This book, first in a new series, is funny, has wonderful characters, a great story, and if it is typical for what is to come, this series promises much entertainment. The idea of having a royal line of cat shifters who are supposed to rule each pride is somewhat unusual, but the way to recognize these royals is priceless. This first volume made me laugh out loud at some of Noah's comments and reactions to what was going on. Gage, in his stoically mercenary attitude, stole my heart as well, especially when he began to learn and adjust to his new circumstances. Mixing tension and a "nefarious plot" with humor isn't easy, yet I really liked the balance achieved in this book.

Noah stole my heart from the first page. He is so unbelievably clueless, naïve, and inexperienced. And yet he manages to survive and teach those around him a few things as well. He keeps a cool head in a crisis (half the time because he doesn’t even seem to understand there IS a crisis), and his reactions to Gage's initial brutality are amazingly sane. He kept his sense of humor while under threat of getting killed; instead of being shocked or scared when Gage carjacks him, he insists Gage put on his seat belt; instead of pleading for his life once Gage tells him he has to shoot him, he makes sure his cat will be taken care of after he is gone. And when push comes to shove, Noah shows his true colors without hesitation. What a guy!

Gage annoyed the heck out of me, and not just because he's a hired killer. He doesn’t seem to be a very good one, at least he isn’t where Noah is concerned. I guess Noah just addles his brain to the point where Gage isn’t his normal cold, bloodthirsty self. As the story develops, he redeems himself through the way he ends up listening to Noah, even protecting him in the end. The development from cold assassin to caring mate is remarkable, and initially goes unnoticed because Gage does his best to ignore it all. Nobody can resist Noah’s charms though, and I greatly enjoyed Gage falling for the diminutive-looking man.

Between the two of them they entertained me, dragged me with them through their amazing adventures, and endeared themselves to me through the way they fell for each other. If you like slightly unusual shifters, action/adventure and a bit of mystery, and are looking for an entertaining read that is very likely to make you laugh, you will probably like this novel as much as I did.


NOTE: This book was provided by Siren Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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