Taming the Lion

Shifter Wars #3

by Kerry Adrienne

Pack bonds are tested in the Shifter Wars as the lion heir must choose between his legacy and his mate 

For Marco, heir to the lions' throne, seizing control of the Cave of Whispers from the bear clan is more than just a quest—it's fulfilling the legacy of his breed. But the latest crusade has left Marco gravely wounded in enemy territory and in the hands of Alicia, healer for the bears. An irresistibly sensuous adversary, Alicia presents a serious problem. She carries the scent of a mate. 

Drawn to this dominant master of his den, Alicia knows her allegiance has been compromised. His brooding sexuality is testing her defenses, but falling in love with Marco means falling in league with a rival shifter. And turning her back on the bears in a time of war is a lethal move. 

Two breeds united by destiny could inspire a peaceful new future for their opposing clans—or ignite the fiercest battle yet and destroy all of Deep Creek forever. 

 

This book is approximately 75,000 words

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2017

About the author

USA Today bestselling author, repped by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency. Believer in human rights. Love my kids, my cats, and music.

Reviews

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

'TAMING THE LION' by Kerry Adrienne is book Three in the "Shifter Wars".  This is the story of Alicia and Marco.   I have not yet read the previous book but feel this can be a standalone book.

Alicia healer for the Bear shifters.  This book opens to the aftermath of a Bear and Lion fight/ war seen.  Alicia is going off to make sure that all the bears have been treated  and no one was left out injured somewhere.  While looking for hurt bear she runs in to Marco who is a Lion Shifter who is hurt and possibly dying.   Even though she lost a friend to a Lion and that they are their enemy, she knows she has to help him.

Marco knows he is hurt bad and thinks he is dreaming when he see Alicia.  Alicia is very beautiful  but he knows if his family comes looking for him they will kill her.  So he tries to tell her to just let him go but she does not.

This story had the theme of two loves who both sides were enemy but yet they loved each other.

Add to your TBR list:   Goodreads

Purchase at:  Amazon  |  GooglePlay  |  Kobo  |  iTunes  |  B&N

"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."

https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2H...

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...

https://twitter.com/soapsrus68

https://www.facebook.com/RomanceBookR...

http://sissymaereads.blogspot.com/

http://booklikes.com/blog

https://romancebookreviewforyou.wordp...

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/romancebo...

https://plus.google.com/+SissyHicks

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! Ms. Adrienne writes the best shifter novels I've come across in quite some time. Plan on carving out some time to read this because you won't be able to put it down. Alicia is a strong protagonist who doesn't think twice for her own safety when it comes to helping others. She is also a bear shifter who is loyal to her clan. Marco is a sexy lion shifter so he and Alicia are sworn enemies. Theirs is a romance that develops throughout the book as we take this journey with them. I love the forests of Deep Creek and wish I could live there. This is an extraordinary book for paranormal fans, and I hope you will love this series as much as I do.

[Elizabeth Conway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was amazing!!! I had not read any Shifter Novels before picking up this series but I am not sure how any can beat Kerry Adrienne!! The romances are steamy and LOVED following Alicia's and Marco's story!! She finds him wounded after the battle of the bears and the lions and even though they are enemies she tries to heal him and he tries to protect her from his clan!

Marco had a bad rap in the first books in the Shifter War series and I was worried where this book would go with his story but I loved every second of it! Kerry is doing an amazing job continuously weaving new information about Deep Creek and The Cave of Whispers throughout the series but like the past books, I still feel like there needs to be more/better motivation behind the shifter rivalries...This was the only reason I took off half a star in my rating!

I could not put this story down! I loved seeing characters from the previous books and how they all worked with one another. This new love story I was worried I couldn't jump on the bandwagon but Kerry had me drawn in from the very beginning!

Fantastic story!! I hope this isn't the end of stories from Deep Creek! I would read every single one!

[ErinMickC · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the first two books of this series, Marco is the villain. Going into Taming the Lion I was sure he’d be unredeemable. I was wrong, Kerry Adrienne did a great job at making me want to like Marco. She wrote him at his absolute lowest point, hurt and dying, and then put Alicia straight on this path. He was so desperate that I couldn’t help wanting to see him get better in order to see how he’d save the entire shifter population of Deep Creek.

Although it was hard to not root for Alicia and Marco, Taming the Lion, overall, didn’t float my boat. The world building left much to be desired and although I learned more about Deep Creek and the Cave of Whispers than I had known previously, the new information wasn’t threaded together with the story and past books super well. The whole result felt disjointed and pokey.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Taming the Lion - Shifter Wars Book 3
Author: Kerry Adrienne
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 8-14-2017
Pages: 352
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sub-Genre: Witches & Wizards, Werewolves & Shifters, Lions
ISBN: 9781460397510
ASIN: B01LLPI3VO
Reviewed For NetGalley and Carina Press
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4.5 Stars


Pack bonds are tested in the Shifter Wars as the lion heir must choose between his legacy and his mate

For Marco, heir to the lions' throne, seizing control of the Cave of Whispers from the bear clan is more than just a quest—it's fulfilling the legacy of his breed. But the latest crusade has left Marco gravely wounded in enemy territory and in the hands of Alicia, healer for the bears. An irresistibly sensuous adversary, Alicia presents a serious problem. She carries the scent of a mate.

Drawn to this dominant master of his den, Alicia knows her allegiance has been compromised. His brooding sexuality is testing her defenses, but falling in love with Marco means falling in league with a rival shifter. And turning her back on the bears in a time of war is a lethal move.

Two breeds united by destiny could inspire a peaceful new future for their opposing clans—or ignite the fiercest battle yet and destroy all of Deep Creek forever.


After the first two books I was predisposed to despise all the lion shifters, believing they were greedy, narrow minded and bloodthirsty idiots. That the deserved their annihilation. I believed there was no way to show any of them as redeemable in such a way that was believable. Then Kerry Adrienne proved me wrong.


Marco turned out to have honor and true courage. Alicia sowed her compassion and strength of character when she defies her own den and saves Marco and give him a will to live again. It was also good to see some of the old characters and see how they are fairing. As always the author used humor to light the mood and keep the book from being too dark.


I adore this series, the characters and talented writing of Kerry Adrienne, a master story teller.


My rating of "Taming the Lion - Shifter Wars Book 3" is 4.5 out of 5 stars.


Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LLPI3V0/...

B&N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tami...

Books-A-Million Link: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Taming...

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

Indigo Link: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...

GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Kobo Link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tami...

The Reading Room Link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...

Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/DelAnne531/status...

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taming the Lion is the third book in the Shifter Wars series. I haven't read the previous books, and while I felt this works ok as a standalone, I did feel like I was missing some of what was going on from not having read the other books.

This book picks up after the bear clan was attacked by the lions. Bear healer Alicia goes out to check the surrounding lands to see if there were any injured bear shifters. Instead she finds Marco, heir to the lion throne, gravely injured. She feels she has no choice but to take him back to the cave to heal him, only she has to hide him from the other bears. Marco is left wondering why his family hasn't come for him, but, despite the pain he's in, he's enjoying the time he gets to spend with Alicia.

Despite not really knowing why the whole battle between the bears and lions took place, I enjoyed the story. I found the characters to be well-written and engaging. I did have an issue with the way Marco's twin, Mason was described. At one point he seems to be floundering and not really knowing how to step into the leadership role with Marco missing, and he even admits Marco is more of a leader and would know what to do to rally the lions. But later on when Alicia first meets Mason, it's mentioned that she noticed he "was surrounded by a strong aura of power", which made him come across differently than we had seen him up until that point.

It's mentioned that something is going to come up and that Marco, Mason, and Alicia are going to play a part in it, yet it wasn't resolved by the end of the book. I'm usually not a big fan of books leaving things unresolved, but in this case I feel it works well to set up the next the book.

Overall I enjoyed the story. I liked the characters and storyline, but I do wish I had read the other books so I had a little more background information on all the groups mentioned in the book.

**Received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Ginny Lurcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is the third book in the series, it's the first one I picked up. It was easy to catch the thread of things, though. A battle had just happened where the lions attacked the bears to reclaim the magical land that the bears were inhabiting. Marco was previously an asshole in the universe, so I'm actually kind of glad that I didn't have that hanging over my head.

It was actually pretty entertaining story. Fast paced. Lots of conflict and things to overcome as our bear shifter female Alicia is drawn to and tries to heal the wounded lion shifter, Marco. Complications arise, people find out, there was guilt and drama and I was kept flipping the pages at such a fast pace that the book was over before I realized it.

Before the over arcing plot felt like there was any time to resolve, either. I don't know if that happened in the previous books, where they resolved the romance and then went "we'll wrap up the shifter war in the next one" but I'm a bit miffed. I love stories that are part of a larger arc, I just need them each to have their own beginning, middle, and end. Each story must be whole in order to construct a larger story, or it just doesn't work.

Also, I don't love the way they just toss around the word love so quickly. They were obviously fond of each other from the start, and they acknowledged each other as mates once it was pointed out to them by their spiritual guides and/or grandmothers... but love is a big deal. I wish they had waited until there was some kind of strife to have a "fuck, I love them" epiphany and not "I want to fuck you because you're my mate so obviously I love you" moment.

Finally, Mason is a misogynistic asshole and I could've done without his POV scenes setting up for the next installment in the series. Because he's an asshole. And I really want to punch him in his asshole face.

[Sarah McDerment · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars.

Taming the Lion is book 3 of this Shifter Wars series. I read this book as a standalone and managed to grasp the story easily, so this book does not need to be read in order.

The premise of this book intrigued me, I love forbidden romance so when I saw this one I thought it sounded right up my street. I did enjoy it, the story kept me entertained enough to read it the whole way through but there was a couple things that bothered me about it.

Kerry Adrienne has such a descriptive way of writing, which I really enjoy but what annoys me about it at the same time is all interactions and lead up information is far too dragged out. This means that you get a long,beautifully written book, but not a lot happening. I found myself skimming sometime through conversations that weren't between Marco and Alicia. I did not like Mason's parts in the book at all, I found it pointless and his character really started to grate on my nerves.

Marco and Alicia's parts in the book were wonderful. It the only parts in the book I felt truly engaged in the story. Both characters were really interesting and although you didn't really get to see their relationship develop because it went from 0-100 real quick, I thought that their interactions were entertaining and cute.

So, if you like books that are mainly conversations and nothing else this one might be the book for you!

Reviewed by Sarah from Alpha Book Club

[Lynn Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I start to read this tale, I can almost hear the characters talking in my head. It’s like a movie with sound but no picture. But it does leave me wishing there were pictures. I found it interesting how I’m reading a book where people are dealing with unrest when we are, in a way, going through the same thing.

Alicia is trying to do her job but you can almost feel the tension she’s letting off. Marco shows how stubborn the other side can be but we just have to be patient while their “walls” crumble and learn that it’s not all about war. This story is a lesson of helping each other no matter what we look like. We need to learn not to discriminate. It was fascinating to watch interest grow between two people that couldn’t be more different. They are told that you don’t mix with the other side but when it comes to love it looks into the heart. And at least in the fictional world, love wins out.

The story left me glad that I read it. There didn’t appear to be a cliffhanger to carry on to the next story. But it left me wanting to know more about this war that they all seem to be caught up in. Marco has a brother Mason and at times you see a peek of his story here. Knowing that the next book gives me look at Mason has solidified the fact that I need to read Claiming His Lioness.

I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced woodland shifter romance! Get in the book and hold onto something... Wow! If you love fast-paced shifter romance, natural health, learning from your elders and follow the quest for world peace, you're gonna love Taming the Lion. This is definitely the Maserati of the three books thus far - and so's the sexy feline hero. The world, situations, and characters are so developed at this stage, Kerry Adrienne breaks free with faster pacing, more excitement, amazing plot twists and situational finesse worthy of a Monaco Grand Prix Formula One race. With the bloody battle of lions versus bears over, curvy redheaded bear medic Alicia checks for wounded bears along the path to the creek as darkness draws near on Summer Solstice. Midsummer's Eve has been a very long day, to say the least. She finds no bears, but a critically wounded very dark and luscious lion male - her mortal enemy - nearly breathing his last. Think Draco Malfoy's dad, only infinitely hotter, and a sleek black mountain lion shifter rather than a vampire. Seriously, just look at the cover!

Healing him would betray her bear clan, and their tremendous losses on the battlefield that very day, but not healing him would betray her grandmother. Further complicating matters is his identity. Their fate and that of the entire Deep Creek shifter community rests on Alicia's choice. After finishing Book Two, I couldn't even wait for nightfall to crack this one - finished out of breath the same day!

[Katherine Yearwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The shifter wars have come and gone. There were losses on both sides. Now it’s time for Alicia to do what she was meant to do. That of saving the wound. But, on her last outing, she came across her destiny.
Marco heir to the lions’ throne, was severally wounded and in the enemy territory. Expecting to die, until one bear shifter refused to let him do so.
Taming the Lion was everything I was expecting. The romance between Marco and Alicia developed throughout the story, so when they finally got together it felt believable. But, you know what happens when two different being from two different worlds trying to obtain happiness. There is always someone on the opposite side trying to destroy said happiness. Well in Marco and Alicia case their happiness may cause a bigger war than what just occurred.
Taming the Lion was fast paced with good chemistry between the two main characters. This is a great book for any paranormal fan.

[Angela Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Although this is only the second Kerry Adrienne book I've read, it didn't take me long to fall back in love with with Deep Creek all over again.

This time Alicia is the focus. Healing bears from the latest battle with the lions. Never could she imagine she would come across such pain as she felt from Marco. Never would she imagine she would help, not only a lion, but heir to the throne.

In the amount of time afforded in the novella, Adrienne takes us on a wild ride as only she can of magic, miracles and sexual awakening. I could almost see it happening in some of the wooded hills in Michigan.

What will happen to Alicia when the Bears find out she is helping a Lion? What will the Lions do when they discover who has their leader? How will the two factions reconcile or will they? So many questions and all answered when each member trusts the Godddess and their hearts.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved! Ok, so before you read this book you must read the prior two. Not really a stand alone. This book takes place right after the battle for the Cave of Whispers. By this point in time I really really dislike Marco, but Alicia is a healer and must help him. When she finds him, he has been shot and is critical. She is drawn to him, and like any wounded animal Marco is a complete a$$ towards her.
I loved the interaction between these two and how Alicia gave attitude right back to Marco. I love what happens when they both truly realise that they are mates and how that changes everything for them.
At the end I was left cursing. Not because there is a cliffhanger but the fact that something is coming and it left me wanting more. I can not wait for the next book!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Nikki Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alicia may be a bear shifter but her healer status trumps species and when she finds Marco suffering from horrific injuries, her Healer duties take priority and she hides him away to let him heal.

Marco can't believe that the little bear shifter is healing him. if her clan finds out she will be toast, especially as he is next in line to lead the Lions! They are both drawn to each other but this is Romeo and Juliet on steroids with claws! It's going to take otherworldly intervention from Shoshannah and others to get these two to their HEA!

Marco was not the easiest to love, I'll admit but he did grow on me. Alicia has a mighty heart but even she was taken aback when she learns that she is Marco's mate. I can't wait to see what happens when its Marco's brothers turn in the spotlight!!!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the series for me and I have to say I'm in love. Taming the lion is about Marco and Alicia and how eachnof their clan/prides and recovering from the aftermath of the lion attack on the bears for the Cave of Whispers.

Alicia is a healer and she will help anyone including the wounded lion she's found. Marco is now heir to the pride and getting wounded wasn't high on his list to do today but when the angel breaks through to his hiding spot he will have his whole life changed.

There's a lot going but not a whole lot of connection between the two. You can feel the attraction but honestly where is the time for them to go from sworn enemies to I love yous? It felt a little rushed there and i feel we couild have done with a little less of Masons POV but otherwise the story was good.

[Cindy Fong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love does not discriminate.

Alicia is a bear healer. Marco is a lion leader. When fate brings them together, they must first accept what they are to each other in order to save the shifter of Deep Creek Alicia finds Marco injured after the battle between the bears and lions. Her code as healer did not allow her to leave another species to die and there was something about this particular lion that drew her to him. Risking everything, Alicia is compelled to help save the life of the Sen Pal heir even if the bears don’t agree. Will Alicia’s sacrifices help save the fate of all the shifters?

I enjoyed reading the story of Alicia and Marco. The flow made the story captivating and an easy quick read. I can’t wait to see what happens to all of the shifters of Deep Creek.

[Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely incredible I could not put it down and read it from beginning to end..
The lion and bear rivalry comes to a head when the lions attack the bears.. So many lives lost but from tragedy can come awakening and new beginnings and hope for a new future for the shifters of Deep Creek if the can survive the threat that is coming.. Marco is injured badly during the attacks and Alicia finds him and her healers heart knows she needs to help her enemy but will she be able to save him and not betray her clan.. The healers call is almost as strong as the call of Mates is it possible for a bear and a lion to be true mates... Life in Deep Creek is about to get a whole lot crazier....

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author knows how to satisfy my craving for paranormal with this series doing the job just fine. When things go to the left field you will be not going anywhere for a minute. Especially when we get to follow the tantalizing Marco and see how Alicia treats him. Your shown that even those that would be most unlikely to mesh actually can because the matters of the heart rule. the heat that sears in this one could also scorch anything not right. She will also draw several chuckles from ya thanks to the banter between the two. Thrilling world with turmoil afoot but still time for love.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright. I finished it and really did like the concept. I have not read all the other's in this series but think this book is fine as a standalone. However, it would probably be better to read the first two books in the series.

The world building in this book didn't give me as much as I expected and parts of it just fell flat for me. I thought it was ok and not disappointed I read it but definitely not one I would reread. Considering whether to try the other stories.

I received an ebook ARC through NetGalley.

[Dmcl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The attack on the Cave of Whispers has taken a tremendous toll, and mountain lion Marco is near fatally wounded. Bear Healer and trained medic Alicia finds him and is compelled to obey her oath and help him. What follows is an excellent story that takes us deeper into the Deep River world and puts Marco and Alicia along with his twin Mason firmly in the middle of a greater threat to the entire shifter community - lions, bears and wolves. Will they be able to unite the Shifters against this common enemy that threatens to destroy their world? Read on to find out. Highly recommended

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Well written and continuing the story of Deep Creek Nation Park, it is a fight from the beginning not just between shifters but to accept someone as they are and not what you think is acceptable, loved the meaning that I got from this book but then everyone always gets a different lesson from each book they read. Instead of reading this book is so well written that the words form pictures in your head till you feel like your part of the book and watching it happen

[Vickie Chaisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taming The Lion

Taming the Lion by Kerry Adrienne is truly about how two cultures can be so different and yet so alike. The bears have been fighting the lions for so long and out of that fighting Alicia finds Marco. As Alicia heals Marco he begins to realize thst the bears are not that much different from his own clan and that famiky and love is the most important. Adrienne writes with such strength and character that you cannot put these books down.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the bad guy needs a 2nd, 3rd, or 50th chance. I do love when bad guys turn good. Kerry Adrienne did a fab job turning someone nonredeemable into someone who is. Sometimes when you hit rock bottom the only way to go is up and thats what happened with Marco. Alicia being a healer when she stumbled onto Marco...its just not in her to walk away from someone so injured. This was just going from the get go and I enjoyed it more than book 2 which was a little slow for me. Good job!

[Nikki Bao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marco didn't think his life would end up this way. Gravely injured in bear territory. Suddenly an angel with red hair appears. Unfortunately, she's a bear. Alicia is unsure what to do with the lion she found. She hates them but was taught that all life is precious. How are two enemy shifters supposed to deal with the fact that they are mates?

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marco was the bad guy in the first two books and this is his book. I wasn't sure if he could be redeemed but I loved his book. The war has happened and now there are wounded and casualties on both sides. Alicia is a healer for the bears but she may be over her head with this alpha lion. Loved this book and hope there are more to come!!!

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taming the Lion

This has been my favorite one so far from the series! I loved the danger and risk in this one. I’ve always been a fan of enemies to lovers trope. I liked the characters but would’ve loved to learn more about them. Overall though I enjoyed the story and like where things are headed for the series.

[Stacy Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love really does conquer all

Another great book. Can the bears and lions really work as one after all that has happened ?
Will Mason ever experience the visions Marco did?
I can't wait to read the next book to find out what they will be fighting.

Alicia risks everything to save a lion, the enemy.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alicia was the bears healer and after the attack she was searching for injured bears. Going off on her own was not the smartest thing but she ran across Marco a lion while out. He had been shot while trying to attack the bears. Now the hard decisions how to get him healed and where to take him the hardest decisions are yet to come. I love this series

[Lori Hammons · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's devastating to both sides when the lions attack the bears. Alicia and Marco's love develops out of the battle as she gives up something precious to save his life. The writing of this author continues to keep me enthralled and I can't put her books down till they are done!

[Ronald Andrzejewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and I love the way the series is taking shape. The main characters are well thought out and never a disappointed character. Easy read.