Review - Unclaimed by Sara Humphreys

Unclaimed

Sara Humphreys

Sourcebooks, Casablanca

December 2013

Tatiana Winters is the Dr. Doolittle of veterinarians. No, she doesn't speak to her patients but she can read their physical or emotional states. She believes it's because she's a hybrid Amoveo but,  other than that, she wants nothing to do with her heritage. She doesn't want to be hunted by the purists or the Caedo and she certainly doesn't want any part of the 'fated' mates she's heard about. She wants the love of her life to be…well, the love of her life not the fellow that destiny chooses for her. The best way, she thinks, to accomplish this is to stay as far away from anything Amoveo as possible. Then she's approached to help the dying horses on the Amoveo Prince's Montana ranch. She can't ignore it and let the animals die even if she's more than reluctant to go.

Dominic Trejada is the chief Guardian, one of the elite protectors of the Prince's Montana ranch. He is desperate to find his mate before he loses his Amoveo powers but when he does find her, he finds a hybrid who wants nothing to do with him or his people. As he comes to know Tatiana, he discovers that there's more to this 'fated' mate legend than he ever expected.

I enjoyed this book very much. The first meet between Tatiana and Dominic was cute…in a deadly sort of way (you'll have to read the story (which you should do) to find out what I mean). In fact, big, bad Dominic who I thought would be a simple Me-Alpha-Male-You-Puny-Female type turned out to be a complex and multi-faceted character. Yes, he was still Alpha but he was no caveman. Tatiana, too, was an interesting character though for me she was harder to understand. She had issues with the Amoveo, true, but were they enough to create her aversion to the species that she was part of? You'll have to decide for yourself. 

As their relationship grew, I could see Tatiana hesitating to accept her heritage but becoming brave enough to do so. But then treachery steps in and sends Tatiana running for cover again. Dominic was Alpha steady, focused on his mate and his role as a Guardian. That is...until he realizes he might have to choose who to protect...Tatiana or the Prince.

There's a great action plot, very interesting characters and hot and tingly sex scenes. What more can you ask? All in all, this is a terrific read and will make a nice gift for yourself or the reader on your list. 

Review - A SEAL Wolf Christmas

A Seal Wolf Christmas

Terry Spear

Sourcebooks, Casablanca

October 2013

Navy SEAL Bjornolf (Byee-or-nulf) Jorgenson has ghosted many SEAL teams in the past, saving lives without any recognition. But when he has the chance to ghost Hunter Greymere's team to rescue a kidnapped family deep in the jungle, he jumps at the chance. Not that he's interested in she-wolf Anna Johnson, an adept operative almost as skilled as he is but she intrigues him on every level. It's understandable why he'd volunteer to do a covert Christmas mission with her…even if it means trying to parent a teen-aged wolf through the season.

Christmas isn't Anna's favorite holiday. But to make it worse, she has to pose as Bjornolf's wife while trying to act like a mother to an orphaned teen-ager. But with a mysterious murder at a nearby Christmas tree farm, Anna is resolved to find the killer and get the mission over with. She's not interested in the sexy wolf SEAL she's been partnered with even if the chemistry between them is volatile.

I am so addicted to Terry Spear shifters (wolf or jaguar) that I had to read this book multiple times just because I could. In true Terry Spear fashion, there's adventure, mystery, love and personal pasts to overcome. Bjornolf is one of my favorite wolf shifters (I may say that about each one of Spear's shifters) but that's understandable. He's strong and handsome, gentle when he needs to be and ruthless when the situation requires it. Plus he can shift into a wolf! Anna is no slouch either. Her painful past digs and worms its way in tendrils throughout the story and when it's finally revealed the reader can feel her pain and grief. That's brilliant.

My recommendation … get yourself a copy of A SEAL Wolf Christmas and when your shopping is done, put your feet up with your favorite beverage beside you and enjoy yourself.