Review: Roman's Gold by Ann Gimpel

Title: Roman's Gold (Underground Heat #1)
Author: Ann Gimpel
Source: Self Purchased / Author Request (I bought it then got the request before I started)
Genre: Paranormal/Sci Fi Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: June 10, 2013
Reviewer: Jasmyn

Once respected members of society, shifters are running for their lives.  In a futuristic world where resources are scarce, Kate uses her human form to work as a sex surrogate.  Furious at what looks a lot like genocide for her people, she joins the shifter underground.

Devon's been a cop for a long time.  He has shifter blood, but not enough to change into anything; at least not until the police department insists on a series of infusions to make him better at tracking shifters so they can be imprisoned - or killed.

Devon's latest assignment is Kate.  From the moment he sees her, he can't get her out of his mind.  The line between hunter and hunted thins, blurs, and finally disappears.  Kate and Devon defy the odds.  Will their passions save them or doom them forever?

Roman's Gold has just enough sci fi (hover cars and fancy watch gizmos that do everything) to help set the futuristic stage, but not so much that it takes away from the paranormal romance aspect.  Kate has been living in hiding for years - disguising her shifter heritage to save her life, and protect the underground shifter movement.  Devon is sent by the police to determine if she is a shifter or not, but he can't seem to complete the assignment - it seems like love at first sight.  When Devon realizes the injections that helped him track Kate down also boosted his shifter blood, he realizes he may be on the wrong side of this fight.  But it will be up to Kate to try and push him into changing sides.

Kate is a fiesty little mountain lion (I love cat shifters) that hides refugees for the underground shifter movement.  The only thing I disliked about Kate (and also Devon) is that the beginning of the book has them having sex with other people.  While it is normal (they hadn't met yet) it just sits a little wrong when that happens, but I got over it when their sex was soooo much hotter. There is also some sex that happens while they are shifted.  Ann Gimpel handled this very well, and the scenes are written to show how powerful their love for each other really is.

The story of the Underground Shifter Movement is fantastic.  As more and more shifters are imprisoned and their rights are stripped away for being "non-human" the shifters have decided to unite and try to fight back.  This goal is contantly hovering in the background driving the story forward with the romance helping it all along the way.