Sheala is a Drakan, sexually trained in the art of pleasure. And when the time comes for her to choose her first lover she can't help but be attracted to the visiting Gattan, Marljas. The sexy lion man fascinates her especially when he forms a bloodbond with Sheala's sister by marriage, Brianna. Now Marljas sports a dragon clan tattoo on his shoulder with a roaring lion just beneath. He is sex personified and she intends to have him.
Marljas, much to his dismay, is just as attracted and intrigued by Sheala. As much as he fights her, the outcome is undeniable and on the night of her party he takes her to his bed. Sheala had cur him on the throat with one of her knives and in Gattan culture this means that she has made her intention known that she wishes to mate with him. Marljas finds himself wanting her for wife, and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants.
But a sinister plot is unfolding, involving more than they realize, and Sheala is kidnapped facing torture and rape. When Marljas and her family rescue her she initiates the Gattan blood rite that will unite her and Marljas as husband and wife. And dealing with the after affects of her capture is just the tip of the iceberg for what is in store for them.
Sheala is a wonderfully written novel that exams the complexity of inter cultural marriage and all the implications and complications that come with it. Sheala and Marljas faced real issues, one of which was the sexual relationship in the after math of rape. It contained assassin plots, family betrayal, cross cultural sexual taboos and much, much more. Although I worried that the complicated plot would divert the reader in too many directions Ms. May did a phenomenal job of creating a real world that pulled you in and kept you there anticipating each new turn of the page. Although I did not read the first book in this series I was still able to understand and fall in love with the characters. I look forward to reading the first and hopefully many more in this amazing series.
4.5 out of 5 Quills.
©Reviewed By Debbie H.
March 16, 2007