It’s an age-old question. Hunting the Jackal by Seressia Glass doesn’t do much to support an affirmative answer to that question.

Amarie, a relative newcomer to a pack of Jakal shape-shifters, might have thought she’d be safely in the friend zone when she moved in with a gay couple. The two men, long-term mates and devoted to one another, seem safe after fleeing a pack where abuse of women was rampant.

She has no need to fear abuse from Kurik and Rashon, both protective types, but her assumption that they will have no romantic interest in her turns out to be false. Much sexiness ensues.

Picking up in the Middle of Things
This short novella is the second installment in the Jakal series and it picks up immediately after the climactic battle ending of the previous novella. In that battle Rashon was grievously wounded and this serves as the impetuous to act on the attraction he has for Amarie. This is an effective shortcut for the romance, we can get straight to the conflict, but you miss out on the falling in love part. I missed that a bit here.

The Story World
The early part of the story squeezes in a lot of information from the first novella and it is clear through the story that there is an overarching story line running through the novellas. It serves as a backdrop and setting to heighten danger, but it isn’t really all that tightly intertwined with the romance.

There was enough there to catch my curiosity and interest in the world of the Jackals and the Daughters of Isis (only a minor element in this story). I was at first surprised when the walking dead showed up near the end, but with a little thought I realized how perfect it was for this setting and the Egyptian theme. I’d have liked to have understood their role better from the beginning. K, R, and A were soldiers and there were mentions of patrols, but I didn’t pay much attention to whatever small clues there were to pick-up on the nature of the threat.

The Characters
It is always hard to mix plot, romance, and character development in such a short format. I think characterization took center stage and that made the read enjoyable for me. I might have liked more room to get to know the characters through their own actions, but learning about them from the eyes of the others in their triad made the heavy reliance on narrative more credible. Their actions were never in conflict with the narrative.

There was a bit of reliance on misunderstanding as they moved toward the story climax, which felt a bit thin, but the dynamic between the three was appealing and pushed nicely out of the expected. I can’t say more without being too spoilery, but it was nicely refreshing.

Overall
This was a fun, quick read, with a touch of emotional intensity. A nicely satisfying read that (because it is short) won’t keep you up late enough to be bleary eyed at work the next day.

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Length: 65 pages

Primary Format: e-book

Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne Cravings

Publication Date: June 1, 2013

Blush Quotient: Wink

Find out more about the author, the series, and her urban fantasy at: http://seressia.com/

Disclaimer: This book was purchased. Nothing was received in exchange for this honest review.