The Ikati are a secret race of panther shifters. They have lived in isolation for hundreds of years, but have recently been discovered. A psychopathic Ikati named Caesar has decided that the Ikati should rule the earth, and is out to decimate and dominate humankind. Humans are fighting back, and many have decided the Ikati must be wiped out. There's a fanatical religious group of assassins whose purpose is to wipe out the Ikati, a greedy corporation that wants to capture the Ikati, and a multigovernmental group called the Elimination Campaign who wants to burn all Shifters at the stake. There were 4 compounds of Ikati living peacefully around the world, but 3 have been discovered, and many of the Ikati have retreated to the one remaining undiscovered compound in the middle of the jungle in Brazil.
Jacqueline (Jack) Dolan is a war correspondent. She has written a Pulitzer-nominated op ed piece entitled The Enemy Among Us that swayed human opinion against the Ikati greatly, and has been quoted extensively by politicians to support their agenda to exterminate the Ikati. She is credited with almost single-handedly rallying the American public behind her campaign of bigotry, intolerance, and hatred.
"Hawk" Luna is the illegitimate son of the prior Alpha who is sent by his hated half-brother to obtain blackmail material on Jack to discredit her. Jack thinks that Hawk is a gigolo sent by her best friend as a 30th birthday present, and she and Hawk burn up the sheets in a night of explosive sex in Brazil. Jack gets an email that contains blackmail photos of her sexual exploits with Hawk and a video showing Hawk's transformation into a panther. Jack is forced to present herself to Jack who she believes will kill her. The Ikati's plan, though, is to show Jack that they aren't the violent killers she believes them to be, and Hawk kidnaps her to bring her to their colony to live in close contact with them. The Ikati hope she will agree to write a piece supporting them and refuting her earlier arguments for their destruction.
Despite Hawk's earlier betrayal of her, Jack and Hawk slowly fall in love while she is trapped in the compound. The sexual tension is delicious, as Hawk and Jack verbally fence and try to stay away from each other, given the distrust that lies between them after Jack's kidnapping. Hawk learns that Jack is not the bigoted bitch he once thought her to be, and Jack realizes that the Ikati are not all deranged killers. There is the building excitement of the fight between Ceasar and his followers and the rest of the Ikati that serves as a wonderful foil for the action taking place between Jack and Hawk.
DARKNESS BOUND is one of my favorite of the series. It can be read as a standalone, but readers will get a greater appreciation of the action having read the previous books. I'm very sad that the next book will wrap up the series, as I've been loving it so much I'm not ready to see it end.
Tough, smart, and seriously ambitious, reporter
Jacqueline "Jack" Dolan despises the secretive clan of
shape-shifters known as the Ikati—and has become
determined to destroy them. After she writes an editorial
arguing for their extermination and turns public opinion
against them, the Ikati vow to fight back. They plot to
send
one of their own to seduce the reporter, then blackmail
her
into writing a retraction.
Women practically fall at the feet of hulking,
handsome
Hawk Luna, and Hawk relishes the idea of conquering and
destroying the fiery redhead who's caused so much trouble
for his kind. The last thing he expects is to develop
real
feelings for her, but their liaison awakens a hunger in
him
that he cannot deny. He kidnaps Jack and brings her to
his
Amazon jungle colony, but the two lovers are soon
embroiled
in deadly colony politics and threatened by a looming
global
species war.
As the danger around them grows closer, Jack and
Hawk's
forbidden passion may build a bridge between two ancient
enemies—or cost them both their lives.
EXCERPT
He made his way through the crowded, smoky bar, walking
slowly and with
ease, seemingly oblivious to the craned necks, stares and
whispers that
followed in his wake. Even the men were affected by him,
puffing out their
chests and raising their chins, posing and strutting as
peacocks, trying
to compete.
As if a single one could. The instant she thought it,
their eyes met.
Another of his slow, lazy smiles lit his face.
To her horror, a flood of heat and moisture throbbed
between her legs.
The urge to run away became almost overwhelming, but she
steeled herself
against it, because there was no way she was going to
allow himโor her
own, traitorous bodyโto intimidate her.
He slid into the booth, taking a seat across from her,
stretched his long
legs out and crossed them at the ankle, resting them on
her side of the
booth, effectively blocking her exit. They stared at one
another for a
long moment in silence, sizing each other up.
As the band shifted into another song, Jack asked without
an ounce of
warmth, โYou following me?โ
โI was here first, remember?โ Hawkโs lazy smile deepened.
โMaybe youโre
following me.โ
โDonโt flatter yourself. Youโre not my type.โ
He leaned across the table, clasped his big hands
together on the scarred
wood tabletop, stared deep into her eyes and murmured,
โTell that to your
wet panties.โ
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