Review: Mating Instinct by Katie Reus

15710530Mating Instinct
(Moon Shifters, #3)
By: Katie Reus
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Published: March 5, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

As the beast within struggles to break free, he must learn to be what she needs…

Surviving for centuries, powerful lupine shifter Jayce Kazan managed to stay away from humans until he met Kat Saburova and was consumed by the need to protect her. But while Jayce shared his passion with the human seer, he refused to make her his bondmate—a refusal that caused the end of their relationship.

A year later, an attack that left Kat near death has resulted in another lupine shifter turning her. Furious that he wasn’t the one to save her, Jayce is determined to show Kat that he is the one she should rely on. But the newly turned shifter is still traumatized and worried that she’ll hurt those she loves, unless she can learn to control her inner wolf.

And as Jayce struggles to protect Kat from her own worst instincts and convince her to rekindle their love, the extremists who almost killed her are looking to finish the job…

1thoughtsFinally the big bad enforcer, Jayce, gets his own story! We’ve heard about the one and only enforcer in the last two books. We even got glimpses of him when he came into town looking for Kat. But we finally get one on one time with him and I loved it!

This is not a book that you can read as a stand alone. Not only are the secondary characters a huge part in this book but in the last book Kat goes through some horrific things which are the cause of where she is in her life right now. So if you simply just started with this book, you’d feel really left out. Granted, the author does a great job in filling you in on what’s happened (in case you need a refresher like I did) but you won’t get that deep connection with the characters if you didn’t read about what happened in the last book. Trust me on this, you need to read the series from start to finish. It makes it that much more awesome.

Now onto the goods. Considering what happened to Kat in the last book, she’s a pretty strong character. She isn’t afraid to put herself in harms way if it’s for the greater good. Yeah she still has nightmares about what happened but she doesn’t let it rule her life. Which is why when Connor (pack Alpha) orders that she have Jayce stay with her for protection, she tries to refuse. I really liked that even though she went through some rough stuff, she wasn’t about to roll over and play dead.

Jayce… oh man. He’s as bad-ass as you can get. I’m not talking about his shaved head, piercings, tats, or his “don’t f*ck with me” attitude. He’s the enforcer. The guy who when the shit hits the fan and the weres need some discipline, he’s the one who will be knocking on your door. And trust me, you don’t want him knocking on your door. However, when it comes to his ex, Kat, he’s a sweetheart. He’s afraid that getting too close to her and making her his mate will put a huge target on her back. After all, he has made a ton of enemies throughout his life and what better way to get at a guy than by taking out his mate? But with what happened to Kat, he’s determined to use all the skills he’s learned while being an enforcer and teach Kat how to defend herself if she’s ever attacked again.

I loved that not only was this a second chance romance, but you get the suspense wrapped in since the APL (bad guys) are still out there hunting supernaturals. Jayce has found out that there is a dealer selling vamp blood which isn’t good since it gives non-vamps extra strength and abilities. Plus there is a were going around murdering humans which is raising the local authorities suspicions.

Not only do we get Jayce and Kat though, we get in the mind of Erin, who is an enforcer in training. We met her in the last book and it looks like she may be getting her story next. Plus the Fae that we also met in the last book is more involved in this story, AND we meet a teen were who is seeking out Jayce in hopes of becoming an enforcer as well. So we get to catch up with old characters, learn a little bit about newly introduced characters and get an extra character added into the ranks.

This is an amazing series. Katie doesn’t focus on just the romance. She adds in suspense, horrifying scenes, paranormal aspects as well as romance. I was ensnared in the story from start to finish. I literally read this book in one day and it’s over 300 pages long. I’m not usually one that keeps up with series for an extended length of time. I always get bored by the 3rd book but this is looking like a series that I may see through until the very end. Katie keeps the stories fresh and new every time.

 

1favequote“Even now,when she wanted to pummel him for having the audacity to follow her, she still had to admire the strength and power he radiated. He would never be called handsome, or even good-looking, but there was something dangerous about Jayce that was incredibly sexy. Without even trying, he exuded a raw sexuality that made women stand up and take notice. With his shaved head and a scar that crisscrossed over his left eye, he had…a presence that refused to be ignored. The scar only added to that edginess. And he was directing all of that at her with a very heated stare.”

 

Previous reviews from Moon Shifters
Alpha Instinct
Primal Possession

kRISTIN

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