Saturday, January 9, 2016

Primal Bonds by Jennifer Ashley

Primal Bonds by Jennifer Ashley

As Guardian of his clan, Feline Shifter Sean Morrissey is a powerful member of his pride.  But wielding the sacred sword is often a lonely role.  When a female Shifter comes to town seeking refuge, Sean claims the new arrival, expecting a submissive little she-wolf.  Instead, he finds a beautiful woman who looks him straight in the eye without fear, stirring the mating frenzy within him.

As a half-Fae, half-Shifter, Andrea Gray is used to looking out for herself.  But in order to relocate to a new Shiftertown and escape an unwanted mate-claim, Andrea must accept a new protector.  A Guardian seems as good a candidate as any, but Andrea's intense attraction to Sean is something she never expected--and a perilous complication for a woman with a troubled past.

Now, as Andrea struggles to keep her seductive savior at arm's length, Sean is determined to turn their mating of convenience into the real thing before the frenzy they're struggling to contain burns them both--from the inside out...

This is the second book in the Shifters Unbound series and it was just as fantastic as the first.  Sometimes a series experiences a bit of a sophomore slump--not this one!  Andrea grew up an outcast but because she is a rare female shifter, the son of her alpha tried to mate claim her.  When she refused him, he turned scary stalker.  Her stepfather petitioned his sister-in-law's clan to accept Andrea but due to shifter rules, she had to be mate-claimed by someone in the new clan before being allowed to move.  Sean takes a chance knowing that while lots of women want to be with him for fun, few are willing to mate with the Guardian--the wolf responsible for ushering souls into the afterlife.  

When they meet, both realize they have gotten more than they thought possible.  The attraction of both sides is immediate.  However, its not all smooth sailing.  For one thing (and its a BIG thing) humans have taken to shooting at shifters causing many human owned businesses to ban shifters altogether.  When it appears that maybe shifters are also involved things get ever more complicated--and dangerous.  Plus, Andrea is fighting off horrendous nightmares that may be tied to her Fae heritage, Liam (Sean's brother and Alpha) is still trying to figure out how to allow Shifters to live without their collars (a human invention designed to control shifters), and Liam, Sean and Dylan (Liam and Sean's father and previous Alpha) are still trying to get used to the new hierarchy of power between and among them.  

This book did a great job of continuing to deepen the world that Jennifer Ashley has created.  I learned more about both the shifters but Fae also entered the picture adding even more dimension and tension.  The uncertain reaction from humans towards shifters was also more prevalent in this book.  With all of the action going on, there was still plenty of page space given to relationships, not only Andrea and Sean's, but also among Sean's family, Glory and Dylan, a new alpha from Vegas who I believe will play a role in future books, and among various pack members.  I loved getting to know familiar characters more deeply as well as meeting the new kids on the block.  All in all, another winner from the Shifters Unbound series.  I can't wait to read Wild Cat next.  

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