Welcome back to Cougarville! Stone Cold Fox is the story of Reese (the fox shifter/auto mechanic) and Jo, the Juvie/Wiccan. This series is a bit strange but I totally love it!
Jo is a Wiccan practitioner who was kicked out of her coven because they thought she was using dark magic to appear younger. Turns out, she is just a Juvie (if you have read the previous 2 books, you understand this! If not, they do explain it a bit in the story). However, she has had a difficult past when it comes to men and she is extremely distrustful. Reese eventually assures her he means her no harm; then he discovers she is a Juvie.
Reese is one of the characters in town I have wanted to know more about. He is a gentle giant of sorts and a bit of a loner. Also, he is an auto mechanic which I love because my husband is an auto mechanic too! Reese knows just how to approach Jo so that she feels safe with him. His fox really wants him to claim her though! Reese is an alpha fox, but he is so gentle with Jo in order to make her feel safe. Its very romantic!
Jo, like the other girls who have recently rejuvenated, is a stranger character. She is more able to accept the whole 'shifter' thing since she is a witch, but she refuses to accept the idea that she carries the shifter gene. Her mistrust in men started when she was 19, and since that time she has lived in a womens' only coven so that she felt comfortable. She thinks men are evil and will simply take what they want from her (because that has been her experience!). I thought Anderson handled this well as a plot device. Jo is rightfully skeptical of men and her responses to men when she interacts with them are expected of a woman who has been assaulted in the past. Anderson doesn't simply use this as a fly by night device; she develops the character of Jo in a way that the reader can truly believe this woman has been assaulted. She doesn't over do it for dramatic effect either, which I think is very important when dealing with this type of sensitive plot device.
The villain in this is a blend of a previous villain and a witch from Jo's past. The villainous plan is the same-trying to harness the power of rejuvenation for money. Its a fairly small part of the story; most of the book focuses on the relationship and Jo coming to terms with her new reality.
Stone Cold Fox is part shifter story with a dash of fated mates and a bit of magic that I wish I had (rejuvenation!) that create an enjoyable escape! The Cougarville series won't be a hit for everyone; but, if you like your PNR to be a bit different and a bit lighter, I think you will enjoy the series. Anderson also gives you LOTS of steamy scenes that lead up to the mating. While Anderson creates tension and dangerous situations, the stories still have a lighter feel than some darker, twistier PNR books.
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: fated mates
- Triggers: [spoiler]Obviously, as mentioned, Jo was assaulted. It is handled well in my opinion and not overly dramatized but might be a trigger for some people.[/spoiler]
- Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series (you could read this one as a stand alone more so than book 2)
- Cliffhanger: [spoiler]no[/spoiler]
- HEA: [spoiler]yes[/spoiler]
[rating-report]
Elemental Mating by Milly Taiden, Survival Instinct by Janie Crouch, Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon...then you will probably like Stone Cold Fox!