Long and Short Reviews

The Lovers: Destiny's Prerogative by Karen Michelle Nutt
Tease Publishing
Contemporary, Paranormal
Short Story, Sensual
Review by Dandelion

When Dr. Shay McCormick died, there was no white light, no loved one to comfort her. There was a half-man, half-jaguar there to greet her. He's a decedent of the nagual, a spirit guide. It isn't her time and he leads her to safety. Shay wants proof shapeshifters exist. Her curiosity leads her into a world of danger and to Gabriel Cruzado. Fate threw them together, but despite their differences, they work together, eliminating a threat to their future. Destined to be lovers long before he touched her soul and she saved his life.

♥ ♥ ♥

This fast-paced story is a quick read, complete with high tension and an interesting cast of characters. The connection between Shay and Gabriel, forged early on in a dream state, extends through both their human and paranormal encounters. Ms. Nutt does a good job with her world-building, making the concepts of werejaguar culture clear to the reader. Gabriel must mate or he’ll shift into a jaguar forever and likely die – but although Shay is inexplicably drawn to him and willing to save him, there is not enough time for the proper mating rituals to take place. Gabriel’s brothers, also werejaguars, do their best to try and force the ritual, but time is running out for all of them, and this sense of urgency permeates the pages of “Destiny’s Prerogative” and keeps the action moving.

Meanwhile, however, an evil human is stalking were-creatures and killing them off, and it’s only a matter of time before Gabriel and Shay come into the killer’s crossfire. While I appreciated the heightened conflict, I didn’t feel that this secondary plotline was explored as fully as it could have been. It’s introduced early on in the story and then not again until almost the end, where it becomes an integral part of the conflict.

The other major flaw in this novella is the stilted dialogue and the many mechanical errors. It’s an interesting story, but it’s filled with typographical errors, misspellings, and word usage errors. At times I also felt the conversations between characters were forced and did not ring true. If not for those drawbacks, I would have given “Destiny’s Prerogative” a higher rating, because I did enjoy the plot and the central characters. Overall, Ms. Nutt introduces a foreign world and a captivating love story that paranormal romance fans will probably enjoy.