[ARC Review] The Hunter by Jenika Snow

"W-what are you?"
"I'm the one that is going to make you mine."

Publisher's synopsis: What if the big bad wolf kidnapped Little Red Riding Hood solely for his pleasure?

After my grandmother passed away, it left me with this feeling of emptiness. I had a dead-end job, no friends or family, and I was trying to navigate this new world while being utterly alone.

The perfect solution? Take a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska and reconnect with the wilderness and all the things that make me happy.

Being isolated in a cabin with no electricity, running water, or cell service sounded perfect until I roughed it in the wild and realized this might not have been the best idea.

Things were going great until they weren’t, and I realized I wasn’t alone. It was the hunter, and I was its prey.

And when I finally came face-to face with my stalker, it wasn’t anything I could have pictured in my wildest dreams.

He was a monster, a literal furry, huge werewolf looking beast that said he chose me as his mate, and I was now his.

It took me to his lair where he touched me, licked me… gave me pleasure. And despite knowing I had to fight him and this new reality, I wanted more.

Wolf might be terrifying to look at, bigger and stronger than anything I could ever imagine, but his sole purpose was to please me.

The real question was, did I ever want to go back to civilization and the life I once knew? 

My thoughts: Whew. The Hunter was definitely a spicy monster romance. As much as I love Beauty and the Beast, I thought there was no way Jenika Snow could top her retelling of that fairytale in The Beast, but this Little Red Riding Hood retelling will have you rethinking what the wolf's sharp teeth can do and keep you turning the page long into the night. 

Marcella immediately had a sense of confidence about her that I loved. She wasn't afraid to head into the Alaskan wilderness on her own, and wasn't afraid to be alone in order to find herself - even when she felt like she had lost everything. Marcella was also confident in her body, not ashamed of her curves or fuller figure. I love a heroine who knows who she is and isn't afraid to embrace everything about herself.

Wolf, on the other hand, is primal and wild. If you love a figurative or literal chase, this book is definitely for you. Wolf knew he wanted Marcella from the moment he first set eyes on her, and he persevered by winning his mate's love and devotion. 

The Hunter was a fairly quick read for me, but that doesn't mean this story is lacking in action. In fact, the second half of the story is pretty much non-stop action in one form or another. 

I will say, if Marcella and Wolf are fated to be mates, then I would have loved to see more instances of her not being able to deny their bond. She definitely had a physical attraction to him throughout the story, but Wolf seemed to care for her both physically and emotionally right from the start. Their bond seemed a bit lopsided for a good portion of their time together, but I was happy to see Marcella finally get to Wolf's level by the end. 

There was a lot going on, trope-wise, in The Hunter and I definitely don't think this book is for everyone. Snow wrote a very spicy story and did a fantastic job at reimagining the Little Red Riding Hood story, but I would highly encourage readers to check the author's book info for more information on all the tropes this book contains. 

A huge thank you to Jenika Snow for providing an ARC of The Hunter; all opinions expressed in my review are my own.

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Release date: 9/5/22
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: the author