We all have our 'guilty pleasure' buys like chocolate or shoes. One of mine is Charlie Richards' books. I came across her stories when I was looking for something enjoyably light with a smidge of action that would balance all the dark angsty drama in my parnanormal romance reading and these books do it for me. The stories are novella length and easily come to the point and can be read almost in one sitting.This particular book is the ninth book in the Kontra's Menagerie series which is a spin-off and parallel series to the Wolves of Stone Ridge series. It is my recommendation that a new reader start with the first book in the WoSR series and then when he/she gets to the first spin-off to read both in chronological release order. There are several times they cross over or reference the other series which is why I offer the recommendation.In this one, we get the long-time coming story for Payson. Payson has probably been the most unusual character in this whole series and I couldn't imagine what Charlie Richards would offer up when it came to his turn to find his mate. Payson is a hyena shifter and he's a bit crazy because of all the experimentation that was done on him in a human lab. He's one of the few shifters that can't rely on the usual methods of finding his mate and he is even more unusual because he once thought he found his mate, but his hyena half rejected the person. Payson has all, but given up hope even though he keeps trying.Land is a skinny, reclusive, shy computer geek that has never had a relationship. His sister drags him out for his twenty-first birthday. Almost from the very moment he arrives at the club, he encounters a guy who is attracted to him and wants to spend the night with him. In the spirit of going a little crazy on this milestone birthday, Land goes off with Payson to finally get his chance to see what he's been missing. Land knows the score so even though it was the best night of his life, he tries to slip out in the morning so as not to make things awkward with Payson. But that's when things get a little nuts. Payson is way more than he appears to be and so are the group of guys in the motor cycle gang he's with. Its all a bit much even before he watches Payton's hyena attack another shifter.Well, I was ever so curious and now I know who would be Payson's match. It wasn't surprising that it was opposites attract, but I did enjoy how these two fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces and showed the potential for their future. Payson has tons of experience and Land is a virgin. Payson has seen the world from the back of his bike and Land barely leaves his apartment. Charlie Richards' worldbuilding allows for the instant knowledge of who the mate is, but the stories also make it clear that it is just the beginning and the relationship still needs to be worked for.I was also glad to note that the teaser plot line left from Kontra's story got forwarded a bit in this one. Looking forward to more along that line and intrigued now by the wolf shifter Vail. And as always, its a pleasure when the others from the gang get to play a part in each other's stories.There are getting to be so many ongoing characters in these series that I could almost use a handy chart to remind me of who each character is, their animal or race and who they're mated with. Hehe!So, I would recommend these stories for someone who likes lighter and shorter m/m paranormal romance and who don't mind a quick to the point attraction and romance.My thanks to Netgalley and eXstasy publisher for providing this copy for review purposes.PS I forgot to mention how much I really love this cover and how well it matches the characters. I love Charlie Richard's writing. I started reading her Wolves of Stone Ridge series and loved every book then when this series came out I found a whole 'nother reason to love her. The is a spin-off series and it's sexy and funny and just plain entertaining. I am always amazed at the different types of shifters that pop up in this series. There are the usual wolves and bears, but then there are penguins and snakes and even a peacock. This is about Payson, a hyena shifter, who always stood out due to the fact he's a tad bit crazy. He thought he found his mate once before, but decided it wasn't her since his hyena didn't take to her so he pretty much thought he'd never find his mate. Then of course in walks Land. Land is such a cute character. He's a 21 year old geek, who also happens to be a virgin. I think he was the perfect fit to Payson since he seems to be able to calm the craziness and accept him, hyena and all. Payson was great for Land because he brings Land's inner fantasy to the surface. They were definitely pretty Damn hawt together. I love this series and can't wait for more.
