ARC Review: Hunting In Bruges by E.J. Stevens

Title: Hunting In Bruges

Author: E.J. Stevens

Series: Hunters' Guild, #1

 •Source: Author (Advance Reading Copy)
 •Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
 •Publication Date: November 11, 2014

Opening Line: I've been seeing ghosts for as long as I can remember.

   

The only thing worse than being a Hunter in the fae-ridden city of Harborsmouth, is hunting vamps in Bruges.

Being shipped off to Belgium sucks. The medieval city of Bruges is quaint, but the local Hunters' Guild is understaffed, the canals are choked with dead bodies, and there's no shortage of supernatural
predators as likely suspects.

On second thought, maybe Bruges isn't so bad after all.

With a desire to prove herself, protect the innocent, and advance within the ranks of the Hunters' Guild, Jenna Lehane hits the cobbled streets of Bruges with blades at the ready. Someone, or something, is murdering tourists and dumping their bodies in the city's scenic canals. With the help of a mysterious stranger, Jenna begins to piece together clues that are dotted throughout the city like blood spatter.

Determined to stop the killings, Jenna delves into a bloody local history that only raises more questions--but some secrets are best left buried. Jenna must put her combat training to the test as she struggles to unearth the truth about an ancient enemy.

    

An amazing new series by E.J. Stevens! Hunting In Bruges takes place in the Ivy Granger world. While characters from the Ivy Granger series are mentioned, the Hunters' Guild series is a solid stand alone series.

Jenna Lehane. Hunter. Protector of the innocent. All-around bad ass. Traveling to Belgium is not exactly what Jenna expected. She meets a hot and insanely weird guy on the train to Bruges. For the first time ever Jenna is not completely focused on her mission. This is a good thing, the girl needs to learn how to relax.

When Jenna reaches the Hunters' Guild she is met with an unexpected surprise. Most of the Hunters are away, attending the supernatural community's version of a peace summit. The only Hunters left are a unique group of misfits. Simon "Chad" Chadwick, a poor excuse for a human being and unfortunately Ivy's handler. Benjamin Martens aka Doc Martens (yes, like the shoes), the Guild's seemingly uncaring doctor. Celeste Dubois, a forgetful witch with an addiction. Aleksey Zharkov, a one armed adrenaline junkie and demolitions expert. Last, but certainly not least, Darryl Lambert, a blind archivist. Things will definitely be interesting.

I loved finding out who Jenna is as a person. Before we only knew what she was. Ivy and Jinx's friend, trainer and link to the Hunters' Guild. Now we find out about her background, what drives her, and how important Ivy and Jinx really are to her.

Jenna Lehane found a home in the Hunters' Guild when she was thirteen, after a ghost helped protect her against a particularly evil foster parent. There Jenna learned that her parents were murdered by rogue vampires while on vacation, Jenna was three. It's the force behind everything that is Jenna. With being a Hunter she finds peace in knowing that she has the power to police and destroy rogue vampires and other supernatural beings.

Ash is my favorite character. He's flamboyant and flirty without being creepy or annoying. How a guy can pull of sexy while wearing a zombie unicorn scarf and a fedora with purple and green feathers, the world may never know. It shouldn't be possible, but Ash makes it work. I have to add that I figured out Ash's ... predicament almost immediately. It's not super obvious, I just have an annoying ability to figure stuff like that out. That being said, knowing did not take away from the story at all. Rather cryptic, right? Just think of it as another reason to read the book. Like you needed another reason.

Favorite Quotes

Startling a sleeping Hunter was a good way to get dead.

"So what's the story behind that hat anyway?" I asked.
"I'm making a fashion statement," he said with a shrug and a cocky smile.
If that statement was, 'I'm colorblind' he was doing a bang up job.

That liquid smelled like the ass end of an ogre.

It would be foolish to bring a stake to a knife fight. Everyone knows that.

I'd seen a lot of bizarre things as a Hunter, but zombie unicorns? That was just plain nuts. There's no such thing as a creature that eats brains and farts rainbows. I should know.

Who needs an energy bar when you had grab-and-go tourists? Freaking vampires.

Never bring a forgetful, addle-brained witch with a penchant for fire spells into a warren of sewer tunnels.