Mate Claimed (Shifters Unbound, #4) by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Shifters Unbound #4
Published by Penguin Group on October 2nd 2012
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 336
Goodreads

MATE CLAIMED is the fourth novel in the Shifters Unbound series. It is the story of Eric Warden, the leader of the Las Vegas Shiftertown. He has a grown son and lost his mate. He sees Iona Duncan, who is half Shifter but masquerading as human. Readers of the series will recall that Shifters are seriously discriminated against by humans and Iona has no desire to subject herself to that along with risking her mother and sister who might face trouble for having hidden her nature. Eric is seriously attracted to Iona immediately and wants to protect her but he knows that if she doesn’t come to terms with her Shifter side soon, she risks becoming feral and losing herself in her animal side completely.

This story was great. It is sexy and really compelling. The discrimination toward Shifters is on full display here. There is also an interesting story dealing with a new group of lupines being moved unwillingly to Shiftertown and the conflicts that arise. What sets these books apart is the detailed world that Ashley has created. Eric and Iona are compelling characters with depth and interest. The heat between these two felines is blazing.

Rating 4.5.