Desire Untamed
5 Stars
Synopsis:
Kara MacAllister has always lived a quiet life in a sleepy town but suddenly learns that she is the key to the survival of an entire race. Soon her life is threatened by a malicious evil and the only one she can trust is the man who arouses in her a fierce and primal hunger that threatens to consume them both.

Review:
Absolutely amazing read! The phenomenal story grabs you from the start and won't let go until the very end. On one or two occasions, I even began talking to myself about certain scenes or holding my breath in anticipation. There are several twists in the tale that keep you guessing and a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more.

The characters are very well developed. Some readers may find the names of the warriors a bit trite but I appreciate the symbolism behind them and the way the names reflect their individual personalities. The romantic leads have a sizzling chemistry and the heroine can definitely stand up for herself in a house full of uber-alpha men. The hero’s backstory provides insight into his emotional distance; it was unfortunate that the heroine’s background is not as clearly delineated. However, as her story is central to the plot arc, this may come in subsequent books.

The writing is well-paced and engrossing. The sex scenes are cleverly merged into the plot and do not have that “tacked on” feel that characterizes some paranormal romance books.

Overall, this is possibly the best first book in a series that I’ve read and is a wonderful introduction to the continuing story. I really can’t wait to read the next one. ( )

A surprising wonderful read, lots of twist and turns. When I thought I knew where the story was going it picks up takes an unexpected turn. My feelings about this book changed drastically about halfway into the story. At the climax of the story I started to really like the Feral Warriors when I wasn't so crazy about most of them at first, that was one of the turns that this story took that took me by surprise. Now I want to see where these truly alpha males lives go from here. ( )

I think this book managed to hit almost all of my pet peeves in romances. The writing style was good, but I just couldn’t get behind most of the characters and a lot of the plot.

Our heroine, Kara, had very little control over anything that happened to her throughout the story. She’s controlled the minute Lyon, the hero, appears. He abducts her from her life and forces her to live with a bunch of his furry friends. Despite him abducting her, Kara is constantly running to Lyon for help and protection. Which happens a lot in the story. Meanwhile, Lyon is debating whether or not he's going to have to kill her for various reasons that pop up. So creepy. Kara is also forced into a relationship she doesn’t want because the magical blue light of doom proclaims that some random guy is her mate. And Lyon is again debating whether or not to kill her because she can't reject her pre-chosen mate for various reasons. Basically, Kara is just one big expendable pawn to the other characters. It was almost painful trying to get through the book with the way she's portrayed and how the others interact with her. It just disturbed me on too many levels. ( )

Desire Untamed

The Characters

Kara MacAllister
Lyon

The Story

It has been a while since a book has kept me up at night but this one did just that. I’ve had some rough mornings after staying up late trying to figure out just WTF was going on. There were so many things going on it’s a wonder Kara was able to keep her sanity.

The Random Thoughts

Another gem that has been sitting in my library for far too long. I’m glad I finally picked it up.

4 Stars ( )

Five millennia ago, The Therian race of shapeshifters joined forces with their magic-wielding enemies, the Mage, to defeat and imprison the High Daemon, Satanan and his horde.

Their duty is to protect the race, to hunt and destroy the draden, and most importantly, to guard the Daemon blade, in which Satanan are imprisoned.

They are the Feral Warriors.

I really enjoyed this first in a series story. Led by Lyon, the Feral Warriors are the last (nine) of the Therian race of shapeshifters. They need a Radiant, a female with the power to replenish the energy needed for them to shift into their animal forms. Since their last Radiant has just died, another female has been marked to take her place. The only problem is, they can't find her. Time is dwindling as are their powers, so they use up the last of their power to bring about Lyon's change since he's the Finder. The trail leads to Mississippi, where he finds Kara. But they're not out of the woods yet: Kara doesn't know she's a Therian and a Radiant and what that means for her. She has been raised as a human all her life, and more recently she's been caring for her dying mother. That is until Lyon comes for her and shatters her beliefs. Lyon's appearance in her home leads his mortal enemies, the draden right to her doorstep. With her mother dead and no where else to go, she allows Lyon to take her with him.

Lyon thought most of his problems would be solved once he found the Radiant, only he wasn't prepared to find her so cute and irresistible, and clueless. He doesn't have much time to explain everything to her or to prepare her for her new role. After she accidentally witnesses some of the warriors in mid shift, she's terrified, and rightly so. Not only do the warriors scare her, but something about Feral House amplifies her fear. The only person she seems to feel safe with is Lyon. He doesn't want a mate, but he's finding it increasingly difficult to resist her. Only the ritual of the Pairing will tell if she's the one for him. Finding her mate is necessary since he will be the one to guide her through learning her powers and help her ascend. But oh dear, things don't go as planned.

Lyon and Kara made a great couple with sizzling chemistry anytime they were in the same room. Lyon knew he had to stay away from her for obvious reasons, but I liked the fact that he placed her protection above the rules. Kara spent the majority of the book trying to escape and shirk her duties. Honestly though, I don't blame her. I wanted to smack Lyon upside the head so many times for not “listening” to her fears and feelings about the house and her nightmares. When he finally devised a sound plan to test her, I thought “about bloody time!” Towards the middle the drama starts to amp up, and my heart nearly breaks for her when Lyon makes a startling discovery and the consequences of that nearly get her killed.

There was a lot of out-of-the-ordinary sex in this book. Sex to flush out the taint of bad magic, sex to bring someone back to life, and sex as part of the Radiant's ascension with the other warriors present (but not looking) *chuckles* Regardless, the suspense and the passion make this a favorite for me. ( )