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A review by klindtvedt
Claimed by her Cougar by Felicity Heaton
5.0
A Refreshingly Complex & More Realistic Shifter Romance...
Before this book I had never read anything by Felicity Heaton, but after reading an email sent to me by a social media follower I was intrigued, so I gave it a go. And am I so ever glad I did as "Claimed by Her Cougar" is a refreshingly sophisticated, emotionally complex story. It is a more serious take on shifters and the concept of fated mates, and is far beyond the realm of many other paranormal romance books I've read, which often focus purely on over-the-top sex scenes and are short on plot.
The story of Rath, a cougar shifter tasked with protecting the remaining members of his pride after a viscous assault by a human group intent on experimenting upon and extermination shifter kind. And Ivy, a human wildlife photographer, emotionally lost after suffering betrayal, and struggling to regain her professional passion. It is a tale of two worlds pre-ordained by destiny to collide despite one being intentionally hidden from view for its own safety.
Here, Heaton's shifter world is stunningly intense and emotional. You see in your mind's eye, the beauty of Cougar Creek as Ivy sees it before her. You're almost able to feel the mist from the mountain on your skin as she lays waiting to capture her beloved wildlife on film. Your senses are set on fire as you feel Rath's fear and turmoil over protecting his home in your own gut; its breath stealing power ratcheting deeper and deeper with every page turned.
It is a story brought alive before you by Heaton's elegant prose. And one that honestly for me, read more like a classic novel than a shifter romance. So alluring is this book, so suspenseful and sharp in its detail, you will gasp with its brutality, hurt in kind over its many heartbreaks, and allow it to touch your very soul with its fierce refusal to give in to fear.
Unlike others in this genre, the world of Cougar Creek skips the purely fanciful and paints a more relatable and realistic picture of what shifters like Rath and his brothers would face if they truly existed. I found it to be a startlingly accurate portrayal of how hateful humans can be when fearful and/or obsessed with something unique and unfamiliar. And although a work of fiction, it is not so far removed from how humanity throughout history have treated those unknown to them or viewed those deemed as being beneath them. And the fictional Archangel can easily be interchanged with groups who've conducted similar atrocities throughout our own human history, such as trials performed on living beings by both cosmetic and pharmaceutical corporations even to this day.
Yes it is still a sexy story, with a gloriously sexy alpha. Yes the driving focus of this story is the mate bond between Rath and Ivy. But unlike others within the shifter realm, this one actually relates to real life issues such as hate, fear, human experimentation, scientific greed, and the potential horrors of demented group-think. It is a gloriously intelligent paranormal romance, and both this book and the author are deserving of your full attention!
Before this book I had never read anything by Felicity Heaton, but after reading an email sent to me by a social media follower I was intrigued, so I gave it a go. And am I so ever glad I did as "Claimed by Her Cougar" is a refreshingly sophisticated, emotionally complex story. It is a more serious take on shifters and the concept of fated mates, and is far beyond the realm of many other paranormal romance books I've read, which often focus purely on over-the-top sex scenes and are short on plot.
The story of Rath, a cougar shifter tasked with protecting the remaining members of his pride after a viscous assault by a human group intent on experimenting upon and extermination shifter kind. And Ivy, a human wildlife photographer, emotionally lost after suffering betrayal, and struggling to regain her professional passion. It is a tale of two worlds pre-ordained by destiny to collide despite one being intentionally hidden from view for its own safety.
Here, Heaton's shifter world is stunningly intense and emotional. You see in your mind's eye, the beauty of Cougar Creek as Ivy sees it before her. You're almost able to feel the mist from the mountain on your skin as she lays waiting to capture her beloved wildlife on film. Your senses are set on fire as you feel Rath's fear and turmoil over protecting his home in your own gut; its breath stealing power ratcheting deeper and deeper with every page turned.
It is a story brought alive before you by Heaton's elegant prose. And one that honestly for me, read more like a classic novel than a shifter romance. So alluring is this book, so suspenseful and sharp in its detail, you will gasp with its brutality, hurt in kind over its many heartbreaks, and allow it to touch your very soul with its fierce refusal to give in to fear.
Unlike others in this genre, the world of Cougar Creek skips the purely fanciful and paints a more relatable and realistic picture of what shifters like Rath and his brothers would face if they truly existed. I found it to be a startlingly accurate portrayal of how hateful humans can be when fearful and/or obsessed with something unique and unfamiliar. And although a work of fiction, it is not so far removed from how humanity throughout history have treated those unknown to them or viewed those deemed as being beneath them. And the fictional Archangel can easily be interchanged with groups who've conducted similar atrocities throughout our own human history, such as trials performed on living beings by both cosmetic and pharmaceutical corporations even to this day.
Yes it is still a sexy story, with a gloriously sexy alpha. Yes the driving focus of this story is the mate bond between Rath and Ivy. But unlike others within the shifter realm, this one actually relates to real life issues such as hate, fear, human experimentation, scientific greed, and the potential horrors of demented group-think. It is a gloriously intelligent paranormal romance, and both this book and the author are deserving of your full attention!