Title: The Girl and the Lion
Series: Sanctuary
Author: Stella Night
Designation: Book One of Series, Full-Length Standalone, No Cliffhanger
My Rating: Four Captivating Stars****
Wow! This is my first time reading Stella Night's work but it certainly won't be last. I truly enjoyed this book! I was intrigued by the blurb and decided to read the free sample. I was immediately fascinated with the storyline and completely hooked well before the end of the first chapter. I quickly downloaded the book and dug in for the evening. I found the book to be fast-paced, exciting, imaginative, and well-crafted. The narrative was beautifully written in the third person. There were a few minor boo-boos but nothing that distracted me from the story. The dialogue was smart, well-executed and flowed smoothly. But without a doubt, my favorite component of this story was the cast of characters. I was totally captivated by the two protagonists, beautiful feisty veterinarian Sadie Fisher and sexy lion shifter Dimitri. These two were absolutely perfect for each other. Their attraction was undeniable, their interaction, electric and their sexual chemistry was smokin' hot. I can't tell you why because I don't even have a good reason but Dimitri reminded me so much of several of Bruce Willis' movie characters. And Sadie was an absolute irreverent delight! So sassy, snarky...and so independent yet so kind and tender-hearted. I loved her! If you're in the market for a sexy, seductive paranormal romp filled to the brim with danger, drama, action, humor, passion and romance, then The Girl and the Lion is one book you don't want to miss! Did I like this book? Yes, quite a lot! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adult readers since it does contain some steamy, dreamy love scenes. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Although this book is a full-length standalone paranormal romance and does NOT end with a cliffhanger, the author does leave the barn door wide open for a second book featuring one of the secondary characters and skillfully sets the stage for an entire series. And I, for one, would love to read more! I believe Stella Night may be a relatively new author but it's obvious she has talent. With a little time and experience under her belt, I believe we'll be seeing many more great books from Stella Night. And finally was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!

Sadie Fisher was desperate. She needed money badly to keep open her father's legacy, Fisher Animal Sanctuary. She'd already sold and mortgaged everything she could and still, it seemed as if she was hemorrhaging money. Her only hope at this point was wealthy philanthropist Patton Conrad. On paper, he seemed like the perfect investor and business partner, but who knew he would be such a vile sleeze-bag. Apparently, he wanted the only thing she hadn't sold yet....her. But she wasn't on the menu. She'd just have to find another way to come up with the money., and it seemed luck just might be on her side. Returning home from her disastrous business dinner with Conrad, Sadie is surprised to find a lion had torn into the fence of her sanctuary and was seemingly unconscious....a very rare never before seen species of lion...a black lion. Jackpot! This could be just what she needs to draw in tourists as well as benefactors. There's just one little problem.... He's no longer a lion. Huh? Yup, you guessed it! Dimitri is a lion shifter but it's a secret and no one can know. Too bad she's already uploaded a photo to their website. Oh dear! And apparently, this handsome lion shifter has enemies because he's been poisoned and desperately needs her father's help. Unfortunately, her father passed away a year ago and told her nothing about his work to secretly help shifters. And her picture has led his enemies right to her door. Oh no! What's a feisty tender-hearted veterinarian who's very attracted to said lion shifter to do...especially when the lion shifter in question seems to also be very attracted to her? Everything she can, of course, including endangering her own life! But will she be able to keep them both alive long enough to help? We'll see!

I really enjoyed reading this paranormal story about a human girl, Sadie, and a lion shifter, Dmitri. I think it is the first book I've read by Stella Night. Dmitri breaks into Sadie's animal sanctuary and promptly collapses. He's been poisoned! As a licensed Veterinarian, Sadie, is able to help him temporarily. As they search for a permanent cure, they are being hunted by an evil man who is masterminding a crime syndicate and falling in love with each other along the way. This book is fast paced romp with plenty of action, suspense, and steamy, romantic interludes. I'm really looking forward to reading the second book in this series, The Girl and the Wolf. If you like shifter stories or are just looking for something different to read, give The Girl and the Lion a try. Enjoy!

This was a quick cute read about a human and a shifter. There was some action thrown in and it was a good book but I cannot say it held me in its grips. If I can get the next in the series cheap enough I would most likely purchase it.

A vet running an animal sanctuary but needing funds finds a black lion, a lion shifter comes to help an army buddy out of some trouble, there is a lot more going on so read to find out what happens.

Very well developed characters with an interesting storyline. I'm really looking forward to the other books in this series to see what further comes of the team at both the animal conservatory and the security company.

Danger, violence, love found unexpectedly...what's not to like about this book. Characters are well developed, story flows well, draws you in from the first page.

Dimitri and Sadie were wonderful together as at team combating this evil man trying to harm anyone that got in his way.

I like this book. Quick read and not too deep.