In Fox's titillating new series we enter Serene, a supernatural playground where sexy shape shifters live behind the white picket fences...
Free spirited Jaclyn Vasenty is about to inherit a cosmetics empire, yet her scandalous personal history may ruin her chance for a corporate take-over. Saying goodbye to her naughty ways, she moves into a quaint gated community in Serene, New Hampshire. But these gates are locked at sunset...
The town's dark sensuality rocks Jaclyn's insatiable appetite to the core-and stirs desires that are... inhuman. That's because Serene is home to demons, witches, vampires, lycans, and panthers, for whom primal exploration comes naturally. Especially for shape shifter Slyck, the cunning panther who's pushing Jaclyn to the brink of erotic possibilities and making her feel wildly...feral. As tension between species rises, Jaclyn learns she must draw on all her feminine wiles and join forces with Slyck if she wants to make it out alive.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cathryn Fox is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, aunt and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. Cathryn lives in beautiful Nova Scotia with her husband, who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. When not writing, Cathryn can be found Skyping with her son living in Seattle (could he have moved any farther away?) shopping with her daughter in the city, watching a big action flick with her husband, or hanging out and laughing with friends.
Instinctive is definitely a job well done by Ms. Fox. Having read other books by her and being used to her contemporary erotica I have to say I liked her paranormal better!
Let me give you a warning for when you pick this up and start reading it. This book start off with a bang, and I mean that in the most literal way possible! I was a bit shocked about finding our heroine in a sex club basically having a threesome in front a a lot of the club goers. But having prepared you for the opening scene... IT WAS HAWT!
Now onto the paranormal elements of this story. I liked it, it was original. I don't think I've read before about panther shifters who, like any good cat, have nine lives. And I loved the idea of the supernatural town of Serene. They pretend to be a normal town but actually everyone that lives there is some sort of supernatural creature, and there's a town council that regulates and enforces their law.
Enter Jaclyn, our heroine. She was adopted by a very rich couple, owners of a cosmetics company, that gave her everything she could ever want. And she has only given back headaches with all the bad press and media attention she's drawn to herself with her out of control sex drive and preferences.
She decides that she can change people's perspective of her by turning into a bit of a prude and proving herself useful for the company by going to the small town of Serene to increase their sales, and by showing a goody two-shoes lifestyle to show her parents she has changed.
She couldn't expect to find the ultimate temptation in this small town. Slyck. And yeah, the name had me laughing until I realized he was just too hot to laugh at. Slyck is a panther shifter, the alpha of the pack, and representative of the panthers in the town's council. He is immediately attracted to Jaclyn but has to keep his distance until the council decides what to do about the human intruding in their territory. But he can't seem to stay away. Of course it doesn't help when he lives across the street from her rental and can see her through her windows.
Slyck soon realizes that Jaclyn is his mate... AND a shifter! Now all he has to do is figure out a way to keep the council from finding out about them, about her being a panther and just get her safely out of town, out of the council's reach. And out of the reach of Slyck's all time enemy Vall, the werewolf alpha.
This book covers all angles you could possibly want: voyeurs, threesomes, phone sex, kitchen sex, desk sex. Slyck is a panther of many talents!
I am looking forward to reading the next one in this series!
Jaclyn Vasenty is making some big changes in her life. The privileged Chicago socialite is giving up all vices, which mainly includes kinky sex, and turning over a new life. She owes so much to her adopted parents who rescued her from foster care. Now it’s time for Jaclyn to turn her back on her deep sexual nature and take over as the head of her family’s company, Vasenty Cosmetics, and save one of their stores from closing in the small town of Serene, New Hampshire.
Things in Serene are not what they seem because the rustic town is full of supernatural creatures such as vampires, witches and shape shifters. The community there doesn’t take kindly to outsiders, especially humans, and will do whatever they can to chase Jaclyn out. If she doesn’t, then they will change her into one of them. Slyck, the owner of the only nightclub in town in Serene, isn’t too happy about Jaclyn either, but doesn’t want to take such drastic steps to keep her in line. As a panther guide, Slyck is an Overseer who must keep his brethren in line and keep order, as well as making sure their existence is kept a secret from the rest of the world. He is also worried that Vall, the Lycan guide for the Eastern Chapter, which is the East Coast, will go after Jaclyn. Slyck takes it upon himself to watch over Jaclyn.
When Jaclyn and Slyck first meet, there are major sparks between them. Jaclyn is worried because she wants to be a good girl, but whenever Slyck is around, he makes her throw all her inhibitions out the window. Slyck becomes so obsessed with Jaclyn that he decides she may just be the woman he has been waiting for all his life. And when he and Jaclyn act on their desires for one another, he knows that Jaclyn is his true mate. He comes to the conclusion that she is the offspring of a panther who left Serene years ago. If the townspeople figure out what Jaclyn really is, they will eliminate her because of her father who went rogue and left the community. Slyck wants a future with Jaclyn but she thinks he’s crazy with his talk of men and woman who change into animals. Then Vall decides he’ll turn Jaclyn into a lycan by biting her and it’s up to Slyck to put his life on the line for Jaclyn, who tries to ignore her true nature and what Sylck really means to her.
Instinctive is a hot and sexy book even though I found humor in the hero’s name being Slyck. When I was able to get past that bit of funny, I found Instinctive to be an enjoyable read for the majority of the story. I really liked how Cathryn Fox wrote Jaclyn, a sexually assured woman who enjoys sex and won’t apologize for her wants and desire. The passion and lust between her and Slyck oozes off the pages. These two do everything and anything together and it really works, even though some of the passages seem a bit purple in their description with mention of certain fluids leaking and dirty talk.
Serene has a nice small-town feel to it with some interesting characters. Vall is your typical egocentric villain who wants power and prestige and will do whatever he can to get it. Also Jaclyn’s new friend, Sunray, a lycan, is a great support for Jaclyn. I was a bit turned off when Ms. Fox decided to have Sunray join Jaclyn and Slyck in their bed as a way to comfort Sunray. Up to this point, Jaclyn is only interested in men and never gives an inclination that she would be attracted to another woman. That came out of left field and it left me scratching my head because I really didn’t see the point of it.
Cathryn Fox can sure write some kinky hot sex and I definitely found that in Instinctive. The underlying suspense plot was a bit lacking because of all the emphasis on the sex between Slyck and Jaclyn, but for what it’s worth, Instinctive left me satisfied.
I loved it. Couldn't put it down. Such a riveting tale and that gets you so engrossed that you actually feel like you're a part of the story. Not just an amazing author but an amazing person as well.She never fails to disappoint.
Cathryn writes and intriguing tale of a small town that is filled with all kinda of paranormal. From demons to vampires to werewolves and panthers. The story of Jaclyn learning she is a were panther is filled with steamy romance and action to keep the reader enthralled.
Holy smokin' hotness, Batman! Phew! Hold on to your clothes cos this book is going to melt most of them off. It's hot, hot, hot! No really, did I mention it's hot? There's a lot of sexiness going on between the pages. Lots and lots of it. Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get on to the rest of the story because there is one! Going into Instinctive, I knew this was branded as erotica and expected a lot of sex. What I did not expect was how well done it was. Ms Fox managed to write an incredibly sexy book without the sex overwhelming the story. There was still plenty of world building and plot along the way. At the very least, there was enough to satisfy a fusspot like me who tends not to read erotica because I like a story and romance. While Instinctive starts off very much like a classic erotica story it quickly becomes more of a scorching hot erotic romance as the relationship between Linc and Jaclyn develop. Jaclyn has always had a very high sex drive. Nothing and no one has ever been able to satisfy her. Jaclyn is not intentionally promiscuous but she's got an emptiness in her she is searching to fill. I liked Jaclyn a lot. She's trying hard to turn over a new leaf but what she doesn't know is she can't fight nature and what's instinctive for her ... until she meets Linc. Linc is wonderful. He's sexy as all heck but he's also kind, compassionate and protective. Linc is one of those people who has always put others ahead of himself. What's best for his pack. What's best for his community. He's devoted his whole life to making life better for his people ... until he sees Jaclyn. And suddenly, Linc wants something for himself and he wants to be selfish for once in his life. I loved how hard Linc worked to continue to do what's best for his people even while he was trying to find a way to be with Jaclyn, knowing he couldn't have her and continue to lead his pack. He is such an upstanding and giving man. And of course, just for Jaclyn, he's also got magic jism. :-p Okay, sorry, I got a little naughty there. It's the influence of the book. I blame Ms Fox. I'm usually a very good girl! What impressed me the most about Instinctive and Ms Fox's writing was the plot and world building. I know I mentioned it earlier, but given how little breathing space there is between each of the sexy encounters with Jaclyn and Linc, Ms Fox did an incredible job of building a very credible paranormal world with some solid foundations. She also managed to wrap a decent plot which developed well around all the sex and the world building. At no point in the story did I ever think "oh no, this book is more sex than substance" even though admittedly there is a lot of sex in it. Great job on Instinctive, Ms Fox. I'm looking forward to reading Sunray's story next.
With what I've read so far... it is a really good book, and I think I would have really liked it more if it hadn't brought in three ways. I love how sexy and steamy the story was from the get go, because a lot of books aren't as hot as they come to seem. this one definitely is and it also has a cool plot line of the paranormal variety. Now maybe it the jealousy of being a girlfriend in me, or the true love needs only two, but when they introduced the character Sunray to the two main love interests Slyck and Jaclyn sexual senario it totally turned me off, at this moment I can't even read anymore.
Now I'm no prude to threeways, it starts the book with one, but she's single and having fun, even thou it's not my style, it's all cool. But once they are in a relationship, for me it just makes me feel like their relationship is violated. That's just my opinion, and I understand that they are shifters/animals so they are acting in kind to their animal creatures but any book I read that is three ways while in a relationship or a threeway relationship automatically turns me off to the book. Minus that discretion the over all book was good.
I'd probably give it 3 1/2 stars. I bought this last year at Borders when they were having their outdoor sale. I saw the cover and if you know me you already know I'm a "cover whore". Yup, I freely admit it. I'll look at the book and then read the back of the book. Just because it has a hot cover doesn't automatically mean I'll buy/read it. I want some kind of story too.
This one was a good story despite the fact the first chapter, first page was the main character having sex. It was a little shocking as most books don't just jump out at you like that. I thought "ok one of those where every 3rd page someone is screwing someone else" Yes ther was a lot of sex, that being said the story actually went somewhere.
I sidelined this one when I'd started Shadowfever, love that book) and just got back to it. I'm going to read the next one too. I've become attached to the characters in her books. No, she doesn't write like JR Ward, so it's not that kind of attachment. I just like them.
This is the first book I've read by this author and I am glad to have read it. I was a little reluctant to read it at first because I was just so over the "me tarzan, you jane" scenarios that usually take place in paranormal romances with the alpha males. The "erotica" portion becomes a dud because the mating is always the same. Not in this book. The sex scenes were changed up and the little girl on girl action added to the flair. The storyline was different so I appreciated that as well. It was not the same as most books and it didn't bore me. No skimming through paragraphs in this book. I just really hate when a book ends and leaves you hanging. Good thing I have the second book on hand...
Well, okay, pleasantly surprised that this book turned out to have a plot. Mainly because the very first sentence opens with sex; actually the whole first chapter is one big sex party. I don't think I care enough about the characters to read future books in series. I didn't like that the men (panther) were okay to live without their mate, while the women would die if they were to meet theirs and their mate leave them prematurely. Secondly the change to panther for the women was only brought on by exposure to their mate's semen. Talk about female empowerment/independence. One thing I did like- Jaclyn was a sexual being and made no apologies for it.
It felt like reading an embellished transcript of some porn movie.
I like books with words that woo me, that seduce my brain into relating with the romance. This book left nothing to the imagination. Nothing.
The story had paranormal elements, concentrating mostly on werewolf and panther shape shifters but the world building was not consistent enough.
Demons, witches and vampires were mentioned but no other related details were given.
I guess it was more erotica than paranormal fantasy since it was concentrated around the sex scenes. Scenes which, often, contained one person too many, or were too explicit and graphic for my liking.
This has got to be the most romantic quick to fall in love and best detailed erotic novel I have ever read so far this is gotta be a 5 star plus just couldnt put it down without hubby around anyway lol Fox really knows how to put things together for your imagination to kick into overdrive....thats about all I can say safely on here about this book without offending anyone sorry about that but it a must for those into erotica novels.
This is the first of a paranormal serial , I found it hard to put down. Jaclyn is sent to run the cosmetics department of her Fathers store in the town of Serene, little does she know what she is entering into. As soon as Slyck sees Jaclyn he knows he is in trouble. His inner lycan is trying to claim her. This book is hot and it is a fast read I loved every minute of it I could not put it down
** I received a copy in exchange for an honest review**
If you like a hot and sexy story about shifters, this might be what you need. Jaclyn doesn't know her heritage since she was adopted and she is drawn to the mysterious gated town of Serene. Here she discovers who she really is and also finds her mate. Fast paced and I can't wait until the 2nd book, Impulsive.
I like the set-up, a town designed for paranormals (werewolves, werepanters, vampires, witches and demons). Although, we don't get to see much of the other paranormals in this book. Just the bits at the council meeting. I think it was an okay story with some okay hotness -- I would read more in the series if they came my way.
Excellent book! HEA with no cliffhanger, but there is a tease for book 2. Great story line (including many steamy sex scenes) that kept me interested and on my toes. There's a little bit of violence near the end, but it is rather brief. Overall, Cathryn Fox has managed to impress me once again. I cannot wait to read the second book, Impulsive!
This is possibly the smuttiest, most fucked up "romance" I've ever read. Plenty of voyerism and threesums if that's your thing. I wouldn't recommend it.