2.5 of 5 scoopers
Savage Hunger by Terry Spear
Sourcebooks (Oct. 1, 2012)
Mass Market: $7.99; ebook: $7.99
ISBN: 9781402266928
Favorite Lines: “She could just imagine grabbing a vine here, as she tried to swing from tree to tree like one of the spider monkeys she had seen doing so, and accidentally getting hold of a nice meaty snake instead–if her luck was anything like it had been running recently.” (p. 27, e-galley)
Kathleen McKnight is on a dangerous mission to help her army team take down a drug lord. She’s a tough as nails recruit, but when she’s caught in the crossfire, she has to rely on a mysterious man to save her. She has no idea that he has big plans for her…
Connor Anderson is a jaguar shifter who is looking for his mate. When he rescues Kathleen in the jungle-twice—he can’t help but be intrigued. Will a bite or a scratch turn Kathleen into the perfect jaguar mate?
Terry Spear is best known for her werewolf stories, but in Savage Hunger she takes her paranormal romance in a new direction: werejaguars. Savage Hunger is book one in her Heart of the Jaguar series.
Sadly, I’ve got to tell y’all that I didn’t really care for Savage Hunger. For a book that goes on and on, not much really happens. I was super disappointed when events should have went crazy and nothing happened. There was no climax, just rising and falling action. The tons of exposition became tedious and I kept hoping that the story would do something–anything.
The heroine, Kathleen or Kat, wasn’t much of a heroine. The military woman lost all of her military thoughts and training transitioning from the prologue to chapter one. She went from warrior to needy woman. I think that change really hit me when Kat was on her own with men about to attack her. I understand Kat was traumatized by her past but her mentality didn’t match any of my expectations of a military officer. Had she been a reporter, business woman–heck a former housewife–I’d have been fine with her squeamishness. She wasn’t. Kat was a Captain in the United States of America Army and I expected more.
Connor was the hero. I don’t like or dislike him. He was a hero capable of bringing the lust. He steamed up the heroine’s sheets showers and kept the story moving forward. He was practical, resourceful and caring. I don’t really get why he fixated on Kat. It felt like he was lonely and then BAM! damsel in distress. The circumstances were so odd that he couldn’t get her out of his mind until WHAM! she’s back to find him. To each their own. I don’t really care. He’s happy with her and his sister makes sure he’s stuck with her, so whatever. Too bad I wasn’t feeling so ambivalent about Maya, Connor’s sister.
Maya came across as very childish, verging on psycho. The woman wanted a sister and for her brother to have a mate so she “extended her claws and raked them down the back of Kat’s left thigh.” It isn’t a love swipe but one so deep that “Kat cried out and nearly crumpled when she stepped with all her weight on her injured leg.” She then licks the wound in hopes of turning Kat into a werejaguar. First of all they’re in the Amazon jungle. Throughout the story are thoughts of how easy it is for an injury to fester with infection because of the location. Maya is in her 30s and knows better. She wanted so she took. This attitude continues throughout the book.
Finally, I think another mention needs to be made about the possible villains or mystery aspect of the paranormal romance. A drug lord wants the heroine. The reader watches goons chase after Kat through the book. I thought there is going to be a huge knock-down-drag-out battle at some point. Yeah, well that point never happens. The same can be said about a mystery man or possible shifter in the jungle. The big “Aha” moment just doesn’t happen.
I wanted to enjoy Savage Hunger but I didn’t. I started and stopped the book many times. Last night I decided it was time to finish it so I could move on to another book. What I found were aggravating characters and a train ride across the plains instead of a roller coaster ride. I rolled my eyes and sighed a lot. I was relieved to turn the last page of this book. I rated it 2.5 because I was able to finish it. Savage Hunger promised paranormal and love. In those areas it succeeds. The lack of substance makes it a book that I will never revisit.
Scooper Speaks 