Alaina McKinley has moved to the house she inheritited from her parents.  But, she has a neighbor that runs a hunting club right next door and they don’t appear to be very careful on what, when and where they hunt.  The night that Alaina is woken up with shots coming into her house, she calls the sheriff, extremely mad and upset.  While hiding from any further bullets, Alaina finds a black panther in her barn.  She just knows that he was what the hunters were shooting at and decides to protect him instantly.

Raphael Doucette has traveled from his home country to avenge his mate and cubs.  He has tracked down the person who took his mate as the owner of a hunting club.  Raphael has even discovered the mounted head of his mate on the owner’s wall.  Revenge is all Raphael is really thinking about when he hides in Alaina’s barn after being injured. Raphael may not want to be involved in another relationship, but he has already decided that he will have Alaina.

Alaina decides to shield and help the Black Panther “Ralphie” heal from his wounds.  Alaina is not aware that Ralphie is actually Raphael and is worried when he starts to show sexual intentions toward her.  After yet another shooting on her property, Alaina watches as Ralphie becomes Raphael.  Shaken and scared of this new development, Alaina runs from Raphael.  But this is not the last of the attacks on Alaina and Raphael by her neighbor.  Knowing that this is the only way to avenge his mate and keep Alaina safe, Raphael plans on a final attack on the hunting club.  When all is said and done, will Raphael stay to see if there is anything between them that will last or will Alaina just be left with memories of passion and gunshots?

Nocturnal is a dark paranormal that centers around a black panther shifter who only wants to avenge the murder of his mate and cubs.  Raphael really isn’t looking for a future, he just wants to be able to end the past.  Alaina wants to enjoy her home and not have to worry about being accidentally shot one night.  Alaina and Raphael come together more from need then want at first.  As their time together goes on, the feelings begin to change to a different type of need.  I found Nocturnal to be a dark and moody story and there were places in the story where the subject matter took me totally out of the plot because I found actions to be skirting the edges.  Another aspect that I could not get into was seeing the characters as a couple rather than two people thrown together by unusual circumstances.

A warning to readers: There are a few shifter/human sexual scenes that may be uncomfortable or even distasteful.