Dark Menagerie (LGBT anthology)

Dark Menagerie by Amanda Ching
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5

I love shifter stories and I found myself in the mood for reading some, but nothing caught my eye until this popped up, along with while I was checking out ARe. I'm really glad I bought them, these are a great collection of stories. Some of the authors I'm familiar with but none of the stories disappointed.

Katya Harris' Dominant: Kade is a shifter, turned as a result of an attack he's had to learn and control what he is on his own; until he meets Jonas. Kade is both attracted an scared of Jonas, more so when he learns that Jonas is there to take Kade back to his pack willingly or not. I loved the strong chemistry between Kade & Jonas, it's what just made the story very enjoyable to me. It would've been fun to read of Kade meeting the pack and learning the ropes, but I still liked it.

Lor Rose's The Four of Us: Based on the Mares of Diomedes, this story both fascinated and creeped me out. It even brought to mind , because it felt sort of wrong and well, creepy to root for the couples. Podagros, Deinos, Xanthos, and Lampon are horses whose diet consists of human flesh; deadly and unfeeling they take turns enamoring men and then hunting them. Now it's Podagros and Deinos turn as they have just fed on Xanthos and Lampon's lovers. The game starts when Podagros and Deinos meet brothers Turner and Stacy, but these two brothers are unlike their usual quarry. This story was very fitting for Halloween, the elements worked really well and that made the story a pleasant surprise; but because of how the characters are constructed, who they are, it made me feel wrong about their happy ending.

Caitlin Ricci's Horsefeathers: This story was enjoyable, there is something very mystical for me about skinwalkers. Though I got a little confused at first because I thought Brother Mustang and Nohatu were two separate entities. Nohatu is a skinwalker and Brother Mustang is his spirit, having spent many years in animal form he finds himself bought by Justin, a ranch hand who was sent by his boss to the auction. Angry at being taken farther from his home, Nohatu finally takes his human shape to demand to be returned only to realize what Brother Mustang had sensed in Justin. Justin contains a spirit inside himself and not having found any of his kind in a long time Nohatu takes the risk and brings about Justin's transformation.

Arielle Pierce's Breathe: Nathan is a dolphin shifter who lives a sad life with a man who uses him as arm candy and a punching bag. His lover doesn't know that Nathan is a shifter and so Nathan comes up with excuses to leave the house when he yearns to swim in the sea. But the sea doesn't hold the complete peace that he's looking for, as two members of the pod he belonged to always destroy his respite with games of dominance and abuse. Nearing his breaking point Nathan meets Jacob, an Orca shifter that just moved into town. Jacob is a big man, and Nathan expects the same treatment from him he receives from the other men in his life, so he is surprised when Jacob offers him kindness and patience. Jacob's actions open Nathan's eyes to what his life has become and finally gives him the strength to take back control. I really liked Nathan's story, it was a little uncomfortable for me at the beginning but I'm glad that I held on. I'm happy that Nathan found his special man and got his happy ending.




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