Kinship and Kindness

A Paranormal Society Romance, Book 1

By: Kara Jorgensen

Narrated by: Jack R R Evans

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

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?

©2020 Kara Jorgensen (P)2022 Kara Jorgensen

A cozy shifter romance with superb representation.

I absolutely loved this book. Both characters were written wonderfully, I especially thought Theo's epilepsy was well written and it made me really happy to see that representation. I listened to this in audio and the narrator was superb, I couldn't stop listening and had to know what happened next. It is a cozy shifter romance with some angst, and lots of found family.

Love this book even more on audio!

I love this book and rereading it as an audiobook was such a lovely experience. The narrator Jack R R Evans is perfect for this story. I really enjoyed the pleasant tone of voice and how each character was portrayed.

The trans rep is done really well, and it was exciting to read about a trans man in a historical setting. I love to see that kind of representation.

This book hit all the right notes for me. Shifters? Check. Steamy scenes that balanced heat with intimacy and emotion? Check. Found family? Check.

I highly recommend this paranormal romantic historical fiction novel.

Amazing Narrator for an Amazing Book

All right, this narrator was AMAZING and this story has EVERYTHING. Found family, complicated family dynamics, characters dealing with love & loss & hope. There's absolutely beautiful trans rep & vivid, honest exploration of dealing w/chronic illness & disability. Jorgensen did their homework, & paints a detailed, lush image of the past & the story within it that transports the reader to the thick of it. OF COURSE, the level of steam in the book did NOT disappoint.

Cute and satisfying

This was a lovely, heartfelt story. I don't read many shifter stories but I liked the way the shifters are handled in this. If you're looking for a sweet and tender trans romance with unique shifter lore, this is great!

Sweet and cozy shifter romance!

The romance is sweet and cute, with little a domestic flair as they spend some time in the beginning just working together around the house. It moved faster than I personally like, but the couple have good chemistry and get along well. There's a moment near the end where the conflict between them didn't feel as solidly built up to as I would have liked, but they work through it quickly.

I really loved how shifting was treated here, with animal forms being their own unique personality and consciousness that hangs out in the shifter's minds and takes over the body when they shift. It's really cute to see the main characters interact with their animal consciousness, and while I haven't read a ton of shifter books I think this is pretty unique from what I have read. I would love to have seen their animal forms get to snuggle, but I'll just have to imagine that cuteness for myself I guess ;_;

A love a good "combating bigotry without violence" plotline and the story had a nice undercurrent of that with a solid resolution, though I do hope the main villain faces more series consequences farther into the series because he deserves to be punched squarely in the jaw.

Other all, a cute book with some heavy emotions that's perfect for a lazy afternoon.