Title: The Hunted
Author: H.J. Bellus
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: Feb 22nd
Revenge. Blood. Lies. Hate.
The good guy is the bad guy and the bad guy is the good guy.
Or is that what they want you to believe?
In a city where crime is at an all time high and new mutilated bodies are showing up every day, who do you trust?
He’s the silent neighbor who vanishes at night and reappears when the morning news is reporting on the latest victim.
How do you know this?
You watch him through the curtains as his silent stalker. Everything about him is twisted, but you can’t get past his stare. It’s hypnotizing and the hardest pull you’ve ever experienced…you know it’s all wrong.
Then he walks through your front door covered in blood.
Who will you trust?
“You’ve been fucking that blond all American kid,” he adds.
“I haven’t fucked him.”
“Has he tasted you?”
I slowly nod, feeling ashamed.
“Like I said, you’ve been fucking around with him.”
I scramble to tell him everything and how he’s held this power over me. “It’s your face I see when I’m with him. It’s your face I see when I go to bed. It’s you who I want.” I clutch the sides of his face. “But you won’t give me all of you.”
“Van!” Stew yells, followed by a shit ton of ruckus out in the club.
He sets me down and is gone within seconds. My hands cover my thumping chest as I realize what just happened. My tongue darts out, licking up the little bit of his taste that he left behind on my swollen lips.
Glass crashes in the far off distance as I hear bones breaking and screams soon fill the air over the commotion. I remain frozen to the wall, paralyzed by what just happened. The violence outside doesn’t even rattle me because there’s nothing left to stir up. He’s taken all of me.
Shaking the nonsense from my head, I peek out the end of the hallway and see utter destruction and chaos filling the club and Van is right in the middle of it.
His shirt is ripped once again and this time all the way off as he tries to take down two large men who clearly pissed him off. He gains the upper hand as Stew joins him and helps usher the men to the door.
A few dancers huddled together join me in the dark hall.
“What happened?” I inquire.
“I don’t know. The men just started beating the shit out of each other.”
A petite blonde who is newer and I only know by her stage name Sweet Cheeks speaks up, “I think they may have been exchanging drugs…”
Honey interrupts her, “You saw nothing and will repeat nothing. It’s the only way to stay safe around here.”
Honey stares me down with disgust. “And this bitch deserves no fucking answers.”
I feel the need to defend myself but the venom streaming from her warns me it’s not worth the fucking fight. Pushing out my chest, I ignore her ass. I guarantee she knows exactly what just went down between Van and me. He doesn’t want a stripper whore, he wants me. That’s prize enough.
The front doors to the club slam shut, shattering some glass. When we peek around the corner, Stew and Van make their way back into the club and Van roars, “Closed for the night! Get the fuck out!”
Bodies scatter in every direction. The dancers ditch me to go get dressed–I guess you don’t have to tell them twice about going home early. The large digital clock on the wall reads ten thirty.
Holy shit, Stew is closing down four hours early. Something must be seriously wrong. My legs quake underneath me from the shit storm that just attacked my world. Once they steady up a bit, I walk out into the bar and spot Van down on his knees, examining a little baggy of white powder.
“Bay, head home. The lunch crew can clean up.” Stew’s slumped over on a stool with a whiskey in his hand.
“I can stay and help out.” My voice is feeble as my legs tremble.
“Get your ass home,” Stew grits out.
It’s with dread that I go for my purse and hoodie. Van doesn’t look up as he’s intent on whatever he’s studying. It’s a white powdery substance sprinkled across the floor. My body hungers to go to him, but I know whatever we just shared has been bottled back and locked tightly within him.
“I’ll be back.” I turn to see Van following me out of the club.
Focusing forward, my feet pound the pavement and I hear Van meeting me step for step. My hands fumble with the keys and finally unlock the door, flipping on the porch light quickly. I look back to see Van standing on the sidewalk and then he fades away into the darkness of the night going the opposite way to his place.
Michel’s Review
The Hunted was the first book that I have read by H. J. Bellus. I enjoyed this love story. It had the perfect combination of romance and red hot sex! The characters were the perfect balance for one another. Their relationship had me swooning, sighing, and falling in love right along with them. They were both dynamic in very different ways that worked well together. I absolutely loved this romance.
On the other hand, this is a dark gritty story that takes place in a violent part of the city. Van Hollis has just been released from prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He was set up and he’s gunning for the one responsible. The one responsible for his demise is none other than his identical twin brother, that happens to be a corrupt police officer. To top it off, women are being murdered and all the evidence points to Van. Van is determined to get his revenge on his brother and not end up back in prison. Now is not the time for relationships or love. Van can’t stay away from Basil, the sexy, innocent cocktail waitress. As their relationship blossoms, the danger for Basil and Van’s lives escalates.
Their world is spinning out of control. Girls are dying. Van is keeping secrets. And Basil is caught in the middle.
As I said the characters and the romance were wonderful. The problem is that although the characters were well developed in relationship to one another, they kind of fell short when placed within their dangerous world. There were not enough details, in depth revelations, and aha moments. The readers understood the intense hate between Van and his twin brother, but never got an in depth explanation as to why. The explanation given was not enough to give this story a credible base. I’m one of those people that is detail oriented, I want thorough explanations for every action and reaction. The family history seemed a bit abbreviated. The wrap up was quick. The overall plot to this book had potential of being so much more. The one thing I will say is that it had a good love story that kept me invested in the book.
I’m just a simple girl who loves the country life… oh yeah! & a good corn dog! Throw in a little Vanilla Ice, and shits bound to get crazy! Be brave…-Loves country life & music
-Gets the case of the “eff-its” often
-Loves Big
-Hurts Big
-love corn dogs & candy…. & (sex & candaaay)
-My heart is happy writing!!!
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I’m just a simple girl who loves the country life… oh yeah! & a good corn dog! Throw in a little Vanilla Ice, and shits bound to get crazy! Be brave…
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