Bengal’s Quest
Breeds, Book #21
Feline Breeds, Book #17
By Lora Leigh
ISBN# 9780425265468
Author’s Website: https://loraleigh.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Bengal Breed, Gideon, was only 11 years old when he was handed a sick and dying 4-day old human baby. He was told it was up to him if she lived or died. Gideon had been surviving in the Breed labs at that time, but had no desire to keep going. That baby gave him a reason to live. His vast knowledge of DNA strands gave him what he needed to save the little girl from the genetic abnormality she was born with. He put her through the painful gene therapy that saved her life, but turned her into a Bengal Breed like her unlikely savior.
Gideon knew early on that the girl was his future mate. He did everything in his power to make sure she had the skills to survive the horrible labs. However, he came to a point that he could no longer live with her knowing she was too young to claim her as his mate. He had to escape the labs, something he had the knowledge to do all along. He had stayed all that time and through all those horrors for her and his pack. After his escape, he later orchestrated Cat and Judd’s escape as well. However, he had not planned to be shot in the process. Not knowing that he would eventually heal slowly on his own, Cat and Judd gave him a blood infusion. And, when Cat’s blood started racing through his own veins, so did the mating heat. Cat was still too young to claim, forcing him to stay away from her and protect her from afar.
And, the horrors he went through, once he was recaptured by the Genetics Council, created a monster inside of Gideon. He is now the boogeyman of the Breeds. The one they all fear. The one Jonas is determined to capture. He is forced to hide his Bengal scent and parade around as a Lion Breed, Graeme. However, his mate knows exactly who he is.
Cat, on the other hand, was forced to take on Claire Martinez’s life during the night of the Navajo ritual after the real Claire’s horrible car wreck. Claire’s father never accepted Cat as the daughter he lost. Cat lived in a cruel and cold home where Raymond was working against the Breeds. He was just looking for his chance to sell Cat to them and be done with her once and for all.
Only one of them was supposed to be awake inside Claire’s body. However, what most didn’t realize is they were often awake at the same time. Claire became Cat’s friend and protector. But come the awakening, one or both of them will die.
Meanwhile, Gideon is ready to claim his mate and give her the full force of his protection, even if he has to stay disguised to do so. However, Cat can’t let go of the past and the knowledge that Gideon never loved her. She was nothing but his experiment. How can she mate a man that she can’t even trust? And, as the awakening nears, Cat is that much closer to slipping through Gideon’s fingers and being lost forever.
I was really excited when I read the synopsis and realized this was Gideon’s book. Finally! I knew there was more to him than met the eye and I couldn’t wait to see his redemption unfold before us. I had high expectations of this novel. It has to be EPIC right? And, there were parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. However, it did not live up to my heavy expectations.
A lot does happen in this book, as you can see from my rather long review. This book moves the storyline of the series right along. It also unveils more secrets about some of the characters we’ve encountered. And, it can be rather confusing at times.
There is plenty of sex in this one, as you’d expect. Although it can be a bit of an overkill, at times.
I loved Gideon as I have for several books now. He’s smart, sneaky, and has a moral compass that is unmatched by most in this series. He also has a huge streak for payback and vengeance … which I rater enjoyed as well. I think all of us have times when we need to let our monsters out. Gideon has no shame in letting his monster fly, that’s for sure. It’s what’s protected him and those he cares about, up to this point.
Even though I do love Gideon, I can’t blame Cat for the way she feels either. She has every right to feel hurt and betrayed. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t trust Gideon either! I’m honestly not sure if I would have stayed in that house knowing how close he was.
I felt like the last several chapters of this book got bogged down with an overabundance of words. I was finding myself having to re-read passages just to understand what the author was trying to say. Sometimes, I still wasn’t sure after re-reading them. And, the whole book just got boring and dull.
Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of this couple and their happily ever after as I’m sure Gideon will continue to be a big part of the series. Especially now that we know he’s just as manipulative as Jonas and will probably give the director a run for his money!
