Bennett Reynard needs one thing: to speak to the Rougarou about starting a union for shifters in New York City before the delegation arrives. When his dirigible finally lands in Louisiana, he finds the Rougarou is gone and in his stead is his handsome son, Theo, who seems to care for everyone but himself. Hoping he can still petition the Rougarou, Bennett stays only to find he is growing dangerously close to Theo Bisclavret.
Theo Bisclavret thought he had finally come to terms with never being able to take his father’s place as the Rougarou, but with his father stuck in England and a delegation of werewolves arriving in town, Theo’s quiet life is thrown into chaos as he and his sister take over his duties. Assuming his father’s place has salted old wounds, but when a stranger arrives offering to help, Theo knows he can’t say no, even if Mr. Reynard makes him long for things he had sworn off years ago.
As rivals arrive to challenge Theo for power and destroy the life Bennett has built, they know they must face their greatest fears or risk losing all they have fought for. With secrets threatening to topple their worlds, can Theo and Bennett let down their walls before it’s too late?
CONTRIBUTOR(S): Jack R. R. Evans (Narrator)
PUBLISHER: Kara Jorgensen
YEAR: 2020
LENGTH: 216 pages (3 hours 44 minutes)
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy, Historical, Romance
RECOMMENDED: Yes
Queer Rep Summary: Gay/Achillean Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s), Trans Main Character(s).
Theo is a wolf shifter with a seizure disorder, living his life sure that he won't last much longer. He takes care of the land and the people as best he can, by spending almost all his time farming and baking, moving through a neverending series of tasks to keep things running. Bennet has traveled to meet with Theo's father, putting himself in a precarious position as both a fox shifter and a stranger on the Rougarou's lands.
KINSHIP AND KINDNESS begins with a long infodump, then quickly relaxes into a much more character-focused story. Bennet spends a hilariously long time sure that Theo doesn't know he's a fox shifter instead of a wolf like Theo. While that could have felt like the beginning of the kind of miscommunication trope which bothers me, it instead is handled in a manner which was gentle and humorous, pulling them closer together.
This is in the same general setting as the Reanimator Mysteries, though those were written after this book. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read KINSHIP AND KINDNESS, but it was nice to go in with the general understanding of how magic and other things work which I gained from reading the Reanimator books, combined with a setting that happens to be someplace I have previously lived. The confluence of all of this made it especially easy to jump right into the setting, aided in no small part by Kara Jorgensen's adept balance between worldbuilding and characterization. They say as much with which character notices something as what is conveyed through the actual thing that comes to their attention.
KINSHIP AND KINDNESS seems to be the first book in a planned series, but as of this review there are no specific details on a forthcoming sequel. This resolves well enough that I liked it as a stand-alone story in a setting which holds a mostly unrelated series. Nothing specific seemed left for future books, leaving things open for either more of Theo and Bennet's story, or a new tale with different shifters. I enjoyed it and would happily read more, either with Theo and Bennet or with other protagonists.
I appreciate the way disability is treated, particularly the balance between Theo working through his internalized fatalism and possibly ableism with regards to his own situation. He has certain limitations due to a seizure disorder, but he has narrowed his own world even further because he assumes that he won't get to live a full life due to his condition. The way this dynamic is revealed and explored is very refreshing to read.
Things I love, in no particular order: The way the main characters' relationship and eventual romance builds, how they get to know each other better and are gentle with each other, how the packs currently work, Bennet's proposal for de-centering wolves in the packs.
If you like this you may like:
- How to Sell Your Blood & Fall in Love by D.N. Bryn
- The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen
- Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall
Moderate CW for ableism, sexual content, fire, blood, violence.
Minor CW for sexism, transphobia, racism, xenophobia, forced institutionalization, slavery.
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