I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Cat's Lair
by
Christine Feehan
paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Berkley on May 5, 2015 and has 436 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Dark Predator, Savage Nature, Spirit Bound, Darkest at Dawn, Samurai Game, Dark Storm, Leopard's Prey, Air Bound, Hot Blooded, Viper Game, Power Game, Earth Bound, Spider Game, "Dark Crime", Covert Game, Judgment Road, Toxic Game, Vengeance Road, Fire Bound, Bound Together, Shadow Warrior, Leopard's Wrath, Wild Cat, Vendetta Road, Lethal Game, Desolation Road, Leopard's Rage, Reckless Road, Dark Whisper
Sixth in the Leopard paranormal romance series and revolving around a loose alliance of leopard shifters seeking to civilize crime. The couple focus is on Cat Benoit and Ridley Cromer/Eli Perez.
My Take
Gag. It started out so well with a heroine who saves herself and does all she can to ensure she continues to be safe. She’s in a captivating environment with entertaining scenarios — hey, I’ve fantasized about living in a warehouse! — and an appealing range of minor characters.
Okay, so Ridley is a not-so minor character and sounds pretty hot! Ooh là là! This white knight also provides Cat with several happy firsts that made me feel so good. Positives that are helping Cat experience more of a normal life.
Then the inciting incident destroys everything for Cat. Feehan certainly got my dander up, that the police would put Cat’s life in such jeopardy, that they could be so stupid!
“Tuttle suddenly hissed. ‘You’re committing suicide.’
‘That’s one way to look at it. Another would be that you and your fellow cops murdered me.'”
And it’s not even this blatant betrayal and lack of concern for her life that ticks me off so much as Cat’s and Eli’s behaviors for the rest of the story. He’s crassly dominating, and she keeps giving in to him even though she has good reason not to. Even though she continuously tells him she doesn’t trust him.
Feehan uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Cat’s and Ridley/Eli’s perspectives, which does enforce that saving grace that Eli actually wants to talk, even when he makes these lame assumptions about Cat’s actions. He wants honesty…as long as Cat does what he wants.
And the sex. I’ll tell ya, I got through this story in record time because I kept skipping pages and pages and pages of sex. Snicker, I did like Cat’s comparison of what Eli does for his job as being similar to a prostitute.
What?? What’s with the DEA not knowing about her “mother”? First they do, and now they don’t? Gimme a break. As for Eli’s not “getting” how smart Cat is? Duh… Of course, the “stupid” goes on with that lame meme about Cat trying to entice but not really knowing how and Eli thinking she doesn’t want him. That scene where Eli is so angry with Cat. Then there’s the I-must-be-corrupt-too meme. Oy. And ya wonder why I kept skipping chunks of this…when it reads like chunks Feehan threw in because…oh yeah, I should write this… Oy vey.
Okay, so Rafe has his fingers in a lot of, ahem, pies and is based in New Orleans. How is it that Rafe has such in-depth contacts in Texas as well? Sure, she’s told us that Rafe works three different states…and I guess we’ll have to guess that all of Texas is one of ’em.
Feehan was good at keeping us unaware of what Cat knew about Rafe. Feehan also had Cat wanting to help Rafe. This angle would have worked so much better if Cat had been conflicted throughout the story. Only Feehan dumps this bit in here toward the end. And it only makes Cat seem lamer.
I love the sound of Eli’s house…it’s the porch. I love porches.
The Story
She’s still not safe. Cat will never be safe. She knows this, for Rafe Cordeau has a long reach.
The Characters
Catarina “Cat” Benoit escaped her “guardian” in New Orleans and is hiding in Texas, working as a barista, and taking any and all defense classes she can afford. Her stepmother, Tracy Benoit, is/was a drug addict and prostitute.
Eli Perez is a DEA agent and a leopard shifter. Emma keeps his ranch house in shape and stocked.
Malcolm Hardy is Cat’s martial arts instructor in his late sixties with a warehouse. The very zen Ridley Cromer is a new instructor whose day job is working security. Hardy’s clients include James Marley.
Poetry Slam is…
…a coffee house/bookstore where writers and poets come to read their work once a week. David Belmont is the owner. Bernard Casey is a regular at the slam with his poetry. Some of the customers include the obtuse Jase Fulton.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
Detective Frank Tuttle is a major jerk. Brady O’Connell is Eli’s boss.
Drake Donovan is a leopard shifter who had worked with Eli in Borneo. Jake Bannaconni is a wheeler dealer billionaire with a ranch neighboring Eli’s. The pregnant Emma is Jake’s wife (Burning Wild, 2). They have two children: Kyle and Andraya “Draya”. Joshua Tregre, Elijah Lospostos, and Trey Sinclair are part of Jake’s shifter crew. Elijah is also the head of his own crime family and has done business with Rafe.
Rafe Cordeau is a rogue leopard shifter and the head of a crime family based around Algiers in New Orleans. His men include Marcel. April Harp had once worked for Rafe.
The Han Vol Dan of leopard shifters is when a female becomes aware of her inner leopard. Dr Mulligan is a shifter himself. Dr Mason. Liam must be some sort of medic.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a range of browns from the deep black-brown of the background that forms the canvas to that close-up of the muscled Eli’s tattooed shoulder with the snarling leopard’s face. A narrow strip of leopard print forms the right border of the cover. At the very top is an info blurb in white. The author’s name is in orange across the top of Eli’s shoulder. Below and on the left is an epigraph in white. The title is in a bright green angled across that side view of Eli’s ribs. At the bottom, in white, is another info blurb on the left and the series info on the right.
The title is how Eli wants Cat to feel about his home, that it’s her Cat’s Lair.
