Shifters keep their friends close and their enemies closer in a shadowy world where the line between hunter and hunted thins, blurs, and finally shatters Author’s Note: Roman’s Gold is the kickoff volume for the Underground Heat Trilogy. All three books are full length shifter romances with happy-ever-after endings!You can buy the books individually, or in the boxed set titled Underground Heat.… the boxed set titled Underground Heat.
Once respected members of society, shifters are running for their lives. In a futuristic world where resources are scarce, Kate uses her human form to work as a sex surrogate. Furious at what looks a lot like genocide for her people, she joins the shifter underground.
Devon’s been a cop for a long time. He has shifter blood, but not enough to change into anything, at least not until the police department insists on a series of infusions to make him better at tracking shifters so they can be imprisoned—or killed.
Devon’s latest assignment is Kate. From the moment he sees her, he can’t get her out of his mind. But she’s the enemy he’s sworn to eradicate. As he tracks her, the line between hunter and hunted explodes.
Against reason and wisdom, Kate and Devon defy the rules. If their passion doesn’t save them, it’ll doom them forever.
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Roman’s Gold is a futuristic paranormal novel set in a dystopian North America where shape shifters have been outlawed and are being hunted by the government. The story is the first in the Underground Heat series by Ann Gimpel. The author packs action and a whole lot of sizzling hot sex into this fantastic novella.
Cat shifters in particular are a personal favorite of mine, and mountain lion Kate Roman has all the makings of a feisty leading lady. By day, she works as a sex surrogate. By night, she acts as an operator for the shifter underground, helping persecuted shape shifters of all types escape from government prison camps. Kate is smart, courageous and resourceful. Ann Gimpel puts a new spin on shifters: human and animal are “joined” but retain separate and distinct identities. Human and animal share a telepathic link. Kate and her cat engage in some hilarious exchanges that really brings an added layer of humor to the story.
Devon Heartshorn is a cop who hunts shifters for the government. He is half-Native American, and his mother was fifty percent shifter. He has received blood infusions to make him a better bloodhound by enhancing his natural senses. However, the injections happen to have additional side effects that soon turn Devon from the hunter to the hunted. Initially, Devon is something of a gray hero, because he has actively participated in helping the government round up shifters. However, he changes thanks to his attraction to Kate and tries to protect her prior to discovering the effect the injections are having on him.
Kate and Devon share great chemistry. Their emotional bond is tender and compelling, and the sex scenes are highly erotic. One scene in particular, when the shifted cats continue to have sex, left me blinking in surprise, but mostly because it’s not something I’ve encountered before even in paranormal erotica. (More, I believe, due to reticent publishers, than authors). The love scenes are detailed and tasteful. There are sex scenes involving the hero/heroine and others.
Overall, the story doesn’t delve too deeply into its futuristic setting, although, a couple things did throw me for the loop-d-loop. References to hover vehicles that seem to zoom through the sky like aircraft furrowed my brow. Likewise with the description of a concrete wall around Berkeley. (I’m a resident of the SF east bay so I’m intimately familiar with the urban sprawl that is the Oakland-Berkeley area and I have trouble envisioning a wall containing the city.) Aside from a couple little nit-picky things, I had no trouble becoming completely engrossed in the story and following it through to the exciting ending.
Ann Gimpel has a smooth, strong writing style. Each of her characters possesses a distinct voice and she employs good pacing, mixing actions sequences with sex in a manner designed to keep things flowing. It seems like the government of Ann’s world must have created a real problem for itself by injecting so many highly trained cops with shifter blood, so I’m looking forward to finding out what the future of the Underground Heat series holds!
So if you’re looking for a red hot paranormal erotica novel, look no further. Just make sure you’ve got a willing partner on standby… Or a really cold shower!
I purchased my copy of Roman’s Gold on Amazon. The author did not request a review.
Had the opportunity to re-read this as a voluntary review this time. Was very enjoyable going back over this book again. You just want to root for the two of them! This re-read is a voluntary review and I do not get paid for this review.
Roman’s Gold, the first book in Ann Gimpel’s trilogy Underground Heat, is an awesome start to what is sure to be a great series! Set in a not-too-distant future, this book has the ability to shake the very basic foundation of our society. Shifters, having previously enjoyed full integration, are now deemed too dangerous for society and are beng rounded up, inprisoned or outright killed based on their pecentage of shifter blood. Anyone with 50% or more is being persecuted. They are being driven undeground to survive.
Devon is only 25% so he is safe. He even works as a cop, one of an elite tracker task force. They are forced to take enhancing injections to improve their tracking skills. Devon is tasked with tracking Kate, a suspected shifter. However, once they meet all of his plans go out of the window. He gets a crash course on what is truly important in life.
The storyline was fast-paced, filled with intrgue, danger, twists and turns and romance. The characters were well-developed and engaging. I can’t wait to see where this series goes!
The author has really given us a new twist on paranormal shifters in this story. I thought it was extremely well thought out and written. We have Kate who is not only a shifter but a sex surrogate as well, yep that’s what I said. We have Devon who is working undercover to trap Kate, as now all shifters are dealt with harshly, like in death harshly. Due to medical procedures done to certain members of the police force, Devon and many of his co-workers are now in danger as well. Both must now deal with these consequences and must now run for their lives. Kate works for the underground shifter organization trying to save as many shifters as possible and now that Devon is on the run joins them as well. That’s it, I’ve already said too much. To find out the who, what and why you must pick up this terrific story and learn of a very different twist of the shifter world.
Great start to the series. Devon & Kate are a great couple, both doing everything they can to help others. The story has its funny moments and some sad so it definitely engages the emotion rollercoaster and yet it is action-packed. The shifters just want to be left alone and have the same rights as humans. They have an excellent, sophisticated underground system though and I hope to see this series eventually give them the freedom they deserve, at least for those who want it.