{Release Day Review & Exclusive Excerpt} Leopard's Rage by Christine Feehan (@AuthorCFeehan @BerkleyRomance)

It will take more than desire to tame the animal within in this Leopard novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Leopard shifter Sevastyan Amurov has an anger inside of him that burns so hot it’s almost impossible to control. His barely leashed rage relentlessly threatens to break free, until he meets a woman who soothes his restless soul.

Sevastyan wants Flambé Carver with every breath. He’s determined that the fiery-haired woman will want to be his completely. But his would-be mate comes with strings attached—a relentless stalker who intends to claim her for his own.

They barely know each other, but with a very real threat looming just out of reach, Sevastyan takes Flambé under his protection. And as their connection grows, the embers of desire sparking between them soon burst into an inferno that will consume them both.

Read our EXCLUSIVE Excerpt from Leopard's Rage!

The last thing Flambé expected was for Sevastyan’s leopard to claim hers. She paced restlessly again. Her leopard was in her first life cycle. Mistakes were made. She knew that. This had to be a mistake because no way in hell was Flambé going to be claimed by a shifter. She’d be trapped by Sevastyan.

“What do you want, Flambé? What are you doing here? You think things through. Plan things carefully. Since the first time you laid eyes on that man, you’ve been out of control. You have to pull back and figure this out, because if you don’t, it will be too late and you’ll never get out of this mess.”

She had always talked aloud when she planned anything. She was an only child and most often alone. She lived in the studio because her father took in so many strangers, so her “room” had been the studio to “give her privacy,” even as a child. Which really meant give her father as many rooms in the house for his women.

She had talked aloud to hear sound. She played music, filling the room with the soothing rhythms so she didn’t feel so lonely. Talking to herself in times of stress had become a habit. She was used to small spaces and they comforted her.

“You like him. That was unexpected. You didn’t think in terms of liking him. It was supposed to be all about sex.” She crossed to the large bed and stared down at it. She hadn’t gotten on it so the blankets had remained untouched. There wasn’t so much as a wrinkle on the comforter. “He didn’t want you upstairs in his personal space and that’s good.” She looked around the room, a long slow sweep through her leopard’s eyes. “This is a nice room that any guest would be happy to be in. He’s treating you so politely. Perfect manners.”

Restlessness had her pacing again. The room was so large and she was able to walk the length, using the sitting room area as well. “You don’t matter any more than those women mattered to him. Your leopard matters to his leopard. You know that. You felt it when they connected. If you stay here with him, you’ll have that amazing sex you dreamt of, and your leopard will be happy. So will his leopard. This is a great property for the leopards to run free. He wants you for his leopard and to have his children, just the way the other shifters wanted the women for their leopards and to have children. What happened to them? In the end? What happened to your mother? What kind of lives did they have? You know better than to fall for this bullshit.”

She paused by the low table and flung herself into the sitting chair so she could drum her fingers on the tabletop, hearing a musical beat in her head. She had to hear something along with the sound of her own voice. “I’m not certain if he’s capable of being happy, no matter what he says. He has that place inside him he retreats to where only he can go. I would never really be a part of his life. I’d be . . . lonely. Just the way I’ve always been. I’m so damn tired of being alone. I hurt all the time now. My body is burning up, even before your rising, Flamme. I’m not complaining about you. I’m not. It was already happening. I wanted him. You know I did. Now, having met him, I know one time would never have been enough.”
​
Her head was pounding again and she wanted to cry. Crying wasn’t going to solve anything. They were in a mess. She’d seen too many other shifter women in a mess. Most didn’t make it out. She had to find a way.

​Sevastyan Amurov is taken completely by surprise by the stunning woman standing in his doorway.  Maybe it's because she has just been attacked in the most cowardly way possible or maybe it's because his leopard instantly wants to possess her. All of her. 
 
His mate is a fiery-haired beauty filled with passion and secrets.  As her leopard starts to surface, she calls to his darkest desires.  And Sevastyan is determined that they will explore each and every one – together.

Sevastyan wanted her to belong to him with every breath he drew. His leopard leapt and raked, clawing for supremacy, demanding they claim her, but that wasn’t Sevastyan’s way. His woman was going to be his fully because she wanted him. Exclusively. Him. With every one of his flaws - and he had them in abundance.

Flambé Carver knows what kind of a man Sevastyan is.  She’s witnessed his raw sensual power and every night since, she’s yearned only for his touch. 
 
Giving herself to him completely is something that she can’t afford to do.  She refuses to become another abused mate like her mother. After her death, Flambé swore that would never happen to her.  
 
But everything about Sevastyan Amurov is different. He’s considerate, giving and the chemistry between them sparks with heat.  Can she trust what she feels for him or will he simply ruin her – body and soul. 

She’d always intended to seduce him. She’d wanted to have sex with him. That had been her intention from the first moment she saw him. But she realized the moment she saw him up close it would be impossible to seduce a man like Sevastyan. He seduced women. It wasn’t the other way around. Now, her leopard had taken charge in her weakened state and tied them to him.

​ In Leopard’s Rage, Christine gives us one of her best heroes yet!  Sevastyan is an unexpected dichotomy of extremes.  He’s patient and protective.  Savage and seductive.   His willingness to give Flambé the space that she needed to come to terms with her overwhelming emotions brings a tenderness to their story that’s truly palpable.  
 
There is still the all of the intrigue that readers have come to love about the series and there’s certainly no shortage of edge-of-your-seat action.  It’s a reading experience unlike any other.  And it may just have you swooning for days…