaginary worlds between the pages.
Dana’s love of romantic tension, the supernatural, and non-stop action has elicited positive feedback from many readers, as their online reviews reveal her flair for spine-tingling action and unforgettable characters. But it’s not just readers who love her; literary critics have also taken note, and Dana was given the Children’s Moonbeam award for The Connection in 2021, and the PenCraft Award in 2023 for War of the Sea.
Dana is now sharing her stories through speaking events and book signings, introducing more readers to the worlds she created. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her adoring husband living her dream: writing books, telling stories, and changing the world, one reader at a time.
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Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of HUNTERLORE, US Only.
Ends October 22nd, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
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9/23/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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9/24/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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9/25/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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9/26/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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9/27/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
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9/30/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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10/1/2024 |
Review |
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10/2/2024 |
Review |
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10/3/2024 |
IG Review |
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10/4/2024 |
IG Review |
Week Three:
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10/7/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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10/8/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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10/9/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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10/10/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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10/11/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Four:
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10/13/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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10/14/2024 |
IG Review |
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10/15/2024 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post |
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10/16/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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10/17/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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10/18/2024 |
IG Review |
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