Book Review: Hellcat by Isabel Brann

Hellcat by Isabel Brann is a series starter, but I have not seen any sequels out yet.  Lion Therian Nikolas Spiros, owner of the most extraordinaire mane in existence, is facing a dilemma–should he apply an avocado hair mask or the olive oil one? Being the King of the Jungle is tough work! When a crazy ex –you should never trust a hyena– hacks into his magazine’s website, a Cyber Security Expert is hired to fix things. But weird, geeky, Lee Ryan is nothing like he expected. Blind to his greatness, she tests him at every turn. And that’s without mentioning his furry side’s obsession with her. A mysterious breed of Therian, Lee has been hiding her whole life. Part of a prophecy told before the Roman Empire fell, she’s been constantly chased by an ancient cult who wants her blood. But now she’s done. No more running. They want to dance? She’ll tango with them. Of course, that was all before she met the most arrogant, over-confident, accidentally funny male in the world. And the worst part? He may be her mate. For Nik, protecting Lee from danger is the easy part. Convincing her she’s his? Well, that’s going to take some work. Good thing he’s irresistible.

Hellcat starts off with a mythological lesson in the start of Therians, or shifters, as it stands in the series. I liked the take on the origin story, but it made the opening a little slow for me. However, once the first chapter gpt rolling andthe main players were introduced I was highly entertained. I loved the combination of strong, goofy, and vulnerable that most of the main characters pull off. I laughing at the Spiros siblings, and enjoyed the banter they shared, and the banter that Lee had with just about everyone. The plot and action were well constructed and even when I thought I knew right where it was going, the path and/or destination surprised me. While I am not a fan of the fate forced mates thing, I think it was well done here, and there was enough delay and free will in play to keep things interesting. I really enjoyed the read, particularly the amount of humor, snark, and badass women. I will be watching for more from the author.

Hellcat is a fast, fun read. I had two disappointments here, that it took me so long to get around to reading it, and that when I went looking for more I could not find them.