The wild thing she saved is the man she'll desire most.
A Ghost Cats story.
Eve Matthews, head veterinarian at Jameson Wildlife Rescue and Preserve, measures success by no one s rules but her own much to her rich parents distress. A life filled with animals means she s rarely alone. Still, a little human contact of the male variety would be nice.
The only one in her life right now is Midnight, a black panther she brought back from the brink of death. She doesn t think twice about bringing him home to keep an eye on him. Changing clothes in front of his golden eyes. Confessing her deepest fantasies to his alert ears. It s not as if he ll ever tell anyone her secrets.
Forced to watch her every move, listen to her every word, Viktor is in torment, trapped in panther form while he heals. He aches to fill her nights with the pleasure she craves, but to shift too soon risks death. Until the night she pleasures herself, and he can take no more.
They come together in a cataclysm too fierce to be a dream. But the shifter who left Viktor for dead is drawing near, determined to finish the job he started.
This book has been previously published. Warning: Contains a voyeuristic cat shifter, a heroine who's an exhibitionist unaware, and explicit sex that may just give you cat scratch fever. Iced catnip tea recommended."
📚 New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of All Things Romance 🌎 www.MichellePillow.com
Michelle M. Pillow is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with millions of books sold worldwide. Best known for her paranormal and sci-fi romance and paranormal women’s fiction, she writes captivating stories that blend heart, humor, adventure, and a touch of magic—perfect for readers who love immersive worlds and unforgettable characters.
Her bestselling series include Dragon Lords, Lords of the Var®, Warlocks MacGregor®, Order of Magic, and Merely Mortal.
A relentless explorer of both the real and the supernatural, Michelle has chased history through ancient ruins, climbed Mayan temples in Belize, and investigated haunted locations. She believes life is an adventure best fueled by curiosity, creativity, and copious amounts of coffee.
Now based in the American South, Michelle is involved in film and documentary projects with her talented husband. She is mom to a talented artist, and under the strict supervision of her furry overlords (a dog and a cat) who ensure she meets her deadlines. Most days, she can be found in her office wearing pajama pants, writing, plotting, and occasionally dancing to get the creative juices flowing.
She’s the award-winning author of the historical Maiden and the Monster and paranormal romance Love Potions. If you love dragon shifters, mischievous warlocks, and strong heroines who take charge of their destiny, her books are a perfect fit.
I loved it! I'm going to reread it many times. Eve, a veterinarian who runs a preserve for big cats, pretty much lives there. Her office has a little apartment that she stays in more than the one she rents off the preserve. She hasn't even unpacked all boxes there yet. Midnight, the black panther she has been nursing back to health has been staying in there for months so she can keep an eye on him. She almost lost him a few times. He was almost dead when she had been called in. The cop that was at the barn where they found him just wanted to put him down. She wouldn't allow it, she took him back to the preserve with her to try to save him. While he has been living in the office with her, she has talked about everything from fantasies to what she would like to find in a man. She strips & changes clothes & showers around him. Midnight wouldn't care or understand, he's a cat. One night when she gets home drunk from her mom's party, she is really talking to him, about what she would love for a real man & what her sex life to be like. She has been torturing him like this since he was well enough to really know what was going on. Until he is strong enough to hold his human form he is trapped as cat thinking about how much he wants to give her all these things that she wants. He is already in love with her. She falls asleep in just her underwear on the bed beside him & starts dreaming. He concentrates on becoming human, he has to have her. He lets her think she is still dreaming and makes love to her. After they are both worn out he can no longer hold his human shape. She wakes up to find Midnight laying beside her on the bed & tells him she had the wildest dream. They go to sleep. She takes him out to the preserve the next morning so he will be able to be outside with the other cats. She gets a call from her mom. She practically guilt trips her into going to another party tonight. She doesn't want to, but she gets dressed up & goes. When she is there she goes out onto a balcony to get away from everyone where she meets a handsome Russian man named Victor. He tells her he'd like to know her but she doesn't know why she feels like she would like to be all over him right there, when she has never seen him before & it spooks her. She leaves & goes back to the preservation & out onto the bridge to see if she can find Midnight. She Feels close to him. He finds his way to her, & she tells him about Victor & like a coward she ran away. Midnight goes into the trees, Victor comes out, saying he knows about her. He would like to get to know her more. He tells her, she does know him. He kisses her & gets her to let loose out there on the bridge to realize her body knows him. He is about to take her inside but hears or senses something. He tells her to go inside & lock the door. She is unsure what is going on. He tells her he loves her & just get inside. He runs into the trees where Midnight went into. She does as he asked trying to decide if he's crazy or not. They only met tonight, how could he love her? The next day she is out looking for Midnight but can't find him, but has been told a few times by different workers about a new tiger seen on the grounds. Now she is really worried, maybe this new tiger hurt Midnight. She comes back to the office & finds Victor there. She tells him about Midnight & the new tiger. They go get something to eat, then come back to the office. When they get back Victor thinks about all the different things she has told him about what she would like & decides to do some of them for her. The next morning they get up kind of late to go look for the new tiger. When they are looking for him along the tree line they spot him. Victor tells her to get away & she sees his eyes change. She things she's crazy. The tiger jumps at them & Victor tries to get her out of the jeep. The tiger swipes his arm, clawing it deep. He changes into Midnight & they jump at each other. While they are fighting Eve tries to get the gun, the tiger sees her & tries to jump on her but Midnight rams him & rips his throat out. She wants to help the tiger but Midnight Changes back into Victor & tells her to leave him. She tries to tell him he was just an animal & didn't know any better. He tells her that Bartel knew exactly what he was doing & collapsed back into Midnight Bleeding on the ground. With some help she gets him back to the lab so she can help him get better. When she thinks about all the things she has said to & done in front of Midnight she is mortified. When he is healed she tells him to leave & not come back. She misses him but doesn't know what to do about it. While she is out making her rounds with the other cats, she asks one if it is a shifter. The lion behind her changes & tells her the lioness doesn't shift. She is amazed to find out almost half of the cats there are shifters. He tells her they are all grateful for the care she gives them & she is the reason they stay. She learns one of them is buying the preservation to give it to her & hire what ever staff she will need. She asks if he knows where Victor went but he says no. He will let it be known she is looking for him. Later two of her new friends are sharing a meal with her, trying to explain her connection to Victor to her. They tell her, he is her mate. She tells him, she didn't even say she loved him. They kind of laugh & tell her that it doesn't work that way in the animal kingdom. When she asks something more, Victor answers from behind her. They say they thought it was ok to let him in. As They are looking at each other the two men leave and Victor shows her what it means to be his mate. I love it.
This is the first story that I have read from Michelle M. Pillow. It is a short story and was pretty good. I love shape shifters and this was about big cats..... Panthers, Lions, Tigers, etc.
Eve Matthews is a vet at Jamison Wildlife Reserve. Her job is her life, she practically lives on the reserve. Eve saves a black panther "Midnight" from being killed by the police after being found injured and almost dead in a barn. Eve comes to the rescue and keeps a close eye on Midnight. Eve feels so protective and close to Midnight that she keeps him in her portable office on the reserve where she spends most of her time including her nights.
Viktor is a shifter. He transforms into a black panther. Viktor has gotten stabbed in the back by a shifter Lion who has it out for him. Viktor is saved by Eve when he is left for dead by his attacker.
Eve loves Midnight. She feels very close to the Panther and talks to him all the time. She tells him her deepest darkest secrets and desires. Viktor is driven almost mad by Eve telling him her desires. Viktor can not shift from his panther form until he is healed from the wound that was inflected. Viktor wants Eve, he wants to make her dreams and desires a reality. He wants to make passionate love to her like no other has done before.
Eve introduces Midnight to the outside preservation area where he can run and be free and not cooped up in her office anymore. Eve will miss him in her office because now it feels lonely. Viktor introduces himself to Eve at a function she was attending and sweeps her off her feet.
Will Eve learn the truth about Viktor and if she does will she still want to be with him? Are there other shifters on her Reserve and if so will they reveal themselves to her?
You can read this short story in about an hour but it is a nice read. I will be looking for others in this series.
Evelyn Maitland is a veterinarian at a big cat animal preserve. She loves animals and usually feels more comfortable around them than people. While working at the preserve she saves a black panther she names Midnight. Little does she know that Midnight is really a shape shifter and he can’t change until he heals.
The story is only 51 pages long so there isn’t a lot of character development. It would have been very interesting to get more background about the characters to answer some questions brought up in the book. For example, the h has some issues with her mother (the father is never mentioned) and she gives in and does some things the mother wants but still manages to do her own thing too. Why does the mother seem to disapprove of her profession? Why does she always try to fix her up on dates? Where is the father?
Even with the unanswered questions the book is still really good and has the potential to be the start of a very interesting series. I really enjoyed the sexual tension between Eve and Victor, the shape shifter. When they do finally get together the sex is very steamy and very yummy. It also made me pretty happy when Victor was the one to proclaim his feelings first and spends some time having to convince Eve to give him a chance. I will definitely be reading the next in the series.
Ok, so I didn't realize the book I'd be reading was more of a short story rather than a book....so going into it I thought it would definitely be more developed. We don't know much of the mythology that goes with these shifters, only that Eve nursed Viktor back to health while in his Panther form and how much he wants her. But we only get a surface story. Apparently there are other shifter cats on the preserve, and then apparently suddenly Viktor and Eve are mates, but we don't know how that came to be....I was ok with the story, I liked it but I would have liked more information. I felt it ended abruptly, with no tie ups.
Animal Instinct is a quick, enjoyable, steamy shifter romance story. Within the limitations of a shorter story, the characters are well-enough developed and very likable. Pillow's prose has structural variety and flows very nicely, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story. If you like a quick and steamy read, I can recommend Animal Instinct.
Recommended for readers over 18 due to explicit sexual content.
Lilly goes to a hidden from humans shifter bar (which she's unaware of) to find a man to have a one night stand and become pregnant then return to her normal life. What is didn't bargain on was a sexy cougar falling in love with his mate. Great story. Really funny. Great HEA. Can't wait for mason story.