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Daughter of the Wildings #2
Bad Hunting
Once a hunter of renegade mages, now he's the one being hunted.
Silas and Lainie have defeated the dangerous rogue mage who brought Lainie's hometown to the brink of open warfare. But the town of Bitterbush Springs isn't big enough for two wizards, or even one, so they've hit the trail. Married now and on the wrong side of the mages' law themselves, they just want to find a good bounty and stay out of trouble.
Then Silas gets word that another mage hunter down in the dry and desolate Bads is onto something big and needs backup. The money is good, and Silas can't turn down a fellow hunter in need, so he and Lainie head into the badlands, only to discover one mage hunter dead and another one missing. And if they can't find the killer hiding in the vast, trackless desert, Silas could be next.
Book 2 of Daughter of the Wildings, western-inspired fantasy filled with magic, adventure, and romance. Contains language, violence, and mild to moderate sensual content.
This is an alternate cover edition for B00TSQX0EU
Silas and Lainie have defeated the dangerous rogue mage who brought Lainie's hometown to the brink of open warfare. But the town of Bitterbush Springs isn't big enough for two wizards, or even one, so they've hit the trail. Married now and on the wrong side of the mages' law themselves, they just want to find a good bounty and stay out of trouble.
Then Silas gets word that another mage hunter down in the dry and desolate Bads is onto something big and needs backup. The money is good, and Silas can't turn down a fellow hunter in need, so he and Lainie head into the badlands, only to discover one mage hunter dead and another one missing. And if they can't find the killer hiding in the vast, trackless desert, Silas could be next.
Book 2 of Daughter of the Wildings, western-inspired fantasy filled with magic, adventure, and romance. Contains language, violence, and mild to moderate sensual content.
This is an alternate cover edition for B00TSQX0EU
179 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2015
11 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Kyra Halland
33 books96 followersKyra Halland has always loved fantasy. She has also always loved a good love story. She combines those two loves by writing the kinds of romantic fantasy novels she loves to read, tales of magical worlds where complicated, honorable heroes and strong, smart, feminine heroines work together to save their world - or their own small corner of it - and each other.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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June 25, 2023RTC
November 2, 2016
This is the second book in the ‘Daughter of the Wildings’ series, and I loved the first, ‘Beneath The Canyons’, when I read it last year. What do you know, this one is even better. Part of the fun is the genre mash-up - if you’ve ever wondered what a western would look like if you threw wizards and magic into the mix, wonder no longer. This has all the traditional elements of a western - desert badlands, saloons with swinging doors, gun-slinging bad guys, dust storms, horses and big hats. But it also has two or three different kinds of magic, some strange blue-skinned creatures who are probably not human and a whole heap of conflict between the different magic users.
The world-building is a strength of the series, and although each story seems to be no more than a simple adventure, each book pulls back the curtain a little to reveal more of the politics going on behind the scenes. There are enough factions and hidden agendas to fuel a far more epic work, but the author weaves the detail seamlessly into these rattling good yarns so it never feels heavy.
The two main characters, Silas and Lainie, have a wonderful old-fashioned charm about them. Silas is a gentleman who worries about Lainie and wants to protect her, while also respecting her. I loved that he was constantly thinking about her welfare, and worrying whether he was doing the right thing. Lainie is a perfectly capable woman with her own magic, but the author resists the temptation to turn her into a kick-ass warrior-babe. Instead, she only intervenes when absolutely necessary. And both of them take their turns at being rescued from disaster, or, sometimes, rescuing themselves.
The plot - well, there’s not much to it. Silas is summoned to help out a fellow mage, only to find him dead, along with a third mage. Then the hunt is on to find the killer and deal with him before Silas ends up as the next one to die. Along the way, Silas and Lainie work out a few wrinkles in their still-new marriage. But really, the pleasure of this series is the wonderful western-with-magic setting. My only complaint - it’s very short, only 120-odd pages, and the last 10% of the book is a teaser chapter of book 3 and other advertising.
For anyone starting with this book, there’s enough backstory dribbled out along the way to explain everything, but I recommend you start from the beginning for maximum enjoyment. This is one of the most entertaining fantasy series around, and I loved every moment of it. I wouldn’t normally hand out five stars for something this light and easy-to-read, but dammit, it was just so much fun! Five dusty, bullet-riddled stars.
The world-building is a strength of the series, and although each story seems to be no more than a simple adventure, each book pulls back the curtain a little to reveal more of the politics going on behind the scenes. There are enough factions and hidden agendas to fuel a far more epic work, but the author weaves the detail seamlessly into these rattling good yarns so it never feels heavy.
The two main characters, Silas and Lainie, have a wonderful old-fashioned charm about them. Silas is a gentleman who worries about Lainie and wants to protect her, while also respecting her. I loved that he was constantly thinking about her welfare, and worrying whether he was doing the right thing. Lainie is a perfectly capable woman with her own magic, but the author resists the temptation to turn her into a kick-ass warrior-babe. Instead, she only intervenes when absolutely necessary. And both of them take their turns at being rescued from disaster, or, sometimes, rescuing themselves.
The plot - well, there’s not much to it. Silas is summoned to help out a fellow mage, only to find him dead, along with a third mage. Then the hunt is on to find the killer and deal with him before Silas ends up as the next one to die. Along the way, Silas and Lainie work out a few wrinkles in their still-new marriage. But really, the pleasure of this series is the wonderful western-with-magic setting. My only complaint - it’s very short, only 120-odd pages, and the last 10% of the book is a teaser chapter of book 3 and other advertising.
For anyone starting with this book, there’s enough backstory dribbled out along the way to explain everything, but I recommend you start from the beginning for maximum enjoyment. This is one of the most entertaining fantasy series around, and I loved every moment of it. I wouldn’t normally hand out five stars for something this light and easy-to-read, but dammit, it was just so much fun! Five dusty, bullet-riddled stars.
April 19, 2015
'Bad Hunting' is the second book in Halland's excellent fantasy western Daughter of the Wildings series. Lainie and Silas are newlyweds and are both mages and bounty hunters. They enter the badlands on a job but things get risky for them both when they find out someone is killing mage hunters.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I found this book even better. The world building is excellent - I love the mix of fantasy and western - and it feels fully formed in both aspects. There's also a perfect blend of action/adventure and romance/character development. I love the characters and look forward to following them on their next adventure!
Overall this is an excellent read and I would recommend it to fans of fantasy, adventure and romance. Cant wait for the next book!
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I found this book even better. The world building is excellent - I love the mix of fantasy and western - and it feels fully formed in both aspects. There's also a perfect blend of action/adventure and romance/character development. I love the characters and look forward to following them on their next adventure!
Overall this is an excellent read and I would recommend it to fans of fantasy, adventure and romance. Cant wait for the next book!
May 22, 2021
Maybe I shouldn't have bought the entire series...
Well, this wasn't great. It was really plain and lacked mystery. The villain didn't make any sense.
I've grown tired of the term "sheep-humper" and men threatening Lainie with rape. It's unimaginative in my opinion.
Still don't like the overuse of magic creates a need, if you catch my drift. He was still bound and half knocked out but she got what she needed...I guess. It was just weird.
Also feel as if they're relationship skipped all the good parts. We skipped the growth. The only thing she really seems worried about is not being pretty enough for him.
Well, this wasn't great. It was really plain and lacked mystery. The villain didn't make any sense.
I've grown tired of the term "sheep-humper" and men threatening Lainie with rape. It's unimaginative in my opinion.
Still don't like the overuse of magic creates a need, if you catch my drift. He was still bound and half knocked out but she got what she needed...I guess. It was just weird.
Also feel as if they're relationship skipped all the good parts. We skipped the growth. The only thing she really seems worried about is not being pretty enough for him.
July 22, 2024
Still an enjoyable series with many of the same qualities as the first book. The style is easy-going and not too serious. There’s a few sexual references and an attempted rape but nothing explicit and the rapist is suitably creepy. Just a tad tiresome that Silas continues to be a bump on a log during the “final battles,” but I’m curious how the Sh’kimech will end up playing into all this
March 2, 2025
There's not just one type of magic in the world. The same applies to the mages who use the magic. For Lanie and Silas it is a learning experience. An experience where danger is always there, deceit is always there, and who can you trust?
The result is action in the country which would just as soon kill you as let you pass through.
The result is action in the country which would just as soon kill you as let you pass through.
October 7, 2023
Bad Hunting picks up where Beneath the Canyons left off. Silas and Lainie are putting as much distance between themselves and the Mage Council as they can whilst Silas starts to teach Lainie how to harness her magic. But then Silas receives a request for aid that throws them into the hunt for a deadly mage who seems to have his sights set on Silas.
Bad Hunting felt a little more rushed than Beneath the Canyons, but I still enjoyed it. It possesses the same balance of western and fantasy charm as the first entry into the series and leaves me with enough questions that I want to delve further into the world. Character wise Silas is still my favourite, he just feels a lot more developed than Lainie and (whilst I have read enough romance heavy books to understand the conventions) Lainie’s insecurities about Silas’ feelings really bug me at times. She has already shown us that she can be a real bad arse and she has unique and very powerful magic but there are moments when she just loses that spark and feels a bit immature. I am hoping that she’ll get more chances to shine in the future because there is so much room for the growth of her character and I can’t wait to see where Halland takes the story next.
If you enjoy fantasy with a western flavour and a healthy dose of romance then Daughter of the Wildings might be a series worth giving a go.
Bad Hunting felt a little more rushed than Beneath the Canyons, but I still enjoyed it. It possesses the same balance of western and fantasy charm as the first entry into the series and leaves me with enough questions that I want to delve further into the world. Character wise Silas is still my favourite, he just feels a lot more developed than Lainie and (whilst I have read enough romance heavy books to understand the conventions) Lainie’s insecurities about Silas’ feelings really bug me at times. She has already shown us that she can be a real bad arse and she has unique and very powerful magic but there are moments when she just loses that spark and feels a bit immature. I am hoping that she’ll get more chances to shine in the future because there is so much room for the growth of her character and I can’t wait to see where Halland takes the story next.
If you enjoy fantasy with a western flavour and a healthy dose of romance then Daughter of the Wildings might be a series worth giving a go.
March 26, 2023
Purchased the first three book box set from Amazon for $6.44 with the tax on February 9, 2023. Magical bounty hunters with greed superimposed on the old west. Good character development some well-developed evil villains.
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March 11, 2021The further adventures of Silas Vendine, mage bounty hunter, and Lainie Banfrey, mage-in-training, featuring one of my very favorite villains :D Silas and Lainie are trying to feel their way around the relationship they suddenly find themselves in while, at the same time, hunting down a dangerous and mysterious villain; in the meantime, strange things are afoot in the settled land of Granadaia.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews