This book is comprised of two stories which begin the Pride series by Shelly Laurenston.
In the first story, Mace Llewellyn has just gotten out of the Navy SEALS and returned home to New York City in time to find out that one of the breeding males of the Llewellyn pride has been murdered. Though it has royally pissed of his sister Missy, it actually works in his favor as it puts NYPD cop Desiree 'Dez' MacDermot directly in his path. She is his childhood friend who always understood him, even though she didn't know he was a shifter, and was his partner in crime. He is determined to prove to her that they should renew their partnership as adults, in every way a man and woman can.
The second story picks up where the first one left Brendon Shaw, another male lion shifter, in the hospital recovering from a beating from other male lion shifters on Christmas Eve. Not willing to leave he wounded lion by himself in the hospital, the Smith pack of wolf shifters who saved him decide to leave one of their own behind to watch over him. Ronnie Lee Reed is the lucky woman set to spend Christmas playing babysitter to Brendon. Only this lion is determined to get more from Ronnie than watching him heal.
Both stories are a joy to read. The dialogue is witty, especially between the lead characters and had me chuckling through most of their exchanges. Shelly Laurenston does a great job with making her characters engaging and it's easy to slip right into their stories.
