Darque and Knight, otherwise known as the supernatural rodeo, is back for a second round of amazing, entertaining, and very sexy stories. Werewolves, cat shifters, vampires, ghost riders – to name but a few – all hidden by special magick so the humans don’t notice something otherworldly is going on. Yee-haw and keep it coming! With a unifying theme of “belonging”, all three stories show characters who find a way to belong, to come in out of the cold of a lonely existence. In the first story, it’s two loners, a cheetah shifter and a spiritwalker, finding out they’re made for each other. In the second story it’s a gargoyle shifter and a snake man whose unexpected encounter leads to more. And in the third story it’s a rare Siberian tiger shifter who finds out that his mate is a lively little fox shifter. I enjoyed each and every one of these!

Light a Rocket by Julia Talbot
Unlikely matings may be a lot of work, and cause a lot of time before things are solved, but they do make for the best results. Rocket is one of the lowest men on the rodeo’s totem pole, and Raven is the king of the cowboys, situated at the very top. They fall for each other really quickly, but neither of them does things the easy way. So it takes them a while to get their act together – much to their disadvantage.

Rocket is a cheetah shifter, a loner, but meant to be part of a group of males. He is an extremely fast runner but he is not very good at any of the rodeo events and struggles to earn enough money to pay for his food and gas. He also believes he needs to earn his place and hates to accept charity – even Raven is rebuffed when he tries to be kind. The one thing Rocket knows is that Raven is his mate – but Raven is a player and Rocket can’t see how a loser like him could ever prove worthy of someone like Raven.

Raven is a spiritwalker, who has access to abilities from several of nature’s spirits when he needs their help. So the spirit of the bear adds to his strength, the hawk helps him see better, the owl for patience and wisdom, etc. I think this is a really cool concept. But Raven doesn’t want to commit to any one man and even though he feels very drawn to Rocket, and his spirits want him to bond with the slight cheetah shifter, he resists. And when the spirits start talking to Rocket, Raven loses it because he thinks Rocket stole them and almost loses the best thing that ever happened to him.

If you like stories about men who have to overcome their own nature if they want to be together, if unlikely matings are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, a little angsty, and very hot, then you will probably like this novella.

Freaked Out by Kiernan Kelly
Talk about an interesting story! This one has two very rare shifters who meet under less than ideal circumstances. Both men know what it’s like to be singled out as different, but while gargoyle shifter Killian makes a living by running the sideshow of the supernatural rodeo, snake man Micah hasn’t been so lucky. He is part of the freak show, has been suffering all his life, and Killian can’t stand the idea of leaving him to his fate.

Micah has been with the freak show, run by a cruel ogre, for seventeen years. He is stuck between shifts, which is very painful, and has no hope of escaping the ogre. But when Killian comes along to check what’s going on with the freak show hired by the rodeo owners without his knowledge or agreement, Micah talks to him and sets in motion events that will change his life.

Killian cannot stand the idea of people being shown off as “freaks” just because they look different. Killian, as a gargoyle shifter, is one of the rarest breeds around, so he knows what it’s like to be lonely. But being stared at for money is something nobody should be reduced to, so Killian sets out to help Micah and the others, whether they want help or not. And it’s a good thing gargoyles are so strong and so protective – Killian and Micah are in for more than one surprise!

If you like stories about unusual shifters, if two men who know what it’s like to be stared at because they don’t fit in sound like they deserve your attention, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, contains some mystery and a few twists, and is as fascinating as they come, then you will probably like this novella.

Tails and Whiskers by BA Tortuga
I was so excited to learn more about Siberian tiger shifter Dmitri. He has a dark past, but is clearly feeling better the longer he stays with Darque and Knight. When a chance encounter near the lake lets him meet some of the trick riders, all fox shifters, he is particularly drawn to the youngest, Isaac. Their romance is hot and heavy, but not without issues – thanks to evil goblins. Nobody inside the rodeo is aware of their machinations and terror regime until Dmitri finds out what has been going on right under the rodeo members’ noses.

Dmitri is a big, powerful Siberian tiger shifter, and usually quiet. Meeting Isaac, a quirky little fox shifter, is very exciting, and finding out they are mates is surprising but thrilling. Dmitri hates injustice, so when he discovers the way Isaac, his brothers, and the other entertainers are mistreated, he gets upset. They should all be treated equally - after all, the entertainers are part of the rodeo. Dmitri knows Isaac is his mate and they want to be together, but the restrictions placed on the entertainers are in the way. Once Dmitri finds out who is behind it, he is ready to fight, but nobody else will believe him until it is almost too late.

Isaac is one of the Flying Foxes and loves performing at the rodeo. But he and the others in his group are segregated, not allowed inside the rodeo unless they are working, and subjected to very unjust treatment by their “master” who is a cruel goblin intent on exploiting them. Isaac knows he is powerless, but he wants to be with his mate. Isaac will do anything to keep Dmitri safe, and doesn’t even stop trying to get into the rodeo after he is heavily beaten and almost dies. But things get far worse for Isaac once the goblin finds out the rodeo workers are trying to get the contract changed…

If you like stories about mates who are very different yet clearly belong together, if two men having to fight evil powers before they can be together are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, has one character in mortal danger, yet is hot and sweet at the same time, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )