Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Swamp Elephant
SERIES: Kontra’s Menagerie
AUTHOR: Charlie Richards
PUBLISHER: eXtasy
LENGTH: 78 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 12, 2022
BLURB:
On the Road: A young Cajun who’s never learned to stand up to his brother gets support and an extra push from the most unexpected of places.
Horace Broussard knows he needs to learn how to say no to his brother, Herbert. His older, larger brother always seems to drag him into trouble. Except, the two times he’d gathered the courage, Herbert had explained why it was a bad idea… with his fists and feet. The first time had left him pissing blood for days. The second time had culminated in a broken wrist. Horace doesn’t say no to his brother anymore, which is how he ends up poaching gators in the swamp… again.
When they spot a small pack of wolves running through the cypress trees, Herbert orders that they go after them, claiming a wolf pelt on his floor would be cool.
Just like many of Herbert’s bad ideas, Horace ends up in hot water. They’re caught by the owners of the wolves—a fierce biker gang. Except, then something crazy happens. A huge African elephant grabs Horace in its trunk and carries him into the swamp. When other animals arrive and turn into men, he wonders if he’s hit his head and is hallucinating. Can the paranormal be real, and if so, how can he keep this revelation from his dominating brother?
Reader Advisory: The first chapter of this tale overlaps with the last chapter in Pursuit by Camelback.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the 34th book in this series, but it works as a stand alone as long as the reader has some knowledge of this paranormal world.
Horace has spent his life being bullied by his older meaner brother Herbert. When he forces Horace out for a day of poaching gators, they spot some wolves and Herbert decides he wants them too. When the chase the wolves, they end up running into a hidden biker gang. While Herbert is being interrogated by a guy with weird purple eyes, an elephant comes charging in and grabs Horace.
Donovan has been stuck in his elephant form for nearly 27 years because he had been taken by some witches and chemically contained. He shifts for the first time because he has discovered Horace is his mate. It’s painful and he’s really week.
Horace is a bit gobsmacked to learn about the shifters. But he really wants to be away from Herbert and he is really attracted to Donovan. He’s nervous about the shifters, but he’s more nervous about the fact that he’s a virgin. His brother was a bully and bigot and a homophobe, so he had hidden that part of himself. He’s very happy to have found the gang and he’s more than happy to be with Donovan. They have both been through a lot and are very supportive and loving to each other.
This was a good addition to this series. I really liked Horace and really was happy to see him away from his brother. Donovan had suffered for years and getting to be human again and find his mate was just what he needed. The rest of the gang was there to support them – even if Payson did tease them 🙂 The warlocks and the rest of the shifters had their parts to play too. For fans of this ongoing urban fantasy series, you’ll enjoy the new shifter who has joined Kontra’s Menagerie.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
eXtasy