#Review: Cougar's Mate by Terry Spear - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: COUGAR'S MATE
Series: Heart of the Cougar, Book 1
Author: Terry Spear
Narrator: Laura Jennings
Format: Kindle, 254 pages and Audible, 6 hrs and 59 mins
Published:
Audio: Terry Spear (27 Aug 2014)
Kindle:Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (27 Feb 2014)
ISBN: ASIN:B00IP492CU
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Audible
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Contest win (kindle) and Author (audible)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses!

Cougar’s Mate: Instinct told her to run…

Shannon Rafferty learns that hanging out with the bad boys could be a dangerous business, but hooking up with a cop is even worse. Now she’s on the run, trying to avoid being murdered by his cougar shifter brothers and uncle. If that isn’t bad enough, a deputy sheriff hunts her down while she’s running as a cougar and trying to survive in the Colorado wilderness. He vows to protect her no matter what she’s done. With three dead boyfriends to her name, she’s sure she will be the death of Chase Buchanan before either of them can prevent it. No matter how much she knows she has to run again, he soon holds her heart hostage. But will that be enough to keep them both alive?

Chase Buchanan—as wilderness cabin resort owner, former US Army Special Forces, and part time deputy of the small town of Yuma, Colorado that boasts a love of cougars—is tasked to track down a cougar reported to be hunting human prey. Chase soon learns she’s a shifter, not a full-time cougar, and she’s on the run. When he takes her in, he vows to protect her. After losing his wife and baby to the human kind of predator years earlier, he’s not letting Shannon’s hunters kill her, too. But how is he going to hold onto the wild-cat woman, who is unpredictable at every turn, without losing his heart to her, and then losing her as well?

Linda's Thoughts:
"I haven't done anything wrong. "Get off me!"
"You're kidding, right? You've injured a sheriff, broken in and entered a house, stole a car - mine - stole Hal Haverton's clothes, broken a glass, and littered."

COUGAR'S MATE by Terry Spear was a thoroughly enjoyable paranormal romance! It grabbed me from the very beginning and held my attention to the very end. I actually read the first half of this book and listened to the last half. Both editions were very good and I am happy to report that I had absolutely no issues switching between the two. If I had to choose between the two, I preferred the audio, but only because the narrator's interpretation added another layer of pleasure to the story.

This was the story of two cougar-shifters, Chase Buchanan and Shannon Rafferty. It mostly took place in the small town of Yuma, Colorado. Chase was a former Special Ops military. Now he's an assistant deputy sheriff in Yuma, home to a close-knit pack of cougar shifters. Chase settled in Yuma to be close to the buddies he'd served with in Special Ops, but he's mostly been a social loner, despite the efforts of some of the females in their community. When a lone cougar is spotted in the wilderness near Yuma shortly before hunting season begins, Chase is put on the cougar's trail. She gives him a merry chase until he shoots her with a tranquilizer dart - only to surprisingly find that she was also a shifter - and a beautiful one at that. He feels really bad for having shot her and finds himself attracted to her. He's determined to discover her story and save her; but, she's quite the escape artist and doesn't want saving. In reality, he also needs saving...

Shannon is on the run after being framed for the murder of her boyfriend by rogue cops. She knows that they will never bring her in alive, so her only hope is to stay hidden and ahead of them. She was near the end of her rope after running as a cougar for so long - but certainly not planning to be apprehended by a group of cougar-shifters who claim to have her back. Unfortunately, she's not made the best choices in men in the past and she can't afford to trust anyone with her safety now - especially not the law, who would only turn her in.

Could the two of them save each other?

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this sexy read:

"I'll have to try the clothes on." She raised her hand handcuffed to his to emphasize how difficult that would be.
He smiled. He wasn't letting her out of his sight. The vixen smiled back.
---

"I love to swim naked in the lake, either as a cougar or a human... But it would be even better if I had someone to swim with," he said, running his hand down her arm.
---

"No other woman has ever knocked me out and escaped from me. That makes you a special case in my book."

COUGAR'S MATE was narrated by Laura Jennings. This was the first book I've ever listened to that Laura had narrated and I was quite impressed with her performance. She has a pleasant, clear voice and differentiated between the characters with aplomb. Her delivery was natural and her pacing was right on. Based upon her voicing of this read, I would not hesitate to pick up another book that Laura has narrated.

Terry is one of my very favorite authors. I've loved everything I've read that she's written from her paranormals to her fantasies to her Highland romances and more. Her books are always excellently written with an addictive solid plot and likeable, genuine characters. This one alternately made me laugh, held me riveted to the suspenseful moments and swooning at the steamy passages. I can't wait to return to Yuma and catch up with this series! I highly recommend COUGAR'S MATE to anyone who enjoys paranormal romances.


Suggested Reading Order: 
COUGAR'S MATE (Book #1)
CALL OF THE COUGAR (Book #2)
TAMING THE WILD COUGAR (Book #3)