Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Darragh Kelly, a famous and influential haemophile, has been murdered. The man was fighting for haemophile rights, especially the right for haemophiles and humans to intermarry. It’s a controversial topic in a world that already hates everything the haemophiles are — monsters, boogeymen, other —but however Mason Walker feels about it, murder is murder. And he’s lead detective on this one, a case with no clues, no leads, and whose only suspect has vanished out a hospital window in a rainstorm.
To add the final cherry on the sundae, Mason’s chief partners him with Special Officer Cai Bracken, a haemophile. The man used to be a cop before he was kidnapped while on a missing child case and forcibly turned, but … he’s still a haemophile, and Mason isn’t certain how he feels about that. There’s something about Cai that makes Mason think he’s met him somewhere before, if only he could remember where…
And if only he could stop feeling when Cai is around. Mason’s only ever been with women before, and hasn’t had much interest in men, but something about his new partner is causing feelings and desires he isn’t sure how to handle. Is this just a side effect of being a haemophile? Their powers of persuasion and charm are well known. Or is this something else? And does Mason want it to be?
Hunt in the Night is the third book in the Blood and Bonds series and continues with the excellent world building. It’s a series best read in order. The first book explains much of the world and what haemophiles are, and the second book introduces the murderous haemophile Lucien, his human lover Tyler, and the hunter Damon, who are suspects in this book. They’re also good books.
Mason has seen a lot in his time; death isn’t a shock to him. His work is his life, giving him control and focus, and he doesn’t have time for much else. He’s not overly involved in the haemophiles’ fight for rights, unless one breaks the law — which they don’t. They’re too busy trying to stay alive in a world that hates them, and they tend to have very good, very old lawyers … albeit one less, now, with Kelly dead. Cai, though, is something new. Something different. And Mason isn’t a giant fan of different.
Cai was human, a good and upstanding cop who just wanted to save a missing child. And now he’s a haemophile, learning to live an entirely new life. He moves so fast he practically teleports, but he has no idea how he’s doing it. He can tell how many human hands have touched a body, but he can’t explain why. He knows things without understanding, and he feels … everything. Returning to service as a Special Officer is a way to make himself connect with the world again, to do good again. He’s strong enough to take down haemophile criminals, and serves his community as a new face.
Turned against his will! Still doing good! Look, we’re no threat, we’re people, too! It’s a giant burden on his shoulders, one that Cai doesn’t know how to put down. And when Mason starts showing an interest, Cai is afraid — and for good reason. He’s strong, he’s more driven by emotion, and the last man he tried to sleep with ended up in the hospital with a broken arm because Cai doesn’t know how to control his own strength. Even if it’s just Mason wanting to scratch an itch, Cai doesn’t want to hurt him, doesn’t want to hurt anyone.
Mason’s idea about how to help Cai feel in control and safe, while still allowing the two of them to be intimate, is clever. And the way he presents it is sweet. Mason’s been chasing Cai through much of the book, being the one to reach out and touch, to go for the kiss, to make the first move, and when he learns why Cai keeps pulling away, he tries to find an answer. He does his research, takes his time, and when he presents the idea, he tells Cai that if he wants to say no, he can; if Cai doesn’t want this, then Mason will accept it and they’ll go back to being partners.
Honestly, this author does relationships so well. Mason and Cai’s friendship and slowly growing trust and reliance on one another worked for me on every level. This isn’t a giant, epic romance; this is a slowly growing love between people who understand one another, who share the same goals, even though they come from very different worlds. Like Lucien and Tyler, or Jesse and Emory, it’s a relationship of differences. Cai will never walk in the sunlight, will always be stronger, will always eat blood, and will outlive Mason. He isn’t just a human who drinks blood, he’s a haemophile — and that’s one of the best parts of this series. Haemophiles are other. They’re different, inhuman, with their own culture, their own ways of being and thinking and feeling.
Personally, I love the world more than the plot … which I completely forgot to talk about. Just as well, as I don’t want to give anything away, because this plot is pleasantly twisty and the herrings are a brilliant shade of scarlet. The ending — the whys and wherefores, the actions and their consequences, all come together seamlessly and easily. I hope you give this book — and this series — a try. It’s well worth the read!
