ON THE PROWL—Crystal Jordan

Aphrodisia Books

Kensington Publishing Corp.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-2900-7

May 2009

Erotic Paranormal Anthology 

Four panther shape-shifting males are hoping that they will be lucky enough to find mates and one day continue their lines with children. Little do they know that their mates not only exist, but they are right under their noses. But these alpha kitties will have their hands full claiming their mates who were not raised in the traditional panther ways.

CLAIM ME

San Francisco—Present Day

Antonio Cruz is the head of his panther pride and he’s been working hard to restore balance to his people since his dictator of a father passed away, leaving a legacy of fear and ruthlessness. Antonio is caught unawares when he scents his mate, and she’s living among humans without the protection of the pride. He’s determined to claim her, but she has her reasons for staying away.

Solana is a cursed panther. She was kicked out of the pride by Antonio’s father because she can’t shift into panther form. Now she runs a bar for humans and tries to avoid panthers that will hurt her. One night she isn’t so lucky, and the Ruiz brothers make a game of chasing her, but before they can have their wicked way, Antonio saves her. She would love nothing more than to have a life and a love with Antonio, but she won’t cost him his leader status.

CLAIM ME is a sexy tale with an alpha male and an alpha female. Solana and Antonio are well matched as they try to find a way to mate without throwing the panther world in chaos.  The plot keeps a brisk pace and readers will never find a moment that isn’t full of action or hot with love.

TAKE ME

San Francisco—Present Day

Andrea Cruz has stayed away from home for as along as possible. She left her panther pride at age 18 to escape her authoritarian father and make her way in the human world as a model. Now that her older brother, Antonio, is pride leader she must make the loyalty oath to him, his mate, and his soon-to-be-born child. The last thing Andrea wants is to stay with the pride, let alone take a mate herself.

Miguel Montoya holds the position of Second in the Cruz Pride. He had almost given up hope that he would ever find a mate of his own until he is sent to pick up his leader’s sister at the airport. Miguel does not understand why Andrea is so reluctant to accept a mate, but he hopes that his lessons in dominance and submission will tie her to him, but will family politics tear them apart?

TAKE ME is an enjoyable story about two lovers who keep letting past experiences and family politics stand in the way of their relationship. Miguel knows that Andrea enjoys bondage and spankings, but will she let go of her past long enough for them to become mates? The panther society is explained in more detail in this second story of the ON THE PROWL anthology. Jordan does an excellent job keeping her characters believable and realistic in this paranormal world.

NEED ME

San Francisco—Present Day

As attorneys for their panther pride, the Cruz twins enjoy their reputation for working hard and playing harder. They particularly love to share their women…at the same time. They carefully cultivated their playboy status and convenient usefulness to the pride so they would not attract the notice of their late patriarchal father. Now that he’s gone they are still the best attorneys in the pride.

Isabel Rivera is on the run from an abusive and delusional would-be fiancé. As the heir to the European Panther pride, Enrique had tried to force a mating with her. Now Isabel is hoping that the Cruzes will give her sanctuary in the North American pride. But Isabel was not planning to find a true mate, let alone two true mates. Will Isabel accept Ric and Diego as her mates after such an awful experience in Europe? The twins certainly hope so, but as an important panther political meeting draws near, so does the threat from Enrique.
 

NEED ME is an excellent final leg in the ON THE PROWL anthology. This final installment is just as sexy as TAKE ME and CLAIM ME. The threat from the European pride and the panther politics make this a fast-paced sensual story. Readers will adore the twins as alpha males and as young boys who were left to raise themselves. Isabel is a survivor and learns to find love and acceptance in the most unlikely of circumstances.

ON THE PROWL is an excellent collection of shape-shifter stories that brings the panther shifter world into a fresh light. Crystal Jordan blends sensuality and imagination into a complex world and creates the perfect setting for an erotic romance. My only regret is that I finished the book as I could have happily stayed in Jordan’s panther world. I highly recommend ON THE PROWL to all erotic romance lovers.

Mel Mason