Merinus Tyler is a talented journalist, a real professional who always gets her story. That is, she gets the story when her overprotective father and six feisty, interfering brothers aren't hampering her, insisting she stay out of trouble and away from dangerous situations. But dangerous situations make excellent copy. Merinus works for the National Forum, where her oldest brother Caleb is editor-in-chief, and she is obsessed with a lead on a potential story. She had seen a photograph of a man, Callan Lyons, who was the product of a genetic experiment. He had been conceived in a test tube, carried to term by a surrogate mother, Dr. Maria Morales, inheriting the genes of the animal his DNA had been altered with - a lion. He looks like a normal man, has the feelings of a man, but has all the instincts and hunting abilities of a lion. He was bred to be a killer; an almost perfect weapon to be used by the military. Dr. Morales had been a very close friend of John Tyler, Marinus' father. After Morales' recent death, a murder, all her papers, including the genetic project's documentation on breeding, were sent to Tyler, at her bequest. Reading these papers, Merinus saw a photograph of Lyons and couldn't get his face out of her mind. She desperately wanted to meet him, ostensibly to learn about his life, and to persuade him to come forward to testify against the secret Genetics Council, which had conducted so many illegal experiments and caused so much suffering. Kane Tyler, one of Merinus' brothers, an ex-Special Forces commander, finally agrees to accompany his sister, doubting very much if she will get her interview with the reclusive Lyons.

But Merinus succeeds. You doubted? Callan is handsomer, more charismatic and mysterious in person than in his photograph. He lives, with his Pride, other genetically altered humans known as feline breeds, in an inaccessible, hidden sanctuary. The military and the Council would pay any price to capture Callan's group. When the breeds escaped from the secret laboratory they took with them the physical results of years of experimentation. Also, if word leaked that these creatures existed, their creators would be tried for criminal acts.

When Merinus and Callan meet they have an overpowering physical effect on each other - a chemical effect that had never been witnessed during all the years at the laboratory. Emotional ties begin to form between the two also. With evil members of the Genetics Council pursuing them, as well as Merinus' family, a betrayal from inside the Pride, and a truly uncontrollable physical attraction, there is plenty of plot in this most erotic novel - as well as scenes that absolutely sizzle.

Lora Leigh has written with "Tempting the Beast: Feline Breeds 1," probably the steamiest novel I have ever read. And the author writes well. She has talent. Her characters are well defined and very sympathetic, and her imagination is amazing. I highly recommend this novel for fans of "romantica" and erotica. I certainly plan to read more of Lora Leigh's books.

JANA

I'm not what you'd call a huge fan of paranormal stories - I don't go out of my way for vampires, shapeshifters, Carpathians or immortals - but every once in a while I indulge (mainly MaryJanice Davidson's wacky, sexy vamps and werewolves). If I gotta read this sort of story I prefer it to have some relationship to a possible reality. I always liked the show DARK ANGEL before it got canceled about genetically engineered soldiers created in secret labs in the not so distant future. Well Lora Leigh's "Breed" series are very much in that vein (but much more erotic!!). In Ms. Leigh's stories, a shadowy, ruthless, degenerate group called "The Council" operates secret labs where they do genetic experiments with the mission of creating ruthless and disposable soldiers. Their creations are part human and part animal due to the animal DNA used to create them for specific purposes. There are two "Breed" series (so far): one with feline DNA and one with wolf DNA. TEMPTING THE BEAST is the first book in the Feline Breeds series and it's a great read. BTW, her Wolf Breed stories are all ebooks (no pb releases so far) and are not available at Amazon (...)and so far I've read short story WOLF'S HOPE (the first in the series) and her most recent, ELIZABETH'S WOLF (which was awesome!).

Reporter Merinus Tyler wants to expose the Council for the disgrace they are, feeling that if the American public knew what they were doing, they would be outraged and take the "Breeds" to their hearts. Callan Lyons, one of the few breeds ever to escape the Council is not so sure. He's survived by his cunning and animal instincts and the last thing he wants is a reporter snooping around and exposing him (and his pride) to danger. But he is unusually attracted to the spunky Merinus and though he tries to stay away from her, he eventually gives in to his attraction and kisses her. That kiss starts a "mating frenzy" that neither can fight and Callan must face the fact that Merinus is his mate. But how is he to keep her (and his pride) safe from the assassins that the Council regularly sends to kill him? If Merinus should fall into their hands (especially if she were pregnant), she would become no more than another experiment to them, her life no longer worth living. How can he keep them all safe? Is Merinus right - is the best thing to come into the glare of the public spotlight and try to live as close to a normal life as possible? Merinus's father, seven brothers and senator uncle are all willing to help, so has the time arrived to "hide in plain sight"? Will they ever really be safe from the Council?

Lora Leigh writes several different types of erotica, some of which I'm not particularly interested in (3-ways, bondage, etc), but I do enjoy these Breed Series stories. The males are uber alpha with their animal instincts, heightened senses and hot looks. Her heroines have to be strong with lots of backbone to keep from being totally dominated by these males. And the sex is hot with the animal DNA adding some really interesting aspects into the mix! Definitely not for the faint of heart, but for those who enjoy this type of story highly recommended!

Second in the Feline Breeds series is THE MAN WITHIN about fellow breed Tabor and forthcoming will be KISS OF HEAT about Merinus' brother Kane and Callan's breed "sister" Sherra (there's a history between these two and a sexual tension you can't ignore - can't wait for that one!). And I can't say enough about how great ELIZABETH'S WOLF was (since I can't review it here!) but check it out!!

Lora Leigh has a created a world in which genetic experiments have introduced humans with animal dna... these humans have some of the characteristics of the animals they share dna with.
They were experimented on and kept locked in laboratories.

Tempting the Beast is the first of the Feline Books this is the Story of Callan Lyons a Feline breed fighting for his freedom and the survival of his pride.. Callan and a few others had managed to escape their prison. Trying to live with out detection- along comes Merinus a reporter. Through distrust comes love but with the Genetics Council hot on their trail.. which they live long enough to embrace it.....

If you have never ever read Lora Leigh before here is an author with extraordinary talent who writes with passion and emotion.
Her books will make you run through a gumut of emotions.

TEMPTING THE BEAST is erotic sensual and passionate with strong characters that remain in your mind longer after you have read the last chapter.

Merinus Tyler is a reporter from a powerful family of newspaper folk, politicians, and even ex-military. Her new story, Callan Lyons, is the product of a genetic experiment meant to produce killing machines out of a blend of human and feline DNA. Merinus' family plans to use all of its connections and influence to bring Lyons' story to the world, hopefully making him untouchable to the Council.

But first, Merinus has to convince Callan that this is a good idea, and she has to convince her overprotective brothers that she's the right person to convince him. More than that, she has an odd and extremely powerful attraction to Callan that threatens to derail her carefully-laid plans--and he definitely seems to return the interest.

This is an "erotic romance," or as the back of the book puts it, "romantica," which blends a fully-realized romance plot with the full-blown sex of erotica. The author doesn't hesitate to explore taboos or a wide variety of acts and positions. Her sex scenes definitely sizzle, and she doesn't mind using words many folks would shy away from in embarrassment.

The main characters are both strong, stubborn "alphas" in their own way, and they butt heads realistically. I get fed up with unnecessary clashes between romantic leads very quickly, but the differences between these characters and how they were resolved suited the characters and made sense. The author was able to create a strong, independent woman capable of standing up to a very dominant male without turning her into a petulant harpy or a foolish nitwit, as so often seems to happen.

This is really a paranormal erotic romance, not SF, despite the description of the plot. The "science" is hand-wavy and rather silly in places. However, it also takes back-seat to the better material. This is entirely going to depend on the individual reader's preferences. If you can't stand pseudo-science that isn't realistic, this book will drive you nuts in places. If you can look past that in order to enjoy the main characters and their relationship, then it isn't a big deal. The secondary characters also tend to be cardboard in nature.

If you're a stickler for detail and plot is your big thing, I recommend seeking out another book. However, if you're looking for some really hot sex scenes, a couple of fun characters, and a rather nifty premise, I think this book is great for an evening's reading. Call my rating a 3 for the former group and a 4 for the latter.

So obviously this is erotica, and I realize erotica is pretty subjective and hard to grade. But to me, this was just bad.

The premise was actually somewhat promising. Callan is one of several genetically manipulated humans--he has lion DNA in his genome--who are all part of some top secret highly unethical experiment. Merinus is a journalist who is eager to expose what was done to Callan and his fellow "Breeds", and requires his cooperation. They meet, sparks fly in a big way, and we find out that they have some sort of intense biological connection. As in, they are in heat and absolutely must have sex, lots of sex, or they suffer painful consequences.

I may have actually been able to ignore the very contrived nature of the plot and all the hokey science fiction, had the characters been likeable. But they are not. Merinus is the worst--she is absolutely too stupid to live. She's understandably upset at being forced into a sexual relationship with Callan. But she uses it as an excuse for the stupidest descisions possible. She gets mad and blames him, though it's not his fault. She lashes out at those trying to help her. She runs away. She gets angry at Callan for killing rapists who would have killed him. She insists that she's tough and ungirly, but her toughest action in her moment of desperation is to call her big brother for help. And Callan isn't much better. He instantly falls into the overly possesive caveman routine so common to this subgenre of romance. He's arrogant and sexist. While he says he admires Merinus' tough act, he continuously says things along the lines of "her brothers should have trained her better" and other things that demonstrate an utter lack of respect. This is all justified by saying that it's his nature, he can't help it, this is how all men would be were it not for that pesky feminism keeping them in check.

As stated above the plot is contrived entirely to get the main couple to boink a lot. In erotica, that's to be expected. I know a lot of women like the whole fated mate concept--you see it in Christine Feehan, J.R Ward, Kresley Cole, and Eileen Wilks. I don't have a problem with it if it's handled well. By that I mean, if it isn't used as a substitute for real emotional relationship building and depth of feeling that is only gained with time. Well, this book doesn't have much relationship building outside of the sex, so that was a problem for me.

Also, the plot is kind of...gross. There's a doctor and several assistants helping to figure out what's going on with Callan and Merinus. And the research process involves a lot of swabbing and sample taking before and after they have sex. And the doctor comes up with some kind of injectable birth control, but just as soon figures out that it probably won't work long term. This medical/science drama really took me out of the sexy moments and just all around creeped me out.

I was told by people who have gone ahead and read this entire series that this isn't the best book to judge by. I may attempt book two at some point to see if it improves, but probably not soon. I'm giving this book 1.5 stars.

Lora Leigh has created a captivating world within our own. Merinus Taylor is a reporter in search of an unbelievable story. It is a story of genetically enhanced warriors who have escaped from their creators. What she discovers is even more wild than her wildest imagination. She concentrates her focus on Callan Lyons, a man she is sexually drawn to like no other man she has every met. This world of breeds has many twists and turns and leaves the reader wanting to know more. The breeds love as deeply as they hate and the sexual eroticism of this book is not to be missed. A wonderful book to begin the breed feline series.

Tempting the Beast is full of heat, emotion and intensity. The first in Lora Leighs Feline series, this book introduces us to the breeds, who have a mixture of human and feline DNA. Merinus Tyler is a determined reporter, and she wants information on Callan Lyons, a very secretive feline breed. Little does she know that getting involved with Callan will bring changes and dangers that she never anticipated.

Lora Leigh writes an intriguing and HOT book full of emotion. These characters are wonderfully written, and you won't be able to put this one down as you watch Callan and Merinus find their way through danger while running from the Genetic Council.

If you love Romantica and Romance, this is your book! Don't miss it!

I read this book a long time ago, and recently reread it because I really loved Anya and Del Rey in COYOTE'S MATE and thought I'd read the whole breed series in order. I remember my first impressions of this book was that it was scorching hot. That still holds true, HOWEVER upon reading it a second time, I found a lot to be lacking. For one, Leigh needs a stronger editor. There are so many little errors and incomplete scenes in the book that it started irking me. I didn't understand the intent or action of the character sometimes because it seemed like some of the descriptors were missing. Additionally, this story is formulaic to all the other stories. It becomes supremely repetitive. Here's the gist of it:

Girl meets Breed. Hormone/mating heat triggered. Girl denies Breed. Breed forces the issue and seduces girl. Girl blames breed for taking advantage and not wanting the mating. Blah blah blah, big misunderstanding, blah blah blah, she feels sorry for his suffering and this is supposed to make the reader sympathize and make everything a-okay, blah blah blah, sex sex sex, a few mind-blowing orgasms later, kick a couple of bad-guy butt, and look! Happily ever after.

Additionally, I'm supposed to suspend belief and believe that all of these women are in their early 20's and "mature" but, in many instances, also innocent and virginal. It's an oxymoron. An experienced innocent. You can't be independent and self-aware and tough with the wide-eyed wonder of a deer caught in headlights. It's just not believable. Trying to convince me that they are accomplished and mature at 24 and showing me are two very different things, and no WONDER Merinus and Rachel (from Jonas' story) are best friends. They're both whiney, too-stupid-to-live women. Seriously, there is a scene where Merinus is lost, and gets out of her car to start wandering around WITHOUT her cell phone. REALLY? What sane woman would get out of her car on a road with no lights, in the middle of a forest, in the dead of night, without her cell phone or back-up or letting someone (like her tough ex-Special Forces older brother) know where she's headed, fully KNOWING that there are mercenaries around? Why do the logical, common sense thing, right? To practice common sense would prove that you're not a moron?!? Too Stupid to live.

And the men aren't much better. I found their relationship patronizing - as well as many of the other breed relationships. It's as though the male humors the females temper tantrums and "independence". I can't believe I have twelve more books to read in this series. With the exception of COYOTE'S MATE, I think I'm returning them all.

There seemed to be more development in this book than the others that I've read by this author. She seems to have a real grasp on human emotions in all her books - but at times she will develop a plot line and not quite folow thru - this book has been an exception.

It had the supernatural (based in science), family bonds and sex scenes that were hot. Merinus and Callan were really great together. I enjoyed - if not liked - the secondary characters as much as the leads and look forward to reading the continued story lines of the feline breeds.

Tempting the Beast is the first breed book in Lora Leigh's Feline Breed series and is by far one of the best books I have read!

A genetic experiment is created by The Council, a group of sadistic scientists attempting to make the ultimate soldiers, and from this experiment comes the Feline Breeds.

Callon Lyons is mysterious and shady, one of the few male Feline Breeds. Merinus Tyler is an adventurous reporter unwilling to accept no for an answer. Combined they create a sizzling story that sears the pages, and is unforgettable.

Lora Leigh does a fantastic job weaving these two characters together. Tempting the Beast introduces The Genetics Council and the many atrocities performed on these wonderful characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a unstoppable tale of romantica!