Pet Rescue Panther

Bodyguard Shifters #2

by Lauren Esker

What's hotter than a sexy man holding an adorable kitten?
A sexy, protective panther shifter cop holding five adorable kittens!

Curvy cat-rescue volunteer Tessa Davelos can't fix her wounded soul, so she's out to save the world instead, one kitten at a time. But when her tragic past comes back to haunt her in the form of an unstoppable dragon assassin, a drop-dead gorgeous cop cruises through the door of the cat shelter and into her broken heart ...

Ben Keegan knows his panther can't fight a dragon and survive. But he doesn't care, not with Tessa in harm's way. She's his mate, whether she'll believe it or not, and any dragon that wants to hurt her is going to have to go through Ben first.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Dragons, Contemporary

194 pages, ebook

First published February 4, 2018

About the author

Lauren Esker writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance that’s just a little off the beaten path. Which isn’t surprising since she’s a lifelong Alaskan who is a little off the beaten path herself! (Literally and figuratively.) She also writes graphic novels and scifi/fantasy as Layla Lawlor, and m/m romance as Layla M. Wier.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surely she must feel what he was feeling, or something like it: the tug in his chest every time he looked at her, as if a fishhook had been set behind his breastbone and was pulling him steadily, inexorably toward her.

4.5 stars!

Now this is a perfect example of what I love in a shifter novella: a protective hero who would sacrifice everything for his mate, a strong but vulnerable heroine in danger, a bad buy who refuses to give up, and surprises to keep you reading. Ben was a bit of a cinnamon roll hero, but I loved watching him with Tessa and her kittens. Another great story by Zoe Chant, and I can't wait to continue this series♡

Tropes: fated mates, heroine in danger, unknown past, protective hero

[Ivy Deluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is a book that has shifters and kittens and dragons, all mixed in with a dash of love on the run?



A surprisingly fun shifter romance.

Now, I haven't tried Zoe Chant's books, really, but I'm always willing to give an author a shot (especially on KU), so I picked up this series. The world that was established in the first book in the series expands and the story is just stronger, as are the characters. I loved that we have a prickly, strong heroine in Tessa and a heroic, but not invincible shifter in Ben. He's still big and strong, but he's not inhuman proportions. Tessa is still vulnerable, but she can and has taken care of herself.

Did I mention kittens?


I mean, picture this - panther shifter hero covered in kittens. Yes, it got points just for that bit of adorableness.

There's even a bit of a twist at the end that I thought was clever and gave the story a bit more oomph. It's still not particularly deep, and the love still pretty insta, but it's not a bad read. It's my favorite of the series so far. If you love shifter romances and you want to try out this series, I would pick this book.

[Andria Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun bear shifter romance! 4 ⭐!;

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked what we saw of Keegan in the last book, so with him front and center in this one it was all good. I really didn't expect his family to be mixed of shifters the way it was, nor did I expect to see how he wasn't all that welcomed in the family. It really made me feel bad for him and I liked that Keegan kept flipping his dad shit, he deserved it.

Tessa was interesting. She really just rolled with the punches, nothing phased her, not learning about shifters, not learned about why someone wanted to kill her. She did her best to stand up to all the "mean men", knocking them off their stride, something they deserved.

I liked how this one ended, liked that Tessa and Keegan are living their lives happy and that Tessa was able to learn more about her family.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 stars.

I almost always enjoy this author's (Lauren Esker) books. She does Insta love/fated mates really well.

This was a fun story and I love that Tessa gets some agency. She's not just some weak woman that needs to be rescued.

No relationship drama. They just go from strangers to lovers in two seconds flat but it worked.

We don't hear about either's romantic past and it was a fun adventure.

The kittens were fun side characters.

Safety deets
- no OW/OM
- no discussion of diseases or birth control
- one explicit sex scene
- we get to see them together but not long in the future

[Ann Hupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to Bearista (Bodyguard Shifters Book 1 which was a 3.5 star to me), Pet Rescue Panther was definitely better and more entertaining. It was almost 200 pages long (my preferred length is 200 pages or more) which only proves my theory that you need a decent amount of pages to squeeze in a decent storyline. Compared to Bearista, Pet Rescue Panther definitely had more satisfying action/adventure with better world-building.

Tessa, who had been orphaned by her parents when they died in a car accident when she was a small child, is now working at a cat rescue. Her best friend, Melody, is a dragon, unbeknownst to Tessa. Melody's brother is Ben Keegan, the lieutenant and friend to Derek first seen in Bearista. *Whew* Now that's out of the way... Tessa has been marked for death by dragon assassins, and she has no clue there are such thing as shifters, let along dragon shifters. Ben, a panther-dragon hybrid shifter (but panther-dominant), discovers his fated mate in Tessa and vows to protect her from the assassin that has been sent by a rival dragon clan of his father's. So you can see a certain level of sophistication in this story. This, I appreciated, as it enhanced the world-building of this series far better than Book 1. (I probably should had given Book 1 a 3 star rather than a 4 star as I round up a 3.5 star...)

Anyway, I was very sympathetic to both Ben and Tessa as well as five feral kitties who were all ga-ga over Ben. (Must be his panther musk, wouldn't you say?) They were believable with decent character development. Not too much angst going on. Not too much head-talking. Just a nice balance.

I will say that Ms. Chant needs to do a little better research about the physics of moving a motorcycle via vehicular nudging does NOT work. More than likely, Tess would have run over the motorcycle rather than pushed it across the lawn into the creek. Not buying it. She needs to try that maneuver herself to realize the futility of that activity. If she wanted to, she should have just ran over that motorcycle several times. That would have done the damage wanted as well as enraged a dragon who was possessive of his ride. Just not buying what she wrote. No believability.

However, I am more inclined to chance my reading time on Book 3 now. I definitely enjoyed Book 2 better than Book 1, and now I see there are six books in this series. Well, let's see what happens next.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!
***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!! Yes, I received a review copy of this book, but no one tells me what to think, feel, or write about any book! I bought this book because I collect all of Zoe’s books when I can!

The cover is amazing! Those eyes are very intense!

This is the 2nd book in the series, and it is not necessary to read in order though who can pass up any book by Zoe!! This is for adults only due to the steamy content.

Tessa is a cat girl after my own heart! I love her animal magnetism. She is pretty fierce. Ben is amazing and love how he helps Tessa with the kittens. He is fierce in protecting her even when she was leery to believe she needed it. As always Zoe has brought us an action packed story filled with danger and mystery mixed with purring delights!

I highly recommend to any shifter lovers who love Zoe’s HEAs that have plenty of action and romance! Always the perfect mixture of everything to me!! Can’t wait to read her next book!

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growl!

I just loved this series. Insight into Ben's family is so intriguing... Dragons! Family relationships are never easy, but made for a fascinating story.

[Bronwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC copy with no obligation to leave my honest review.
I really enjoyed the 2nd book in this series which focused on Ben and Tessa. I felt that their romance was definitely slow to warm up but it was a nice change from the insta-love.
Ben was gorgeous and so full of courage taking on a Dragon to save his mate!! Tessa was an ok character and I liked her and Ben together.
I found this one wasn't as predictable as some of this authors previous books have been and I really enjoyed that, bit of a twist near the end that I didn't see coming, yay!!
The kittens seemed to bring a cute amount of humour to the story that I enjoyed, and I'm not even a cat person, love how they responded to Ben also, super cute!
Lots of great secondary characters that I want to spend more time with and I wonder who will be featured next, even the bodyguard or "henchman" and the assassin, Reive, was interesting.
Overall a fabulous addition to the series.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/22/2021)! 🎁

[madythegibbon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was real bad
DNF 65%
The dialogue was so bad it made me cringe

[Feyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Zoe Chant's writing style! And her Shifter lore even more so I'm glad to finally get back to them. These books are not usually my kind of poison but damn, they're so addictive.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book based on the 5 star reviews, not a fan of insta love and the heroine is risking her life to save some damn kittens...... Ummmm no!!!

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed at Shifter Haven

I had such fun with Pet Rescue Panther. Just imagining a huge panther shifter covered in kittens is a scene to melt anyone’s heart. *grin*

Tess is a loner. She was orphaned at a young age when her parents were killed in a car accident and spent most of her youth in foster care. She doesn’t trust easily for she’s never had a place to stay, where she was wanted – she’s used to traveling light and not making attachments. Recently a lawyer had tracked her down to deliver a package from her parents that was in safe keeping at his office. Among the items in the box was a dazzling necklace that Tessa never takes off. It was shortly after receiving the package that she first saw the strange squiggling symbols on the door frame of her apartment and now at the cat rescue where she works. She believes them to be gang symbols and pays then no attention – her best friend, Melody knows differently.

Ben is a panther shifter and a police officer recently working undercover. He is the son of a powerful dragon and has spent his life trying to deal with the fact that because he followed his mother’s shifter genes and is not a dragon himself that he is less than worthy in his father’s eyes. It is a losing battle and he’s simply accepted the fact that he and his father will always be at odds. His sister Melody is a dragon shifter yet is a very meek and quiet woman who tries her best to blend in and not question their father very much. When his father asks him to protect a friend of Melody’s Ben is confused not only by the request but by the honor code that his father lives by. While he will tell Ben that Tessa is in danger, he is honor bound to not interfere in what will happen to her. Totally frustrated Ben will head out to the cat shelter where Tessa works to discover that this lovely lady who has an attitude as sharp as kitten claws not only refuses to believe him… but that she is his mate. Life just got complicated.

What follows is a delightful tale of dragon assassins, mad dashes to safety, a dragon with a major attitude and lots and lots of adorable kittens. Oh, in case you ever wondered, kittens love panther shifters – dragons not so much, the claws come out around them. Pet Rescue Panther will give you more than a few chuckles, a sexy couple, danger and an unexpected twist. I love when shifter lore is added to by any author and this twist is definitely unique. I’ll be frank and tell you that I love all of Zoe Chant’s stories – but this one will hold a special place in this reading heart of mine. Simply loved Ben and Tessa.

I’d not hesitate to recommend Pet Rescue Panther to any Paranormal Romance or Shifter Romance reader who loves a solid story, plot twists and turns, catching up with characters from earlier in the series and trying to figure out who will have their tale told next.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

[Michelle Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Likable

This was of a Panther sifter, guy who at the time was a small town cop, a half brother to this girl's, best friend's brother and now the bodyguard to this girl who had worked at the Cat Rescue.
Well Panther Shifter becomes her bodyguard because she actually had a necklace, that her dead parents had put it a Safety Deposit Box and she just recieved from their lawyer two weeks ago. So then she started to wear it, the necklace all the time.
Because of her doing this, the people who said that her parents somehow had stolen it from their horde or the special collection of these not so good people. It was these people that put a young rough collector on to the job of killing the workers mother.
Unknown to these people her mother and father had died in a bad accident, that killed them. But the bad people didn't know this. So when the daughter had started wearing the necklace. It in a way let these people know that she has it and wearing it. The only thing is that they didn't know about the Cat Rescue girl having it. They thought that her mother was still alive with the necklace.
So the cop who was a Panther shifter was keeping her safe. They both became closer during their so called togetherness. The girl had to leave the Cat Rescue place at one night, cop had sai d. She was so concerned about the baby kittens being left and not knowing when there was someone else was going to come into Rescue to work. For the place was mainly run by volunteers. They had just gone through not being able to find some full time volunteers, other than this girl that the cop was having to bodyguard.
The bad people could Shift to some more Dragons. The cop could shift to a Panther. The girl couldn't shift at all because she was Human. And she being around all these Shifters, that she didn't know about in the very beginning of her getting the tattoo, but she now knows about all the people. At the time she hadn't known about the bad could shift.
Later on in the story she was able to talk to the head leader of the so-called bad people. She then find out that her parents were murdered by the dead brother of the bad people. Who was trying to kill her mother, but then found out that her parents were dead and she was willing to give back the necklace with hard feelings, but did.
So the ex-cop had been trying to protect the girl but in the some what end of the story the girl was able to get in touch with the head leader of the clan, group and get the killer to stop at time, his killing the ex-cop, her now fated mate. So the killer was called back to group with the clan, ending up turning into a some what nice person-shifter.

[Tonya Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Blood

After Tesse received a necklace from a lawyer that belonged to her deceased parents, things turn upside down.
Unknowingly, the necklace belonged to a drangon. Dragons are greedy with their horde so Tess's life is in danger.
Ben a mix blood of panther and dragon is on the case to protect Tesse.
As Tesse and Ben run to keep Tesse alive, pieces come together.
Ben takes Tesse to his father, who is the King of his clan. A very big dragon and very angry.
Honor is the code for dragons. Ben's dad stands by the honor. So when Tesse and Ben learn that another dragon is angry and wanting his necklace and is the one wanting Tesse dead things get twisted.
Ben fears his panther shifting ability will not save Tesse. His now known to be mate.
Ben's sister who is a pure blood dragon steps in to help. Her honor is family not the protection of dragons. So together Tesse and Ben's sister contact the other King and get to the bottom of things. Finding lies and betrayal is what got Tess's parents killed in the first place, Tesse is able to stop the assassin that Ben is fighting and safe the day.
At the end of the day , family bonds connect and Tesse finds she finally isn't alone anymore.

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danger, love, and kittens

Setting: Unnamed city + rural
Ben Keegan (a police lieutenant introduced in the previous novel of this series) is a panther shifter. His father, a dragon shifter, asks him to provide protection to Ben’s half-sister’s best friend Tessa. Melody, a dragon shifter, can’t get involved due to “honor” - the Keegan dragon clan can’t interfere with another clan’s vendettas. Tessa has been marked for death for some unknown reason, so Ben goes to the pet rescue where Tessa works to convince her that she’s in danger, then drags her off to his cabin in the woods. What follows is disbelief, danger, and love. And kittens!
The characters are well developed, the plot interesting, and the dialogue is witty. There is more than once instance of kitten-interaction humor, which offers some contrast to the tension in the plot. There is also a lot of sex, though it isn’t terribly raunchy and while it doesn’t necessarily further the plot (yeah, it’s gratuitous), it doesn’t interfere either.
Overall, this is a good entry in this series.

[Darla Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tessa Davelos lost her parents when she was young and grew up in the foster care system. She's used to everyone leaving so volunteers at a cat rescue saving cats one at a time. Panther shifter, Ben Keegan's, father who's a dragon comes to him and asks him to protect this girl who's Ben's sister's (also a dragon) friend. It seems something from Tessa's past has emerged and she now has a dragon assassin after her. Ben sees Tessa and knows she's his mate while Tessa is attracted to him from the start especially since the kittens who are wary of people can't seem to get enough of him.

This was a wonderful book with characters you can't help but love. Well-written, it pulled me into the story from the beginning and holding my interest throughout. There's nothing like a man who loves cats and a strong woman who insists on being a partner to her man.

[Susan Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about a panther shifter find his mate

Ben Keegan is a cop who is a Panther shifter and son of a gangster/billionaire Dragon shifter. His father tells him that is certain human has been Dragon Mark. This have to do with dragon honor.

Tessa is a human in charge of a cat rescue shelter and marked for death by dragons. She doesn't believe it. Her best friend is Ben's sister, Melody and is a dragon shifter. Will Ben and Tessa find love and a forever after?

This is a part of a series different shifters. The characters are unique, funny, and relatable. The plot is fast-paced with twists and turns drama. I especially like that they escape their dragon assassin taking their carrier of kittens with them. This is so funny of a plot and enjoyable reading.

Highly recommended.

bookwormsuzy

[Holly Fincher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dragon's Hoard...

Tessa is a lonely woman who works at a cat rescue. Her best friend, Melody, works across the street. When Melody tells Tessa she is in danger she doesn't really believe her. Ben is a lieutenant and a panther shifter. After being visited by his father Ben goes to the rescue to meet with Tessa and to protect her. Ben realizes that Tessa is his mate and decides to take her to his cabin to hide her until they could figure out why there was a dragon assassin after her. Ben ends up taking Tessa to his fathers home. There they find out that Tessa is a very important part of a dragons hoard. Once it was figured out, Tessa calls the dragon who put the hit out on her. Ben survived fighting with the dragon shifter assassin and he and Tessa moved out of the city to the mountains.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bodyguard mate to the rescue

One thing I like about Zoe's books is that the shifter characteristics are not always the same. For example, the dragons in this book, were able to make the 'heart of their horde' part of a human. I haven't seen that before, and it certainly created a few headaches for Ben, Tessa, Melody and Darius. At least Tessa and Melody were able to solve the problem without all of the fighting. (I wish life could be more like that.) Oh, the kittens were absolutely hilarious. I loved how they lived in Ben and how his panther loved them as well. I am now wondering what the gift is that Heikon us going to give their firstborn??? I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book, and I borrowed it through the Kindle Unlimited program too.

[Lynn Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book by Zoe Chant In the Bodyguard Shifter series. I have never read one of her books I haven't liked. In this story we have a human a panther and dragons. Ben is a panther shifter like his mother while his sister and father are dragons. Tessa is a friend of Ben's sister and in trouble with another dragon clan. Ben is told by his father in around about way that he needs to protect her since she is marked for death. So starts the great adventure of a pet rescuer who has no idea she is in danger.
How can a panther defeat a dragon? Will he be able to protect his mate? Will Tessa believe she needs to run for her life? I give this story 5 stars. "I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy without pressure to do so".

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Keegan has always known because he wasn't born a dragon, he was a disappointment to his father.Tessa grew up as an orphan from a young age and knows she an only rely on herself. A dragon clan wants her dead. Will Tessa discover why and some about her past? Will Ben finally earn the respect he is searching for from his father?

Another Zoe Chant hit! I loved how while Ben was supposed to be this tough cat shifter, he still was very sensitive and his heartbreak over his dad's treatment was real. I didn't blame Tessa for her reactions to what was going on and was rather proud that she was determined to find a way out of it. Good read!

[Elaine Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting!

This book was very good as it had fast paced action, fight scenes & a few sex scenes too.

We 1st met Ben in book 1 as he was the cop that hired Derek to guard Gaby. In this book Ben's father asks him to protect a friend of his 1\2 sister; he does agree & once he meets her he knows that she's his mate.

Tessa, was orphaned at a young age & just recently received some items from a lawyer that her parents had hired before they died. Now all of a sudden she's targeted by a dragon assassin & needs protection.

This is the beginning of Ben & Tessa's adventure in a lot of ways.

[Janet Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action, Fun and Romance!

Gaby and Ben...As the Manager of a cat rescue center, Gaby leads a quiet, uneventful life. Panther shifter Ben is a police Lieutenant whose days are filled with action, adventure and paperwork. When Gaby's friend Melody sees a carved warning on Gaby's door, she enlists the help of her brother, Ben, in protecting her. Ben immediately recognizes Gaby as his mate. Can Ben keep Gaby safe?

This story is full of action, fun and romance. From mischievous kittens to assassin dragons, Pet Rescue Panther, is an exciting journey. The characters are everything you look for in a shifter romance. Loved this book!

[greeneyes9999 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly funny and unable to put down.

I have never laughed so hard and for so long. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters come to live and if you are a cat person, you’ll understand how real life the cat antics go. Especially when one kitten gets out of a soft cat carrier. This happened to me in real life and mine stated it was tear resistant and claw proof. Though my baby Bengal was out in under 3 minutes. I barely backed out my drive when I hear the first rip. Have tissues handy because you’ll need them. Thank you for an amazing story. I can’t wait to start book 3 in about 5 mins.

[JodyL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tessa and Ben

Ben is asked by his estranged dragon/monster father to protect a human woman that is friends with Ben's sister. For some reason a dragon assassin has been sent after her. Ben's sister Melody and their father Darius are both dragons, but can't interfere because of "dragon honor".
Tessa works at a animal shelter. She doesn't believe it at first when she's told about dragons. Later, she doesn't think that she has done anything for someone to send an assassin to kill her.
This adventure shows Ben realizing she said his mate and willing to give his life for her. We even get a cameo of Derek and Gaby from the first book. This s a nice, short and entertaining read!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my favorite

I like her writing a lot but this one...the story was good but the main character Tess....i hated her. She came across as bitchy and stupid. I liked the other characters but she ruined this book for me. If you are being chased by an assasin, you don't bring along kittens that might get hurt when there is a safe shelter for them and having them on the run would be difficult. That was stupid. Also, if she was disagreed with, or uncomfortable, or anything but perfectly happy, she was a bitch. I almost gave it 2 stars just for her, because you really want to like the main characters.

[PepperP0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Panther detective Ben Keegan came home tired and was annoyed to find Darius his perpetually disapproving dragon father’s car in his parking slot. Darius announces that dragon assassins have been sent after his daughter’s human friend, animal rescue worker, Tessa Davelos and that Ben should protect her.

Grumbling, Ben goes to protect Tessa and is struck dumb recognizing she’s his mate. Ben quickly explains shifters and the nature of the danger hunting Tessa. Soon after, the assassin comes knocking at Tessa’s work. Ben temporarily subdues the assassin and escapes with Tessa but the dragon doesn’t stay down for long.
Rating: 3.75stars

[Abi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I had high hopes for this book but god this was a chore. First off, this book is flat as hell like the first but, it's also confusing. The whole plot is central to the idea that cat rescue volunteer Tessa did something to piss of a dragon bad enough to warrant a hit? It gets explained at the end but it makes the whole book confusing and weird. The plot holes are very glaring and I kinda wish I never read this book. I won't be reading the next two books, partly because this one sucked and partly because the third book is about the violent crazy person from book 1 (I think) and book 4 is about Ben's old af dad. Would not recommend.