At long last, Kendra Kellogg has found her sister—but she’s no closer to filling the gaps in her past. The magick that brought them together makes them targets for dark mages intent on finishing what started with their mother’s murder.

As if her life wasn’t chaotic enough, in barrels the one thing she doesn’t expect, Max de La Vega. He’s six-and-a-half-feet of cocoa-brown alpha male. He’s strong, intelligent, sexy and intense. Everything she’d wanted in a man. And he scares the hell out of her. Still healing from a disastrous past relationship, she wonders if she’ll ever have that kind of forever.

The next in line to run his jaguar jamboree, Max is unused to hearing “no”. Once he knows what he wants, he assumes he’ll get it. And he wants Kendra. She deserves happiness and it’s his mission to give it to her.

When dark mages attempt to steal her magickal energy, Max’s cat agrees with the man—Kendra is his to protect and he will stop at nothing to keep her safe. She can push him away as hard as she likes, he’s not going anywhere.

Kendra Kellogg is an extremely skillful witch and a teacher. She’s quick-witted and strong-willed, vivacious, straightforward, compassionate and a bit touchy. She’s also a fighter who protects the ones she cares about with fierce determination. Despite her strength and boldness there's an amount of vulnerability to her that softens her and makes her an amazing character. She doesn't quite know what to do with her attraction to Max and his interest in her. In the beginning I was curious about her past, eager to know what had happened with her ex to make her so cautious in her acceptance of Max's courtship. The explanation showed me a Kendra who's a warrior with a yearning to belong, to connect and to be loved, yet free to be whom and what she is.

Max De La Vega is lawyer and a powerful cat shifter. He’s next in line to head up his jaguar jamboree. Maxi is intense, alpha and sleek and smooth like the jaguar he is, oozing confidence without effort. He portrays the broody, dominant alpha male perfectly but he is not overbearing or controlling. He is drawn to Kendra from the very first moment he lays eyes on her.

Quote:
(…) Max de La Vega. He’s six-and-a-half-feet of cocoa-brown alpha male.

This description of Max in the blurb immediately caught my eye! And I wondered if he was going to be another one for my favorite heroes list? Let me tell you that after reading first sex scene the answer to this question is a wholehearted YES!

I really liked the way Lauren Dane build up this story and the relationship between Max and Kendra. Unlike the quick, almost instant romance and sexual play in TRINITY, this one was more gradual, Max had to work to get Kendra where he wanted. And he took his time, wouldn't be rushed, not even by her. And all the while the sexual chemistry between them is off the charts! It’s sizzling from page one and scorching when they both give into it. Also, as with TRINITY the playful banter and teasing between the main characters is one of the things I liked best in this book. It gave it that humorous feel I adore in my reads. Even during sex they kept the teasing banter going. Loved that!

REVELATION has some of the best secondary characters I’ve read in a while. Max’s dad charmed me, Max’s mom had me in awe and Max’s siblings are a mixed bunch of likeable and unlikeable characters but they all contributed to this awesome book and it’s plot. I was thrilled to see Galen, Renee and Jack again and I absolutely and completely loved the sisterly bond between Kendra and Renee. Their bond was strong despite having spent years apart by the separation their father caused.

I went into REVELATION hoping the cliffhanger TRINITY ended on would be tackled in a satisfactory way and it soon was, though not very early in the story. After the wrap-up of the cliffhanger some developments raised new questions and I was curious to see if how these loose ends were going to be tied up. I was very satisfied with the ending of REVELATION and it left enough open to guarantee enough fodder for another De La Vega Cats book and I’m already looking forward to it even if I don’t have a clue whose book it would be. Gibson maybe? Because this De La Vega brother who is the jamboree’s Bringer (of justice and law) totally intrigued me. He had a scene near the end that definitely put him in my line of vision and I hope he'll find his own stubborn, difficult woman to protect in a future De La Vega Cats installment.

The dialogues, characterization and plot drew me in completely. Once you start reading the easy dialogues set a nice fast pace, the plot keeps you curious for more and the strong characters, both primary and secondary, keep you engaged in a way you don't want to let them go. I loved the way the sexy times alternated with Kendra's back-story (mainly), information on witchcraft and magic(k) and the plot. A plot that had some turns I kind of saw coming and yet they surprised the heck out of me when the things I suspected actually happened. And there were some things in the plot that I really didn’t see coming and also surprised the heck out of me. I like to be surprised!

I couldn’t help but notice that, as with the Federation Series and with the Brown Siblings series, the first book in the series is centered on the m/f/m ménage and the second is a strong m/f relationship. I like that and wonder if this will remain a recurring thing in future (new) series too. It does kind of offer something for everyone. I personally like both tropes, as long as the romance, plot and sex is good…either ménage or plain m/f works for me.

REVELATION totally caught me by surprise and turned out to be an awesome read! The plot and its twists and turns, the characters and their development, the beautiful and at times surprising romance rife with intensity and some very hot sexing, it all came together to create a perfect read and have me desperate for more in the world of the De La Vega cats.

Though I have one complaint, this book is getting the perfect score from me. My complaint? I didn't get that office/desk scene Lauren Dane dangled in front of me through this quote:

Max: "Have I ever shared this recurring fantasy I've had about you, me and my desk?"

If I had gotten that particular scene I would've been very tempted to give this book an 11!

Quotes:
Max: "I walked into the building when I smelled my lovely Kendra. I needed to make my way here to rub myself all over her."

He held a hand out to her, helping her up. “Come on then.” He sighed dramatically. “Clearly, you’re a nympho and need some of my special medicine for it.”

She grabbed his lapels and dragged him closer, tiptoeing up to whisper in his ear. “I want you to mark me again. On the inside of my thigh.” Their energy reverberated, humming, vibrating until she nearly came from it.
“I want to lick you until you say my name. You know how you do it, stuttering, breathless, like a sob. It makes my c#ck hard. Let’s go home right now (…)”

10 out of 10

One witch, one cat shifter. Add one wolf. Blend. Safety glasses recommended.

Renee Parcell loves her life. Her smoothie/coffee cart business is successful, and she’s deeply in love with her boyfriend, Galen. He makes her laugh, he’s gainfully employed, and he satisfies her as only a sexy cat shifter can. He even puts the toilet seat down.

Yet they both sense something in the air. An anticipation that leaves them both unsettled.

Tall, blond and gorgeous Jack Meyers, Enforcer of National Pack and one of the most beautiful men Renee and Galen have ever seen, stumbles into Renee’s life and the riddle of their expectation is solved—Renee is Jack’s mate. What surprises them all is when the three of them touch, magick creates an unexpected triple bond of witch, cat and wolf.

Even as they learn to navigate the steamy intricacies of their bond, a threat looms over Renee. First in the form of resurrected memories, then in the shape of darker magicks someone is aiming at her. Set on stealing her inherent powers—even her life.

Renee can stand to lose almost anything, except her mates. But there seems to be no talking them out of laying everything on the line for her…

Warning:
All kinds of alpha maleness going on up in here and the woman responsible for keeping them in line. Sexin in many varied settings and positions, including sexy times between dudes. Bad words. Tight butts in worn denim. Some violence here and there.

I was enthralled even before starting reading this book. The intriguing premise of a witch, a cat shifter and a wolf shifter combined with the exhilarating Samhain warning were enough to reel me in and Lauren Dane definitely delivered on their promise. This is my very first taste of Lauren Dane's shifter books. I've had her Cascadia Wolves series on my TBR for quite a while but never got around to them. Trinity is a spin-off of that series and though it can be read as a stand-alone perfectly, it definitely triggered me to pick up the Cascadia books very soon. Subtly, effortlessly and seemingly unnoticed Lauren Dane weaves in the intriguing Cascadia back-story through Jack's POV and some secondary characters.

Renee Parcell owns a juice and coffee cart in the metaphysical bookstore/magick shop her stepmother runs. Renee speaks her mind; she’s saucy and independent, strong-willed, tough and very caring of the people she loves. She’s a powerful witch with a strong magic force surrounding her but knows little of her magical background and her father and stepmother's disapproval and denial of magic prevents her from acknowledging it. Later on in the story things come to light that put this in a very different and surprising light and that turn Renee’s world upside down.

Galen de La Vega is Renee's fiancé (in human terms) and imprinted husband (in cat shifter terms). Galen is a Spanish/Jamaican shifter and lawyer. His parents are the alpha couple of the jamboree (jaguar equivalent of a pack). Since Galen first brought Renee home it’s been a struggle to get her accepted by everyone in the jamboree but Galen doesn’t accept their disapproval and sticks with Renee all the way.

Quote: "The sound of his voice was like caramel, thick and sweet."

Jack Anderson Meyers is Renee's other mate, a wolf shifter, Enforcer of his pack, who accidentally bumps into Renee and recognizes his life mate in her. His stumbling into Renee’s world triggers stuff that not only rocks the worlds of both Galen and Renee, but also his own.

Quote: "What a voice. Lazy, redolent with sex, deep."

Both Galen and Jack are fearsome, protective and confident alpha males. I loved how Renee stood her ground and told them off when they did stupid things or were too bossy and overbearing. The set-up of the tri-mate bond between Galen, Renee and Jack was excellently written and I was smoothly eased into the ménage.
I was utterly intrigued by the complexity of the mating/bonding triangle between Galen, Renee and Jack and I was curious how it all was going to work out. And I’m not disappointed at all. That first sex scene was off the charts hot and I could almost feel the emotional intensity. And once again (as in LAID BARE and UNDERCOVER) Lauren Dane made the m/m sexy times work for me because it wasn’t too explicit and the focus point remained on Renee. For any m/m/f ménage to work for me I need the focus to stay on the female and not too much m/m sexy times and Lauren is an author of erotic romance who has never let me down in that.

After the halfway mark there was so much going on, so many questions popping up, my head was spinning! In a very good way. I couldn't read fast enough to find out what the heck was going on! One small thing bothered me. There's a scene with a (verbal) fight between Renee and Jack over something Jack says and I didn't understand Renee's anger and therefore didn't understand the fight or the need for this scene. The scene that followed, offered ample explanation though and was pivotal tot he plot and Renee's character and back-story so I was quickly back on track and even more intrigued then before. At first I couldn't understand the ambiguity in Renee's character: feisty, vibrant, saucy on one side and insecure, low-self-esteem and defending people who are bad for her, abusive even on the other hand. However, this is all explained little by little throughout her characterization and at the end of the book I understood it a little bit better.

I developed an instant dislike for Renee’s stepmother Susan. It had been a while since I had such a violent reaction to a secondary character but I wanted to climb into the pages and kick her toxic ass. And this only got worse and worse the more I read about her. When I came to the end of the book all I wanted to do was punch her in the face. Hard! (I am NOT a violent person, I swear…)

When I started reading TRINITY someone on Twitter expressed that I was so lucky to be reading it so close to the release of REVELATION, its sequel. To be honest I didn't understand the fuss until I reached the last page and was treated to one heck of a cliffhanger. Seriously people, I’m talking the mother of all cliffhangers here! Saying I need to read REVELATION immediately isn't even an understatement. What's bigger than an understatement? Well, that's the word I'm looking for!

TRINITY is comprised of easy dialogues, witty banter, great characterization, clear world building without info-dumps, emotional development and off-the-charts sex scenes. For these things alone lovers of shifter paranormal romance should read Lauren Dane's De La Vega Cats!

Quotes:

She looked up, into his face, met his eyes and smiled. “Did you have a request?”
“My c#ck does and I’m its spokesperson.”

“You’re tense. Not so much now that you think you’re getting some morning sex, but earlier. Your muscles were bunched up.”
“Am I?”
"Bunched up?"
Leaning in, he drew a deep breath, his lips just touching her throat. His system went into overdrive. “Getting morning sex.”
"You’re going to get your junk punched if you don’t tell me what had you all stressed out.”

Their early morning coupling wasn’t about sensuality. It wasn’t a slow seduction. It was hard and fast, bodies meeting, sliding in a slick of sweat, the ache of desire, the spice of their attraction hanging around them. Her nails dug into his sides as she came, her body clasping his with such heated ferocity he had no choice but to give in and climax.

What she felt when he marked her that way wasn’t something she could easily put into words. It was a wedding ring, a declaration of his connection and commitment, it was sexy and caveman all at once, wrapped up in caring. It made her feel cherished and cosseted. Possessed but not owned.

Galen and his mom:
“You’re bloodthirsty.” He smiled, for real this time. (...) “I am. Where do you think you get it? Your papi is mellow. He’s a poet who practices law. Me? I’ll rip throats out and then read poetry."

“Don’t think I can’t feel you two scheming through the bond. And all that hot gay stuff too. That part I like.”

8.5 out of 10