Book Review: Chuffed by Tia Fielding

Title: Chuffed
Series: Finnshifters, Book 1
Author: Tia Fielding
Genre: Paranormal Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Review copy from publisher
Published: June 2012 by Dreamspinner Press

Mikael Jarvela may only be a half shifter, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be alpha of the eastern Finland farm-turned-sanctuary his father founded. Six wolves, a red fox, a black jaguar, and a lynx all think of him as the head of the family. But Mikael doesn’t have anyone to call his own until he comes across an injured Siberian tiger in the woods.

From the moment the animal recovers and Mikael and Maxim meet face to human face, the attraction between them is undeniable. They strike up a tentative relationship, but they’re both proud men, and their egos keep getting in the way. Just when it looks like their romance is doomed, an outside threat to the family—to Mikael—forces Maxim to choose between the life of solitude he knows and the love and companionship that could be his if he stays.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: I really enjoyed this MM shifter romance because of its strong romance and excellent cast of characters all set in slightly exotic Finland.

The Set Up: Mikael is only half-shifter and runs a shifter sanctuary in Finland. He has lots of shifters in his makeshift family but none to call his own until he finds an injured Siberian tiger. Maxim is on the run but he can’t deny his attraction to Mikael or to the farm with its makeshift family. But just when things look settled a threat to the shifter sanctuary may destroy them all.

Why I Read this Book: Been on an MM shifter roll lately.

What I Liked: Maxim and Mikael are real people who begin a meaningful relationship. In a lot of MM romance, the sex is the point of the romance and the book but that isn’t the case here. Maxim and Mikael both have full lives before they meet and they realistically navigate what being in a relationship means to them. This isn’t to say their romance isn’t erotic because it is but the sex is only part of why they’re together and I liked this a lot. They have an honesty and earnestness to their romance that I really enjoyed and think others will too.

What I Also Liked: The Finnish setting was wonderful. I liked the gentle education about the language, the land and the sauna which is a cultural identity. The shifter sanctuary is also unique and full of great secondary characters. Mikael’s human father left him the farm after he died with the expectation that Mikael would continue using it as a shifter sanctuary. The shifter animals that live with Mikael make a community for the book that I adored. There is the wolf family with parents Sean and Zoya and their funny wolf pups; the damaged lynx shifter Lark who has internal strength; Noah the mysterious American Marine who is a jaguar shifter; and the troubled teenage fox shifter Anton who always manages to get in trouble. I loved this cast of characters and how they come together to fight the threat against their home.

What I Didn’t Like: Nothing, this is a delightful, well written novella.

IMO: I recommend this above average MM shifter novella and will be looking to read book two the moment I can.

J9’s Rating: