A Game Of Cat & Mouse

Pinewood Creek Shifters #1

by Astrid Cielo

Caleb Anderson took over the job as alpha of his pride upon his parent’s sudden death. Ever since the females of his pride have been relentless in their bid to become his alpha female, but Caleb won’t settle for anything less than his true mate. Escaping for a few moments to relax in his favorite spot may have been the best thing to ever happen to him, especially when his true mate just happens to scurry by.
Miranda Sullivan could not be more lost in the woods behind her new house. When cougar shifter Caleb finds her he is determined to claim her. Falling hard and fast for the sexy cougar is the least of a mouse shifters worries. Now Miranda must defend her place as Caleb’s alpha female against a crazy and angry kitty cat! What’s a tiny little mouse to do?

Genres: Shapeshifters, Paranormal Romance, Erotica

238 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2012

About the author

Astrid Cielo is a Mississippi girl who enjoys a variety of things. By night, she is a nurse in her local ER, and by day, she is spilling her imagination out on paper. Astrid began writing when she was a child her stories featuring a variety of characters. When she was in high school she wrote her first completed story and was published twice in poetry anthologies.
Gathering her courage, Astrid self-published her first book, Surrender Serenity, Salin’s Salvation, Book 1 and enjoyed every minute of it. Now she balances her time between being a nurse (which she loves) and writing down the scenes that play out in her mind. She also plays World of Warcraft (which all of her friends think is weird)!

Reviews

[Majanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not the biggest fan of shapeshifters. I can’t really explain why. I’ve always preferred vampires, witches, demons and even fallen angels above shifters. Maybe because I prefer the slick type of predators, the ones that are sophisticated and mysterious and you wouldn’t expect they’re a heartless monster in disguise. But for werewolves and other types of shapeshifters, I always thought they were a bit more…crude powers. Less brains. I know that’s a bit of a discriminatory viewpoint toward our supernatural society, but that’s the way I’ve always felt. Werewolves tend to give in to their basic desires. They’re slaves of the moon. I prefer supernatural beings a less bit controlled by their own emotions.

Every so often, I tell myself it’s time to get past my prejudices and turn back toward werewolves and other shapeshifters. Give them another choice. Sometimes that turns out dissapointing, but not so here. I gave A Game of Cat and Mouse a chance for two reasons: it’s been a while since I’ve read erotic paranormal romance, and secondly, I thought the plot sounded light and exactly what I needed after studying for one month in a row. Well, the book didn’t fail to meet my expectations. The story is light, but has enough depth to keep me reading. There were no life-changing, world-threatening choices but the plot was well-developed and there were some twists and turns I didn’t see coming, but enjoyed.

What I liked most about this book however was how the main characters aren’t werewolves. I was stupid enough not to put 2 and 2 together, and figured it would tell another werewolf story. But the shapeshifters in this book are in fact a panther, and a mouse. Now I know it might not sound like the best thing ever to be able to change into a mouse, but it was pretty cool. Caleb is the alpha male of his tribe, and he’s also a shapeshifting panther. Ever since he took on the position as alpha, the females of his tribe have been competing endlessly for his attention. But Caleb has let his eyes fall on an insignificantly small mouse named Miranda, who thinks she’s no match at all for the girls battling for Caleb’s attention. But Caleb falls for her, and is determined to make her his…

The romance was the focus of the story of course, and I liked it. As usually, I’m not a big fan of the immediate feelings thing. It’s one thing to think a guy/girl is hot, and something else alltogether to have feelings for them right away. However, it works in bringing the reader instant romance, and I got over it soon enough. The romance scenes were great, and the author did a great job with the more erotic scenes. The writing was fitting, and the character’s feelings and passion dropped off the pages.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It’s one of the better erotic romances. The character’s feelings for each other were obvious, the romance was well-done. The plot could’ve been a bit tighter, as could the writing, but those were minor issues. I recommend this book to fans of erotic paranormal romance and shapeshifters.

[Jonel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely the biggest twist on shifter mates that I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t have been able to come up with this one in my wildest dreams. It was brilliant. Not only that, but the story itself was quite well developed. Everything was clearly laid out for the audience while keeping you enthralled and entertained.

Cielo brought her story out in vivid colour with her past paced, in your face writing style. She laid out this shifter community in a manner that you can’t help but visualise. She also draws her audience into the community, allowing them to become a part of the story. You can’t help but giggle at the characters when they refuse to swear yet find themselves in hot and racy situations (that definitely add to the story, rather than detracting from the storyline). You also feel the tension and impending issues while the storyline progresses.

I love how Cielo has some minor overlaps of scenes as she switches perspective from character to character. It really draws you into the story and lets you get to know both of the main characters intimately. Cielo ensures that we get to know these two individuals on many different levels, making them complete and well-rounded individuals. On top of that, they are people that you want to know in real life. You don’t want to leave them behind at the end of the novel (thank God for sequels). The supporting cast was also quite well developed. You don’t get to know them quite as intimately as the main characters, but you know them well enough to be neighbours. It helped add to the sense of community in the novel.

As a whole, this was a brilliant introduction to this shifter community, leading you into the series with a brilliant kickoff. At the same time, Cielo doesn’t leave you hanging at the end of the novel. It is a complete story in and of itself. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone who wants a racy shifter novel.

[Staclana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is defiantly a Unique story!

I don't read a lot of shifter story's what I have read is mostly ware wolf... So imagine my surprise when I start this story out reading about Caleb the panther and when he spots Miranda, a mouse in the woods and I am like, WHAT!!!   Well once I got over the WHAT!!!   The author did a really good job of explaining how the panther pride work's as well as how Caleb and Miranda  are to be mated..
   Be prepared for lots of hot erotic scenes.. If you like shifter story's with a hot alpha and a strong heroine this is a great book...Good  plot, strong characters and lots of steamy sex, can't go wrong with all that!

[JJH--Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2-4 stars. Sweet shifter romance. I thought it had a very nice suspense plot line. Good writing style. Will read more