Her Perfect Mate

March 24, 2014
This romantic thriller is long on romance, but its thrills—steamy bits included—are short and to the point. United States covert agent Ivy Halliwell, a cat shape-shifter, has a history of bad-news partners, and her initial meeting with Special Forces Capt. Landon Donovan goes particularly poorly. He’s unhappy at being snatched away from his team mid-mission and paired up with a dainty-looking woman. After Ivy levels Landon during their first training match, his respect grows, and so does his lust. When the two run up against an evil mastermind who’s creating shifters, the question is whether the two will prioritize the mission or each other. Credulity is thin on the ground, but a solid story, vivid action scenes, and worthy characters carry the day.

May 1, 2014
As Tyler launches the X-Ops series, Special Forces captain Landon Donovan is abruptly assigned to a politically controversial, secret Homeland Security unit that pairs humans with shifters, part-animal counterparts carrying natural genetic mutations. His new and gorgeous partner, Ivy Halliwell, is part cat, has lost two previous partners and is now known as Poison Ivy. Despite this, she and Landon not only work well together but give in to a fierce sexual attraction and fall in love. Before this can complicate their work lives, though, they are sent to catch an evil German scientist who is kidnapping biologists. Ivy is captured during their raid, and Donovan calls on his former special ops team and another shifter in their unit to help rescue her and kill the bad guys. But two of those escape with samples of her blood, paving the way for the next X-Ops installment. This is an action-packed, sensual genre-blend of military and paranormal romance with appeal for readers of both. The explicit sex scenes, while limited in number, show the influence of erotica on both subgenres.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)