Fury of Obsession by Coreene Callahan

Fury of Obsession by Coreene Callahan
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook of this and I was underwhelmed. At first I was excited since it's interracial. The heroine is a beautiful, dark-skinned African American woman and the hero is a dragon shifter (Caucasian in human form) from Eastern Europe. I still dug that about the story even though I was overall disappointed.

I think that the major issue is that it was too derivative for me. I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood, and I like that it's had an impact on paranormal romance, but I would like to see an author inspired by these books to take to some diversions in storytelling that make their story more unique. While the author chose to inhabit her story with dragons of all kind, which was very cool, I felt like the style of storytelling, the number of subplots, and the set up of the group that Venom fights with is way too similar to the Brotherhood. There are characters that you can identify as certain BDB characters. Also, I feel that there is a lot of similarity to the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian.

Another issue I have with the story is the dropped plotlines. At the beginning of the book Evelyn is in trouble with some Russian gangsters. It's like that all goes away. I was really confused about that. And some of the point of views I could deal without. I don't mind if we see the villain's POV somewhat, but not if they're not that interesting. I would rather have a scene where Venom kicks the crap out of the Russian gangster.

The plot resolution suffered and failed to impress me. It was very anticlimactic. When the book ended, I was like, that's it? Yeah, I was pretty disappointed with this. I'm interested in the one character who reminds me of John Matthew before his transition, I think his name in Osgood. I'd definitely read his book.

Overall thoughts:

The dragon aspect, good.
Romance: pretty good. Sort of an instaluv vibe, but I can live with that.
Characters: Mostly forgettable.
Plotting: poor. Too many storylines.
Narration: I give the narrator some points for enthusiasm and style, but his Scottish accent was ferociously bad. Some of his European accents sounded like a campy version of Vlad Tepes aka Dracula. But I liked him despite that. He was having fun and that made me have fun.

Overall rating: 2.5/5.0 stars.

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Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this. I wasn't sure I'd get into the story, with both of the characters dealing with angst at their past failed matings. It was such a great book. I don't know why I was surprised because Nalini Singh is a fantastic writer. I've tended to be more of a Psy fan for a while, and the latest books in the series that were Changeling/Changeling mating weren't my favorites. However, this book broke that negative streak for me. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Psy storyline is so prominent! Riaz is a cool guy. He's a strong dominant, but he's also a very caring man. He comes off as being a jerk at first, but it's just him trying to deal with his soul-deep hurt. He's attracted to Adria, another dominant soldier in the SnowDancer pack. It's inconvenient and powerful. When she suggests they become lovers to deal with their need for skin to skin contact as changelings, he rebuffs her in a hurtful way. But he isn't able to stop his feelings for her. I liked how Nalini Singh dealt with the idea of fated mates not working out like one would expect. In this case, Riaz fated mate is someone else and he can't have her. Adria chose a partner who wasn't strong enough to handle her as a dominant female. It broke her heart. She's not in a position to fall in love again. I like that she isn't going to let Riaz walk all over her. He has to earn her trust and she does continue to guard her heart because of the fact that she's not Riaz's true mate. However, their love grows naturally and deeply. It's almost as though the whole concept of fated mates is turned on its ears in this book. But it's done so well, I was happy with the result. I loved how Riaz continues to woo Adria and show his love for her. The ongoing suspense story about the PsyNet breaking down--and Pure Psy's attempts to destroy it so that people can go back to their rigid and pure form of Silence--continues. This book follows up after Kiss of Snow and Sienna's manifestation as a powerful X-Psy, and what that means. Sienna and Hawke's relationship is still prominent in this book, but that's fine with me. I love them as a couple, and it's great to see how well things are going for them. The Arrows have their own plans in helping their people, and they form an alliance with Kaleb Krychek, a powerful Psy who has some motivations that aren't 100% clear. And there's some very good news for a past mated pair. This storyline just continues to grow and the connection between the Psy, Changelings, and Humans becomes more rich and complicated with each book. The Humans aren't the frail, ineffectual agents in this world that one might believe. Far from it. I'm so excited to read Kaleb, Vasic and Aden's book. When I started this book, I was mainly just reading it so I could make it to the next books, which are Psy-oriented. But I ended up enjoying this enormously.

Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this. I wasn't sure I'd get into the story, with both of the characters dealing with angst at their past failed matings. It was such a great book. I don't know why I was surprised because Nalini Singh is a fantastic writer. I've tended to be more of a Psy fan for a while, and the latest books in the series that were Changeling/Changeling mating weren't my favorites. However, this book broke that negative streak for me. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Psy storyline is so prominent!

Riaz is a cool guy. He's a strong dominant, but he's also a very caring man. He comes off as being a jerk at first, but it's just him trying to deal with his soul-deep hurt. He's attracted to Adria, another dominant soldier in the SnowDancer pack. It's inconvenient and powerful. When she suggests they become lovers to deal with their need for skin to skin contact as changelings, he rebuffs her in a hurtful way. But he isn't able to stop his feelings for her.

I liked how Nalini Singh dealt with the idea of fated mates not working out like one would expect. In this case, Riaz fated mate is someone else and he can't have her. Adria chose a partner who wasn't strong enough to handle her as a dominant female. It broke her heart. She's not in a position to fall in love again. I like that she isn't going to let Riaz walk all over her. He has to earn her trust and she does continue to guard her heart because of the fact that she's not Riaz's true mate. However, their love grows naturally and deeply. It's almost as though the whole concept of fated mates is turned on its ears in this book. But it's done so well, I was happy with the result. I loved how Riaz continues to woo Adria and show his love for her.

The ongoing suspense story about the PsyNet breaking down--and Pure Psy's attempts to destroy it so that people can go back to their rigid and pure form of Silence--continues. This book follows up after Kiss of Snow and Sienna's manifestation as a powerful X-Psy, and what that means. Sienna and Hawke's relationship is still prominent in this book, but that's fine with me. I love them as a couple, and it's great to see how well things are going for them. The Arrows have their own plans in helping their people, and they form an alliance with Kaleb Krychek, a powerful Psy who has some motivations that aren't 100% clear. And there's some very good news for a past mated pair.

This storyline just continues to grow and the connection between the Psy, Changelings, and Humans becomes more rich and complicated with each book. The Humans aren't the frail, ineffectual agents in this world that one might believe. Far from it.

I'm so excited to read Kaleb, Vasic and Aden's book. When I started this book, I was mainly just reading it so I could make it to the next books, which are Psy-oriented. But I ended up enjoying this enormously.

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Dark Hunger by Christine Feehan

Dark Hunger by Christine Feehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm just now getting back into reading the Carpathians after such a long break. This was a good start. About Riordan, the youngest De La Cruz brother and Juliette a member of the jaguar shapeshifting species, this is a steamy and action-packed short read.

It has all of the Carpathian aspects that one would expect to see. The manner in which a Carpathian male is brought back to life by his destined lifemate. I have missed all that ritual and the culture of the Carpathians. It was interesting how Juliette and Riordan work out their new matehood. Juliette comes from a species that is highly sexual and Riordan has to get past his jealousy that Juliette was with other men. He isn't a jerk about it, but it's definitely part of his nature to be highly possessive. He loves Juliette, so he accepts that this is part of who she is. It turns out that Juliette is an excellent match for him. Strong and independent, and sensual. Juliette has some serious baggage, due to the dysfunctional social dynamics of the jaguar, the way they abuse their women. She lives with her younger sister, Jasmine and her cousin Solange, and none of them are overly fond of men, with good reason. My mind went to the fact that despite their dislike of men, they had to do their thing because of their species, physical needs. Perhaps in a longer book, Feehan could have delved into that whole jaguar dynamic. It was interesting, and seems to fit thematically with my last couple of Feehan reads, which were in the Leopard series.

This is full of sensuality that Feehan writes so well, and the action is very good and well-integrated into the story. I love reading about all the abilities of the Carpathians, and they're uniquely tailored to this story about a Carpathian with a jaguar shifter lifemate. Of course, it does end abruptly, as a short story. It left me wanting more of Juliette, Riordan, Jasmine and Solange, so that's a good thing.

I went ahead and got this in Darkest at Dawn, in which it's accompanied by Dark Secret, a more controversial Carpathian book, although it's one of my favorites.

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The Awakening by Christine Feehan

The Awakening by Christine Feehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nice introduction to the Leopard series. I'm late reading this, but I finally got an opportunity. I splurged and downloaded Fever (a duology of "The Awakening" and Wild Rain, which I've already read. This took me a while because I was listening to it on Kindle Text-To-Speech at bedtime, and I kept falling asleep and having to rewind.

We learn about the Leopard shifters and how their society and physiology works. We're along for the ride as Maggie Odessa goes to the Borneo rain forest to find out about her birth parents. She's been lured there by Brandt Talbot, the man who happens to be her destined mate. He's known for some time that she was his mate (in their race they spend lifetimes looking for their mates). Maggie has no idea that she's a Leopard shifter. She's getting some feelings and physiological changes that don't make sense and are actually quite embarrassing, including some amorous feelings when that wasn't a problem before now.

At first, Brandt seems a bit stalkerish. I don't mind that if it's done well. It was a little weird in this book. He was stalking along beside Maggie in panther form when she arrives with some of the Leopard Men to their village. I was like, could you just say hi already? I was glad he finally introduced himself, and I think that he did come a little too strong at first. However, I liked that he realized that his love for Maggie meant that he had to make sure she was happy with being with him. I like that it wasn't going to be a foregone conclusion that she would accept him. He gave her the choice. Interestingly enough, I found Brandt quite a desirable contrast to the hero in Cat's Lair, who assumed and was willing to force his mate to accept him. I think that Maggie and Brandt are a really excellent match, although I didn't feel that way at all about the couple in "Cat's Lair."

I really liked that Maggie gained control of her change on her own, and I loved the scene when she changes for the first time. That was very well done. I felt like I was seeing and feeling everything along with her. The rainforest and its flora and fauna was beautifully rendered in Feehan's descriptive pose. I wouldn't love the humidity or the insects, but I would love seeing so much vibrant life firsthand.

This was pretty darn steamy. Less of the off color words that are in the newer books, but no less steamy. Great chemistry between Maggie and Brandt. Not hard to believe they loved each other, even in this short format.

The suspense aspect was a little weak, to be honest. Feehan was a bit preachy about the environmental message. Don't get me wrong. I'm 100% on board with conservation and environmental awareness, but I don't like when it comes off as a Public Service Announcement in a fiction novel. But overall, this was a satisfactory short story. I'll give it the full four stars.

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Cat's Lair by Christine Feehan

Cat's Lair by Christine Feehan
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

It took me a while to process my thoughts after reading this. I love Christine Feehan's books. She's got her quirks, for sure, but she is one of my autobuy authors for a reason. I liked this book, but I disliked some prominent aspects enough that I had to knock my rating down to 3.5 stars. I will try not to get too graphic in describing why, but I hope that no one is offended by any content in this review. I will refer to the hero as "the hero", because if I call him something else, it's a spoiler.

I am not an erotica fan when it comes to romance. This book has definitely crossed the line into erotica. In fact, some love scenes actually felt downright porny to me. There is actually too much sex in this book, and not because sex is not good or wrong, but it doesn't really add to the story after a certain point. Plus, some of the sex scenes were not appealing to my taste. Thankfully, there is no anal sex or content, but there were still some sex aspects I felt were not necessary in a romance novel. A lot of it ties into the hero's dominant proclivities. I know a lot of romance fans really like that D/s stuff, but I don't like it. I think it's counter to what I love about a deep, strong romantic bond. I like a mutual submission and I like that there's give and take and that both parties can be strong and gentle instead of one person always having the reins. I think that if a hero always wants control in the bedroom 100%, that says a lot about his personality as a partner, and that comes across loud and clear with the hero. I'm not for that in a relationship. If the author goes there, it needs to be well done, and so far, I don't think it's been done in a book to my satisfaction, not that I'm looking for that, because I'm not. In this book specifically, it was a big turnoff for me, more than anything else. Frankly, I love when the hero is all tough and lethal and growly, but the heroine has him wrapped around her little finger. That's really sexy to me. Not a hero who's always giving orders and wants control, even in the most intimate and safest of places, the bedroom. The bedroom needs to be a place of trust and absolute security. Not a place where the roles are so locked into place that it's all taking from one party (and I don't mean orgasms).

I have no problem with oral sex, but I don't like the forced/aggressive kind of aspect to it that has a certain name that won't go into on this review. There was another oral sex act that is straight out of a porno that I was like, "Not so much." I also don't like spanking used as punishment for a grown woman included in sex. Even if the heroine likes it, it feels wrong to me. Your mileage may vary.

I love stalkerific heroes like a house on fire. I like when the hero is crazy and even obsessed with the heroine. I find that highly appealing. But there is a limit to it in this way: I don't like when the hero is super-controlling or dominant. Especially in bed. And also in that he wants the heroine to live life according to his rules. I'm not against a hero who wants to protect the heroine and feels like he knows best. Especially if he does know more about keeping the heroine safe than she does. But he shouldn't feel like he has the right to administer corporal punishment if she fails to follow his instructions. I mean, Really???

I don't like that a hero always wants sex to be his way and feels like he has to train his heroine to accommodate his needs. In that sense the hero crosses the line with me. He made a point of saying that he was a rough man and he had certain needs. He had already determined that was his woman, and he would have to train her to his way of doing things. To me, that's not really showing love. Love is when you accept people for who they are essentially. You don't try to change them, making the assumption that they will like changing for you and doing things your way. He knew how Catarina grew up, but he didn't even try to gentle himself for her, considering that she had been in a controlling situation her whole life before him. While the hero did love Catarina, and he cared for her and made sure her needs were met, I felt their relationship was a 60/40 relationship, with the balance his way. Catarina is very young, and I can't help wondering if she's happy with the hero just because he's all she's known other than the life she ran away from. She loves that he focuses on her, compliments her and takes care of him, and is willing to accept his need for control. She loves what he does to her sexually, but how does she know she wouldn't like a more gentle lover? She doesn't. As she grows, I feel that she will eventually find that control to be a stranglehold on her. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

I loved Catarina. She was a cool heroine. I liked the aspect of her being a master chef and barista, and that she taught herself to read. I liked that she had found a home at the dojo and working in the cafe shop, her own life, what she deserved.. The hero frankly ruined that for her. I didn't mind that she was compliant and submissive. Truth be told, she was way too good for the hero. I think he needed to work harder to be worthy of her in my eyes. To clarify, I felt like she needed a different hero based on her past. The hero was a bit too much like the man she was running away from, and if that is the case, I think the resolution could have been stronger than how it occurred. There was one aspect I loved, because you could see how deeply the hero cared for the heroine at what happens near the end. I'm sorry that it took this, frankly. I think there needed to be more of a confrontation between the hero and Rafe, the man she was running away from. Instead, there was the big smack down but no words exchanged as humans. I would have loved seeing the hero hand the jerk the beating he deserved. I feel that Feehan always writes awesome heroines and I usually love her heroes, with rare exception. This hero is definitely an exception for me.

I always like the parts of this series where the hero and heroine run as big cats. I think that part was too short. I'm a cat fancier, and I always get a kick out of the H/h running free together. I would easily have sacrificed one or more love scene for more of this. It's one of the best aspects of this series. The animal nature is so integral to the characters, and it should be more of a plot element than making the hero require rough sex.

It was great to see Emma and Jake again. It made me want to reread Burning Wild again. I just might!

Despite its issues, this was a very readable book, and I couldn't hardly put it down. Feehan knows how to write paranormal romance and compelling stories. I think I expect a lot from her, so that's part of why I was disappointed with this book. I feel that the hero just didn't work for me, and the sex aspects were unnecessary and unappealing. I still have high hopes for Elijah's book. I have been wanting his story for a long, long time.

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Leopard's Prey by Christine Feehan

Leopard's Prey by Christine Feehan

My rating: 4.25 of 5 stars


Leopard's Prey is Remy Boudreaux's story and he lives up to the anticipation he built when he entered the scene the first time in Savage Nature.   It's been a year since I read a Feehan book, so Remy's book is a great way to break my fast.  I knew Remy would be 'something else,' the kind of hero only Feehan can write.  With Bijou, he gets the story and the heroine that I wished for. 

I will freely admit that the GhostWalkers is my favorite series by Feehan, and the others pale in comparison, so I make sure my expectations reflect the fact that all the redoubtable Ms. Feehan's writing gets measured against this series, because of my inestimable love for it. However, I am always very happy to get my hands on another book by her, since I just plain enjoy her writing. She has some interesting stories with characters I fall for and burning hot and emotional love stories.  That's what this romance fan loves.

Anyway, Leopard's Prey is steeped in Louisiana bayou atmosphere.  The characters are almost all natives of this region, and based on my short visits to this part of the United States, I felt like I was taking another trip down there and enjoying it, taking in the sights and sounds.  Additionally, the feel of family is strong in this novel.  The Boudreaux clan of brothers and sister, along with the larger Leopard Clan, are tightly bonded to each other, loving and teasing each other, sometimes in mean ways (but it's all in fun).  Bijou, who had just about the most dysfunctional childhood ever, needs a family like this, full of people who watch out for each other, even as they give each other a hard time.  

Bijou is the daughter of a notorious, yet beloved rock star.  This is very important to the story because it affects everything in Bijou's adult life and all her relationships. He failed her beyond measure as a parent, scarring her self-esteem and sense of confidence, despite her incredibly beautiful looks and formidable musical talent of her own. I really liked her character.  Despite her awful start in life, she's grown into a wonderful woman with a generous heart and a strong core, despite her insecurities.   Remy and Bijou have a long-standing and deep bond from an event a long time ago, when he saves her life as an eight-year-old, but their lives go in different directions. Remy is quite older than Bijou, but in some ways, she has as much to teach him and he does her.  Remy needs to learn the language of love that Bijou speaks. He takes it for granted that she night not understand how special she is, when she doesn't have that frame of reference at all.  Growing up the way she did, how could she? Remy knows intellectually that Bijou is clueless on their shared leopard heritage. However, he doesn't get that she might interpret the strong sexual attraction they share as merely a function of the Leopards' sexual needs and not any higher bond between them, or that she is special to Remy.  So a good chunk of the book is about them exploring their relationship and coming to understand just what it means on both sides to be together (paired to the murder mystery). 

Bijou and Remy had great chemistry. The love scenes are quite scorching.  Feehan makes a big deal about the leopard's need for rough sex, and it does veer in that direction, but nothing too out there or tasteless, in my mind.  I do roll my eyes a bit at the whole 'dominating' aspect of the love scenes, 'cause that's not my thing at all.  There is no question that Remy is a sexy beast though!  I like how Feehan uses the love scenes to show the different aspects of their relationship:  primal, affectionate, deeply emotional and fiercely intimate, and even playful.  I also appreciated how Feehan presents the leopard nature.  She gets the aspect of this big cat right, and it fits in with this story of human leopard shapeshifters. In some ways, this story reminded me of the film Cat People, but with a much happier ending that I always wished for.

I can only give this in the four stars region because I feel like this story could have been longer.   I felt like I missed something when it ended.  Maybe I am just very rapacious when it comes to books by this author.  She gets me hooked and I hate when the ride is over too soon. The story moves along at an expansive pace, and before I knew it, things were wrapping up.  For those who are following the Leopard storyline, this doesn't add a whole lot to the overall Leopard shapeshifter species arc from the beginning. It focuses on the Boudreaux family and the specific group in the Louisiana bayou.  Some of the original guys show up in cameos, which was cool. As far as the storyline, it was more of a murder mystery/romantic suspense with paranormal romance, and lacks as much action as some of Feehan's books.  I did think the mystery was quite suspenseful and the aspects of the murder was kind of gruesome and disturbing. The killer was not the person I expected at all (Well, I got this sick suspicion later on in the story and was hoping I was wrong). The reasons were very chilling for that person's actions, although there could be no palatable reason for what the murderer was doing.  

Although not a five star book, it was higher in the four star range, because I enjoyed reading it immensely, and I tried to savor reading it.  I could have done with more book, as I said earlier, so that takes off from my rating.  I couldn't subtract too much because of the high enjoyment factor.  I have so much fun visiting with Feehan's characters in the various series, and I admit the Leopard series did sneak up on me.  I loved Bijou as much if not more than Remy, which is saying something. She's a sweet woman, and you just want her to have her happy ever after. I'm glad that her prince is Remy and she's going to be a part of the Boudreaux clan and will get the family she missed out on.  I'm curious to see what Feehan comes up with next in this series.

Overall rating:  4.25/5.0 stars.



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Wild Fire by Christine Feehan

Wild Fire by Christine Feehan


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Okay, I'm not even going to front and give this book less than five stars. Is it perfect? No. Is anything in life perfect? No. Does that make life less enjoyable? No. So why shouldn't a less than perfect book get five stars if I thoroughly enjoyed it? So there. I loved this book, so that warrants a five star rating, even if I could state the obvious about Christine Feehan's writing style. Wordy and dense? Yes. Using words repetitively? Yes. Hot hero guaranteed to give the reader a fever? Yes. Incendiary chemistry and love between Conner and Isabeau? Oh, yes. Well, I get what I come for out of Christine Feehan's books, so I'm more than willing to put up with her writing quirks.

To be honest, I was a little worried when I saw the blurb for this book. I don't love reunited lovers stories. I do like stories where the hero and heroine met as part of a mission, and the hero had to seduce the heroine, and they have to deal with that to be able to sort out their relationship. So, I guess that balanced things out for me.

Conner is a great, great hero in this book. He's dark and dangerous, conflicted and tortured. He knows Isabeau is the woman for him, his only woman. There's no doubt in his mind. And that is not a factor in this book. The factor is that he believes she hates him because he betrayed her by seducing her to get to her father, and being part of the group that killed her father: hence his anguish. Also, there's the fact that his father was a complete jerk, abandoning his mate because she wasn't actually his true mate, and he couldn't stand the fact that he had bred Connor on a woman that wasn't his true mate. It makes no sense, does it? Well, Conner thinks he's completely bad and unworthy of his mate, although his cat tells him that she's his and doesn't want to let her go. I love the guys who are all twisted up inside, and that's Conner to a 'T'. I also loved what a good mate Conner was. Some really messed up stuff happens in this book between Isabeau and Conner, and he never blames it on her. It's all tied into the fact that Isabeau is coming into the Han Vol Dan, which is the first heat of the female leopard shifter, when they become able to shift. Something happens with one of the villains that causes this guy to stalk Isabeau, to potentially claim her as his mate. This guy is the lowest of the low, completely crazy, and he savages Isabeau. That was a horrible scene. Believe me. But the way Conner responded was so beautiful. I really liked him before that, and I totally fell in love with him at that point. A girl couldn't ask for a better mate.

Isabeau seems young and emotionally frazzled in this story. But then, she's dealing with a lot. Her father turned out to be a bad man, and Conner and his team were the good guys. But, he died violently, and she was there to see it. In her mind, this was all she could focus on, that and the fact that Conner had seduced her under an assumed name, and she fell for him. Her latent cat comes out and she scratches his face, marking him forever as her mate. But they end up parting, until Isabeau recruits Conner for a mission she thinks he's more than suited for, seducing a terrible female drug czar to infiltrate her compound, as he seduced her. Of course, Conner is not happy that his mate is expecting him to do this. But the alternative she gives him is that she seduce a guard to get in. And no way is he going to let any man near his mate. There's also the fact that children have been kidnapped and held for ransom by this evil woman. So Conner has no choice but to take the mission. And Isabeau is part of the group. This gives them the opportunity to spend time together, and to realize that although Conner lied about who he was, he didn't lie about his feelings for Isabeau. Isabeau has some insecurities about feeling she is what a dangerous, experienced man like Conner would want. But, there's no question about him wanting her.

I thought the Han Vol Dan plot, and how Isabeau was dealing with that, was fascinating. I couldn't imagine having this cat inside of me, who was a straight up hussy, flirting with all kinds of men, and wanting to 'get some' anyway she could, not to mention grumpy as all get out at times. It was an interesting dynamic, and it really helped to contribute to the complexity of this storyline. Isabeau showed a lot of growth over this book. She's not an alpha heroine, and that's okay. I liked her, because she did have a lot of inner strength, integrity, and depth of character. Her love truly helped Conner deal with his grief over his mother, who was killed by the rogue leopard shifter who wants Isabeau, and is working with Imelda Cortez. She doesn't belabor on her resentment about her father, and quickly comes to terms with the fact that her father was not a good man, even if he was a good father to her.

The love scenes were very steamy and well done. I did have a couple of WTH moments. I don't want to be graphic, but what's up with the 'piercing the cervix' part? Ouch!!! Is that supposed to be a cat thing? I could have done without that, thanks. Also, the whole, 'I'm dominant and I want you to do exactly what I tell you in bed' thing doesn't always float my boat. I didn't mind that so much, because Isabeau was fine with it, and Conner really cared about pleasing her, too. I guess it's just a personal taste thing when it comes to the D/s aspects. It wasn't over the top or anything.

I loved all the cat-shifting parts. I thought they were fantastic. I could vividly see the characters in their cat forms. I also loved the mating dance parts when Isabeau goes into her Han Vol Dan. The way Conner's leopard chases hers, and how they play together, and do other things. So well done.

This story is pretty violent. There are some dark and gritty aspects that might not work for a sensitive reader. Imelda Cortez is a really bad woman, and so are her colleagues. They are doing some awful stuff. This is not showed in detail, but you get an idea about how bad they are. And the showdown between Conner and Ottila, the leopard shifter who wants Isabeau? It had me on the edge of my seat. It was very violent and intense, but it absolutely worked for me.

There were also really good male-bonding moments in this book, which I think Ms. Feehan is so good at writing. Sexy Elijah (Rachael's brother who we met in Wild Rain) has a big role in this book, and we meet a new character, young shifter Jeremiah, who's out to prove himself. I think he will make quite the leading man in a later book in this series. Also, Rio from Wild Rain, plays a good-sized part in this book.

So, I've seen the lower ratings this book has gotten. I don't know if I just have lower standards, but I truly enjoyed this book. Although Burning Wild stands out about this book because of the iconic nature of Jake as a hero, I loved this book just as much, because of the relationship aspects between Conner and Isabeau, because of the fascinating and likeable characters, the darker storyline, and the phenomenal action scenes in this book. I have to admit, I like the whole drug cartel storyline--not sure why, but I did. This is really good shifter romance, in my opinion. I'm excited to read the following books in the series. Personally, I recommend this book. It might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it tremendously. Read this book if you are into cats!

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Wild Rain by Christine Feehan

Wild Rain by Christine Feehan


My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Although it had a little bit of a slow start, Wild Rain turned out to be another winner for me. I can see how Christine Feehan's writing style doesn't work for everyone. She is very wordy. But I like that she really puts a lot of detail into descriptions of the setting and the feelings of the characters. It adds to the atmosphere and the emotional intensity of her stories, which is why she's a favorite of mine.

Ah, the jungle descriptions. Simply gorgeous. I wanted to be there, so bad, except for the humidity and the nasty bugs (which she doesn't describe other than mosquitos). But all the plant life, the birds, the small mammals, the primates, and the big and small cats. It sounded like heaven to this animal and nature lover. And it was crucial to bring you into Rio's world: savage, yet beautiful.

At first, I wasn't sure what to make of Rachael. She was very guarded, very closed-off. Soon, I came to realize that this was a very important part of her self-defense. As the story unfolds, you realize just why Rachael has made a lifetime out of isolating and withdrawing herself, not allowing herself to feel deeply and to become involved with anyone or anything.

Rio, in contrast, is described as a man who feels his emotions deeply and honestly. He's not a crybaby or anything like that. No, he feels what he feels. He's not about denying things to himself to be tough. He deals with the lousy, and puts it into perspective. He was exiled from his people for an action he willingly committed. He is a loner, with few friends (only the men in his unit), and no one to love him. I loved that he was a tough, strong, deadly man, but he could be emotionally honest and available to his woman.

Surprise, surprise when he comes home to find a girl in his house. This part amused me, reminding me of Goldilocks. But there is a violent interaction that leads to Rachael's leg being badly injured by one of Rio's companion clouded leopards (who are as cute as the Dickens). He ends up nursing her, and falling in love with her in the process. I really liked the nursing scenes (probably the medically-trained streak in me).

There is a feeling of deja vu between the couple, as if they loved each other before. This left me a little confused. It wasn't attributed to reincarnation, but it was never explained why they felt that way. Were they merely soulmates who 'foreknew' each other, even to the point in which they knew what it felt like to make love to each other, and what pleased each other intimately? I never got clarification on that. But, it was a small thing, and I just went with it.

I was really pleasantly surprised with the reveal about who Rachael truly was, and her complicated relationship with her brother, Elijah. Pretty dark stuff. Fascinating, really. I don't see too many heroines coming from that background. That's a thing I love about Christine Feehan. She is not afraid of the dark subject matter. And, I think she handles it very well. Can I just say that Elijah was a hot one? He definitely has an antihero vibe along the lines of Rehv from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Very sexy and dangerous. He was a good counterpoint to Rio, who was also a very dangerous man, but very nurturing and gentle with Rachael, despite or because of his alpha-male tendencies. I'd love to see more of Elijah. He's so tortured. He deserves a happy ending.

Oh, the shapeshifting and cat parts! One of my favored aspects of this book. I am a huge aficionado of big cats. They have the beauty, the elegance, and so much grace, coupled with a lethality that makes them utterly fascinating. I think that Ms. Feehan clearly did a lot of research into the rain forest ecology, and into the species of leopards that she used in this book. It felt very real, and it was interesting, but never came off as disruptive natural history lectures. Being the nerd that I am, I had to look up the various species on Wikipedia, to see pictures of them and learn even more facts. But, yes, I truly enjoyed the cat/shapeshifting parts of the story. It was very well done. This book is on my list of favorites in this genre.

Although I read Burning Wild first, and I still like that one better, because Jake was so darn intense, and it was such a dark journey coupled with a strong, fascinating, beautiful romance; I really did enjoy this book. I can be honest and say that those who don't like certain aspects of Ms. Feehan's writing, will find things to quibble about. She does tend to overuse some words, but not the ones you're probably thinking of right now. And, as I stated earlier on, she is very verbose. I shrug it off. I am used to her writing style, and I go with the flow. I was very entertained with her vivid descriptions of the rain forest, animals, plants, and the beautiful, emotional romance between Rio and Rachael. I think this is an excellent series, and I cannot wait to read more.

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.


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