Review: An Unauthorized Field Guide to the Hunt by Kari Gregg

On Mariket, the strongest competitors win...by losing.

Narone native and former heir of Class II shipbuilder Denbo-West Industries, Shane West surrendered his perilous birthright to compete in the Hunt and tried his luck with the lusty cats of Mariket. Shane’s mastery of survival craft in the untamed forest made him an early favorite among gamblers, fans, and arena officials. When he lured a cat into an arousing chase the first night, mating with Lore to become the season’s first victor seemed guaranteed.

Then news from Arena 4 slowed to a trickle. Rumors emerged about cats who’d gone feral as well as shocking breaches in security. Unconfirmed reports of assassins and rogue predators circulated before offworld communications screeched to a halt.

In this unprecedented glimpse inside the arena, Shane peels back the veil of secrecy. What does it take to tempt a sexy cat? How does being marked as prey by a feline lover feel? Experience the wanton pleasures of the heat with Shane and his mysterious mate—and discover which of last season’s scandalous rumors are true.

Run, pounce, fuck.

Mate?

Welcome to the Hunt.

"Life. Fear. Sex. In the arena, everything is confusing and surreal. Whatever you think you know is wrong." ~ Shane West

Kari Gregg's "An Unauthorized Field Guide for the Hunt" is a sci-fi cat shifter/alien clusterfuck of primal mating and a Hunger Games-esque competition told from human competitor, Shane West's POV. Shane is being hunted by a murderous family and the Hunt on the shifter alien world Mariket is his only salvation. He plans on taking part in the Hunt and wants to lose...in order to win. To be a "victor" means to mate with a Mariket shifter...think large, primal, lusty cats. The Hunt are for competitors to try to either win the competition by not having succumbed to the mating cats or become a victor. The hunt takes place when the cats are in mating heat - the cats can force their pheromones on you at their will but to actually have one keep you is a prize.

The start of the story is jarring. We are thrown into the hunt with Shane, slowly learning the objective of the competition and what exactly Shane hopes to gain. He's human, weaker compared to the natives of Mariket. The Hunt's arena is all lush forests with wild beasts, cats looking to mate and arena wardens roaming loose. The world Gregg built is a beautiful one. The Hunt is brutal, competitors can't be trusted and the mating...the mating is animalistic. The cats are known to stalk and fuck their prey until resistance is but a thought. And Shane catches the eye of a solitary puma named Lore. When these two were together, whether the chase, the mating, the nonverbal communication...it was memorable.

And the sex?!

"Their sex was beautiful, consuming. And cruel."

Oh. My. Stars! The sex was off the Richter scale. Dubious consent enthusiasts can definitely enjoy the primal fucking that Gregg delivers. And can I say Lore's puma anatomy--self lubricating cock and intoxicating semen...totally different. But made for one erotically intense read.

I enjoyed Lore's dominance and masterfulness over Shane. He did so with minimal effort but did not humiliate Shane. And compared to my favorite Kari Gregg, "I, Omega"- where there's a power struggle between Dom and sub-Shane fights the entire way while becoming a victor or pseudo-sub. Even when being given mating hormones to make him lust for his mate's touch all the time, Shane yields but grudgingly. I enjoyed his struggle until the very end. Just when I thought the hormones or the Lore pounding got the best of Shane...he would fight his feelings. And Lore trying to court his lover and chosen mate? Adored it for all of it's gruff awkwardness.

A few of my favorite Lore seducing Shane quotes:

"Precious," the cat said and leaned forward, angling his head. Shane longed for the cat's kiss, but instead the cat bent to nip Shane's chin. "So mine. And so hungry."

Enjoyed it!

"Want my spend, Precious?" Shane shuddered, the pleasure from his ass streaking to his balls and then to his untouched cock.

"Please. Yes. I--"

"I would give you the world."

*squeals*

Kari Gregg's writing works for me because she does not tell everything at one shot. The full picture unfurls at its own pace. (So if you need to have all the facts from the beginning, I don't think this will work for you) And her sex scenes are so elemental- blood, semen, fucking, contact, skin, fur...it's delicious.

And the last 10-15% of the story took such an unexpected twist that even after finishing (don't worry, it's a HEA), I still can't believe that happened. Fucking awesome! Violent but thoroughly entertaining and no sugar coated easy way out. The reader is thrown into the hunt from the beginning. It gave a true sense of what Shane was experiencing. At the end of the story, all questions were answered.

For less than 100 pages, this novella was one hell of an action filled, erotically masterful ride. Kari Gregg has yet to let me down. Dig her writing. I hope there will be more stories from the Mariket world *coughs*Mareo*coughs* I think this has legs to make for an interesting series.

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