A LOVE UNTAMED – Pamela Palmer
A Feral Warriors Novel , Book 7
Avon
ISBN-13:  978-0-06-210751-0
January 2013
Paranormal Romance

Great Falls, Virginia – Present Day

Kiernan is teaching self defense to Therians, animal shape-shifters who have been at war with the Mage for millennia.  Years ago, the Therians and Mages banded together to defeat the Daemons who were terrorizing the Earth.  But the Therians and the Mage in combining powers each lost some of their own.  All Therians used to be able to shift into their animal selves, but now only one Therian of each animal can shift; they are the strongest and finest of the race and are known as Feral Warriors.  Last month a fox Feral Warrior died, and everyone is waiting for the new one to be revealed, with the spirit going to the strongest Therian with that animal's DNA, making him the new Warrior. 

Kiernan is hoping against hope that he is the one, as he knows he has fox-shifter DNA himself.  During a practice fight with a student, the student starts to change in front of everyone.  Could he be the new Feral Warrior?  But as he's fighting, Kiernan also starts to change, and his fox tries to come out.  Could there be another Feral Warrior that died that they didn't know about and that there might be two new Ferals?  Kiernan must leave Ireland and go to Great Falls, Virginia, where all the Feral Warriors live, now in the midst of a battle against the Mages and the Daemons.  The Warriors have a Radiant, Kara, who gives them their power, and without her they would die.  But the Therians are now being inundated with new Ferals, and not all of them are the best of their species; some are the worst.  How can they tell the difference?

When Kiernan meets Kara, the Radiant, they have a ceremony, and her power shifts the fox power into his body and he is able to turn into a fox.  Ariana is queen of the Ilinas who have joined with the Therians against the Daemons.  Melisande, as Ariana's second, is her bodyguard and a fierce warrior.  Years ago Melisande was betrayed by her lover Castin and staked out for three years before being rescued.  Everyone else that was involved in her torture and the savage rapes she endured has been killed by her except for Castin, and she will not rest until he also meets his end by her sword.  Everyone knows the Daemons have a large house nearby, and when Kara is kidnapped right out of their own house, they try to track her down, but the Therians have made their mountain magical, where they all enter into different worlds and people are trying to kill them.  Each time they escape one scenario, they are thrust into another.  Without Kara the Radiant, the Ferals will soon lose all their strength, and the Daemons will use her power to activate new Daemons.

When Melisande first meets Fox she feels an immediate pull, and throws all her energy at him to try and show her disdain for his flirting; instead the blast of power turns into intense sexual pleasure and he endures waves of pure ecstasy.  Melisande is irate that even her inner self has fallen for his charm.  As they together go through many adventures and worlds trying to save Kara, Melisande finds herself gradually falling for Fox despite trying her best not to.  Fox knows there must be some reason behind Melisande's standoffishness, and as he gradually learns her history, he makes himself remain patient until she, too, acknowledges their magic connection.

Pamela Palmer has invited us into the society of the Feral Warriors and Fox and Melisande, the Ilina. Told from their points of view and various other Warriors, the whole group is striving to find and free their Radiant and stop the return of the Daemons, and especially their leader, Satanan.  Fast paced and with lots of battles, both mental and physical, each character must use all his or her wits to keep themselves safe and protect each other from those who want to harm them.

The many secondary characters are all shape-shifters, including: Lyon, mated to the Radiant Kara; they have a deep love and Lyon will do anything to get his beloved back after being kidnapped.  Ariana, queen of the Ilinas and mated to Kougar, is guarded by Melisande.  Able to turn into mist and reappear as fierce warriors, the Ilinas were thought to be wiped out many millennia ago, but they are slowly coming back into power.  There are other shifters who are involved in saving the Ferals and defeating the Daemons and their leader, Inir.

In A LOVE UNTAMED, shape shifters meet Daemons in a story with incredibly strong characters, both physically and mentally.  Though this is the seventh in the Feral Warriors series, I found it pretty easy to pick up what they were doing, but I'm sure reading the other books would enhance your appreciation for the Feral Warriors and what they have been through.  The war isn't over yet, and much more needs to be done to defeat Satanan and his quest for supreme domination.  For a list of the Feral Warriors series, please go to www.pamelapalmer.net .  Fox and Melisande go through many trials and fights to save their Radiant and accept that they are true mates.  I am sure anyone who enjoys shape-shifters and the paranormal world will enjoy the trials and tribulations of this group of people trying to save the world every day.

Cece Johns