Customer Reviews

Soul Deep (Coyote Breeds, Book 1)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Coyote Breeds are thought to be the lowest of the Breeds, the genetically altered humans with the DNA of animals. Coyotes were bred to be unfeeling hunters and soldiers; merciless, with no souls or loyalties.

Kiowa, a Coyote Breed, had a horrific upbringing. He was abandoned by his young Native American mother who was kidnapped off the streets and forcibly inseminated with the coyote DNA. Raised by a grandfather who hated him and forced to live in a hidden mountain cabin in isolation, Kiowa led a bleak existence. He was constantly reminded of how he came to exist and was told often by his grandfather that he had "no soul" and that his mother didn't want him. His grandfather barely kept him alive, providing only the bare necessities of food and few creature comforts (books and TV, which he used to educate himself) and showing him absolutely no love.

By the time he was 14 he was totally on his own, forced to hide his true identity from the world and seek out a meager existence. But when Dash Sinclair (Elizabeth's Wolf) found him, his life changed drastically.

Amanda Marion was the daughter of the US President, a school teacher living on her own and loving her new found independence, and inexperienced in love (except for her extensive reading about it). When armed intruders attempted to kidnap her on Halloween night, it was Kiowa that came to her rescue. And when Kiowa kissed her (to shut her up, of course) uh-oh...there would be no turning back!

A very important law enabling the Breeds to enact a form of self-government is coming up for a vote in Congress, and it is very important to the survival of the Breeds that this law is passed. But anti-breed blood supremicists don't want this law passed; they want the Breeds extinct, so they hope to kidnap the President's daughter and use her to sway a "no" vote from the President. The Breeds now need to ensure that no harm comes to Amanda, and they have only a week to protect her from kidnappers before the law is voted on. But what happens in that week's time, and the feelings that develop between Kiowa and Amanda, is the basis for this story.

Kiowa, unloved for so long, told he had no soul and feeling undeserving of love, has never felt for anyone what he feels for Amanda. He can't explain it--he would protect her with his very life!

Amanda, stubborn and refusing to believe that what she feels for Kiowa is anything more than hormonal lust, at first tries to fight her attraction. True, they have scorching sexual chemistry, but is that all there is?

When Kiowa has a pivotal conversation with young Cassie, daughter of Dash and Elizabeth Sinclair, he learns that perhaps he is worthy of love, and maybe he can give Amanda what she needs.

I loved this Breeds story more than any of the others, and I've read most of them. This one was hot, hot, hot, and packs such an emotional punch, and that's what I found missing in some of the others. I really cared about Amanda and Kiowa (especially Kiowa) and I felt that he desperately deserved some happiness in his life. Although at first Kiowa and Amanda have trouble communicating beyound their "mating", once that is resolved they find out that they do have some common ground and want the same things out of life. This was a very satisfying read, and one that I could easily recommend--5 stars!
And check out that cover!!

P.S. Althogh this book can certainly stand on it's own, for you own reading enjoyment, I would suggest reading the 4 books that chronologically come before it: "Tempting the Beast", "The Man Within", "Elizabeth's Wolf", and "Kiss of Heat".

Soul Deep is nothing new. It has the same basic formula as all the breed books, but this coyote breed had more depth of character than some of the wolf breeds that I wasn't very fond of.

It does have one of the hottest first lovescenes that I have ever read, though. My goodness!!! This book is definitely worth reading, if you like Lora Leigh, but just be warned that it is a very short book.

I expected a bit more from this one after reading all the hype in the reviews. Ms Leigh's more mainstream offers have touched on some serious emotional issues, esp. Dawn's awakening. So when I read comments that this one was a bit more touching than other offerings in the series I expected something more. I was disappointed. This was just so so. It was no more emotionally engaging than any of her other Ellora's Cave pre-mainstream stories, in fact I think she did a bit less character building.

Kiowa had the potential but it seems that there was no connection between his neglected childhood and the adult person that he became beyond the superficial. His authoritarian (bind em and spank em) dominant sexual nature fit with the assumptions of the coyote breeds' nature in general but there was no confirmation of that in the story or any indication of how his personal development would lead him to those types of sexual needs. Amanda's character was no different. There were so many unanswered questions and holes in her character that it left me flat. The simple fact of her being the president's daughter should have provided lots of opportunity for charactr development.

On the other hand, this story does provide some insight on how Breed law got passed and how the felines were able to find out so much about the mating process, etc.

As for the sexuality, it's Lora Leigh - nuff said. I do like a good "romantica" read so I tend to prefer steamier material. My only complaint is the amount of anal activity in some authors' works (LL usually has at least one such scene in her Ellora's Cave stories.) I find that disturbing/disgusting but otherwise...

All-in-all it was an OK read. I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 because I didn't dislike it - I just didn't like it. I can't say I'd recommend you spend your money on it; but if you like to know all of the details and behind-the-scenes facts about a series then you may want to check it out.

Don't let those few nay sayers deter you from buying this book. This book can stand on its own but when read in chronological order with the previous 4 breeds book before it, this book packs a punch. The sex is HOTTTT in vinatage Laura Leigh style. I have a read all of Laura's books and she is at the top of my MUST READ lists for autoships...

This book is sexy, hot and it has a good story to back all the good sex up. Some people mentioned it is too short, granted, but it does not affect the story one bit. In fact, I think it helps it in a sense that it does not pile up too many unnecessary details.

The story has soul (no pun intended). The hero is hot, a suffering soul who does not want to admit he needs anyone, let alone that he has fallen in love with someone. All in all it is one of the best books Lora has written. I like her books but not all of them are winners, this one definitely is.

I found this an incredibly intriguing book. the Coyote Breed is more than a story, it is perhaps, or maybe even probably, a prophesy of the not to distant future. Strange as it may seem, I am a relative newcomer to Lora Leigh's work, but I found this story so absorbing and gripping that I intend to bring myself quickly up to speed.

The sexual chemistry that develops between Kiowa and Amanda is truly electric, and what woman wouldn't lust after such an incredibly alpha male like that. I must admit that my usual reading is the erotic short story genre of which two recent gems I've enjoyed are Violet Blue's Best Women's Erotica 2008 (Best Women's Erotica) and Suzie Van Aartman's 100 Percent Erotica But Soul Deep is a really excellent book which was gripping and entertaining

So this is my first book by Lora Leigh and I have to admit by chapter 4 (the chapters are very, very short and I'm reading on Kindle so I don't know the exact page number but it was early) I was literally laughing out loud from how ridiculous the story became.

--Spoilers--
At the start, Amanda gets attacked (knocked unconscious) in her home and awakens, still tied up, laying on a bed in a hotel room with Kiowa who is there to protect her (but she doesn't know that). He could be a rapist kidnapper for all she knows. So, he has removed her gag and she starts screaming and what does he do to stop her screaming? Climbs on top of her and kisses her! Makes sense right? And, oh yeah, he has a huge boner because he's been watching her and off course her phenomenal beauty turns him on. That's not even the best part...when they kiss, a hormone is released that acts as a uber sex stimulant because, as it turns out, she's his mate making her literally "in heat" for him and oddly screams with physical pain if another person merely touches her (so much for even a choice in having another man). So they basically just start going at it right away with him giving her oral and two-fingered anal play. And of course she's a total virgin as well...a 24 year old, totally waxed downstairs who enjoys rough sex virgin *sigh*

It almost left me feeling a bit creeped out after a while though because she wasn't in control of herself, almost as if she had been drugged into sex that she would not have engaged in if she had been in her right state of mind. Hardcore, chemically influenced sex with a total stranger is a nice memory of a girl's first time. And to top it off, only a short time later she was chatting away with everyone, arguing but still offering up some nice sarcasm. I dunno, but if it were me I think I might be huddled in the corner reflecting on being unwittingly deflowered. To each her own I guess.

Then, to continue on with the ridiculous ways the author keeps these two together, Amanda and Kiowa share a cabin at the compound. Aside from the unbearable lust, neither of them appear to "want" to be together, at first anyway (the intense "heat" lasts until she gets pregnant or her ovulation is over). So I'm left wondering, why the heck didn't they just ask to be separated? Especially Amanda. If it were me I would have been begging to be sequestered somewhere, even tied up, to prevent having a stranger's "pup". But no, Kiowa just opts to sleep on the couch (hopefully they can control themselves, yeah right that lasted all of two seconds) and Amanda takes on the attitude of "maybe the pregnancy just won't take". If they're going to give in to the urges, how about a CONDOM? Maybe I missed it, but protection was never once mentioned in this story. I would have appreciated some sort of explanation for that, even if it was a bad one. But no, no mention whatsoever of condoms.

I often find myself "aww-ing" when the hero watches the heroine from afar and develops feelings for her, but when Kiowa tells Amanda how he watched her for that whole week without her knowledge (for surveillance) then said he was "Just a man slowly falling in love with a woman he had no right to." I couldn't help but laugh. It felt way more stalker-ish than romantic. Developing feelings from "watching" sure, I can understand that (intrigue, attraction, etc.) but to fall in love seems more like creepy obsessiveness to me. But of course this chick melts when he follows up with saying "Mating you is no hardship for me." and a few other equally lame lines about how she has "so much life in her" and such. lol Of course she develops feelings for him in all of one day, even though she repeatedly tells herself in her inner monologue something akin to, "I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. My heart aches for him."

There was one aspect of this story that I did enjoy, however, and that was when Kiowa's childhood was discussed and/or reflected upon. The part mentioned where he gave himself birthday presents as a child (wrapping up pinecones, etc.) was very touching. Although, at risk of continuing my negativity streak here, I think a child who lived an almost completely solitary existence on a mountain (only occasional visits from an uncaring grandfather who brought supplies) until the age of 14 would have affected Kiowa more than just making him basically indifferent to people. I can't imagine he would have any semblance of functioning social skills if he were a real person who grew up like that, even if he did have a television. It was unrealistic and came across as just being something the author threw out there to make readers like (or feel sorry for) his character without even a hint of consideration to how that would actually affect someone's psyche.

The full anal scene about 3/4 of the way in was just stupid. Basically she decided to run away (conveniently forgetting about the trained lions and wolves that roamed the property, ugh, I was almost wanting the dumb girl to get eaten by that point) but gets caught and Kiowa "punishes" her with a spanking and then anal with his "unusually wide penis" that is common to coyote and wolf breeds. *roll eyes* Naturally he has more control over himself than Amanda does, who is completely out of her mind with lust due to the mating hormones. But then the author has the gall to write in Kiowa's point of view how Amanda must really trust him to allow him to penetrate her there. "She would never give such liberties without complete trust." Are you kidding? She's out of her skull begging Kiowa for anything he's willing to give. Try that line again when she isn't under the influence of overpowering sex hormones. Then the next morning she tells him she'll run again and he counters with "If you run again, I'll make you wish you hadn't." How romantic! I can feel the love he has for her. Yes, I get he's just being super possessive, alpha male whose temper got the best of him but come on. He immediately then gets in the shower and starts waxing poetic to himself about how "soft, gentle Amanda" has made him dream again, how her laughter stole his heart before he ever touched her and how she soothed his pain, etc. etc.

Afterward she gives him a bit of a verbal lashing (not much) swearing she'll never touch him again if he doesn't allow her to get examined by the doctor (because touch causes her pain from another and Kiowa will literally kill someone if they're just trying to give her a medical exam, ugh). So as she's walking to the lab, she reflects to herself how she's falling in love with him in just the few days they've been together. Amanda tells herself that she would have felt that way even without the mating hormones. Huh? How? Was it the rough sex or the stellar conversation that won her over? Sure, Kiowa would probably be a lovable guy eventually but so far he's done nothing to warrant love. But then during her exam, Kiowa is safely away down the mountain but gets called back there by one of the other characters to "hold her" for some odd reason (she's screaming but securely strapped to a chair). Perhaps an attempt to comfort her? Even though everyone knew her pain made him crazy? It made absolutely no sense.

When the wise-beyond-her-years, psychic, ghost-seeing little girl all of a sudden pops up to dole out a bit of wisdom, I nearly fell over laughing from how ridiculously random it was. The reader never saw or heard of her again, at least not in this story. Since this is part of a series, Cassie may make appearances and have bigger roles in other books for all I know.

"The genetically altered sperm has a lot of Native American coding. The scientists, in their studies, decided that it would create fiercer fighters, more savage soldiers when combined with animal DNA." -- Sorry but that line just struck me as totally racist. Native Americans are genetically predisposed to be great warriors? It's almost like saying they used African American DNA to create a breed of great dancers. It's in their blood right? Geez, give me a break!

Toward the end, Kiowa leaves Amanda while she's passed out, recovering from her ordeal with her medical exam. He flees for her benefit because he thinks she doesn't really "want" him even though she's going to have unbearable pain because he's the only one who can sate her. They're "mates" now right? That part, again, made no sense. This was just a thoughtless, last-ditch conflict thrown in by the author to wrap up the story in my opinion. And of course the ending wouldn't be complete without that obligatory admission that they love each other more than anything but have no idea how or why -- they just do.

Lora Leigh's writing in this story is "okay" in my opinion -- not terrible but not great either. I almost started counting the number of times the word damn, damned or dammit was used. One VERY short paragraph I read had used a variant of damn no less than four times. "Dammit," he said to that damned guy who wasn't worth a damn. That's what it started to read like in places. I'm not opposed to cursing, I'm fairly foul-mouthed myself, but it seemed the author went overboard at times. Yes, people talk like that in real life but I'm not sure it works well in print.

Granted, the author does create some steamy sex scenes. However, she does use very cliched phrases and tends to repeat herself a lot. It seemed as though everything tasted/smelled like either honey or "honey and spice" -- Amanda's kisses, Kiowa's kisses, Amanda's "lady bits", etc. Some variant of honey was used CONSTANTLY and in every single sex scene. Kiowa should have been a "bee" breed. lol She was honey sweet with her honeyed lubrication..."I can smell your heat, Manda. It smells like honey syrup. And I'm really partial to honey." Obviously the author is too! lol And sensations burned, clawed, ripped and clenched Amanda's "womb" so much I thought she may need to see a doctor. lol

Perhaps this wasn't the best choice for me to read as a first book from Lora Leigh, but I honestly found no redeeming qualities in this story that would lead me to purchase any other book she's written. Poorly thought out plot with holes galore, very one dimensional characters (never got a sense of who Amanda was other than the president's daughter and she wanted Kiowa so bad it literally hurt), and non-impressive writing with tons of repetitive wording. I'm surprised Lora Leigh is so popular but I guess it's just her sex scenes that are what keeps her selling books. I understand opinions on books are mostly subjective but it still baffles me how many 5 star reviews this story has received.

This story had zero, and I mean zero, "romance". Just tossing in obligatory "I love you's" at the end does not make anything that happened between the characters romantic. I know this book is classified as "erotic romance" but it would be better suited to just be labeled "erotica" in my opinion. There's not even much sexual tension, buildup, etc. They pretty much just go straight to it every time. I'm normally not so harsh with stories and, being that I read a lot of PNR, I often overlook bad plots but something about this story just struck me as really bad. I have read actual erotica books with better, more believable plots than this. Had I purchased this book under the belief that it was just an erotica book, I probably would have overlooked a lot of the problems. But I was expecting something better from such a popular author. Oh well, lesson learned.

This fifth book in the Breeds series series stands out for its heart. While the sexual tension one expects from the Breeds is still there this one takes the reader in a completely different direction than the other titles. Kiowa is a Coyote with a heart that has been trampled. Watching him find his heart and soul is incredibly moving. I loved this book and would love to read more about the coyote breeds.

As stated, perfect. Ms. Leigh hit all the buttons in this one. Everything from the male dominance to the big strong guy needing to learn a few lessons from his mate about true strength. Loved it!

Veery good book, well plotted and very heartwaming. You want to help the herione and hero because you fall in love with them witin the first few pages. Must Have!