ARC Review: Shadow Hunter by Kait Ballenger

Shadow Hunter is the prequel to Kait Ballenger's new paranormal romance series The Execution Underground. You can find it in the After Dark Anthology with a Gena Showalter Lords of the Underworld story. In this story we meet Damon Brock, a vampire hunter for the elite secret organization known as the Execution Underground. Damon is sexy and built and an all around bad-ass. He is on a mission to take out as many vampires as possible, including the one who is responsible for the death of his best friend Mark. While on the hunt he runs into Mark's little sister Tiffany Solow, who is also out to get revenge for her brother's death. Tiffany has no idea that this sexy and infuriating man who claims he is trying to protect her, is the same hunter who wrote her letters until he betrayed her and her brother. As they are forced to work together, the passion between them gets to be too much for either of them to continue fighting.

In Shadow Hunter we see Damon begin to put together his team of hunters for the Rochester area. These are the men who will be featured in the rest of the series. I really liked how the author set up this world and was able to give us an understanding of what is to come. Each hunter has a specialty as far as paranormal creatures goes. With there being werewolves, shifters, vampires, poltergeists and ghosts, as well as witches there is a little bit of something for everyone in this series.

This book was filled with action and the scenes were done extremely well. The chemistry and passion between Tiffany and Damon was steamy and hot. I really felt their connection despite all that had happened and it was clear that the feelings they both felt for each other were real and deep. I honestly can't wait to see what happens for these two when they get their book. Unfortunately the wait to find out what happens will be awhile, as their story will be the last in the series. Shadow Hunter ends on a cliffhanger leaving the reader wanting more. Luckily for us Ballenger has said that Damon will be glimpsed throughout the series, so I can only hope that it will be enough to tide us over for the wait.

Overall I felt this was a promising start to the Execution Underground series. I did feel as though some of the pacing was a bit slow and sometimes it was a lot of set up to get through. I’m hoping that in the books to come, the same information won't be rehashed, as she has already given us so much ahead of time. I'm curious to see more of this world though and I will be reading the next book, Twilight Hunter which is expected to release at the end of August. Twilight Hunter will feature Jace McCannon, a werewolf hunter. If you are interested in action filled paranormal romances, I would recommend that you give this series a try.


**ARC provided by Author**

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