Though bursting with kinky sensuality, Feehan's 13th Leopard romance (after Leopard's Wrath) falls short in execution. Shifter Flambé Carver, a rare strawberry leopard who's yet to make her first shift, is devoted to her landscaping business and her secret side gig of rescuing female shifters from abusive situations, though the latter earns her some powerful enemies. After an attack by a male leopard shifter, Flambé turns to brooding, dominant Sevastyan Amurov, a Russian Amur leopard, for support. Sevastyan grew up hard and has a difficult time controlling his inner animal, but he finds solace in rough sex and shibari, the Japanese art of rope bondage. But something about Flambé and her docile leopard call to him--and he's powerless to resist. The convoluted suspense plot never lands on a unifying theme, instead serving as a very thin thread tying together the decadent erotic scenes. Fans of the series will welcome the return of familiar faces, but many will long for a deeper connection with the central relationship. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Nov.)