Review: Natural Evil by Thea Harrison

Natural Evil
Book 4.5 in the Elder Races series
Author:  Thea Harrison
Publisher:  Samhain
Format:  ebook
Length: Novella
Release date:  3/20/12
Author's website:  Link

Claudia Hunter is on a road trip through the Nevada desert when she sees the body of a dog on the side of the highway. Pulling over to investigate, she quickly determines that the enormous animal is clinging to life. While working to save him with the help of the local vet, Claudia realizes there’s something about the creature that seems more. Other. Wyr. Which makes this case of animal cruelty attempted murder.

Too injured to shape shift, Luis Alvaraz is reluctant to tell Claudia what he knows about his attack, afraid it will only make her a target. But the sheriff is corrupt, and his attackers know Luis is alive and vulnerable. To make matters worse, a sandstorm is sweeping into town, and if they're going to survive the night, Luis will have to place all his trust in Claudia.

Claudia is a human with telepathic abilities and listens to her instincts to stop and help the injured dog she passes by on the side of the highway.  She realizes that the dog is a Wyr which are legendary creatures and nurses him back to health with the help of a local veterinarian.   When the Wyr recovers and shifts into a man by the name of Luis, he is able to fill Claudia in on what exactly happened to him.  His investigation into a group of shady men in the town landed him in trouble before he could report back with his findings.  Claudia and Luis decide to team up to get to the bottom of things before Luis's attackers come back after him.  They also have to deal with the growing attraction they have towards one another which Claudia is trying to avoid because she's older than Luis.  That proves to be hard for Claudia because Luis doesn't give up on letting her know how much he likes her.

The attraction between Claudia and Luis is felt from the moment she sees Luis in his human form.  I liked Claudia's character a lot because she was a strong woman who wasn't afraid to do what was right.  She stood her ground when she realized that the injured dog she found was more than just a dog and her instincts proved to be right.  I also enjoyed learning more about Luis and liked the way the story progressed from not knowing anything about him to learning what exactly happened. 

I'm giving Natural Evil a rating of: