Savage Nature (Leopard People, #5)

Aug 11, 2011 Brenda Audiobooks Only rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-mp3-i-have, audio-i-ve-listened-to, paranormal-romance

Narrated by Karen White - Narration 4 1/2*

Reviewed for AAR's Speaking of Audiobooks 8/11/11 http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=6846

With Savage Nature, the fifth in the Leopard series, Christine Feehan moves the setting from the Rain Forests of South America to the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou. She stays with her standard “couples are fated to be together” style but the story is interesting in other ways and moves at a fast pace. Beyond the main couple, Feehan’s other standard is to bring in a su...more Narrated by Karen White - Narration 4 1/2*

Reviewed for AAR's Speaking of Audiobooks 8/11/11 http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=6846

With Savage Nature, the fifth in the Leopard series, Christine Feehan moves the setting from the Rain Forests of South America to the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou. She stays with her standard “couples are fated to be together” style but the story is interesting in other ways and moves at a fast pace. Beyond the main couple, Feehan’s other standard is to bring in a supporting cast of reoccurring and new characters. She shows both the camaraderie and fierce loyalty between them in a way I enjoy each time.

Saria Boudreaux has known her older brothers were leopard shifters since the age of ten but they’ve never voiced it to her. So when she starts discovering bodies killed by a leopard bite while photographing wildlife in a deserted marsh, she turns to the landowner who sends Drake Donavon to investigate. Drake is a running character in this series known for having a leg injury repaired by steel plates which means he no longer shifts. He’s now had experimental bone graft surgery and is ready to try shifting again while in the secluded bayou.

There is a lot going on in this disturbed leopard lair – 15+ hours worth – and Savage Nature jumps with a lot of action scenes. After getting over my initial disappointment that narrator Karen White doesn’t choose to give the written Cajun accent a nod (which made the French words sound out of place), I settled in with her pretty southern accent for those living in the bayou and enjoyed each unique voice given to this large cast. Most important to me is the fact that White has the feel of the story down. The characters’ attitudes and their wide range of emotions are portrayed perfectly, making this audiobook a pleasure to listen to.

Note to production, please lose the music at the beginning and end. It’s so distracting!

ETA from comments .... I was very impressed with narration of the sex scenes. I generally fast forward through those scenes in a Feehan book but felt obligated to listen with this one because it was for review.... And I was comfortable with them, the tone and feelings were expressed tastefully and were easy to listen to despite still being over the top.

I enjoyed this book very much when I read it myself. One of Feehan's best in the series, meaning not too much repetitiveness. (less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Ann has a dirty mouth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

As you all know, I am a monster Feehan fan. If she wrote the instruction manual to a toaster I would probably read it as long as I knew there would be a sex scene, therefore, if you are a Feehan player hater, feel free to take this review with a grain of salt.

The leopard people are not normally my favorite, but my coworker told me to give the series a second chance and I am so glad I did! This book had everything I am looking for in a paranormal- a fun fast paced mystery, well drawn characters...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Burt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: could-not-put-it-down, good-page-turner, romance-su

An interesting take on our feral nature and the battle in our lives when we give up control to the primal impulses of our reptilian brain stem. When you lose even the capacity for speech and are reduced to little more than the grunts of insatiable lust and violent outbursts, well... you know.
What would it take for you to share the beast you keep locked in a cage, to let it out and acknowledge that side of you, let alone embrace it with others willing to do the same? How do you face yourself in...more An interesting take on our feral nature and the battle in our lives when we give up control to the primal impulses of our reptilian brain stem. When you lose even the capacity for speech and are reduced to little more than the grunts of insatiable lust and violent outbursts, well... you know.
What would it take for you to share the beast you keep locked in a cage, to let it out and acknowledge that side of you, let alone embrace it with others willing to do the same? How do you face yourself in the mirror afterward? What if you had no choice? What if it was such a strong component of your makeup that it would eventually emerge anyway? Is there any going back once you're out? Dreams and impulses all the way back to childhood suddenly make sense in this new light. Lurking just beneath the surface throughout your life, clawing to get out in times of stress or strife, fighting for supremacy over the logic and normalcy of decent society.
Is it what will save you, or will it be your fatal flaw? Is the time ever right for giving in to out-of-control? Words you can never take back once spat out in fury or passion. Is wishful thinking really bad for your relationship?
Can we possibly see people for who they really are, or are they just characters we devise to play a role in the fiction we create to call our life story? How do we accept them when the illusion is broken and the mirror now shines on us because of it?
Can we accept the reality of our friends and lovers if we have not tread that same path?
Is the morality of good and bad only temporary, a function of linear time on this plane?
Discovering the truth about yourself isn't the hardest part of life, it's forgiving you and loving you again after that.
In spite of it.
And because of it.
Anyway, I found this to be an interesting read, even if the endless lust, longing and limp inducing erections experienced by an "older" man for a sweet young thing did get a little tiresome before kitty finally comes out to play. Perhaps that's more of a comment on me than the subject or the way it's presented. Yes, I'm old enough to have been there. I just think flawed characters are so much more interesting when they actually make mistakes.
A good who-dunnit-page-turner that I only put down when the real world demanded it. (less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Amabelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am big fan of Christine Feehan for years. She introduced me to paranormal romance and I never expected to like them so much. Of course, I love all her books, so I have higher standards when it comes to her. Some may hate her putting too much detail in everything, and a lot has accused her of repeating things over & over, she's still my "go to" author in the romance department. She never does anything half -halfheartedly. If she will tell a story about a marine biologist, she will bring us...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Jessi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bücher-2012

Wer mich ein bisschen kennt, weiß das Ich ein großer Fan der Autorin bin. Ich habe alle ihre Bücher gelesen, die bisher erschienen sind und vor allem ihre Leopardenmenschen Saga hat es mir sehr angetan. Auch in diesem Band treffen wir auf ein tolles Pärchen. Den charismatischen Drake kennen wir schon aus Band eins und diesmal spielt er zusammen mit der wirklich selbstständigen und zielstrebigen Saria die Hauptrolle.

Drake sprüht nicht nur so vor Charme, er ist auch unglaublich besitzergreifend u...more
Wer mich ein bisschen kennt, weiß das Ich ein großer Fan der Autorin bin. Ich habe alle ihre Bücher gelesen, die bisher erschienen sind und vor allem ihre Leopardenmenschen Saga hat es mir sehr angetan. Auch in diesem Band treffen wir auf ein tolles Pärchen. Den charismatischen Drake kennen wir schon aus Band eins und diesmal spielt er zusammen mit der wirklich selbstständigen und zielstrebigen Saria die Hauptrolle.

Drake sprüht nicht nur so vor Charme, er ist auch unglaublich besitzergreifend und weiß schon nach dem ersten Treffen, dass Saria seine Gefährtin ist. Aber er leidet auch darunter, dass er eine ganze Ecke älter ist als Saria und fühlt sich deshalb nicht gut genug für sie und zieht sich gerade in den spannendsten Momenten oft zurück. Trotzdem sprüht Drake nur so vor Alphamännchengehabe und kommt mit einer sexy Ausstrahlung daher die einem die Knie weich werden lässt. Drake ist groß, dunkel und hat Augen die Frauen dahin schmelzen lassen. Auch Saria kann sich dem nicht lange beugen und gibt sich in Drakes erfahrene Hände.

Saria ist eine starke, unabhängige Frau, die in den Sümpfen von Louisiana groß geworden ist, aus Spaß mit Alligatoren gekämpft hat und sich von ihren fünf sexy Brüdern gar nichts sagen lässt. Doch dann tauchen entstellte Leichen auf, die von Bissspuren gekennzeichnet sind und ein Serienkiller treibt sein Unwesen und macht auch vor Drake, der wegen den Ermittlungen an Sarias Seite eilt, nicht halt. Wer ist dieser Serienkiller? Ist es einer aus der Gemeinschaft der Wandler? Wieso hat er es auf Drake und Saria abgesehen? Fragen über Fragen die sehr lange Zeit nicht geklärt werden. Dieser Teil der Geschichte ist so gut ausgebaut, dass ich während des Lesens jeden verdächtigte, der daher kam. Bis zum Schluss hat man keine Ahnung, wer der Mörder sein könnte, und wird dann mit einem wirklich sehr guten Finale belohnt.

Wir schlittern von einem spannungsgeladenen Moment in den Nächsten und somit werden 525 pralle Seiten niemals langweilig. Neben einer wirklich thrillerlastigen Geschichte gibt es eine genauso tolle und spannende Liebesgeschichte zu bestaunen. Saria und Drake bilden ein wirklich tolles Gespann, das schon auf den ersten Seiten voll und ganz überzeugen kann. Wieder erwartet uns hier eine elektrisierende und erotische Geschichte zweier Liebenden, die aber im Gegensatz zu den Vorgängerbänden nicht so stark ausgeprägt daher kommt. Christine Feehan hat sich in diesem Buch mehr mit der Geschichte der Wandler, der unterschiedlichen Familien und den einzelnen Charakteren befasst und somit die etwas härteren erotischen Szenen zurück geschraubt. Dies tut dem Buch aber keinen Abbruch, sondern gestaltet es ganz anders und vor allem noch intensiver. Natürlich kommen auch die alten Bekannten aus den vorherigen Büchern nicht zur kurz und wir können erleben, wie verschiedene Wandlerfamilien zusammenwachsen. Christine Feehan legt auch in diesem Buch wieder den Grundstein für weitere Bücher der Saga, die hoffentlich schnellstmöglich erscheinen und mich wieder in eine wundervolle Welt der Wandler entführt.

Die Sprache des Buches ist typisch Feehan. Jeder, der einmal ein Buch von ihr gelesen hat, kommt von dieser Autorin nicht mehr los und möchte einfach mehr. Sie schafft es alleine mit Worten die Hitze Louisianas spürbar zu machen, in spannenden Momenten Gänsehaut zu erzeugen und in erotischen Momenten ein wohliges Kribbeln hervor zu rufen.(less)

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Jan 08, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-romance, sensuous, werewolf-shapeshifter

Generally at least one of Christine Feehan's heros & heroines, though noble, have horrible circumstances to overcome... in this story, we have two admirable, strong heros... yes, they've been challenged, but nothing too tragic...

Setting: the swamps of Louisiana, where 9 shifting families settled hundreds of years ago - a closed society, protective, entrenched in nature (hunting alligator, fishing, plants and the like)

Drake, head of security for Jake Bannaconni, a strong shifter... He was ra...more Generally at least one of Christine Feehan's heros & heroines, though noble, have horrible circumstances to overcome... in this story, we have two admirable, strong heros... yes, they've been challenged, but nothing too tragic...

Setting: the swamps of Louisiana, where 9 shifting families settled hundreds of years ago - a closed society, protective, entrenched in nature (hunting alligator, fishing, plants and the like)

Drake, head of security for Jake Bannaconni, a strong shifter... He was raised well, he has a deep and abiding love and knowledge for and about his people... he is well traveled, loyal, strong, reliable... His biggest personal challenge? When we first met him, he could no longer shift because of an injury to his leg that meant pins, etc... and he had to master his cat nature to a greater degree than most... but because of Jake's money and contacts, he is healing from an operation where metal was replaced with like shifter bone & material - and though he hasn't shifted yet, he will soon be able to try, to see if the operation was successful.

Saria Boudreaux - 5 much older brothers, who are all shifters - a mother who died when she was young and subsequently a father who fell into alcoholism... with the brothers gone more than home (in the army, etc.) Saria took care of dad and home - food, cleaning, running the bar & store... her father treated her as a son, teaching her the bayou, hunting, dangers, plants, etc. and she developed a close relationship with Pauline Lafont... she was quite independant, going her own way, doing what she decided was right, regardless of anyone's attempt to curtail her, and often disappeared into the swamps for days if pushed (her way of dealing with her father because when she was gone, he didn't eat, so he learned to not cross her)... She had seen her brothers shift, and kept that secret to herself... She was alone, and sometimes lonely. a kind teacher pointed her toward photography... and as an adult, she did not listen to her brothers (who were mostly home now), she was a well respected guide to the everglades, and she is developing business relationship to sell her photography. As our part of the story begins, she does not know she is also a shifter approaching her Han Vol Don, she does not know that the 9 families are shifters.

One night, while photographing baby owls from a blind she built, she sees a light and hears a scream... and when she reads the nature signs that the 'coast is clear', she goes to Jake Fenton's land and finds a dead body = stabbed in the belly, and bitten & suffocated on the neck in the way of the jaguar.. a month later she finds 2 bodies in the same place, the same location, and then the next month a fourth body. She tried to send a letter to Jake Bannaconni about his grandfather's land, but the letter is tacked to her canoe 2 days later (someone took it out of the mail)... and then one night when walking home, she is aware of being followed and a leopard lands on her, seems to warn her to be still, when she struggles, scratches her back, 6 long lines, and then when she stills, bites her shoulder then leaves her. She does not tell her brothers - she knows of no other shifters and she fears one of them is doing the killing... and she doesn't tell them of the attack afraid they will try to curtail her.

She goes to confession (feeling as if she is being followed) and asks the priest to send the letter to Jake, from a different parish. and a month later, Drake shows up to investigate. He has hired her to be his guide (not knowing she sent the letter)..

Saria arranged for him (and his future team, should he need them) to stay at Pauline's bed & breakfast. Jake sets about unraveling the secrets of this clan. Amos Jenmard is the alpha - he is aging, he has been ineffective (especially in dealing with the Tregre family), he is smart, he is in love with Pauline - whom he did not marry because she could not shift - putting clan before personal - a mistake, and now that he is a widow, he is back courting Pauline. The Tregre family is full of violence and cruelty - leading to the death of one son who had sent his wife and son to safety... the two remaining sons have done what they could to protect their sister (isolating her), and have continued in blindly making the deliveries for the Mercier family... including drug running. The Mercier family consists of Iris (mom), Armande and Charisse (siblings)... mom (though we don't find out until the end) is manipulative to her children, verbally abusive, and favors Armande. Charisse is a brilliant scientist and makes wonderful perfumes that sell all over the world... but her mother uses her perfumes to package opium... and Charisse developed something that absorbs scent (why she did not smell the leopard who attacked her)... and lastly, developed a new flower (though not clear why) called Leopard's Lover... the seeds being tracked out of her lab by her sneaking mother and now growing in Fenton's land and where Mercier & Tregre land border. The flower makes the women leopards more amorous, and the male leopards more aggressive, more catlike. There are a few confrontations with various leopards (Drake vs Armande; Remy (Saria's oldest, New Orlean's detective, brother) vs 2 other leopards; Remy's brothers vs Drake's crew) more volatile.\

Amos manipulates it so that Drake challenges him to leadership - (Amos 'takes' Saria - who in fact had a knife at his helper's testicles and didn't really need saving - saying Drake couldn't have her because she belongs to their clan)...

a cute story is when Paula tells Drake the story of 10 year old Saria... the women of church got together to see her father to tell him he needed to get Saria to school. Saria broke into each of their homes, leaving a baby alligator with a ribbon and a scroll, with instructions (in calligraphy) saying if they had so much time and so much need to nurture, here was a baby for them to care for. But a few weeks later, as she reasoned they had done it with the best of intentions, she broke back into their houses, and left a fresh, special bread she could bake.

And Drake and his leopard recognize Saria as his mate - his mate from former lives... and he comes to love Saria, her independence, her abilities, her strengths, her body, her honesty and hurts for her lost childhood while appreciating her adaptability, outraged about the attack and poorly executed claiming she was subjected to...and he deals with her honestly and gently - telling her about the Han Vol Dan, about the claiming, about going into heat, about her leopard... and she asks him to claim her (to keep others away, and because she feels a connection)... and when her leopard goes seductive on her, he helps her to control her (though it kills him of course) knowing Saria would be embarrassed the next day if they made love so soon... and he initiates her into sex fully... and when she is overcome by the Han Vol Dan, his leopard plays with and allows her to lead in a day of tumbling, and running, and sex... and then as their humans selves, he takes her with great passion... and he knows he is in this for life, and is patient with her as she works herself to the same place - pushing when he needs to, backing off when she needs it... and as he comes to know her, he knows his home is with her, and her home is this bayou, and they will live there (traveling together for his job) and raise their family... ahhhhh

And Drake and Saria determine that Iris Mercier is the murderer - there were similiar murders in New Orleans of women - women Armande was dating, and the ones in the swamp were Charisse's dates & one of a bad drug deal... and Iris tries to kill Saria's brother, who was courting Saria, who she was not able to seduce (apparently she could seduce other shifters who dated her daughter)... and Drake & Saria & Charisse get to her brother after Iris had stabbed & bitten him - though Armande had stopped her and was trying to save her brother's life... and Iris is killed.

The next leopard book? about Armande (who had tried to claim her to show his mother that their leopards were not attracted to one another)? about Remy? about one of the other brothers? about Josh Tregre (the grandson who made it to freedom byhis father's sacrifice?) hmmmm(less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Lynda Tatad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this newest book in Christine Feehan's Leopard series. I was so happy that Drake Donovan, who recently had surgery to fix a damaged leg that would allow him to finally shift into his leopard form for the first time in 2 years.

Sent by his boss Jake Bannaconni (from "Burning Wild") to investigate a series of murders that happened on his property in the Bayou (leased to local families), Jake is surprised to discover there is a female leopard shifter in the vicinity that really spa...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance

Fifth in the Leopard People paranormal-romance series about a race of leopard shapeshifters. The couple focus in this story is on Drake Donovan and Saria Boudreaux in a Louisiana bayou.

The Story
Something is wrong in the bayou. Saria keeps coming across dead bodies. Men who are obvious leopard shifter kills. The only leopards Saria knows that shift are her brothers and they don't know she knows. Danger threatens her everywhere from the letter intercepted and pinned to her pirogue to the shifter a...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Sarah Jordan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Savage Nature is one of those rare books that has it all - a hot paranormal romance mixed with a very good murder mystery, set in the steamy swamps of Louisiana. Add an inbred shapeshifting lair, a leadership power struggle, and botanical testosterone growing wild and you have all the makings of a great escape read.

Saria Boudreaux is a great heroine - smart, capable and able to hold her own. She's basically raised herself since childhood, and knows the swamp better than anyone else. But lately s...more Savage Nature is one of those rare books that has it all - a hot paranormal romance mixed with a very good murder mystery, set in the steamy swamps of Louisiana. Add an inbred shapeshifting lair, a leadership power struggle, and botanical testosterone growing wild and you have all the makings of a great escape read.

Saria Boudreaux is a great heroine - smart, capable and able to hold her own. She's basically raised herself since childhood, and knows the swamp better than anyone else. But lately she has sensed that she is being watched, and her much older brothers, all recently returned home, have been acting strange as well. Adding to Saria's problems, she's been finding dead bodies in her beloved swamp, and she's afraid one of her brothers may be the murderer. The victims have been killed by a large cat, and while Saria is clueless about her own shifter status, she knows that her brothers are leopard shifters. Unable to confide in them, she contacts the powerful man who owns the land they live on (don't think about that decision too much, because it's how Drake ends up in Saria's swamp), and is viciously attacked by a leopard.

Drake soon arrives, sent by the landowner to investigate Saria's claim. Pretty soon all hell is breaking loose as Drake and Saria feel an intense sexual attraction, the locals let Drake know he's not welcome through deadly leopard fights and gunshots, a drug-running operation is discovered, and Saria goes into heat. Drake Donovan is a deliciously animalistic alpha male who happens to be kind and considerate. He is also strong, smart, experienced and confident, and when he first meets Saria Boudreaux in the Louisiana swamps, he realizes she's not only a fellow shifter, but also his mate. The trouble is, Saria doesn't realize she's a leopard shifter. Or that she is about to go into heat as her leopard prepares to emerge for the first time. So Drake has to initiate her into the worlds of both leopard shifters and lovemaking - thankfully he is very, very good at both.

The mysteries of the deaths, the drugs, and the history of this Louisiana leopard lair are uncovered as Drake and Saria investigate. Their lives are in constant danger as they come closer to learning the truth, and their intense attraction creates explosive passion. The action and the sexual tension are relentless, making the book impossible to put down. This paranormal romance is classic Feehan, and will not disappoint!
(less)

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May 19, 2011 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christine-feehan-leopard-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. “Savage Nature” is the 5th book in Christine Feehan’s leopard series and tells the tale about Drake Donovan. Drake has been in the Leopard series since the beginning and sustained a leg injured that made it impossible for him to shift. I the last novel his employer and friend, Jake Bannaconni had found surgeons to fix and graph Drake’s leg together to the point where he is able to shift again after 2 years. Drake is a dominant, alpha leopard and the need to be free and roam is overwhelming. Drak...more “Savage Nature” is the 5th book in Christine Feehan’s leopard series and tells the tale about Drake Donovan. Drake has been in the Leopard series since the beginning and sustained a leg injured that made it impossible for him to shift. I the last novel his employer and friend, Jake Bannaconni had found surgeons to fix and graph Drake’s leg together to the point where he is able to shift again after 2 years. Drake is a dominant, alpha leopard and the need to be free and roam is overwhelming. Drake arrives to the swamps of the Mississippi river to investigate the claims of a shifter who is killing. An anonymous letter was sent to Jake from Fenton Marsh, property leased to 7 families by Jake’s grandfather that describes bodies killed by a leopard bite. When Drake arrives and meets his guide, Saria Boudreaux, and realizes she is his mate and is very close to The Han Vol Dan. The Han Vol Dan is when a female shifts for the first time and also goes into heat and accepts males in invitation for mating. Hopefully at this time she will be around her mate at the time since she will be throwing off strong sex hormones that entices other males to be more aggressive in order to fight for her. Saria seems rather oblivious to her nature. Drake also discovers that the town is a hidden leopard lair fun by a man by the name of Amos Jeanmard. He is one of the 7 families, who are all shifters, and there seems to be more to this investigation than a simple murder spree. Drake soon finds himself knee deep in trouble between family matters with Saria and her 5 brothers, the mismanagement of the lair and the 7 families, and the killer who shifts their focus to Saria, Drake and his team.

This book was fast paced and full of many different plot aspects that kept you guessing on where our characters would end up that the reader was always engaged. The characters took over this story with their actions and history and you grew to love them and want them all to succeed. Saria is a great female for our Drake who has been crying for his own story for many books. I love that there isn’t an overabundance of carnality or bearing your soul moments between the 2 characters. Christine Feehan achieves the perfect balance in this book of action; plot twists, romance, passion, and dialogue to keep your eyes on each line and the pages flying by. The beautiful descriptions of the wildlife and the environment and the passion the characters use for their home is palpable. I was slightly disappointed with the rather shortness in the end, but I felt the story rounded out nicely. Fans of the leopard series should be very excited with this edition. It was in my opinion the best novel to date in the series and I gave it 5 stars. I hope she continues to write about our leopard shifters because as a group they have many stories to tell. (less)

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May 13, 2011 Jacqueline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-work-borders, paranormal-romance, romantic-suspense, werewolves-shifters

I'm surprised that I totally loved this book. I gave 2 stars to books 1, 2, and 3, and skipped 4 because the story line didn't appeal. So I approached this with trepidation. Christine Feehan sucked me right in. Generally, regardless of whether I end up liking the story, I enjoy her writing. The writing here seemed more down to earth and not quite as florid as the Carpathian stories (most of which I love, BTW) nor did it seem as wordy and mystical as the Drake series.

For the first time in this s...more I'm surprised that I totally loved this book. I gave 2 stars to books 1, 2, and 3, and skipped 4 because the story line didn't appeal. So I approached this with trepidation. Christine Feehan sucked me right in. Generally, regardless of whether I end up liking the story, I enjoy her writing. The writing here seemed more down to earth and not quite as florid as the Carpathian stories (most of which I love, BTW) nor did it seem as wordy and mystical as the Drake series.

For the first time in this series, the shifter world was explained well enough and clearly enough I could understand it easily. The plot was interesting and made sense. There were several good red herrings for the bad guy. I loved the heroine, Saria. She was well developed with an interesting backstory that clearly led to her being the spunky heroine that she was. She was smart and independent and brave without being in any way foolish. I loved the way that she was so loyal to Drake once she committed to him. I hate wishy washy heroines. Drake was well done, very alpha, very determined to figure out what was going on and totally in love with Saria. This wasn't one of those books where the hero and heroine spend so much time working on their relationship that the suspense part of the plot is ignored however. Their relationship developed on the run as it were but fluidly it didn't seem forced at all.

There was sex in the book but it didn't seem to be as much as in the Carpathian books. There was a lot going on and plenty of story to tell. I enjoyed seeing the many different shifters in the book and look forward to stories about Saria's brothers and some of Drake's men.

Only one small thing that I would have had different (view spoiler)(less)

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May 10, 2011 Heather Lire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of my favorite paranormal series being written. The characters are all well written and complement each other really well.

Drake is finally going to be able to shift again after what feels like a lifetime. An injury he sustained in Wild Rain has kept him from shifting. When he was injured working for Jake Bannaconni in Burning Wild he was finally able to have his leg fixed. His latest assignment to investigate the letter that Jake had received from someone living on his property in th...more

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May 01, 2011 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: animals, brothers, contemporary-fantasy, contemporary-romance, dark-fantasy, family-relationships, fiction, friendship, nature, own-in-book-format, paranormal, paranormal-romance, read-in-2011, romantic-fantasy, romantic-suspense, shapeshifters, women

I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I loved the descriptions of the Louisiana swamp and its inhabitants, and the story was fast-paced and exciting, but on the other hand I found the accent of the people forced and it served to distract me from the story. I know the way people from Louisiana sound and reading the author's interpretation of the local dialect was disappointing. Maybe it's just me, but I was so busy reading the words exactly as Feehan had written them (all of the "don'" do t...more

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Apr 29, 2011 Trina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As usual, Christine Feehan draws me into her world from the first chapter. Her ability to create and describe a place you may have never vistied or seen is amazing. You feel as if you are actually part of the environment. The world of shape shifter she has created is so realistic and believable it is almost hard to imagine that it is fiction.

Her characters are always fantastic but I really liked Saria, the heroine, in this story. She is tough, confident, honorable and yet vulnerable. The hero i...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Its fun to see some of the same characters and meet new ones. Drake has had his leg operated on and he is ready to see if he can change into a panther again. He has not been able to do it for over 2 years and had given up on being able to change again.

Saria is a young woman who has run wild in the swamps around her family. Her dad was a drunk and her mom died when she was little and her brothers were older by at least 8 years and she was alone with her dad for years while her brothers left home...more

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May 22, 2012 Taria Reed rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: hot, shifters

11hrs in and I just have two say: 1) I miss Phil Gigante on this book. 2) It really grates my nerves to have a heroine who is so damn independent that she would insist she can "protect herself" when she has a team full of sexy experience alphas around her and only want her to be safe. Not to mention that the freaking killer is focused on her. smh....t.s.t.l.!!

back to the book (i've got 4hrs to go).

I was so disappointed with this book. I was really looking forward to Drakes story and I expected s...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Kerry sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, shifter-werewolf

This book was reviewed for Musings of a bookworm
The Blurb
When Saria Boudreaux finds a dead body in the Louisiana bayou near her home, her first instinct is to go to the police. But there's a problem: it looks like the victim may have been killed by a big cat - and her brothers are all shape-shifting leopards. Sent by the land's owner to investigate, leopard-shifter Drake Donovan is ready for anything - except the insatiable hunger that rocks him when he meets Saria. Deep in his soul he knows...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Shabby Girl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: five-star-books, top-100-fave-books, favourite-rereads

I've read all these Leopard books now, and as far as I'm concerned they are all absolutely fabulous. The world this author has created feels so real, so amazing that you wish you had a cat inside you and could shift into a leopard and find your true mate.

I read Jake and Emma's story first, mainly because it had a storyline that appealed to me, but once I'd read it, I quickly got all the rest of the stories and devoured each and every one in only a week. I enjoyed them that much, I couldn't put...more I've read all these Leopard books now, and as far as I'm concerned they are all absolutely fabulous. The world this author has created feels so real, so amazing that you wish you had a cat inside you and could shift into a leopard and find your true mate.

I read Jake and Emma's story first, mainly because it had a storyline that appealed to me, but once I'd read it, I quickly got all the rest of the stories and devoured each and every one in only a week. I enjoyed them that much, I couldn't put them down. I said in one of my other reviews that this is the first time I've read paranoral romance and really LOVED it, and it's so true. None of these stories are weak, and they are all equally as good as each other.

What I loved is that whilst the world and how they live is the main thread of the story, along with finding their true mate, each story is different and so enjoyable. I have loved them all, read them all out of order without any difficulty in following along, but I think each one has gotten better as the series has gone on. Each story is very strong in the series. After each one I've sighed and thought, oh yeah, I so enjoyed reading that story from start to finish - no boring bits anywhere, no skipping ahead.

I really love the description by the author of the surroundings, the noises of nature, and the other animals and how they interact with the leopard shifters. It really added to the atmosphere of each book, each one being in a different setting.

This author also really knows how to write both H and h; I adore each and every one of them; every book I read I fall in love with the H and I want to be the h. The h's are feisty without being at all bitchy or stupid. I love that they never do stupid things. They never run out and do exactly what their H says not to. They don't sit back and wail, they get on with the job and support their man. They act exactly how I hope I would in their situation. And I have laughed out loud at some of their verbal exchanges.

The H's are all alpha, but in the best way; strong and courageous and honourable, and love their h's to death. They really look after them and protect them, but let them be involved in the danger.

All in all I have to say this author really knows how to write a H and h to die for, just exactly how I like them, and she really knows how to get you involved in their loving. Man, I want to be a leopard's mate! Pick me!

After enjoying all of these books thoroughly, I choose this one (so far) as my favourite. I loved the atmosphere of the book, I could feel the heat and danger and beauty of the Louisiana Bayou swamps. I loved the H and h, the way they connected and I could just hear the Cajun accents. I felt a part of the book and could really immerse myself right into the story.

I am so hooked on these books; I can't wait for the next one to come out. This author likes a loooong series, so I'm looking forward to plenty of stories for my favourite shifters. I'm partiularly looking forward to both Joshua's and Elijah's stories, but I know whichever H she chooses, the story is going to be one to look forward to. Write faster!(less)

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Jun 03, 2011 Lynette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SAVAGE NATURE is the recent release in Christine Feehan’s Leopard series (she writes several paranormal romance series).

Saria family has lived on the Louisiana Bayou for centuries. For her, it’s the only place she feels comfortable. But that comfort is stripped away when her she starts finding dead bodies in the swamp, bodies that look like they’ve been attacked by a leopard. That scares her, because leopards are not native to the swamp and once as a child she had seen her older brothers shape-...more SAVAGE NATURE is the recent release in Christine Feehan’s Leopard series (she writes several paranormal romance series).

Saria family has lived on the Louisiana Bayou for centuries. For her, it’s the only place she feels comfortable. But that comfort is stripped away when her she starts finding dead bodies in the swamp, bodies that look like they’ve been attacked by a leopard. That scares her, because leopards are not native to the swamp and once as a child she had seen her older brothers shape-shift into leopards. Although there is a great distance between herself and her brothers (which she assumes comes from her inability to shift as well) she cannot believe that they are killers. When threats to Saria increase and she is attacked by a leopard, she can no longer push aside what is happen and manages to smuggle a letter out to the owner of the land.

A short time later, Drake Donovan appears and hires Saria as a guide. He is shocked when he meets Saria and the instant attraction he feels for her. The man and leopard inside of him is calling out to her, he soon realizes that it’s because she’s about to go through the change and is astounded that she knows nothing of her heritage especially when he discovers a large shifter lair out in the bayou. A lair rife with lawlessness and who are breaking every shifter law due to a lack of inadequate leadership. Now Drake and Saria have to trap a killer, get control of the lair, and deal with the burgeoning emotions battling between them.

I really liked SAVAGE NATURE, more so than the other books in this series. If you know anything about Christine Feehan you’ll know that she’s sort of known for somewhat doormat heroines and the alpha holes who trounce all over them. SAVAGE NATURE was nothing like that. Saria is a strong woman who is used to not only taking care of herself but others as well and Drake was a strong man who showed no alpha hole tendencies. In fact he treated Saria with respect even when he didn’t agree with her plans and even deferred to her more superior knowledge in some cases. I know, I was shocked, the hero and hero actually respected on another. I liked the balance in SAVAGE NATURE. Yes, Drake wanted her to be wowed by his umm . . . stick of power, he still treated her as a woman of intelligence who he owned he respect.

In other words, SAVAGE NATURE is my favorite in the Leopard series, and I highly recommend it.
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May 04, 2011 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally posted here: Happily Ever After - Reads

I originally hadn’t planned to do a review for this book, but Saria made me. Savage Nature is book 5 in Christine Feehan’s Leopard People series. There’s an element of suspense in each book, but the stories are really about the shifters, their lairs and finding their mates. The mates “know” each other once they come in contact, and the world is set up so that the leopards recognize their mates from past lives. The female shifter can either accept...more Originally posted here: Happily Ever After - Reads

I originally hadn’t planned to do a review for this book, but Saria made me. Savage Nature is book 5 in Christine Feehan’s Leopard People series. There’s an element of suspense in each book, but the stories are really about the shifters, their lairs and finding their mates. The mates “know” each other once they come in contact, and the world is set up so that the leopards recognize their mates from past lives. The female shifter can either accept or reject any leopard and of course will always end up accepting the mate she’s supposed to be with.

Drake Donovan, our hero, is your typical alpha. Not that I ever get tired of reading about strong alpha heroes – he’s a leader, and while on a mission to find a killer he stumbles upon an unknown lair made up of multiple families of shifters, one that includes Saria. He knows instantly she’s the one for him and sets out to prove it to her.

Saria is the reason this book gets 4 stars. I found her to be a very refreshing character to read about. She’s lived her whole life in the swamps of Louisiana, taking care of her home and family business as a young girl, since no one else was around to do it for her. She has 5 older brothers who were never around much when she was growing up and didn't give her the attention she desperately needed and craved. She raised herself and became a strong and very independent woman. Saria really was a joy to read. She was straight forward, honest, said exactly what she thought and was feeling and always made the right decision (no matter how tough) for whatever circumstance she found herself in.

The one downside to this book and series in general, with one book out per year, I had a hard time remembering past characters and their stories. Bad memory? Probably. But the books can certainly be read as stand-alones and by moving the past storyline from the rain forests into the swamps and introducing new families and characters, there is major potential for future books. There are a couple leopards in Savage Nature that I can’t wait to read more about. Why is it that the side characters, more times than not, end up being more intriguing than the main characters?

Regardless – read this book for Saria. She’s a great heroine, and someone you’ll quickly find yourself cheering for. (less)

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Jul 29, 2012 Jenny Delandro rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: author-christine-feehan

TBR 543
The story starts off with girl living in the alligator swamps of Louisianna. Saria has a love for this country and her 5 brothers do not show any interest in her. Both parents are gone. She is a photographer and comfortable looking after herself
She has a secret ....

(view spoiler)...more TBR 543
The story starts off with girl living in the alligator swamps of Louisianna. Saria has a love for this country and her 5 brothers do not show any interest in her. Both parents are gone. She is a photographer and comfortable looking after herself
She has a secret ....

(view spoiler)
Their story is far from over - but a wedding and gift of the inn as a wedding present gives them a great starting place.(less)

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Jun 12, 2011 Allison rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sort of confused how there are so many 4-5 star reviews. Maybe I was the only one disappointed? Or did people finally just stop reading her books?

I'm between a 1 and 2 star rating here. This book was BORING. Just plain boring. It wasn't heavy detailed boring like Feehan usually is, just the romance, plot, and, well, book was boring. My mom didn't finish it, but I did cause I didn't have anything else to read. I should have just found a new author half way through, because everything turned out a...more Sort of confused how there are so many 4-5 star reviews. Maybe I was the only one disappointed? Or did people finally just stop reading her books?

I'm between a 1 and 2 star rating here. This book was BORING. Just plain boring. It wasn't heavy detailed boring like Feehan usually is, just the romance, plot, and, well, book was boring. My mom didn't finish it, but I did cause I didn't have anything else to read. I should have just found a new author half way through, because everything turned out as expected, despite the red herrings Feehan attempted to throw in. (view spoiler)

The only cool thing was the new leopard lair instead of the rain forest one. Makes characters available for the next books, but sheesh, I hate how she's only getting these books to sell that are only setting up other books.

The romance was so dull. Drake and Saria seemed like they could have been interesting characters if the author wrote them as they were presented, but instead focused on how to make their relationship complicated...and it ended up not being complicated at all. The problems they had to overcome were solved in the first half by Drake and Drake alone. Saria has an interesting history but no personality whatsoever, which was probably why Drake was the central narrator. But for a guy who had all these difficulties to overcome, I NEVER saw how they affected him. Sooooooo much potential Feehan constantly washes away... I never saw them actually butt heads, and for a female who is "stubborn" and "doesn't want to be controlled" I don't remember any arguments between them when he makes her do something (although his opinion about that stubbornness was my favorite aspect of him). She had doubts in the beginning, yes, but besides that...no tension between them. It was too "we meet, we love, we marry" for me I guess.

Why do I keep reading her books? No idea. I did stop reading the Carpathian series though.
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Nov 28, 2011 Lauryn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: para-normal-romance

A coworker lent me this book because he knew that I liked sci-fi/fantasy. He admitted it was smutty when he gave it to me, but I didn't realize that that is what it completely is until I took a closer look.

I was pretty engaged for the first dozen pages, then the author starts switching between character point of views in between paragraphs! At the start of a section, we're seeing things from the priest's point of view (which is the only time in the book that he's even present) and the next thin...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ugh. These books are just so over-the-top. The sad thing is that they have really excellent plots, if you can dig down past all the b.s. I read the first half of the book and then skipped to the end and read the last 2 chapters and the epilogue. I kid you not, I did not miss a single part of the storyline. In every book, I've skimmed paragraphs at a time where Feehan incessantly rambled on about the scenery. She gets so caught up in that that she leaves portions of the actual story out. In one p...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Tana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the 5th book in the Leopard People series and I must say I enjoyed it! Drake Donovan was severely injured in the past and has not been able to shift into his leopard form for the past two years. A recent operation has left him with the possibility that he may be able to shift again and he is waiting for the chance to try. Sarai has been running wild in the swamps of Louisiana since she was a little girl. Her mother died when she was small and her father turned to alcohol in his grief - p...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Rosa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Que puedo decir me encanta la autora y he leido todos sus libros, este me encanto la historia en general es variada e introducen a nuevos personajes a tener en cuenta en los próximos libros

Algo que me gusto mucho es el hecho en los últimos libros de Feehan han existido episodios de fuerte violencia contra la prota (de parte de terceros y no de su pareja) , y en este libro no se dio de esa manera, es cierto que siendo fiel al hecho que los leopardos pueden ser violentes o maliciosos y existen mu...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance-faves, swoon-worthy-male-characters, 2012-books, werewolves-shapeshifters, sizzling-romance, books-with-sex-scenes

Savage Nature is my first novel from the ever popular Leopard series by my all time fave author, Christine Feehan. Loved, loved this novel! Danger and murder-mysteries dominate the pages and you find yourself flipping through the pages so fast you are startled when the story ends. Perfect progression in the romance and I loved reading about the relationships between leopards and how it all goes down between male and female!

Saria was the most out-going heroine and I think every reader will be so...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Danger lurks in the shadows and desire shimmers in the sultry heat in an all-new novel of the leopard people from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan...

When Saria Boudreaux finds a dead body in the Louisiana bayou near her home, her first instinct is to go to the police. But there’s a problem--it looks like the victim may have been killed by a big cat, and her brothers are all shape-shifting leopards.

Sent to investigate by the land’s owner, leopard shifter Drake Donovan is read...more Danger lurks in the shadows and desire shimmers in the sultry heat in an all-new novel of the leopard people from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan...

When Saria Boudreaux finds a dead body in the Louisiana bayou near her home, her first instinct is to go to the police. But there’s a problem--it looks like the victim may have been killed by a big cat, and her brothers are all shape-shifting leopards.

Sent to investigate by the land’s owner, leopard shifter Drake Donovan is ready for anything—except the insatiable hunger that rocks him when he meets Saria. Deep in his soul he knows that she is destined to be his mate. Torn between protecting her brothers and finding the truth, Saria treads warily around the powerful shifter. Yet as they venture deep into the mysterious bayou on a hunt for the killer, Saria finds herself longing for Drake’s touch and the sweet release of surrender…

If you've been reading this series like i have then you've met Drake several times before. He's a hell of a guy whose has been through hell. I was so excited to see him get his own book finally. We get some characters from previous books which is always great and finally Drake gets to shift again. I love when Christine Feehan sets her book in the bayou. It's so far removed from my life in northern part of the US and i enjoy the banter of the characters with the great bayou accents if that the right term for it. Drake is a major alpha dog folks but he's got a huge heart too and Saria has these 4 awesome brothers who didn't take care of her like they should have while growing up and she feels disconnected from them. She has to learn to trust them. There are murders in the bayou though and Saria gets attacked by a shifter and it's getting dangerous so she calls in help and she gets Drake! I loved this one. Lots of action, hot guys and suspense. I didn't find it obvious who the bad guy was in this one. I only suspected about 3/4 of the way through and it was a toss up between two people until almost the end. I give Savage nature by Christine Feehan 5 out of 5 Modokker book pick stars.(less)

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Jan 09, 2012 Yvonne Boag rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural

Saria Boudreaux has spent her life in the Louisiana bayou. She hunts there, hires out as a guide and makes a living photographing there. She feels at home and safe until one night when she finds a body. And it won't be the last one she finds, one of her family or friends is a serial killer. Drake Donovan is sent to investigate and is instantly attracted to Saria. He needs to find out who the killer is because it seems they have shifted their focus to Saria being their next victim.
I'm not a big...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Meredith rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance

Feehan writes these gloriously trashy novels that sometimes just hit the spot when you're in that type of mood. I absolutely loved the first in this series, it was insane and over the top and reminded me in a way of the crazy early 80s epic romances.

This....not so much. It was actually pretty fun in a nutty way until about halfway through the book, when, frankly, it felt like she'd resolved the romance and I'd already pretty much figured out the mystery. At that point the book sort of tanked. I...more

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Savage Nature (Leopard People #5)

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