Review: Add Leopards to my list of Best Shifters Ever!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 19, 2012
This book was a very pleasant surprise, and I am hoping that this will be turned into a series because I would love to know more about Riley. Please hold while I go stalk the author's site to find out............(muzak playing).......................................... Ok, I don't see anything that says there will be another. *sigh* Soraya, if you read this - please consider a continuation!! Edit/Correction: Soraya says there will be a sequel! So make sure you sign up to stalk her on Twitter and her website to get the latest and greatest!Ok, back to my review! If you look at Soraya's other books you will see a military romance theme. I haven't read those, but it seems as if Change is a bit of a departure from her normal fare. Sometimes when authors try this it fails. BUT I think Soraya hit a home run with this one. I absolutely loved this story and I read it in one day, refusing to put it down.Aside from losing a child or a parent, losing a sibling is one of the worst things a person can endure, in my opinion. Losing a twin amplifies that because that person is essentially the other half of yourself. Young Riley has just lost her twin, Claudia, to what the doctors are calling a heart condition. To try and deal with her grief she goes to stay with her grandma, Sophia. And that's what grandma wants to be called, by the way, Sophia.Barely any time passes before she meets Hunter. And Hunter wastes no time at all filling her in on why she is staying with Sophia, and who he is... and who Riley, herself, is. Riley is a leopard shifter...but not just any leopard shifter. Sophia is the matriarch of the pack, and Riley is her only heir. Oh yeah, stuff just got real. Riley is now forced to redefine her life. How does anyone do that?? For Riley it includes this huge secret. And now she finds out her life is promised to Hunter. A walk in the woods with the hottest guy she's ever met changes everything for Riley. Again.Right away I really loved both Riley and Hunter. She is young and strong. And while she is grieving she is also growing. Hunter is protective and yet fun. Sexy and smoldering, and well, animal. And then on top of that, they are leopard shifters, which is fantastic because most often when you read about shifters they are wolves. Yes, I love wolves, but every once in a while its nice to see something different.Riley's first shift totally made me smile. Hunter is terrific during it, and between the two of them, I just wanted to stretch my paws out and jump... well, if I had paws."I don't have any claim on you yet. They know that." His breath crossed her skin. Riley felt her body quiver. "You're beautiful, Riley, and I'm not the only alpha around here."There was really great tension between these two. Hunter just did such a superb job at making Riley feel safe. Scratch that, at making her be safe. The flirtation between them is perfect. The kisses... *sigh* are terrific. Especially the clifftop one. You'll see."Riley." He whispered her name. She watched the shape of each syllable play over his mouth.The story really had more emotion than I was expecting. As the blurb says, there is some hope for Claudia. I thought this would be kind of cheesey when all was said and done, but no, it was really terrific. I really felt everything right along with everyone else right along the way. Riley and Claudia have a redefined and very special relationship, and I loved the twist. I was impressed and thoroughly happy.When the climax hits I actually had goosebumps as I clenched my teeth hoping for a positive outcome. Of course I can't tell you what happens in the book, but trust me - it is wicked and awesome. Riley really shines and I totally had a girl crush on her :)So I'd definitely recommend this book. I really loved it. It was a bit different. There were some terrifically steamy kisses, some butterflies in the stomach that I loved, and some really great action scenes. Two thumbs, er paws up!