Savage Nature by Christine Feehan

After seeing only the cover of this story and the title, I told Sarah at Penguin Audio I’d love to review it.

I didn’t want to know anything about SAVAGE NATURE when I started so I would have no prior misconceptions. It was a ‘new-to-me’ author and I didn’t realize it was part of a series. I began listening with an open mind and was treated to a unique and tantalizing story.

Saria Boudreaux grew up in the Louisiana bayou, works as a tour guide in the swamps, and has seen a lot of things in her life. But when she begins finding murdered bodies in the bayou, she knows something is terrible wrong. Because of the circumstances of the bodies and what she overhears, she fears one or more of her five brothers may be involved. Saria finally decides it’s time to bring in outside help.

Leopard shifter Drake Donovan is sent to check out the situation in the bayou and hunt down the serial killer. He hires Saria has his guide, unknowing she was the one requesting help. Drake is good at his job. He leads an elite group that deals with leopard shifters all the time. What he hadn’t counted on was finding his life mate in the midst of all the trouble brewing in the bayou. 

Author Christine Feehan’s vivid descriptions of the bayou makes you feel you are there with the extraordinary sights and sounds of the swamp all around you. She brings the characters to life with her emotion-filled dialect.

There is no doubt SAVAGE NATURE has romance in it. There are explicit and steamy sex scenes throughout the story. In fact, they sometimes appear at the most unusual times. However, given the nature of the subject matter the author blends the scenes well to make them more understandable and perfectly normal.

There is also suspense and mystery woven in with the paranormal aspect of the story. There is a serial killer running amuck in the bayou and a long list of possible suspects. When Saria becomes the next target, Drake will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. While you may be able to discover the killer’s identity before the end of the book, the motive may still surprise you. 

Not knowing the genre of the book in the beginning, I began to wonder what category it would fall under. In the end, I think it covers many genres including: romance, paranormal, suspense, and mystery.

Author Christine Feehan has created a fantasy world where leopard shifting blends smoothly with everyday life and you will want to believe. This is the fifth installment in the Leopard People series, but is a stand alone book.

Author Christine Feehan’s website is http://www.christinefeehan.com/

Savage Nature by Christine Feehan, A Leopard People Series, Read by Karen White Penguin Audio, @2011, ISBN: 9781101539644, Unabridged Digital, Listening Length: 15 hours 12 minutes

FTC Full Disclosure - This audio version was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by today.