THE FOXLING SOLDATI continues the story of the Soldati tiger shifter realm. Rayner is a Soldati warrior who fights at the side of his King and best friend, Khalon. From the moment Rayner first met Toka centuries ago he has been captivated by the foxling servant, but he's kept his distance and tried to find other "suitable" partners. But Rayner can't stay away anymore and Toka is more than happy to be with Rayner even though Soldati law prohibits them from mating. I really appreciated the way Charlie Cochet made it clear that there were no power imbalances between Toka (a servant) and Rayner (an upper class warrior), consent was clear and enthusiastic.

I liked both Toka and Rayner and they're pretty much in love already when the story starts. They were really sweet and gentle together and while their love was obvious, I would have enjoyed watching it build a little bit instead of already being fully developed. All the relationship angst and conflict comes from outside sources trying to keep them apart. Not only are they unable to formally mate, but the King of the nearby Orso realm has a vendetta against the Soldati and especially Rayner. This results in Rayner being accused of a crime and the Orso King demanding Toka as payment for the crime. I was pretty surprised with how events unfolded and Khalon's actions made me kind of dislike him while also understanding the incredibly complicated situation he was put in. Luckily for Toka, things worked out in the end. Like the first book in the series, thing one had a somewhat rushed quality to the story but it was entertaining for me while I was reading it.


Content Warning: Threats of rape directed at Toka and an attempted rape scene