Primal Bonds (Shifters Unbound) [Mass Market Paperback]

I loved the first book in this series and was pleased to find out that the second book would be Sean's, as he was already shown as a strong, silent warrior type, totally befitting his Guardian role. The first book had a lot to introduce, so this one is a touch slower, but picks up only shortly after Liam and Kim's tale ends and it is great to see them living their HEA, complete with baby on its way.

As the book starts, Sean has mate-claimed Andrea, called Andy, a half-shifter, half-fae, who has come to his clan seeking sanctuary. When her shifter mother became pregant with her,she was rejected by her pack but taken in by another, and married a decent man who loved her and Andy. However, as Andy grew up, her fae-side made her new pack regard her with suspicion, and despite this, as one of the few female shifters around, she was the target for male shifters who wanted to mate with her. With the help of her stepfather, she escaped to her aunt Glory, lover of Sean's father, Dylan.

Sean's mate-claim was initially to allow Andy to remain with his pack and to keep other males away from her, to protect her, but they were attracted to each other from the start and their romance hots up pretty quickly, and yes, there's a fair bit of the hot and steamy stuff in with a good tale. Sean started to feel mating heat before he realised what was happening, and there was quite a bit of humour at his expense. We get to see him in cat form too, which made me want to cuddle him!

The tale itself connects both Sean and Andy through the Guardian sword, and the origins of the sword are referred to, which makes for a good explanation as to why Andy and Sean were meant to be together, and the explanation made me realise that I had in fact read the tale of how the Guardian sword came to be, in a novella in the Mammoth Book of Irish Romance. You don't need to read the novella to enjoy the series, but for me, I am glad I did, as it explains the joint shifter/fae origins of the sword and who can wield it.

In addition to a good story and expansion of the world, we get to see some developments that might allow shifters more freedom, and we get to see another HEA in addition to Sean and Andy's, and there are hints that Connor, Liam and Sean's nephew, may get his tale, though he has several decades to grow before he can be considered an adult shifter male.

The next book, not out til 2012, is that of Diego Escobar, a human, and Cassie, a female shifter, so it looks as if we are going to be getting a different side of things. Can't wait!!

I love love loved this book. It you like hot shifter romance with a great story then this is for you. The characters are instantly lovable and from the first moment you're rooting for their romance. Some romances stories have dull underlying stories but this one kept me riveted. I loved the warmth of the shifter community and the strength of their bonds to each other. The action made my heart race with not knowing what would happen next.The world Jennifer Ashley has created is exciting and fascinating and I can't wait to see what happens next. Now comes the long wait for the next book, which I'd beg, steal or borrow to get hold of. If you haven't read this series then what are you waiting for, It starts with Pride Mates.

Naughty but nice romantic/sex scenes in places but has a story to it also. Very enjoyable quck read.
If you enjoyed this Laurann Dohner is excellent read.