Science Fiction Action Romance

Panther-like Mea Brin is the best of the Hunters, part of a special interplanetary enforcement agency. When she happens to meet Seth Terrik, escaped convict, it’s her responsibility to bring him in or kill him. But Terrik is accompanied by a little girl who tugs at Mea’s heart, and Terrik himself makes Mea breathless with desire and the recognition of a soul mate. Unfortunately, Terrik knows it would be really, really stupid to get involved with a Hunter. This means that for Mea it is now a different kind of hunt.

Never before has any man successfully resisted the sizzling Huntress. Events drive Terrik toward her, his instinct for self preservation drives him away. In the middle is little Regan, the appealing orphan who has decided Mea and Terrik are her parents. When a job assignment turns into a crisis, Terrik has to decide between his old instincts and his new ones.

THE HUNTRESS is a crackling good time. The first chapter is a grabber, a bar fight with a cheerful ruthlessness and sexy overtones. Once you have read this far, you won’t stop. You will be laughing, cheering, sweating, and exclaiming out loud as the characters mow down the opposition, hold off their allies, and push each other to the breaking point. O’Leary’s vivid writing style guarantees that you will feel each situation along with Mea and Terrik.

The author’s characterizations are compelling and in-depth. Mea is an irresistible Superwoman, but this is based on a troubled past which she still must work to overcome. Terrik has survived so many hells that he doesn’t know heaven when he sees it. (If you like the casting game, think Vin Diesel.) Regan has shockingly lost her family and is trying valiantly to build another. Mea’s crew, Warren and Ema, provide one entertaining surprise after another.

O’Leary is a talented writer, with only a few edges left to work off. She doesn’t always know when to quit, when she has already said everything she needed to. Occasionally her words jar against each other, when different word choices would have made them sound smoother in the mind. But I mention this only because she has so much potential to fulfill. This is a very enjoyable, fast-paced, and exciting read, in a style that promises even better for the future.

THE HUNTRESS will be enjoyed by both sexes: the boys will find Mea as attractive as women will find Terrik, and there is action enough for all. This book deserves a wider audience than most e-books find. Some starting-up print publisher needs this book to help it jump into the eye of distributors.

You may find author Michelle O'Leary at her website at http://www.michelleoleary.com

Dec 2002 Review Originally Published on WOR