When his parents are murdered, Deylen Troika is appointed Alpha of the Centruroides Clan of Reno.   The Centruroides are shape-shifting scorpions.  The extra duties force him to hire a mortal woman, Seneca McLane, to work in his research lab.  Sparks fly between them, even though Deylen must eventually choose a were-scorpion female as a mate.   Seneca has her own agenda, which doesn’t keep her from pursuing the attraction she feels for Deylen. 

Further complications arise when Deylen is maneuvered into a power struggle with the Alpha of the Loxosceles Clan, Koda Webb; a brute that everyone suspects killed the Troikas.   Webb wants control of the entire territory and will use any means to gain it.  Deylen does all that he can to protect Seneca, which means he’s forced to omit the truth about what he is.  Despite his efforts, Koda Webb sees Seneca as a pawn to use against Deylen.  Deylen is very willing to confront and stop him, even if it means all out war.

I’d never encountered a story with shape-shifter scorpions prior to Scorpio Risen.    That was enough to intrigue me from the start.  The species details and facts about scorpions added nice touches to the plot and character descriptions and development. 

Ms. Lee relies heavily on dialogue, so that I felt as if I were reading a movie script.    It made it rather difficult to get into Seneca and Deylen.  The bulk of their interaction is chit-chat which falls short on originality and wit.   

Overall, I would say this story was solid, but formula driven.  That doesn’t mean that Scorpio Risen wasn’t a good read.  It just means that a little more ingenuity and wording to tease my senses and imagination would have certainly enhanced my appreciation more.