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Review: Tanner’s Scheme by Lora Leigh

by | Aug 7, 2007 | Review | 7 comments

Book Cover Gwen’s review of Tanner’s Scheme (The Breeds book 3) by Lora Leigh
Paranormal erotic romance released by Berkley 7 Aug 07

This is the story of Tanner Reynold’s and Scheme Tallant’s love affair.  It’s called Book 3, but frankly, the numbering methodology for this series is beyond confusing.  In the breed chronology, this book falls after Harmony’s Way and before Wolfe’s Hope.  You can see the full chronology here.  Personally, I think the placement is all Ms Leigh’s whimsy and there’s no master plan behind it.  😉  The book’s official release date is today, but the local Wal-Mart already had this on their shelves last Saturday. 

Tanner is the public face of the Breeds and is the poster child for the “We’re Harmless” message the Breeds want to convey to the human public.  Scheme is the daughter of the mastermind behind the Breeds Labs and all the atrocities committed therein.  There’s nothing a Breed would like to do more to her than skin her alive and leave her on an ant hill.  Problem is, they would have to go thru Tanner to get her.  Tanner has fantasized about Scheme and spied on her for years and years – she’s done the same to Tanner, for that matter. Now they’re together and things get hot, fast.

Tanner kidnaps Scheme just steps ahead of her father’s assassins.  Dear Ol’ Dad has discovered Scheme has been working against him, for the Breeds, for a decade.  Scheme knows her dad has a similar spy in the Breeds’ midst and suspects Tanner to be that traitor.  The hero and heroine spend roughly half of the book trying to overcome these trust issues, only to realize that neither one of them are what they appear to be.  At all.

This is a very nice love story.  Of course it has Leigh’s trademark Breed very hot, very erotic sex, but it also has plenty of plot to drive you from one hot bed bout to the next.  The climax (chuckle) is very exciting (tee hee).  Great fight scenes and excellent suspense.  You really care about Tanner and Scheme by the end of the book, as well as for several of the secondary characters (Cabal’s story should be hot hot hot!).  I continue to be impressed by Ms Leigh’s incredible, and incredibly productive, imagination.

Another excellent entry in Leigh’s alternate Breeds reality.

faye.jpgGrade: A

Here’s the book blurb:

A sexy paranormal series set in a world where genetically altered Breeds and the humans who created them sometimes come together in the fiercest of passions.

After the Feline Breeds’ main base is attacked, Tanner desires revenge. So he kidnaps Scheme Tallant-the daughter of a one-time high-ranking member of the Genetics Council. But when Tanner discovers that Scheme herself is a target of her father’s ruthless mission, his vengeance takes a back seat to saving the life of the woman he hopes to claim as his mate.

Read an excerpt.

Next on Ms Leigh’s horizon:

Book Cover Nauti trilogy Book 2, 6 Nov 07 Book CoverTempting SEALs Book 5, 4 Mar 08
Mar 2008, Dawn’s Awakening
(Berkley Sensation, Cougar Breed)		  Sep 2008 Mercury’s War
(Berkley Sensation, Lion Breed)

7 Comments

  1. Karen Scott on August 8, 2007 at 6:07 am

    Syb are you gonna do something about the fact that I can’t use the cut and paste option without including every text on here? Sheesh.

    Anyway Gwen, the bit I was going to respond to was with regards to the chronological order. I totally agree, I do think Leigh started the series not really knowing where she wanted to go with it. I gave up trying to figure it out ages ago.
    This is on this week’s Amazon Wishlist, so should get it by next week.

  2. BevL(QB) on August 8, 2007 at 11:11 am

    Gwen, Karen– here’s what Lora had to say here back in June when I asked her about the confusing timeline:

    “Bev, in reply to your post. The reason for the print order versus the chronological order, isn’t because of the way I write, so much as the fact that the Breeds have gone through so many different publishing companies. LOL
    The Felines started at EC, but the wolves started at Extasy. So I seperated the series by timelines. First mistake.
    Problems with Extasy had me pulling those books and placing them with EC, which required I fix the timeline. Before I finished fixing it, Berkley buys the feline part of the series. So, I figured you know, they wouldn’t really like them, no problem right? Seperated by timelines. *sigh* They came back and wanted rights to all the Breeds after that.
    You know, you’d reall think I would have looked ahead at some part, but honestly, I never imagined the Breeds would go this far. My little brain just didn’t process the thought. So, here we have three different sections of Breeds, in different timelines, coming together.
    Go ahead and slap me, its a wonder I don’t get confused myself. LOL
    But everything will straighten out soon. Once Tanner, Dawn and Mercury are out, the series will in line, and reasonably in order despite the publishing/print order.
    I hope I made sense. I have been known to confuse myself at times.”

    I must admit, though, that I’m STILL confused how Wolf Breed #1, Wolfe’s Hope, ends up as Breed Book #14 behind other Wolf Breed books!

  3. BevL(QB) on August 8, 2007 at 11:18 am

    Oh, I almost forgot! I wrote a POEM about the Breeds! Wanna read it? ;-p

    We’ve seen spiny barbs and knots that swell
    Now I’m anxiously waiting for Lora to tell
    Is that it? Have we seen them all?
    What Will the Winged Breeds sport when their trousers fall?
    We’ll soon find out, with any luck
    But will they spiral like a duck?

    *takes a bow*

  4. Gwen on August 8, 2007 at 1:00 pm

    BRAVA, BEV! BRAVA!

    tee hee

    That’s pretty funny.

  5. Cathie on August 8, 2007 at 1:25 pm

    I read a few of the Breed books and then found out that there was a chronlogical order to read them in. I thought it would fit together better for me, so I’m gonna go back and read in that order eventhough I see some books have not been written yet in the middle of that chronological order.

    I think because of two different publisheres, that the NY publisher put them as numbered books as they came out with them.

    Can’t wait to get out to get this one too! I just finished her DANGEROUS GAMES book 2 of the SEALs and it was so good! So hot! But me who always read in order didn’t read the first story of the anthology!! LOL SO I shall read that next.

  6. Cathie on August 8, 2007 at 1:28 pm

    I should of read everything first, sigh…

    First, great poem Bev!!

    Now then, which is best to go by, the chronological order that the time the books take place in or the order they are published in? What do you recommend? I haven’t read much so I need to get the best start in to get all read! Thanks

  7. BevL(QB) on August 8, 2007 at 7:17 pm

    Oh thank you, thank you!

    Cathie, I first read the Breeds in published order from Ellora’s Cave and was not confused in the least. Actually, one of the most interesting aspects of reading the series that way was that I got to see the advances the Breed doctors and scientists made in discovering just what the Breeds actually could do/be.

    I was hoping to find time to re-read in chronological order before Tanner’s Scheme was released, but it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen.