Archive for the ‘Shape Shifter’ Category

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WILD THINGS BOOK 1: COUGAR
Beverly Rae
ISBN: 978-1-60504-945-8
Kindle ASIN: B0037BS2HM
March 2010
Samhain Publishing
Erotica/Shape Shifter
Erotica/Ménage
eBook

Werecat Chase Reyna has been sent to the Shiloh Hills Ranch to learn to work with humans. He never expected to find a human like Shannon Tally- he wants to possess her in every way. Shannon has other ideas in mind, however. She’s been burned once before by a man and is playing the field. Chase attracts her attention, but so does werewolf Dirk Claxton. Can Chase get past his inhibitions to enjoy some wild sex and perhaps even find his mate?

COUGAR is HOT HOT HOT! The attraction between Chase and Shannon practically sizzles off the page… and then if that isn’t steamy enough, Dirk adds another dimension making this story quite spicy. Beverly Rae does a marvelous job at handling Chase’s inhibitions, both sexually and in regards to the various races. Chase matures as the story progresses, learning to appreciate the differences of others as he enters into a ménage with a human and a werewolf.

COUGAR is an interesting take on the theme of an older woman on the sexual prowl. The focus is mainly on the relationship and trust that develops between Chase, Shannon, and Dirk. Beverly Rae makes the passion between these three seem believable and real, drawing the reader into one scorching hot story.

THE SHADOW WRANGLERS BOOK 1: CALEB
Sarah McCarty
978-0-425-23057-2
October 2009
Penguin Putnam/Berkley Sensation
Erotica/Vampire
Erotica/Shape Shifter
Trade Paperback

Allie hopes to seduce Caleb Johnson, but little did she realize Caleb is hiding a secret. Unfortunately, Caleb’s life as a vampire is about to change everything for Allie as she is about to learn about the vast paranormal world that surrounds her. Will Allie’s physical attraction to Caleb grow stronger, even as forces seek to separate them forever?

CALEB should have been good. I’ve read other books by Sarah McCarty and enjoyed them and the idea of vampire cowboy had so much potential. Unfortunately, potential is about all it had, as the resulting storyline is confusing while the heroine is flat out annoying. In fact, it seems like Sarah McCarty had so many good ideas she tried to cram them all into one book, creating a perplexing mishmash of a plot.

Let’s start with Allie… seriously, what woman would listen to voices in her head without questioning the need for medication? Instead, Allie follows the direction of these voices, even guessing correctly that Caleb was helping her- although later there are other voices magically popping into her head. Not only is there no explanation for why she is hearing voices, but her willingness to follow the voices is never put in any believable context either. Worse yet, she continuously whines throughout the book to the point I wondered what on earth Caleb saw in her.

However, if the world building had been entertaining, I could have ignored Allie’s annoying personality. Unfortunately, the story seems to skip many essential elements that would have made it understandable. The rules seemed to change from moment to moment or vampire to vampire, making it confusing to figure out exactly what the boundaries of this new world were. I kept looking back to see if I’d missed something, as even basic conversations seemed to be lacking vital information.

CALEB is a story with a lot of unfulfilled promise. CALEB seemed to lose focus quickly, never truly developing a solid romance or crafting a paranormal world one could dive into. Sarah McCarty has demonstrated her talent at storyweaving in other books and this reviewer would highly suggest readers seek out some of her other books in order to appreciate those skills.