Review: Hunger Embraced (The Hunger Series #1) by Jennifer James
TLDR Recap:
Miranda has spent most of her life being food. As an incubus, vampires are drawn to her. When Daniel, a vamp (who also happens to look like a hot surfer) shows up outside her apartment one day, Miranda’s whole life changes. She has never connected with anyone the way she connects with Daniel, but she’s hesitant to trust him. And he’s not the only new vamp in town- there’s a scary, powerful vamp who claims that Miranda is his mate/queen. Oh, and her father’s clan may have been taken over by some of the most disturbing vamps around. Miranda will have to accept her nature and become who she’s meant to be if she wants to survive…. Hunger Embraced is a GraveTells Recommended Read!
- Title: Hunger Embraced
- Series: The Hunger Series
- Author: Jennifer James
- Prominent Characters: Miranda, Daniel
- Recommended Reader Age: 18+
- Genre(s): Erotica, Paranormal Romance
- Sexual Content Level: high
***This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence!***
Thoughts:
For her entire adult life, Miranda Thibodeaux has denied and suppressed her incubus side. After a traumatizing incident when she was a teen, she did her best to ignore her nature. When vamps seek her out for nourishment and sex, she refuses to take any energy from them in exchange, no matter how much her incubus side wants her to. One day, a vamp appears outside her home (she quickly nicknames him T.T.B. for Tall, Tanned, and Blond) and Miranda assumes he’s just another vamp looking for a good meal and a good lay. But Daniel (T.T.B.’s real name) seems to have plans to stick around, despite Miranda’s attempts to get rid of him. Daniel’s charming, sweet, and Miranda doesn’t feel like an all-you-can-eat buffet when he’s around.
However, Daniel isn’t the only new vampire in Miranda’s life. Adrian is a powerful and intimidating vamp who insists that he is Miranda’s mate and king. The last thing Miri wants is to be Adrian’s mate, but the vamp is persistent, and Miri doesn’t know how far he’s willing to go to get what he wants. And then there’s the problem of her father, the Incubi King. He hasn’t been answering Miri’s calls, and she’s worried something is seriously wrong. If Miri is to face all the challenges thrown her way and remain free, she’ll have to learn how to control her inner incubus…so that she can unleash it.
Hunger Embraced is a fun and sexy story of a sassy, yet vulnerable, incubus. Miranda was a strong heroine and even though she doesn’t trust easily, she’ll fight like hell for the people she cares about. She had a great sense of humor and her inner diologue was always entertaining. I felt for her because she never had a real relationship with anyone; she had quick hook-ups with people who saw her as a source of food and sex. Reading about her character development and seeing her grow as a person/incubus was satisfying. I’m glad Daniel came along, because Miri deserved some happiness!
And speaking of Daniel, he was easily my favorite character in the book. He’s hot (don’t forget, tall, tanned, and blond! And Miri describes his voice as ear sex!) and has a really romantic side. He says some of the sweetest things. Seriously, his lines were almost poetic at times. And his OCD tendencies made me laugh. At the same time, though, he’s also very alpha-male and dominant. I just wish we’d gotten to learn a little more about his job as a warrior for the Vampire Council.
Jennifer James created a very detailed world in Hunger Embraced- there are Empaths, Blood Suckers, Flesh Eaters, psychics, a Vampire Council, etc. And the sex scenes were very steamy. Just a heads up- there’s a menage scene in the book, and it’s definitely sexy. 😉
Memorable Quotes:
Poor Miri…
Fated couples. It was the stuff of fairy tales. A vampire’s version of Snow White and Cinderella. Of course my Prince Charming would be an arrogant asshole with sadomasochistic tendencies.
Awww
“I would give up and destroy anything, everything for you. I would forsake every vow, tear apart the bricks of the temples of every god known to existence.”
If you liked…
If you liked Hunger Embraced, you should check out Succubus Blues, book 1 in the Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead. Georgina, like Miranda, is a succubus and Richelle Mead combines humor, romance, and action in her series, much like Jennifer James.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re looking for an erotic paranormal romance book, you should give Hunger Embraced a try! It’s got mystery, steamy sex scenes, a drool-worthy hero, and it’s sure to make you laugh. It’s a GraveTells Recommended Read!
Rating: Hunger Embraced |
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I’m curious to know if the author intentionally used the term incubus for the female character? I have a hard time getting past this. Incubus = male. Succubus = female. I was almost interested in reading this book, but I’m having a hard time getting past that major flaw. I thought maybe it was a mistake in the review or the blurb, but when I looked for other reviews, they all refer to her as an incubus which just doesn’t make sense. I am willing to overlook quite a bit within a good story, but this is just too basic for even me to get past.
Hi Jeanie!
Thanks for commenting!! <3
My understanding of the “incubus” terminology in this book is that it’s a type of vampire rather than a sex demon. Miri is a vamp but she feeds on sex instead of blood. The author has reimagined several creature types and made them vamp sub-genres…
– instead of ghouls who eat flesh, the “eaters” are still vampires but sustain themselves on flesh
– instead of demons like succubi and incubi, the “fuckers” are vamps who use sex for food (this is what Miri is)
– the “feelers” are empathic vamps who feed on strong emotion
– the “feeders” are “normal” vamps who drink blood
The whole incubus thing threw me at first too but the book really is stellar. It grabs you right from the first chapter, so I recommend picking it up and reading a few chapters. If you can’t stick with it by then, it’s probably not the right fit for you.
PS – the cover does NOT do this story justice. The chick on the cover doesn’t look anything like the hero of the story and black/red are not colors I would have chosen to represent them. I know its hard not to judge a book by its cover but this one is worth the risk!
Hey Jeanie, thanks for stopping by!
Yeah, at first I was a little confused about the incubus thing, too. I got used to it pretty quickly, though. And DavinciKittie is right- the heroine is a type of vampire. There are different types of vampires in the book; incubi, blood-drinkers (suckers), empaths, etc. I probably should’ve addressed the whole female incubus thing in my review to clear up any confusion.
Like DVK said, you may want to read an excerpt of the book to determine if it’s something you’d be interested in.