Customer Reviews

Animal Instincts

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Party planner Naomi Delacroix is determined to release her inner tigress. Her failed marriage to Richard the cheater has left her wary of men so when Royce Powell hires her to plan his mother's birthday party, Naomi wants nothing more than a professional relationship. Royce has other plans, however, and relentlessly pursues Naomi.

Naomi refuses to acknowledge the budding relationship with Royce and fights the attraction constantly. After all, he is a Triple C- corporate, controlling, and a commando. Her distrust of men is heightened when she and her mother suspect that Naomi's stepfather is cheating on her mother. Royce is a determined man, though, and used to getting what he wants- and what he wants is Naomi as his wife.

ANIMAL INSTINCTS is guaranteed to keep the reader laughing! The interactions between Naomi and Royce are hilarious as Gena Showalter has switched the stereotypes and Royce is the one trying to hold out for marriage while Naomi just wants to have a good time. Naomi's twin cousins, Kera and Mel, provide some entertaining moments as well, including the play off of their names.

This reviewer must admit that she approached this book with some trepidation. While being a huge fan of several of Gena Showalter's paranormal books, this reviewer hadn't quite made up her mind as to whether or not she liked several other books by the author. ANIMAL INSTINCTS has convinced this reviewer that Gena Showalter's books are a definite "must-buy" as this book is hilarious! The depth of the characters makes them seem real and Royce is truly one of the best male characters ever created. His patience with Naomi was extraordinary as there were several occasions this reviewer wanted to slap her for him and yet he remained calm and understanding of her insecurities.

Gena Showalter demonstrates her writing skills with this one. ANIMAL INSTINCTS is a book sure to perk up anyone's bad day!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

...that I don't have a man just like the hero, Royce!

This story was unbelievably loving. Not in the serious-sobering kind of way--although the hero did love her QUITE SERIOUSLY--this story was filled with witty barbs and banter. I busted out laughing numerous times.

The characters were absolutely great! The heroine, Naomi, was absolutely inspired and so were her cousins! Royce was simply to die for. Imagine being in-love like that--that everything he did was because of her.

It was hilarious how the roles between men and women were switched between the two! This simply is a MUST READ!

I normally enjoy Gena Showalter's books, they are sweet and great escapism. I found this book so 'try hard'. The heroine was so immature, and such a cow to the hero, her relationships with her cousins were at a 13 yr old schoolgirl level, and the situation with her spying on her stepfather was just ludicrous. The heroine wanted to be a strong woman...she failed, she came over as a selfish, self-centred, whining manipulative, controlling brat. The hero's patience with her patterned an abuse victim relating to his abuser. Thank goodness, for her other books e.g. The Nymph King, The Pleasure Slave etc. If I had read this book first, I would have never read any of her great books.

After barely surviving her painful divorce to philandering Richard the Bastard with her sanity intact, Naomi Delacroix vows never to fall in love or get married again. On her way to an interview for a lucrative catering assignment, she is mugged and barely makes it to her meeting on time with wealthy entrepreneur Royce Powell due to a hold up in the lobby filled with green-clad women. Royce makes it clear that she's hired and wants her to work exclusively for his mother's surprise party (which is no surprise to mom). Naomi finds the bachelor sexy as hell, despite his on-going quest (and application process) for a wife. What she doesn't know right off is that Royce fell for her months ago when he saw her across a crowded room at a wedding reception she catered and has been trying to ask her out since. Adding fuel to her contempt for men, she suspects that her stepfather is stepping out on her mother. As Royce makes her face her fears and take a walk on the wild side, Naomi finds that her inner Tigress is liking the attention he gives her (especially the smoldering sex). But can she forgive the sins of the past and make a go at a future with a man who seems too good to be true?

Showalter has a gift for dialogue. The bantering between the two is absolutely hysterical, as were Naomi's constant inner dialogues as she tried unsuccessfully to talk herself out of a relationship with Royce. The chemistry between the two blazes off the pages, making them a believable duo. Though I found Royce just a little too patient, Showalter has created an endearing and sensual story that will resonate with the reader.

To be honest, I'm not sure just yet if I'm a Gena Showalter fan. I've only liked two of the four books that I've read, but Animal Instincts is one of them.

Naomi, a former doormat, is trying to unleash her inner Tigress. She is still recovering from her six year marriage to a man who continually cheated on her and abused her trust. The last thing she wants is to get into a relationship, let alone get married, but Royce has other plans. He fell in love with Naomi at a party she planned six months ago and has been trying to ask her out ever since. Royce finally resorts to hiring Naomi to plan a party for his mother so that he can meet her and eventually convince her to marry him.

Naomi's inner dialogue is pretty funny. She worries that her Tigress abandons her far too often, and gives herself frequent pep talks before any possible confrontation. However, her tigress usually surfaces just in time for some amusing scenes, and I spent quite a bit of my time smiling or laughing out loud. The romance between Royce and Naomi is very cute. Naomi doesn't want to lose him to one of the dozens of women applying to become his wife, but she doesn't want to marry him either.

Ultimately what made this book so enjoyable for me are Naomi and Royce. The point of view stayed with Naomi throughout the entire book and I think that was a better choice than switching back and forth. Unlike some of Showalter's other books, her hero in Animal Instincts remained mysterious, interesting and compelling the entire time. That, combined with a funny and likeable heroine, made for a fast paced and enjoyable read.

I normally read paranormal romance novels and pretty much nothing else. I decided to read Animal Instincts by Gena Showalter because I have read her other novels with paranormal aspects in them and thought they were well written, fun, sensual, and strong! All good things, I must say. So being someone who gives everyone a fair shot no matter what genre they write, I decided to give it a try.

It's a contemporary novel written in a first person view about a woman named Naomi Delacroix who has decided she's tired of people running all over her and using her as a doormat. She has loosened her inner Tigress(or at least, she tries really hard) Now this includes everyone but men are the ones she's really unsheathing the claws for. After a marriage to a cheating husband, Naomi has decided she isnt' going to take any more nonsense especially from men who are Triple C.(Corporate, Controlling, Commando). Remember the cheating ex-husband? Triple C.

Royce Powell comes into the picture and out come the claws! He's a Triple C and incredibly hot to boot. Here is where you see Gena's um, fascination, or celebrity crushes come out. He is a mixture of George Clooney, Josh Wald, and some Brad Pitt. (I believe I read somewhere, that Gena loves Brad Pitt) He hires Naomi to plan his mothers birthday party and later explains he's been in love with her since he saw her at a party she planned for one of his friends about a YEAR ago. Yeah, right, is what Naomi thinks. Then why is he looking for a wife via apllications.

So many times while I read this, I had to laugh because she truly was trying to fight the strong attraction she feels for Royce but everytime he came near, she was on sensory overload. Let's think about that for a second, ladies. Any time you throw Bradd Pitt in the mixture of what a man looks like, HELLO, no wonder she was overloaded. Oh, by the way, he's extremely fascinated by Naomi lips, which sound like Angelina Jolie's lips to me. The interaction between these two was fun, exasperating, and extremely sensual(kissing scenes were HOT!) Literallly for me, one of my fave scenes was a kissing scene right before a meeting Royce has. Naomi, as you can imagine after dealing with a cheating ex husband, has serious issues she must overcome before she truly decides what it is she wants with Royce. There were a few times I wanted to just scream at her and tell her to get over her fears or make room for me(yes, I really got into the story) because I would have jumped at the chance to be with Royce if she didn't want him. Not every man is a two timing, triple c, morons! The only thing that was a little different for me was the first person perspective. A few times I would have loved to know what was going through Royce's head but not every story needs to be told through other characters. This one didn't. It was a fun read and I hope you all put it on your lists as one you want to pick up and read. While you're at it, think of your inner animal. What is it? I know mine...lol

You wont' be dissappointed!

I've read other books by Gena Showalter and loved them but they were paranormals so I wondered how a straight romantic comedy would hold out against my admiration for her other books. I was not disappointed. Animal Instincts had me laughing from the very first page. Her characters are funny and original and the vulnerable-yet-trying-to-get-over-being-a-doormat Naomi is not your typical heroine. The story opens with her attempting to "unleash her inner tigress" and the tug of war between what she wants and what she thinks she SHOULD want makes for an engaging and page-turning story. Naomi is feisty and loveable and Royce (the beyond sexy hero) is compelling and adorable as he attempts to show her that good guys do exist. This is an excellent read if you want laugh out loud funny -- a modern chick lit voice and a fresh, sexy plot with original characters. I need to make room on my "keeper" shelf for Gena Showalter's books.

This one had some promising aspects. I was laughing out loud during this first part of this book, but then all of a sudden it just became to "over the top" and unrealistic for me to even be able to suspend belief for a moment...which is funny because this a romance novel!

Here's what I disliked:
1. I don't prefer to read books written in the first person. These kind of books usually leave out to much of what others are thinking. This book is a perfect example of just that.
2. I don't like books where there is no good reason for the couple to be together. This book hopes to get the reader to buy into the idea that is was love (or lust) at first sight for him. I never believed that a rich and classy guy would act and behave like he does.
3. She bugged me.....all the tigress stuff irritated me and I couldn't figure out for the life of me what in the world was wrong with these people.

Stick with her paranormal stuff.....The Darkest series is very good.

When I saw the cover in the bookstore, I just had to pick it up, and when I read the description, I was definitely intrigued. Gena Showalter has written a very funny, very entertaining love story with some poignant moments. Told in the first person, "Animal Instincts" deals with the insecurities that a broken marriage leaves behind, and how they affect a person's relationships with their future partners, their family, and their friends. A person's self-esteem can be so broken that they are unwilling to risk their heart again, and instead of trust and commitment, they see lies and deception, even from those closest to them.

But this story is not all serious and emotional. Naomi may seem like an unlikely heroine for the rich and gorgeous Royce, but she has a personality and a strength all her own, one that attracts Royce right from the get-go. Her personal experiences with counseling and her fear of flying had me laughing out loud throughout the book. Naomi is a woman worthy of love, but that's really not the issue. It's the long-term commitment she's having a problem with because it's her strongest belief that even the most stable relationship will crumble to dust eventually. So rather than wait around for the inevitable, she wants to avoid what she considers the pretense of a committed relationship. But when it comes to love, it's all a leap of faith, and a life filled with love will be worth the risk. It was a joy to watch as Naomi discovers this.

And the book is hot! Now that's not so unusual these days, but to write a scorching love scene and not make it appear gratuitous or boring is not an easy task, yet Gena has done just that. Turn up the a/c because "Animal Instincts" is tons of sexy fun. Doesn't finding your own inner tigress just sound like something you want to do?

I would recommend this book to anyone, and I plan on checking out her backlist as well as the coming attractions. Gena Showalter is one to watch :)

I really like Gena Showalter's paranormal books, and thought this one would show the same originality. I thought that the book was okay, but was not really impressed. The herione Naomi was a pain in my [...]. I was so tired of hearing her complain about not wanting to take a chance in love due to her divorce. I guess I have known to many people in her position, and her whole personality just seemed fake and put on. I was really bummed. The hero I loved. He was great...too bad he was paired with such a dud.