Forgotten Menagerie (LGBT anthology)

Forgotten Menagerie by Kate Lowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5

I bought this along with and had a great time reading them both, unlike Dark Menagerie though this anthology offered a series of lighter more comedic and romantic stories. What made this so freaking entertaining was the shifters, they were not the usual wolf or cat as most often is the case and in some of the stories you didn't discover what kind they were until the end.

Kate Lowell's Nuts About You-Nathan is a shifter in love, and he uses his form to his advantage to spy on his crush. This story just had me smiling like an idiot the whole way through, it was hilarious the situations Nathan got himself into and how his shifter traits affected his human personality. A delightful romance comedy.

Alex Whitehall's The Greatest of These-I found this story wonderfully inspiring. Daniel a devout young man has struggled with becoming a shifter and being gay. Through his friendship with Liam he has learned to embrace his being a shifter, but his feelings for Liam is something that he hasn't yet made peace with. He constantly seeks guidance and support and then he finally gets his answer. That moment, that profound realization that Daniel makes was beautiful and sweet to me. I also loved the innocence and purity of Daniel and Liam's feelings, definitely my favorite story in the anthology.

Avery Vanderlyle's Mirrors, The Moon, and The Boy-Eber is cursed, as have been generations before him. Each night before the full moon he goes to an exclusive club in search of company. With a trick that he pulls off with the help of the moon, he has made a reputation for himself amongst the other members; but this particular night he has eyes only for one man, Miguel-the proprietor's nephew. After spending a wonderful night with Miguel an obsessed ex lover who has an inkling of Eber's secret manages to trap him, and caught by the full moon Eber shifts and Miguel finally sees what he truly is. This story was rich, I loved the history; the things Eber could do with his erm, organ were freaky but intriguing and the type of shifter he was really caught me by surprise.

Angelia Sparrow's Burden's Lightened-Dobson is a working man, aside from doing a job in construction, he takes care of his farm. The town had an unspoken deal with certain matters; Dobson's was teaching the young gay men in the community. Jim is his boss' nephew and a young man seeking Dobson's guidance, but Dobson realizes that Jim he wants for keeps and he finally reveals his well kept secret. I enjoyed this story, it was a light easy read and I liked the fact that Dobson found someone to share his burden.

Cari Z's Dangerous Territory-Carter is a man on the verge of losing everything. The circumstances he found himself made me feel his despair and his anger, and although I sort of understood his sister's feelings I just really wanted to slap some sense into her. With the help of his friend Keena they come up with a plan that will help him start anew, and this is how he finds himself in the company of Rani. The shifter will lead him and his cattle through the treacherous Mason Canyon, so he can gain a lead on his sister's husband to sell his stock. By the journey's end he finds new hope and a partner who will do anything to stay by his side. Like all the other stories, I was fully engaged and thoroughly involved with this characters.

I spent a great time with this anthology. I didn't want to reveal what each shifter was because discovering what kind of shifters they were was half the fun for me and so I don't want to spoil it for other readers. I seriously hope there is more of this anthologies in the future.

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