Product Reviews

This is the latest installment in Lora Leigh’s Breed series. If you are a fan of this series like myself, you will realize that it was worth the wait. If it’s your first experience with this series, then you will not be familiar with the other characters and their stories. However, as their stories do not greatly affect Mercury and Rias story, this book can be read as a stand alone.

This is the story of Mercury and Ria. Mercury is one of the strongest enforcer for the Breeds. He is a mixture of human and lion. Unlike most other Breeds his animal has been forced into hiding inside him as a result of drugs that were forcefully administered to him in the labs after he went berserk and killed some handlers and scientists on learning that the woman who was potentially his mate was dead. Since then he has kept a tight reign on himself inadvertently causing the animal to retreat even further. Mercury is a breed lost, without any form of anchor and without hope of ever finding his place as he believes that his intended mate died years ago. As breeds mate only once there is no hope for him.

Ria is a clerk who works for the Vanderale Industries. She has been sent to Sanctuary to verify (or so she says) their book keeping and to ensure that Vanderales’ money is being well spent. Despite her brilliance and obvious competence at her job, Ria is a woman who has spent her entire life hiding from the world and herself. Despite the strange attraction that she felt toward Mercury even before meeting him, she believes that she will be able to go to Sanctuary, do her job and leave untouched.

When Ria and Mercury meet they are both aware that something extraordinary is about to take place. As events unfold, in vintage Lora Leigh style, both these very strong people will have to learn that they need each other in order to be complete.

I personally liked this story, as Mercury, although a typical alpha male, was also portrayed as very vulnerable due to the weakening of the animal side of his nature and his grief over the loss of his chance at love due to the death of his mate. Ria on the other hand has had her own issues of belonging as she grew up an orphan who depended on the largess of the first Leo and his family.

This book is not for the squeamish as the contents are highly sexual and graphic. I thought this was a great love story between two people who found a place to belong in each other