Customer Reviews

Bengal's Heart (Breeds, No 7)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I fluctuate between LOVING Lora Leigh's Breed books (Mercury's War) and not really getting them (Harmony's Way). Bengal's Heart had some really great scenes. I enjoyed the love scenes although -- I will admit they seem repetitive. I love Lawe, Rule and the appearance of Dog (can't wait for these books!!!). I think Lora introduced some interesting new elements into the Breed series that should keep it fresh. What really bothered me about the book was how serious Cabal was; I don't remember him being this way. I expected there to be more light heartedness. Also the 360 the character took. He blamed her yet he didn't really blame her. It was sort of annoying. The constant fighting. Also I expect consistency. Seriously 11 or 12 years they have been mates and he has been ignoring her? She freed him and we are just learning that? It feels like another reviewer has stated contrived. New fans shouldn't give up! Read the series from the beginning. Old fans will still enjoy the book I am just not sure you should expect to LOVE it. Don't get me wrong even though I am slightly disappointed with this book, I am now in my depressed state waiting for my next breed book.

First and foremost I have been a Lora Leigh fan for quite some time and have really enjoyed her breed series. I thought this was a really intriguing concept, her love scenes were almost always steamy and her story lines were interesting. Instead of improving as each new novel comes out she seems to be getting worse. And this book has to be the worse in her series to date! This book was so repetitive of other characters and story lines that I thought I had bought the wrong one! Cabal's character was so different that how he had been portrayed in other books that it was so jarringly apparent that she has begun to cookie-cut her characters to be facsimile's of each other. And don't get me started on Cassa! She was an insult to the female gender. Her constant griping, and i need to tell the story attitude, were so distracting that I almost couldn't finish the book. I'm by no means a bra-burning feminist but I was so off-put by her character, I couldn't understand her motivation for why she was doing the things that she was doing or her combative attitude. I guess the real problem was congruency.

Finally, I am tired of her stagnant plot lines. We maybe get a page to two pages as to what might be happening in the future and this just isn't cutting it for me. If you are going to write a series there needs to be at least some movement of the general plot line. Her side characters are more enriching than her main characters and if she continues to make all of the main characters the same I just don't know if I am going to continue with the series. Ms. Leigh has a great ability to weave a story, just read her Winged Breeds book and then you will be able to see that there is no comparison between that book and her latest installments in this series. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I was really shocked, just how poorly done this book was. I hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we will see a big improvement with her next book.

In the latest installment of Lora Leigh's successful Breed series, BENGAL'S HEART, readers are treated to a mating that's been a long time in the making. Reporter Cassa Hawkins and Bengal breed Cabal St. Laurents pair up to find a mysterious killer. They find the killer as well as something much more important - the love they have for each other.

Eleven years ago Cassa Hawkins watched in terror and anger as a Bengal breed fought for his very life. Because of this, Cassa has devoted her life to reporting and paving the way for Breeds in society the best way she knows how. Given access to Sanctuary and Haven, Cassa does her best to release information and stories that will show the world that the Breeds are human beings with thoughts and feelings. She is trusted, sort of, and that is all she can ask for - until the night she is emailed pictures of a horrific murder with the promise of more deaths. With her reporter's eye for facts and her heart in her throat, Cassa begins her investigation knowing that the one man she can never have will do his best to keep her from this assignment - Cabal St. Laurents, a breed unlike any she has ever met but can't help but desire with every ounce of her being. The man she has eluded and avoided for years because of what she is to him - she is his mate and he has yet to claim her.

Cabal St. Laurents is one of the most dangerous breeds ever born. He hides his true persona under a guise of playfulness and playboy antics, some of which are legendary. With his brother mated, Cabal has been at a sort of loose ends with his life. But his life changes in an instant when the director of the Bureau of Breed Affairs gives him a new assignment - that of following a certain inquisitive reporter and making sure she stays out of the investigation being conducted to find a killer. With just one kiss, Cabal sets his plan in motion, that of tying Cassa to him for eternity. Now all he has to do is convince her to stay out of his investigation - which proves harder than he thought. Suddenly when information comes pouring in about the murderer they are trying to find, his mate is caught in the middle. Cabal knows the animal that is inside of him, and where his mate is concerned, all bets are off. Cassa is his heart, and it is time she accepts the love he feels for her before it is too late.

Finding the words to describe such an extraordinary novel is difficult at best. Anything that I could say to express how different, creative, and scorching hot BENGAL'S HEART is just seems boring. Cabal St. Laurents is alpha to the bone but tender and compassionate. He loves with his whole heart, and Cassa was the reason his heart still beat within his chest. He fought their mating, not because he didn't want her, but because he knew it would possibly place her in danger. His stubbornness to share his ideas and facts about the investigation created an almost chasm between these explosive lovers. It isn't until Cassa's life is threatened that Cabal's true nature rears its head - and let me be honest, it is something that I would have never imagined in a million years. Blasé as it sounds, the words, "shock" and "awe" come to mind. In BENGAL'S HEART, possible new plots are explored and questions are answered. Readers will meet new breeds and revisit old ones. I was simply astounded and intrigued at the possible story lines that could be written for this amazing series.

Hook, line and sinker - Lora Leigh reeled me in, and I was a goner. BENGAL'S HEART will make you laugh, possibly cry. It will keep you on the edge of your seat with the twists and turns of an innovative plotline. The love scenes are raw and earthy and simply filled with passion. I couldn't have asked for a better love story for Cabal than BENGAL'S HEART. It is truly one of the best Ms. Leigh has ever written. Grab a copy today and be ready to be beguiled and captivated - you won't be sorry.

Natalie S.

I'm a huge Lora Leigh fan, now with that stated let me tell you this book sucked. Honestly you could have read the first couple of chapters and skipped your way to chapter 22 and read the rest of the book and wouldn't have missed a thing. It starts out promising enough with Cassa, the reporter/mate and Cabal the bengal breed meeting for the first time in a hellish situation. Then we shuttle forward 11 years to the present and confusion begins. Cabal and Cassa spend 3/4 of the book arguing over freedom and independence of each other to do as they please and it seriously just goes on and on and on. Relentless back and forth bickering because she's stupid enough to want to put herself in danger and he's too stupid to just let her so she can get killed and he can find a better mate....Harsh yes, but really there comes a point when a person is stubborn and then when their just plain stupid and she reached that point pretty quickly with me. Cabal I didn't get either, he seemed really cold and unfeeling through most of the book except when having sex and he even lets her get hurt a couple of times(totally out of character for breeds). In previous books when he had the menages with Tanner it was always eluded to a reason Tanner and he did the whole group sex thing but this book never covers any of that. The book did finally pick up about chapter 22 and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. All I can think is I waited 6 months for this??? Please Lora Leigh don't take the JR Ward path and loose what makes your Breeds books so good, the love of the characters.

For those of us who have read a Lora Leigh book, we know what we are in for everytime we pick up one of her titles. Hot, Steamy, action packed and always tempered with an high octane punch of danger. Her breed series almost always guarantees a good read, and she has had me hooked on her writing for ages. Though, as always, every author will have a bad day and churn out a bad book once in a while.

The Breeds is a fabulous conception and takes the idea of the alpha male to new levels. The Breeds are men and women who have been genetically engineered to encapsulate the characteristics of some of the fiercest animals. Lions, Bengals, Coyotes, Wolves, the list goes on, they were held in labs and tortured and trained to become the world's most efficient killers, but as they fight for their freedom they will find love along the way and this is when the romance kicks in...

Bengal's heart is Cabal's story, he is Tanner's twin and his story has been placed on hold since Tanner's Scheme which was two books ago. Cabal is a man on a mission in this book as a killer is on the loose, killing ex-genetic council associates. The heroine is Cassa, she is a reporter and is hot on the trail of the killer.

This book feels a little disjointed at times and though I am always willing to play along with whatever the author instigates to propagate a good story, I think with the Breed titles I am starting to feel that it has morphed into more of a commerical enterprise all in it self rather than a promise of a good read. I now buy these titles more because I feel I need to follow what is happening and not because I know its going to be a good read. They are getting just a little too glossed and unlike the earlier Breed titles printed through Ellorascave, I think the series might be losing heart. The most indicative thing of this is that I no longer feel the compunction to read the book in one sitting; I couldn't not put the book down, instead, I am finding that I am needing to pace myself so that I have some time out before I keep reading. In fact, I read half the book, left it for a week or two and when I was totally bored, decided to pick it back up again.

That being said though, Bengal's heart is a semi-decent read, for hardcore fans of the Breeds, it will be a must. But for those just starting with this series, I think the Ellorascave Breed titles will be a much better one to pick up.


A quick pick of my favourites:
Soul Deep (Coyote Breeds, Book 1)Tempting the Beast (Feline Breeds, Book 1)Kiss of Heat (Feline Breeds, Book 3)

I am a LL fan. I like almost everything she writes, in every series, but this book make me want to delete it from the computer. The lead female character was so annoying I kept hoping they would catch her and put me out of my misery. I am not sure why Cabal did not run another 11 years, I actually feel sorry for him. She had no sense, no ability to reason, kept stupid secrets that could have gotten everyone killed and fit herself firmly in the most uninteresting/annoying/argumentative for no good reason female lead in a romance novel category for the next awards show. I spent much of my time flipping through waiting for something interesting to happen, other than her getting herself into trouble. I could never understand what she thought she could do and how graphic images DRAW her to crimes, shouldn't she have had the opposite reaction? And how can you be an investigative reporter living in a controlled environment? I am sorry if it sounds somewhat like a rant but she was SO IRRITATING I wanted to chuck the whole book. On a side note I am officially tired of waiting for Jonas story, I now know definitively who his mate is and am no longer interested in being strung along waiting on that story. Enjoy the read.

I have read every book in this series and I agree with other reviewers that Ms. Leigh's writing seems to be getting worse unfortunately. She's sitting on a gold mine with the characters she created from the beginning of the series, but boy did she waste the potential in this book. Didn't recognize Cabal at all-stripes and all, loved him in Tanner's scheme but could have sworn LL forgot what she'd told us about him in that book. And where was Tanner in the whole book? Weren't they supposed to be really close? Twins even? And back to the title of my review-the most annoying thing about the book was how repetitious it was. That was so aggravating! I have read each breed book within 24hrs of receiving it, but this one took me nearly a week. Every time I picked it up and started reading it felt like I had read the exact same pages the day before-groundhog day in a book! Over and over the same passages, same words-aarggh! Unfortunately, if you're like me,these breed books have become review-proof cos I will surely get her next book anyway.If she continues to decline in this way however, it's going to cost her new readers.

No plot, no relationship, no love. You could skip this one and not miss anything. Cassa Hawkins,a reporter sympathetic to the Breed cause, discovers during a Breed rescue attempt gone wrong, that her husband actually hates Breeds and has set them up to die. (How could she not know this?) Then Cabal, the only survivor, gravely injures her husband and informs Cassa that Cabal owns her. Cassa doesn't stick around to find out what happened to her husband (assumes he died and I guess she didn't feel the need to bury him). For 11 years Cassa and Cabal maintain their distance and then all of a sudden they are together. They don't like or trust each other and the plot does not allow any semblance of a relationship to develop, so we are to assume that the mating bond conquers all.

I put this book in the same category that I put Dawn's Awakening in - miserable and depressing.

I may get a lot of angry comments to this review, but I did not like this book. It was mentioned in Tanner's Scheme that Cabal and Tanner had shared women in the past, and were very sexual Breeds. In this book, there is no doubt that Cabal has had tons of women. What bugs me is the lack of loyalty Cabal displayed toward his mate that rescued him from the labs 11 years prior.

So, in my opinion, Cabal cheated on Cassa for 11 years. And that makes me very angry. Leigh has created this Breed world of powerful, intelligent, capable men (and women) and when they find their mate, they latch on to them with fierce devotion. Eventually that happens with Cabal and Cassa, but that doesn't negate the 11 years Cabal spent in the beds of countless women while his mate suffered with the mating heat from the drop of blood she took from him when she rescued him. So if the only memory I have of this book is the anger I feel toward Cabal for being a cheating bastard and putting Cassa through physical AND emotional pain for 11 years, then it wasn't a good book.

I'm still a fan, despite Dawn's Awakening and Bengal's Heart. Maybe Styx's Storm will deliver more than these last couple books have. Because I am getting tired of books that make me angry and depressed.

Ok, I'm a very loyal LL fan. It pains me to say anything negative about her stories, but I really had a hard time with this one. I would have given it 3 stars but added one more for the sheer love I have for her books. I will continue to be a die hard fan too.

I agree with most of what the other reviewers were saying. No need for a long recap of the story. Great plot, very suspenseful and lots of intrigue. Fantastic love scenes and sexy breed love!!! Like the mystery end of it and for the most part, the love story too. However....

I absolutely hated Cassa's character. I realize a large ingredient in alot of these stories is the heavy "angst" factor. So I get that. But she was a complete stubborn brat the entire story. I know it was supposedly all rooted in fear and guilt for what happened 11 years ago; but she was abysmally difficult. Constantly fighting with Cabal and constantly keeping secrets. She couldn't try to just talk to him at any point and clear things up. It all had to be a fight. I realize the Breed males are arrogant and bossy alphas (I secretly love that...) and he wasn't mister perfect in the "keeping secrets" category either. Although I understood him more because he had a responsibility to the Bureau and also to her protection. Its ingrained in them, they can't help it. They can't knowingly just step back and let their mates do whatever whenever and not feel extreme fear for their safety. So I got him a little more than I got her whole let-me-be-independent attitude. She CLEARLY could not take care of herself. All she ever did was get herself in to trouble and she just kept on doing it and fighting him every step of the way. With all her background knowledge of how the Breeds are, she should have known he would behave the way he did. She also knows that a mate can't live without the other. She was so insulted that she didn't feel she had his respect, but for her to be so lax and carefree about her own safety was sort of disrespecting him too. I started to accept her a little bit in like the last chapter when things inevitably "come together" at the end because she of course realized things a little more clearly. But what a rough ride. For example, Dawn's awakening was an extremely emotional Breed story. Lots of heartache and pain. However, the underlying emotion for both characters in the entire story was absolute and total love and passion for each other. It was easier to handle the angst in that story knowing that it was being driven by complete adoration and obsession for each other. This one just seemed like it was one big war of wills! Yes, they loved each other but wow, they sure didn't act loving toward each other. It was a tough one.

BUT, I still can't get enough of this series. I can't wait for Jonas' story next year (finally!!!). We got a tiny little mention of that in this story. I can't even imagine how that Mating will go down!!! Keep 'em coming, however maybe just make them like each other a little more throughout the story...let them enjoy each other...just a little more...