Lion's Share by Rachel Vincent
Series: Wildcats #1
Published by Indie
Published on: February 23, 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Pages: 270
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Abby Wade has a dangerous secret.
Two months ago, she disobeyed an order, but instead of kicking her out of the Pride, Jace offered her a job. Since then, she’s been battling a completely inappropriate crush on the young, hot Alpha. But when accepting his job offer seems like the only way to keep her skeletons safely in their closet, Abby doesn’t hesitate.
Jace Hammond has a big problem.
A rogue is slaughtering humans in his territory, and he must eliminate the threat before the entire shifter species is exposed. There could not be a worse time for Abby to accept a job he only offered as a boost to her confidence. Abby is smart, beautiful, and resilient—more than enough to distract any man from the mission. Unfortunately, she may just be the worst enforcer ever to hold the title.
As they hunt the killer, Abby’s secret becomes a threat to Jace’s authority and to her own life. But the real danger is the grip she has on his twice-shy heart.
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As a long-standing fan of Rachel Vincent’s SHIFTERS series, I was through the roof with enthusiasm when I discovered this spin-off five years later. I recommend reading the prequel / bridge novella, HUNT, prior to this one because it sets the tone for LION’S SHARE, and its events are referenced throughout this story. As fired up as I was about WILDCATS book 1, the author’s switch from Urban Fantasy to New Adult Paranormal Romance did worry me, and my trepidations turned out to not be entirely false because I did in fact have issues with the heroine’s foolhardiness, Jace’s backsliding, the questionable set-up for subsequent installments, and… RANT TIME!
The world-building and recap aspects fell a bit short in my opinion; fortunately I already had all of the essentials given my existing familiarity with the other novels, however if you opted to skip the five originals you might be left scratching your head for a bit. Same thing goes for the reappearance of a handful of the previous series’ characters; without former knowledge, you may find yourself wondering who some of them are, and won’t be immediately starstruck by Jace Hammond. Neither were a problem for me, yet I felt that it was worth the mention for newcomers who are considering using this title as a primer to Vincent’s SHIFTERS.
I gave Abby way more chances than I would have a normal heroine given her age, and everything that she’s been through in her short life. Her secret and refusal to confide in anyone including readers drove me up the wall, and made following her POV a hair pulling experience. I think a little extra insight would have helped make her more likable, and by the time the big reveal rolled around I’d already reached a similar conclusion, so the twist wasn’t an uber shocker anyway, and the trade-off was an obnoxious female protagonist. The author chose an extreme approach instead of a happy middle which permanently damaged Abby’s character in my eyes. I mean, after all of the lengths she goes to in order to protect Robyn, only to hand her over to the very people she was hiding her from after a rushed explanation, and then hightail it to the free zone. She undermined all of her earlier actions in one fell swoop.
My first thought when I saw this book’s blurb was that it was about time that Jace got his HEA. He’s been Alpha for 4 1/2 years now, held his territory against numerous threats, and earned the respect of his enforcers. Based on this, I expected a man, but what I got was a child. You’d think that he’d want to avoid a Faythe-type repeat at all costs, yet his resistance caved faster than a house of cards; all of his discipline and hard work went the way of the dodo because of a red-haired tabby. I was annoyed by how quickly he lost control of the situation, and quite frankly he deserved every bit of the council’s harsh sentence. This novel destroyed my previously high view of Hammond and did little to convince me of WILDCATS’ shelf life.
I can’t help but wonder how the author is going to make a romance series out of strays given the rarity of female cats. And, after this, I’m not sure that I care. To paraphrase Rachel Vincent: “nothing that felt this good could ever be wrong…” (Loc 1896) except where LION’S SHARE was concerned.
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Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
Clearly, this is one novel and series I will avoid for sure! I might give Shifters, the original series, a try though, since you really liked it.
Thank you for the very honest r(ant)eview, Carmel! 😉
Pili recently posted…Xpresso Book Tours Blog Tour for Hunting Season by Nikki Jefford!!
Oh no! I just started reading STRAY, the first book in the Shifters series, last night. Since I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far, I was going to mark the Wildcats series as “to read” on Goodreads, but now I’m glad that I detoured for a cup of tea and a trip through the blogosphere. Thanks for the review!
E.J. Stevens recently posted…The Violet Hour Book Excerpt + Kindle Fire Giveaway
What’s the point of reading the first book of a series if you fall into a pre-existing world ! And I don’t think I would like those characters, so thanks for the warning 🙂
Red Iza recently posted…Hottie of the week
Yikes, I haven’t read the original series because I’m burned out on the whole “females of X species are incredibly rare” urban fantasy premise. This one doesn’t sound like my cup of tea either. Sorry it didn’t live up to your hopes.
I plan to read STRAY, but I think I’ll pass on this spin-off. Nothing infuriates me more than an obnoxious heroine/hero and it looks like you had to endure both in this book! Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts 🙂
Lori recently posted…Blog Tour: MERMEN by Mimi Jean Pampfiloff {Q+A & Giveaway}
Darn! I’m sad this didn’t live up to the original and you were so disappointed with it.
It does happen but it’s so sad to see when t does, especially from an author you love.
kindlemom1 recently posted…Review: Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen
Aw, I’m actually pretty disappointed with that! I was hoping for a new series to knock our collective socks off from an author we really like but…no. I’m kind of happy I didn’t give into my instincts and buy this immediately. Thanks for the review!
Mary recently posted…Author Interview: Darynda Jones (plus giveaway!)
I haven’t tried the Shifter series yet but I do have book one..so note to self read first series but not spin off..I am not a huge NA fan. 🙂 Great review, to bad it frustrated you.
Stormi recently posted…Book Review: Walking in the Midst of Fire by Thomas E. Sniegoski
BUMMER. When I saw that this was coming out, I was super excited because I loved the Shifters series. Jace was always a favorite so that’s disappointing to hear about his character.
This kind of reminds me a lot of Fever series – sometimes, they just need to be left alone and not pump out the spin offs!
Sucks you didn’t like it, but great review! 😀
tonyalee recently posted…Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost
Ohh, no. Like you, I was a fan of the original series, it was one of the first UF series I fell in love with, but I didn’t know about the spin-off (why did she go indie with it), and that seems to be a good thing. I hate it when authors we trust disappoint us so completely. I had a lot of faith in her, but it seems to be unfounded. So I’ll pass. PNR gives me allergies anyway. 🙂
I have heard the same things from other readers :/
blodeuedd recently posted…Author Interview and giveaway: Janet Gover
What a shame, it sounds like there were a fair few conveniences here that were frustrating for you! Especially with Abby’s character, I mean you do not build something up that much only to have the rushed explanation with the easy way out. Wonderful review Carmel!
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Bummer! It sure sucks when this happens. 🙁
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I am sorry you are so disappointed by this new series Carmel. I do have the original series on my shelves, but still have to read it. Oneday …
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