Savage Hunger

by Terry Spear

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Publish Date: October 2, 2012

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Heart of the Jaguar #1

Source: E-galley provided by publisher via NetGalley

My Rating: 

In the heat of the jungle, jaguars are clawed, dangerous, and hungry for love. With hopes of overcoming night terrors and thanking the man who saved her life, Kathleen McKnight returns to the Amazon. A jaguar at heart, Connor Anderson doesn’t just protect her, but wants to claim her for his own.

My Review:

Being a fan of Terry Spear’s “Heart of the Wolf” series, when I found out that a new shifter series, a Jaguar shifter series was coming, I was thrilled.  I love shape-shifter books, and I especially love the big cats.  Cat shifters are a nice turn from werewolves, and I knew that Terry Spear could be counted on to deliver a great read.

Savage Hunger is the first book in this new “Heart of the Jaguar” series, and it is filled with suspense, big jungle cats, and plenty of steamy romance.  Connor Anderson and his sister Maya regularly vacation in the Amazon jungle to let their inner Jaguar out to experience their natural habitat.  The big cats are not the only predators in the jungle however, deadly drug cartels and hunters roam the jungle as well.  Connor rescues helps save a female army officer (Kathleen McKnight), but after the woman is gone, he can’t get her out of his head.  A year later, he finds the woman in the jungle again, but she is different from what he expected and she is not a shifter.  Maya, Connor’s sister, is determined that her brother find happiness and takes matters into her own hands, but Kathleen comes with her own set of complications and dangers.

It did take me a little bit to really get into the book.  There is history the builds between Connor and Kat.  Kat has a very traumatic experience in the jungle while she is working with the Army, and the trauma has long-reaching affects.  She came back to the Amazon hoping to put her fears behind her, but found her fears waiting for her in the jungle.  Luckily, there was more waiting for her than fear.  I felt for her, and really got to like her for coping with changes and dangerous situations so well.  The pacing does pick up pretty quickly though.  Savage Hunger is one part paranormal, one part romantic suspense; once the action starts, it keeps going right through the end of the book.  The romance and the connection between Connor and Kat develops and sizzles right through the murky, dangerous jungle.

I really loved that this book and series is about the Jaguars.  The Jaguars are cats and are much more inclined to be independent.  They don’t have packs or keep ties with other shifters.  Connor and Maya are very close though, Connor is an alpha-cat and very protective of his sister, and of Kat.   Their jungle getaway is a unique setting and I love how they interact with the locals.  The Jaguars are shifters, but they are also very human.  They protect each other and want to have families, they just have the ability to turn in to big, deadly cats when they want to.

I think that Savage Hunger did a great job at setting the foundation for a fabulous new series.  Savage Hunger gives a fresh element to romantic suspense with the shifters, and gives paranormal romance a new twist with the jaguars being the primary paranormal element.  I highly recommend this book to romantic suspense and paranormal romance readers.  I am looking forward to reading more about these Jaguars in the future, and I am excited to see what comes next for them, especially Maya.

Savage Hunger releases Octopber 2.  You can find this book at: