Swimming with Penguins

Title: Swimming with Penguins

Author: Charlie Richards

Publisher: eXtasy Books

Publisher’s URL: http://www.extasybooks.com/

ISBN/BIN:  978-1-77111-345-8

Genre: {M/M}, Paranormal, Series

Rating: 4.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymph Reviewer: Critter Nymph

Yuma loves his pack and would do anything for them, but even he needs a few minutes to himself.  Needing to get away, he heads to a nearby pond to let his animal out for a while.  The last thing Yuma thought would happen was getting shot, but even more surprising was finding his mate.

Since the beginning of Ms. Richards Kontra’s Menagerie series, I have been waiting for Yuma’s story and was happy to see Swimming with Penguins come out sooner rather than later. 

Yuma is a fun character, flamboyant and always ready to help those he loves.  He has hidden depths and I was curious to see how, and with whom, the author would pair him with.  I would have liked to have found out a little more about the shifter’s past, but what the author does reveal allows the reader to see it was not easy for the penguin.

Hunter is just the right mate for Yuma.  Although he is dealing with numerous betrayals from his ex, Hunter is a strong individual and just what Yuma needs.  The way he is introduced to Yuma, and the shifter world, is different than what we usually see. I could not help but imagine the look on Hunter’s face as he woke up to find Yuma in his bed.  The instant attraction you expect to find between mates is present and the men waste little time heating up the pages, although they don’t mate right off. 

There is some conflict thrown into the story in the form of Hunter’s ex.  This allows the author to bring in several former characters to help the new mates out.  The final scene between the ex and the shifters is intense.  I like the way the author brings in the past characters and opens up possible future stories. 

While it is easy to read the stories in this series as stand-alones, I would recommend the readers read the books in order so that they can get a fuller understanding of the series characters and on-going plot.