Byrd (Last Wolf Watching
) successfully combines a haunting love story with complex world-building in the first volume of her Primal Instinct urban fantasy romance series. At first, Ian Buchanan refuses to listen to Molly Stratton's claims of a psychic connection to his dead mother, but then the petite blonde shows up with bite marks on her neck matching those he'd given her in a sexually charged dream. Ian soon realizes he must free his long-denied animal nature in order to battle an inhuman danger. His beast-self demands to be fed with violent sex, but Ian can't bring himself to harm Molly. His reluctance threatens their burgeoning relationship and could allow evil a toehold in the world. The love scenes are less raw than some in Byrd's earlier books, but the intense emotional and sexual connection between her leads remains. (Apr.)
