Hunted

 

King Solomon's Wives: Hunted (1) 

by Holly McDowell

Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Romance, Thriller
Published June 2012
 Pages: 108
Publisher: Coliloquy, LLC

Summary: "The two thousand descendants of King Solomon’s ancient harem have the ultimate power of seduction: Their very touch is as addictive as any drug.

But that power comes at a price: Wives die giving birth. They can only bear daughters. They are only fertile until the age of twenty-four.

Hunted for hundreds of generations by men who crave their touch and fear its power, the Wives have kept themselves safe by following three simple rules:

-A Wife shall have no meaningful relationships outside the clan.
-A Wife’s addictive touch may be used only for procreation or to protect the clan.
-A Wife shall sacrifice herself for her daughter at the age of twenty-four.

But tonight, the rules have been broken, and someone must pay.

In the blistering first episode of KING SOLOMON’S WIVES, we meet Sumarra on the night she plans to conceive. Instead, she and the other wives find themselves under attack from a group of male hunters, intent on destroying them.

Sumarra has always broken small rules and indulged rebellious tendencies. Now that the Wives have been found, her defiance will either be their salvation or her own undoing."

Review:  I have very mixed feelings about this "book" right now. It's more like part of a book. It is about 100 pages so it is more like a novella.
This is part 1 of ? in a novella-based series. A group of women, refering the themselves as sisters/mothers to each other have a special effect over men that leave them lusting after them. They use this ability to become pregnant and bear a daughter. After which they die. They must do this by age 24 or forfeit their lives. This has been going on since the time of Kin Solomon, as they are the descendants of his wives. In addition to the women, there are men, referred to as hunters that try to kill them in return for gaining a soul/conscience.

There are 3 timelines happening so far in the story. The time Solomon reigned with the original wives, current time and 1 chapter that happened in the middle of it all.

In current time, one women looks to break the curse placed on them while another rushes to save her sisters from the hunters that have tracked them down after many years. We also get the flashbacks to start to see how the gift (for lustful touch) and the curse came into being.

As for what I did read, I really enjoyed it. The writing was very clear, the characters well-written, each with a very unique personality. The only thing out of place in y opinion was the language/speech style uses during King Solomon's time. A bit too modern to be realistic. But the rest was very well done.

I would have given this a 4 star rating but I am disappointed with how it just abruptly ends. So many questions, including the hunters, the curse, etc are left unanswered. I have no problem with cliffhangers but when it is not even a full length book I do not think it is a good thing. It was like reading half a book then coming to a blank page. Or only watching 1/2 a movie. So to finish the story I have to pay $2.99 for the next installment, and then I found out it STILL isn't done being written and there will be more. In my opinion the author, Holly McDowell, should have been more patient in finishing her work and submitting a complete story. I love books from a series a lot but I want to feel like I gt somewhere in the story when I am finished reading the volume. If this had been 200+ pages and the curse was explained and just not yet broken, I would have been MUCH happier as a reader.

**I would like to thank Coliloquy for giving me the opportunity to read this.**