Piper is a librarian at Sacramento State working on her graduate thesis, but her quiet life turns upside down when three hot guys literally crash into her world. They move into her house and her life, telling her she's wanted by a demon and a witch for her pharaoh's blood. She just didn't realize how much they would take over her life in the name of protecting her.
Piper is overwhelmed by the paranormal world and everything in it, including the fact that somehow all three of these guys are her mates. She has two weeks to find a way out of a demon contract and figure out how she's going to deal with all three of these domineering shifters in her life and in her apartment. Will Piper be able to save herself and the pride she's grown attached to before it's too late?
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I totally fell in love with this book from the very first page! We meet Piper a librarian after my own heart since I am one too which may make me a little biased towards her character but it was like an instant connection the character was written so well. Just as we are getting to know her some really crazy things start happening that involve three sexy leopard shifters that claim to be her mates. Since she is human this is overwhelming as she is thrown into the deep end of the paranormal pool. The cop dad was great as he rolled with it while doing his protective thing at the same time. The slow development between them all was nice yet it heats up when it is time too. Overall this is just the perfect blend of world building, characters, fantasy, and magic that creates a truly incredible book. If you like this genre then this is a must read!! My only complaint is that it is a stand alone as I really wanted more. Hopefully we will at least get more books set in the same world at a future date. In case you can't tell I totally loved it so it gets 5/5 stars.
This was cute. I had some problems with how possessive the guys were for just meeting her, but it is a standalone, so I made some concessions for the insta-love. Cute and of course I couldn't pass up a book with a librarian as a character.
DNF 26% The reason? There was a lot of "telling". Almost every chapter switched views and although that would've been great had it been done right but the beginning of each chapter was a lot of "this is what happened to me in the past and is the reason why Piper disappearing freaked me out" and how amazing they think she is. Hers is a lot of how attractive they all are etc etc. Not to mention just how easily she gave into them and allowed them to live in her house to protect her. If there was a little more discussion then maybe I would've bought it but it literally was just "my dad says its a good idea so I'll do it". It just felt like she didn't think much for herself. Not to mention, she literally describes two of the three guys as "the most mysterious man she has ever met", then the next chapter is in their view and they think about the horrible thing that happened in their past. It was predictable and had a tell-not-show pattern going on that I had no intention of finishing.
This was an entertaining read. I really liked the fox trilogy and was happy to read another book in that universe. Piper is a fun character, I like that she's smart and scrappy and cares about others. Her relationship with the pride had good chemistry, though I felt like everything went too fast. This could have benefited from having another book with it so things weren't rushed.
The guys were great and I liked their different personalities. I also love that they care for each other, instead of just focusing on Piper. Be warned there are some m/m scenes! There are also some fun side characters, particularly Eiseth who I hope gets his own book some day. He's a bit selfish, but still pretty nice for a demon. His friendship with Piper made me smile.
Now I want to reread the fox books and continue with the others books in this world!
So my only complaint about this book is how rushed it felt. Everything flies by so fast and before I knew it it was over. I wish the book was fleshed out a bit more but because this is a shifter/mate story the relationship development at least felt on par with the speed it took. Considering how fast it went I can also appreciate how the author wrote the characters so uniquely that I was able to easily and early on distinguish between them, which in RH lately has become a problem of mine! The heroine was also extremely likable. She works in a library, is obsessed with books and ancient history. She even knows a few ancient languages which is flippin awesome, but aside from reading some demon texts her language knowledge didn't come in handy like I had expected. Really quick cute read!
Fated mates? Check Hot enough to bake cookies for the dessert and cool down you'll need? Check Fun and HEA? Check Laugh (sometimes out loud?) Check
If you're looking for something with steam, a little bit of laugh, a little bit of mm, and a standalone book, check it out. I'm gonna go read it again. And maybe take up tango.
I read this after the Fox series (at least the ones published so far) even though is happen before the events in that series, chronologically. Some of the same characters appear there that do here, like Jess and the Demon - though this book doesn’t offer much in the way of explanation of them either. I feel like I am missing a story somewhere, but I’ve read the 2 wolf ones... so.... eh? 🤷♀️ Despite the sense that there is something missing from the explanations, this is a pretty solid, stand alone RH PNR. It shares the same wholesome vibe as the rest of the universe books, though some of the sexual scenes are far more heated than wholesome, lol!
Pros: - Story is easy to love. - something sweet about it. - She’s a librarian.... I love that. - Jaguars... again, I love that. - Niko May be my fav, but the other 2 come a close second. Wait, maybe Cole... he dances.
Cons: - parts dragged a bit. - Aura of incomplete universe information. - seriously, am I missing a book? Tell me, I’ll read it. Jess, Morgan, the demon.... I NEED to know!
Librarian Piper has always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt, with her family legend saying that she's descended from Cleopatra. She never thought it would affect her real life, though, and now a group of evil crocodile shifters are after her blood. In her corner, Piper has her dad (a police officer) and her three new friends -- leopard shifters who are feuding with the crocodile shifters. Her guys claim that all three of them are Piper's fated mates, and that they need her to keep their leopard clan from being destroyed forever.
I like Piper, and the guys. The demon that was sent to kidnap Piper is a hoot. The sex scenes are smoking hot, though sometimes the plot gets put on hold so the characters can have sex. Both parts of the story (the action/danger part and the reverse harem romance part) are good, though the balance of the two isn't quite right (which is a tricky thing to achieve). Still, this is a fun book with interesting characters.
Nearly everything about this book is amazing!!! The storyline was different and added elements that are not in common RH. All the characters were beautifully written and amazing to read. The length of the book was perfect, there was enough to keep you hooked but not too overwhelming.
If you enjoy RH, Happy Endings, HOT guys then this book is for you!!!
Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I found my mind wondering constantly thinking about the side characters jess and Morgan and wondering what their stories were. It was a really fast read some insta love with a lot of intimate scenes. I just felt like there wasn’t much story really. There wasn’t any world building but I feel that this book was a stand alone in a world that had already been built and I haven’t read any of those books so for me it just kinda seemed rushed. I liked the characters tho you really don’t get much backstory on Piper. I may come back to this story after I read more by the author and reevaluate.
SPOTTED HER FIRST was simultaneously an enjoyable, fun ride and disappointing.
Plusses?
+ Creative worldbuilding and backstory - I liked the interwoven shifters, demons, demon hunters and witches, all ruled over by the Paranormal Council. Particularly liked the backstory associated with the Klamath Mountain Pride and their blood feud with the Florida Crocs.
+ Fun characters - especially the three leopard shifter mates, Caleb, Xavier, and Niko. And there were SO many wonderful side characters that I really hope get their own spin-off series some day - Jessica Jones, Eisheth, Morgan. Lots of fodder for great PNR. The MC was one of my least favorite characters, but she had some creatively different background and profession. It was interesting.
+ Seriously hot love scenes - I loved that none of the characters had hang-ups about sex. The MC, Piper, was no retiring, reticent, embarrassed virgin. She knew what she wanted in bed and went after it. And none of her mates had issues either - including with one another! Plenty of hot MF, MMF, and FMMM scenes. My only issue with them is they lacked a little something due to underdevelopment and a rushed plot (see below). But it was a welcome relief to see characters just enjoying one another freely.
That leads me to the negatives...
- The entire story was rushed - Honestly, this felt rather like a trilogy had been condensed into a single standalone novel. Entire scenes that should have been written out were squashed into one expository paragraph. The result was that SPOTTED HER FIRST didn't have the emotional connection to the characters it could have had otherwise, and as a result, many of the love scenes felt a little lacking. And I think this was also part of the reason for the second negative:
- Insta-love of the very worst sort - We are talking three males who know she is their mate and are going after her wholeheartedly (and half in love with her) before even meeting her! Gah. And they were all having sex and pretty much in love with one another within a week. Mated within 2 weeks (less than). The premise underlying shapeshifters in this world, and the Klamath Mountain Pride's circumstances in particular provide valid reasons for the insta-love, and I probably could have lived with it because it was all very sweet and romantic IF the story had been adequately developed. If things hadn't been rushed and skipped over. But add the two together? It was a little too much, too soon.
- Seriously cool Egyptian backstory that was completely underutilized - I loved the Cleopatra and pharaoh's blood concepts in SPOTTED HER FIRST. Unfortunately, other than telling us all the woes that could befall the world if pharaoh's blood fell into the wrong hands, the creative concept wasn't addressed or used at all. Complete bummer. I would have liked to see more with this, and had it been a full series, I suspect we would have.
Bottom line? Sweet story, fun concepts, potentially scorching hot sex scenes, but all a little undercooked.
Well I liked it but didn't love it. I felt that it needed to be longer so parts could be expanded. It was a good story and I loved the demon. I like the idea of other types of shifters and how one pack was crocodiles. I felt that Piper and her father were far to accepting off everything. This is a good book to start if your new to reverse harems. I felt that characters were added but not a lot came from them.
I was hired to proofread this book. The only aspects of the story that I influenced were the spelling and grammar. If you feel that my connection to the story makes my review untrustworthy, so be it, but this is my honest review.
So I have personally classified this book as erotic paranormal romance because while there are some very descriptive, steamy scenes, the book itself is plot driven, so we're not just trying to get from one sex scene to the next. But since the sex scenes are graphic it goes in the erotica category for me. And paranormal because shifters, that one's just a duh. To me, this book felt like it had a little bit of everything. Humor, action, romance, sex, and at least one subtle movie reference that had me laughing (and wanting to watch said movie immediately).
I’m just not feeling it. It’s sort of starts abruptly. No ease in. The pacing is super rushed, but also the author repeats themselves over and over way too much for my liking. Plus the FMC has all these opinions and incites on the three guys after only spending a total of maybe a couple minutes around them. It’s just a little jumbled and contradicting.
It’s not terrible. And I thought maybe I’d read more, if only to find out how the sex is with them, but I’m just kind of bored. I’m gonna pass. Just not for me.
3⭐️ — wavering started until I remembered my note….
The author needs to do more research on what packs of different animals are called. They’re very wrong in the first place, but then the narrator mispronounced the faux name over and over.
Regardless, it was enjoyable… surprised I didn’t rate this more negatively based on general animal facts I know from watching too many documentaries during Covid…. But I guess I’m being nice-ish.
Meh. Boring. Lots of vague talk about the threats, no meaningful conversations or depth... but lots of sex. So, that's something, I guess. Not my kind of book at all.
And a group of foxes is called a skulk. And a group of tigers is called a streak.
...I know googling is hard, but she's supposed to be a fucking librarian with a doctorate degree, right?
This book has a really cool plot, filled with ancient legends and history. The romance happens quickly, but it feels right for the story. Overall it was great, and even though it had a perfect ending, I can't wait for more.
Piper, a young librarian is working late one night and about to close the library when 3 men enter, seemingly looking for her. After throwing some books around she runs into the arms of a security guard, who much to everyone's surprise, teleports her out of there. And so begins her story :-)
A demon reluctant to fulfil his contract, 3 hot leopard shifters that want to claim her as their mate and a clan of croc shifters that want her potent blood to curse all leopards. Throw in some witches, demon hunters and a cat named Cat Solo and you're good to go!
My take on the book:
I won this book! I was so exited! :D First time I won a book. I had this on my TBR pile of course, but I won, yay :D
Ahem... yes, on with the review... well, I really enjoyed the book!
World-building was great, taking place in our day and time the author describes scenes and environments very well which makes for easy and immersive reading.
Character development was great!!! Yes, they are mates and feel the instant attraction and even some feelings, but the men give Piper all the room and time (well.. as much as they can) to deal with it and come to terms what is happening.
We get a lot of information and insight on Caleb, Niko, Xavier and Piper, all of that without it getting boring or seem like someone is just stating facts. We know their history, their reasoning and their connection. One thing I wish we had gotten was some insight into why Pipers father was on board so fast, as we know he is a cop who has seen his fair share of things, but still, some more info on that would have been nice.
Adding the mysterious Morgan, the badass Jess and even sweet demon Eisheth, brought everything together. Very well done!
Pacing and flow were great, naturally there was a lot of talking between the characters, but it was well spread out. And no, it wasn't only talking, there was fighting, dancing and yes, sex to get our heart rates up again ;-)
The book in itself was well written, I found no (noticeable) errors and while this is indeed a standalone novel, it introduced us to some characters that are sure to return in the next novels.
All in all, a very enjoyable read and not too short either. This was the first book I read by the author but it will surely not be my last. Very much looking forward to For Fox Sake in a few months and while sci-fi isn't really my genre, her other series (The Draga Court series) is now on my TBR pile as well!
Many urban fantasy or paranormal RH books have a plot wherein the romance is a subplot, but this one has porn-level graphic MM and MMMF sex as the plot with a minor subplot being that her life is in danger and they have to figure out how to save her life in the next 2 weeks. This novel *reads* like a porn movie. Here we have the strangers meet and discover they are magically connected. Then there is a lot of sexually explicit narration of the inner monologue type. Then, hey we're at a ball; let's have sex. Hey we're home; let's have an orgy. Hey, it's morning; let's have a threesome. Hey we're at the library; let's have sex. Hey it's morning and you're late for work; let's have another orgy. No joke, at the 60% point in the novel, there had been at least 5 extremely graphic sex scenes, and there were several others after that point. They are not easy to skip, and occasionally contain important dialogue. This should be categorized as erotica. This is NOT romance. There is a single moment of real conversation for each M and F character, and then she is magically bound. Her decision to become a shifter had nearly zero actual consideration. Her thoughts are all about logistics - where would she live and would she finish her dissertation. I am so angry that I was tricked into picking up this novel. I've read a couple other series by this author, and yes, there were scenes I skipped in each of those novels, but there were actual non-sexual plotlines in those novels. And those stories were interesting. This *could* have been interesting if more time was actually spent developing the characters and the story. Unfortunately, I am one of those masochistic readers who has to find out how the non-sexual plot line ends. So I spent a lot of time skimming to find the actual story.
Punctuation and editing was ATROCIOUS. So many sentences that I had to re-read several times to figure out the meaning because, e.g., there were too many people referred to as "they" and no commas to separate modifying clauses from the main point of the sentence. This author is going on my DNR list.
Spotted Her First is a steamy standalone fated mates RH. This book took the insta love route, with the male mates actively seeking out their destined female. She happens to be working at the time, and the boys don't exactly make a smooth entrance. It made sense, and the rushed relationship didn't bother me. Add in a lazy demon, and it had a lot of fun moments, though I do think her cop dad would have busted a few more skulls. Or at least ripped out his handcuffs and baton. There was a lot going on, but not in a confusing way, though the mythology was glossed over. It was a bit rushed and probably could have made a trilogy, but it was novel to have everything wrapped up in a single book.
This was a pretty spicy why choose with plenty of mm action as well as group activities. We get a bunch of different prn beings here, from witches 🧙♀️ to demons and different kinds of shifters too. It all worked and the drama and action were pretty good too. All in all a fun and light listen with great narration.
This was a fun and steamy read. Piper is a great MC. She is smart and I like how she handles finding herself in the paranormal world. The guys are great too - Niko is fun, Xavier is brooding and hot, and caleb is the strong, Alpha with heart. I look forward to the next story by Dean.
Spotted Her First is only my second Emma Dean book and it was just as fantastic as the first book I read of hers (Vaudeville Runaway). This was a cute but steamy paranormal reverse harem that centered on leopard shifters.
Piper is an oddball and I love that she embraces that. She doesn't have friends but is super close with her dad and they are adorable. Piper is super smart, she works as a Librarian (she loves to learn new things) and is working on her doctorate, her thesis, the Hellenic period in ancient Egypt. She's a nerdy loner at heart, I like her. She's also a little stubborn so when three leopard shifters come prowling she doesn't cave right away but the guys manage to get under her skin anyway.
Caleb (the alpha), Nico, and Xavier are great guys. Sure Caleb was a little grumpy at first but his past trauma is the reason for that. In fact, all the guys have suffered a great loss but are in for love. After getting books thrown in their faces (and hitting it's mark) the guys fall instantly for Piper's spunk. As they get to know her they fall even more for her. As for Piper, there was no way she had a chance. All of the guys are caring, passionate, attentive, and far from Pushy, they get and accept all of her.
I loved all the relationship stuff, the guys and Piper slowly falling for each other, becoming permanent in each other lives. I have to say, I love Piper's dad, he was supportive and understanding of the situation after the getting to know them period. Then there were the crazy characters they met along the way. Ishif, Jesse, and Morgan, all have wild personalities and pitched in to help when needed. And boy was it needed. Croc shifters, magic, blood feuds, demons, curses, and more. There was a fair amount of action mixed in with the romance.
Spotted Her First was excellent. I loved Piper's story, the guys, and the magic. I also loved getting to know some of the other characters who have their own books, I can't wait to tackle more books in this Universe.
This story had potential to be good, however it hasn't been executed well. The plot is rushed and pretty unbelievable.
This is a standalone in the Council of Paranormals world. Piper is the fated mate of leopard shifters Caleb, Xavier, and Niko. She also happens to be the key (via blood) to an ancient spell.
I loved the idea of the Pharos blood and Egyptian descendance, but I want more of it!!
The characters were all likeable, and this was a simple, quick read! It's a shame it all finished so soon, I want more world building, I want Piper to meet the boys remaining family, more detail and more of a build up for the steamy scenes! I love Eisheth and Jessica Jones, and want more of them!
Now for the downfall... The book is basically a time frame of two weeks... So very rushed, everything smashed into this small timeframe. You have Piper, who in the first few pages, doesn't freak out after being kidnapped by a demon and then having three shifters move into her home. Then you have her dad, who also doesn't freak out because he's a police officer but is also okay with three strange men staying at his daughters house and then later in the book (one week in!) is happy to move and register as a member of their pride?
There are also random pieces thrown into the book bc I don't know why. E.g one of them is Jewish, just because. Then we also have where they brought Piper a lego set and it's the best thing in the world? (This went on for two or three pages so just seemed to waste time)
I just think a duology would've been beneficial, and a more spread out time frame - and this is where I'm further confused. At the end of the book it is written, "The story of the blood feud with the leopards and crocs will continue in Seeing Spots, projected release 2019" But I haven't found this anywhere?
I loved the Chaos of Foxes so much, so maybe I was expecting more?
Spotted Her First was a pleasant surprise. Being my first book by Dean, I did not know what to expect but her ability to weave a romantic paranormal with both a good plot line and enough steam to keep most people happy, has me scrambling to buy more of her books.
Piper is my type of heroine; she’s smart, she’s down to earth and she knows what she wants. And the way the relationship builds between her and the guys is believable and feels natural. Yes, there’s an instant mate bond so things do move quickly, but for some reason, even though the L word gets thrown around pretty early on - which would normally have me losing all interest -, in Spotted Her First it just works. And I liked all the guys, which is actually rare for me with RH’s especially those involving shifters as I find that the less dominant guy can normally be a bit of a pushover and come across weak. The other great thing about this book is all the side characters. I know that this book is set in the same world as Dean’s other paranormal shifter books so it could be that these side characters have actually been main characters at some point, but regardless they are so believable and likeable that I’m hoping they do pop up in the other books.
Dean is an excellent writer. Her writing style is strong and easy to read. And, as I mentioned before, there is plenty of steam and smut but this doesn’t take over from the plot. This is a true RH with a HEA. Now excuse me, I’m just going to cram in some more of Dean’s works.