Mercury's War (Breeds, Book 16)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Nothing matches Lora Leighs latest entry in the series about genetically altered Breeds with feline DNAand the humans who awaken their desire.

Someone has been slipping the Sanctuarys secure information to a pharmaceutical company. Now its up to Ria Rodriguez to pose as a clerk and uncover the leak. Yet she has no idea of the danger shes about to encounteror the passion shes about to ignite in one of the greatest Breeds ever created.

Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Mercury's War October 7, 2008
27 out of 30 found this review helpful

Mercury Warrant was created to be one of the greatest Breeds ever to exist. Both lion and man, Mercury epitomized the Breed ideal, until the day he heard his mate - the one woman born to be his and his alone - died and the lion inside him was caged, beaten down by drugs that scientists injected into him. Though now free of the labs he was created in and one of the Breeds' most trusted enforcers, Mercury still lives with the knowledge that he will never know what it means to have a true mate. Until Ria Rodriquez shows up at the doors of Sanctuary, the Feline Breed compound, and awakens the lion within. Mercury knows the sexy little clerk isn't what she claims to be, and he's determined to uncover all her secrets.

If Ria knows one thing, it's how to blend in. Sent to discover who has been leaking Sanctuary's top secret information to an outside pharmaceutical company, Ria covers her fiery, passionate nature with drab clothes and a placid but firm demeanor. The only problem being the gorgeous Breed enforcer determined to undermine her calm facade. Ria has seen Mercury's file, knows that he has had and lost a mate, and thinks he can never truly be hers. Even so, Ria can't resist the temptation Mercury offers.

As danger mounts and threats attack the very heart of Sanctuary, both Mercury and Ria find themselves battling both for the safety of the Breeds and for the growing bond between them. But in a world where peril lurks around every corner and not everything is as it seems, can love survive?

Make sure you're sitting down, because Mercury's War is one meltingly erotic, knee-weakening thrill of a tale. Lora Leigh has delivered a luscious, sexy love story wrapped in intrigue, adventure, and romance that is guaranteed to leave you begging for more.

Mercury is not only the epitome of what a Breed is considered to be, he's the embodiment of what a hero should be. He's a deliciously strong, alpha male, with - and I really must include this - incredibly gorgeous eyes. Even more importantly, his faith in his love for Ria, no matter what his files or tests tell him, is endearing. Additionally, his acknowledgment, trust, and appreciation of Ria's own strength and intelligence are what completely won me over.

Ria, in turn, is one of my favorite of Ms. Leigh's heroines. She's tough, capable, and incredibly intelligent. She's also vulnerable and masks what she truly needs in order to protect her heart. Ria's easy to love and identify with, and it made Mercury's War all the more compelling a read because I was eager for her to find happiness with Mercury.

In addition to a great romance, Mercury's War delves further into the Breed universe. I'll forgo saying much on the subject, as it is too fun and fascinating experience the development of the world, with all the twists and turns Ms. Leigh provides. I will say that fans of the series will delight in learning more about the Vanderale family. Additionally, Jonas Wyatt fans of the world will rejoice that the Director of the Bureau of Breed Affairs not only plays a large part of the book, but that Ms. Leigh opens up the story to include sides of Jonas we have only glimpsed before now. Being on his territory, in his own mind, and dealing with his men, we get to see behind the machinations to the man beneath. As an avowed Jonas admirer, I will say that his scenes were some of my favorite in the book and I dare any detractors not to love him after reading Mercury's War.

The only thing I would wish for in this book is a little more attention to detail. There were a significant number of small discrepancies from other books in the series, and each one drew me out of the story. While it doesn't considerably detract from my overall opinion of the book, I did find them distracting enough to note.

In the end, old and new fans alike will delight in the newest addition to Ms. Leigh's wickedly sirenic series. As passionate and untamed as the lion inside him, Mercury will capture your attention and not let go; his book can do no less.

Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

5 out of 5 stars

Worth waiting for! Five Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies! July 25, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

Mercury Warrant is the most animalistic of the feline breeds. Thought to be the only male whose mate is deceased, Mercury is watched closely by doctors to make sure his feral nature does not surface. Since his supposed mate died in the labs Mercury is resigned to live his life alone without the comfort of the one woman nature intended for him. It is because of this that Mercury is asked to be the bodyguard of Ria Rodriquez, the woman sent to the breed compound by the Leo to track a spy selling confidential information to a pharmaceutical company. The more time Mercury spends with the lovely Ms. Rodriquez the more reluctant he is to let her go - even without the presence of the one thing all mated couples possess.

Ria Rodriquez is on a mission for the Leo. Arriving at Sanctuary, she is surprised but secretly pleased to find the feline breed Mercury Warrant waiting for her. Ria is thoroughly intrigued by this lion and while she knows she can't be his mate, she is willing to be his lover. Her heart breaks more each day that passes without showing signs of their true relationship.

There are other factors to consider. Mercury's feral disposition is being watched closely by friend and foe alike and it isn't until the animal inside of Mercury breaks free of his invisible bonds that the relationship between Mercury and Ria is solidified.

I have been in love with Mercury Warrant since he and his leonine features were first introduced in Tempting the Beast, the first feline breed installment. Every single time his dead mate was mentioned my heart cried a little inside. I wanted Mercury to have a mate but I was picky. I wanted his mate to be worthy of him. I wanted her to be strong but not bullying. I wanted her beautiful but realistic. And I wanted her to love Mercury like he deserved. Ria could not have been better written. She was strong without being hateful. She was striking in her own way and I easily related to her. Last but not least, she adored Mercury with every beat of her heart and for that alone I was satisfied.

MERCURY'S WAR answers gobs of questions and then leaves some unanswered. In the erotic and suspenseful way in which Ms. Leigh is quickly becoming famous, she left me begging for more. I need more breeds, I need more mating heat, and I need Jonas Wyatt badly. Silliness aside, Lora Leigh has really delivered with MERCURY'S WAR. Readers will laugh, readers will blush, and some may cry. But when the last word is read they will be stunned and seriously sad the book ended. I know I was.

MERCURY'S WAR releases from Berkley in October 2008. While it is readable as a standalone, I think reading the series in the correct order is a must to fully enjoy this amazing world created by an amazing author. ***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies***

3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed October 13, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

At the risk of incurring the wrath of all those who wrote the positive reviews on 'Mercury's war', I have to say I was very disappointed in this latest offering from Ms. Leigh. I loved Mercury right from the first time he appeared in the earlier breed books, but I felt that his story didn't do him justice. There was just too much repetition in the book, and the story just didn't flow for me. I felt like at the start of every chapter, I was getting re-introduced to the characters so much it felt like there was a lot of filler in the book. Unfortunately, this may have worked better as a short story maybe? And the 'hot scenes' for me were just so-so this time
My biggest gripe with this book however is the multitude of typos-I wish some more effort had been put into the editing. I've noticed this with a lot of Lora Leigh's books and it's just very annoying when the editing in a book is sloppy. Having said all that, I still gave the book 3 stars because Merc's storyline was different from the rest, and I felt he was well matched with Ria, and it made for an ok read.
I also got an anthology that was released the same day as 'Mercury's war' , 'The magical Christmas cat' just for Lora Leigh's (Noble Chavin's) story in there, and I really enjoyed that one better than Mercury's war. All the things that made mercury's war not work for me seem to be absent in Noble's story-the editing is better and the story is tighter. I remain a loyal Lora Leigh fan though, and I think her writing is getting better.

3 out of 5 stars

Voice of Dissent October 15, 2008
7 out of 11 found this review helpful

Without reviewing the plot (which others have done well already)or trying to spoil too much I'll try to explain why I was so disappointed with this book. First, I've read Tanner's Scheme and Dawn's Awakening so I expected steamy sex scenes but in my opionion this one crossed over the line. In one important scene the hero is accused of attempting to rape someone because it was caught on video camera. When discussing this the hero gave an impassioned denial that "no means no", etc. but when you go back and reread the scene, the heroin did say no - directly and expressed her concern in other ways! Also, although it was clear that the heroin was excited by what happened I just couldn't understand how she could be so angry that security personnel witnessing the scene would intervene and attempt to help her. Lastly, there was a comment that he didn't use force yet he clearly physically intimidated her and threatened that if she didn't do what he wanted now he would go ahead and do more/worse. I'm sorry but to me that is force. If they had already been in a sexual relationship I wouldn't have had the same reaction but they weren't. And don't get me started on the sexual harrasment aspect throughout the beginning chapters. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the line is really blurring between steamy romance/erotic romance and outright porn and maybe that's the problem I had. I wouldn't consider this type of scenario as romance or erotic romance for that matter. Yet all of these types of books are categorized together under romance (in the stores and on my kindle). If this was in a porn section I wouldn't have blinked an eye - I also wouldn't have been in that section.

5 out of 5 stars

Mercury Rising........ October 7, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

A long time ago Mercury Warrant thought he lost his mate. When he found out about the death of the young lioness, he went on a bloody and brutal rampage and the scientists had to inject him with gene therapy to calm the feral beast within. While it may have solved the problem of his rage, it silenced the animal within him, hampering his Breed capabilities. He's been living with the handicap quite well, until Ria Rodriquez walked into his life and now his hormones are all over the place. Ria is at Sanctuary to quietly investigate the possibility of a leak. Someone is selling information about the Breeds' ability to stop aging and that type of information in the wrong hands could prove deadly. Mercury is assigned as her bodyguard and while she's rooting through the files, his animal is slowly awakening and starting to stalk it's prey. This time the animal within Mercury has scented it's true mate and it means to claim her, slowly and carefully, but when Ria bends over for some papers, all reasoning is lost and he all but forces himself on her. Their passion explodes and it's forceful and breathtaking and unfortunately, in full view of the security cameras. The last thing the Pride needs is a loose cannon and with his violent history, he's looked at with suspicion, but is it really his feral side coming out, or is it his newly awakened animal, finally unleashed and ready to merge with the man? When his animal side finally does blend with the man in a pure mating of genetics, Mercury and Ria's relationship is cemented, even with the arrival of the woman thought to he his mate from long ago. With that woman dogging their heels and not knowing who is friend or foe within Sanctuary, all they can do is indulge in the glory of their mating heat and hope to survive the latest threat to the Breeds.

I really, really liked this book. Mercury's War is my new favorite of the Breeds books because I just loved everything about it. Mercury was an extremely hot and dominating presence and while he was extremely sexy, he was also funny and very intelligent. Ria was a fascinating enigma and I enjoyed the sparks between them. She presents herself to the world as one thing, while inside, she's an entirely different woman and Mercury instantly senses her hidden feminine self. He forces her to bring out her inner animal and the methods he uses are not subtle. Nor is his sexuality. When he made up his mind to have her, Mercury didn't hold anything back. Also, Lora Leigh seems to have an affinity towards males in leather pants. Noah Blake and Clint McIntire to name a few and everytime it seemed to fall flat for me. I just didn't get the appeal, until Mercury walked across the page dressed in leather pants and suddenly, I saw the appeal. Oh, yeah. My only complaint would be that Mercury's animal side has a personality that seems slightly stalkerish. It's inner ramblings came across as the ramblings of a serial killer and I didn't know what to make of it. Also there is a stupid typo that states Taber, not Tamber tries to kidnap David which I thought should have been noted and fixed before release.

I highly recommend this newest book in the Breeds series. It's sexy and fun and there was enough going on behind the scenes to make my mouth water for future books. Lora Leigh has created an extremely compelling and seductive character in Mercury and she's paired him with a more than worthy heroine. Enjoy!

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