Hunger for You by Jenny Frame is the first book in a new super sexy paranormal romance series. We want to get that out of the way because we had no idea going into it and were quite surprised when the book ended when it did. (Technically it’s the second since we met the characters in Dapper, but we will get to that – Sheena)

Amelia Honey designs suits at a tailor on Savile Row and her life was turned upside down six months ago when Byron Debreck walked in the door. Not only is Byron a jetsetting banker, she’s pretty much the hottest butch ever, ripped straight from Amelia’s dreams. And while Amelia isn’t fond of Byron’s tendency to break their dates, she can’t help but forgive Byron, especially when she’s topping Amelia in the bedroom. (Oh and what a lot of delicious topping. It’s like an ice cream sundae with all the yummy…toppings – Sheena)

There’s more to Byron Debreck than meets the eye. Sure, she’s the CEO of an international banking group, but that’s just part of what it means to run an ancient vampire clan. Hundreds of years old, Byron has finally found her romantic match in Amelia Honey, if only she can figure out how to help her understand who Byron truly is.

A trip to Byron’s family estate in Monaco is the perfect time to see if they can truly make things work. It’s clear that they adore each other, but when danger comes up, Byron does the only thing she can to protect Amelia and walks away. Can Byron save Amelia when that danger taps her on the shoulder months later in London? Or has she truly pushed Amelia away forever? 

The Characters

Tara: Byron and Amelia are pretty close to the top of my favourite Frame couples (I say close because, I mean, how could anyone displace Harry and Annie?!). Byron is such a hunky, broody butch and I love how fiercely she loves Amelia. And while Amelia is a lovely, sweet girl next door, she also has a spine of steel and I appreciated seeing her use it with Byron, who isn’t used to people standing up to her. They have huge character arcs, especially Amelia, and I enjoyed seeing how their breakup and makeup was a part of that. It’s a good thing that there are more books coming, because I definitely want more of these two!

There’s also a rich cast of side characters. Of particular note are Alexis, Byron’s straitlaced bodyguard, and Katie, a completely lovely human who works for the Debreks. I seriously hope there’s a book coming for these two because I need them to kiss each other’s faces a lot. I also quite liked Daisy, Amelia’s apprentice on Savile Row, who also has a YouTube show investigating all things paranormal and am hoping to see more of her as well!

I would be remiss to not mention Victorija Dred, the villain of the book. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that I’m glad Frame made her a nuanced character and I’m very curious to see what’s next for her.

Sheena: Victorija was one of my favourite characters. I want to see her redeemed because she is such a broken soul and if any author can do it, Frame can.

Agreed about the others being memorable and fun. I also must state that Frame is one of the rare authors who can always write butch/femme combinations that are different from one another. No two pairings are ever the same and the butch women, especially, are wonderfully unique.

The Writing Style

Tara: I actually wasn’t planning to read this one because vampire books aren’t typically my thing. That changed when someone told me that Frame’s erotic short story Dapper is the prequel for Hunger for You. Because I’d read that story, I suspect I enjoyed Hunger for You a lot more than I might have otherwise, because it gives us Byron and Amelia’s first meeting and an intriguing “happy for now” ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The worldbuilding was excellent and I liked how Frame put vampires into our world in a way that makes sense. I also think this is the first true erotic romance I’ve read by her, with the sex informing Byron and Amelia’s relationship development in ways that we don’t see in her other stories.

Sheena: I haven’t read Dapper, and so this book left me with a giant question: can you actually classify this as a romance when you start off with the couple in the middle of a relationship? I was so perplexed by this that I took to social media and asked readers for their opinion on the matter. (I am going to say that readers of lesbian fiction are hopeless romantics and will call just about anything a romance.)

For me, a romance is a story where the two characters meet and are attracted to one another – and so after an exhaustive amount of analysis of this book, I decided that it could be classified as a romance because we have flashbacks of them meeting and getting together.

I LOVED the first 85% of this book and it would absolutely get my favourites tag if not for the one small matter of the last bit. The ending of the story shifted gears quite significantly and felt rushed to a rather open-ended conclusion, leaving me a little frustrated.

The Narration

Tara: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Nicola Victoria Vincent’s voice with Jenny Frame’s words is just a perfect pairing. I don’t know what it is about that combo, but it’s one of my very favourites going in lesfic these days. Vincent does a fabulous job with this book, and I especially appreciated that her voice acting made it very easy to keep track of who was who. Given the large cast of characters, I was particularly impressed by that.

Sheena: I actually think that Nicola Victoria Vincent may become my favourite narrator if she continues on this trajectory. Every book I listen to gets better. This book has a huge cast of characters and she managed to do a range of male and female voices with an assortment of accents so well that I could happily follow along without trying to remember who was who.

The Pros

Tara: For me, it comes down to two major elements—the characters and the passion. I adored so many of the characters and even when I didn’t like someone, I still found them fascinating. I’m kind of relieved that there will be more books in this universe because I want more time with them! As for the passion… while this is by far the darkest book I’ve read from Frame (full disclosure: I haven’t read the werewolf one), it totally works for me because the passion between Byron and Amelia is at its core.

Sheena: Heart Of The Pack (the werewolf one) isn’t dark and I do agree that this is the darkest, but I certainly wouldn’t call it a dark book. There is a period where Byron is struggling with her hunger for blood which made me a very happy reader. Having said all of that, though, I do love to read thrillers and dystopian books and Tara doesn’t.

The biggest pro for me is the fact that Jenny Frame wrote it, which means you get excellent and unique characters and a story that entertains from page one to the very last full stop.

The Cons

Tara: As mentioned in the synopsis, I had zero idea that this was the first in a series when I picked it up and I really wish I’d known that. There are a lot of things left unresolved and I wasn’t prepared for that going in. And while I’m okay with that now, having had a chance to let my reading experience settle before writing this review, I was very much NOT okay with that when I first finished it.

I don’t know if this is actually a con, but I also think that Hunger for You should have had Dapper included, either as a prologue or as a bonus story at the end. Ideally as a prologue, however, because without their first meeting, it doesn’t feel quite like a romance even though I actually do still think it is one

Sheena: Totally agree about Dapper and the series thing. It was a bit of a surprise that we got a cliffhanger ending and I felt dumped in the middle of an existing relationship.

annas favourite booksThe Conclusion

Tara: I really enjoyed Hunger for You, and I’ll definitely listen to it again shortly before the next book comes out. If you’re into paranormal romance or erotic romance (or both!), you’ll want to pick up this story, especially in audio.

Sheena: I highly enjoyed this book. I recommend you read Dapper first and go in with the knowledge that you will end up with a series because that will up your enjoyment.

Frame did an exceptional job with worldbuilding and creating a set of vampires that I want to get to know more. She also did a fun job of giving us characters who we want to see paired up and allowing there to be spinoff books (I am totally onto you, Frame, you minx).

I adored Byron and the heat in this book was scorching. So, all in all, I recommend it and wait with much anticipation for the next in the series.

Excerpt from Hunger for You by Jenny Frame

“Byron? Did you hear me?” Amelia shook Byron from her thoughts.

“My apologies, what did you say?”

Amelia narrowed her eyes with mild annoyance. “Will you tell me about your parents?”

“Of course.” Byron cupped her cheek and gazed into Amelia’s bluish green eyes. She could get lost in those eyes for hours. In them Byron could see the light of Amelia’s unblemished, untainted soul, not weighed down by centuries of taking blood and killing when the need arose. She saw pure innocence that she wanted to drown in.

“No one has ever looked at me like you do, Byron.”

Amelia was pulled into her gaze, and the thought occurred to Byron, as it had many times, how easy it would be to compel Amelia to forget about her. Forget about what they meant to each other, and let Amelia go home and live a normal life. It would be the kindest thing to do for Amelia’s sake—she deserved so much more than a dangerous life with a vampire. Somewhere deep inside she knew that the day might come when she would need to do that for Amelia and walk away, but it would destroy all the good inside Byron, and allow the monster that she feared lived deep down in her soul to take over. She knew that.

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Series

Dapper

Hunger for You

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781635551686
  • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
  • Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Inc
  • Narrator: Nicola Victoria Vincent

Jenny Frame Online

If you enjoyed this book then you should also look at

The Midnight Hunt by LL Raand

I know that technically this is mostly a werewolf book, but it has similar elements and a vampire character that becomes a more important character as the series goes on.

 

 

 

 

 

Note: I received a free review copy of Hunger for You by Jenny Frame. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site