Publication Date: June 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-166751-0
Page Count: 363
My Rating: ★★★★★

Summary

They are called Feral Warriors—an elite band of immortals who can change shape at will. Sworn to rid the world of evil, consumed by sorcery and seduction, their wild natures are primed for release . . . Kara MacAllister's quiet small-town life is transformed forever the night a powerful stranger rips her from her home, claiming she is the chosen one—the key to his survival. Spiriting her away into the rain-soaked night, Lyon reveals a truth Kara can barely credit. She's immortal, and the only one who can save his race. And deep within her, he arouses a fierce, primal hunger beyond anything she's ever imagined. But only when their lives are threatened by an ancient evil will Kara and Lyon realize they have found a love they would risk their immortal souls to claim . . . and a powerful desire that could never, ever be tamed.

REVIEW

First off, let me just say that it's very rare for me to give a paranormal romance five stars. I usually don't find the plots strong enough to warrant it. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Not only was it scorchingly hot, but it also had me on the edge of my seat following the action and drama as it unfolded. My attention was glued to the pages, and I felt restless all day at work wanting to get back home to pick up where I'd left off.

(Darn real life getting in the way of my reading again!)

Having said that, in the first 20 pages or so I did have a momentary panic that I was noticing way too many similarities to other paranormal series I've read... the band of warriors living in a mansion together, the funny names/nicknames, searching for a female that bears the "mark". All these things have been done before in various guises, so, as I said, I was starting to get a little worried. But I needn't have feared. About 50 pages into the book the author throws us a complete curve ball and from there on the plot proved unpredictable and totally gripping.

We start out right in the thick of the action and are quickly introduced to the nine Feral warriors: Lyon, Vhyper, Tighe, Paenther, Wulfe, Foxx, Jag, Hawke and Kougar. Cheesy names, I know, and I don't care! Although I did keep wanting to sing "Thundercats are on the move. Thundercats are loose". But maybe that's just me...

There is a sense of hopelessness amongst the Feral Warriors at the beginning of the book. They are so long without a Radiant - a female of their race and their sole source of power - that they are no longer able to Shift. The leader of the group, Lyon, must use his super duper sensing powers to find the next Radiant before it's too late and their race dies out all together.

Lyon's search takes him to Kara MacAllister's kitchen. Their chemistry is instantaneous, but I'm pretty sure he could have worked on a better opening line than "Bare your right breast" ...I'm just sayin'. It certainly got her attention, though! Yet when Lyon attempts to take her with him back to Feral House, he soon learns she's a woman with ideas of her own.

Kara was very likeable. Despite the fact her entire world has been turned upsidedown, she manages to keep her head. Even when it seems that every other second another shock is sent her way, or she's told of another archaic ritual she has to participate in. I liked her a lot

Lyon is strong, yet gentle. Not a tortured hero, exactly, but definitely a lonely man. Something he hadn't really realised until Kara came along. The author describes the longing and strength of feeling between these two really well. Although their connection came quickly, I found it was believable.

The romance was very hot, leaning slightly more towards the erotica side of the scale than the pure romance side. Although that's not to say I didn't find some of the scenes romantic, I did. In essence, there was a good balance between the heated, blush-inducing scenes and the heart-warming scenes. But if I'm being totally honest, the public sexual rituals I found to be a bit icky.

All in all, this was a fantastic read. I'm so glad to discover this series, and I can't wait to get onto the next one, Obsession Untamed.