The second story in this series has an entirely different slant than the first. Here, a man returns to his family homestead thinking he is sick and just needs some R&R, when actually he is suffering from quite a serious affliction. The coyote shifter who is rescued by Lee is ecstatic about his new pack mate, but has no idea what he’s really in for once they both realize what sickness Lee is suffering from.

Lee and Will are great together! Lee is finding out he isn’t only human, and has to deal with suddenly being part of a shifter world he never knew existed. Will has found a new pack mate, and I loved his attempts of explaining to the “poor human” what that actually means. His reaction to Lee’s shifting and the animal he turns into is so sweet, it made me smile. Neither of them will accept the barriers their animal forms seem to raise, and for once, being able to turn into humans becomes a life saver for both of them in terms of having a relationship.

If you like stories about men whose world turns upside down and they need to learn how to cope, if you enjoy a relationship that starts on a purely physical basis but quickly evolves into more, and if you’re looking for a fun read with a large side of emotion, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: The collection this story was published in has been provided by Changeling Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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I was pleasantly surprised by the first book in the Coyotes of Yellowstone series, and the second book it's up to the previous if not better. What I liked in Coyote Non Grata was the idea that coyotes shifters were mostly more animal then men, and even when they shift in human form they still hold most of their animal nature.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the clothes when shapeshifters change? I read various thesis, one even, if I remember well, was that the animal brought along with him a backpack where he stuffed the clothes and then trotted away with the backpack clutched in his snout. For her coyotes Lena Austin chooses the full "natural" way: they are naked before and after the shifting and they remain naked, at least since someone decides to borrow them a piece of clothes, maybe regretting to cover that fine body. So yes, the feral nature of these shifters, proved both by the "naked" thing, but also by their unfamiliarity with human language, is something that I liked in the first book and that I find again in this one. What probably is new, and made this second book even more interesting, is a undertone funny mood; I can't say more, to not spoil the book, but even the chosen pair is in a way, a bad but funny joke.

Will is a injured coyote; alone or with the little help from his fellow coyote, he can't heal, and so he chooses to die alone and far from the pack. During his search for the perfect spot to die, he stumbles upon Lee's cottage in the wilderness of the Yellowstone park. Lee's grandparents raised goats, but now the farm is empty and the barn is the perfect place for Will. Only that Lee is not ready to see a now human Will dying, and with the simple aid of few drugs, he saves the man to find himself a very eager lover.

Lee explains to himself Will's strange behavior with the "feral" people theory: legends say that some men chose to live in the wilderness and they lost contact with other humans. So Lee is not particularly scared by Will, and instead, being Lee lonely and gay, and not shy when dealing with sex, he is more than happy to satisfy some of the primal urges of Will.

The sex is good but it's not that makes interesting the book. I can't really say more, but I was almost laughing to tear with the scene when Will discovers Lee's true nature. And also what happens next, with Lee's quiet acceptance of that, and the family routine they build together... well, someone could have some "squeaky" feelings, but I found it tender and sweet, with again, a lingering taste of humor. True, Will doesn't come out like a very civilized man, but no one has never said otherwise: Will is more coyote than man, and I believe that he is more comfortable in his coyote form. And then, if you remember "Will E. Coyote", he was full of resources, but not particularly clever ;-)

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