Veena’s review of Leopard’s Blood (Leopard Series, Book 10) by Christine Feehan
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 24 Oct 17
This series is usually heavy on the sex and light on the story, which leaves me somewhat on the fence with regard to rating and my overall enjoyment of the story. This book, I am pleased to report, has a story that will keep readers engaged with the right touch of passion and between-the-sheets action. Unlike a lot of the earlier books that focus on the emergence of the leopard, Sonia’s leopard has already emerged and that too at the nick of time to save her from an attempt on her life by the Russian mob. Hidden in the swampy interior of the Louisiana bayous, Sonia is successfully living off the grid until her leopard goes into heat, attracting the new crime lord Joshua Tigre and his male leopard. Successfully mated during the seasonal heat, Sonia still does her best to keep her distance from man and leopard.
Joshua has suffered his own share of heartache and fury growing up in an abusive household and then escaping into the forests of Borneo. Despite his strong dominance and crime lord status, Joshua displays a rare sensitivity in his attempts to woo and win over Sonia, even holding his oh-so-dominant leopard in check. There is definitely a very fuzzy gray zone in these stories as the good guys take on bad-boy personas and live in that middle zone, taking out some of the dregs of society but then taking their place in order to prevent a vacuum that will be quickly filled by new wannabe dregs of society.
Sonia is a strong, feisty character who definitely holds her own against the snarly male dominant leopards she’s surrounded by. The dialogue between Sonia and her leopard Gatita is very entertaining and keeps the reader engaged in what Sonia is feeling as she’s being herded toward Joshua. When it appears that Joshua might be keeping not-so-nice secrets regarding Sonia, Gatita is even willing to put her animal instincts on hold and chose Sonia over her mate. There’s enough action, both the guns and fist variety as well as between the sheets to round off the story.
I’m quite intrigued to see how the series evolves further.
Grade: B
Summary:
Though he was born into a leopard’s lair in the bayou, Joshua Tregre’s fighting skills were honed in the rain forests of Borneo. Sleek and deadly, he’s the perfect man to take over a crime syndicate back home in Louisiana’s lush swamplands. His razor-sharp instincts give him an edge in the violent underworld he knows so well, but even the watchful leopard inside him isn’t prepared for the threat that comes from the girl next door…She is a woman who can create beauty out of thin air—and out of the ruins of her own life. The games that dangerous men play have taken their toll on her, but she is bent, not broken. And it’s her fierce spirit that’s like a lure to Joshua, a temptation he can’t resist—even if it means bringing his true nature into the light…
No excerpt available.
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