As the second child of a shifter, Itzel is nothing more than a common human. Her father, the Ocelot Nation's king, never lets her forget it. Though she is technically a princess, the most she can hope for is an arranged marriage that will benefit her sister Camila, heir to the ocelot throne.
In the meantime, Itzel enjoys herself, running wild with stable boys by night and advising her sister by day. Then her father forces her hand, and Itzel dives headfirst into a plan to get her sister to the throne immediately.
When she volunteers to help Camila seduce a shaman from the Jaguar Nation, she is drawn into the mysterious world of shifter mating rituals that will push every boundary and test her limits in ways she never imagined.
***Contains triggers***
***This book contains situations that many find triggering. Dark romance is intended for audiences 18+. This is a reverse harem romance in which the main character builds her harem throughout the series.
***This book was previously published under the title "Chasing Her Cats." Only the cover and title have changed. The content is identical.
Alexa B. James is the contemporary romance pen name for a 2-time USA Today Bestselling author of YA paranormal romance.
Alexa is a mom, wife, librarian, and country girl at heart. When she's not pounding away on her keyboard, you can find her in her garden, chasing chickens around the yard, or holed up under a blanket with a cup of coffee and a book with lots of kissing. She loves romance novels of every variety (why choose?) and plans to publish more this year.
This was a pleasant surprise to find a paranormal series that held my interest.
Itzel is a human living in a shifter world. Her sister meant to be Queen of the Ocelot shifters, Camila, is her best friend. Itzel is her protector, her guide, her voice...but still a mere human.
This book surround Itzel trying to get her sister go through these trials before becoming queen. She must travel to different packs and take these mating amulets and reveal secrets. Camila is a useless, scared, fragile princess who I felt like used her sister to do everything. Itzel sacrificed so much just in book one to help her sister get through everything. It made me want to reach into this book and murder Camila myself.
However... this book is packed full of yummy shifter men too. Omg. The smut is HOT. This author knows how to write sexy scenes.
Full of drama, action, character and world building, I’m onto the next book ASAP!
I didnt really like the book. I found Camila to be unbearably annoying and Itzel was close second. Itzel seems blind to the fact that her sister is actually pretty manipulative but then at other times it seems like she knows but goes with it. Its confusing. Plus their relationship is not healthy in any sense of the word.
The plot was also not very intriguing honestly.
The guys are pretty different and interesting though and Itzel isn't always annoying she's actually likeable at times when shes not being completely stupid.
Moreover, the smut is very good in my opinion, makes everything else almost worth it.
Finally, the last fifty pages, damn, those were heavy. There's a trigger warning at the beginning of the book and that's when it comes into play.
All in all I didnt like it but I kinda did. I've started the second one, I might finish it or I might not.
I finished this book several months ago and have just gotten around to writing my review. Not because I did not like this book but just kind of forgot and had other books come and go since then. This is a spicy read that I am here for. Plus, I liked all of the various feline shifter types featured in this book.
Itzel is the out lady out as she has no special abilities. She is just human. It is her sister, Camila that has the shifter skills. Even without any powers, I felt that Itzel still could hold her own and was evenly matched with everyone else. Out of the three men Lord Balam, Gabor, and Shadow, I really liked Lord Balam and Shadow. Lord Balam kind of was a given as he was the first one introduced and therefore was more prominent. The other two men came in later in the story. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and would continue on with the next book in this series.
I pretty much liked everything about this novel, from the way Itzel is presented to the ebbs and flows of the men around her. As a human in a world ruled by shifters, she is almost worthless.... except that she is a princess and determined to put her sister on the throne. Head strong and vivacious, she tackles the problems straight on, even when early events set her apart from her family.
Pros: - Well written. - World building, it’s our world, yet it’s not. - It’s dark, but not cruelly, just more of an eye opening kind of way. Be prepared, or avoid if dubious situations and vulgar speak is sensitive to you. - Questions, questions...
Cons: - Cover and tittle issue. The book that downloaded has a beautiful cover with the title ‘Broken princess’ - it’s probably s previous version of this one? Regardless, that cover is more appealing, at least to me, and the title more in line with the narrative. Ah well.
This is a review of the audiobook. My reception to the storyline was influenced by the listening experience which may be different (or the same) upon reading the e-book.
A story about Itzel, second daughter, a non-shifter and as such, second-class citizen in the Ocelet Nation where first-born sister Camila, a shifter, is in line to rule. Itzel devises to seduce another head of state to obtain amulets on behalf of her sister, the holding of which would put Camila on the path to rule, and ideally fairly unlike the reigning King, their father.
The main characters did not hold much appeal; the heroine, while altruistic, too often yielded to her plaintive, and in my view, manipulative sister. Itzel’s blindly giving nature didn’t make the story credible and detracted from my enjoyment. Also, the heroes while likable were not particularly noteworthy.
Pace was good, not slow, nice flow of events. Lots of action and great world building. Only a bit of “on screen” steam but what was described was hot. The story contained some dark themes, but the overall plot was not dark. I liked the why-chose nature of the romance with the gradual introduction of Itzel's partners.
Narration Performance The voice actress, who performed primarily, demonstrated a great amount of range, shifting (pun intended) from character to character, female or male, and changing accents. The (male) voice actor’s performance of the male characters was good, accent slightly exaggerated. Neither acting rendition elevated the story sufficiently to captivate me, that I could lose myself in the experience. Both narrators' deliveries were too fast.
Overall, while I could appreciate some aspects of this romance -- the world building, the variety of shifters and why-choose, and the action, this tale did not strike a cord for me for the main characters.
Itzel is the daughter of the Ocelot shifter king. As the second born, she is a common human, with her sister, Camilla, destined to take the throne. After her father betrays her in the worst way possible as a punishment for her behavior, Itzel's life seems to lose all meaning. Suddenly, her only purpose seems to be supporting Camilla's claim to the throne, and helping her ascend so they can dethrone their tyrannical father.
In order for her sister to be crowned queen of the Ocelot nation, they must first embark on a journey to gather the 8 amulets that—once combined—will lead Camilla to her fated mate. Trouble is, each amulet is with another shifter clan, and the other clans don't much like the Ocelots, thanks to their father.
The first amulet is in the hands of the Jaguar clan, which might not be so bad. But the next amulet—the one with the Panthers—may be the most difficult to acquire. Since when the Panthers needed help most, the Ocelots had turned them away, inciting rivalry and hatred between the two feline nations. With the help of a member of the Jaguar court and under the protection of one of the Ocelot king's best guards, Itzel and Camilla start out on their journey.
I found this to be a unique plot with an interesting execution. The story held my attention, and it feels unlike any other reverse harem I've encountered. 3.5 stars, rounded up, since I'm still unsure of exactly how I feel about the story. Maybe the second book will help me pin that down.
This book pulled me in starting with the very first page what can I say. Itzel is one strong kick butt female that I would just love to be friends with. She is the younger Princess and the only human in a family of shifters. This has made her pretty much dispensable except as an advisor. Yet she ends up playing a huge role in a tour that her sister must undertake and I think things are really going to get good after the way this one ended. Does contain some dark themes and moments but was not nearly as bad as I was expecting since it fits well with the actual story. Fantastic start to a new series that I highly recommend to fans of shifter dark reverse harem. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
Princess Itzel is somewhat of a freak in the world of cat shifters having being born of two shifters yet unable to assume the form of a feline.She is both unafraid to confront danger head on yet constantly allows herself to be blindly manipulated by those closest to her.Until she is able to separate deceit from actual reality the character will remain largely unappealing.
Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Throughout the entire story all you can do is admire Itzel’s strength, heart, and determination, and you can’t help but feel all of her emotions with her. This was an amazing story with great character and world build up! I can’t wait to see what happens next!
So as the summary says Itzel is the human sister. Only the first born to a shifter couple will have the ability to shift, so Itzel is very aware she was an unhappy accident. Her father is a horrible king and punishes her by killing her “true love”/best friend in a entertainment battle in from of the kingdom. The story continues with the sisters going on an adventure to retrieve all of the amulets from each feline clan. Problem is her father has pretty much burnt every bridge so the adventure is really a dangerous one. Stop one(amulet 2) being the jaguar clan, the same clan that kidnapped and tore their mother apart, literally. To say there is tension would be an understatement. Upon finding the keeper of the amulet Itzel is kid napped by him when their plan to drug and knock him out goes awry, and then “raped” for like 12 hours by him. When he finally comes to he feels horrible and gives her the amulet along with a serious apology.
And what does the sister do? She gets pissy when Itzel tells her she needs to go home and let Itzel continue the task to retrieve the amulets for her, knowing there is no way pretty little innocent princess Camila would be able to handle even 2 seconds of what Itzel had already done for the first two amulets. Part of me felt Itzel should’ve told Camila what happened so she actually understood. But I can also understand not wanting to repeat it. Camila apparently tells Itzel to go home and basically go fuck herself. And continues on by her lonesome.
I read some reviews of book 2 and the relationship between sisters apparently gets worse with Itzel being even more of a punching bag while Camila becomes a straight up cuntasarous. So I won’t be continuing this series.
Sex scenes are okay, but author only writes the first one in detail the rest are told and not shown.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed this story! It is a little on the darker side as things are definitely twisted but the story doesn't feel super dark overall due to Itzel, our main character. There are definitely a lot of twists and turns in this book and it was different than anything else I've read. I loved the way that the story built and the way that we learned about the world. We are not bombarded with information on details of how things work for the most part. The details all come up and out as they are needed in the story. It felt more fluid and real to me this way. Itzel is fully human and she has really not had things easy even though she is a princess. She is treated as second class, a throwaway since she is fully human and not a shifter. But she doesn't really fit in other places either because she does live in the castle (mostly) and isn't a shifter so other shifters are pretty much above her. Her dad is a twisted SOB and really doesn't care for Itzel at all. He seems to just see her as a type of property, what he can get for her, what she can do for him/get him and no care for what it can/will do to her in the process. For the most part she was ignored and got to have more freedom growing up but things take a twists. I am not a big fan of her sister Camila either. At first she seems fragile and to care for Itzel but the more the story went on, the more I started to question this. She seems a little more calculating and devious than she has been given credit for so far and the façade that she cares for Itzel starts to crack in my opinion. I was definitely drawn in from beginning to end. This story held my attention the entire time and I can't wait for the next one. This story definitely ends on a cliffhanger and with bits dangling out there and I am very intrigued to see how they come back. The narrators did a phenomenal job with this book! They seamlessly switch between male/female characters (male does all male, female all female voices throughout the book). I loved having that interaction with them. It brought an additional element to the story for sure! They did a fantastic job with the accents as well. I had no problem figuring out what character was talking by the voice and accent immediately. I truly loved the way that these two narrators brought this story to life! I will definitely be checking out more of their work as they did such a fantastic job! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Chasing Her Cats was a better read than what I thought it would be. I expected more humping than anything else but pleasantly it even had a plot that was interesting. It's a good book IF you can handle grey consent area that was practically into rapey territory.
I found this world of shifters quite fresh. The concept of different clans who make up feline nations and being a council was good. It made me curious to visit each of these nations and explore the clan and find the RH member from them. In the first book we have the jaguar, panther and ocelot shifter as possibly RH members. Since it has erotica elements, this is definitely not a slow burn but it's more insta-lust than love so the relationship development still has that pay off when the lusty feelings start moving into the romantic feels.
Itzel was fine. She is one of those MC that seems to have none of those qualities that would annoy me but her reactions to her ordeal with Shadow sure as fuck left me surprised. Not to mention the fact I would love to see her put Camila in her place. Camila was a fresh character as far as the bratty sibling go, she isn't the stereotypical cruel and catty sister but more of the slow sneak up character that makes her part in the story that much interesting.
As for the guys we have met till now, each one has enough characterisation to them that don't end up feeling the same, not to mention their varying dynamics with Itzel. Lord Balam was definitely the one who received more space in the book, their relationship was the most explored going from lusty to friends who fuck to something more. Gabor was a nice setup to being one of Itzel's harem but it felt quite rushed to think it was something developed enough for Itzel to be saying I-love-you's. Shadow is the most problematic one for me obviously. The whole rapey thing with him hasn't earned him any points.
The plot with the coronation, collection of amulets to find the fate mate and all the shifter politics is balanced well with the smutty scenes. I would have given this book a 3 stars rating if it wasn't for Itzel's inner monologues when Shadow was attacking her, it was just too much of I-deserve-it victim mentality. The assault doesn't feel like it absolutely had to be included as if it was indispensable to the plot. Pretty sure they could have gotten the amulet in some other way.
I listened to the audio version of this book, but that was not an available edition. I had a hard time getting into this story. Itzel is an Ocelot princess but since she was a second child she is human. The first-born daughter is Camila who will inherit the leadership of the Ocelot kingdom. First, though, she must collect amulets from each cat shifter nation. These amulets will come together to show her who her mate will be. There are really no rules as to how to obtain the amulets, though some of them may require certain things in order to open them.
Camille is a spoiled, selfish girl who is also more than a bit pitiful. She is whiny most of the time and has an exaggerated opinion of herself all of the time. If you check the dictionary under manipulative you will likely find her picture. Itzel, on the other hand, is a little wild and very dedicated to helping her sister gain the crown. Their father has managed to alienate all the other shifter clans and this is going to make getting the amulets even more difficult. I tried to like Itzel, but she changes her mind more than a man changes TV channels. She is also blind to her sister's manipulations and this makes me want to slap her.
The chance to get the first amulet comes when a delegation from the jaguar nation visits the Ocelot kingdom. The shaman of the tribe is the keeper of their amulet and it falls to Itzel to try to get it for her sister.
I won't ruin the story for you. Rest assured that there is lots of sex and Itzel can't make her mind up about who all she wants to have that with either. Think hormonal teenage boy. I got a free copy of this book from StoryOrigin. My review is voluntary.
What an incredible read! I am so enthralled! Who is this princess Itzel? I know there is more to her that what even she knows and I am hooked. Eager to be important and make a difference in her Kingdom but the second daughter of a King who doesn't care not only about his family but anyone else it seems, other than himself. This is the first in James' Feline Royals series and a wonderful into to some primary characters. An exciting storyline that will take you on a heated and emotional roller coaster of a ride - full of mystery and excitement. I thought the narration was done perfectly - the tone and accents used for the multiple characters by Jake Bordeaux was perfection and Bridget Bordeaux did a great job with the female characters as well able to infuse the right emotion of the character in her tone. I hope to have the opportunity to listen to the rest of this series as this is going to be one incredible ride!
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review. *this review is based on the audio version of this read
HELL NO. You’re in love with someone who regularly fucks maiden woman and take their virginity like a game (someone who distracts you sexually with other people present just so he can win a game) and you think you’re about to be different? That he’d pledge himself to you? And you’re aware about how he probably talks about what you like (sexually) to his friends since you’re a princess????????? He’s OBSESSED about getting your virginity and telling you “to give it up” or else he’ll be forever to think about your “tight pussy” while he fucks another stable maid AGAIN???
You’re stupid enough that you can’t stand up to your sister once and you don’t ever realize that your father never said he will return the stable hand safely, didn’t promise to not kill him or send him away???????????? And apparently the first man of your harem that you’ve met you did so while he was getting suck??? In front of your father while he was also getting a blowjob??? And instead of being disgusted, you’re turn on? I’m beyond pissed, everybody who’s putting these on 4/5 stars…. God bless you
Chasing Her Cats: A Reverse Harem Dark Romance is absolutely a unparalleled dark paranormal romance with a beautiful cover that hooks you in. I loved the other rh books from this author, but this novel is auriferous, it takes you away to another cosmos. Where to begin, this author creates a cosmos with well detailed descriptions and settings. As well as engaging & compelling characters with complex personalities. Camilla - Ocelot Nation Princess, Itzel - human , Jaguar Shaman, & Camilla's personal body guard are my favourite character's so far in this series. This magical tale unveils a dark, provocative, & addictive glimpse into the shifter mating rituals. Amulets & lust intricately entwined in a magical narrative. I love how Itzel the heroine is collecting her men as the series goes on rather than a group of guys who are family/ friends. With a ending that throws a curve. Looking forward to reading the next novel in this dark reverse harem romance.
My review for the entire series Please pay attention to the warnings That is the biggest piece of advice There is rape in every single book. Some are worse than others. Nearly every single member of the harem rapes the heroine or puts her in a position where she doesn’t want it but cannot say no. Many times the heroine ends up enjoying it but in a few instances it is brutal and damaging physically. There is also a scene where she is brutally raped by someone not in her harem at all as well as a scene where she is forced to endure a team of 12? Guys doing things to her that isn’t penetration but is still sexual assault. The story itself is interesting and page turning. There is a LOT of extra drama That’s really all I can say. I read each book to the end so that says something for the story I suppose. But please, if you can’t handle rape do not read this series. If you like high drama and action and don’t have a weak stomach than read it. The guys are mostly likable once she accepts them as mates but a couple I still hated even to the final epilogue
I really enjoyed this book HOWEVER, I want to punch the FMC's sister in the boob. HARD!
Camila is a spoiled, weak, sniveling child. If she thinks for one second she could have endured even a fraction of what her sister did for HER she is more stupid then I thought. She was in tears because her father was upset with her! She can't even hold a conversation without cowering and trembling half the time. The fact she treats her sister, who would DIE for her, like a trash makes me want to punch her even harder. I am not normally a violent person but Camila brings it out of me. lol. I literally almost threw my Kindle a few times when her "innocent" barbs were directed at Itzie who was only trying to help and protect her, even at the detriment to herself.
Itzie deserves so much out of her life then walking in her sister's shadow. I can't wait to read the next book to see how things develop.
As much as I have read storyline’s with similar fast-paced endeavours that occur due to the actions of the lesser known species (human), this has developed into a world where shifters find anyone except for shifters, not worth spending time on, they are expendable. The second daughter of the royal family is human and finds her life very different to that of her sister, yet it is Itzy's personality that gives her the strength needed to survive in this chaos, especially when what is most important to her is protecting her sister and being her strength and making sure that she will be the best Queen ever. The whole book shows Itzy that what she believes is true, is really far from it, her whole world is surrounded with characters who want to use the special powers she holds for themselves giving us a fascinating insight to the drama and suspense found within this paranormal romance
Not a slow moment at all. Loved every single minute of it.
Can we say Camilla is the least capable sister I've ever read about?! She's like "oh, you think I can't do this?" Baby girl, how many amulet did you get? Zero. And she has the audacity to turn on her sister who has done everything for her? Girlllll be fucking for real. I would have done the amulet run by myself and claim that fucking throne because if you can't get the amulet by yourself, then, you don't deserve the throne. Also, if you do a drinking game of how many time Camilla cried, you would be drunk by page 2.
P.s. tadeu is an horrible name and she never realized homeboy never loved her. Who is in love with a girl and sleep around like that? No one. He deserved what he got.
P.p.s. I like that we still don't know what she is.
Prediction: for each amulet she'll get, she'll gain a mate. Amulet tour? No. Vagina tour? Yes
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Itzi is the second born child of the horrible King and deceased Queen. Her sister will be the next Queen due to being a shifter. I really enjoyed this world, where environmental disasters lead to the shifters taking over. Not all of the nations treat humans as second class citizens like their kingdom, the Ocelot nation. Itzel and Camila are trying to reestablish diplomacy that their father screwed up. This includes visiting the other lands and obtaining amulets from each that will allow for choosing mates. The journey is filled with angst and learning lessons, but I adores Itzi and her guys we meet, even under the sketchy circumstances. There are triggers for non-con, but it didn’t bother me - in fact, the steamy times were hot and well-handled.
This is my honest honest, voluntary review; I received an arc from the author.
This was a terrific beginning to what is sure to be a great series. It was fast paced with lots of suspense and intrigue. Also loaded with plenty of very steamy moments.
Itzel is a remarkable character. She’s feisty, sexy and extremely loyal to her family and kingdom. She is sacrificing so much for her sister. Her sister Camila started off being a shy and meek princess who needs her sister for support. But as the story unfolds she is showing a darker side. She becomes whiny, snooty and mean. Sometimes not even caring for Itzel. The dynamics between these two is constantly changing. Itzel is also changing but I am not sure how yet. Something big is going to happen soon in the next book or so.
The writing and world building was great. It kept me fully engaged in the story and highly entertained. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Wow what a great start to a new series. The action is non stop, full of intrigue, heartache, and mystery. Itzel Is the heroine in this story. Itzel Only wants the best for her sister Camila. Her parents are king and Queen of their shifter kingdom. Camila Is the next in line to be Queen , Itzel is human only the first born is a shifter. Itzel wants to help her sister with the quest. The only thing is Camila changes from a shy , meet princess to a princess who snaps at every one , After itzel meets a shifter and gets something that Camila is set to do. Camila Finally snaps at Itzel and puts her in her place . Itzel is determined to continue what needs to be done
The performance of Bridget Bordeaux, Jake Bordeaux was fantastic. They did all the characters great . You can tell each character with their tone
Itzel is a young, carefree, naive girl, who dotes on those around her. When she is told to accompany her sister, who is collecting the stones needed from the other shifter nations before her coronation, she ends up doing nearly everything herself. Just handing her work to her sister.
The sister drove me nuts - selfish, whiny, entitled. A proper vilain lol.
The heat is fab, the complex mix of the shifters along the way, shows unique and wonderful world building alongside such wonderful differences in skills, magic and personality of all those involved that eventually become Itzel's family.
An absolutely amazing series, once again from Alexa B James! Bought on Kindle and Audible - the narrators are frigging awesome! 30 hours if you buy the complete series for just one fee or credit, it is so good!
Highly recommend this book if you love the following! #Reverseharem #whychoose #darkromance #shifterromance #FantasyRomance #Cliffhanger
Itzel was a human, second daughter and sister to Camila, Ocelot shifter, who was heir to the throne. After her ruthless father takes away her one true love she is left wavering without any hope. When the Juguar court shaman, Lord Balam holds the amulet needed to aid her sister in the assertion to the throne she agrees to help. She gives herself to him and this begins a sexual awaking that grows. The characters in this story are compelling and riddled with lust, passion, and intrigue. The shifter romance fantasy is well written and easy to follow. Loved how well this story plays out and cannot wait to read the next book! 5/5 ⭐️
Itzel is a princess in the Ocelet Kingdom but shes not a shifter. Which makes her not only human but a lesser being in her father and the rest of the Kingdoms eyes. When her sister Camilia (the future Queen) needs to go on a quest to acquire a set of artifacts to find her mate. Itzel is enlisted to help her. Not by choice. It comes with its own complications. Namely three shifters - Gabor (a loyal guard), Lord Balam (a man thats interested in getting to know he intimately) and Shadow (the keeper of one of the artifacts). Three sources of sexual tension thats for sure. Boy they are smoking hot! A great RH shifter romance and a brilliant read. Looking forward to book 2 to find out what happens next?
Damn. What a ride. Heed the warnings, though: if you're squeamish or easily triggered, abort abort abort! There are rape scenes, brutal abuse scenes, and some seriously fucked-up family dynamics going on.
Having said all that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Itzel (cool name!) is tough as nails. Many girls couldn't have survived what she goes through. She's driven by loyality to her useless sister and more importantly, the desire to topple her brutal father off the throne to ease the citizens' suffering. Basically, she does what needs to be done, takes a shower, and moves forward.
The guys are not that likeable, but they'd kill for her (and frequently do.) The story is fast-paced and exciting. I couldn't put the book down!