Title:  Force of Temptation
Series:  Mercury Pack #2
Author:  Suzanne Wright
Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Shifter Romance
Published:  December 13, 2016
Publisher:  Montlake Romance
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Harley Vincent is resigned to life in the human world. Sure, being a margay shifter is half her nature, but life among humans gives her the freedom to roam and do as she pleases. That is, until anti-shifter extremists target her, putting her life in immediate danger.

When an old acquaintance and onetime fling, Jesse Dalton, shows up to offer the protection of his pack, Harley hesitates. She may have feelings for Jesse that go beyond their one-night stand, but life among shifters means giving over her independence to the needs of pack. Plus Mercury Pack has its own threat to face: a rich half-shifter is determined to claim their territory at any cost.

Jesse, who lost his true mate as a child, has wanted Harley since their night together, and he’s not letting her go again. They may not be destined for each other, but he knows she belongs to him and with his pack. Even if he can convince her to join him now, can he convince her to stay?

Titles in this series include:  Spiral of Need – Force of Temptation

I am so captivated by the people who make up the Phoenix Pack and the Mercury Pack that it would be entirely too easy for me to sit here and tell you the entire story – not because I intentionally give away spoilers, but because I simply love to talk about a really good story where I absolutely loved every moment that I spent in their world.  So, I have to be careful, but if like me, you’ve been waiting what seems a long time for the second story in the Mercury Pack series – well, it’s hard to not get excited.

Harley’s upbringing has been tumultuous at the very least.  She’s the daughter of a murderer, a particularly vicious murder who took vengeance into his own hands and called it justice.  She’s the daughter of a deadbeat addict who has always been willing to steal from Harley or beg when the need for money arises.  As a half human, half margay shifter, Harley has always straddled two worlds and she went to live with her human aunt when her father went to prison.  She’s seen the worst and the best of the world – all she wants is to find her place in it.  She’d had a one night stand with Jesse right after his sister’s memorial.  Harley had tried to help Mia, to show her just how bad the path was that she was on but to no avail.  In the end Mia’s family blamed Harley’s influence for her death.  Nothing could be further from the truth, but guilt and pain needs to find some place to land aside from ourselves.

It seems that Harley and Jesse’s lives have been intertwined for years and events that seemed to follow after the other.  From the death of Jesse’s true mate which his sister blamed herself for through Mia’s destructive spiral – Jesse was always a strong point in Harley’s life.  Because of their history she didn’t stick around for that morning after.  That doesn’t mean that she left her heart unbroken when she did.

Now because of a anti-shifter extremist group’s threat to Harley she’s right back in Jesse’s life and his arms.  He’s watched over her from a distance, and soon would have made his move but the danger to his woman has him bringing Harley back into his pack, as his mate.  Two strong, dominant people with a strong sexual attraction, a love beneath the surface and the odds against them are going to make a lot of people uncomfortable – but they’ll just have to deal because Jesse isn’t letting Harley go and he’ll leave the pack or take on any comers who try to oppose them.

Jesse and Harley are not true fated mates.  Yet they will become chosen mates, with the hope that imprinting will eventually give them the ultimate mated bond that true mates experience.  There is no guarantee, but Jesse isn’t about to let this woman go, the woman he’s loved, watched over and wanted as his mate for years.  For him there has been no other choice, but he also knows that taking Harley as his mate means she must give up the hope of one day finding her true mate and accept him totally and completely.  There are a lot of emotions that must happen between them for a bond to form.  Trust, opening up themselves totally to the other are only two important ones.  Of course love comes into play, but with the odds against them Harley and Jesse face some hurdles in their relationship – and that’s beside the fact of interference from possessive jealous females, a family that won’t accept Harley as his mate, a pack that is suspicious of her and… there’s that pesky bit of trouble that Harley is currently facing.  They have a lot going against them but only Jesse and Harley have the final say about their lives and their love for each other.

In addition to the personal drama going on, the Mercury pack is facing a difficult land developer who has purchased property beside the pack’s territory – and wants their land.  That’s not going to happen and soon events are going to heat up… big time.

I think it’s fair to say that there’s a lot going on in Force of Temptation.  And frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I enjoyed this one very much – in truth my only complaint about either series is that there is such a long wait in between stories.  As a reader, if that’s all I’ve got to complain about then the story is golden.

I couldn’t recommend this story highly enough if I took another thousands words.  Passion, action, intrigue, danger and true family.  All the bits and pieces that make up a truly exceptional story.  If you love Shifters, if Paranormal Romance is your thing… then you’ll enjoy Force of Temptation.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

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