This is the latest in a series of novels (and, initially, novellas) about a group of supernaturals called The Hunters. They are werewolves (and other shifters), witches and vampires who act as a kind-of otherworldly police force, hunting down rogue supernaturals and stopping them. They sometimes stop mortal violence as well, but their job, the thing that really calls to them, is stopping the stuff that the mortal law enforcement can’t handle.

And in Hunter’s Need, the supernatural law enforcement is not sure they can handle it, either.

HN picks up the story that Hunting The Hunter left off, continuing with Ana and Duke’s story five or so years after we saw them last. They have grown and changed, and not. In some respects, it makes sense that they would be the same as they were in HTH – they went through some pretty traumatic experiences. On the other hand, I had a hard time thinking of the time between the two books as quite as long as it was supposed to be.

At any rate, once we do pick the characters back up, they develop quite believably. Perhaps the long period of time between the stories is for the best – they were each able to heal and move on without realizing it, so the lead-up to the steamy stuff was more a matter of admitting what had happened rather than needing to completely change.

As with the other books in the series, this is definitely a romance first. (I’m not complaining about the plot or the characters, mind. But do not expect sex scenes to fade to black.) I do think that Ms. Walker is growing as an author, as the plot and conflict seemed better developed in this book than the prior ones I’ve read of The Hunters series.

Probably my biggest (and perhaps my only) complaint is the style in which the narration jumps. I don’t have an issue with multiple narrators. I’m used to that in romances, and it can feel effortless. What throws me is the way a scene will start out in one character’s head and switch to the other’s part-way through. There is a gradual shift from one, to neutral, to the other, which makes the head-hopping acceptable, but it is not my preferred method of changing narrators.

Then again. Take my complaint with a grain of salt. I read this book in about 6 and a half hours, staying up until 3 in the morning (on a work night) to finish it because I couldn’t put it down. ( )