Bengal's Heart

Breeds #14

by Lora Leigh

Reporter Cassa Hawkins has always supported Breed rights-especially in light of a specimen like Cabal St. Laurents, the epitome of the male animal. But when the Breeds are incriminated in a series of violent murders, it's left to Cassa and Cabal to discover the truth before they become prey.

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Erotica, Shapeshifters, Erotic Romance, Fantasy

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Lora Leigh is a New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance novels. Leigh started publishing with electronic publisher Ellora's Cave in 2003. Leigh's longest-running series is The Breeds. She won the 2009 RT Award for erotica. Leigh was born in Ohio and raised in Martin County, Kentucky, US.


https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story but some inconsistency with previous books.



This book has a great plot, but part of the love story regarding the mating heat between Cabal St. Laurent, Bengal Breed, and Cassa Hawkins, reporter, was different than previous books. In that they met 10 years ago and Cabal knew right away that she was his mate, and though he didn’t kiss her or claim her he has been pretty much a manwhore the last 10 years.

This was brought up a few books back in “Tanner’s Scheme”. Tanner is Cabal’s identical twin, though they were raised in separate labs and it was said that they had shared women from time to time and that Cabal was quite the ladies man and not ready to settle down. Though in other books, once a breed knows his mate he doesn’t want to touch any other female.

Aside from that, the storyline is pretty great. It begins when Cassa and her then abusive husband are rescuing breeds from labs. They are at a Lab in Germany and Cassa finds out that her husband Douglas has betrayed them to the Genetics Council and the breeds they are there to rescue are all dying in the Pit, being chopped up. While she tries desperately to turn off the contraption, he is enjoyinng the bloody deaths. Until the lead Bengal, Cabal escapes the Pit and kills Douglas. Right as Jonas arrives, he claims to Cassa that he owns her, she has his blood on her lips and is devastated thinking it is all her fault and he means to kill her someday.

The story then jumps 10 years into the future when Cassa is now a reporter. She has been in several other breeds books as a reporter so this is nothing new. However murders are now being committed in a small town near a valley where it is said the “Deadly Dozen” once slaughtered about 20 breeds including mates. Supposed members of the Deadly Dozen are being murdered by a breed or a breed is being framed for the murders and Cassa is getting drawn into it because the murderer is sending her photographs of each murder victim after the crimes.

Jonas and team, headed by Cabal are looking into the crimes and cleaning them up because if it gets out that a breed is viciously murdering humans, then all the good sentiment toward breeds will turn bad. Now that Cabal and Cassa are spending time together, the mating heat is too much to ignore!

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[Sammy Loves Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lora Leigh insults her readers by attempting to rewrite the past. It isn't fair to the fans or to the Breed storyline that is already riddled with inconsistencies.

Did LL forget what she wrote in Tanner's book? When Tanner's book was written, Cabal had no mate. Tanner was worried that Cabol was truly Scheme's mate because he had no swelling of the tongue glands after kissing Scheme. He even brought Cabal in to try and seduce Scheme to see if there was chemistry between his twin and Scheme. Cabal had no mate in this book and glorified in sleeping around. Another breed female that had a crush on him died and he actually felt guilty for not having given her a chance. In Kiss of Heat, Callan kicked Tanner and Cabal out of the main house because of their sexual exploits. Sherra walks in on Cabal and Tanner and a female breed in the act. She proceeds to caution them or they could end up mated to the same woman and Cabal replies that he'll grow up one of these days. (Are these the actions of a mated male?)

LL shouldn't go back and re right what has already been written. Cabal meets Cassa and says " I own you", when he was rescued from the Pit 11 years ago. This is a major inconsistency in the story that was unacceptable to me. We are to believe that he had a mate and didn't feel guilty about not claiming her for 11 years but felt bad about not giving a girl with a crush a chance? That he shared unlimited females with his brother while knowing he had a mate and refused to claim her? It makes no sense! Cabal only kisses Cassa because Dog acted as if he were going to kiss her. That spiked a jealous rage in Cabal and was the only reason he claimed her. So lame after 11 years of ignoring her and knowing that she was going o Eli consistently obviously for hormonal treatments.

The side story with Death was somewhat confusing because in the scene when Death kills Alonzo, page 37, LL writes "she shrugged negligently" but Death turns out to be a male later in the story not a female. Facts like this are so annoying if you are paying attention and not skimming over the story.

I have really loved some of the earlier Breed novels, Soul Deep and Mercury's War but this was a major let down. There was no closure. Death manages to get away. Death never finds his son. Cabal and Cassa don't say I love you until the last page of the book. I gave this a 3 star cause the story was ok. If Cassa and Cabal weren't fighting, they were having sex and immediately fighting again..lol..I read romance for a reason and all the fighting was too much for me.

[Dina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has tied with Jacob's Faith as my least favorite in the series. Cabal and Cassa were great individually in the previous books, but I'm afraid LL has made a huge mistake by pairing them up. They brought out the worst in each other, and I wanted to hit both of their hard heads with a shovel. Ugh!

Unfortunately, I can't say that readers who have been following this series can skip this book, because there were some interesting new facts introduced into the overall story arc. Not to mention new characters that, I'm sure, will reappear later in the series. So my advice is: read this book just for the "background" info and ignore Cabal and Cassa altogether.

Next in line is Lion's Heat, Jonas' book. He'd better make up for this dud!

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breeds 20
Feline Breeds 12
Featured Couple: Cabal (Bengal Tiger) & Cassa (Human)

Cabal has known that Cassa is his mate for more than 10 years but he didn't claim her. They aren't technically mated, but still Cassa is suffering from mating heat and she needs to take hormonal supplements to continue living her sexless life.

In the past Cassa met Cabal when she helped him escape a bloodbath. Someone tried to kill him and his family. Imagine his whole family splattered and chopped up all over the place and a woman, who he doesn’t know, appeared in front of him. She was very lucky that she survived. Upset and irrational Cabal may well have killed Cassa, if it hadn't been for her scent. Not the best way to start a relationship.

"I own you. You owe me for their lives. When I call you, you'll come. Whatever I ask of you, you will give. And one day, you'll pay."
... Cabal has definetely marked Cassa.

Nowadays Cassa is a famous reporter, expert on Breeds and their rights. One of her cases is the investigation of a series of murders suspected to have been committed by a breed. And Cabal and Cassa are trying the best to avoid each other. Until of course Mating Heat hits them with full force.

I didn’t like two things about this book:
- Cabal knew that Cassa was his mate and did nothing about it, while he was living happily his life having multiple relationships. He even used to share women with his brother Tanner (at least he helped him get his girl in “Tanner’s Scheme”).
- Cassa has to force the "I love you" from Cabal in the end.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It did not have a single dull moment.
And Dog is present and especially playful in this story.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Originally read 8/12/11*

I've found myself trying to reread this book a few times, hoping that I'll like it better than the first time around. I'm always left disappointed. :( I should like this book, based on glimpses of these characters in the past, but I don't. I was severely underwhelmed by their romance and found Cabal much less interesting and more of a jerk this time around. It sucks big time, because this was one of the books I anticipated the most.

I thought the first chapter was pretty great and that it set the stage for a pretty intense relationship. I also liked that the mating heat started in a very different way this time around. The symbolism of tasting his blood was a pretty clever way to induce it.

I didn't like that no clear reason was ever given for the 11 year resistance to the mating. They had been in close proximity before, so why was this time around so special? We were told that he held off the mating because he could sense her fear and knew she wasn't ready, then it flipped and we were told it was because he was trying to get over the past, but then it flipped again and he told her that he never really blamed her. So why then? Why is there no clear cut motivation for this? At one point he even mentions wishing desperately for a mate of his own, but earlier in the book he had said he thought of the mating as a curse and wished it would go away. I can't stand this back and forth inconsistency.

So, we find out that Cabal and Cassa mated years ago and both have been denying it--although Cassa wasn't aware that he knew they were mates. So why was he such a playboy? The monogamy of the breeds has been a huge factor in the series, and now it's just ignored when one of the characters strays from that? I needed to know why he felt the need to sleep with everything that moved. Cassa complains bitterly about it to herself, but we never actually get any resolution to this. He just brushes it off and she gets over it. I know they hadn't accepted the mating yet, but once again this felt inconsistent with what we had seen with the series so far.

I really disliked the fact that Cabal was constantly trying to control Cassa and keep her in a little bubble. It inevitably led her to do stupid things, like ignore good advice and strike out on her own, despite the danger. They both irritated me in this matter and I got tired of their bickering. I wouldn't have minded it so much if it had felt more important. But they had all the intensity of a wet blanket and felt like they were just going through the motions.

Having Cassa's husband be alive but not really married to her was such a lame cop out. I rolled my eyes over how easily (and stupidly) that issue was resolved.

I did like the discovery of the Primal breeds though, and the motivation of the "bad" guy. I like the grey of the situation and hope to see more develop on that front.

[MelissaB · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts about this book in one word: disappointment

I have been excited for Cabal's book since I first read about him and Tanner. But the Cabal shown in this story was not the man I knew from before. My biggest problems with the book:

- Cabal didn't seem to care about Cassa or her feelings. He left her alone for 11 years for reasons that were never really explained

- Cabal blatantly had sex with other women who rubbed it in Cassa's face for those 11 years but he never even apologizes or shows remorse about the pain he caused Cassa. He just gets mad at the thought that she married someone else before she even met him and never thinks about what he did to her. When she brings it up he acts like she is crazy to care about it. It seemed like Cabal only wanted Cassa for sex and didn't really care about her beyond that.

- He blames her for something that was clearly not her fault and only sort of admits at the end that it wasn't

Basically I felt like Cabal did not care and protect Cassa the way a Breed mate is supposed to. He only cared about his wants and feelings and never seemed to acknowledge that his actions hurt his mate for 11 freaking years. I was very diappointed in him and the whole plot line.

I hope the next book is better and shows a hero who cares about more than himself because this book just seemed to be "off", almost like the author forgot about the character she had previously created

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I start? Boy was I disappointed with this book. There was so much potential for Cabal and Cassa to have a great story but somehow the mark was totally missed. Let me start off by saying that the beginning of the book was great. I thought it was going somewhere but immediately it went off track.

I won’t go into the plot but I will say that the story became repetitive. Cassa and Cabal are both looking for a Rogue. She wants to report the story and he wants her out of the way. After ten years of their initial meeting, they finally mate (Both knew they were each other’s mate so I don’t know why the years long wait) and then the foolishness begins. I mean how many times can you beat a dead horse before you realize that horse is DEAD??? She kept going on and on about her story, putting herself in dangerous situations. Then Cabal would save her, fight with her about doing it, while she promised to get her story. How did they resolve it, you might wonder? Through sex of course! So after the sex, she rushes off to get into some more trouble and the cycle repeats.

This really was a waste of time. Also Cabal felt like a different character than when he was first introduced. Where was Tanner? I thought they were so close and were twins! He never made an appearance in the book. I thought that was slightly odd.

There was one highlight. My boy Jonas was there and I love me some him. We see who his mate is (though I already knew since his book is up next for me).

[Fre06 Begum · Rating 1 out of 5]

He knew Cassia was his mate and he still cheated! He never redeemed himself in my eyes.

[Asounani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Esto libros se están volviendo irritablemente predecibles, repetitivos, molestos y sin real sustento para querer seguir esta Saga.

Siempre lo mismo Casta se enamora de humano, Casta niega su conexión pero se empeña en estar cerca pero a la vez lejos del humano, pasa el tiempo negándose el uno al otro, siempre alguien quiere matar al humano o lógico al Casta, por lo que el Casta o lo secuestra o se vuelve su guardaespaldas y aquí comienza la formula de toda esta saga:

Conflictos, sexo, solo es el calor del acoplamiento, sexo, realmente no te amo, sexo, solo es genética no son sentimientos reales, sexo, Jonas siendo Jonas, sexo, marca de pareja, que hiciste!! como pude ser tan débil, sexo, esto no va a funcionar, sexo, como pude estar sin el o ella cerca, se que no lograre vivir en sin el o ella, sexo, se "quieren" pero que no lo dirán, más sexo y solo es genética porque nunca me ha dicho que me ama, esto es un 70% del libro luego aparece el malo que siempre estuvo oculto en las "sombras" y luego vamos a los ataques y como siempre el humano es herido y allí solo allí el Casta acepta que ama a su Humano y no solo es genética.

Se desasen del malo ya sea matándolo o enviándolo a alguna cárcel en este caso en el medio oriente. Luego se aman perdidamente y puede que la hembra este embarazada y listo esta es la trama en los libros.... Un epilogo que te deja con mas de lo mismo y normalmente es Jonas el que habla.

ESTO POR 20 LIBROS, LA MISMA FORMULA POR FAVOR han pasado 12 años según la historia y siempre es lo mismo cada vez que leo un libro encuentro asociaciones con otros, es demasiado difícil encontrar alguno que te llame la atención o te atrapen pero aun cuando lo hacen tienen esa formula y son 33 $#@!^!!!! Libros, que diantres sucede y se dirán porque sigues leyendo.

1. NOSÉ.
2. Porque quiero ver a algunos personajes con sus parejas ejemplo CABAL y si me lleve una gran decepción con este libro es fatal molesto y repetitivo.
3. Porque di ya llegue al 20 solo faltan 13 más y me carcome la curiosidad, si complejo esto.

[Smokinhotbooks K.C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

First let’s start with The Bad. The minute I finished this book I was on the phone with my partner in crime bemoaning my disappointments. Here was Cabal’s story, the nasty playboy Bengal tiger who spent most of the series steeped in compromising positions with his ménage-a-breed sexathons. And what do we get with his book, barely a mention of this side of him or why he was into such carnal pleasures of the flesh. We get a brief page all wrapped-up nice and tight and no closure or what-have-you’s of how he has suddenly changed his ways for his mate.

My bitch list is as follows “The Ugly”

1. Firstly, I am tired of having her side characters have a more enriching plotline than her actual main characters. She peaks your interest with such side characters and when their book comes out, wham, major disappointment. I don’t know what is happening but each book is the same cookie-cutter version of the last. You could literally predict the actual dialogue between the two characters and soap opera’esque fights between them.

2. Secondly, all of her male characters and female characters are interchangeable. Cabal’s character was so reminiscent of her previous male characters that I thought I had bought the wrong book.

3. Thirdly, let there be peace damn-it! As I stated before, there is nothing more I hate than what I term the Danielle Steele or Gone with the Wind Effect. Useless fighting until the last possible second when they realize they love each other is my utter pet peeve! I found myself skipping through all of the sex scenes (sacrilege for an erotica fan!) to speed up the parts to where an actual plot unfolds.

4. Lastly, I am tired of her having maybe three-four pages of actual plot development happen as an epilogue at the end of the book. She has a great concept going, but where is she going to go with it? We know that the breeds were tortured harshly and lived in inhuman conditions but seriously, after x amount of books we are still stuck on the nuances of mating heat? And when is a breed and a breed going to get a little action, seems to me, if human mates keeps fighting the effects of the mating heat then let’s move on to some women/male characters that are actually happy to have found a mate.

Now, I might have been a bit harsh and in need of some medicinal chocolate, but I just have read some of her earlier material that was truly innovative and captivating and I know she can do better than this! Her book Broken Wings is one of my favorites and is so rich in character and plot development that there is no comparison.

What I would like to see is more plot development, an actual difference between her female and male characters as well as sticking to their original identities created as side characters. I need more winged breeds; she mentioned them briefly in the beginning of this series and they have since disappeared. I’m also hoping for more stories with breeds that mate with other breeds. Her characters have undergone such atrocities and to be stuck with unwilling human harpies is just plain mean. I’m no bra-burning feminist (let’s not count college shall we) but the only female lead that actually had any gumption and wasn’t whining through half the book was Elizabeth from Elizabeth’s Wolf (My Fav)! That being said, I’m still on board to read her other books and I hopping for some more character diversity and to read about Jonas and Cassie stories!!!!

What I did like:

Despite my above ranting I did like some aspects of this book, as I am a loyal Lora Leigh fan and despite some bumps with this book I’m still game.

1. Rrrraw this Bangal has strips, me likey

2. Pay attention in the later part of the book, big 411 on Jonas’s mate is mentioned

My Scene Pick

It happend so fast and yet Cassa swore she watched each detail of movement as though in slow motion. She saw the only Bangal still standing, his enraged, demonic eyes spitting amber fire. Blodd dripped along his body. His face, his shoulders, the stripes that extended from his buttocks around his thighs – blood flowed over the heavy muscle and lean lines of his golden body. He lifted a broken steel stake and hurled it past the slowly opening cage door, swashing through the control room windows with deadly force.

He was the one the others had fought to save. She had watched as they had sacrificed themselves to save this one.

“I own you,” he growled again. It was the animal, not the man, she faced. This Breed was nothing like the civilized Breeds she had been following for so many months for the newspaper she worked for.

[Mojca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been waiting for this book since the epilogue (and sneak peak) in Coyote's Mate. Unfortunately I was rather disappointed with how this one turned out...And, yet again unfortunately, I can't pinpoint the exact "location" of my unhappiness with it.

This was a typical Lora Leigh Breed book with an arrogant, stubborn, I'm-always-right-because-I'm-a-man Breed and an equally stubborn, determined heroine.
Pity, I didn't feel the connection I usually feel with other Breed couples. And I also didn't feel the connection between Cabal and Cassa.

I actually understood (sort of) Cabal's justification for steering clear of her for the past eleven years - though he could've easily done it without the groupies. I actually quite like the Bengal...even more after he finally acknowledged what we all knew already and unleashed his "true self" on the world.

I had more problems with Cassa, connecting with her was impossible, understanding her even more so, because she didn't seem to understand herself, and her stubborn (almost suicidal streak) soon started grating on my nerves. For someone who's spent more than a decade in the company of Breeds she seemed particularly ignorant of what made them tick, especially when the mating heat was involved, and simply went on her merry way, not caring who she might hurt in the process - even if that individual happened to be her. I secretly even hoped something would befallen her just to shake the bi*** up and make her see reason.
And her constant "ping-ponging" with Cabal. God, it was so annoying. First she understood (or thought she did) why he'd kept his distance, thinking he hated her, because of course he hated her, he didn't have a choice, she destroyed his life, she betrayed him yadda-yadda-yadda. And in the same breath she raged at him because he found "solace" with others. Yeah, the last one bothered be as well, but constantly repeating the same old same old was just frustrating.
Haven't these people ever heard of communication?

I know all Breed books have some sort of misunderstanding in them, it helps create tension and conflict, but so far none of the previous couples needed an entire book length to sort their crap out.

This was a rather slow book, compared to the others in this series, mostly because of the pigheaded h/h. Luckily the finale was explosive as ever...And who can resist reading from the point when the Breed finally unleashes his animal on the cruel world who took his mate away?

Not the best, but still a solid addition to the series, giving us a precious little insight into what Jonas' book might bring.

[DaisyGirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

½ Star. Seriously.

I am saddened to say that Bengal’s Heart was the worst book in the series to date. Although I have disliked a few of the prior Breed books, this is the first that I actually struggled to finish. Other than the introduction of the primal breeds, this book was a waste of time. In short, the hero was a slutty jack-ass, the heroine was a contrary bitch who at times was TSTL, and the story was mind-numbingly boring.

***CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Cabal St. Laurents is a Bengal breed; his mate is investigative reporter Cassa Hawkins. Years ago, the man Cassa believed was her husband betrayed her and the breeds, resulting in a bloody massacre at the lab where Cabal is being held. He survives and is angry with Cassa for being duped. Fast forward eleven years. Cabal is a covert enforcer and the playboy of Sanctuary. Cassa is an investigative reporter who fights for Breed rights. Although they both know they are mates to each other, they avoid contact until Cassa starts receiving emails from a rogue breed who is brutally assassinating members of the Deadly Dozen (a group of men who hunted and sometimes raped and killed escaped Breeds). Cabal constantly thwarts Cassa's efforts to chase down the story because he fears for her safety. Since news of a rogue breed on a murderous rampage would be devastating to the breeds, Cabal works with Jonas to cover up the grisly murders until they can figure out what’s going on. Cabal finally decides to claim Cassa as his mate; she fights with him…they have sex…then she fights with him some more (repeat ad nauseum); finally, there’s a show-down with the evil-doers; Cassa is shot but survives; and they live HEA.

Here are my gripes with this story:
• H/H were so flat and uninspiring that I had a really hard time engaging with either of them; ¾ of the way through, I couldn’t care less if they lived or died (I actually preferred the latter).
• H/H were either bitching/whining/bickering or sexing it up. There were no in-betweens and, therefore, no character development.
• The arguments between the H/H were unfounded. Most of the time I couldn’t figure out what the hell they were fighting about or why. It was infuriating! Smokinhotbooks K.C. aptly described it as “useless fighting until the last possible second when they realize they love each other.” I strongly concur. In my effort to just get to the end, I too found myself skipping through all of the sex scenes.
• The plot was rife with inconsistencies. Half the time, H/H didn’t know whether they were coming or going. They'd have an epiphany or make an assertion and a couple pages later express utter confusion over the same freakin’ issue.
• For eleven years, Cabal was slutting it up with anything in a skirt – sometimes participating in ménages with his twin brother Tanner – despite knowing that Cassa was his mate. No explanation, however, was ever given for his behavior other than he was running from the mating. And although this obviously hurt Cassa, nothing ever came of it. He never acknowledged it and she got over it, I guess. WTF?!?
• The fact that Cassa’s husband (Douglas) was alive but not actually married to her was such a lame cop out, it was pathetic.
• Lastly, what was up with the Coyote breeds Del-Rey and Brim (heroes from one of my fave installments, Coyote's Mate)? LL would have us believe that they stood by during Douglas’s attempted capture of Cassa, watching while he hits and kicks her??? AS IF!!! In Coyote's Mate, Lora Leigh worked hard to get us to see that the much-despised coyotes were not without honor; to see that they were strong, loving, and protective breeds. Yet, here we are, two stories later and they’re being portrayed as little better than hired mercenaries working for Douglas. And, we're given little to no information as to why they are participating in this capacity. Gimme a break!!! There’s NO way in hell Del-Rey and Brim would have been so complacent in their protection of Cassa. This smacks of lazy writing to me. Grrrrrrrr.

On more than one occasion, I questioned whether LL was half asleep when she wrote this stupid book. There’s a point in the story where Cabal and Cassa get into a Raider that has been rigged with explosives and they only have seconds to escape. I was so disgusted with the story that I actually hoped they didn't make it. It would have been better had they both been blown to smithereens. At least it would have put me out of my misery. On a positive note, I didn't spend money on this book. It was a library loan; one I happily returned forthwith!

[Севдалина · Rating 5 out of 5]

Котешки породи #12 - Каса Хоукинс (Човек) и Кейбъл Лоурънс (Порода - Бенгалски тигър)

📣🚨🛑РЕВЮ СЪДЪРЖАЩО СПОЙЛЕРИ🛑🚨📣

Едва навършила пълнолетие, и малко след смъртта на родителите й, Каса се жени за мъж, смятайки, че е влюбена в него. Скоро обаче Дъглас показва истинската си същност. Ограничавайки и малтретирайки я, Каса се бои, че той не е това за което се е представял, но вярва, че имат едно нещо, което ги свързва и това е желанието да спасяват породи. Тя винаги е вярвала, че Дъглас споделя възгледите й поне за това, и когато е избрана да води репортажите за спасяване на породите Дъглас е изпратен като неин оператор. Мисиите обаче започват да се провалят, лабораториите които нападат биват предупредени за спасителите, и когато се оказват в лаборатория в която предупредените учени са изхвърлили породите в яма на смъртта, циментова килия от чийто стени изскачат остри като бръснач остриета превръщайки жертвите си в кървава пихтия, тя разбира, че именно съпруга й е предателят в редиците им. Единствената оцеляла порода, тази заради които са се борили другите породи да спасят е Кейбъл.

Станал свидетел на смъртта на семейството си, Кейбъл иска отмъщение и първото, което прави излизайки от ямата на смъртта е да убие съпругът на Каса, Дъглас. Нещо в него обаче му пречи да нарани жената предадена от съпруга си. Бенгалският тигър в Кейбъл му нашепва, че младата репортерка е неговата половинка, а когато изплашена, че ще бъде убита, Каса докосва капка от кръвта на Кейбъл и я облизва, тя подпечатва съдбата си.

Минават 11 години през които двамата ще се стараят да стоят далеч един от друг. Каса работи като репортер и се старае да показва добрите страни на породите, докато се бори с признаците на разгонването, което се е задействало в нея, след като е вкусила кръвта на Кейбъл.
Той от своя страна преминава през живота скачайки от едно легло в друго, споделяйки любовниците си с брат си без да се интересува какво се случва с половинката му. Когато обаче, в далечно планинско градче, убежище на породите от две десетилетия започват да се появяват трупове на мъже и Каса е подмамена там от жесток убиец, Кейбъл най-после ще трябва да се изправи пред истината и да предяви претенциите си над своята половинка.

Тази история е малко по-различна от останалите книги в поредицата. Имаше по-силен крими елемент. Историята за клането в деня на Свети Валентин преди 20 години беше много интересна. За това как още тогава цялото градче се е обединило спасявайки породи, за това как почти всички бяха намерили половинка в лицето на породите и за появата на 12те смъртоносни ловеца, които с изкривеното си, безмилостно съзнание са преследвали из горите породите като плячка, само за да ги намерят, да избият мъжете и поругаят жените, преди да върнат каквото е останало от тях на Съвета по генетика. Тук освен гледната точка на Каса и Кейбъл, проследихме и мотивите зад действията на убиеца, който се оказа Патрик, водачът на лъвският прайд намерил убежище в градчето. Преди 20 години, неговата половинка го е предала и смятайки, че спасяват млад Койот, прайда му попада в засада и всички са жестоко избити. Когато се спасява като по чудо, той се връща в дома си, където предателската му жена е била убита, заедно с акушерката доведена да изроди детето им, а самото дете е изчезнало взето от мъжете членове на Смъртоносната 12ка. Партик, или иначе познат с името Израел, започва да избива безжалостно хората от 12ката, веднага щом научава имената на част от членовете на смъртоносният отряд. Този, който е взел детето му е не кой да е Дъглас, мнимият съпруг на Каса (той така и не се е оженил истински за нея), който освен всичко друго не е и мъртъв, както мисли Каса. 11 години той е в затвор на породите, обездвижен от кръста надолу и все пак жив. Сега Патрик иска да примами Дъглас използвайки Каса, за да научи самоличността на останалите участници в групата и за да разбере къде е сина му.

Книгата беше доста динамична и вълнуваща. На моменти се дразнех на Кейбъл задето се държеше така кофти с Каса. Тя пък беше като магаре на лед и не искаше да помръдне ни напред ни назад в разбиранията и решенията си. В крайна сметка обаче всичко се подреди и за тях двамата.

Освен това, тук научихме за съществуването на Праймъл породите. Те са родените водачи, създадени така че да се размножават и да създават силни породи, като себе си. Кейбъл беше праймъл, затова когато пуснеше тигъра вътре в него на воля, по тялото му се появяват райета, а от пръстите му се показват страховити остри нокти. Това е нещо, което до сега не сме срещали в породите. Разбра се, че и Джонас е такъв и тъй като е лъвска порода, ще е интересно да видим какви животински белези проявява той.

Следващата книга е именно за него. Джонаааас. Чела съм я, но почти нищо не помня от нея, освен че половинката му е неговата асистентка Рейчъл, която когато се запознаха беше бременна. Май имаше нещо с това детето да бъде отвлечено. Не помня, но знам, че е супер, затова минавам към нея.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Breeds book. I liked the world-building enough that I’ll definitely read more of the series, even though I found the romance in this book to be a bit lackluster.


The book starts off with a bang by showing the heroine, Cassa, and her husband at some kind of lab facility. They’re part of a rescue team trying to save the Breeds being kept there, but instead arrived to find that their mission had been betrayed and all of the Breeds had been funneled into a horrific meat grinder and were all being cut to pieces before their very eyes while Cassa desperately tried to find a way to shut it off. It was only when her pleas for her husband to help her went unanswered that she realized he was getting off on watching the carnage and he was the traitor.

She called him on it and he sneered at her for being an idiot. Saying she was as much to blame as him because she’d been stupid enough to fall for his act and had gained him entry into the Breed rescue teams. Cassa is devastated and blames herself, wondering how she could have missed his true nature all this time. She also gives a hint that she’d lost faith in him as a husband and now realizes that she should have passed this feeling on to the rest of the team.

I had trouble reconciling the tough-as-nails person Cassa is in the rest of the book, with the completely weak and idiotic person she is in here. When she says this part about losing faith in him as a husband, I assumed she meant that she’d discovered he was cheating on her. And while that’s true, later in the book we also find out that he would regularly beat her as well. It’s really hard for me to believe that she could look at a guy who got off on beating and controlling her and still have no clue that he wasn’t 100% dedicated to the altruistic cause of saving the Breeds from similar abuse.

Only one Breed survives and it’s our hero, Cabal. He paralyzes the husband, then rushes over to thrash Cassa. He yells that this is all her fault, and she agrees and expects to be killed. However Cabal isn’t able to do it and instead says that he “owns” her. That her guilt, her debt, belongs to him since it was his pride that was killed, and one day he’d collect. She then touches his face, getting his blood on her hands and then tastes it, which I didn’t understand.

The story picks up 11 years later. Cassa is slipping into a compound run by the Breeds, something that shouldn’t be possible. Normally her scent would have given her away but someone sent her a bottle of pills in the mail, claiming that they would make her undetectable to the Breeds. It’s actually a serial killer who sent it to her, along with pictures and descriptions of his kills, but she still thinks nothing of taking the pills to see if he’s telling the truth. They could have contained literally anything, but she still did it. It’s kind of hinted at throughout the book that Cassa feels like she’ll never make up for her part in the massacre of Cabal’s pride and as a result, she takes risks that could easily get her killed. She’s dedicated her life to trying to help the Breeds, but she doesn’t really care all that much whether she dies doing it.

We also get hints here that Cassa and Cabal are destined to be mates but she knows that Cabal hates her and will never claim her as his mate. Or if he does, when the hormones are too strong for either of them to resist, it’ll be a purely physical connection, and she’ll spend the rest of her life unloved, but unable to be with any man but him.

She makes it all the way through all the guards at the compound and stops a mere few feet from Cabal and Jonas, the leader of the group, having a plot-convenient conversation about the very murders Cassa has been getting emails about. Jonas also ribs Cabal about Cassa being his destined mate. Cassa tells us, in her inner monologue, that Cabal has been screwing his way through legions of other women in the 11 years since he said he owned her. This is very unsavory part of their love story since we get a total double-standard here. Cassa hasn’t been with any man in all these years and Cabal makes a comment that, if she had, he’d have killed the man for daring to touch what was his. And yet it’s perfectly fine for him to screw every floozy on earth? BS.

We never get a satisfactory explanation for why Cabal was such a manwh0re either. At first he says it’s because he held her responsible for his pride’s death, then he had a huge hangup about the fact that she’d been married to and slept with her husband, then he talked about how being mated was a curse and he was trying to spare both of them, then he tells the readers that it was because he was afraid of what it would do to him if he lost her. So he was really all over the place on this subject and as a result, I just didn’t buy that he needed to bang hundreds of women just to get through the day.

Cabal and Cassa both separately go to a particular town where the murders have taken place. It was also the scene of a massacre some decades ago. There was a group of humans called the Deadly Dozen who liked to hunt Breeds for sport. Apparently 20 years ago there was a Breed-friendly group in this town who helped get Breeds who had escaped their captivity to safety. On that fateful night, they were lured out under the story that a coyote Breed needed their help and instead the Deadly Dozen massacred almost all of them. The serial killer who is operating is a survivor of that massacre. His mate was killed, which is agony to him, and their baby was cut from her womb, alive, and stolen. Apparently his mate was also in on the betrayal for some reason? It wasn’t really clear why she would do this but I guess that’s for a future book to explain. But making the Deadly Dozen pay and finding his son are what drives him.

Cassa heads to the scene of the most recent murder but is waylaid and chased by some coyote Breeds, the leader of whom is called Dog. Dog is kind of a wild card throughout this whole story. He pops up whenever the author needs to shake things up, but we’re never told why he’s there and his actions don’t seem to make any sense that I can see. We’re also frequently told that he’s on nobody’s side but his own and he seems to like to scare Cassa and anger Cabal. He also seems to deliberately force Cabal to claim Cassa as his mate, for some reason.

And it works. The longer Cassa and Cabal are in close proximity to each other, the higher their hormones rage and the harder it becomes for them to resist each other. Eventually, in another encounter with Dog where he threatens to kiss Cassa, just to piss off Cabal, Cabal grabs her away from the other man and holds her for too long. They pass some kind of point of no return and can’t stop the mating process. They barely make it back to the hotel before having the most intense, pleasurable and all-consuming sex of either of their lives and Cabal bites her shoulder, which gives her a permanent mating mark that she’ll carry for life.

The middle part of the book gets a bit tedious. Cabal keeps trying to tell Cassa to leave town so that she’ll be safe and she keeps insisting that she’s going to stay in order to get the all-important story. I’ve never really connected with reporter heroines in romance novels who insist on putting themselves in danger for a story, it always feels contrived. Subsequently, all the numerous arguments she and Cabal had about it also felt tedious and contrived. And they fought A LOT. Basically any time they weren’t screwing each other, they were fighting. Both kept information about their investigations to themselves, but Cabal more than her.

We also don’t get much in the way of intimacy or declarations of feelings. They both curse the mating hormones that bring and keep them together. Cassa rebels against Cabal’s attempts to keep her caged, and he can’t stop thinking about how she’d slept with her evil husband and is determined to keep himself as separate from her as possible. Cassa feels very hopeless and lonely because she knows she’ll never have Cabal’s heart. And now that they’re officially mated, she physically can’t be with another man, ever. It’s not just that Cabal would never allow it, it’s physically agony for her to be touched by another man.

In between all the sex, Cassa interviews a couple of locals. One is a fellow reporter named Myron whom she’s worked with before and the other the local sheriff named Danna. Neither is very forthcoming with information. The book meanders on with a lot of fruitless investigating, a ton of fighting between Cabal and Cassa and quite a few very steamy sex scenes. The third or so time they bang, it’s at Cabal’s cabin and Cabal does his usual “mine” routine but Cassa disagrees and instead says that SHE owns HIM, then they bite each other. Afterward Cabal seems to feel like their relationship has crossed into some kind of new phase, which I didn’t understand.

Afterward, Jonas shows up and they talk about the case and can’t understand how the killer is managing to not leave his scent at any of the crime scenes. Then Cassa says from the doorway that she knows how, and almost gets shot by the twitchy men because she’d taken one of the pills and therefore they hadn’t smelled her coming. This pisses Cabal off for the two hours it takes for the pill’s effect to wear off because being able to smell his mate is a primal need for him.

Moving on, we’ve found out through Cabal’s conversations with Jonas that Cassa’s husband is actually still alive. He’s paralyzed from the waist down, but he’s lived in a Breed-controlled prison for the last 11 years. We’re also told that he was never actually married to Cassa. That he’d hired an actor to pose as the minister and also faked the license. Which seemed like an unbelievable cop-out on the author’s part to me. I mean, why would he go to all that trouble when he planned to kill Cassa after he affected his betrayal at the start of the book?

But anyway, the reader knows the husband is still alive, but Cassa doesn’t. Even after Dog basically spells it out for her, she STILL doesn’t catch a clue that the reason the serial killer involved her in the affair was because he wanted to lure her husband. Then Cabal goes off to work with Jonas, telling Cassa to just sit in the hotel room and stay safe. She pretends to accept this and the minute he’s gone, she leaves. She’d called in one of her favors in order to get Dog to meet with her again, but Cabal turns up just in time to hear Cassa realize her husband is alive. Then Jonas arrives and Cassa finally decides to assert her rights as Cabal’s mate to demand to go wherever he goes. This apparently garners the respect of everyone there, including Cabal.

Then we’re treated to some musings from Cabal about how he thinks this was what was holding him back with his relationship with Cassa. He wanted her to demand his respect, to be treated like an equal, as a mate should be, whereas she was expecting him to automatically treat her with respect. This whole passage confused me because literally the entire book Cassa had been standing up to Cabal and fighting to be treated like an equal, not some princess to be kept in an ivory tower. So I didn’t understand why he was claiming that only NOW she was demanding respect. And I also didn’t understand what “holding back” he was referring to. Like, was he saying that the whole 11 years where he screwed everything that moved, it was all her fault for not demanding that he claim her as his rightful mate?? Basically Cabal comes off sounding like a total @ss.

So finally Jonas lets her in the full details of the massacre and it’s treated like some huge revelation, even though she had already learned virtually all the information herself prior to this. They do show her a video of her husband raping a breed mate to death, and while Cassa is sickened, it shouldn’t have been such a big reveal for her since she’d already known he was involved and was fully aware of how sadistic he was about Breeds. Then Jonas reveals that her husband has been allowed to “escape” from prison because they want to draw out the serial killer. They also say that he’s specifically coming right to the town they’re in because he wants Cassa. That he’s been going ballistic since he found out that she’d mated with a Breed.

Cassa and Cabal head back to the hotel room after this and even though Cassa was supposedly completely shattered that Cabal had kept info about her husband from her, she just totally gets over it once they’re alone. The hormones are just too strong, apparently. But even that doesn’t really wash since she’s not just reluctantly swept up in an animalistic frenzy, she actually playfully takes the lead on their lovemaking. I didn’t buy it. Afterward Cabal realizes he’s in love with her, but doesn’t say it.

The next morning, they head out to their car and at the last second realize there’s a bomb in it. They both get out in time, but in the smoke and confusion, Cassa is kidnapped. Cabal goes berserk, but not quite to the extent I would have expected. He goes to Danna’s house and interrogates her and Myron, but just leaves them tied up and unconscious afterward. Then he uses their Sat-phone to locate the cabin where Cassa is being held, but by the time he gets there, she’s already been moved.

The bad guys have arranged an exchange with Cassa’s husband. If he provides information on the killer’s stolen son, they’ll hand over Cassa to do with as he sees fit. The exchange takes place, and even though Jonas had previously said that the coyotes who helped her husband escape were actually planted good guys and part of Jonas’s team, they still help the husband recapture Cassa when she tries to run. I didn’t understand why that happened. Cabal finally arrives when the fighting is almost done and the serial killer just disappears into the night. Cabal was going to give chase, but Cassa turns up shot and it looks like she’s dying. He cradles her in his arms while she tells him she loves him. A quick surgery later, she’s okay and Cabal says he loves her too, HEA.

All in all, it was an okay story. There were quite a few unbelievable things in it, like the villain getting away in the end, despite Jonas having men all over the forest. And some stuff that seemed to go nowhere, like the drugs that mask a person’s scent. There seemed to be a lot of repetition too, with information being given multiple times, but everyone acting like it was the first they were hearing it. There were also several references to the fact that Cabal being a Bengal meant something out of the ordinary when it came to mating with Cassa, but that never gets explained either. Cassa and Cabal’s relationship felt pretty lackluster too. Neither one of them ever really thought about the other’s personality or anything else they might love about each other. It was all about the physical lust and hormones. I’ll still try more of the series though.

[Zeek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been hankering for Cabal's story ever since Tanner's Scheme. Larger than life, he became one of those characters everyone waits anxiously for- which can be a boon for an author...or set them up for failure.

Unfortunately, this one falls in the latter category for Lora Leigh.

Bengal's Heart by Lora Leigh

Years ago Cassa Hawkins played an integral part of the rescue of Cabal St. Laurent from the compound he was being held captive in. Because of a heinous betrayal by the man she thought was her husband- no other Breed survived the bloody rescue and Cabal can never forgive her for it.

Years later, Cassa has become a famous investigative reporter fighting for Breed rights- still trying to make up for her husband's betrayal. When she receives a tip about some killings apparently done by a rogue breed she rushes in to get to the bottom of the story, only to be headed off by the one Breed who holds her heart.

Cabal knows Cassa is his mate- has known it for some time- but he's run from that fact ever since her husband's evil deeds led to the bloody massacre of his family back in the genetic's council compound he was created in. A rare breed, created by splicing the genes of humans with a Bengal tiger his skills as a covert Breed spy has kept him on the path of danger since his rescue. When Cassa begins meddling in his latest mission, he knows it's time to face the one woman he's fated to be with forever. But can he trust her with his love when she was at the center of so much of heartache in the past?

A bit of a disappointment, as she's done with some of her other series, Lora Leigh once again "phones it in" with Bengal's Heart- at least in the way of character development. Usual fare for Leigh's Breed series- too much fighting what they both know to be "fated"- however the side issues brought the book up from being something I would have felt otherwise "blah" about.

Leigh reveals more about the Breed world and gave us some answers involving some of the most intriguing characters in the series, leaving us with a tantalizing teaser for the Jonas Wyatt's story- the next full length novel up in the series. Jonas has become the "Acheron" (See Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter Series) for many of those following this series so it's going to be a biggie- however, as many of us who have been around the genre for awhile have seen- a much anticipated story like Jonas's can only lead to disappoint I'm afraid- especially considering the quality of Bengal's Heart.

Still, with it's development of the Breed world and the rogue breed plot, I raced through this book quicker than a recent popular paranormal romance I read.

[Aberforth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but the series is just becoming the same old crap over and over again. Alpha male meets and mates with strong female. They fight the attraction until essentially their bodies turn on them and they can't help but screw. They have lots of wild sex and eventually realize they're in love when someone (usually the dumb female who thinks it's a good idea to ignore the advice of people WHO MAKE A LIVING PROVIDING SECURITY and venture out on her own when someone's trying to kill her) becomes kidnapped and/or hurt. I love the basic idea of the series which is why I keep going with it. I just wish the author would at some point in time find a new plot line. There's really no reason to root for these two to get together... we learn nothing about their personalities besides him being the typical alpha male exactly like the rest (except apparently a bit more hardcore with stripes down his face and retractable claws) and her being an annoyingly stubborn reporter. The only things they seem to have in common are stubbornness and lack of ability to communicate with their lover.

[Gigi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I was disappointed. I loved loved Tanner's Scheme. Not sure what happened here. I actually put the book down out of boredom and picked it up a few months later- just to skim the rest to read the ending. After reading a little bit of Cabal in Tanners Scheme, I expected much more from Cabal. Even though Cabal was supposed to be the fiercest of the both--Tanner came off as the fiercer of the two and Cabal just fell short to me. Oh and Cassa was just annoying. I love the breed series--but, Bengal's Heart is definitely on my least liked list. If you're a fan of the series, I say borrow someone elses book.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassa Hawkins has always been supportive of breeds and their rights, and being a journalist has always tried to put them in the positive light as much as possible. However the breed's have never made it easy for her, and for years she has resisted Cabal, who if he decided to claim her she would be his mate. Having to suffer with the hormone treatments to regulate the symptoms of the heat, the past several years haven't been easy on her especially when seeing him with countless women. So when Cabal decides to claim her as his mate now, Cassa resists because she doesn't want to be part of a 'harem' of women, only now not only is their danger to her heart there is also danger circling around her when their lives are threatened, and they must work together if they want to get to the bottom of what is really going on...Bengal's Heart is the 19th in the Breeds series. There are some books in this series that I have like more or less than others, but I truly enjoyed reading Bengal's Heart. There was a lot of steamy scenes that could singe your eyebrows if you're not careful, however there was also focus on the romantic relationship between Cabal and Cassa which I enjoyed even more. The interaction between these two could be intense but also make a reader laugh. I loved the humor in this story that the author portrayed, and I loved the plot, never a dull moment would sum it up pretty nicely. One of my other favorite aspects to the book was that there was a mystery to be solved, and I have always had a weakness for a good mystery, so there were multiple reasons that I enjoyed Bengals Heart. Overall an enjoyable read, with exciting scenes and deep connection between the characters and a few steamy scenes makes for a Amazing Romance that only Lora Leigh can produce.

[Lori S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really bad. I have no problem with dark stories, which this one is, but the author keeps repeating the same theme over and over with amazing repetitiveness. There is actually very little plot or story between the overly enthusiastic scenes between the main characters in bed (or anywhere else for that matter). Bleh.

Characters, both main and secondary, are dull and the landscape doesn't really come through very well.

I understand this series is popular and that this is the 19th book in it, but really? I'm very glad I could borrow it instead of wasting $8 on a paperback.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 3.5*

[Jac K · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Painfully Frustrating Stars
I picked this up for .99, and I’m glad, because I would be IRKED if I had forked out $8. (I’m cheap) Bengal’s Heart is reporter Cassa, and Bengal enforcer Cabal’s story…. And boy what a let down after Coyote's Mate, one of favorite from the series. Most of my frustration was due to the main characters, which aren’t super likeable, and the mounds of conflicting/nonlogical info that we’re fed. Needless to say, this book is frustrating with undesirable mc’s, and history being rewritten. Unfortunately, if you’re into the series you need the Breed stuff to keep up, (ends in a cliffy) so I’m doing something I never do which is spoiling the whole damn thing to save someone from having to suffer through it. This review will be LONG with tons of text. So, if you don’t want to know what the book is about…. STOP HERE

The book starts eleven years earlier with most of Cabal’s “family/pack” being murdered when Cassa’s abusive husband (that she brought along as her camera man) double crosses her and starts killing everybody. So, from the get, we have to accept that a reporter/camera-man duo would be the front line in a massive rescue mission. 🤔 But, this sets up all the Cassa/Cabal drama…because…SURPRISE… they’re mates and now they have this obstacle.

Cassa was portrayed with such conflicting personalities. For instance, she “says” she feels guilty about her part, BUT, her actions/attitude doesn’t really reflect that. I don’t think she should be blamed, but I do feel like she should feel some sort of guilt for being indirectly responsible for the death of 24 Breeds. And, being angry, sneaking around, being confrontational, feeling entitled, and constantly defensive doesn’t scream regret. Along the same line, we’re told she wants to research the mystery (Breed killing humans) because she wants to protect the Breeds, but her actions don’t back that up. She’s digging around into something that could really hurt their standing with humans, purposely keeping information from them- including a drug that could put Breeds in serious danger, talking/sharing info with others (her reporter friend, the sheriff, Dog) that she doesn’t know are trustworthy, and constantly DEMANDING information that she feels entitled to (why I have no idea) for her story. Which is all that her actions show she cares about… Her. Damn. Story. We hear about it over and over again, and she’s CONSTANTLY upset because someone is blocking her out of information for writing her story. (until it disappears from the plot towards the last 10-15%) She repeatedly puts herself in TSTL situations, bitches when Cabal gets overprotective as he’s rescuing her… she’s independent and WILL NOT be controlled… until her ass is kidnapped. Then she’s waiting for him to come save her…. Sigh…

For his part Cabal lost his personality. He’s flat, and not very likeable. In trying to make him damaged and emotionally unavailable, she made him one dimensional. What little personality he does display… is mostly bossy grunts and directions. She also gave us ZERO discussion, insight or for why Cabal didn't go after his mate for 11 years. Not to mention, the never-ending reminders of him sleeping around made it pretty much impossible to like him. I kept waiting for some type of explanation for how he acted the previous books, but it never comes. Which leads me to my biggest grump.

A common problem with many of these multi-book/multi-year series is that the author's fail to remember, or start to change world building facts. I can overlook changing a character’s appearance, or tweaking past situations to fit, but conflicting mate facts is a pretty big deal. We’ve been told in the past that mates don’t age, and can’t stand for others to touch them. This has been hammered home with the “mating heat” and how past characters have muddled through it alone when they have relationship problems (like Del-Ray and Anya ) rather than just finding a warm bed. Well, imagine my SHOCK when after reading about Cabal and his numerous dalliances throughout the years that he’s known Cassa was his mate all this time. WTF (how could Scheme be Cabal’s mate if he already had one ??) I do remember Seth doing something similar in Dawn’s Awakening, and I can’t remember how that was explained away, but I do know that isn’t the norm. What makes it worse is that him whoring around is brought up A LOT, and it’s NEVER explained or addressed, which I found super annoying. What was the point of repeatedly bringing it up, and reminding us OVER and OVER if neither Cabal or L.L were going to shed any light on how this is possible??!! Here are a few examples, but there are more…

Her mate was standing in front of her, and he was known as the Breed poster boy for sexual excess. The son of a bitch had had more women under his belt in the past eleven years than most men could achieve in two lifetimes.

“You tomcatting, whore-mongering snake.”

Hell yes, she was jealous. Every time she turned around there was another woman on his arm. Even after she had learned about the mating heat, and learned that the reaction had begun all those years ago in that facility, still, he’d ignored her. She’d begun taking the hormonal treatments to contain the arousal that bloomed inside her at the most awkward times, while Cabal had satiated his lust with other women.

Damn you,” she panted brokenly. “You’ve screwed everything in sight for eleven years. You’ve ignored this. Ignored me.” And she hated him for it.

Rumor came from all the damned bigmouthed women who thought they had to brag about sharing his bed. From the women who had touched him when he belonged to her. The women he had warmed through the nights when she had lain alone, wishing, dreaming, regretting.

“Because I didn’t like the games you played?” She arched her brows. “You and your brother are known for more than your good looks, Cabal. Playing with your toys together is one of the nicer descriptions that I’ve heard of your little playdates.”

“You mean all those snickering little debutantes you’ve fucked over the years didn’t dare mention them to you all? Why, Cabal, they were quite remiss.

“I never was one to enjoy playing second best.” … “How many women have you had since you first suspected I was your mate, Cabal? One dozen? Two?” “At least make the number believable,” he snarled back at her.

“The number is very believable to me,” she stated coolly. “Really, Cabal, your lack of fidelity amazes me. I thought Breed males were supposed to be faithful from the moment they first realize who their mates are. What? Are you an exception to the rule? Need a harem rather than a mate, do you?”

“You were just fucking your way through the world. I understand.” And she hated it.

“With every woman in the continental United States,” she bit out querulously. “Maybe I should have taken your example and chosen a few lovers myself.”

This clearly bothers her…what do we get from him…

“I would have killed any man that I suspected shared your bed.” Cassa shook her head. She wanted to argue that point, she wanted to rage over the years she had watched him screw his way through the groupies that followed the Breeds around. (Too bad she didn’t argue the point. She had sex which is what she always does rather than have a discussion.)

Jolian… She had died as she attempted to fix a misunderstanding that she feared had angered Cabal. Because she had been infatuated with him. Because she hadn’t wanted him upset with her. She had given her life to explain that to Scheme… He’d cared for her, even though he hadn’t wanted to admit to himself that he had. Not as a mate, not really even as a lover… She had died feeling unloved, unwanted and, even worse, untrusted by the man she had thought she loved. (This is also from Tanner’s book and confused me. When Jolian died he felt guilty for not giving her a chance, but he had a mate (??) Again, WTF. I feel like this was a lazy way of addressing the conflicting info and trying to smooth over with the “not as a mate, not even a lover” part, but it’s not enough for me. I’m still left with him feeling guilty for not giving a woman that loved him a chance, and that she died feeling unloved and unwanted. BUT Not feeling guilty for avoiding his mate for 11 years while she felt unloved and unwanted, and had to take hormones to get by.)

Just getting his rocks off wasn’t going to be enough with this woman, as it had been with others. (🤦‍♀‍)

No matter the reason—chemical, biological or just plain fate—she would please this Breed as no other woman could. The womanizing, charming and fierce Cabal St. Laurents would never know pleasure like he knew with her, simply because she was his mate.

“You believe I didn’t claim you because of something so trifling as a desire for other women?” His fingers flexed on her arms. (Sadly, this goes nowhere. Like always they have sex rather than having a discussion.)

Bottom Line- The only time I could root for Cassa was when she threw the OW at him, but she never followed through, so it was pointless. She let me down. I also couldn’t care for stale Cabal that has been a Casanova for several books. He sucks too. There was no building of a relationship. They were either fighting/bickering or having sex. Throw in all the conflicting info and lack of discussions…and this was a miss for me. BIGTIME


Breed Going-Ons-MAJOR SPOILERS

The book revolves around a mystery surrounding a Breed that is killing humans called the Dirty Dozen. Cassa is sent pills that removes all scents, and pictures of the kills. Cassa uses the pills to eavesdrop on Jonas and Cabal discussing this. Specifically, how damaging it would be if humans learn a rogue Breed is killing humans. She uses this info and sneaks off to Glen Ferris, WV… Hawk’s Nest State Park where the killings are taking place, and where the former mayor, David Banks, a proponent of Breed rights was missing. She wants to find the dead body, so she can get pictures for leverage (her words and another example how her actions don’t reflect being faithful to Breeds) before Jonas can “erase all proof” that a Breed killed a human. (RIP-evil reverend H.R. Alonzo- who was the great-grandson of the man that originally donated his sperm to create the first Breeds)

She’s intercepted by Dog and his Coyote crew, and saved by Cabal. The next morning the news says the reverend was found dead in an accidental fire at his home in another state. Cassa, is pissed that she didn’t get her leverage…meets up with an old local reporter friend, Myron James to pump for info. Meanwhile we get a scene from the killer (Death), mentions a dead mate. And this… She shrugged negligently… “I did the others. The doctor, the lawyer, the sheriff and the mayor, the police officer.” The words were a sigh of pleasure, almost of ecstasy. “It was good, Alonzo. I tasted their fear, I feasted on their blood. And it was good.” Six down. Six to go.

Stuff happens, another dude is killed (evil ex-CIA agent Cash Winslow- 7 down) Cassa eavesdrops again, finally tells them about the pills. Sneaks behind their backs to contact Dog who tells her that her ex-hubs (Douglas Watts) is still alive. He’s been in prison paralyzed all this time. (she assumed he was dead because Cabal threw a rod in his back in the prologue) Oh, and they weren’t legally married, so whew that cleans that up. No need for a divorce-yay. He’s just escaped with help from Coyotes. Cabal is upset, Cassa keeps sneaking out when clearly someone lured her there to kill her. She acknowledges this to herself as well, but doesn’t seem to care. Cabal tells her if she dies as his mate, he will want to die also. There will be no other for him. (which is weird since he’s been having sex when tons of girls that weren’t his mate, and reporter dude Myron has a dead mate, and now he’s married with kids-but as usual no clarification) she doesn’t really seem to care about this either. This is her job; she needs to get her story.

Meanwhile we get this from Death. As far as Death was concerned, Cassa was as much a part of the Deadly Dozen as her husband had been, and she would have to die. More stuff happens, then we get the money shot scene. Death is Patrick Wallace a Breed that supposed to be dead, and is meeting with sheriff Danna Lacey, and Myron. Which is confusing because earlier “she shrugged” so was that a typo, or did the author purposely give us misleading info to throw us off for ¾ of the book? We learn that Patrick/Death (a lion primal) had a mate Serena who betrayed them that resulted in the Breed massacre 20 years earlier. Serena was giving birth to his child, and killed by Douglas, and his son was cut out of her belly and taken. He also raped Myron’s mate, Illandra, until she died and their baby (preggers) died. Sheriff Dana also had a mate (Death’s brother) who was killed the same night, so they’re all pissed looking for revenge. Death needs Douglas to tell him where his son is. During this meeting Death totally flips his stance on Cassa with…“She’s not to be hurt.” He hardened his voice, injected the steel needed to ensure that his orders were carried out.

Cassa is kidnapped by Death/Patrick/Azrael (lab name) now he’s angry again, and doesn’t care if she dies. 🤷‍♀‍ In walks Walt Jameson and the missing mayor (they’re both in on it too) Death/Azrael agrees with Douglas who’s in town now like the next day from the Middle East to trade Cassa for the location of his son. (he can also walk now because of some spine implant) 🙄 During the trade off Cassa notices the coyote team are Mutt (Dog’s man) and Brim (Del-Rey’s man) Del-Rey is there too, but for some reason they allow Douglas to chase Cassa down and hit/kick/shoot her while doing nothing. 🙄🙄 Death gets away. Watts is recaptured, and oh no, his spine implant melted…he’s paralyzed again. We get no info on what happens with Danna, Myron, ex-mayor, or Walt. Cassa’s in surgery. Rachel strolls up with Jonas (Cabal knows they’re mates) Rachel says “She’s not a doll. You won’t put her on a shelf and dictate how she can or cannot live. If you do, Cabal, you’ll lose her.” (What is up with these mouthy bitches)

Cassa survives. Four of Cabal’s Breeds survived from the beginning-yay. All is forgiven..they love each other. Random fact- Death is a primal. Jonas is primal, Cabal is a primal. Douglas is back in prison, being interrogated by Jonas. He promised to kill him if he cooperates… He tells Jonas that Death had a son. “He was sold to this couple.” He gave their names easily. “They died. The report I have is that he has an older sister that disappeared with him a few years ago. I wasn’t able to find out more.” And Jonas believed him. Jonas refuses to kill him. THE END

[Lindap · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.50 / 2 Stars

I read for entertainment and many times small details slip by me, but that's okay, I still enjoy what I read as a whole. However, I was a bit confused with some of the things that happened in Bengal's Heart. Cabal is a horn dog and has shared women with his twin brother, Tanner. Then during Tanner's Scheme, Tanner thought Scheme could have been his brother's mate and was willing to give her up if that was the case. Why would Tanner not know Cabal already had a mate? Lastly, there was a female breed they thought may have been the mole at Sanctuary, but she ends innocent, but dies in the book.....this breed loved Cabal and he was grieving because he didn't give her a chance. So tell me, how could he do and feel all this if he knew Cassa was to be his mate all these years ago. No, they hadn't had the mating sex/bite, but Cabal still knew. Why all of a sudden is he interested in her after 11 years? Cassa also thinks Cabal is the one who covertly asked other Breeds to help train her so she would have some form of defense. Why would he concern himself with training her when he's so busy having sex with any skirt that walks by? The story was very contradicting.

On the plus side...there was more breed action in this one, which I liked.

[Willow Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Lora Leigh (other than her menage stories) so I did really like this book. But if it wasn't Lora Leigh and I hadn't read all but 2 Breeds books already, I don't know if I would have given this more than 3 stars. This wasn't the most tightly plotted of Leigh's books (the sex is also quite tame for her). Nonetheless, I love the series and always want to learn the latest that is going on with the Breeds. The Genetics Council and other enemies keep getting more threatening which adds to the suspense. It can be hard to read about the atrocities committed against Breeds and Bengal's Heart is no exception. As often happens with Leigh, the book begins with a truly horrific scene. This is a dark world, but the stories are still filled with hope and love.

Leigh, bless her twisted little imagination, sets up the book's protagonists with an almost impossible roadblock to a happy ending. They are destined to be mates but Cassa inadvertently helped bring about the brutal deaths of virtually all of Cabal's family. Cabal's motivation for how he behaves towards Cassa (avoiding her for 11 years, does he or doesn't he blame her for his family's deaths?) are not clear. Even at the end when he is very open about his feelings, it doesn't all fall into place for why he acted the way he did for over a decade.

I've noticed that some reviewers found Cassa annoying, especially in her determination to investigate murders taking place. I thought her motivations were better understood than Cabal's and her reckless streak understandable based on what she has been through in life.

Like many readers, I'm eagerly waiting for Jonas' story (months and months away --GAH!). I was also very intrigued by the mysterious, dangerous, unpredictable Dog. He is all kinds of shades of gray. Walks like a bad guy, talks like a bad guy but is he?

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lora Leigh delivers her signature mix of hot sex and page turning action. Cabal is the requisite hunky hero but you've got to wonder what gene controls stubborn pigheadedness. It's pretty obvious the Breeds all got a double-dose. Cabal has been avoiding completing the mating with Cassa for eleven years - while watching over her from afar. Now her time, and his, has come; if they can only live long enough to enjoy it.

The plot revolves around a series of murders which the Breeds are trying to solve while keeping them from becoming public as they are obviously Breed kills. A lot of painful history is brought to light and some threads are laid down for future books. The way that the supporting character, Dog, is presented makes it obvious that there is a book out there for him. One of the more amusing bits is Jonas' negative comments at the whole mating thing when we know that his book is up next...

Breeds
1. Tempting the Beast (2003)
2. The Man Within (2004)
3. Elizabeth's Wolf (2005)
4. Kiss of Heat (2004)
5. Soul Deep (2004)
6. The Breed Next Door (2005) (in Hot Spell)
7. Megan's Mark (2006)
8. Harmony's Way (2006)
9. Tanner's Scheme (2007)
10. Wolfe's Hope (2004) (in Primal Heat)
11. Jacob's Faith (2003)
12. Aiden's Charity (2007)
13. In a Wolf's Embrace (2007) (in Beyond the Dark)
14. Dawn's Awakening (2008)
15. A Jaguar's Kiss (2008) (in Shifter)
16. Mercury's War (2008)
17. Christmas Heat (2008) (in The Magical Christmas Cat)
18. Coyote's Mate (2009)
19. Bengal's Heart (2009)
20. Lion's Heat (2010)

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really the first time I was disappointed by a Lora Leigh book. When she first describes the killer "Death" it is completely female. She even uses the word "she" several times in each description of the revenge murders. But it turns out to be a Male breed. I even went back to the beginning chapters just to make sure I read it right.
Other than that, it was the same story as her previous books. Breed and mate fight for most of the book, the human mate is kidnapped, one of them is shot, and the last few pages declare their love for one another.
I will continue to read her Breed books, since I've been following them from "Tempting the Beast", but it would be nice if she changed it up a little bit with the story line.

[Pansy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure why Ms. Leigh wrote this book. It did not make any sense. I did not connect with either Cabal or Cassa. They argued constantly and finally at the very end the connect. It was the typical ending. I just was not happy that they got together.

I enjoyed the side characters better than the lead characters. The lighthearted Cabal that I enjoyed in Tanner's Scheme was no where to be found. We first got a glimpse of Cabal in Sherra and Kane's story and I thought he was adorable. In this book, he was serious and always angry.

The book just did nothing for me. It seemed that it was written just to put a check in the "to do" box.

I am praying "Lion's Heat" is better than this. I love Jonas and hope that she does him justice.

[Adoore · Rating 2 out of 5]

The overall story and the things revealed to us the readers was great. I just could not get into the couple Cabal and Cassa. To me Cassa was just to annoying I could not stand her and I just did not feel the passion with Cabal I found myself skipping their sexual encounters something I never do. I do want to know more about the primal lion Rick and his son.

[Cindyg · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, this was so good. I tell you, Ms. Leigh writes likes no ones business. Just loved this one. It's a must read.

[Biggest Little Book Talker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is the Lora Leigh I know and love! I was getting worried after the last few books but now we are getting somewhere!
A reporter from one of the first books, Cassa, and one of the beloved naval brother,Cabal, have been avoiding each other for years.
They fight off the mating heat until they have to come face to face with it, all the while people from a notorious group are slowly turning up dead. The past has come back with a vengeance and it’s all a game of who will get to the end first. So much action and suspense and mystery, I can’t wait for the next book!
The only reason this is not 4 stars is because the timeline was a bit off. In Tanner’s Scheme, aka Cabals brother; Canal was disappointed because he thought him and his brother with share a mate aka Scheme. This book kinda messes that up but regardless I still really enjoyed it.
🌶️🌶️

[Rise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bengal's Heart

I was really annoyed with most of this story because of Cassa's character. She was really a stubborn chick. Sometimes I wish LL would have chosen another person I this story because Cassa's would never do ask she was asked. Her being so damn nosy as a journalist could have caused her to end up in a bad situation. I'm really giving this story a 4.5 because I think Cassa's story somewhat over did things for me. I know we woman can be stubborn at times, but I guess it did not interest me on this particular book.