I escaped the jungle, only to end up abducted and held captive. But I'm not waiting to be rescued. Screw that damsel-in-distress garbage! I'm the last Phoenix shifter and I'm about to give them hellfire! Of course, I'd wind up kidnapped. I thought being kidnapped would be sexy or something. I was dead wrong. Haha, get it? As if the jungle, viper bites, piranhas, killer bugs and the five sexy dipstick-for-brains I saved weren't enough, I'm now a captive of some lab coat weirdos in an experimentation facility. I definitely got the wrong idea of torture from "50 Shades of Grey". Don't look at me like that, you read it too! They seem to be willing to stop at nothing in their effort to break me. But come on, they're not that creative, just annoying in their determination to figure out how much I can take. Another rare shifter is being held here. I can feel him. Yep, another freaking mate. In case you haven't been counting, that makes it six fated mates... sheesh! My five jaguar shifter mates couldn't seem to make up their minds. Were they happy to have me or desperate to ditch me? I'm not even sure if they are coming to rescue me. Who did I tick off in the universe to deserve all of this? No need to send help, because I've got this... as soon as I find some clothes. They are about to find out exactly who and what I really am.

MY THOUGHTS

My favorite mythical creature has always been the phoenix, especially the notion of rising from the ashes (particularly as a metaphor). I’ve read a lot of stories with phoenixes, and some have had elements that match my vision, but these books – Ryls (and Imp) have come the closest to what I envision as a phoenix. It’s been pretty glorious. I also love big cats and shifters so the jaguars have been great too, even if they have some serious groveling to do.

About the Characters

Rhyls is so strong of spirit. She’s brave and sassy in the best and worst of times. Trevor is so sweet and loving. Knox, Dagger, and Jett are completely devoted to Rhyls, but Anzac and Mace have a long way to go before they earn her trust and forgiveness. Lee seems like a good guy, but I’m not quite sure what to make of him yet.

Things I Liked

Imp is amazing and so much fun. I adore Trevor and I’m so happy Rhyls got a more natural fated mate meeting (not counting their actual circumstances).

Things I Didn’t Like

Mace and Anzac’s reasons for being complete monsters to Rhyls were weak and I was really disappointed with how easily they got duped. For how suspicious they seem to be, I feel like they trusted a litle too easily.

More Thoughts

We meet several new characters and Jackson is my favorite. He’s not a mate, but seems like a good, fun guy. We don’t really get much of Xerxes and Lee seems ok and a font of knowledge, but I still don’t quite know how I feel about him yet. Rhyls meets them all through her captivity which was a pretty bleak environment, but clearly held a lot of surprises too. I look forward to seeing more of everybody in a more normal everyday setting.

Does it stand alone?

No. It picks up from where the last left off and references events from the previous book without exactly explaining them.

Bottom Line

With new characters and more of Rhyls’s fiery side, this is an exciting, action-packed read!