Five miles of leather-clad leg is all it takes to lure Kyle Branegan out from his carefully hidden lifestyle as part of the Cougar Corp, a secret branch of the Shifter Enforcer League. He's hoping for a night of fun and frolic, cat-style, no strings attached. With a sultry swing of her hips, Eloise Scott tangles him up in her ball of tricks, and just when he thinks he's about to get lucky, she cuffs him--naked--to her bed.
An undercover cop in the human police force, El's been given a top-secret mission to keep the big cat under her paw until he's needed to testify in court in the New Year. Her decision to take him home for a quiet Christmas in her sleepy hometown turns out to be far more interesting than she expected. Her parents are suddenly rich, her old boyfriend is sniffing around and all six-feet-plus of sexy cougar male is sleeping in her bed.
And that's before they announce their fake engagement...
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Vivian Arend loves to share the products of her over-active imagination with her readers. She writes contemporary, western, and light-hearted paranormal romances. The stories are humorous yet emotional, usually with a large cast of family or friends, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. Vivian lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband of many years—her inspiration for every hero and a willing companion for all sorts of adventures.
Five miles of leather-clad leg is all it takes to lure Kyle Branegan out from his carefully hidden lifestyle as part of the Cougar Corp, a secret branch of the Shifter Enforcer League. He's hoping for a night of fun and frolic, cat-style, no strings attached. With a sultry swing of her hips, Eloise Scott tangles him up in her ball of tricks, and just when he thinks he's about to get lucky, she cuffs him--naked--to her bed. An undercover cop in the human police force, El's been given a top-secret mission to keep the big cat under her paw until he's needed to testify in court in the New Year. Her decision to take him home for a quiet Christmas in her sleepy hometown turns out to be far more interesting than she expected. Her parents are suddenly rich, her old boyfriend is sniffing around and all six-feet-plus of sexy cougar male is sleeping in her bed. And that's before they announce their fake engagement.
Heather's Notes I didn't really like El and that made it hard to like the story. She did grow on me, but I would have liked her more if she had communicated with Kyle more. It was obvious he did not want to keep her barefoot and pregnant and she acted ridiculous about it. Still it was not a bad story and I liked it overall.
Fun and entertaining tale with a few surprises. Love this authors Granite Lake wolf series, so getting cats is a fun surprise. Wasn’t a huge fan of Eloise to start with but she was following orders, or what she believed to be orders. Loved Kyle and his antics. I really loved his real profession and how he had even convinced his own family he was a ne’r do well. But I ended up a bit confused with the uncles’ actions. Who was the baddie? Read and reviewed many years ago but forgot about this book. Fun to reread when I found this in my old library when tidying files.
Publisher: Carina Press Publish Date: 12/6/10 How I got this book: NetGalley
Holy cow does Vivian Arend know how to write some smokin’ hot shifters. Her Granite Lake Wolves Series is a fav, and now she is coming out with one about cats. MEOW! *This story can also be found in the Winter Wishes anthology by Carina Press.*
Kyle is a part of the super secret Cougar Corp, investigating cat shifters who get a little wild and reveal their dangerous sides to the human race. But with one look at El has him panting and trailing after her. Although he is working, he decides to take some time off to see if El wants to come out and play.
Eloise is an undercover cop on the human police force, and has been tasked with keep Kyle underground while awaiting some big trail he is needed at. She uses her cat powers of seduction and captures him, literally chaining him to her bed. But, as that is the last place she wants to keep him, he agrees to attend her family Christmas celebration instead.
Between the hilarious family antics, jealous ex-boyfriend, fake engagement and potentially guilty uncle, Kyle and El realize that love really can come when you least expect it.
These cat shifters are ME-OW! Kyle and El smoke up the pages with their always roaring attraction. I loved the way El was able to capture Kyle in the beginning, and then the way Kyle was able to capture her heart at the end. The chemistry was off the charts, and although El tried so hard to resist, it was only a matter of time before she fell for his never ending charms.
I loved the crazy family of El’s and their holiday traditions. Watching Kyle, the somewhat reclusive loner, have to go through many different family bonding was hilarious. Although we don’t get exact answers to the case Kyle is investigating, I enjoyed watching him and El try to find out all the details possible.
This new world that Arend created was super interesting, and I hope that she continues to write within it. There were a few questions left open, and I can only pray that they gte wrapped up in a future book. I love the concept of shifters living out in the open amongst the humans. Plus, having Kyle working for a group that keeps the more nefarious ways of shifters hidden, it’s priceless. When asked, Arend said she didn’t know if she would make this a series, but I’ve got my fingers cross. (PLEASE VIV???? PLEASE!!)
All in all, I give Tangled Tinsel 4.5 out of 5 undercover cat cops!
Kyle works undercover for a secret organisation who police shape shifters, making sure any of their less acceptable behaviour is kept out of the public eye. Even though he should have his mind on his latest job as soon as he spots fellow cougar shifter Eloise he can't resist taking a break to pursue her. As it turns out El is actually an undercover police officer and her latest mission is to monitor Kyle and make sure he is available when he is needed at an upcoming trial. Deciding to take him home with her to visit her eccentric family for the holidays leads to all sorts of unexpected complications for the pair of them.
I'm a massive fan of Vivian Arend's Granite Lake Wolves series but I have to say I think I might like her cougar shifters even better! I'm really hoping that Tangled Tinsel is going to be the first story in a new series as I think there is plenty of scope for more fun stories with Kyle and El at the lead. Kyle also has two brothers so the possibilities are endless. I loved this novella from the moment I picked it up, full of humour it had me laughing out loud several times while I was reading. The main characters are both fab, the chemistry is scorching hot and I loved the way their relationship develops throughout the story. The Christmas scenes with El's family make it a perfect holiday read and I'm sure I'll be picking up this story again next year.
Vivian is one of my favorite authors. Her shifter books are filled with steamy love scenes and intense action. This stand alone book is fantastic, its starts with Kyle, not-so-innocently prowling for some one night only fun. When leather clad Eloise struts by, enticing his cat senses, drawing him to her. After a dressing room scene that had me blushing and a bed featuring handcuffs; Kyle learns there is more to his encounter with Eloise. They soon find themselves in her supposed quiet town, safe and sound at Christmas. But things soon prove to be interesting…!
As you start this book you learn quickly why so many love Vivian. The scene she create and the details she shares draws you into the shifter would. You start to wish you were the one walking by Shifter Kyle. The plot only gets better when we start to meet family members and supposed friends. Only when you think you have it all figured out does Vivian throw in a few twists.
Check out this book as well as Vivian’s wolf series books. As long as you like spice, heat and strong Alpha characters you will not be disappointed! But be warned…*Contains Adult content*. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for sure, a must read and re-read! ~Candice, Paranormal Reads
I received an ARC of this through NetGalley. Stories are available as part of the anthology Winter Wishes or separately.
Overall, this story is funny, playful and sexy.
However, there were certain word choices and references that made me go huh?, like when there was "palatable" tension in a room. It's possible that that was a stylistic choice, but it read more like an error that hadn't been caught in the editing process. Those instances didn't happen too often, but in something the size of a novella they tend to stand out. Also, the plotline about Kyle's undercover investigation efforts and his super-powerful family knowing nothing about the agency he worked for really didn't make any sense to me. It might be related to an ongoing series that I'm not familiar with, but as a new reader I found that whole storyline distracting and baffling.
My issues with the plotting aside, the characters were so charming and the energy of the story so positive that I'm glad I read this and am looking forward to trying more by the author.
This review was originally posted as part of a review of the Winter Wishes anthology on Vampire Book Club.
Kyle is happy to revel in the sexual nature of being a werepanther. El has long suppressed her similar nature. When she takes him into protective custody, he does what he can to open her eyes to her shifter nature. Taking him home to spend the holidays with her family does more to open his eyes to what real connections could be.
Tangled Tinsel is a steamy read with both shifters learning their stances on relationships and their natures need a change. Vivian Arend adds in a light crime subplot, but the core of this novella is character development. Readers will like seeing El and Kyle come together.
This was an entertaining novella. El is a cougar shifter and a member of the human police. She's given the job of protective custody for cougar shifter Kyle until he can testify in court. What she doesn't know is he's actually an undercover agent for a secret branch of shifter police.
She lures him in with a sex kitten act, and then takes him home to her family for Christmas instead of leaving him handcuffed to the bed. There's all kinds of adventure instead of the sleepy holiday she expected, and she learns to accept her cat nature instead of trying to be human.
This is one I'll read again when I want something hot, light and funny. I loved the chemistry between the characters and the humour in the writing. The plot got a bit too nicely wrapped up at the end, with no real intrigue, but the development of the relationship between the protagonists made up for it for me.
edit 09-10-11: as a re-read, I must say this went down to a 2 stars for me. Not sure which is more indicative of the book or the mood I was in when I first read it.
I really loved this book! Short, sweet & hot!! I really want it to be a series. Kyle has brothers. They need mates. El has a very large family. The twins must be in their late teens. Fast forward a few years and they need mates.
I have no idea of the world she created here is related to her other shifter stories but it is very fascinating. I would like to see more stories take place in this world where humans know about shifters and the POTUS is a shifter too.
This was the first time I read one of Vivian Arend's books. I thoroughly enjoyed it. She puts a lot of humor into the story. The main character Kyle is alpha but not over the top. I found I didn't want to stop reading it. I will definitely read more of her books. Thanks to Goodreads for the recommendation!
Wasn't sure about this book when I started it, but as I got into it, I loved it. It was a light-hearted view of two people (well, shifters) finding each other and realizing that they just might be what the other needs. Love the time spent with their families, had me giggling.
I normally like this author, but this one was a big miss for me. I made it 25% before giving it up. I had a hard time buying into El using sex to trap someone she needed to guard then taking him home. In the end this one just wasn't for me.
This has been sitting in my nook library since december (a B&N free book friday) I finally sat down to read it and really enjoyed it. Very quick easy read. Kyle and El were a great match.
This is another that has been in my TBR for over a year. This was a fun read, cat shifters, undercover work and family at the holidays....very entertaining.