The cover of Obsession Untamed contains a commendation from author Maggie Shayne about this
second in the Feral Warriors series as "one of the most unique, inventive shapeshifter novels." This reader
finds that to be a rather disingenuous comment; I didn't find it unique or inventive in any way. It
carries very strong echoes of the early Black Dagger Brotherhood books, particularly with regard to the rather silly names of the heroes (Tighe, Lyon, Hawke, Vhyper) which reflect their shapeshifter animals.
The Feral Warriors live together in a compound and fight supernatural foes,
all the while trying to keep knowledge of what's going on from the human population
- again, very reminiscent of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood.
Where this book differs lies in the characterization. Author Pamela Palmer makes a good attempt at
revealing the character of heroine Delaney Randall, an FBI officer on the hunt for a strange killer who is a clone of hero Tighe.
An appealing character if similar to many others I have read (the work-obsessed agent who toils nonstop in her law enforcement role),
Delaney is full of courage and no a shrinking violet, but somehow I never felt that I really knew her while reading this book. J.R. Ward seems to have, at least in the earlier novels, made her characters come alive to a much greater extent. Perhaps it's unfair to compare two authors, but they are working in the same genre with similar characters so the contrasts are more apparent.
The main plot of Tighe trying to find his clone (with Delaney's help) is well-written.
A sub-plot concerning two other Feral Warriors looking for Vhyper might as well not have been included as it adds nothing to
the story except to set up the next novel, which focuses on Paenther (yes, another silly name). What works better
is Tighe overcoming his distaste toward humans as he connects with Delaney. Overall, however, this book lacks depth and
is just too similar to other stories to work entirely on its own.