Book Review: In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston

Series: Honey Badger Chronicles Book #2

Format: ebook

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

How I Got It: NetGalley

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Shapeshifters

Publisher: Kensington

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

Petite, kind, brilliant, and young, Stevie is nothing like the usual women bodyguard Shen Li is interested in. Even more surprising, the youngest of the lethal, ball-busting, and beautiful MacKilligan sisters is terrified of bears. But she’s not terrified of pandas. She loves pandas. 

Which means that whether Shen wants her to or not, she simply won’t stop cuddling him. He isn’t some stuffed Giant Panda, ya know! He is a Giant Panda shifter. He deserves respect and personal space. Something that little hybrid is completely ignoring.

But Stevie has a way of finding trouble. Like going undercover to take down a scientist experimenting on other shifters. For what, Shen doesn’t want to know, but they’d better find out. And fast. Stevie might be the least violent of the honey badger sisters, but she’s the most dangerous to Shen’s peace of mind. Because she has absolutely no idea how much trouble they’re in . . . or just how damn adorable she is. 

Review

***I received this book via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

This is my 3rd Shelly Laurenston book and the second in this series. All three have confused the hell out of me, but I don't even care. The stories and characters are so crazy, but I am hooked after one page.

Stevie and her sisters are over-the-top and are each 10 pounds of crazy in their own 5 pound bags. The love they have for each other is so good. There are actually tons of positive familial and regular friendships. I love reading about those.

Shen is just the cutest Panda. He is so calm in such a stressful world. I could actually feel his calmness whenever he was the POV character. It allowed me to relax as the reader. I loved his constant and methodical eating of bamboo. I'm totally team panda.

There is a romantic sub plot. It was fun and kind of unique. The way Stevie approaches romance (and friendships) is different than anything I've ever read. She's like a bulldozer and I mean that in the best possible way.

While I was (and continue to be) confused, I did like getting more info on this world-especially the MacKilligan family. I'm assuming I have to wait a year for another book and I can't wait. Plus, I'm guess it's be more focused on Max and I need that.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Book Review: Hot & Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

Series: Honey Badger Chronicles Book #1

Format: ebook

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Borrowed from Library (Overdrive)

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher:Kensington

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

It’s not every day that a beautiful naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn’s hotel balcony. Definitely they don’t usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she’s gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she’s a honey badger shifter, it’s too late.

Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He’s trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He’s cute enough that she just might let him tag along—that is, if he can keep up . . .

Review

This book is a whole bunch of crazy-in a good way. I mean it's full of all kinds of shape-shifters and the main character and one of her sisters are both people of color.

It was also very funny. Both the dialogue is funny and there's situational comedy. There are still pretty serious situations along with some suspense, but the humor was really fun. One of the sisters kept hiding in cabinets and it was interesting to see where/when she would show up. 

The romance was pretty subtle and very cute. It was always the secondary story line, but you still felt the chemistry between Berg and Charlie. Sometimes, in paranormal romances-especially shifter stories-the romance can feel forced or rushed. Ms. Laurenston included characteristics from their animals, while also making the romance believable.

My only issue was that I would get confused sometimes. There are so many different types of shifters and characters constantly coming or going. I would have just liked a list of characteristics and their relationships to one another to keep them straight. 

I don't know when the next book will come out, but I'll read it. I assume the series will be at least 3 books-each one featuring one of the sisters. They are interesting in their own ways so I'm curious to know more about them.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Review: The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston

Series: Call of Crows Book #1
Format: ebook
Rating: 3 Stars
How I Got It: Purchased
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance,
Publisher: Kensington

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

 

Kera Watson never expected to face death behind a Los Angeles coffee shop. Not after surviving two tours lugging an M16 around the Middle East. If it wasn’t for her hot Viking customer showing up too late to help, nobody would even see her die.

In uncountable years of service to the Allfather Odin, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstöm has never seen anyone kick ass with quite as much style as Kera. He knows one way to save her life—but she might not like it. Signing up with the Crows will get Kera a new set of battle buddies: cackling, gossiping, squabbling, party-hearty women. With wings. So not the Marines.

But Vig can’t give up on someone as special as Kera. With a storm of oh-crap magic speeding straight for L.A., survival will depend on combining their strengths: Kera’s discipline, Vig’s loyalty… and the Crows’ sheer love of battle. Boy, are they in trouble.

Review

This took me quite awhile to finish. I put it down for a couple weeks. I piecked it up after hearing raving about it on the DBSA podcast. And I was a little disappointed. However, based on what they said, Shelly Laurenston is kind of an acquired taste.

I think my biggest struggle is how confused I was. There are so many characters and I kept forgetting who they all are and their relationships. The mythology was also confusing. I could've used a character map or appendix.

Now, I am intrigued by some of the side characters. Jace has my catnip written all over her. Fortunately, it looks like they will become main characters.

Which I suppose answers the question I'm going to keep reading these. I am. A huge part of that is Jace. But I'm also hopeful I will start to understand the world more as I keep reading. We shall see. Eventually.

Thanks for reading!
Holly