Lora Leigh ~ Tempting The Beast (Feline Breeds 1)
From: Ellora’s Cave

Merinus Tyler is a young reporter hot on the trail of the story of a lifetime. Little does she know how quickly the tables will be turned and the genetically enhanced Callan Lyons, her story of a lifetime, will soon be hot on her trail.

Once upon a time there was a little Romance ePub that realized one thing that would make it into a powerhouse of internet publishing. Sex Sells! Sex sells even better with a good story. I did this review for BevQB but I also think it is interesting to bring up a eBook I think represents Ellora’s Cave in their prime. The Glory Days. Before the current mess they are in. I think this eBook is a fine example of a style of writing that could easily be made fun of for it’s formula approach. It’s not even all that original really just a twist on the old Werewolf Romance that has been going on in the mainstream for years. The thing is Lora Leigh has a real talent for making her formula addictive and highly readable. I mean really addictive! I can start with this eBook and before I know it I am reading the entire series or at least as much of it that is available on Ellora’s Cave… or is that Lora’s Cave? Did you follow that linky there? See, even Amazon plainly shows that after all these years Ellora’s Cave is making big bucks off Lora Leigh books.

Merinus woke up aching the next morning. Not the flu or summer cold kind of ache. The utterly female ache of needing a man. How a virgin was supposed to know what that ache meant, she wasn’t certain. But there was no doubt that was the cause of it. Her cunt was slick and creamy, her panties damp, too damned damp to suit her. Her breasts were swollen, her nipples distended and hard, and she could have swore she tasted cinnamon on her lips.
Her lips were sensitive. She ran her tongue over them. They weren’t swollen, just sensitive enough for her to be very aware of them. Then she remembered the night before. She frowned, her brows snapping together in instant ire. Damn him. He hadn’t even stuck around long enough to wake her up?
She jerked to an upright position, then groaned roughly as her sore muscles protested the effort. Oh hell, now that just hurt. There was no cause for those bastards to act that way. She groaned roughly as she reached for her cell phone. Kane was supposed to take care of this.
She keyed his number in swiftly as she stood to her feet. Waiting on Kane to answer, she shed her clothes and pulled on a big, soft cotton T-shirt until she could get to a hot shower.
“Where the hell were you last night?” His voice came over the line with a stern, cranky tone.
“Watching soldiers,” she informed him tensely, knowing better than to tell him the truth. “There are two on the ridge above the Lyons’ house. I thought you had that taken care of.”
His contacts in the private and government sector put him in a place where he would have, or should have known those men were being sent out there. There was silence across the line.
“Damn,” he finally cursed quietly. “Pull out, Merinus. Someone’s gone to the trouble to hide these bastards from me. I’ll bring Dad and we’ll come in—”
“And I’ll head for another paper at the first offer,” she cut in. “You aren’t pulling me off this, Kane.”
“Dammit, Merinus, it’s not safe anymore.”
“So find out who they are and give them a call. Tell them you’ll rip their balls off and feed ’em to your favorite dog or something,” she suggested. “Make them pull back until I can finish this. Don’t start making excuses, either. I know you can do it.” Lora Leigh ~ Tempting The Beast

Tempting The Beast hooks me in every time. If there is one thing Lora Leigh excels at is spicing up what might have been a run of the mill Romance by throwing in some slightly taboo scenes that really do not cross the line but hint at a darker edge, a wilder passion so to speak. In this case domination and possessive mating sex and a bit of anal get a whirl.

So those are the good things about the Lora Leigh magic formula. The munchable crunchable can’t read just one Lora Lays.

Now some of the bad news…. In the Ellora’s Cave line up I can only give Tempting The Beast and Elizabeth’s Wolf really high marks and even then I have some reservations in Elizabeth’s Wolf that I think reveal my issues and that was plainly shown in the chapter where Lora forces a “Mickey Mouse Roll Call” of all the Feline Breeds characters. I say forced because if they were so worried about their survival and safety what are all the Feline Breeds doing showing up off the ranch to visit the new characters of this eBook? Why? Why do we really need to be re-introduced to characters we already know? It does not add anything more to their story and makes them all seem like idiots.

The logic, it burns!

The problem is that Lora falls victim to some of the worst of the modern “series” problems. Instead of Agatha Christie style, “one off” with a consistent main character but only occasional ongoing characters that visit from time to time, where any book can be read by itself, she goes all Tolkien where the stories were never meant to stand on their own and so trap the unknowing reader into reading them in a particular order if at all. The other problem is that makes the whole series stand or fall on how well they ALL work which is not going to end well the longer the series plays out.

The consecutive stories she tells have less and less ability to handle telling the main “story arc” and giving a satisfying Romance so each one in succession becomes weaker and weaker, a slave to her world building gone nuts to the exclusion of her writing strengths which in this case is the Romance.

Like with the Feline Breeds eBook Kiss Of Heat has maybe all of 4 chapters devoted to the main couple’s romance. The rest of the chapters are all about anything else but Romance. For a Romance eBook in my view, that is deadly.

So the Breed eBooks I give high marks to all have something in common. They either do not have the world building going nuts as of yet or they all out break from the main “story arc” to tell us about a couple not previously mentioned in the line-up. So there you have it. Good Lora Leigh for me is less “series” and has more “one off” characteristics.

My other problem as BevQB pointed out is attempting to read the Berkley Breed Books. The BIG TIME! Where Lora started to make the bucks. *YAWN* They take what I consider the later series weaknesses found in the Ellora’s Cave eBooks and instead of accentuating the good bits, the dark edgy love scenes, the sex for sex sake that by sheer volume starts enhancing the Romance, and they instead choose to play off the bad which means filler, fluff, and more filler galore and world building gone nuts to the exclusion of all else that no one in their right mind wants to read. Berkley in my opinion de-clawed our Lora Leigh. I am sorry but she is not the only one in this boat I could name others.

See, in my opinion mainstream traditional presses can not even begin to handle the new rule that over the top sex sells but you need a story to go with it. They want to play things safe and conservative and not rock the boat so to speak. Here let me show you with an example from this series…

Escape was her only alternative. Sherra knew that staying in the house that evening would mean only one thing—an eventual confrontation with Kane that she had no hope of winning. And losing, at this point, wasn’t an option.
Dressed in the dark, formfitting assault gear worn on patrol, she made her way through the compound to one of the few single houses that had been set up over the months. Tanner and Cabal had taken the small house themselves after Merinus happened to catch them involved in one of their favorite games. In the living room of the main house, nonetheless. On the expensive couch Merinus had chosen herself for the room, the two men had been eagerly convincing one laughing, highly amused Breed female to join them in play.
Since his rescue from a particularly sadistic lab, Cabal had, in his quiet, charming way, drawn several of the compound’s females into his bed, where Tanner often joined them. Tanner, always the wildest of the main Pride, had taken to the ménages like a cat to cream. He and Cabal seemed almost an extension of the other as they charmed the young women into their bed.
For a while, Sherra had actually worried that her adoptive brother and Cabal were far closer than what she considered necessary. Learning the truth hadn’t been any easier to take. They didn’t have a liking for each other so much as they simply enjoyed making everyone crazy.
Sharing their women, convincing them to take on two Bengal Breeds rather than one, and immersing themselves in the sexual exploits had become so frequent that Callan had finally ordered them from the main house. To which Tanner had merely laughed and taken the newly built house instead.
As she neared the house, she cocked her head, listening carefully for sexual activity. Not hearing anything, she gripped the doorknob, stepped in and stopped in shock.
“Do you have a problem with bedrooms?” she asked, spying the mattress on the floor and the trio still presently joined in the center of it.
The female Breed was either sleeping or unconscious, who knew, sandwiched between Cabal and Tanner, one leg lifted over Cabal’s who rested at her back, his cock embedded in her rear as Tanner eased slowly from her drenched, bare pussy.
“Do you have a problem with knocking?” He ran a hand over his sweat-dampened chest as he collapsed on his back, breathing roughly.
His poet’s face, dark and arrogant, was relaxed with sexual fulfillment, his long black hair, striped with natural gold highlights falling to his shoulders and framing the masculine perfection maturity was bringing to his face.
On the other side, Cabal eased slowly from their partner, grunting at the obvious tight grip around his softening erection before he too lay back, relaxed, replete. His hair was gold with deep, midnight black streaks running through it. As striped as Tanner’s was. It was like looking at two halves of one person. Their features and body build were nearly exact, their deep voices amazingly similar. Sherra often wondered if they didn’t share blood as well as women.
She stared at the woman, now curled on her side as Tanner flipped the sheet over her nudity. He might ride them to exhaustion, relish them to their last orgasm, but he was highly protective of them.
“So lock the door or something,” she snapped, moving into the room to close the door from prying eyes. “Callan is going to kick your ass if he finds out you’re fucking his guards again, Tanner. And if I’m not mistaken, your little cat there is presently assigned to house detail.”
He cocked one eye open, a charming, knowing little smile tilting his lips.
“Who’s going to tell on me?”
She frowned, fighting to keep the amusement from her gaze.
“Keep disregarding orders and I will,” she warned him, her voice hard, though she knew it would never happen.
Tanner had enough fun for all of them. He often reminded her what they were all fighting for with his laughter alone. He was cheerful, optimistic, and always found a way to enjoy life.
Cabal was quieter, more introspective, but always at Tanner’s side no matter the prank or sexual exploit they were pulling.
“No, you won’t.” Only Cabal would dare to call her on it, just as he did as he rose from the mattress, unashamedly nude as he moved to the kitchen. “Want a beer?”
“No,” she snapped, admiring the flex of his ass as he walked. She couldn’t admire Tanner’s ass, hell, he was almost a brother to her, but Cabal knew how to walk and she didn’t mind looking. She might very well love Kane ‘til her last breath, but that didn’t mean she was blind. And a woman would have to be blind not to notice that fine piece of ass flexing in front of her eyes.
“Kane will kick his ass if you keep watching it like that, Sis.” Tanner chuckled as he moved to his feet and pulled on a wrinkled pair of boxer shorts before flopping back on the couch. “That wouldn’t be fair to him.”
Sherra grinned unashamedly as Cabal walked back into the room.
“She staring at my ass again?” He tossed Tanner a long-necked bottle before twisting the cap off his own and flashing her a wicked smile. “Shame on you, Sherra.”
“Whatever.” She crossed her arms over her breasts, frowning at both of them as they watched her in amusement. “I need a favor.”
“Uh-oh, now we’re in trouble,” Tanner sighed.
“Oh shut up,” she grumped. “I just need you to find a way to keep Kane busy tonight. He’s insisting on pulling me back to the house and I don’t need a confrontation with him right now, Tanner.”
“No, you need to be fucked,” Cabal interjected, his gold eyes watching her soberly. “Stop running from him and you wouldn’t have to ask for favors.”
“I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t shut up,” Sherra snarled back at him. “I didn’t ask for advice, I asked for help. Yes or no.”
“No.” Cabal frowned right back at her.
“Yes.” Tanner flashed her a smile and a wink as Cabal growled in irritability.
“Dumb move, Tanner.” He lifted his beer to his lips, tilting his head to drink deeply before sitting the bottle on an end table.
He bent, pulling a pair of jeans from the pile of clothes on the floor and pulling them over muscular, well-developed, incredibly gorgeous legs. Only Kane’s legs looked better. But, she reminded herself again, she wasn’t blind.
“Let her have her fun for now.” Tanner shrugged. “Kane will take care of the situation eventually. I have faith in him.”
Unfortunately, Sherra suspected he was right.
“Just keep him busy.” She sighed, ignoring the byplay. “And keep this up…” She waved her hand at the still sleeping Breed female, “and the two of you are going to end up mated to the same woman. What the hell are you going to do then?”
Cabal smiled slowly. “One Breed, one mate. Remember? Don’t worry, sweet thing, we’ll grow up one of these days.”
She doubted it. Lora Leigh ~ Kiss Of Heat

THERE! RIGHT THERE!

I thought… Wow, does Berkley know they are going to get a Ménage Romance coming up here? Man, I have to buy that one for sure! Did we ever get this Breed Ménage Romance?

NO!

So there it is in a nutshell and not because I know for a fact that is what happened but that is how I feel about it all. The classic love/hate deal I have with this Breed series. On one hand I want you to read it because it is so highly readable and a wonderful example of the power of an ePublished eBook that does not follow the typical mundane Harlequin uninspired blah blah blah Romance. While pulling some power from the formula of that same Harlequin uninspired blah blah blah Romance. On the other hand it is also an example of an ePub Author becoming deservedly successful but… at what cost?

I really hope some day soon Lora Leigh tries out some of her old wicked ways on another ePub and uses that chance to take some more risks and get all edgy like the Lora of old we all know and love. Maybe I am delusional but I just want to think she is just temporarily off making her fortune and when she is ready she will be back to smack us upside the head with more wacky wicked sexy reads.

Till then, Lora Leigh I miss you.
Love, that damn pig.

Lora Leigh ~ Elizabeth’s Wolf (Wolf Breeds 4)
From: Ellora’s Cave

If you have not read any of the Lora Leigh, or is it Lora’s Cave? Breeds series then in a nut shell some secret evil shadow government agency has been playing with human/animal DNA and mixing and matching their traits and then raising what they think will be the purrrrrfect soldiers. MEOW! By the time we get to Elizabeth’s Wolf we have already met the Feline Breeds and found out about their assorted clan of Lions and Tigers, but no Bears, nope that will probably be the Gay Romance series. Oh and notice I did not say one word about their barbed peniseseses… peni? of course that is knot the problem the wolves have. Knot get it? um, remind me not to quit my day job.

From Page 5
I liked your name best when the teacher gave us the list. Dash Sinclair. It has a very nice sound to it I think. Momma said it’s a very brave, very handsome name, and she bets you like it lots. I thought it sounded like a daddy’s name. I bet you have lots of little girls. And I bet they are very proud of your name. I don’t have a daddy, but if I had one, then I would like a name like that for my Daddy.

He had created his own name. Long ago. Far away. Created a name he had prayed would hide his past. Then he had fought to change himself as well. But he didn’t have lots of little girls and he wasn’t a daddy. The words his commander read seeped into his brain and a sense of urgency began to fill him.

My Momma, her name is Lizbeth. And she has brown hair kind of like me. And pretty blue eyes. But my eyes are kind of blue too. I have a really pretty Momma, Dash. She makes me cookies, and even tells me it’s okay to talk to the fairy that lives in my room with me. My Momma is really nice.
My Momma says you are a very brave man. That you are fighting to keep us safe. I wish you were here with us Dash, cause sometimes my Momma gets very tired.

Even in pain, barely conscious, a sense of alarm surged through him. He could feel fear in that simple sentence. A plea for protection. And he fought to live. He had to live. He had to save Cassie and her momma.

He saw Cassie, small and delicate, whimpering in fear. But in bright, vivid colors, he saw her mother, desperate, frightened, poised in front of her daughter like a protective she-wolf, snarling in fury. Why did he see that? Why did the image taunt him?

At other times, he was tormented by the sight of the mother watching him, her eyes half closed in drowsy passion, her body naked, slender and graceful beneath his larger frame.

It was little Cassie Colder that wrote to him, but with each line about her mother, each description, each phrase concerning the Momma who looked after her, Dash’s need grew. His sense of possessiveness, his hunger, his inborn knowledge that somehow, some way, Elizabeth and Cassie belonged to him, began to strengthen inside him.

Yes. The name Dash was a good name for a daddy. For Cassie’s daddy. But it was also a good name for a mate. Elizabeth’s mate. And once again the inborn instinct of the animal raised its head. His senses became sharper as he fought against the fog of pain and medication then. Twisting shadows of violence and the dark bloody stains of death began to emerge and coalesce around Cassie and her momma. They were his, and they were in danger. He had to live.

My Momma says you must be a very kind man. Kind men don’t hit little girls. Do they?
So innocently phrased, yet with a wealth of meaning. He strained within the dark agony that filled him, fought through the layers of pain to find consciousness, to heal. To live. Cassie and her Momma needed him.

Elizabeth’s Wolf starts us right off and introduces us to Dash Sinclair bad ass soldier extraordinary. A Wolf Breed that escaped the Ilsa, She Wolf of The SS evil labs and hid himself in the US military fighting foreign wars and kicking much butt. When we meet him he has suffered a tragic accident that took the lives of his men and as he lays in a coma someone starts reading him letters from a little girl by the name of Cassie Colder. Cassie tells him all about her and her mommy Elizabeth. Something magic happens and Dash knows, he just knows, they are in trouble and so he gets his act together and runs off to find them.

Out of all the Breed books this one rocks so hard. The typical Breed in your face formula (mating sex, love sex, anal sex, baby sex) gets delayed and for the first half we have a straight on story of the Dash dude coming to the rescue, who does not go on and on about super secret laboratory sex-perimentation and well he actually had a life and he has people who like him and stuff, and his fight to help save little Cassie (Calling Damien! Oh Damien!) and mommy Elizabeth and keep them safe from the bad guys.

The bad guys are not so overly defined like in the other books and are far less mad scientist scary government like omnipotent and/or ridiculous in that order and more of your TV style bumbling Mafia type evil bad guys. Like the ones found on Law and Order.
Note to Lora: Less sex labs, more militant mafia types… OK?

I think the fact that the kid Cassie is around in the first half keeps us firmly planted in the fast paced action adventure story with only minor sweaty lovers clinches and I’m gonna fuck you threats so we get an actual build up of emotions before the act so to speak. That is till about half way through when Lora decides this would be a good time to shove the old Callan Lord of The Pussy into the picture. So here are these well drawn characters with depth suddenly running into a wandering pack of comic book cut outs. Oh my, what a messy messy meeting that was. The book was screaming “I wanted to be an only child Lora! Why? Why?”

Despite these faults, I still love this book and hell, I think Lora Leigh does too. This one is not officially really part of the Wolf Breeds series. It stands out by itself in the listings and also in the writing. Lora actually seemed to have a story to tell, she had interesting characters to introduce us to and this was definitely not just another book perfunctorily written as a place mark for some minor Breed character she introduced as a member of the gang back in book one and now feels obligated to write their story even if all the good plots are already taken.

The world she has built over the series comes to life here and the characters and their situations bring depth to it unlike… well, you know, meow. It’s just too bad that the rest of the series just seems to fail more often than not. Even though hope, I heard, she springs eternal.

I find it scary that I get drawn into this world of two dimensional characterization and hokey sex vibes and well, things that I should not be worried about in Romance books. Like why do the felines act just like the wolves and coyotes so often? So grab Elizabeth’s Wolf and if you really like it go back and start with the Feline Breeds series and see how far you can stand it.

I am not saying you will not enjoy all the Lora Leigh Breed eBooks. My personal rule of thumb is the first eBook of each trilogy is usually the best of the three. Notice I said eBooks there? Mind you, I have read the paperbacks and um nah stick to the Ellora’s Cave offerings way much more better if you catch my drafty drift there. Let us not put down pure formula people. I love popcorn and cotton candy and watching Tom Cruise get blown up over and over again just like everyone else. I am simply gonna say in the end, I was happy I had read this one book out of that whole series.

Good job Lora, I hope to see you this interested again sometime. Grade A, yeah that’s an A for a Breed book. Read this one!