Review: Scarlet Woman by Shelley Munro

Description:
Emily Scarlet's husband left her for his secretary and died in a car accident—all on the same day. Now, six months later, Emily has emerged from her chrysalis of painful memories. And to prove she has what it takes to attract a man, she's determined to experience one perfect night of passion.

An ad in the newspaper catches her eye. The Middlemarch ball presents the ideal opportunity to find a man. Emily catches the "love train" to Middlemarch and heads for one night of uncomplicated sex to wipe away her husband's vicious taunts.

Feline shape-shifter Saber Mitchell has a problem with his four boisterous younger brothers. They're out of control. It's too late for him, but he hopes to get his brothers mated and settled, and the ball is the perfect place to introduce them to marriageable women.

Unbridled sex is the last thing Saber's expecting, but one glimpse at Emily Scarlet changes his mind. Sex with her is a necessity. They dance. They make love. One thing is clear—a single night isn't enough. Saber must have her for his mate, but Emily isn't so easy to convince…or trust.


Review:
I received this book as a review copy from the author and found the name intriguing from the start.
I read the blurb an the first thought was: That's some serious emotional baggage they have to fight in this book. And I have to say that I was rather disappointed in the way it was handled. Emily meets Saber on the Middlemarch ball and like a few pages later she lives with him. That was way too fast for me, especially remembering that she had a cheating asshole husband and serious commitment issues. Which girl would do that even with a sexy as hell kitty shifter? But okay, I can forgive that. The rest of the story had a nice pace and I enjoyed reading it.

I loved the banter between our couple and the chemistry was really hot.  I like that Ms. Munro chose an alpha male as an hero but also made him understanding. He wants to push Emily harder but he realizes that this wouldn't help anyone. He wants her but he doesn't want to force her into something. He needs her to make her own decision so he holds back and doesn't take the possibility he has to make her want him. With only one little bite he could drive her crazy with lust and she would lose any compulsion to leave him ever again. But he sees that this is like cheating and he wants nothing more than to win her heart the hard way.

The side characters, mostly Saber's brothers are hilarious. I loved that they really felt like kitties which wanna "play". *wink* They are a wild bunch of crazy horny boys and I just could feel sorry, or not ;) for the women on their radar.
The plot about the reporter investigating the sightings of large dark cats in the area was really thin and really only a side story after all. Th ebook is focused on the relationship and I didn't minded that at all. 
The next book will be more focused on the reporter and I think perhaps she may find her own little kitty.

All in all this book was a fun read for a cold winter day and I really look forward to read book 2 in the Middlemarch Mates Series, Peeping Tom.


To learn more about Shelley Munro and her books please visit her website here

The Middlemarch Mates Series:
1. Scarlet Woman: reviews @goodreads, buy @Ellora's Cave
2. Peeping Tom: reviews @goodreads, buy @Ellora's Cave