Veena’s review of Cross Breed (Breeds, Book 32) by Lora Leigh
Urban Fantasy published by Berkley 25 Sep 18
Elizabeth’s Wolf, Book 3 in the Breed series, first introduced an enchanting little girl named Cassie. Since then we’ve watched her grow up into a formidable person, an expert in Breed law and a symbol for Breeds worldwide. Ms. Leigh has tantalized us with notions of who Cassie’s mate might be, dropping hints along the way but keeping his identity well hidden. Even as my interest in the series overall has waned, I still wanted to see how her romance played out.
Cassie is a cross breed born of a human mother with wolf and coyote DNA. Dash Sinclair, the wolf alpha and special forces soldier who rescued and mated her mother, is her biological father and responsible for her wolf half. How that came to pass is still a mystery; perhaps these secrets will be revealed in future books. Cassie not only has a guardian angel who has kept her safe but is a determined little angel herself, keeping all her emotions buried deep in her psyche. Watch out for the explosion when it comes…
In many ways the veil is ripped off when Cassie mates with someone who the leaders of her world consider a possible enemy. The elitist attitude of the enforces who seem ready to lay their lives down for her seem to change in a blink and we learn it’s all been a façade that Cassie has maintained. Her mate is a coyote, which readers have known since an early book when Cassie has a foreshadowing that he means to kill her. Ms. Leigh takes us back to some of those moments from her earlier books and expands on them as a part of her prologue to this book. Even so, his identity comes as somewhat of a shock to readers but is not well received by the Breed council and will require all of Cassie’s knowledge of Breed law and persuasion skills to win her right to her mate.
There are many interesting sub-plots designed to keep readers coming back for future books, and all the familiar ingredients, such as the mating heat and the endless sex, all have a place within the story. We finally get to meet the guardian angel(s) who has guided Cassie and kept her safe all her life. Readers should definitely get a kick out of this reveal.
I’m happy to finally read Cassie’s book. It’s a well-executed story with some interesting twists that will make you sit up and take notice, but my disappointment is that with the mating heat element, the romance in the relationship is lost.
Grade: B
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…
