Review: Shadow by Laurann Dohner

Shadow (New Species - Book #9)
by Laurann Dohner
Kindle Edition, 318 pages
ASIN: B009AEOWXI
Source: Ebook - Own

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Beauty resents being labeled Gift Species. Everyone is way too overprotective, males are not even allowed to speak to her and so far, true freedom eludes her. Then a big, sexy Species officer mistakes her for the enemy and takes her down—literally.
Shadow is dumbfounded. He has a Gift pinned beneath him—a big no-no. But Beauty is fascinated and wants to know Shadow a lot better. She’s full of newly discovered, unrequited passion and he’s just what she needs to satisfy her curiosity.
For Shadow, sex means pain and loathing. For Beauty, enslavement and ridicule. Two lonely souls who have never known a loving touch, together in a cabin in the woods. Every caress, every discovery brings them closer to a life they never thought possible…beyond even their wildest dreams.

Beauty (formally known as Mud) was rescued in "Justice" book #4 by Jessie. Jessie gives Mud a new name to fit her better and now she lives at Homeland.

The rules for the "Gift" Species are a little different. They are to be protected like the other females but they are seen as weak and males are forbidden to even approach them. This is for their own protection since they were sold to humans as a sexual toy. Human men still scare them and are not allowed to be near a GIFT.

Beauty is different from the other Gift Species. Beauty only had one MASTER/owner and he was old and frail. He did sexually abuse her but he would not allow any of her guards to sexually touch her. The guards did however, starve her, hit her, and verbally abuse her. The other gifts were passed around or had more horrific pasts that left them afraid of all males and never again do they want to be with a male. Beauty hears her neighbors with the males that they choose to share sex with and she is curious. She is not afraid of the Male Species. She is still a little reluctant with humans but she is very lonely without others to talk to. She has the females but they treat her different as well. She wants to be seen as an equal. And she sees Homeland and her present life not that different from the prison she was saved from. Beauty wants to feel ALIVE and FREE.

One night after overhearing her neighbor Kit sharing sex with Book she decides that she needs to run outside and feel alive and free. It is the middle of the night and she takes off but all of a sudden there is of a thunderstorm raining down on her in her flimsy nightgown. She decides to run anyway no that she is already soaked and locked out of the dorm and just feel the rain.

Shadow is on his way home from his shift at Homeland and pulls over as he sees someone small running when the lightning hits. He thinks it must be a human female since they are small. He runs after her and takes her to the ground. Beauty is stunned but not scared as she looks into the beautiful blue eyes of Shadow. Shadow is shocked as he sees he has just harmed a Gift Female and tries to fix the situation. Shadow gets them to shelter since the hale is starting to come down and Beauty manipulates Shadow into spending the night with her. She feels bad about lying but is curious about the males and wants to spend time with him to talk and just be together.

After their night ends and Beauty tells Breeze how she feels and that Shadow should not be in trouble, Breeze comes up with a plan to send Beauty and Shadow on a vacation to a cabin away from others at Reservation. This is so Beauty can spend some alone time with Shadow and to see if she would like to share sex. Shadow is not happy with this plan, he has been sexually abused as well and has not shared sex with a female in quite a long time. He is sure that he will hurt Beauty or will not be able to be the male she needs him to be.

They get to know each other better, sharing their stories of the past abuse they have in common. They are really perfect for each other since they can relate to each others past. All of the Species were abused but the sexual experiments usually consisted of Species Male mating with a Species Female forced by the humans at Mercile. But in Beauty's case it was a human man and in Shadow's case it was technicians/doctors and machines.

The man that owned Beauty wants her back and he has never been caught. He hires some mercenaries to go after her and get her back for him. Shadow and the residents of Reservation have their hands full trying to protect Beauty and all of the Species. Moon is darted and now there is something very wrong with him. He wakes up feral and they must catch the man responsible to find out what drug they used so the can correct this. Moon is no longer the laid back male he once was. And now his future is questionable.

Beauty and Shadow belong together and they decide they do not want to let go of one another. They must figure out what to do to be together. Shadow is scheduled to go back to the Task Force but now he won't leave Beauty. Beauty cannot live with Shadow at Headquarters due to all the humans, she would never feel safe.

Another good one of course. I liked the introduction to Leo and hope that he will make more appearances in the future. I vote for Leo finding a mate. It would be interesting to picture him as a male with a female interested due to the fact that he even has a tail. Would be interesting maybe. Maybe they will bring a female who has a background of working with wild large cats and wolves at a preserve and then she can fall for him. Just a thought. LOL

Rating:

Happy Reading!