3.5 stars.

I picked this book up when it was a freebee for Kindle from amazon? The cover and title were a little cheesy but the book turned out to be surprisingly good. Entertaining and fast paced, though I found the first half to be rather Buffy like.

Though the story grew on its own despite my thoughts that it was too similar to Buffy. Female hunter only one of her generation, two best friends as a 'Scooby Gang' and a love interest who may not be all human. Even so, the story turned out pretty dam good and Amerie was a pretty kick ass main character al on her own.

I wasn't impressed with Marshall much he was too much of a jackass for my rates but I could see where he was coming from when everything was explained in the end.

An enjoyable read and I look forward to more from this series. ( )

I had no preconceived ideas going into this novel. I knew it was a debut and I've been reading a lot lately so I was hoping for something good. I was into about the first twenty pages and although I liked the secondary characters, I wasn't quite liking the MC, Amerie. Then she's standing by the bathroom and Mr. Tall Dark and Sexy says, "It must be my lucky night. Looks like I found myself my very own angel. What did you do to fall from heaven?" And she doesn't get all blushed and gushy, not my heroine Amerie. Nope, she snorts at him! Yep and says, "That was the shi**iest pick-up line I've ever heard." You tell him Amerie! And she does she tells everyone whenever she feels the need throughout the book and you really can't not like a girl like that. From there on I was glued! I spent Father's day reading it (sorry honey)! It's completely addictive reading.

Amerie has a sad story, her mom died the day before her 16th birthday, killed by one of the Damned. And Amerie refuses to be a Hunter of them. But the Damned didn't get the memo and they're hunting her. Thanks to her father, they have lost their house, their possessions and the lifestyle she was accustomed to, but she keeps going. And even though her life has done a 180, she doesn't wallow in self pity. She is very much like Buffy except Buffy never seemed to enjoy life to me. Amerie does. She's got friends she really loves and who love her, Mercy and Chuck. And they are truly great friends. I loved both of them right away. There's a third one that the jury is still out on, Sam. He's the new guy. Now, this is not a retelling of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, just so you know. But there are some familiar elements and if you liked Buffy, you'll like this. She even likes the show Supernatural!

But the pages absolutely sizzle when Amerie and Marshall are together. More than an action story, more than a paranormal story, this was a romance. And I thought I'd read some swoon worthy material in YA, but this rates really high on the angst and swoon worthy scale. There is a drop of a hint at what is going on why the romance blows hot and cold between the two of them, but it's only in the last few pages that we understand what's really going on.

I was just as unbalanced as Amerie when it came to why Marshall seemed to go back and forth with her. I had no idea what his deal was, but as I got to understand his character, I thought I knew who he was. I couldn't have been more wrong. The only person I was right about in this whole novel was Amerie. I could count on her for a snarky comeback and for punching someone in the face. and sneaking out of her room at night by climbing down a tree. Thanks for being so solid Amerie!

Marshall, you will hate in the beginning of the book if you are anything like me. He is a pig, a chauvinist, a sexist, and all those other names that go with those terms. He is so over the top, he's unbelievable. In one of their first conversations Amerie is trying to take his order at The Hut, her first day of work, her first customer. Here is part of the coversation.
Amerie- He liked seeing me squirm. What kind of a**hole did that?
Amerie -"At the risk of being fired...you're an a**." (Oh, forgot to say she just finds out, he's the boss' son. Perfect right?)
Marshall- "And speaking of a**es..."
Amerie- He peered around to stare at mine. "Hey! You're disgusting, Marshall. I'm definitely going now."
Marshall-"So you've said, and yet you're still standing here."
He constantly talks to Amerie like this but believe me, she dishes it right back at him. And she punches him in the face. So there is that.

I laughed, I yelled, I cringed at some of the fights, and I was very caught up in the story. The mythology, in the beginning, is very simple to understand, but at the end, something more complicated is thrown in, setting up the next book. The first story is finished, but with some new stories already begun, not cliffhangers, but troubling never the less. Still, I felt satisfied especially with the last page.

As I have often noted, the more I like a book, the worse my review is. So if you find this review horrible, you'll know how much I really loved this book. At the rate of reading one book a day, to have one set itself apart so much from the others in the paranormal world, speaks, if you'll forgive me-VOLUMES.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary compensation was received for this review.
Heather ( )