WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER (Breeds #31) by Lora Leigh-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 21, 2017

On a moonless Navajo night, the recessed Bengal Breed known only as Judd became Cullen Maverick, grandson to one of the Chiefs of the Six Tribes of the Native Americans.

Bengal genetics, usually so fierce as to be labeled primal, was recessed so deep inside Judd that no hint of it can be found. A phenomena so rare it’s been notated only a few times. And there’s no way, it’s believed, to force those genetics free once they’ve disappeared past the genetic level.

Now, as commander of the Navajo Covert Law Enforcement Division in Window Rock, New Mexico, Cullen leads his six agents in protecting the treasures of the Navajo Tribes by ensuring they remain safely in Navajo possession.

Added to this mix is none other than the delicate Window Rock police detective determined to stick her pretty little nose in his business.

And once Cullen realized the animosity that keeps flaming between them is far more than he imagined, then the Primal Breed that’s lurked inside him comes out to play. And when that beast decides to make itself known, Cullen suddenly remembers all the reasons it was better off sleeping.

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REVIEW: WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER is the thirty first installment in Lora Leigh’s contemporary, adult BREEDS erotic, paranormal romance series focusing on a government experiment that went horribly wrong. This is Bengal breed, and commander of the Navajo Covert Law Enforcement Agency Cullen Maverick (aka Judd Cross), and Covert Ops agent Chelsea Martinez’s story line. WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty although I recommend reading some of the earlier story lines for back story and cohesion. Each chapter throughout WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER begins with a journal entry focusing on the Primal Bengal male by Cullen’s brother Graeme Maverick.

SOME BACKGROUND: Years earlier, trying to create the ultimate warrior, scientists combined animal DNA with human embryos resulting in a species that has been feared and tortured since their inception. This is NOT a series about animal shifters, but a series about a hybridized species of human and animal DNA. Lora Leigh adds some background to the series with an introduction about The World of the Breeds and a prologue (2) focusing on the The Breeds and the Primal Breed.

Told from several third person points of view including Chelsea and Cullen WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER follows the acrimonious relationship between agent Chelsea Martinez and Cullen Maverick. Cullen is a recessed Primal male whose Breed genes have not completely manifested throughout his lifetime but something about Chelsea Martinez calls to Cullen’s inner tiger – a call Cullen has ignored for far too many years. But a price has been placed on Chelsea’s life following the rescue of a young child with connections to the local cartel, and Chelsea has been targeted for by an unknown source. What ensues is the search for the people responsible for the continued threats and attempts against Chelsea’s life, and Cullen’s realization that Chelsea is the mate that calls to his heart.

The feline Breed is a rarity but even more so are the recessed Primal Breeds and Cullen’s atypical genetics have forced our story line hero to ignore the clues as it pertains to his mate. Once married to a woman who had no hope for survival Cullen pushed aside his feelings and emotions until the woman he has known for most of her life walked away and stirred something deep within Cullen’s beast. The threats against Chelsea increase, and the people responsible are not necessarily the obvious choice ( although as a reader, the guilty party was quickly deduced but not for reasons that are readily apparent).

WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER is a detailed story line and a change of pace from the confusing and convoluted story line thrown at the reader in Bengal’s Quest (Breeds #30). There is a large cast of secondary and supporting characters including several familiar previous story line couples and characters including Cassie Sinclair and Graeme Maverick. WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER, as per Lora Leigh’s style of writing, ends with a bit of a cliffhanger and some revealing information about new characters related to some of our favorite families. There are moments of heartbreak and betrayal; romance and love; tragedy and passionate loss. The premise is intriguing and intoxicating; the characters are colorful, animated and dynamic; the romance is provocative, seductive and intense. WAKE A SLEEPING TIGER is a nice change of pace from the author’s recent baffling story lines.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Lora Leigh lives in the rolling hills of Kentucky, often found absorbing the ambience of this peaceful setting. She dreams in bright, vivid images of the characters intent on taking over her writing life, and fights a constant battle to put them on the hard drive of her computer before they can disappear as fast as they appeared. Lora’s family, and her writing life co-exist, if not in harmony, in relative peace with each other. Surrounded by a menagerie of pets, friends, and a teenage son who keeps her quick wit engaged, Lora’s life is filled with joys, aided by her fans whose hearts remind her daily why she writes.