Hunted: Feral Souls Trilogy, Book 1

I just picked this book from some recomendations in a group. Not expecting much but hoping for the best.Well I was truly impressed with the writing and character development. The story is angsty good, the male characters are all different yet attractive in their own way.The female lead seems waify weak until you realize her inner strength.I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and now gotta get outta here, I gotta get the next one.

****Spoilers in this review****I need to start by first giving credit where credit is clearly due. Erica Woods is very good with words. The book was beautifully written. It’s a full length book which I appreciate. There are a ton of books published that are far too short and personally I find this annoying at the least and infuriating at the most. Since this book has more then 600 pages, I expected it to be filled with information, of suspense, of an actual story being told. At last, it was completely underwhelming. The author clearly has a way with words, is very talented in turning emotions into a raw living things. But that’s all this book was. I’m confident in my assessment that 90% of this long book is full of nothing but emotions that take pages to explain in way too much detail. And by that I mean Hope feels frightened and is followed by 2-3 pages of analogies of how her heart is shriveled up like a desert in the hottest places in the world, filled with dried cactuses and carcasses from the meanest of beasts and blah blah blah (my words not from the book). It quickly became tiresome and by the end I found myself skipping entire pages (or most of the page) just to get the conversation over with.As this is a paranormal book I expected far more of the paranormal. Instead, as the reader, you don’t even find out WHAT the guys are until approximately 70% into the book. And don’t even get me started on Hope. It’s mentioned in her excessive inner dialogue that she has this monster sharing her body and not once in this extremely long book do we find out what she is. Let alone even hint at how she is able to hide her true scent of said monster, leaving the guys to believe she is simply human. They don’t even ever suspect that she’s not human.There are very minimal bread crumbs for the reader that hint at the bigger picture but they are so small and spaced out, It’s not even enough to keep me interested in more tidbits of the story. It’s not enough to keep me interested in the story of Hopes confinement. Hope speaks of guilt over a Mathew dying and how she feels responsible for his death and that’s literally it. Not how he died. Why it was her fault. Not even a morsel of information that gives the reader any insight to what kind of person Mathew was. It’s like the author wants to stress that this guy is important to Hopes story but not giving us any indication as to why. And any time its mentioned, Hopes inner dialogue abruptly halts with a “nope not going there.”By the end of the book it is clear that all 4 males are interested in sharing Hope as a mate and I’m left scratching my head and asking, “Why?” At the beginning of the book, Hope is believed to be dead. Lays perfectly still while a knife is rammed into her stomach. Once the Hunters are gone she escapes. The first chapter, maybe 2, portrays Hope as a fighter. That her will to survive is greater then her fear. This is quickly proven wrong. When the guys first find her, I understand her fear and reluctance to trust these strangers. I expected to see more of the fierce will to survive to overcome her fears once this trust was established. I understand that trauma like that leaves scars, that it takes time. But the entire book Hope was a frightened woman afraid of her own shadow, a stuttering mess whenever spoken to. After reading this book, when I picture Hope I picture her cowed into a corner, hugging her knees to her chest, head bowed into her thighs, and shaking with nothing but terror. Where is her fight? Where is her will to survive that the first chapter showed? There are too many books and stories of woman who live through horrific things and never recover. They become submissive and shy and are always afraid. This tells a story that the female is too weak to overcome the trauma. That she needs a man or in this case many males to protect her while she trembles on the floor. It’s unappealing and as a female myself, I want to see your trauma, see your scars, and watch as you stand on the top of a mountain, beat on your chest, and scream “I am woman, hear me roar!” I want to see that trauma turned into the fuel that urges you out of bed each day to conquer one fear after another. With Hope, it kind of disgusts me that she has no spine. None. There a couple, and I do mean a couple as in 2-3 instances where Hope shows bravery, and every time it’s immediately followed by the bowing of her head, shoulders hunched, and stuttering like a terrified child.With how long this book is, I should have more insight to at least have an idea of this world. Sadly, the only thing I know about these characters are their emotions that are over explained with far too many details. I would say if you take the over explained emotions out of this book, you’d be left with a story that can be told in less then 20 pages.If I was rating the authors ability to write alone, I would give her 5 stars, but this story fell extremely flat. 2 stars is being generous.

I couldn't put it down! I was so sad to see it end until book two of course. I look forward to that read as well! It kept me hooked from the moment I began reading to the last words. If you like the Fae/shifters, this is definitely a book you must read!!

-An FMC who's a bit more damsel than white knight-A traumatic past to overcome-Hidden supernatural elements and a leading lady who's more than what she truly understands herself to be-Alpha-hole who's a secret softie just for her-The pretty boy who unfortunately knows just how pretty he is-The flirty safe one who gives us and their lady excuses to smile-A leader who knows how to manage everyone and sees beneath to what everyone needsReally, if you dig those tropes, I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to dig right into Hunted.Hope, our FMC, is a likable work in progress. She's got a core in her that's crazy strong, and she's survived circumstances that did kill many others, but she's starting out as a bit of a wounded bird. She's scared of a lot of things, but none more than herself. There's a lot of foundation being laid in Hunted for Hope that tells me/makes me hope she's going to have an amazing journey of character development, and I'm really looking forward to what's to come for her.The men work well together, and they've formed a little family unit that is undeniably shaken by Hope's sudden appearance into their lives. Ruarc and Jason get the most opportunities to shine in book one, though we've particularly only scratched the surface of Jason. There are bits and pieces that will poke at the reader, teasing us with the tip of secrets from his past, so not only do I like who he is in Hunted, but I'm also very curious about him and what he's trying so hard to ignore. Ruarc, the giant alpha beast, is also gentle and there's a bit of a broken heart there beneath years of rejection, and I think it'd be impossible to not have a soft spot for him. Now, Lucien and Ash are similar to Jason- there are bits of depth, the hints of those secretive icebergs, but we're teased. The main difference is that Lucien is a bit harder to like than the others, but from the bits we do learn about him, I think there's a treasure there once you cut through all his attitude.The plot is where I hesitate to bring us to the five stars because there were a few aspects that I felt could use a little bit of work. First, there's a bit of repetition. Particularly with Hope since she's very conflicted in what to do about herself, her secrets, and her developing connections with the men. Is this a "chuck the book at the wall" kind of problem? Definitely not. Is it a fair warning that there'll be times you want to shake her and be like MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND, WOMAN? Yes, yes it is. Sometimes moments ran a bit long or angst ran a bit long, and I was a bit frustrated because it seemed like if they just communicated with each other, things would go much smoother for everyone involved. However, it's not like this is just a Hunted issue. The number of times I've thought or written this same thing about numerous other books is uncountable, so this could even be more of a "me" problem.Overall, I really enjoyed Hunted. I appreciate books that keep my attention for more than a day, and I'm a very fast reader, so the length of time that went into developing this is something I definitely respect. For me, I'd say that this is really a very character-driven opening for this series, so you're not looking so much at these giant explosive moments or battles, but instead at how these people ease into becoming a unit with Hope and the seeds of secrecy and the supernatural are sown, giving us the potential for more of that action in book two.

i'm obsessed with this series. the story line is amazing and i get completely invested in the POVs. it's like i can hear them in my head without ever having heard their voices. there are moments when i feel all of the emotions that Hope is feeling. I can seriously feel my heart dropping. this is my comfort series though. i just love these characters and i'm so excited for more

Omg this book... although in my opinion it was amazing at first, Erica spent a long time perfecting it and its honestly such a thrilling read! I've read it 3 times and I could read it again to be honest! Hope is such a strong character, and I can truthfully say I wouldnt be half as brave as she is after going through her troubles! Ruarc is an absolute angel and he gives me tingles in all the right places.... man I need a man... Each guy has an individual personality which I love in books like this where you are focused on a group, and you fall a little in love with each of them! I can't wait to see how they cope with everything and how the relationships will strengthen.

There are not enough words to describe how epic this book is!!A perfect blend of evocative writing, character development and raw emotion.It’s extremely hard to believe that this is Erica’s first book because it reads so beautifully.The writing is gripping, the kind you never want to put down. (Which I didn’t, I just couldn’t stop reading it)If you love the idea of reading about a scarred but strong heroine, four drool-worthy, over-protective alphas and so much raw emotion it will leave you desperate for more, then definitely read this.One of my favourite slow burn reverse harem books of all time and I can’t wait for the next one.

Wow,Absolutely phenomenal 🤩 An exceptional, supreme read, that’s so well written, it keeps you on the edge of your seat with each turn of the page. I bought the book a month ago and have savoured every word, every sentence, every chapter, twice over. Experiencing every moment, every emotion, as the story unfolds, surrounding the horrors and years of Hope’s unlawful captivity. And on escaping, collides with Ruarc, Ash, Lucien and Jason. Lucky lady. I’m so pleased I’ve found Erica Woods and Hunted, it’s like winning the jackpot and meeting a talented great author. This is going to be a fantastic series and one I’ve already shared with friends.Erica Woods, Thank you for introducing me to your wonderful world of writingPS just found out this is on audiobooks too.

I loved this book! A new author and a new World. I loved all the main characters in this book (and some that weren’t cause I want to know their stories). My favourite is obviously the main heroine and strong loving leading lady, Hope. She’s been tortured for decades and is still baring her teeth at the hunters who did it. She’s very personable and loveable. I understand people were saying this was a slow read but I didn’t get that at all. I found the book completely absorbing and engaging. There’s no big action scenes in this book..yet however it was exactly how it needed to be. I loved learning Hope and the guys and getting wee titbits of the world here and there. I absolutely loved the slow trust that was built between them all - they’ll need that for the next books on the series. I’m desperate to find out what Hopes ‘monster’ is and exactly who she is. There’s also a lot of big political things happening in the World and it seems the guys play a big part in that so I can’t wait to find out more about that. This first book was a fantastic introduction to everything and sets a series up very nicely for an in-depth look into a new World. I can’t wait to see what happens next and to see the characters, especially Hope, grow.

The story has great characters and a brilliant storyline. I can not wait until the next installment is ready. Even though the female annoyed me her character grew on me. Love all the boys and their different personalities. Well worth a read.