Lis’ Review: City of Foxes by Cornelia Grey

Cornelia Grey

City of Foxes

Storm Moon Press, December 2, 2011

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Originally released in "Wild Passions" Anthology

The last thing Jake Sullivan wanted to do upon returning to the city was get involved in the ongoing struggle between the organized militia and the fox people. After saving a fox child from bullies, however, he finds himself in the heart of the foxes' slums, where showing his face as a human can be just as dangerous as messing with the militia in the city proper. The proximity of Liam, a white fox with healing powers, certainly doesn't make things any easier. The attractive fox throws his own powers into an uncontrollable overdrive, not to mention his libido.

When several of the fox people are captured by the militia, Jake's presence is like salt on old wounds. Prejudices and politics flare, and Jake's secrets threaten to ruin his shaky alliance. If they are to save the foxes taken by the militia for experimentation, it will take all the cunning and power the clan can muster. Unfortunately, that also means they'll have to put their trust the one place they'd never imagined: in the hands of a human.

Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Fantasy, Anthropomorphism, Prejudice, Alternate Reality, Secrets, Betrayal

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3
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Reviewed by Lis:

City of Foxes is a short story that is part of the anthology Wild Passions, which focuses on not quite human characters (anthropomorphism) in a not quite contemporary world.

When I first got the request for City of Foxes my thoughts were: Hmmm not quite human characters and by that I don’t mean vampires or shapeshifters but humans with animal qualities. I wasn’t quite sure if I could be serious about a character swishing a tail! Luckily for me, I needn’t have worried. City of Foxes was a well done and well worked out short story that conveys a lot in the limited amount of pages it counts.


In City of Foxes Jake – very much a human character – returns to the city, hoping to stay out of sight and out of trouble. That hope is dashed when he comes across some bullies from The Militia and a Fox child. Unable to let the bullies have their way, he saves the kid, only to land in a world of trouble. He is taken in by the Fox People and strikes up a hot hot hot connection with their leader Liam, who is sooooo much trouble for his libido! Unfortunately Jake’s stay with the Fox People is not without trouble or without prejudice and outright hatred. It remains to be seen if Jake and Liam can overcome the obstacles thrown their way?

As I said, I was surprised how well worked out this story was considering there are not many pages. There is a lot happening and the worldbuilding is beautifully done. You get just the right amount of information about the setting, The Militia and the Fox People to keep things interesting and not an information dump.

At the same time the characters of Jake and Liam are three dimensional. They are their own persons and have their own voices. It’s nice to see how they both get along and clash.

The only real bump in the road for City of Foxes is the length. I would have loved to see more of Liam and Jake. Now hurry, and read this story!
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Related link:

• Sharon and Janna’s review of Apples and Regret and Wasted Time by Cornelia Grey

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