Sammy’s review of Cross Breed (Breeds, Book 32 ) by Lora Leigh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 25 Sep 18
I was waiting for this book very impatiently. I have been looking forward to Cassie and DOG’S! book. Yes, you read that right, fellow breed fans. It’s Dog. I know we have been pondering this pairing for years. It’s finally here, and Lora Leigh does not disappoint. I didn’t think I could love a couple as much as I love them. Sometimes when reading a large series such as this one, expectations are through the roof. The good news is that I really doubt anyone will be sad with this latest installment. From the first page to the last, it’s non-stop goodness with a lot of heart. I think I was more excited about Cassie than Jonas, and I happen to love Jonas very much. This story doesn’t have all the sometimes confusing story lines and pretty much sticks to the couple, which I was very happy with. If you’re new to the series, I think you would be okay jumping in at Meghan’s Mark. After that, if you are still in love, Lora Leigh is working on getting her earlier Breeds books back online, since her old publisher went out of business. In the meantime, you can start reading from Meghan’s Mark and see for yourself why it’s such a loved series.
Over the course of the books, Cassie has no idea who is watching over her. She knows he’s a breed and that’s it. You, the reader, know it’s her mate. Cassie, on the other hand, has no clue. She’s intrigued, she talks to him, asks him for favors – of course for a return favor. It’s this last favor that’s being called in. Because Dog rescued Cassie’s sister, Dog’s demand is that she meet him at a hotel. She goes in knowing that she’s giving up her virginity, but for her it was well worth it, because her sister is now safe from the Council. From the minute they are face to face, the chemistry is off the charts. Two Alpha, one Coyote, and the other a hybrid Wolf/Coyote are going to fog up your Kindle. Cassie is standoffish at first, but there is no denying her attraction to Dog. For Dog, he’s with his mate and he can’t wait anymore. He has been very patient these last six years, waiting for her to grow up. They discard any niggles and fall into some serious hot sex. Dog figures as long as he doesn’t kiss her, he won’t set off the Breed heat all mates go through. Boy, was he wrong, and I have never been so happy!
When Cassie finds out she’s Dog’s mate, everything is upside down in her life. You have to remember, the Breeds think Dog works for the Council. The entire race hates him and his pack mates. What she doesn’t know is that Dog works for Jonas deep undercover. She will eventually find this out, but first she has to convince her mother and father that she’s okay with this pairing before there is an out-and-out war among the Breeds. Dog and Cassie need to be by each other, because the only thing that helps the mating heat is sex, which, throughout the book, is very hot – and by “very hot,” there is an anal scene. Lora Leigh writes some very emotional sex. Every time these two characters have sex, it moves the story forward. It isn’t redundant. They each are coming to terms about their future. A future that may never be if Dog’s family has a say.
Dog, meanwhile, is trying to get his brethren out of the labs of the Council, a big rescue he’s trying to complete. Between him rescuing her sister and this new development of his mating status, it’s been hectic. Jonas, in the meantime with his right hand, is up to all kinds of shenanigans. We get Dog’s story of when he was younger and it’s heart breaking. We also learn about Cassie’s gift of talking to the dead and also who has been helping her all these years. Another tearjerker. Everything is coming to a head. Jonas’s right-hand guy questions the mating. He insists that she’s his mate, and with Dog’s past coming back to haunt him, things are not so clear.
Dog decides to break his mating bond to Cassie to keep her safe from his Senator Council bad dude grandfather, and this moment is what awakens Cassie”s dormant animal. It’s at this time when Cassie elevates herself from bad ass to kick ass. Her animal is an Alpha, a pure female Alpha with a siren’s voice. She can literally make the males do what she wants. Which makes sense in the past books when she’s arguing Breed laws. While her animal is on the surface, so are her talents and, boy, is that a sight to behold. Of course, she goes after him with the sole purpose to stick a knife in him. With the help of her father and a few familiar faces, they help Dog get out of that sticky situation.
My only complaint would be I wanted another 100 pages, because I just didn’t want to leave them. A really fun, fast, action-packed, steaming-hot book. I can’t wait for the next installment. I did leave some things out because you need to experience the greatness of these major moments between Dog and Cassie for yourself. Each page turn really elevated this couple to my number one spot.
Grade:A
See Veena’s review here.
Summary:
The Breeds are humans altered before conception with the DNA of the predators of Earth. But although they all carry the genetic material of beasts within them, Cassandra Sinclair stands apart. A unique mix of wolf, coyote and human, she is revered by many—but preyed upon by others. She is fiercely protected by her community…but no one manages to stop her when she slips away one day to offer her body in exchange for her sister’s safety.
The man she succumbs to surprises her by unleashing her inner animal in ways she never dreamed possible—and provokes her deep, furious rage. To Cassie’s shock, he is the mate she has long awaited. She may never be able to forgive his deception. Still, as dangerous enemies track her, and as the threat of all-out war between Breeds and the humans who despise them hovers in the air, they must join forces and hold fast to each other.
But the passionate union between them holds a potential that could change the world—and some will do anything to stop it…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
