ARC Review: Unleashed

Unleashed
Sara Humphreys
Paranormal Romance
Amoveo Legend/Book 1
Sourcebooks/October 1, 2011

From Goodreads ~

What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you'd ever imagined...

Samantha Logan's childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans...but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she's one of them...

And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way...

Going home can be a comfort. It can also reveal a fascinating hidden world of shapeshifters. Such is the case for Samantha Logan. She thinks to start her life new, moving into a house filled with wonderful childhood memories. It's not just the house she goes back to but Nonie, her beloved grandmother. It turns out Nonie isn't the only one waiting on Sam's arrival.

Samantha Logan gave it her best shot but she's tired of waiting to make it big in the art world. She's decided to take a break from New York City and return to the place that's calling her back. It's her grandmother Nonie's home on the coast of Rhode Island where she seeks shelter. Samantha is very down to earth, but it felt like she accepted Malcolm and his shapeshifting a little too easily. She did put up a fight when he told her they were "life mates" and destined to be together. She's a likeable character with plenty of qualities that kept her from falling into the TSTL heroine category. She does have this way of teasing Malcolm that he is so not use to. It was amusing to see him take her out on dates, which he was reluctant to do. He's very old fashion and thinks dating is for humans, of which he does not consider himself. But he wanted to please Sam so he attempted to woo her in the way of humans.

Malcolm Drew is a very attractive man who has been waiting a long to for his life mate. His wait is over and he's anxious to bring Sam into his world of the Amoveo. He doesn't want to scare her off but he also has other concerns, mainly the fact that his powers are growing weaker and there might be a Caedo after Sam. The Caedo are the enemies of the Amoveo and have tried to wipe them out. That's why the Amoveo live in secret. So along with keeping Sam safe he needs to get her to trust him which requires getting to know each other. Sometimes Malcolm was so unsure of himself while dating Sam. He would get nervous, not sure of what to say or do, which was odd since otherwise he was very confident in himself. It was sweet at times but also at odds with how he was the rest of the time. I think it had to do with his lack of experience in dating and developing a relationship with a woman. He had been with women, just nothing long term.

The world building was interesting with the different clans of Amoveo represented by different animals. They also have the ability to speak to each other through their minds and travel at the speed of thought. While there is information on the Amoveo and their history, I was still left with a lot of questions and hope Humphreys will go deeper into the Amoveos and their history in future books.

The plot involving the Caedo held my interest even though I had a pretty good idea of the identity of Sam's stalker. There was a nice twist at the end with both Sam and Malcolm making a joint effort at defeating the big bad. The secondary characters add to the story with Nonie providing Sam guidance and family and Davis, Malcolm's butler, providing some much needed advice for Malcolm. There are other Amoveos who are part of Malcolm's life and they certainly have the potential for future heroes. Sam's best friend Kerry gets in on the action and catches the eye of one of the Amoveos so I wouldn't be surprised if they get their own book.

The romance is sweet at times, intense at others. There is the life mate angle that some readers might not like. Sam and Malcolm did getting to know each other through their dates but for Malcolm it was already a done deal. Malcolm's attitude bothered me but he eventually did come around. I did like how Sam handled his bossiness, letting him know she would and could make her own decisions. He learned how to loosen up a bit and not be so domineering which was good since their relationship wouldn't have worked had he not learned how to bend a little. So, while it started out with Malcolm seemingly holding the power, in the end they both ended up as equals.

Unleashed begins a new series and while it didn't blow me away, it did make me want to learn more about the world of the Amoveo.

Rating: B