Sunday, May 27, 2012

Tempting the Beast (Breeds #1) by Lora Leigh

Callan Lyons is a genetic experiment. One of six fighting for freedom and the survival of their Pride. Merinus Tyler is the reporter who will tempt him, draw him, until the fury of the "mating frenzy" locks them into a battle of sexual heat there is no escape from. Deception, blood, and the evil Genetics Council are hot on their trail. Callan will use his strength to try and save them both...and do all in his power to keep his woman in the process.

Type: Erotica/Paranormal Romance, Shifters (Feline)
Heat: 4 out of 5
Rating: 3 out of 5


Hhmmmm. Tempting the Beast is the first in the lengthy Breeds series by Lora Leigh. I read a bunch of reviews before jumping into the series and honestly wasn't sure what to expect. People seem to either really love it or really hate it. I ended up being kinda in the middle. It didn't blow me away but something about it will have me picking up the next book in the series. There are some aspects that I liked but there were also some parts of the story that drove me up the wall. 


Tempting the Beast is paranormal erotica so you can pretty much expect insta-lust and a sexfest. I really didn't mind either. Like I said, it was pretty expected. The barbed penis? Not so much but I figure if I could wrap my head around Elizabeth Amber's heroes that have two cocks then I could handle this too and, well, it seemed to work for the heroine so why not. 


The language was a little iffy on this one. If you don't like the word cunt then steer clear. It's used. Liberally. Eh. What got to me though were words like nubbin and frothing. Ya know? Just not sexy words. I'm thinking the intent wasn't to send me into a fit of giggles or ick me out but really what were they thinking?!
“But I might—” he bit out. “Tell me you’re not a fucking virgin.” 
“No, I’m not a fucking virgin. Virgins have yet to fuck, remember?”  
I did love the premise behind the series. A group of genetically engineered human/animal hybrids that were created to be killing machines. In hiding and being hunted by the very people who created them. And a group of reporters, the heroine's family, determined to expose the atrocities carried out against the Breeds. Not bad. I'm a big fan of kitty shifters too so I loved that the Breeds involved were all some type of cat. I also really enjoyed Callan, the hero. He does go a bit caveman but it's part of his nature and he's at least consistent and knows what he's doing even if he can't seem to stop himself. He also really cares about the people around him and will do anything to keep them safe. 
"You will drive me insane." His voice was resigned. 
Merinus was quiet for long moments. Funny, her father and brothers used the same tone of voice and the same words often. What the hell did she do?
Yeah, I pretty much felt the same way about Merinus. She's one of those classically too stupid to live heroines and annoyed the hell out of me for most of the book. She's incredibly naive and full of contradictions. She's brave and pushy then suddenly weak and petrified for no real reason. Is a complete sex kitten and a pro at oral sex her first time out but can't figure out how to masturbate. Really? She's terrified of Callan and stupidly putting herself in danger by running away and then *screeeecch* 180 and she's suddenly telling him she loves him and refuses to leave him. Teasing and completely unafraid of him. Uh, huh?! I swear I heard tires squealing in my head. Was a total WTH moment. I even flipped back thinking I'd missed a good chunk of pages. I still don't know what the hell happened. And then after that she's almost normal and stable with her behavior. Was such an odd transition in their relationship. 

Government cover-ups, betrayal, strong family bonds. I could have done with a little less sex and a bit more storyline but for PNR erotica it wasn't bad. I'm not quite 100% on board with the series but I'm going to give the next couple a try. Leigh did do a good job of getting me curious about some of the side characters like Merinus's brother and setting up potential storyline arcs. 


Get your copy:    Amazon    Barnes&Noble 

Have you read the Breeds series? What's the strangest thing you've read in PNR/Erotica?

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