Review: The Dominating Python Finds His Mate In a Submissive Wolf
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2012
This installment begins where Hope For a Buffalo leaves off with Eli and Yuma flying with the injured buffalo shifter back to Lark and Ailean to help him get medical attention.  Eli may be a strong big dominant man and shifter, but he is always laid low by motion sickness when on planes, boats or in the back of cars.  This squeamishness makes him irritable and snappy along with dulling his sense of smell which causes him to leave a bad first impression with his timid intended mate, Sam an assistant medic and member of the Stone Ridge Wolf Pack.Sam is a timid person and wolf, but he is thrilled to find his mate only to be snapped at and rejected by the powerful man he is just trying to soothe through his illness.  He has a past that makes him skittish around dominant types and Eli will have his work cut out for him if he even hopes to earn Sam's trust and love.And Eli does-The big python shifter does not just have a dominant personality; he is a Dom and he is more than pleased at fate's choice of his submissive mate.  But Eli recognizes that he must be careful with his mate.  Just as he is starting to make progress with Sam, events unfold that may part the two for good.This plot brings back trouble with the scientists, but has the added bonus in my book of including characters from both Declan and Kontra's packs as well as an action packed finish.  I confess that I was not as in tune with this mated pair as I was with others in both series because of one small issue.  I was okay with the D/s relationship, but I felt like something like that, particularly when a pair are to mate and form a long-term relationship, should be eased into instead of an instant test for pain tolerance when trust is an issue.  Might just be my inadequate knowledge of that particular lifestyle so I didn't let it affect my rating.  And that was my only true issue with the pairing.  Sam has been a recurring character in other books as has Eli and it was obvious that Sam needed a firm, loving take-charge kind of guy for his mate.  And Eli needed a gentle soul to look after to hone down his rougher edges.  I love Eli in his snake form because he is so powerful and he's a different shifter animal than the norm.  Eli still manages to deal some serious retribution to the baddies too.All in all, it was an entertaining read!