Review: Avenger’s Heat by Katie Reus

Avenger’s Heat
Author: Katie Reus 
Reviewer: Gikany and Una
Rating: A-

What We’re Talking About:

Gikany and Una like the Moon Shifter series and have enjoyed the previous three novels.  Since the conclusion of Mating Instinct, we have been eagerly waiting for Avenger’s Heat.  We wanted to know more about Erin’s past and see her become an enforcer.  We didn’t expect this to be our favorite book in the series!

Please note that there are no spoilers in this review, but we do suggest that you start this series from the beginning.  Each book builds on the next, and you will have a better understanding of characters and relationships if you do.

Erin Flynn is a new enforcer on her first case.  She knew with this job she would travel and be challenged, which is what she wanted.  What she didn’t expect was to have Noah, the wolf who helped to find her and nurse her back to health, tagging along on her first mission.  She didn’t want to be faced with the challenge of fighting both her need for Noah and the inferno of attraction between them, while trying to find the enemy that is kidnapping and killing pregnant shifters.

The chemistry between Noah and Erin is palpable.  The tension and humor between them as Noah calmly but fiercely courts Erin is gripping.  When Noah first meets Erin, she is broken and badly wounded.  From the moment he sees her, he knows she is the one.  What we love so much about Noah is his patience.  He takes his time, giving Erin all the time and space she needs to heal.  He lets her, for the most part, lead the dance but never lets her go.

Erin knows that Noah is the only male she’ll love, but something about her past keeps her from claiming what her heart wants.  The mystery regarding why Erin is so certain she is not the right mate for Noah was intriguing and shocking once revealed.  Noah’s response is priceless – his love for Erin is THE most important part of choosing a mate for him… everything else is insignificant.  Noah truly embodies that tough and dangerous alpha that is yet so patience and loving to his intended – a beautiful balance!

Through our reading of Avenger’s Heat and our discussion we discovered why this story stood out and is therefore our favorite.  We are given multiple points of view through the story.  We enjoyed seeing the journey of Noah and Erin through both of their eyes as well as watching the courtship between Angelo and Brianna.  In other books, what can detract from the story is the perspective of the antagonist.  When the story changes from the perspective of one of the protagonists to that of the antagonist, it feels as if we hit a speed bump in the story.  It feels like these changes come when tension is high and we are gripped by the story and it is an abrupt change.  In some ways, we think that what is presented by the antagonist’s point of view could either be shown differently or not at all.  Since the predominant viewpoints in Avenger’s Heat were from the protagonists, the story seemed to flow more seamlessly without those sudden scene changes.  The few antagonist viewpoints came in better places in the storyline this time, occurring during a natural scene change rather than in the middle of a cliffhanger.  We especially liked the antagonist’s perspective given in the epilogue.  It naturally sets up the next novel for us, leaving us wondering what is in store next.

We are eagerly waiting for the next book in the Moon Shifter series.  There were characters that we hope might have more stories to tell.  We loved the courtship we witnessed between Brianna and Angelo and hope that there might be more to their story.  Gikany and Una are also very much interested in the vampire enforcer, Ian.  Might we be so lucky as to have his story as well?  Through this story we also noticed that a number of shifters in New Orleans seemed to have been killed by vampires.  Was there a war?  Is there a backstory that we might hear about in an upcoming novel regarding maybe this hot, ahem, riveting vampire enforcer and a shifter?  Either way, we anxiously anticipate the next Moon Shifter novel as we applaud Ms. Reus for Avenger’s Heat.

Rating:  A- Enjoyed A Lot

About the Book:

To truly have her, he must free her from her dark secret…

Enforcer Erin Flynn has dedicated her life to protecting her kind. But keeping her heart safe from Noah Campbell, the smoking-hot shifter who saved her life last year, is more difficult. The deadly beauty would love to sink into his arms and become his mate, but she knows she can’t—he must never know about her dark past.

When Erin is sent to investigate the disappearances of pregnant shifters in New Orleans, Erin and Noah find themselves involved in a mystery more sinister than anyone expected. And as Erin delves further into the crimes, chilling information about her own past is revealed. The people who wanted her dead in the first place are trying to finish the job, and Noah wants nothing more than to shield her from harm. But can Erin truly trust Noah and let him see the wounded beast she’s hidden for so long?

Release Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Signet
Series: Moon Shifter #4
ISBN: #978-0451417954
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (368 pages), e-book
Book Source: Publisher

Purchase Info:
Avenger’s Heat (Moon Shifter #4)

Reviews in the Series:
Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus (Moon Shifter #1)
Primal Possession by Katie Reus (Moon Shifter #2)
Mating Instinct by Katie Reus (Moon Shifter #3)
His Untamed Desire by Katie Reus (Moon Shifter #3.5)