Series: Breeds – Book 2
Author: Lora Leigh
No. Of Pages: 236
Release Date: 28 October 2004
He had protected her as a child, filled all her teenaged fantasies, and as a woman, he stole her heart. Only to break it.
Now fifteen months later, the news has released. The man she loves is one of the genetically altered Feline Breeds who have shocked the world with their presence. He’s also her mate. The mark on her neck attests to that. The fire that rages in her heart and body further proves it. But he hadn’t wanted her then; does he really want her now?
Deceit and treachery, born in the past, now haunt the present as Taber and Roni fight to make sense of a sudden bonding. The mating of heart, body and soul as the man and the beast within merge; both battling the forces raging against the union and dominance over the woman he claimed.
My Thoughts:
The Man Within had its good points, but it resembled Tempting the Beast a little too much.
I will say now that I think that I enjoyed The Man Within even more than I did Tempting the Beast but if Leigh continues on in this current pattern, I am going to find it very boring by the time I get to Book 21.
The Man Within continues on mere days after Tempting the Beast ends. I think it was more interesting because we now have the world building out of the way and most of the story behind the breed’s creation as well, although not their own personal stories.
This chapter of Breeds surrounds the story of Roni and Taber. Taber is a panther breed and Roni has been his friend and he her protector since she was eleven. They work together, confide in each other and each use the others company to spur them on every day, until Taber leaves.
It’s pretty obvious at the start that the break-up letter was a fake, just as the pair were about to begin a relationship – and also take the crown of first mated pair – a trick from the psychopathic cougar Dayan sees their barely begun romance come to an abrupt halt.
The story then picks up fifteen months later after the breeds have revealed themselves and Roni realises why the mark Taber left on her shoulder isn’t fading. Roni has the mark of a mate, and she doesn’t like it one bit.
Roni has grown up in a tormented childhood with an uncaring and often violent father. He never hit her, but was constantly threatening her and using her for money. Taber is a breed, a hard, traumatic lifestyle no matter how strong the victim may be.
I think why I like The Man Within so much was because Roni was a strong female lead not just because she was stubborn like Merinus but because she knew the pain of betrayal and how hard it can be to trust. It’s what makes it so hard for her to accept the situation she’s in because of her previous lack of trust issues and then Taber's supposed betrayal on top of that.
The similarities between the two books then are a little too obvious to ignore. Female gets trapped in Breeds household with insatiable lust, male is reluctant to tell all of the secrets behind his true nature, female finds out that the only way to cure the lust is to conceive a child, they fall in love, female coaxes male to lose control of his beast therefore proving that she really loves both of his natures, they conceive, get married, bob’s your uncle.
I will continue on with this series because I am hoping that alongside the really, really hot sex we will also have the beginnings of a really good story now that it has been established that this is how mates will meet and be attracted to each other. With the war between the Council also starting to take shape we are going to be in for a really hot, interesting ride.
Tempting the Beast
Elizabeth's Wolf
Kiss of Heat
Soul Deep
The Breed Next Door
Megan's Mark
Harmony's Way
Tanner's Scheme
Wolfe's Hope
Jacob's Faith
Aiden's Charity
In a Wolf's Embrace
Dawn's Awakening
A Jaguar's Kiss
Mercury's War
Christmas Heat
Coyotes Mate
Christmas Kiss
Bengals Heart
Lions Heat
