Review: Levi (Leopard's Spots, #1) by Bailey Bradford

A run through the woods turned anything but typical when Levi found the one thing he never expected to find-his mate.

After a week spent in family reunion hell, Levi Travis is more than ready for a little break. But who knew shifting into a snow leopard and loping around in the woods could turn into such a steamy event?

When Levi encounters a cougar shifter in the woods, the attraction is so hot it threatens to shoot off sparks. Levi has fantasized about having a stronger man than him want him, and he's sure the cougar is just such a man. Which is why Levi lets himself get caught, and the intensity of their mating is only equaled by Levi's confusion when the man shifts back into a cougar then turns tail and runs.

Lyndon Hines has been running for months. Hunted, taunted, he didn't know what else to do—until he met a man who made him realize that some things were worth fighting for. Two shifters, each a different breed, neither knowing much about their heritage, Levi and Lyndon come together and find the strength to take on the mad man who is out to end Lyndon's life.

Publisher's Note: This book has previously been released by Pride Publishing. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release. This book is best read in sequence, as part of a series but can be read as a standalone.



One made up word: Smutfest

Yes, this is a very smutty book, with lots of growling, biting, and pounding.

I can see how this series is going to develop, and I found the plot enjoyable, but I was completely distracted by all the sex these two were having. I actually think there is such a thing as too much erotica in a story, and this reached its limit for me. When I start skimming over the sex scenes, I know there is a problem, and it doesn’t matter how sexy the scenes are in their own right, it is too much.

Some may not agree with me, and that’s great, you will enjoy the fuck out of this story (pun absolutely intended). For me, after the first two times, I wanted to get on with the actual plot.

Lyndon is on the run because he is being hunted by another cougar. He doesn’t know who, but they have been marking his belongings and hotel rooms for quite some time. He manages to find himself in the woods, when he comes across another cat shifter, but not a cougar. And that cat shifter smells like they’re in heat.

Levi can’t believe he’s in heat, as it has never happened before and he didn’t think it would happen to the males of the Snow Leopard shifter species. However, he admits that his family doesn’t know much about shifters history as his grandmother’s entire clan was wiped out when she was a child making her the single survivor.

I actually like this part of the plot. This group of shifters are completely oblivious and don’t appear to have ventured out of their own town far enough to discover if there are other shifters. It leaves a lot of questions to be discovered, and I imagine that is what this series is setting up to reveal.

Levi and Lyndon have great sexual chemistry, and the wood scene when they first meet is heat level high. It definitely got my blood pumping, and kept me engaged.

I’m not really a fan of fated mates shifter stories. They’re just really predictable from a romance point of view, and it doesn’t leave much in the way of relationship development in this particular story. I know this trope can be done well, and I have a favourite series that is fated mates, but it is the exception for me, and this story followed the rule.

But…. the rest of this story (where they aren’t humping each other) makes for interesting reading, and I think the plot worked really well with the discovery of other shifter species.

If you like fluffy smut with a bit of drama, and a decent overall story arc, I think this could be worth the time. If you are averse to fated mate stories then you probably won’t be able to avoid the disdain of that trope here, but if you can tolerate it, this is a fun read.


A review copy was provided for an honest opinion

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