{Review} Tracking The Hunter (USG Constellation #2) by H.A. Fortman

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: December 14th, 2014
Finished Date: May 15th, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 326
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Palee "Tracker" Stalvik had one simple mission: Go and save Sandy, then bring her back to California where she would be safe. Little did he know that his mission would be anything but simple as he is thrust into a future he did not expect.

Carl "Rex" Dreven had no goals left in life other than to seek out a meager living in his mountain home. His self-imposed seclusion was lonely, even boring. He would purposely keep out the excitement, until one fateful night when his past came back to haunt him. It ripped him from one of the few nights of sound sleep and thrust him into a whirlwind of activity.

Sandy Constance was trapped, strapped to a table with a maniac looming over her head, spewing nonsense to her. She had no idea how she got there, the last thing she remembered was getting ready for a surprise trip to visit her friend Elisa in California. One thing she was sure of however, she had to get out of there and fast!

The Review: Tracking the Hunter is the second book in the USG Constellation series and had a very different feel to book one.
At the end of book one we find that Elisa’s best friend Sandy has been taken by someone and Elisa wants her found – so Chase sends his brother & second in command Tracker to save her. Tracker sets off to find Sandy but ends up trapped in his shuttle when it crashes into the side of a mountain, pinned and with no way to get out or send an SOS to the Constellation, his outlook is bleak.
Rex is guy who lives off the grid in the mountain range, he just survives, forages for food and hides away. After fighting in Vietnam and his wife was murdered – he just couldn’t face life anymore and bailed on society. Things were fine but boring until he hears a crash and he heads out to see what’s going on.
What he finds is a plane like craft that has crashed into the mountain and does what any decent person would do….. look for survivors. He comes across Tracker who is in a bad way and helps free him and his ‘dog’ from the wreckage. He has no idea why he feels so drawn to this man, why his survival is so important to him and he stirs feelings in Rex that he has never had before…… and it looks like the feeling is mutual.
Rex assumes that Tracker is part of a government scientific research programme, testing new planes and such but that doesn’t account for his strange furry, claw tipped ‘hand’ or the weird ‘dog’ but knows he needs help. They are ambushed on their way to Rex’s dwelling and end up finding out just what Tracker’s circumstances have all been about and also tying Rex’s past into the story….. but they still have a woman to find and an enemy to track… which brings even more surprises to all involved.
I enjoyed Tracking the Hunter quite a bit but I have to be honest and say – this is my first M/M book and I didn’t know that at the start.
Even though this is the second book in the series, it felt like a totally different world from what we were introduced to in book one. That is not a bad thing because I rather enjoyed the setting and premise of this book. A lot of it was set in the forests surrounding the mountain and a good part of that was dedicated to rescuing Tracker. It was good getting to know Tracker and he had an elvish feel to him for me, he was very alpha and masculine as well and has a couple of little secrets up his sleeve. I really liked Rex and thought his portrayal as a Vietnam vet was believable and endearing, I totally got why he isolated himself and lived the way he did. I liked that Rex’s training had come in handy for rescuing Tracker and showed him to be intelligent and resourceful and as we got to know Tracker, see that it compliments his assets too. Now, it becomes clear that they are fated mates and I was dumbstruck, I was wondering where Sandy was but went with it although it did feel really strange for me with them both not having any inclinations to the same sex before meeting –Yes, I know love has no bounds but it was weird ‘for me’. That’s not to say that I didn’t like them together or that they had no chemistry - because they did – they were just both so Alpha and masculine that it took some getting used to.
I enjoyed all of the getting to know you that they went through and when we got to the truth of the crash…. That brought my interest even more, we have a clear enemy and a mission to get going. Again about 2/3rds of the book is dedicated to Tracker and Rex, the rescue, the getting to know you, the bonding, the coming to terms with the feelings they were having and it was really addictive, I was engrossed by this and the book had a fantasy/sci fi feel that I really liked. The introduction of the enemy brought a burst of action and also a means for them to be on with their mission as well as the progress of the relationship in which we see Rex begin to accept and act on his feelings. I enjoyed Tracker teaching Rex about the alien technology, he was truly like a child and was in awe. I also loved Tracker’s dog, it would be great to actually see one.
The action starts up again once the men reach civilisation and then the investigation side kicks in, which changed the feel of the book again and kept it fresh. We are given multiple POVs from Chase and some others so that we are aware of what is happening elsewhere because obviously someone has noticed Tracker’s not responding and that lets us know what to expect and what they all think is going on. When we eventually get to the rescue of Sandy – we are in for a couple of twists and turns, spooky atmosphere and plenty of action leaving me very satisfied at the ending. I like this series, it’s not scared to be different, it challenges me as a reader and I lapped it up – so I’ll be looking out for more. 4*s

Thank you to H.A Fortman for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.