Pamela Palmer ~ Riveting Tales of Dark, Paranormal Romance

The Potomac River's wild, untamed Great Falls.

When deciding on a setting for the Feral Warriors series, I knew I wanted it somewhere in the Washington, D.C. area. Not only is D.C. a fabulously interesting city that I happen to live near, but the surrounding area possesses a wonderful variety of choices. Beaches, mountains, Civil War battlefields, all lie within a couple of hours' drive. But the location of Feral House was another matter. Their wild, animal natures demanded a setting as untamed as they are. And I knew just the place. One of my favorites for the very reason that the wild nature feels so out of place in the civilized suburbs of our Nation's Capital.

The place was Great Falls Park.

Great Falls Park, and the towns of Great Falls and McLean, Virginia, lie along the rugged stretch of the Potomac River where the river narrows, building up dangerous force as it pushes through the narrow Mather Gorge. At the Gorge, the river races over a series of steep, jagged rocks, 76 feet of Class 5-6 Whitewater, making the Great Falls one of the most thrilling fall line rapids in the eastern U.S. The Great Falls are located 14 miles upstream from Washington, D.C. And it's along this stretch of the Potomac, in the thick and rocky forest, where the Ferals live.

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(at the Therian enclave near the end of the book)

Her family was on their way.

Kara's gaze swung back to Paenther, her hands smoothing her skirt with quick, agitated strokes. "Do I need to change? I've never met family before. I don't know what they'll expect of me."

Paenther smiled. "You look fine, Kara."

"Perfect," Tighe concurred.

Jag snarled. "They say one negative word and they're out of here on their asses."

Kara felt the sting of tears as affection flowed warmly through her. She grasped Tighe's forearm on one side of her, Jag's on the other, and smiled at Paenther.

"Thank you," she said softly. She might be about to meet her blood family, but her true family was right here.

Tighe patted her hand and chuckled. "Trust me, Kara. This won't be like any family gathering you've ever seen."

Tighe's words proved to be dead on. Kara stood in the middle of the living room, flanked on either side by Tighe and Jag while Paenther and Lyon escorted the eight twenty-somethings, five men and three women, to her.

How could this be her family? Families were old people and young people and children. This felt more like a ten-year class reunion — a reunion of a class she'd never been part of. These people looked exactly like humans her age.

She didn't know them. But if the looks on their faces as they spotted her were anything to go by, they certainly seemed to recognize her. All the women and several of the men had tears in their eyes as they rushed toward her.

Kara took an instinctive step back, her gaze flying to Lyon. Tighe and Jag both stepped in, setting up a protective barrier between her and her over-eager family.

"She doesn't know you," Lyon barked.

One of the men in the front of the pack, a dark-haired man with an intelligent face and warm mist-filled green eyes, stopped and threw out his arm against the onslaught of the others.

"Lyon's right," he said. "She looks like our Henrietta, but she's not. We're strangers to her."

As the others held back, the man, dressed in jeans and a button-down, slowly came toward her. When he stopped several feet away, Kara touched Jag and Tighe's shoulders and the two men stepped to the side, allowing her to resume her place between them.

The stranger's gaze roamed over her face as if he was searching for something, or someone. Someone precious he'd lost.

"Was Henrietta my mother?" she asked softly.

Sadness filled his eyes and his mouth turned wry. "Yes. But not the one who raised you. Where?"

"Spearsville, Missouri."

The man nodded. "A seer told me Henrietta drove as far west as she could before the birth pains became too much. A woman found her and helped her birth you. Henrietta begged her to take you far, far to the west and raise you as her own. To let no one find you, including human doctors. And never tell anyone, including you, that you weren't hers."

Kara felt the chills race along her skin. That's why her mom, her adoptive mom, always told her they had no family. "Why did Henrietta leave here?"

"She had a premonition that you would be the next Radiant. That someone else knew, and if she stayed, you'd be killed as a child. You needed to be raised by humans, far from the enclaves so you would be safe from the draden. Safe from the one who meant you harm." Pain filled his eyes. "I tried to tell her I wouldn't let anything happen to you. That I would protect you both. I thought she believed me. When she went missing days before she was due to give birth, I knew she'd flown. By the time I tracked her down, it was too late. She was dead and you were gone."

Kara looked at him. "Who are you to me?"

His mouth softened into a sad smile. The mist grew thicker in his eyes. "I'm your father, Kara. And I would very much like to come closer."

Kara felt tears bloom in her own eyes. She didn't know this man, and yet in a strange way, she recognized him. And felt his instant and unconditional love for her.

She nodded and stepped toward him as he enveloped her in a hug, in a scent, that were achingly familiar even though she couldn't possibly have known them before.

He stroked her hair as she pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "I know you don't me, Kara, and I won't push you for more than you're able to give. But I want you to know I've loved you since the moment you were conceived. I've never stopped praying you'd someday find your way back to us."

Though his words were a balm to her grieving heart, the ache was still only for the mother she'd known. The woman who'd raised her and loved her enough to give up everything for her.

Kara lifted her head and stepped back so she could meet his gaze, and found a smile for him. "I always wanted a father."

He flashed her a grin that held a familiarly crooked eye tooth. And while he looked young, in his eyes she saw a depth and a wisdom that far exceeded her own or that of any other twenty-something human she'd ever known.

"Good enough," he said. "Now can I introduce you to the rest of this pathetic excuse for a family?" he asked grinning.

Good-natured objections came from behind him and Kara nodded. He swept his arm around her shoulders and turned her, introducing a beautiful strawberry blond as her great-great grandmother on her mother's side, and a cocky-grinned man who could have passed for a blond California surfer-dude, as her grandfather. The others were all ancestors of some sort, but she quickly lost track as they pressed around her, demanding hugs, exclaiming at how much she looked like Henrietta, and demanding to know if the humans had treated her well.

Throughout this strange reunion, her gaze kept tight track of Lyon. Even standing halfway across the room, he was her anchor. She'd always wished for a big family. Now, apparently, she had one.

And all she wanted was one taciturn lion.

BOOK NEWS

Desire Untamed is a finalist in the paranormal category of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. (posted June 2010)

Desire Untamed is a finalist for the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence. (posted April 2010)

Desire Untamed is a finalist for the New England Reader's Choice Award. (posted March 2010)

Desire Untamed was awarded First Place in the Paranormal Category in the Favorite Books Reviewed by Romance Book Scene for 2009. (posted February 2010)

Listen in on a podcast where Pamela Palmer talks about the Feral Warriors trilogy on Romance Radio. (posted August 2009)

"Pamela Palmer never disappoints as once again she has crafted an incredibly good dark fantasy tale! The world building in Desire Untamed is phenomenal… the first in a series and wow, what a fantastic start it is!"

~ Debbie Wiley, Book Illuminations (posted November 2009)

"Everything about Desire Untamed makes it a book destined for the keeper shelf."

~ You Gotta Read Reviews (posted October 2009)

"All I can say is WOW! I was literally unable to put this book down. Ms. Palmer captured my attention from page one and didn't let go until the very last word. I love discovering new paranormal series and this one is definitely one to watch."

~ The Romance Reader's Connection Read the entire review. (posted July 2009)

"Gritty, raw, passionate, and full of desire and unexpected twists and turns, Desire Untamed is definitely a keeper to be read over and over again! It was magnificent!"

~ Wild on Books (posted July 2009)

"With Desire Untamed, Pamela Palmer has started a brand new dark fantasy series that explodes with action immediately and keeps going full speed ahead until we reach the conclusion. …an intense book full of danger, passion, and magic."

~ Kelley, reviewer for CK2S Kwips and Kritiques (posted July 2009)

"…violent, sexy, dark paranormal fantasy of the first order and creates a compelling world that fans will find hard to resist."

~ Kristin Ramsdell, Library Journal (posted June 2009)

"…a powerfully unique novel with suspense and intrigue to keep you eagerly turning the steamy pages."

~ Fresh Fiction (posted June 2009)

"Readers will be flipping the pages. Palmer has created a fun, realistic story and a great set of major and minor characters."

~ Romantic Times Magazine (posted June 2009)

"A powerful tale of survival, adventure, nobility, passion and love."

~ Bitten by Books reviewing Desire Untamed. Read the entire review. (posted June 2009)

"With hidden intrigue, danger and conflicting emotions, Desire Untamed is grippingly spellbinding."

~ Amelia Richard, reviewer for SingleTitles.com awarding Desire Untamed 5 stars. Read the entire review. (posted June 2009)

"Magic and passion run wild in this steamy paranormal series debut. Palmer… sets up an intriguing world. The fast-paced action keeps readers guessing."

~ Publishers Weekly, May 4, 2009 (posted June 2009)

"Ms. Palmer does a fabulous job of defining her fictional world and introducing readers to the characters who will guide them through the series. Desire Untamed has danger, chemistry and romance that will captivate readers and keep them guessing."

~ Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com. Read the entire review. (posted April 2009)

"Pamela Palmer's Desire Untamed took my breath away!"

~ Anna Campbell, award-winning author of Tempt the Devil (posted April 2009)

"A sexy, suspenseful, and hot book...another must-read series for paranormal fans everywhere."

~ Coffee Time Romance (posted April 2009)

"Desire Untamed is one of the most unique, inventive shapeshifter novels I've ever come across. Fans of out-of-the-ordinary paranormal romances are going to add Pamela Palmer's Feral Warriors Series to their keeper list!"

~ New York Times Bestselling Author of Bloodline, Maggie Shayne (posted February 2009)

"Full of fast-paced action, heart-breaking angst, and bitter betrayal, Pamela Palmer's Desire Untamed delivers what the title promises--and much more. The Feral Warriors are hot."

~ NYT Bestselling author, Rachel Vincent (posted February 2009)

"What is going to be the next big, hot dark paranormal series? Pamela Palmer's Feral Warriors."

~ Night Owl Romance Reviews (posted February 2009)