Review: Rakshasa by India Jackson

Reviewed by Fehu
Rakshasa (Native Instinct #2) by India Jackson
Less Than 3 Press
Novel: 181pgs
3.25 Pants Off

Blurb:
Colin was born in Ireland, but he hasn't been home in ten years because his father wants his monster of a son dead, and the vampires Colin angered want to make certain he suffers first. Afraid to stay in one place too long, Colin travels aimlessly, stealing, drinking, always looking over his shoulder, and always alone.

Then he meets a little girl who got separated from her family, and in helping her get back to them he meets her uncle, Rakshasa and winds up in a world filled with all new complications and dangers—and reasons to hold his ground and fight.



Review:
Surprising sequel! I've read the first book some time ago and didn't even know that there would be a sequel. Honestly I would have liked to read more about Mohegan and not of his sister and it's always hard (for me) to read that the characters I liked died long time ago. Alas, this is the story about Colin and Rakshasa and Kyle and Logan, four new characters.

Colin is a shifter and in his family he is the first one for a very long time. Time is also the part I was unsure of in this book. I mean at the beginning Colin is introduced as from Ireland and as a vagabond. His family was superstitious about wolves like most of the folk in the village where he lived. That all made it sound like it was set in the 19th century, but not in the modern world. So I was surprised, when there is a modern bar, cars, credit cards and an Aquarium, which suggest current century. That made me stumble in my reading to contemplate the lifespan of shifters and various grammar errors threw another wench into my enjoyment of this story.

Colin is on the run from hunters and vampires and hasn't ever met a shifter before, so he is quite surprised to learn that there are more than one kind of shifters and that his new crush, Rakshasa, is one of them. Rakshasa comes from a wealthy family, but that is not the only reason he is respected in the shifter community. He has the ability change at will in the full moon, and also to help others control their change. Rakshasa is able to bear children as well. In some way he reminds me of a shaman in his abilities, but he is also the judged for shifter disputes and can feel lies and deceit, which is pretty useful ability for a judge/ruler to have.

Of course Rakshasa's parents and especially his mother are set on finding him a good husband and him making a good match. Colin would never be considered as even a candidate, since he doesn't have a job, is stealing and doesn't have a home.  None the less Rakshasa feels drawn to the young wolf shifter and finds him adorable in his naivety about all things of shifter nature. This doesn’t discourage him from dating the guy his mother chose for him and actually agreeing to become his wife!!?? No, I didn't misspell, he would be considered a wife, furthermore he would have to bear at least one child and give up his job as a doctor until he conceived said child. How he could have agreed to that is a mystery to me, since the guy he supposed to marry seemed very conceited, stuffy and selfish, more worried about status.

While Rakshasa has to decide who he will chose, his best friend Kyle a coyote shifter has found love in the form of wolf shifter Logan. Kyle is not exactly he most committed person, but from the first time he meets Logan he is fascinated by the man. Part of the charm is Logan's refusal to have sex with Kyle and actually Kyle has to work for Logan's attention and not the other way around, like he is used to. But Logan is a hunter for a very powerful vampire and actually followed Colin into town. Other  vampires are also taking notice, since there is a silent war going on between wolf shifters and vampires and Logan is on the side of Mala, the one vampire who dared to defy her maker and to free shifters and lead them into a fight against their oppressors, the vampires. Kyle and Rakshasa find themselves unwittingly in the middle of an ongoing conflict and Kyle has to pay the price for Logan's involvement in the conflict, when he is captured by a vampire lord and thrown into the pit to fight against wolf shifters. Logan and Rakshasa have to find out what they are willing to risk to save and keep their loved ones.

While Colin and Rakshasa might be the main couple, I liked Kyle and Logan more and would love to see them getting their own story/book.  All in all this was a nice story, but it really could use some edits. The story doesn't flow smoothly, because of some grammatical errors and that does distract from the story.