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Tiger Shifters #.5
Once Upon a Tiger
"She'll never run."
Among the tiger shifters, Alexis Tarasova is regarded as fierce and dangerous, with a reputation that would make even the most daring tiger think twice about challenging her. Female tiger shifters may be rare and the mating run a critical part of their species's survival, but Alexis is the only female Tracker and will not back down, even at the threat of tiger law. She will not be forced to mate. So when a handful of males band together to force her to participate in the run, Alexis chooses to stand her ground and fight instead.
"He's forbidden to run."
Outcast from the tiger shifters after a vicious childhood attack left him mute, Victor Romanov has never taken part in the mate run. He's never particularly cared, though, since the woman he loves refuses to take a mate. However, when he learns Alexis may be in danger, all bets are off. Nothing will keep him from her side.
"Together, they're unmovable."
The chemistry between them burns wickedly hot and forges them into an unbeatable pair. Alexis knows that being with Victor means she will have to break another one of her people's laws-a move that might push the tigers too far. But, for Victor, she will risk everything, including her life, and do what she thought she'd never do-run.
Among the tiger shifters, Alexis Tarasova is regarded as fierce and dangerous, with a reputation that would make even the most daring tiger think twice about challenging her. Female tiger shifters may be rare and the mating run a critical part of their species's survival, but Alexis is the only female Tracker and will not back down, even at the threat of tiger law. She will not be forced to mate. So when a handful of males band together to force her to participate in the run, Alexis chooses to stand her ground and fight instead.
"He's forbidden to run."
Outcast from the tiger shifters after a vicious childhood attack left him mute, Victor Romanov has never taken part in the mate run. He's never particularly cared, though, since the woman he loves refuses to take a mate. However, when he learns Alexis may be in danger, all bets are off. Nothing will keep him from her side.
"Together, they're unmovable."
The chemistry between them burns wickedly hot and forges them into an unbeatable pair. Alexis knows that being with Victor means she will have to break another one of her people's laws-a move that might push the tigers too far. But, for Victor, she will risk everything, including her life, and do what she thought she'd never do-run.
128 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2013
203 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
Kat Simons
110 books125 followersKat Simons earned her Ph.D in animal behavior, working with animals as diverse as dolphins and deer. She brought her experience and knowledge of biology to her paranormal romance fiction, where she delights in taking nature and turning it on its ear. After traveling the world, she now lives in New York City with her family. Kat is a stay-at-home mom and a full time writer.
For more about Kat's books, visit her at http://www.katsimons.com
You can also join her newsletter for up-to-date release information: http://eepurl.com/OxQQL
For more about Kat's books, visit her at http://www.katsimons.com
You can also join her newsletter for up-to-date release information: http://eepurl.com/OxQQL
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
August 18, 2014
I am a fan of the Paranormal Romance genre, and I am a definite fan of shifter/werewolf stories, so it comes as no surprise that I would eventually come across and read this story. However, with any shifter story comes that natural feeling of hesitancy, so I was hoping for the best and expecting the worst. Fortunately, Kat Simons’ Once Upon a Tiger turned out to be a quick, easy and enjoyable read.
The overall story has its issues, from the very short length to some much needed plot-development, but since featuring just the right sort of fun I needed at the moment, I really didn’t care all that much.
This book is a pass-the-time, feel good kind of read that incites all the romance-fanatic feelings. Along with the swoon-worthy forbidden romance aspect, it has admirable main characters (including a sexy, “strong-silent” type hero and a strong, take-sh*t from no one heroine), some hot chemistry that leads to some extra hot lovin’, and a fun plot twist that will leave you with one very sweet ending. The pleasant feelings that this book stirs is a welcome addition, and exactly the sort of feature that I love.
So obviously not the best shifter book out there, and yet definitely not the worst. I’ll admit with much more attention paid to many plot issues, this could have been a higher rated read (for me anyway), but what it does have is more than enough to satisfy.
A fun and decent shifter read.
Updated: August 18, 2014
February 17, 2016
The writing is fine here, but I'm afraid I'm just opposed to most of the plot on principle. We're supposed to respect the heroine because she so strong that she refuses the mating run (which is basically an institutionalized rape of any women in estrus), but that ignores the fact every other female in the society is basically a broodmare who has no right to refuse to have sex when fertile and apparently has to submit to whomever can catcher (again, without the right to refusal). I mean that the whole act is predicated on running away kind of highlights that. And this run was instituted to prevent rapes........um.......she (any she) can't refuse......the main character here faces five men sent to mate with her against her will........who will chase and mate her, even if she tries to refuse......even if she fights against it.....um.........THAT IS RAPE. I suppose we're supposed to assume no other woman wants to refuse. But really am I really supposed to believe that no other woman wants a career or wants to start bearing children as soon as she starts menses? Beyond all that, I didn't feel the characters' chemistry at all. They were supposed to have loved each-other for years, but they avoid each-other, basically almost never spoke. So, what was that love based on? The repeated "I love you" got incredibly redundant, the sex was abortive and formulaic and, if the need for child-bearing woman was so severe, I don't buy she'd have been allowed to avoid mating in the first place, making the events of the book unbelievable to boot.
May 24, 2014
Kat Simons
A rare female tiger shifter who kicks a$$ and takes no names and a yummy, sexy and silent male tiger shifter have a little magical help, whether they want it or not, from their packs Fairy Godmother to fight for their unlawful love!
Alexis Tarasova is a rare female tiger shifter in the Elder State Compound in West Virginia. She is even rarer because she is the only female Elite Enforcer(Tracker)and she trained for 4 hard years with her uncle and became the youngest Tracker ever. Alexis became a Tracker because her whole family was ripped apart by a male's jealously and she will rule her own life with her strength, courage and if needed her fangs and claws! Mo MALE will rule her life and no forced Mating Run for her, ever! She would only let one male catch her, Victor.
Victor Romanov is the Elder's Lead Security Tech at the compound, but shifter call him mentally defective. When he was 4 years old, Victor shift into a tiger in front of humans and they both were almost beating and stabbed to death. His mom killed the humans and she and Victor were placed into confinement, aka shifter jail, and his massive injuries never healed and he lost the ability to talk. Now he lives a lonely and silent life with his mom. He isn't allowed to be part of the Mating Run and that fine with him because he wants only one female and Alexis will never Run!
Alexis is in her Estrous, which means for 3 days she is horny and fertile for any tiger shifter that can catch her, but since she is a Tracker, she has been immune to the Mating Run. She is pissed off when there are 5 shifters outside her home and another one stalking them. One is a fellow Tracker, Nick, tells her that she was basically been canned as a Tracker and they will force her into the Mating Run. The last shifter comes out in tiger form and she knows it yummy, super sexy and silent Victor and she is even hornier now. She tells them to try it because she will kick all their a$$es, so they leave, but stay in the area to wait for a weak moment.
Now we have one horny Alexis alone and in entirely to close to Mr. "I want to rip your clothed off" Victor. They can't and don't keeps their clothes on and get very down and dirty over and over again. When it comes down to the Mating Run, they have to follow the stupid Laws, No Killing and Victor can't, under any circumstances, be part of her Mating Run. What this passionate couple doesn't know is a powerful and "love conquers all" Elder/Fairy Godmother, Elizaveta Chernikova, is working in the background and will send her army of helpers if needed. What's a couple to do when their love is unlawful? Will Victor's love be enough for Alexis to overlook his silence? Can Alexis do the Mating Run to protect Victor? How many tiger shifter a$$es will be kicked, bitten and scratched to death? Will their Godmother be able to protect them both for the Shifter's Law? Will they have kids or a cute litter of purring cubs?
This is my first Kat Simons' book and I can't believe it's her first book ever. Ms. Simon creates a sexy, one of a kind and "people keep your A/C turned on" tiger shifter world. Her hero and heroine were both raised in tragedy and she helps them heal themselves. Lena is my favorite kind of heroine, a strong, determined and also an a$$ kicking one. Let's chat about her hero Victor. I love a scarred and wounded on the inside and out hero and he loves his mom, too. This books also unveils some hard, erotic and passionate sex with energetic positions that kept me turning down my A/C because I forgot to restock my fire extinguishers! Plus there was some fangs, claws and fur flying violence that rocked and made me cheer. The addition of a Fairy Godmother character, Elizaveta, was genius and helped pull the story together. I know Alexis wears ripped jeans with a leather jacket and that Victor has several cool tats and has that "just woke up" sexy look. How do I KNOW all these things? Because Ms. Simons' words built real characters in my mind with her writing skills. She enticed my sense of smell with great lines from Victor and had me wishing I had steal toed boots to back up my girl, Alexis. Ms. Simons MADE me love her tiger shifter cosmos and I can't wait to revisit! I also felt her true love and care for Victor and Alexis as if they were her kids. I give my top score of 5 fingers up and 10 toes for Ms. Simon début novel.
Previewed copy given for my honest review.
October 3, 2014
This book is exactly why I take chances on review copies from new authors!! I now have an awesome new author to add to my stalking, um following lists! If I am very lucky this will also be a new shifter series to impatiently badger the author about the next book.
The characters are terrific, I love a kick butt gal like Alexis. She is tough and sassy, but has a gooey sweet center. And Victor take strong silent type to a whole new level, yummy!! They have a great dynamic and one might wonder why they had not really interacted in the past.
The world is surprisingly well defined and constructed for the short length of the novella. Information is handed out at a great pace and I never felt lost. I can see this as the first book in the series, hint, hint. It is great storytelling and I was eager to read more. I was actually disappointed when it ended, not because of the story, but because the book was over.
Plenty of smexy steam to keep a gal happy!! Seriously, I love me some dirty talk, but silent dominance is sexy too! Who would have thought!!
This is a mixed narrative, my favorite kind!! You get a fuller idea of emotions and though processes when you get both leads POV. It really helps the reader feel more engaged in the romance.
What a terrific start for a newbie, definitely one to watch! Can't wait for the next book and I can only hope it will be a full length!!
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
The characters are terrific, I love a kick butt gal like Alexis. She is tough and sassy, but has a gooey sweet center. And Victor take strong silent type to a whole new level, yummy!! They have a great dynamic and one might wonder why they had not really interacted in the past.
The world is surprisingly well defined and constructed for the short length of the novella. Information is handed out at a great pace and I never felt lost. I can see this as the first book in the series, hint, hint. It is great storytelling and I was eager to read more. I was actually disappointed when it ended, not because of the story, but because the book was over.
Plenty of smexy steam to keep a gal happy!! Seriously, I love me some dirty talk, but silent dominance is sexy too! Who would have thought!!
This is a mixed narrative, my favorite kind!! You get a fuller idea of emotions and though processes when you get both leads POV. It really helps the reader feel more engaged in the romance.
What a terrific start for a newbie, definitely one to watch! Can't wait for the next book and I can only hope it will be a full length!!
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
January 12, 2014
A sweet and hot paranormal romance novella, Once Upon a Tiger, was a lovely read. I really liked this book. It was a wonderful, quick romance that I really enjoyed.
Both of the characters were great. Alexis was tough and very strong. She was determined to live in a way that made her happy and I really liked her. Victor was super sweet and utterly wonderful. Other tigers underestimated him because of his muteness, but that was their mistake because he was strong and clever. I totally adored him.
The romance was great. Alexis and Victor were so sweet together, with how they had both been in love with each other for so long, but had been unable to be together. And the chemistry between them was hot. Definitely a lot of steamy moments between these two shifters.
The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. There were quite a few thrills in store for a novella and that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the story and I thought the ending was so sweet.
Once Upon a Tiger was a fantastic paranormal romance novella. I really liked this wonderful book. Romance lovers, if you want a quick, lovely read, then this is your book.
*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Both of the characters were great. Alexis was tough and very strong. She was determined to live in a way that made her happy and I really liked her. Victor was super sweet and utterly wonderful. Other tigers underestimated him because of his muteness, but that was their mistake because he was strong and clever. I totally adored him.
The romance was great. Alexis and Victor were so sweet together, with how they had both been in love with each other for so long, but had been unable to be together. And the chemistry between them was hot. Definitely a lot of steamy moments between these two shifters.
The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. There were quite a few thrills in store for a novella and that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the story and I thought the ending was so sweet.
Once Upon a Tiger was a fantastic paranormal romance novella. I really liked this wonderful book. Romance lovers, if you want a quick, lovely read, then this is your book.
*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
February 1, 2015
Ooooh. I liked this one. Mute male and strong female. I totally dig the strong, silent type and Victor certainly fit that bill. Add in a woman who stands her ground against overwhelming odds and I'm a very happy reader.
That said, I wasn't too keen on the machinations and maneuverings that put Alexis and Victor in the position they were put in, but... it did force them to face their feelings. Seeing as how those feelings had been simmering for quite a while, I think they needed a kick in the pants to get things moving. I'm just not thrilled by secrets and deception and those were a big component in getting them together.
Still, enjoyable. With TIGERS!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
That said, I wasn't too keen on the machinations and maneuverings that put Alexis and Victor in the position they were put in, but... it did force them to face their feelings. Seeing as how those feelings had been simmering for quite a while, I think they needed a kick in the pants to get things moving. I'm just not thrilled by secrets and deception and those were a big component in getting them together.
Still, enjoyable. With TIGERS!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
June 29, 2021
This one was picked up on a whim and bc I needed a shifter for the Hoe-A-Thon. I was a little bored reading it but it was a short read so I didn’t mind finishing it. I think if I had more time with the characters and world I’d like this more.
September 5, 2022
2.5 Stars.
I like the character dynamics, but the bit of lore we get is pretty messed up.
I like the character dynamics, but the bit of lore we get is pretty messed up.
January 5, 2016
I think this couldve easily been a 4 star book if we had gotten more development in basically all arenas.
Heroine: she was tough stuff and i loved it! She didnt back down from a fight but also didnt rush into them either. She was badass but had a secret romantic side too. The story was too short for me to really love her as a character.
Hero: Strong silent type...because he was literally mute. Again i liked him because although he was strong he didnt play the i am he man hear me roar thing with the heroine but i didnt really get enough to love him. I wouldve liked to see with both characters more development of their past so that rather than just knowing what theyve been through i felt it.
Romance: decent for it being so short. the 2 have always loved each other (though why isnt really clear i mean they didnt really know each other) but were kept apart by stupid rules. When they decide to say screw the rules things started to fly by. I wouldve liked to have seen development in both the past (to find out why they were so hooked on each other) and present (to actually get to know the person they supposedly love) relationship
Sex scenes: decently written but lacked oomph. especially disappointing because i expect something so short to have really steamy sex scenes.
Plot: interesting. Definitely a take on shifters that i havent read before but i have to say i dont quite understand the purpose of the run. It was created to prevent gang rape and the like but why does the female have to run to find a mate when she's choosing who "catches" her. If its her choice anyways why is the run such a big deal...why cant they just choose like normal people and get on with it?
Writing: Apart from the things ive already mentioned and a few glaring word usage errors not too shabby. The world was explained enough to satisfy my bare minimum standard but it wouldve been nice to have more development here to make the world really come alive. I also noticed that though ive never been a fan of 1st person narrative ive been reading it so much lately that 3rd person narrative looks weird now lol.
Bottom line: not a bad way to spend a couple hours but it had so much potential that i felt was largely ruined because the length put a cap on the development that couldve made it truly great.
Heroine: she was tough stuff and i loved it! She didnt back down from a fight but also didnt rush into them either. She was badass but had a secret romantic side too. The story was too short for me to really love her as a character.
Hero: Strong silent type...because he was literally mute. Again i liked him because although he was strong he didnt play the i am he man hear me roar thing with the heroine but i didnt really get enough to love him. I wouldve liked to see with both characters more development of their past so that rather than just knowing what theyve been through i felt it.
Romance: decent for it being so short. the 2 have always loved each other (though why isnt really clear i mean they didnt really know each other) but were kept apart by stupid rules. When they decide to say screw the rules things started to fly by. I wouldve liked to have seen development in both the past (to find out why they were so hooked on each other) and present (to actually get to know the person they supposedly love) relationship
Sex scenes: decently written but lacked oomph. especially disappointing because i expect something so short to have really steamy sex scenes.
Plot: interesting. Definitely a take on shifters that i havent read before but i have to say i dont quite understand the purpose of the run. It was created to prevent gang rape and the like but why does the female have to run to find a mate when she's choosing who "catches" her. If its her choice anyways why is the run such a big deal...why cant they just choose like normal people and get on with it?
Writing: Apart from the things ive already mentioned and a few glaring word usage errors not too shabby. The world was explained enough to satisfy my bare minimum standard but it wouldve been nice to have more development here to make the world really come alive. I also noticed that though ive never been a fan of 1st person narrative ive been reading it so much lately that 3rd person narrative looks weird now lol.
Bottom line: not a bad way to spend a couple hours but it had so much potential that i felt was largely ruined because the length put a cap on the development that couldve made it truly great.
September 2, 2020
3.5 stars
Even though I knew going into this story that this was a shorter format, I just felt like this was too short for me. This felt like a prequel novella to introduce this world to readers, which was fine, but not what I was expecting. I just not a big fan of the novellas in general and since that was the way it came across while reading that kind of deter me a little bit. The big reason was due to the length. It felt very short. It felt rushed at times. There was some development, but not as much as I would have liked. I just needed more to the story than I got. There was just something missing for me in the story that I didn’t feel like it was a complete story.
However it wasn’t a bad story. The reason that I was drawn into this story was due to the back cover with quite a few things jumping out of me that I found very intriguing. The first being that this featured a tiger shifter romance. I thought that was pretty cool. As far as I can remember I don’t think I have ever read a tiger shifter story before especially not when both characters were tiger shifters. Alexis was a pretty powerful tiger shifter, which I thought was pretty cool too. The other thing that drew me from the synopsis was the fact that Victor was mute. That got me excited for so many reasons. I couldn’t wait to see how Victor and Alexis communicated. Also with Victor being mute was seen as being a low man on the totem pole in the world hence causing an issue for them to being together since she was this powerful being. Victor just wasn’t revered in their culture and even stated that he couldn’t be mated with anyone. Yada. Yada. So, that combined with the fact that they were both totally into each other just added to the conflict of why they couldn’t be together like they wanted to be. That was good in the story I thought, and I enjoyed that part of the story.
I did think there was a lack of longing between them after all these years of denying their feelings and needs for one another. There was some, but not as much as I was expecting. I thought it would be a tad more angsty. Yes, there was tension between them as they fought their desires for another, but it didn’t last that long. In fact I thought they got together pretty quickly in the grand scheme of the story, though they did deny themselves for years but in the context of this story it seemed short to me. It was lacking that gut wrenching angst and longing that I was looking forward to, and that was due to the length of the story being short.
The love scenes between them were steamy and hot between Victor and Alexis. After all that built up desire they had for each other finally got released, it was fire. They had what they both had been yearning for years and years. Every touch was scorching. Every kiss was pleasurable. They could bask in the closeness that they had with each other in those moments. It was situation where they could acknowledge that they belonged together and were true mates even despite their world around them said they should be.
I thought the one touching moment in this story was when it was revealed that Alexis learned signed language for him years ago so she could communicate with him. She had spent times practicing in the mirror even though she knew that she couldn’t be with Victor the way she wanted to, she did it anyway just because she wanted that connection with him. I thought it was sweet that she was nervous at first to tell him because she knew that would reveal how in love with him she had been all those years ago. That he was always special to her no matter what everyone else said around her of not being allowed to love him and have her for mate. What was really great was when she finally signed to Victor for the first time, I could tell how truly touched he was that she learned that for him. He realized that he was special to her in a way more than just the physical. I just thought it was adorable when they started signing to each other.
Even though I know this plot line bought them together in the end, I didn’t like the whole she was being forced by her pack to mate with someone else in order to get pregnant so the tiger line could survive. It became a big plot point in the story, which again enabled Alexis and Victor to acknowledge and decide to be mates because they wanted to, and it was a little much at time even after she claimed Victor as her mate. Though it didn’t happen in the book, it gave me some rapey types vibes that I didn’t enjoy. It felt like if didn’t agree to what they called “The mating run” then they were going to take that choice away from her and do it anyway. It just left a bad taste in my mouth honestly. Again nothing like that happened, and she made her choice that Victor would be her mate, but it just came across that way especially in the beginning, and I just didn’t care for it.
The writing was okay, but there were times that all mushed together and made me confused. That was the case when they had a flashback scene were I couldn’t tell right away if the conversation was happening in the past or present. There was no real transition there at first so that took me back a bit. Sometimes that flow was not as flawless as I would have liked it to be. Something was off there.
Overall, I did like the story, and I liked Victor and Alexis as a couple. They had a few cute scenes. They had a couple of touching scenes. Their lovemaking scenes were really hot. I liked that they had feelings for each other for years, but were kept apart due to the rules in the world, making them forbidden among tiger shifters. I liked the whole sign language thing. I liked how they were protective of each other. I thought they were great together. I just wished this was longer in length so there could have been more explored in their relationship. I wanted to see them more as a couple especially since they waited all this time for each other. Though there was tension between them, it didn’t last very long in the context of the story, and I thought they gave in pretty quickly to their needs for each other. Yes, the longing took place years before that when they denied what they had for each other, but I wanted to see that in the body of this story. More angst. More conflict. Just more of that push and pull type of feel to their relationship before giving into their needs for each other. There was also something else missing that made the story felt a little incomplete to me. Again probably due to the shorter format of this story. It just didn’t feel as compelling of a story as I would have liked it to be. I was expecting a little more from this. But I did like they were tiger shifters. I liked how they fought for each other and had each other’s back. I liked Victor and Alexis. I don’t regret reading this. I just wish there was more to it.
Even though I knew going into this story that this was a shorter format, I just felt like this was too short for me. This felt like a prequel novella to introduce this world to readers, which was fine, but not what I was expecting. I just not a big fan of the novellas in general and since that was the way it came across while reading that kind of deter me a little bit. The big reason was due to the length. It felt very short. It felt rushed at times. There was some development, but not as much as I would have liked. I just needed more to the story than I got. There was just something missing for me in the story that I didn’t feel like it was a complete story.
However it wasn’t a bad story. The reason that I was drawn into this story was due to the back cover with quite a few things jumping out of me that I found very intriguing. The first being that this featured a tiger shifter romance. I thought that was pretty cool. As far as I can remember I don’t think I have ever read a tiger shifter story before especially not when both characters were tiger shifters. Alexis was a pretty powerful tiger shifter, which I thought was pretty cool too. The other thing that drew me from the synopsis was the fact that Victor was mute. That got me excited for so many reasons. I couldn’t wait to see how Victor and Alexis communicated. Also with Victor being mute was seen as being a low man on the totem pole in the world hence causing an issue for them to being together since she was this powerful being. Victor just wasn’t revered in their culture and even stated that he couldn’t be mated with anyone. Yada. Yada. So, that combined with the fact that they were both totally into each other just added to the conflict of why they couldn’t be together like they wanted to be. That was good in the story I thought, and I enjoyed that part of the story.
I did think there was a lack of longing between them after all these years of denying their feelings and needs for one another. There was some, but not as much as I was expecting. I thought it would be a tad more angsty. Yes, there was tension between them as they fought their desires for another, but it didn’t last that long. In fact I thought they got together pretty quickly in the grand scheme of the story, though they did deny themselves for years but in the context of this story it seemed short to me. It was lacking that gut wrenching angst and longing that I was looking forward to, and that was due to the length of the story being short.
The love scenes between them were steamy and hot between Victor and Alexis. After all that built up desire they had for each other finally got released, it was fire. They had what they both had been yearning for years and years. Every touch was scorching. Every kiss was pleasurable. They could bask in the closeness that they had with each other in those moments. It was situation where they could acknowledge that they belonged together and were true mates even despite their world around them said they should be.
I thought the one touching moment in this story was when it was revealed that Alexis learned signed language for him years ago so she could communicate with him. She had spent times practicing in the mirror even though she knew that she couldn’t be with Victor the way she wanted to, she did it anyway just because she wanted that connection with him. I thought it was sweet that she was nervous at first to tell him because she knew that would reveal how in love with him she had been all those years ago. That he was always special to her no matter what everyone else said around her of not being allowed to love him and have her for mate. What was really great was when she finally signed to Victor for the first time, I could tell how truly touched he was that she learned that for him. He realized that he was special to her in a way more than just the physical. I just thought it was adorable when they started signing to each other.
Even though I know this plot line bought them together in the end, I didn’t like the whole she was being forced by her pack to mate with someone else in order to get pregnant so the tiger line could survive. It became a big plot point in the story, which again enabled Alexis and Victor to acknowledge and decide to be mates because they wanted to, and it was a little much at time even after she claimed Victor as her mate. Though it didn’t happen in the book, it gave me some rapey types vibes that I didn’t enjoy. It felt like if didn’t agree to what they called “The mating run” then they were going to take that choice away from her and do it anyway. It just left a bad taste in my mouth honestly. Again nothing like that happened, and she made her choice that Victor would be her mate, but it just came across that way especially in the beginning, and I just didn’t care for it.
The writing was okay, but there were times that all mushed together and made me confused. That was the case when they had a flashback scene were I couldn’t tell right away if the conversation was happening in the past or present. There was no real transition there at first so that took me back a bit. Sometimes that flow was not as flawless as I would have liked it to be. Something was off there.
Overall, I did like the story, and I liked Victor and Alexis as a couple. They had a few cute scenes. They had a couple of touching scenes. Their lovemaking scenes were really hot. I liked that they had feelings for each other for years, but were kept apart due to the rules in the world, making them forbidden among tiger shifters. I liked the whole sign language thing. I liked how they were protective of each other. I thought they were great together. I just wished this was longer in length so there could have been more explored in their relationship. I wanted to see them more as a couple especially since they waited all this time for each other. Though there was tension between them, it didn’t last very long in the context of the story, and I thought they gave in pretty quickly to their needs for each other. Yes, the longing took place years before that when they denied what they had for each other, but I wanted to see that in the body of this story. More angst. More conflict. Just more of that push and pull type of feel to their relationship before giving into their needs for each other. There was also something else missing that made the story felt a little incomplete to me. Again probably due to the shorter format of this story. It just didn’t feel as compelling of a story as I would have liked it to be. I was expecting a little more from this. But I did like they were tiger shifters. I liked how they fought for each other and had each other’s back. I liked Victor and Alexis. I don’t regret reading this. I just wish there was more to it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 26, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon U.S. today (10/16/2019)! 🎁
July 17, 2018
This novella has the potential to be a 5 🌟 but it was way under developed.
Ok let's start with the good
Super kick-ass and lovable leads. Alexis is a badass enforcer (the only lady cop in the tiger shifting universes), while Victor is a mute (social reject), possessive strong hero. Mix that all up in a forbidden love arc
Now the bad
Nothing was explained or developed.
Not the characters!
Not their love story! It started with a (i see you at work sometimes) crush fast forward 2 days later lets get married and have babies. Like whuuut???
Not the shifting world! Here im so dang confused. What is the point of this forced run?? They tried to stop gang rape by forcing tigress into sex? Uhmmm... Hello that's still rape people!
Also who are the elders? If they're the all powerful and their word is law then where are the consequences? If not and everything can be gotten away with untested loopholes then why bother??
Ok let's start with the good
Super kick-ass and lovable leads. Alexis is a badass enforcer (the only lady cop in the tiger shifting universes), while Victor is a mute (social reject), possessive strong hero. Mix that all up in a forbidden love arc
Now the bad
Nothing was explained or developed.
Not the characters!
Not their love story! It started with a (i see you at work sometimes) crush fast forward 2 days later lets get married and have babies. Like whuuut???
Not the shifting world! Here im so dang confused. What is the point of this forced run?? They tried to stop gang rape by forcing tigress into sex? Uhmmm... Hello that's still rape people!
Also who are the elders? If they're the all powerful and their word is law then where are the consequences? If not and everything can be gotten away with untested loopholes then why bother??
May 7, 2020
Hot start to a new series
I really liked this book and the heroine who was a take charge kick ass female!! I also liked the male lead and how he was there to help support her and not try to take over!! I'm looking forward to more of the back story and other characters mentioned (really wanted to know if the Elder WAS going to be waiting for them in Vegas!) It would have been good if he told her who his friend was so she wasn't distracted. Nick was a jerk and if he wanted to be with her So bad, he should have spoken to her Before the edict went out instead of trying to coerce and corner her! I'm curious if they have children and wonder if he'll be able to talk in tiger form!! Guess I'll have to wait until I read the next book in the series to see what happens (if it's not a standalone within the series) to them and this ancient couple descendent(s) (who I think may be one of them!)
I really liked this book and the heroine who was a take charge kick ass female!! I also liked the male lead and how he was there to help support her and not try to take over!! I'm looking forward to more of the back story and other characters mentioned (really wanted to know if the Elder WAS going to be waiting for them in Vegas!) It would have been good if he told her who his friend was so she wasn't distracted. Nick was a jerk and if he wanted to be with her So bad, he should have spoken to her Before the edict went out instead of trying to coerce and corner her! I'm curious if they have children and wonder if he'll be able to talk in tiger form!! Guess I'll have to wait until I read the next book in the series to see what happens (if it's not a standalone within the series) to them and this ancient couple descendent(s) (who I think may be one of them!)
June 6, 2021
Once Upon A Tiger
By Kat Simons
I started to give a recap of the story, but realized because it's so short I'd be spoiling a large portion of the story.
Needless to say... I loved Alexis. She was a fantastic strong heroine with an honorable character. I loved Victor just as much. He was also an honorable man and a strong hero. They were perfect together. Their story was a really good one for being short. The ending was a little abrupt. I would've really liked to have seen them
The book was in both Alexis and Victor's POV.
By Kat Simons
I started to give a recap of the story, but realized because it's so short I'd be spoiling a large portion of the story.
Needless to say... I loved Alexis. She was a fantastic strong heroine with an honorable character. I loved Victor just as much. He was also an honorable man and a strong hero. They were perfect together. Their story was a really good one for being short. The ending was a little abrupt. I would've really liked to have seen them
The book was in both Alexis and Victor's POV.
August 3, 2021
2.5 ⭐️
short novella.
Typical for what it is. Pleasant, interesting at times, good writing.
Felt more like a two act play. Inside, and outside the cabin.
Way too much sex for such a short story, Not relevant to the progress, and not interesting enough to make you read regardless.
Ease up on the sex, expand the story some more, and I would read some.
As it stands, would only do so if I could.t find anything else.
short novella.
Typical for what it is. Pleasant, interesting at times, good writing.
Felt more like a two act play. Inside, and outside the cabin.
Way too much sex for such a short story, Not relevant to the progress, and not interesting enough to make you read regardless.
Ease up on the sex, expand the story some more, and I would read some.
As it stands, would only do so if I could.t find anything else.
March 12, 2023
Shades of matchmaking mothers!
Tiger shifter tales don’t come up as often, but they are growing on me. The idea that tigers being endangered would impact shifters is very smart. Shifter lore is complex and differs with the author. Kat Simons has created a big cat shifter world that has strong appeal for me. Victor and Alexis bring healing to one another with their love. I’m so glad for the wise elder/fairy godmother feeling I get from Elizaveta.
Tiger shifter tales don’t come up as often, but they are growing on me. The idea that tigers being endangered would impact shifters is very smart. Shifter lore is complex and differs with the author. Kat Simons has created a big cat shifter world that has strong appeal for me. Victor and Alexis bring healing to one another with their love. I’m so glad for the wise elder/fairy godmother feeling I get from Elizaveta.
January 29, 2024
Is cute
The plot is off screen. It's basically a book of telling the reader what has already happened. There is a single fight scene that is quickly over. It's actually well done with a sense of danger and good pacing. It's a prequel book and more of a novella than an actual book.
The plot is off screen. It's basically a book of telling the reader what has already happened. There is a single fight scene that is quickly over. It's actually well done with a sense of danger and good pacing. It's a prequel book and more of a novella than an actual book.
July 31, 2018
A very enjoyable short read though I am not too keen on the semi-forced mating aspect.
Hopefully the start of a series. I enjoyed the characters and can see more stories being written.
Added on 2018. Just reread this and still enjoyed it but will not be paying the price for the next book.
Hopefully the start of a series. I enjoyed the characters and can see more stories being written.
Added on 2018. Just reread this and still enjoyed it but will not be paying the price for the next book.
November 22, 2020
3 stars
I liked the ideas with this book from a masculine society woman are needed to carry kids and our protagonist is a badass not caving for those standards that piss everyone else off. The representation of ASL, but the story is just too short.
I liked the ideas with this book from a masculine society woman are needed to carry kids and our protagonist is a badass not caving for those standards that piss everyone else off. The representation of ASL, but the story is just too short.
October 25, 2023
Pretty simple
The main storyline revolves around Alexis picking a mate against her will. Mostly just pure sex, so if you are looking for some story, not going to happen. This maybe a background story for more to come, but not my cup of tea.
The main storyline revolves around Alexis picking a mate against her will. Mostly just pure sex, so if you are looking for some story, not going to happen. This maybe a background story for more to come, but not my cup of tea.
December 10, 2025
Tiger shifter
I loved the book about the tiger shifters. I don't think that being human, or shifter that someone makes the decision on who they should be with. The choice should be theirs. The book was really good.
I loved the book about the tiger shifters. I don't think that being human, or shifter that someone makes the decision on who they should be with. The choice should be theirs. The book was really good.
May 13, 2017
A sweet short Story. I will think about reading the other Story too.
Free!
Free!
July 1, 2017
Enjoyable story
Well written and likeable characters. I recently discovered this author, and I'll be buying more. I would recommend.l her to others.
Well written and likeable characters. I recently discovered this author, and I'll be buying more. I would recommend.l her to others.
November 3, 2019
Interesting story, I wish it was longer.
November 12, 2019
Good Story Great Erotica
The story is engaging and the sex scenes are marvelous. Short and sweet works for me. I look forward to more.
The story is engaging and the sex scenes are marvelous. Short and sweet works for me. I look forward to more.
January 10, 2020
3.8 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by this book since it was free
I was pleasantly surprised by this book since it was free
February 9, 2020
Solid 3.5/5
April 3, 2020
Great
It was a great story it was short but I thoroughly
Enjoyed it can't wait to read the next book sounds great
It was a great story it was short but I thoroughly
Enjoyed it can't wait to read the next book sounds great
August 24, 2022
2.5 star book with sign language rep....makes it round up to 3 imo.
November 2, 2023
Good reading
I liked the fact that it leaves you wanting more yet has a win.🤗 plus it leaves you wondering what happens in Vegas.
I liked the fact that it leaves you wanting more yet has a win.🤗 plus it leaves you wondering what happens in Vegas.
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