Mate Claimed (SHIFTERS UNBOUND) [Kindle Edition]

Jennifer Ashley (Author)

Book Description

Collared and controlled, Shifters are outcast from humanity, forced to live in Shiftertowns. But waiting within are passions that no Collar can contain… 
As a wildcat Shifter and leader of his Shiftertown, Eric Warden knows his own kind. When he sees Iona Duncan, he realizes that although she appears human she is a half-Shifter wildcat living without a Collar—and that if she doesn’t acknowledge her true nature and her mating hunger, it may kill her….
 
Iona finds the mysterious and powerful Eric alluring, even though she has vowed never to reveal her Shifter side, lest her mother pay the price for hiding her all these years. But her mating hunger is rising, and with Eric so close, she may not be able to resist…and her desire may lead to the very doom they are fighting to deny…

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Eric Warden, leader of the wildcat Shiftertown, has enough trouble on his plate; he doesn’t need a half-human, half-shifter running around without a collar. Unfortunately, Iona Duncan refuses to entertain the idea that she needs Eric’s help in dealing with her wildcat shifting capabilities. Iona is terrified that if U.S. government agents discover she is a half-shifter, they will not only put a collar on her but will also punish her mother for keeping her secret. However, time is running out for Iona. The longer Iona refuses to deal with her shifter side, the more her mating hunger increases, putting not only herself in danger but everything Eric is working for at risk. With her patented page-singeing sensuality and flair for creative plotting, Ashley delivers another sexy installment in her Shifters Unbound (Bodyguard, 2011) series. --John Charles

Review

"[Ashley's] characters are intense and full of passion, and there's plenty of action in this fourth book in the Shifters Unbound series. This is one of those great series that you can follow from the beginning, or pick up anytime for a satisfying [listen]." ---Romantic Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 713 KB
• Print Length: 336 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0425251012
• Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (October 2, 2012)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008EXK2SK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,915 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #68 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Paranormal > Werewolves & Shifters

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A very seductive game of cat and mouse. Or should I say cat and cat? October 2, 2012

By Letitia TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Rating: B+ ... Heat: Hot

I love Jennifer Ashley's historical romances. In fact, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is one of my all-time favorites. So why on earth did it take me so long to try out her PNR novels? I honestly have no clue but it was definitely long overdue! And, even though I'm starting with book four (such a bad habit of mine, I'll admit), it was so easy to immerse myself in the Shifters Unbound world.

And, wow, what a world. Miz Ashley hits you with sensual and arousing scenes from page one. Literally. When Mate Claimed (perfect title for this one!) opens, our hero and heroine are playing a very seductive game of cat and mouse. Without even having the time to build up the characters, get to know them, their chemistry still manages to leap off the pages. It is super sexy stuff, ladies.

You know, I think that might actually be the simplest way to describe Mate Claimed: a very seductive game of cat and mouse. Or should I say cat and cat?

Our heroine, Iona Duncan, is in denial--even though her body is sending out clues, bright flashing and flaring signals, that she's going through the mating frenzy: a time where her body has entered its breeding years and is desperate for a mate. Half-Shifter, she is long used to hiding and suppressing her animalistic tendencies, which she tries her darndest to do with her now-raging hormones. Except, this time, she can't ignore her Shifter side's needs.

Not that Eric Warden, alpha of Shiftertown, is about to let her. He knows the repercussions for doing so could cost her everything--she could go feral. But, more than that, his own body is responding to hers. Eric, a widow and a father, has done the mating frenzy before and never planned to do it again.... He has his cub and he can get his jollies when he needs to. But there is something about Iona that leaves him incapable, and unwilling, to pass her on to another, younger male.

Watching Eric woo Iona was such fun and so friggin' hot. There isn't much that's sexier than a man who is both masculine and commanding while also being in touch with his sensitive and considerate side. And Iona is no wilting violet. She is independent and self-assure and definitely doesn't cower under the force of Eric's alpha power. Fantastic combo.

One of my favorite things about this book, this world, is how natural it all feels. Sometimes in PNR or UF novels, elements can come across as being way out there and not at all possible. The Shifters and their clans and the way they behave, it felt very human combined with realistic animal behaviors. And the sense of family, camaraderie, between the Shifters--I like seeing such love and loyalty in the characters I read.

Mate Claimed is one wild and feverish frenzy full of sex and romance and drama and action. If you've ever wanted to experience the frantic and frenetic passion of a Shifter in heat (and, really, who wouldn't?) then you don't want to miss this book! This series is going on my auto-buy list!

Favorite Quote:
"You've been in the mating frenzy before."
Eric looked up at her, his eyes quiet. "Yes."
"With Kirsten."
"Yes."
Iona touched her hands together. "You must have loved her very much."
Eric nodded. "Yes. Very much."
"Then why do you want another mate?"
Eric pushed himself from the fireplace and came to her, the first flickers of fire shadowing his tall, naked body. He skimmed warm hands down her arms.
"Because I saw you."

-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review Read more ›

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good...not as good as the others October 3, 2012

By Yankee_Godiva

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Slight spoilers!

I am really enjoying this series so far. I was hooked after the first in the series, Pride Mates. For some reason I couldn't get into this one like the others. I think it had to do with how long it took him to claim her and for one of the reasons behind this. I understand that he was trying to give her time to adjust to the idea of being his... the thing that bothered me was the scene where he and his sister were sitting in front of a shrine to his late mate (I guess so he could say good-bye?). He also asked his 30+ year old son if he minded... I mean, it's been 30 years! In the previous book Wild Cats (the one about his sister Cassidy), she was in deep mourning for her mate who had died a year prior; this I could understand. Even Cassidy didn't have as much trouble letting go of her late mate after she found Diego, her new true mate. This really bothered me. I felt like Iona was a fill-in as a mate and the romance portion suffered from my perspective. They didn't get to really enjoy each other because there was so many other issues taking away from their mating. I almost wonder if she had been better off with Graham, the obnoxious Lupine shifter. For an Alpha and romantic lead, Eric fell short for me. He did the whole 'mine' scene enough and fought for her, but the devotion just seemed more one-sided (on Iona's side). Oh, well... I'm looking forward to the next in the series... Tiger Magic.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful world building. Sexy shifters. Good read October 2, 2012

By D. Antonio

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Eric Warden leader of the Las Vegas shiftertown has a lot on his plate. The humans have decided that the lupine shifters from Elko need to move to the Vegas shiftertown and aren't even giving them enough time to build new houses for them. The Wolves leader is a bit of a pain in the butt. Eric's sister is pregnant with her first cub. Eric is having problems with his collar (the device humans have put on shifters to keep them from fighting) and most of all Eric is having problems with what to do with the half-shifter Ilona who is passing for human but is entering a phase in her life where she will need shifter help with her control or out herself and her human mother for hiding her. And then there is the fact that Eric wants her for his mate.

There is a lot going on in this book. The pace is not as smooth as the previous books but I think that is due in part to the set up for future stories. Still a good read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mate Claimed (Shifters Unbound, book 4) October 2, 2012

By Stephanie G

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Iona's panther doesn't care that she wants to keep her shifter half hidden and lead a normal human life. It wants out and it wants to mate now. Eric knows this and to save Iona from becoming feral or dying, he relentlessly pursues her in order to bring her into his Shiftertown and introduce her into a world she has spent years hiding from.

When I first started this book I thought that I wasn't going to like Iona because I figured she'd put all the blame on Eric for disrupting her life. Surprisingly, and thankfully, that wasn't the case. Yes, she was upset with Eric for not backing down each time she told him to go away but she was a lot more reasonable than I initially gave her credit for. I really liked that she came into her own as the female alpha and protector and became a partner to Eric rather than just his mate. I'm glad I didn't write her off in the beginning because she ended up being one of the high points in this book.

After reading his sister Cassidy's story, Eric is everything I hope he'd be. He's a fair and caring alpha and he handled Iona's situation wonderfully. Eric gave Iona her space while never backing down and losing progress he made over the year he spent pursing her. He's even willing to find a way to keep Iona's sister and mother out of jail because hiding a shifter is illegal. A protector and a lover, and oh what a lover he is, Eric is everything I want in an alpha.

Getting Iona to accept what she is isn't the only thing on Eric's to do list. Since the government funds Shiftertowns and needs to cut spending, it has decided to close down the one belonging to lupine alpha Graham McNeil and combine it with Eric's. This decision doesn't sit well with either alpha, especially Graham.... I liked this side story because it added conflict and introduced another very interesting character. Graham lets Eric know that he believes he could do a better job at running the Las Vegas Shiftertown. There's obvious tension between the two but when it counted, like when they discovered humans were doing unthinkable things with shifters, they banned together for every one's sake. I hope Graham gets his own book because each time I saw the story through his eyes I wanted to know more about the alpha who is rough around the edges and has a sudden interest in a human.

I've really come to look forward to and thoroughly enjoy each installment in Jennifer Ashley's Shifters Unbound series and Mate Claimed is no exception. Though I had doubts in the beginning, Eric and Iona soon put my worries to rest and ended up having a strong and very hot relationship that made this book hard to put down. Definitely one to pick up for the paranormal romance lovers. Read more ›

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley writes historical and paranormal romance as Jennifer Ashley; paranormal romance and urban fantasy as Allyson James; and mysteries as Ashley Gardner. Jennifer's novels have won RWA's RITA and RT Reviewer's Choice awards among others.

For information on all her novels visit www.jennifersromances.com. Also see http://www.gardnermysteries.com (Ashley Gardner) and http://www.allysonjames.com (Allyson James) for her other works.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#4 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#30 in Books > Romance > Historical

#36 in Books > Self-Help

#49 in Books > Romance

#54 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#4 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#30 in Books > Romance > Historical

#36 in Books > Self-Help

#49 in Books > Romance

#54 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance