Dark Spirit (Spirit Wild Series #2) by Kate Douglas

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Synopsis

Romy Sarika has spent much of her life suffering at the hands of a sadistic cult leader. Twenty years earlier she watched him kill her mother, and now she awaits the same fate. But when the self-proclaimed prophet orders Romy killed, the wolf part of her rises up and for the first time she shifts. Managing to save herself, she leaves death and chaos in her wake.

Alone in the woods and badly injured, Romy is found by Jace Wolf and Gabe Cheval, two powerful and striking Chanku who help her heal and simultaneously unleash sensual desires in her that are as new and intense as her wolf-like abilities. But just as Romy’s opening herself to this new erotic world and the passionate connections she’s forming with both men, danger is closing in.

Bent on revenge and driven by bloodlust, cult members are pursuing the trio. Discovery could mean not just Romy’s death but destruction of the Chanku way of life. With their lives at stake and the Chanku race in jeopardy, the three must fight to save themselves and the future of their proud race

Review

This series could be sub-titled Chanku: The next generation. The protagonists are Gabe and Jace, wolf-shifters raised in the Montana pack established in the previous series. They’re the kind of people you’d expect them to be: kind, competent, protective. They’re going to need all that to help the heroine, Romy, heal and escape the cultists. Note:  You do not have to have read the previous series [although I do recommend it] or even the previous book in this series. It functions well as a stand-alone.

Romy’s life would have to improve a hundredfold to merely be considered awful. Fair warning, there are scenes of graphic violence and references to the abuse [sexual, verbal, emotional, and physical - including witnessing her mother’s murder and her repeated rape as a child] she has experienced all her life. The opening scene has the cult leader trying to whip her to death and almost succeeding… If you have triggers in these areas proceed with caution!

Shifting for the first time, Romy escapes but would still have probably died from her injuries or been recaptured. Jace and Gabe find her and Jace heals her enough that they can escape her pursuers, at least for the moment. The pursuit by the crazed cultists continues as Jace and Gabe help her heal physically and emotionally while learning about being Chanku.

Like the previous Chanku stories – there is a lot of explicit eroticism and everyone plays with everyone in varying configurations and numbers including m/m and m/f/m. So again, if you have triggers in these areas proceed with caution! On the other hand if you like sexual steam, this book provides it!

I look forward to reading the next book.

Copy received from Netgalley and publisher for an honest review.

Spirit Wild series

#1 Dark Wolf

#2 Dark Spirit

#3 Dark Moon

And in case you want to look out for the previous series [the listing is from the FictFact site]:

Wolf Tales
#1 Wolf Tales

#1.5 Chanku Rising

Wolf Tales Interlude: The Gift

#2 Wolf Tales II

#2.5 Chanku Dawn

#3 Wolf Tales III

#3.5 Chanku Fallen

#4 Wolf Tales IV

#4.5 Chanku Journey

#5 Wolf Tales V

#5.5 Chanku Destiny

#6 Wolf Tales VI

#6.5 Chanku Wild

#7 Wolf Tales VII

#7.5 Chanku Honor

#8 Wolf Tales VIII

#8.5 Chanku Challenge

#9 Wolf Tales 9

#9.5 Chanku Spirit

#10 Wolf Tales 10

#11 Wolf Tales 11

#12 Wolf Tales 12