Review: Hunter's Season by Thea Harrison

Hunter's Season

Book 4.7 in the Elder Races series

Author: Thea Harrison

Publisher: Samhain

Format: Ebook

Release date: 9/18/12

Author's website: Link

Duty. Devotion. Desire. When fate brings two isolated people together, love is in the cards.

As a palace guard and assassin for the Dark Fae, Xanthe always wore a mask, hiding her emotions to do her duty. But when her identity is compromised, she trades undercover work for guarding Queen Niniane—a position that often brings her in contact with Chancellor Aubrey Riordan.

Aubrey’s trust is shattered. A year ago his wife tried to assassinate their new queen in his name, a betrayal of everything he believes in. And now an attack on his life is proof the dark conspiracy is not yet over. Although injured and weak, Aubrey can’t help but be drawn to this shy assassin and loyal protector. Xanthe is everything Naida wasn’t, and the passion she stirs in him is something he thought had long passed him by.

After fulfilling her duties in the last novella of the series Devil's Gate, Xanthe returns back home for duty to serve for Queen Niniane as one of her guards.  She's honored that Niniane and Tiago would offer her such a position and they feel that she deserves it for all that she has done for them.  Xanthe is introduced to Chancellor Aubrey Riordan whom she's had an eye on for quite sometime.  He's an extremely popular politician due to all that he has done for the Fae community and now finds his life on the line after he is attacked.  Xanthe is intrusted with the task of watching over him and keeping him safe at her home away from the city.  While Aubrey recuperates under Xanthe's care, they both get to know one another better and soon find themselves falling in love with each other. 

I enjoyed finding out more about Xanthe and love that her home is one of simplicity. It was the perfect place for Aubrey to get better and I could see her home perfectly while reading the story.  They both deserved some rest and relaxation and it couldn't have come at a better time.  Aubrey was able to see a gentle side to the assassin and soon realized that there was much more to Xanthe.  She's extremely loyal and protective to those that she loves and he soon realizes her true feelings towards him.  He can't help his growing attraction that to her and I found the scenes where he flirted with her cute.  Her reactions were cute as well because she's always in soldier mode and doesn't find herself to be one that is appealing to men.

I'm giving Hunter's Season a rating of:
 

I liked the laid back, relaxed feeling that characters experienced in Hunter's Season which made it different than the rest of the novellas in the series.  It was also great to see Niniane and Tiago again with the new life that they have leading the Dark Fae.  As always, it was a great pleasure to read another Thea Harrison story.  I just enjoy these characters that she has created and find them very entertaining.