The Awakening is a novella featuring Brandt and Maggie. This was the author’s first foray into the shifter genre, so she was just feeling it out… yeah right – Christine Feehan Ph.D. in Shapeshifting. This novella sets the stage for what will become Feehan’s highly coveted Leopard series. Brandt has always lived amongst a small shifter community in the rainforest and when he finally lures Maggie, his mate, into visiting the place of her birth – fireworks! Think rainforest conservation, kidnapping victim rescue, big game hunting, gun toting bandits, testosterone leopard growling, shapeshifting, and intense mate emotions – and that is only a smidge of the bounty in this series. I wish we could have gotten more of a back story on Brandt, but this isn’t a full-length novel and we did briefly meet some of his various jungle friends – intrigued… I could not wait to start the second book, which happened immediately because I bought both together in Fever!
I assumed book two would showcase one of Brandt’s friends that live around their community, however, Wild Rain is Rio’s story and he is, shall we say, not welcome where the elders reside… He puts his life on the line rescuing victims from cruel bandits like Tomas. Rio is close with his unit and yet still very much alone (for reasons I can’t mention…). I liked his character immediately – and then Rachael invades his lonely existence! She is a survivor, loyal, and intelligent enough to recognize Rio’s true worth. As usual, Feehan fills her books with a memorable cast. The supporting characters are really just main characters surrounding the storyline – which means there is never a moment, a conversation, an intense look, or a beat of silence that is not riveting. Why I ever thought to skip this series is beyond me! Excited to see where Feehan’s shifters take me next!!
I hope you enjoyed this review! I will be adding reviews to the Leopard series as I’m able to fit them in. I’ve included Amazon.com links to both books below as well as Fever in case you want a two for one like I did. Remember to Subscribe Now to receive notifications when I post reviews.
