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The Wild Hunt Legacy #1

Hour of the Lion

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“Put Victoria with two Alpha brothers, and wow, oh wow, your socks will be knocked off.”

First a Marine, then a black ops agent, Victoria Morgan knows the military is where she belongs…until a sniper’s bullet changes her life. Trying to prove she’s not washed up, she rescues a young man from kidnappers. When the dying boy transforms into a cougar—and bites her—she learns of an entire hidden society. He begs her to inform his grandfather of his death and to keep the secret of the shifters’ existence. She can’t refuse, but what if the creatures pose a danger to the country she swore to protect?

As guardian of the shifter territory, Calum McGregor wields the power of life and death over his people. When a pretty human female arrives in their wilderness town, he and his littermate become increasingly concerned. Not only is the little female hiding something, but she is far more appealing than any human should be.

While investigating the shifters, Victoria begins to fall in love with the werecat brothers and the town as well. For the first time in her life, she might have a real home. Her hopes are crushed when a deadly enemy follows her from the city, and the shifters discover she knows their secret. Now nobody is safe—least of all Victoria.

HOUR OF THE LION was simply amazing. Hot hunky shifter men, a strong and sassy heroine, a gripping story, and some oh so lovely ménage action are just the tip of the iceberg in this phenomenal read! A Top Pick and 5 Stars ~ The Romance Reviews

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

835 people are currently reading
4849 people want to read

About the author

Cherise Sinclair

67 books8,336 followers
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she’s renowned for writing heart-wrenching romances with laugh-out-loud dialogue, alpha males, and absolutely sizzling sex.

I met my dearheart when vacationing in the Caribbean. Now I won’t say it was love at first sight. Actually since he stood over me, enjoying the view down my swimsuit top, I might have been a tad peeved—as well as attracted. But although we were together less than two days and lived on opposite sides of the country, love can’t be corralled by time or space.

We’ve now been married for many, many years. (And he still looks down my swimsuit tops.)

Nowadays, I live in the west with this obnoxious, beloved husband and a seventy-pound lap-puppy. I’m a gardener, and I love nurturing small plants until they’re big and healthy and productive…and ripping defenseless weeds out by the roots when I’m angry. I enjoy thunderstorms, collecting eggs from the chickens, and visiting the local brewery for the darkest, maltiest beer on tap. My favorite way to spend an evening is curled up on a couch next to the master of my heart, watching the fire, reading, and…well…if you’re reading my books, you obviously know what else happens in front of fires.

Search out Cherise in the following places:

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5 stars
3,205 (42%)
4 stars
2,651 (35%)
3 stars
1,205 (16%)
2 stars
280 (3%)
1 star
128 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews
Profile Image for Sophia Triad.
2,241 reviews3,764 followers
January 7, 2018
“After I kill someone, I like to sit in the shower and cry.”
“Of course. It’s good to have traditions.”

The book starts really violently with the death of an innocent child. After that agent Victoria Morgan will discover the world of the shifters. She will try to hide from the bad humans who try to find the cure of death and she will try to hide from rough shifters who do not really know what she does in their isolated little town.
Victoria will constantly lie to protect herself and to protect the secrets of her operation. But maybe deep down, she just needs a couple of alpha males to depend on. A couple of males who can understand what she has been through and can help her face all the changes in her existence.
There are so many shifters’ books out there…
...but I am happy to say that this book has introduced us a unique shifter’s world. I loved the way the author combines erotica and PNR.

...And this is my final book for 2017

Happy New Year :)
Profile Image for Kate.
2,277 reviews356 followers
July 28, 2022
1st read 02/01/2017 3*, 2nd read 03/12/2017 bumped up to 4 *, 3rd read 19/07/22 - 4*

I enjoyed this far more the second time round than the first. This is still not my typical paranormal romance as alpha males, mates and sharing etc. but here it works. The scenes are hot and will most surely give you the tingles.

I understood Vicki more this time and grasped her and her feelings more. She is a strong heroine but she is like a marshmellow crusty on the outside but soft and gooey on the inside.

Alec and Calum are still awesome although they get somewhat idiotic to the end. This is a series I can definitely get on board with.

I enjoy the author's writing very much.

You like menage than this book and series is for you.
Profile Image for BookAddict  ✒ La Crimson Femme.
6,917 reviews1,439 followers
August 25, 2011
I enjoy a good paranormal book. I'm a bit jaded by the plethora of shifter books lately. Some of the authors throw in a couple of wolves and recycle the common "understood" of how werewolves and shifters came to be. I've read Ms. Sinclair's books before and generally found them to be well written with great characters that I like and a story line I can follow. In addition, she creates conflicts which I can believe and follows each developed thread to a conclusion. It may not be a happy conclusion, but it's a conclusion.

When I heard she moved to the paranormal genre with shifters, I was nervous. Would it turn out okay? Is she just jumping on the band wagon? With great reluctance, I finally forced myself to read the book. The first thing I can say after reading the first few pages is, "WHY ON EARTH DID I WAIT SO LONG?"

The first chapter BLEW me away. We went from zero to sixty in less than a second. I LOVE IT. I was captivated from the very first moment when Vic was tied up and under threat of rape and torture. This world Ms. Sinclair created for the shifters is fabulous. She's used some of the existing accepted mythology and added her unique twist. Her book leaves a wide open world for more than just shifters. She has so many interesting characters I hope she writes several books and this becomes a series.

The erotic categorization of this book for me was the sensual and sexy heat between the three main characters, Vic, Calum and Alec. The menage was a nice treat. There was nothing out of this world about the sex, but it was nice each time. Each sex scene had purpose to enhance the story. It wasn't a gratuitous sex just for the sake of checking off a list of required sex scenes.

I liked Vic - she's the type of woman I admire. Smart, loyal and strong cognitive skills and the ability to make a decision and stick to it. She isn't w/o her flaws. It's rather sad her flaws and I admit to shedding a tear at her heartache. Alec and Calum, what can be said about them? H.A.W.T, sexy, alpha and okay a bit paranoid. But seriously, is it really paranoid if people are really out to get you? I wouldn't mind being the meat in that man sandwich.

The axillary characters were just as charming. There was a reason for each person's madness. There was no "just because" explanations. Did people do bad things? Yes. Were they completely bad people? No. Each person's motivation was true to that character and help generate believable conflict. This is what I admire about Ms. Sinclair's storytelling technique.

I recommend this to all my friends, even those who don't really like paranormal, this is still a well written story. I'd read it over and over and over and over again. At this point, Ms. Sinclair should just be an auto-buy for me.
Profile Image for Cécile Smits .
1,459 reviews288 followers
December 21, 2023
This time Cherise mixed the mountains,BDSM and shifters into a beautiful series. Another favorite of mine(no surprise there,right? 😉) Add ménage and you have fireworks!

I’ve lost count of how many times i enjoyed this,and the others in the series,delicious story.
Vicky is a tough cookie that’s been through too much in her life.
The latest tops everything she could imagine,though…
Being at the mercy of some madman,just because she wanted to save that woman from getting hurt,was not what she counted on.
Being thrown in a cage with a….what?
Those don’t exist…right?
Only this kid really ís a shifter,and he’s at the end of his rope…
Her attempt at saving him ends up with him “gifting” her just before he dies in her arms.
The promise she made to him,is one she’s determined to keep,but carefully.
Because….shifters. Are they dangerous?
The ones she meets don’t seem to be…..unless you count the danger to her heart.

When cahir Alec catches a woman trying to break into a house,he didn’t count on the attraction that hit him when he held her.
Hearing she just rented the property gives him the opportunity to keep an eye on this obviously badly hurt beauty.
Why she doesn’t admit to her injuries intrigues him,and her evasive answers to why she’s in Cold Creek only makes him more determined to get closer.
Even if she’s human….

Cosantir Calum is attracted to the female that saved his daughter Jamie from a drunk customer at the Wild Hunt Tavern,but she’s human….so why does he feel that way about her?
To his surprise,she asks for a job in exchange for saving Jamie,so he hires her as a waitress.
And she fits right in…..in more ways than one.
Finding out she’s the female that was with young Lachlan when he died,explains a lot.
Hearing the message he asked her to give his grandfather,does the rest.

Exploring what could become more feels good,and with Alec on board,they might have a future together.
But Calum’s suffered too….and when Vicky hears what,and by whom,she’s afraid to come clean about her previous jobs.
And she may have quit,but her old boss isn’t going to let her go that easily….
Plus,the ones responsible for Lachlan’s death aren’t done yet.
Is there any way this can end well??

This is a story that kept me on my toes throughout,if not with the feels,then with the building suspense.
Even after reading it so many times…..
Profile Image for Laz the Sailor.
1,799 reviews80 followers
April 30, 2020
So I asked my book group, why don't shifters get it on in their animal form? This was the answer.

So in this setting, shifters all live in harmony (bears, pumas, wolves), and in fear of normal humans who either hate them or want to capture them for evil scientist stuff. So our Victoria (a bad-ass black-ops agent with skillz) tries to save the life of a shifter boy, and ends up being converted herself. Which leads her to the mountain retreat, where it is safe (mostly). Lots of back-story on the mechanics, rules, and society of this community.

And sex ensues. For reasons of strange genetics (they're shifters!), pairings and matings and sex for fun are all mingled together, which confuses Vic to no end, and the menage aspect really throws her for a loop. I have only read 2 other books by this author, but as best I recall, the sex in this one is not as sizzling as in those. But the 2 werecats did get it on as pumas - briefly.

Good story, world, and characters. I will read the next one.
Profile Image for Cheesecake.
2,800 reviews509 followers
January 31, 2020
.
I really enjoyed this one, but the 4 stars is a little reluctant because the ending was a little too easy on the guys.

Victoria is a covert marine who tries to save a teenage shifter. Unfortunately the boy dies but before he does, he enacts some magic that causes Victoria to become a shifter. She, of course, has no clue that that is what he did...
So off she goes to tell his uncle about what happened to him.
Upon reaching the small town where he lives, she has no idea how to find him and so decides to scope out the town by getting a job at the local watering hole. She also meets two hot brothers (Callum and Alec) who find themselves strangely attracted to a human. In the world building here, shifters don't usually have sex with humans and they certainly don't find themselves being drawn to them more than any other female.

I loved the setup and the world building was unique and fantastical.
I'm pretty tired of menage crap, but the men were hot and each had their own personality and somehow they all fit together nicely. (*snicker*)


I especially loved how Victoria's shifter abilities first start to present themselves by the revealing of all the magical creatures that humans are unable to see (brownies, dwarves, sprites etc).
Victoria's character was nicely drawn. She's a strong but lonely woman who's devoted to her job of taking out bad guys. The author never diminishes her strength throughout the story. Vic stays true to her principles and kicks ass. Yet you could feel her insecurity about what to do with her unfamiliar feelings for the men and their daughter, Jamie.
Jamie's character was a weak link. She's supposed to be 13 but talks more like an 8 year old. Oh well.

The bad guys from the kidnapping keep causing trouble.
There is the big misunderstanding at the end that I could see coming and didn't mind as it worked with the story. But I felt that for all the ratcheted up angst, she let the men off pretty easily. I can understand her forgiving them and even forgiving them quickly, but that kind of hurt isn't just brushed off easily. Yes they apologized and it was sincere, but I wanted more of a grovel.
But anyways, that would have just been the icing on the cake.

safety is meh but didn't bother me too much when all was said and done

There's a nice epilogue but it didn't add to the romance, just a quick peak into her HEA.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
793 reviews19 followers
August 17, 2011
I am almost certain Hour of the Lion is Sinclair's first foray into paranormal romance and I hope this starts a trend for the author as I loved the main character, with the secret agent background, and how she was able to turn into a shifter. The best parts of the book revolved around Vic settling in and getting to know the town and its inhabitants. The romance was slightly lacking for me and I had issues with part of the end. Aside from that issue, I loved this book.

The storyline involves a menage, something I do not intentionally seek out to read but the availability of such books seems to be increasing lately and at least this one has well developed characters and an interesting world. Sinclair is known for her bdsm erotic reads so fans of those types of books may be a little let down if they are expecting straight bdsm. There is more than the normal amount of D/s scenes, but not with the trappings of bdsm. Readers of shifter paranormal romance will more than likely find themselves in familiar waters but Sinclair still managed to write a unique book worthy of becoming lost in. 3 1/2 stars final, and I have to round up.
Profile Image for Stacey Kennedy.
Author 120 books2,393 followers
January 30, 2012
There are not enough stars to give this book! I'm a huge fan of Cherise's Shadowland series, but Hour of the Lion proved just how incredible of an author Ms. Sinclair is! Seriously, I skipped my own writing, stopped watching Supernatural (which NEVER happens) and even ignored my family to read this book. It was captivating, had a very intriguing plot, and the D/s relationship in this book was just an added bonus!

When I saw 2 and 3 stars ratings for this book, I keep thinking, "Did we read the same story?". Beautiful writing, memorable characters that jumped off the page at me and just a damn fine plot that has left me drooling for the next book in the series.

Bring it on, Cherise! I'm hungry for more!!
Profile Image for Cindy.
2,349 reviews172 followers
June 18, 2011
From what I can tell this was Cherise first book in the Paranormal catagory. I have read lots of shapeshifter books. If they are all to cookie cutter you would get board reading them. Cherise take in this book was different from other that I had read - meaning that is a good thing. The story kept me fully engaged until the last page. I do have to admit I was thinking the sex was going to be as intense as it is in her BDSM books (which I love).. But to my surpise its not. She took the time to make sure Vic and Alex and Vic and Calum each had time together before the were all together.. I think it was a nicely written book and as always I look forward to any and all of her future books.
Profile Image for WildAboutBones.
328 reviews29 followers
July 25, 2011
Sinclair blends shifters (werecats, werebears, werewolves, oh my), OtherFolk (dwarfs, sprites, "bush-thingies, tree-thingies ... fire-thingies", gnomes, pixies), a drug lord, a rogue ex-marine and a romance between a woman and two brothers to create a unique supernatural world in this paranormal romance. This might sound like a fantasy with all of the OtherFolk, but it isn't ... well maybe a fantasy for me. {grin}

Tony Vidal, Seattle's vicious drug lord, has Parkinson's and is looking for an unconventional cure.

Vic, a foul mouthed marine-trained CIA covert ops agent on medical leave, wakes up in the middle of a solo rescue operation gone bad. She and the victim are tied up on the floor and there is a young naked teenage boy, Lachlan, in a cage in the corner. Kidnapper tortures kid with cattle prod until he shifts into a cougar - Vic is stunned, can't believe her eyes. She doesn't believe in "woo-woo stuff". She's forced into the cage with the cat and it is made to bite and maul her. Lachlan tells her to go to his grandpa. She rents a house in Cold Creek "and of all the men in town, she had to get horny over a cop and her new boss." Vic thinks, "That was against the unwritten code — lusting after brothers, and so not like her."

I love the humor and great lines in this story such as:
"Act any dumber and I might as well be a guy."
"Werecat bites — not for the faint of heart."
"Knocking munchkins ass-over-teakettle just wasn't done."
"But hell, they were just men — another term for clueless..."


When Cold Creek Sheriff, Alec, meets Vic going through a window of the house she's just rented, "everything inside him came to a halt". His brother, Calum, owner of Wild Hunt, the local pub, is just as blown away by her.

One night she walks into what she thinks is a private party at the bar she's working at and it is on! She and Alec are so into each other, he drapes her over his shoulder and takes her to a room upstairs. Alec is surprised at his reaction to having sex with Vic, "...this joining felt different. ... under his hands [she] felt just right, his release more satisfying ... fulfilling... how could that be?" Vic is terrified, Alec "satisfied her as no man had before, he'd touched a part of her she kept well-hidden."

The chemistry between Vic and the brothers, Alec and Calum, is explosive. There is a scene on the floor on cushions in front of the fireplace which is hot. And another steamy scene in a hot-springs fed pond in a cave with Calum - yummy ... a hot scene on the bar in the pub ... over the back of the couch in front of the fireplace, oh my ... a smokin' hot threesome - Vic and the brothers with some anal penetration.

The story line is great, the characters are vivid and the world is unusual in terms of the shifters. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and hope there will be more books set in this world with these characters.

Warning Spoiler Alert!!!
This has a HEA ending.
Profile Image for Laurie Garrison .
727 reviews173 followers
July 25, 2011
Wild about bones review below
Sinclair blends shifters (werecats, werebears, werewolves, oh my), OtherFolk (dwarfs, sprites, "bush-thingies, tree-thingies ... fire-thingies", gnomes, pixies), a drug lord, a rogue ex-marine and a romance between a woman and two brothers to create a unique supernatural world in this paranormal romance. This might sound like a fantasy with all of the OtherFolk, but it isn't ... well maybe a fantasy for me. {grin}

Tony Vidal, Seattle's vicious drug lord, has Parkinson's and is looking for an unconventional cure.

Vic, a foul mouthed marine-trained CIA covert ops agent on medical leave, wakes up in the middle of a solo rescue operation gone bad. She and the victim are tied up on the floor and there is a young naked teenage boy, Lachlan, in a cage in the corner. Kidnapper tortures kid with cattle prod until he shifts into a cougar - Vic is stunned, can't believe her eyes. She doesn't believe in "woo-woo stuff". She's forced into the cage with the cat and it is made to bite and maul her. Lachlan tells her to go to his grandpa. She rents a house in Cold Creek "and of all the men in town, she had to get horny over a cop and her new boss." Vic thinks, "That was against the unwritten code — lusting after brothers, and so not like her."

I love the humor and great lines in this story such as:
"Act any dumber and I might as well be a guy."
"Werecat bites — not for the faint of heart."
"Knocking munchkins ass-over-teakettle just wasn't done."
"But hell, they were just men — another term for clueless..."

When Cold Creek Sheriff, Alec, meets Vic going through a window of the house she's just rented, "everything inside him came to a halt". His brother, Calum, owner of Wild Hunt, the local pub, is just as blown away by her.

One night she walks into what she thinks is a private party at the bar she's working at and it is on! She and Alec are so into each other, he drapes her over his shoulder and takes her to a room upstairs. Alec is surprised at his reaction to having sex with Vic, "...this joining felt different. ... under his hands [she] felt just right, his release more satisfying ... fulfilling... how could that be?" Vic is terrified, Alec "satisfied her as no man had before, he'd touched a part of her she kept well-hidden."

The chemistry between Vic and the brothers, Alec and Calum, is explosive. There is a scene on the floor on cushions in front of the fireplace which is hot. And another steamy scene in a hot-springs fed pond in a cave with Calum - yummy ... a hot scene on the bar in the pub ... over the back of the couch in front of the fireplace, oh my ... a smokin' hot threesome - Vic and the brothers with some anal penetration.

The story line is great, the characters are vivid and the world is unusual in terms of the shifters. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and hope there will be more books set in this world with these characters.

Warning Spoiler Alert!!!
This has a HEA ending.(less)
Profile Image for Laura (Kyahgirl).
2,347 reviews150 followers
July 11, 2011
4/5; 4 stars; A-

I haven't read a book yet by this author that I didn't like. She is a consistently good storyteller.
This paranormal romance is a departure from the Club Shadowlands BDSDM series and I think she did a fantastic job changing gears. I debated whether or not to even put it on the erotica shelf because it has some really great menage sex scenes as well as m-f sex scenes but they are more romantic than erotic. maybe I'm reading too much UF and PNR....sex between a human and two werecats seemed normal? Or maybe its a testament to Sinclair's writing ability!

My only quibble with the book was the ending didn't seem as well developed as it could have been. Wells was shockingly easy to sway...it was a bit unbelievable plus there were a couple of editing errors that were grating but besides that I really like it.
Profile Image for Raine.
2,463 reviews53 followers
June 6, 2016
I thought this was quite boring and not as hot in the style of Cherise's Shadowlands or Masters series with bdsm. I was pretty disappointed with this book that it wasn't like her other ones. I did give it 4 stars because if I just rated it on its own merits that would've been the right rating and if I took into consideration her other works it would've been more of a 2 or 3 stars instead.

I know she doesn't write too much paranormal, but if she continues with this genre I hope the writing gets better or at least as good as her bdsm series.
Profile Image for Chappy.
2,203 reviews112 followers
July 20, 2020
Vicky is one badass women and it's really hard for her to know who to trust and who she can submit to. When Lachlan gifts her, she's determined to find his grand father but this means she has to infiltrate a little cozy town. She befriends Calum and Alec and finds out that not all is like it seems.

I found this a little long but the story was compelling.
Profile Image for Heather in FL.
2,063 reviews
August 13, 2011
This was my first Cherise Sinclair. I don't think it will be my last. I've been a bit over paranormal recently, but this was a great story! I was so sad when Lachlan died at the very beginning, and we didn't even really know him. I think it was because of how brave he tried to be, and just the little bit of bonding he and Vic did before he died. He just seemed like such a great kid.

I loved how strong Vicki was. The solitary life she led was sort of sad, but it was necessary for her line of work. And I love how she was sort of eased into the whole werecat thing. It would have been nice if she'd been told sooner about the sharing thing, just so she could have been saved from quite a bit of guilt. And I wanted to smack her when she left after Cleavage and Ice Queen made their moves on her men. How could she possible give them up?? Or even Jamie? Her protectiveness over Jamie was awesome, too.

Calum and Alec were the perfect pair for her. First, they were strong enough to more or less control her. I don't mean her entire life -- just her impulses. Second, they complimented each other well and gave Vicki what she needed but in slightly different ways. Vicki's internal struggle to submit to Calum sort of cracked me up. She so didn't want to give in, but then again, she really did want to. She just wasn't used to anyone having the upper hand. And I loved all the werecat play... the guys rubbing their faces on Vicki in cat form and them all rolling around while playing. It reminded my of my kitties playing. :-)

Holy crap the villians were ruthless. I wanted to puke anytime Swane talked about women. And how selfish could Vidal be?

I liked the ending and how Wells was still a part of Vicki's life. This would be a great series starter. The author created a great world and I'd like to read more about it.
Profile Image for Barbara.
424 reviews29 followers
January 8, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this paranormal, menage. It is a bit of a different take on shifter stories, which proved to be refreshing. Victoria, a CIA operative, is "gifted" shifter abilities that she doesn't understand and in keeping a promise made to deliver a message, she ventures into the small mountain town of Cold Creek and becomes entangled with the town's sheriff, Alec, and "guardian," Calum, who are brothers and cougar shifters. The relationship between the three of them is interesting. Both brothers are very much alphas and Vicki is attracted to them; but which brother will be the lead-alpha for her. I was drawn to Alec but found Calum very hot. There are lots of delicious smexy scenes and well-written emotional moments that had me reaching for a tissue.

This story has a menage romance, government/CIA suspense, and the hottest monthly town orgy ever!

Note: If you are looking for the level of BDSM like in other Cherise Sinclair novels, this book is not it. Although, there are elements of dominance and submission.

This is a good erotic, paranormal read. Definitely recommended!
Profile Image for Jen.
1,655 reviews1,161 followers
June 16, 2012
I really loved this book and I look forward the next book in the series! The steamy factor in this book topped the charts in my opinion and that is exactly how I like my books!!! The storyline was good too and I thought the little pixies were a cute touch. I liked how the shifter world was unique and sometimes that is hard to do when there are so many shifter books out there.
Profile Image for Kat Desi.
Author 2 books73 followers
October 13, 2015
Enjoyed this book. I think Cherise Sinclair can actually pull off a good PNR novel without the BDSM and/or menage! But what is a Cherise Sinclair book without a spank and/or an extra pair of hands or...? *wink*
Profile Image for Sassafrass.
3,204 reviews103 followers
August 31, 2011
A review for The Romance Reviews.

There's a reason why Cherise Sinclair is on my auto-buy list: she writes fantastic erotic romances with great stories and wonderful characters. So, when I saw her newest release, I was intrigued that it was a departure from the kind of books that she normally writes. But, I am happy to report that she's done it again. HOUR OF THE LION was simply amazing. Hot hunky shifter men, a strong and sassy heroine, a gripping story, and some oh so lovely menage action are just the tip of the iceberg in this phenomenal read!

HOUR OF THE LION is the story of Victoria -Vic for short- who is a secret operative for the government and currently on the injured list. She tries to help a lady who's being attacked by a goon and finds herself kidnapped and thrown into a cage with a boy who changes into some kind of large cat. The boy bites her, and then enlists her with the task of letting his family know what happened to him. So, she's off in search of more shifter-cat people.

Her search leads her to the town of Cold Creek, but she not only finds the shifters, she also suddenly finds herself in a place where she feels like she could belong—not to mention two incredibly gorgeous brothers, Calum and Alec, who also happen to be shifters.

However, happiness is short lived when her kidnappers come looking for her and the threat of exposure of her new family threatens to destroy the home she has finally found.

Ok, ok. I'm not going to wax poetic about all the things that I loved in this—and there are a lot—but I am going to try to be succinct plus also point out some of the amazing things about HOUR OF THE LION.

First off, the plot, world-building and lore of the story were fantastic. I loved the author's take on shifters and their society. The lore especially stood out as unique for me. Also, the whole reasoning behind the kidnapping plot really brought home the differences between the humans and shifters.

The main characters were wonderfully developed. Calum and Alec weren't billed as a box set and had such distinct personalities. You could see the reason why Vic fell in love with both of them, and it wasn't just because they liked to share. Vic was a perfect heroine, strong but vulnerable.

Although I'm not surprised, the eroticism and sexual chemistry between the characters was just...wow. This book was indeed very hot, BUT they didn't fall into bed in the first minutes, and Vic got a chance to build a relationship with each man individually first before having the ménage relationship. Even though it was a paranormal romance, that aspect made the relationship much more believable.

Lastly, I loved that I was surprised more than a few times in the book. The author took into account that the heroine was a human who didn't understand shifter culture. How great is that? She wasn't just thrown into things and expected to just accept what happened to her. She got explanations and concessions were made due to the fact that she's coming from a whole different set of cultural norms. Also, I felt like the plot did not take the easiest and most expected routes. I had to work a bit for that HEA and that made it more worthwhile in the end. Even the things I had questioned as I was reading about them eventually got explained, even though it wasn't at the exact point of the book that I was reading.

So, it's probably obvious that I give this a big five stars! I must reach out to Ms. Sinclair and BEG her not to keep this as a standalone. There are some secondary characters that I would love to see have mates, PLEASE!

And for those of you who may have shied away because of the different theme to the book, don't fret. This is still the excellent writing and eroticism that we've come to associate with Cherise Sinclair, it's just the men are a little furrier. ;)
728 reviews71 followers
March 9, 2016
Originally read on 3/19/2014
Reread: 37/16

When I first discovered paranormal smut a few years ago, I read everything in the genre I could get my hands on and let me tell you, some of it wasn’t very good. What kept me going was the little gems I found buried under all the bad stuff. I loved the books in Cherise Sinclair’s Wild Hunt Legacy Series but no other book was released for the series after the first two. I kept waiting for more to be written about this quirky but kickass town, but none showed up. Someone asked for a good bear shifter book on one of my Goodreads groups and Eventide of the Bear was recommended. Color me thrilled when I realized it was my long-awaited third book in the Wild Hunt Legacy series. Since the second book was released way back in 2012, I thought I’d just do a re-read of the first two, with Hour of the Lion up first.

With two swoon worthy Heroes and a badass undercover agent heroine I was in paranormal ménage heaven. A plot that had me guessing, unbelievably hot sex scenes, and 3 MC’s I adored make this book one I’ve been happy to re-read more than once over the past few years.

Vic, a special ops marine, recuperating from a career ending knee injury finds herself held against her will after a good samaritan situation goes bad. Bad goes to worse as she finds out in a heartbreakingly hard way that shifters exist outside of horror movies. She’s thrown in a cage with a wounded tortured teenager who has shifted into a mountain lion. She manages to free them in time for the boy to die free, but not in time to save Lachlan, the boy. He makes her promise to not spill his secret and to also go to his hometown and tell his Grandfather what happened to him.

Torn between her loyalty to her country and her promise to Lachlan, she decides to investigate to see if shifters pose a danger to her country before approaching Lachlan’s Grandfather.

I loved Vic. There is so very much to respect about her character. Raised a foster kid, her life wasn’t easy and she had no one. Instead of whining about circumstances beyond her control she made herself a life to be proud of. Unfortunately, since she can no longer be an asset to her team she is definitely lost.

Calum is the area leader of his people and not by choice. A widow and single father he is extremely controlled, but he had to be. Alec, his more laid back brother, is tasked with being the enforcer and protector of their area. Having to sit on the sidelines of his brother’s first marriage, even though “littermates” tend to share a mate, he isn’t planning on that happening again. Both Alec and Calum find themselves extremely attracted to Vic, even though shifters aren’t supposed to be attracted to humans.

There is mystery, action, and lots of hot sexy times in this book. I loved that it wasn’t the usual paranormal insta-love situation. As the attraction (and mystery as to why) grows between Calum, Alec, and Vic, we get to know the MC’s and the rest of the quirky town. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s a definite comfort read for me, especially when I’m in the mood for a hot, spicy, yet comfortable paranormal book.

Spice’s Rating: 5 Hot, Spicy, Action Packed Paranormal Ménage Stars

Profile Image for Mrs. Missive.
284 reviews
September 2, 2011
"Yea though I walk through the Valley of Death, I shall fear no evil, for I am the baddest M-F in the valley."

One of my favorite quotes from the story. This book shoved me back into the paranormal. I love Cherise Sinclair's Shadowlands books. While we have no BDSM clubs here we do have a similar theme in that we have a woman who is being thrust into a lifestyle that she never knew existed and ends up in a sink or swim situation. Its just that this time the main characters get furry.

We go on a complete journey through this book, and Cherise builds a world beautifully. We get explanations as we need them but we aren't info dumped on.

Vicki, our heroine, goes from being kidnapped and scratched up by a werecat, to a sleepy town in search of the kid's grandfather, to a barmaid, to an uber smokin' menage. I enjoyed the ride. And I stopped taking notes at about 40% because I couldn't stop myself from reading.

A couple of things that bugged me...the kidlet's name changed from Jamie to Jess a couple of times and that error took me out of the story. I also wasn't a big fan of the Gathering. Orgies are all well and good, but I wasn't comfortable with it for the characters. I understood the whole menage reasoning, and I found the three main characters naturally drawn to each other and their menage made sense. But I'm not as sure I dug the idea that it was done that way to make babies and sustain the race. Made me feel like the women were baby makin machines and that was it. It put the sex into a clinical instead of a romantic setting for me. The fact that it took Vic so long to accept it and we had to have it "explained" to her repeatedly didn't help for me.

All that aside, (and much of that is personal preference), I couldn't put the book down. I read through it in one day, which is a fast read for me, and I loved how the group ended up. I hope we have more PNR coming from this author. I will definitely be reading it. 4 stars.
Profile Image for Ms reads a lot.
498 reviews
February 25, 2021
So good!

I’ve read a few books by Cherise Sinclair, all of them have been BDSM based, and heavy on the steam, light on the story. Ms. Sinclair’s Shadowlands series is especially hot and heavy, and although there is a plot, the majority of the storyline is dedicated to the BDSM aspect of the books. So when I picked up this book, I was expecting more of the same: a book that’s heavy on smut, light on plot, but entertaining nonetheless. I was very surprised though, when it was the other way around! There’s actually quite a lot of world building in this book and although the sex scenes ARE hot and heavy, they’re not that plentiful. It was really interesting to read about the shifters, learn about their world and history with the Fae. All the other magical creatures were really cute too!

Although this book is a ménage, it was quite romantic! There was a lot of love between the Alec, Callum, and Vicki. I also adored all of the secondary characters, like Jamie, Joe and Wells. They were really well developed and added a lot of depth to the storyline.

My only complaint was that there should have been an epilogue! Although the last chapter was kind of an epilogue because it took place a few months into the future, it was very short and nothing really happened. I wanted babies! Overall though, this was an excellent read!
Profile Image for Deanna Jewel.
Author 11 books149 followers
November 9, 2011
Cherise Sinclair once again does a great job of pulling the reader into a world of paranormal that appears as real as ours! Her characters will tug at your heart, the Alpha males will tug at your needs! This is an erotic read and does include graphic sex scenes for those who shy away from this type of reading, but by no means is it done in a distasteful manner. Cherise is an elegant author and has another winner here.

I found myself walking beside Victoria and cheering her on each time she found herself in trouble. The world created by Cherise allowed me to see and feel what the characters experienced and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! She did a great job of making the shifters appear as real people even during their change. I normally don't read paranormal so the experience of this world she created allowed me to see that I may be missing many great reads.

Cherise, thank you for changing my mind!

Deanna Jewel, romance author
Profile Image for Jacqueline J.
3,565 reviews371 followers
February 15, 2022
One of my all time favorite heroines. She was just so tough and smart without being a smart alec. She wasn't sarcastic or bitchy and didn't snipe at people to win points. She just knew what she was doing and she did it well. She liked to fight and she was good at it. You got to see her doing it and the descriptions of the action were quite well done.

This is the first in the series. I read the second one of these books first and this was just as well done. I really like the way that the shifter world is set up here. It makes sense, there are rules and consequences. The ménage element was well set up. The two men in the story each have their own clearly defined personality. There were of course some sex scenes but they didn't overwhelm the story. The relationship took a while to develop which made it more believable. The plot made sense and there were no slow spots.
Profile Image for Hollie.
1,680 reviews
March 5, 2015
~4.5 stars~

What a creative shifter read

I have read so many paranormal/shifter books, that at a point the majority of them started to feel the same, I am happy to say this book was in a class of its own. I really enjoyed the characters. The heroine was strong willed, and independent. The plot was action packed, and never dull. I normally am not a fan of ménage type romance reads, but with this one, it was done tastefully. The sex was smoking and I never felt as them being one family (2 brothers, the heroine and a child) as being odd/creepy. It just worked in this read. My main complaint, is that the ending left much to be desired. It wasn’t a cliffhanger, but it wasn’t full closure. I guess that’s to be expected with a series starter though. I'll definitely check out the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,535 reviews173 followers
June 22, 2011
I love Sinclair. I think her BDSM books are AMAZING. But I'm just not too sure I was feeling this one.

I liked the world building and paranormal aspects, but she incorporated some smutty elements I'm not always super comfortable with (brothers sharing a woman, smexing as animals...)

If, like me, you're a die-hard fan of Sinclair for her BDSM books, be forewarned: this is very different. The writing and tone feels different, almost as if its a different author completely. This story also didn't feel nearly as "erotic" as her other novels.

It was okay, just not what I was expecting from Sinclair.
Profile Image for Jen.
1,559 reviews
June 20, 2011
I can always count on Sinclair to give me a satisfying story. This one wasn't quite up to the Shadowlands books but it was still a good read. What I didn't like as much was the initial relationship seemed to start with Alec and that was fine with me. But them more emphasis was put on Calum, once again fine with me, but it seemed to be at the expense of her relationship with Alec. I like both of them but it was a little bait and switch for me.

I loved the Gathering at the end where she was able to fight it and only mate with Alec and Calum. Overall this was another satisfying book by Sinclair. I do really enjoy her books.
Profile Image for April.
2,640 reviews175 followers
December 31, 2012
I loved this book!! Such a great story. It had me from beginning to end. It was also great to see a kick but female character who didn't turn wimp when she hooked up with a man, or men as the case maybe.

A great shifter story with lots of intrigue. It has plenty of steamy scenes but the story would stand with out them.

Can't wait to read more! It is a step away from the author's usual BDSM but a great turn!
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