Review: A good story with some interesting twists
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 8, 2013
3.5 StarsAs alpha of her pack, Valkyrie Victoria Storm is responsible for its safety, a responsibility that is getting harder to fulfill since war with her dead lover's family has reduced the numbers and kept the pack on the run. Added to her responsibilities is her position as priestess to the Goddess Freya, whose guidance can be ambiguous at times and almost always frustrating. Now with young pups to feed Victoria does the only thing she can to help her pack, she leads them to Sierra Pines, California to attempt an alliance with Arik Koenig, a wealthy, powerful dominant male.Arik has secrets though, his wife died under mysterious circumstances, his son Logan has problems and he is not completely forthcoming. Victoria has to decide if she can lay it all on the line with him to protect her pack and finds herself in the middle of trying to solve Arik's wife's murder and proving his son's innocence in the process.Ms. Stark introduced us to Victoria in her short novella The Child Thief, and continues the story with Hunger Moon. The story is told through Victoria's POV and we find ourselves right in the middle of her battle with the Barrett's (her dead lover's family) from the first sentence. This sets the tone for the book, showing us Victoria's strength and compassion from the get go.After her mother and father were killed Victoria became the Alpha and Freya's priestess in one swoop, no one asked if she was up for the challenge. The pack is loyal to her and trusts and depends on her. We watch as she struggles with her duties while trying to forge a relationship with Arik and journeys to Valhalla and back during the story. She is no push over in either human or wolf form and knows how to take care of herself. Arik is the perfect male for her, strong and confident he is a force to be reckoned with and his only failing seems to be his relationship with his son Logan. Logan, on the other hand, is surly and a wild card, he and Victoria are oil and water from the moment they meet.We get to know the few remaining members of the pack as well as the Barrett son, Sawyer as the story progresses. We get a good glimpse of the dynamics of Victoria and the Goddess Freya through conversations which introduce each chapter. As Freya's priestess, Victoria has the ability to travel back and forth between Valhalla and this plane at will and sees her parents and interacts with others from the pack who have not survived. There are some pretty good scenes set there in which Victoria gets to show a softer, more playful side of herself.There is a lot going on in this story, we have a nasty witch causing all sorts of problems for Arik and Logan, the Barrett war, Victoria and Arik trying to decide if they should mate, Victoria and Logan snarking at each other, Victoria's pack's issues, and the strange visits to Valhalla. I had a few problems following it all and at times it was just too much. I found myself wondering why Ms. Snark choose to set her wolves afterlife in Valhalla. I'll admit when I think wolf shifters I don't associate Vikings with them, in my mind I see some sort of mystical spirit sort of thing, and it did trip me up whenever it came into the story.Strange visits to Valhalla aside, I found this story an interesting one and it certainly kept me on my toes. I ran through a gambit of emotions, at times it is not an easy story and I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear or two, along with some laughter and anger along the way. I have a feeling Victoria is in for another wild ride in her future and I'm more than happy to go along with her.Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Dual Review Team