The story is a light, low-conflict story that I think is suppose to set up a series regarding werecats (pumas, which are typically known as cougars in the US). Dr. Max Cannon has returned to his hometown after a 10-year absence. Drop-dead gorgeous, his old flame plans to trap him into making a public commitment to her. Unbeknownst to her, though, Max is on to her and he has another interest: Max has eavesdropped on a phone conversation and finds himself sexually interested in a woman based on her verbal sass and fire, Emma Carter. Emma, one of the town's wallflowers, isn't conscious of how her spirit and generous curves entice the town's #1 bachelor.
Upon reacquainting himself with Emma (he knew her casually in high school), Max's hormones go into overdrive and he slickly maneuvers her into a date, which ends with him "marking" her his mate and turning her into a werecat.
I wanted to like this book as I really liked Emma. Emma has a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humor (after discovering Max has "turned" her, she asks him if she needs to stock up on cat litter).
However, I need more insight to Max, the whole concept of were-Pumas, and the town of Halle itself. I ended up with way more questions than answers such as: Why did Max leave 10 years ago and how was he able to hold onto Alpha Leader status during this entire time? Why is Emma "OK" about the sudden and irreversible change to her body that Max made without her consent? If the town has humans and Pumas co-existing peacefully and intermingling socially, why doesn't Emma know about the Pumas already?
I need more information about the town itself: the story rings like a small-town setting with a masquerade being the social highlight. However, it's large enough that not everybody knows of the existence of a sub-society within its midst.
I needed way more explanation of how the were-Puma society functions. Max supposedly fought as a human for the position of pack Alpha, but then he takes off for 10 years without any threat to his position of power. Alphas have an ability to release power to exert their will, but Emma is able to do this with no training or understanding of this power. How is that? One of the reasons Max marks and turns Emma so quickly is to avoid being trapped into a partnering with another woman: this other woman can apparently force him into making a gesture against his will. How?
I also wanted more foundation for a relationship between Max and Emma. It's set-up that Emma's held a torch for Max in high school, but he didn't really give her a second thought (though he admits to a moment of lust). Their relationship seems based on Emma's infatuation and Max's beliefs on what he needs. There's no real "us" to the relationship, so it doesn't work for me at all.
I think the author has potential, I just need more complexity to the story.
