Johnson's fluffy prequel to the Sons of Destiny romantic fantasy series (The Sword
, etc.) focuses on Tava Ell Var, child of a human woman raped by were-tigers. Orphaned when her adoptive father is killed by bandits, shunned by the people of the only home she has ever known, Tava is unexpectedly rescued by bookish, hunky Kodan Sin Siin and his Shifterai warband. Remembering her mother's fate, Tava initially resists joining Clan Cat, but she soon finds herself at home and realizes her shape-shifting powers are well beyond the ordinary. Johnson welds together light fantasy and romantic fiction, roughly meshing them into a simple, almost sappy conglomeration. The basis for the fantasy shows great promise, but the gaping plot holes and sudden alternations between tender romance and rough sex may turn many readers off. (Nov.)
