Beneath the Skin by Lauren Dane
de La Vega Cats, Book 3
Samhain Publishing
Paranormal
ISBN: 978-1-61921-052-3
Reviewed by Jo




Gibson de La Vega is the Bringer for his jamboree and it’s a responsibility he takes very seriously.  He is the one who makes sure that their laws are followed and he hands out justice when those laws are broken.  After a meeting with members of another jamboree where Gibson handed out a fair ruling for their misbehavior, he finds himself shot and with silver to make it worse.

Mia Porter is a cat in the de La Vega jamboree but her family does very little with it due to bitterness and bad relations between the Porter’s and the de La Vegas.  Of course, when Mia found the injured Gibson she knew he was a cat and helped him, it only came out later who he was and then he found out who she was.  Talk about an awkward moment.

Even with that painful meeting, awareness surrounded both Mia and Gibson.  With their families past, you would think it would go no farther but Mia and Gibson soon find out that the past between their families isn’t nearly enough to keep them apart.  Finding the cats that hurt him becomes Gibson’s primary goal, especially when they go after Mia too.  Shooting Gibson just makes him pissed off; shooting Mia makes Gibson deadly serious about finding and stopping those cats.  As the search goes on, Gibson and Mia discover that the cause of this attack on the de La Vega’s jamboree might be closer than anyone expected.  Several past incidents come full circle by the time Gibson and Mia have a chance to see if their passion is the forever kind.

A shot of silver brings together two hearts that not even past hurts can keep apart in Beneath the Skin.  Mia and Gibson have to not only defeat a serious challenge to their jamboree but also the hurtful past between their families before they can explore their future together.  Of course, they do it as only the Bringer and his ex-military mate can.  I fell for Gibson the first time I meet him in the previous books and just knew that when he fell it would be to a very special person.  Mia, with her family past and her strong military standing, was exactly the type of woman to take on Gibson and to trust with his heart.  When I first learned of their families past, I thought – Oh no, this is bad, but I didn’t account for both Mia and Gibson being their own people.  Watching as they fell in love while bringing Mia’s family back into the jamboree and then dealing with the unexpected challenge to Gibson and the jamboree had me holding my breath while smiling at how well they got along.  I loved how Mia stood up to and for Gibson and how Gibson both supported and protected Mia.

If you can’t tell by now, I absolutely loved everything about Gibson and Mia’s story in Beneath the Skin.  It was heartwarming, humorous and suspenseful in alternating turns and I just did not want to put it down.  It’s a book that I already want to read again- along with the others in the de La Vega series.  I whole heartedly Joyfully Recommend Beneath the Skin as one that deserves a spot in your shapeshifter library.  It is already a book that will never leave my e-reader so I always have it on hand.