Book Review: The Pack or the Panther by Tara Lain

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: The Pack or the Panther
Author: Tara Lain
Heroes: Cole Harker and Paris Marketo
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 202 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 8, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Cole Harker, son of an alpha werewolf, is bigger and more powerful than most wolves, tongue-tied in groups, and gay. For twenty-four years, he’s lived to please his family and pack—even letting them promise him in marriage to female werewolf Analiese to secure a pack alliance and help save them from a powerful gangster who wants their land. Then Cole meets Analiese’s half-brother, panther shifter Paris Marketo, and for the first time, Cole wants something for himself.

When Analiese runs off to marry a human, Cole finally has a chance with Paris, but the solitary cat rejects him, the pack, and everything it represents. Then Cole discovers the gangster wants Paris too and won’t rest until he has him. What started as a land dispute turns into World War Wolf! But the bigger fight is the battle between cats and dogs.

Review:

The Pack or the Panther is an exciting and new twist on the ever popular paranormal werewolf shifter story.  I do believe this is Tara Lain’s first attempt at paranormal and, if so, she did a fantastic job of offering her take on the whole mate for life, pack-life,  and werewolf alliances that  are so common in the shifter world. I loved the personality that this book exudes. Tara Lain has a way with words that just completely cracks me up.

You can almost feel the larger than life emotions that both Paris (Anthony) and Cole convey throughout the story. Both are alphanta’s, the first sons of Alpha werewolves, and thus have powers that “normal” shifters don’t. Some that even they haven’t shared with their own families…and that makes things pretty interesting a little further down the line.

Cole is an extremely large, extremely strong, and intensely loyal werewolf who is also shy in crowds, gets tongue twisted, and considers himself weird. Sadly, the weirdness he feels was heaped on him by his parents pretending that gay werewolves don’t exist. This causes Cole to feel less-than and unaccepted for the man he is. He knows his family loves him, but he also know that they wish he were different…normal.

Now Paris is the one who should feel different, not Cole. Not only is he gay in a world where they say gay doesn’t exist, but he is also a panther shifter with a werewolf father.  His father’s true mate happened to be a panther shifter who died giving birth to Paris. Paris, being a feline shifter, is not a pack animal and prefers to be alone. He has no qualms about rejecting the pack because he isn’t pack. It’s all about what Paris wants and he isn’t afraid to take it…or leave it.

But Paris also has an alter ego as an exotic pole dancer who goes by his real first name, Anthony, and boy is that insanely hot. I had to go to YouTube and look up male pole dancers and what I found is amazing. Anthony has to have the hottest body ever to be able to pull off a feat that impossibly difficult. But unfortunately he’s also got a gangster werewolf stalker who has an unhealthy obsession with him. An evil wolf who is willing to kill, kidnap, rape and cause a wolf war in order to get, and keep, Anthony forever.

There are a lot of mixed emotions, hurt feelings, and plenty of guilt-laying on the parts of the parents of Cole and Paris. They are trying their level best to create an alliance to save their packs, (by forcing an arranged marriage with a female) but at the expense of their kids. They seemed to have forgotten that their kids have feelings and lives too. This causes a rift that may cause permanent scarring and a gap to big to mend.

What I really loved about this story is the personality. I know I mentioned it above, but truly, I don’t know how to convey that this book has a life of its own; one that kept me guessing where it was all going to lead. Hoping that somehow a cat that doesn’t mate for life could actually find a lifelong bond with a wolf that does. Yes, we all want that HEA but I especially like when my guys have to work for it. They do have to work for it in this story and yes, they get that elusive happy ending.

I highly recommend for those who like a little chuckle with their hot and steamy werewolf shifters.

Overall Impression: I loved it

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.*