Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Mating Game #1

Big Bad Wolf

Rate this book
Going on a very public date with Ryker Harrison, the sexy, surly ex-boxer whose Alpha attitude and string of one night stands have earned him the nickname “the Big Bad Wolf”? Daisy would run as fast as her paws could carry her...if it wasn't a publicity stunt for her favorite aunt's new dating service.

But it turns out the handsome shifter and his family have other ideas. Apparently after her first date, his nosy, interfering pack think she's agreed to be his life-mate. And the curvy she-wolf has Ryker convinced it's time to give up his playboy ways and claim Daisy for his own.


Except Daisy's pack has other plans for her, and they’ll stop at nothing to use her for their own ruthless ends. And her friends keep showing up to rescue her, when she least needs their help. And his family can’t stop messing up Ryker’s attempts to court her. Ryker's determined to fight for Daisy...but can he roll with the punches when word reaches him that Daisy has ditched him for a wolf with a more impressive pedigree?

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 16, 2016

154 people are currently reading
636 people want to read

About the author

Georgette St. Clair

68 books969 followers
Georgette St. Clair writes hot, sexy romances starring Alpha heroes. The road to love may be rocky and fraught with peril (and humor and scorchtastic sex and healthy heapings of snark), but her shifters will stop at nothing to claim the women they love.

Georgette has worn many hats in life: newspaper reporter, EMT, internet marketer, cocktail waitress, temp, nurse’s aide (not in chronological order).

When she’s not rescuing fur-babies, she spends her days in a fantasy universe where she nudges her smart-mouthed, take-no-gruff heroines onto paths which will set them on a collision course with true love.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
537 (35%)
4 stars
474 (31%)
3 stars
366 (24%)
2 stars
113 (7%)
1 star
30 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
Profile Image for Barbara➰.
1,671 reviews460 followers
March 25, 2016
**3.5 Stars**

I really enjoyed this different story about shifters. It was funny and sweet. I don't usually read stories where there is a "fake" relationship that turns into more. But this was cute and didn't cause much angst between the characters.

I loved Daisy. She was so funny and I liked how she stood up for herself and didn't let her family bully her into something she didn't want. Her family was horrible. I just cringed every time her mother opened her mouth because I knew it would be horrible...very mean and nasty.

Ryker, though he was the alpha, wasn't presented in the typical alpha way. He wasn't domineering or OTT but he was still a good hero. I loved how he saw Daisy the first time and wanted her. Just a warning though, they don't "know" they are mates right away. So, again, not a typical shifter/mate story. Ryker's family was hilarious. The things they did or got into had me lol'ing many times.

So, I dropped a full star because of a few things. One, this needs an editor. There were several times I noticed a word missing. The second being, and this bugged me the most, there were inconsistences. Again, with a good editor or beta reader this would have been pointed out. For example, Jasmine, a girl at Daisy's school, was sitting outside the principal's office with someone. I was confused as to whether it was her aunt or her grandmother. Below are parts of a conversation between Daisy, Jasmine and her aunt/grandmother that lasted on a few paragraphs:

“Hey, Ms. Bennett, this is my grandmother,” Jasmine said.

Jasmine’s grandmother looked relieved.

She shot her niece a severe look.

“Jasmine, we do not threaten to shank people!” her aunt scolded her.

“No, Grams, you do not threaten to shank people,” Jasmine said. “I do it all the time.”

Her grandmother fanned herself with a bus schedule.


So you can see my confusion on whether this was her aunt or her grandmother. I think this should have been caught easily. Another example was when they shifted without removing their clothes they were shredded but on one instance Daisy and Ryker shifted with clothes on that were shredded but when they shifted back and went inside nothing was mentioned about getting dressed but they acted as though they were clothed. Things like that tend to bother me...just a pet peeve of mine lol.

Overall, it was cute and funny and I did enjoy it.

Safety Gang: Safe
Profile Image for Hollie.
1,681 reviews
March 22, 2016
This is my kind of shifter romance and definitely one of my favorites by this writer. I was worried about the blurb because the hero sounded like he had the potential to be a manwhore, but I was relieved to find this was not the case at all. His character came across as very genuine and endearing. He was smitten with the heroine from the second they met and treated her respectfully. There really wasn’t any OW or OM drama. He did run into an ex, but brushed her off immediately and was repulsed by her. Also, the heroine has a run in with her ex, but again there was no interest on her part for anyone except the hero.

The secondary characters were also solid and hilarious. I loved how the hero's mother meddled in his love life trying to play matchmaker so she could have some grand-cubs.

This was just a cute, funny and all around enjoyable shifter romance. Another benefit is that its offered as a kindleunlimited. I look forward to more from this writer.
Profile Image for Mizz.
1,074 reviews392 followers
June 26, 2016
https://romanticcynicblog.wordpress.c...

Beware of Spoilers!

Star Ratings:
Heroine (Daisy): 23yrs old
Hero (Ryker): 33yrs old
Plot: 5/5
Grovel: none
Cheating: none
HEA: yes! (but no babies)
Triggers: none

Average score: 4.5/5

Best Line: lots of good ones: H: “Damn it, you don’t put a corset on perfection!”

Worst Line: none!

Personal Review:
This was a surprisingly fun romance between two wolf shifters!

Random Ramblings:
•The H deserved the purse beating, it was funny
•Great banter
•I loved Harriet’s stubbornness but she did over-react at times
•Jasmine was great

Overall Feeling:
Adorable couple!

Profile Image for Yvonne Daniels.
2,736 reviews20 followers
March 19, 2016
The Mating Game
Big Bad Wolf
by Georgette St. Clair
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OMG! The storyline is everything I love about Georgette St. Clair. I absolutely enjoyed reading this awesome story. The story is so fantastic that I read it in one sitting I just couldn't put it down, it captured my attention from the first sentence to the last page. It's full of humor, lots of romance, it's compelling, emotional and you may get little mad at a few of the characters because of the way they treat the heroine and its hard to have a dry eye while reading because it will make you LOL that the tears may flow. The scenes are sensual, scorching hot, beautiful and loving. The characters are humorous, sexy, gorgeous and dreamy. The dialogue is witty, full of passion and mind-blowing. WOW!! This storyline is SPECTACULAR!! I was so engaged in reading this great story I didn't want to eat dinner or go to sleep it's just that Fantastic!! Georgette gives us so much entertainment with her creative imagination and lots of laughs. This is a standalone but I hope it's a start of a series.

Daisy is a BBW wolf shifter. She broke off her engagement because he cheated on her and then moved to be closer to her aunt. Her aunt runs a dating service and she decides to send Daisy on a very public date with Ryker Harrison. Daisy thinks she should run as fast as her paws can carry her, but this is her favorite aunt even if she is her only aunt. Daisy feels her aunts description of Ryker is to good to be true but since it's a publicity stunt for her aunt's new dating service, Daisy decides to go because what else does a school teacher have to do besides watch Rom-com movies and cheat on solitaire.
Ryker Harrison is a sexy, ex-boxer, Alpha wolf shifter whose attitude and string of one night stands earned him a nickname of the Big Bad Wolf. Ryker is the Alpha of his pack and CEO of his apparel company. His pack depend on their job at the factory and the factory and the pack lands need money. So the investors wants Ryker to straighten up his act and get a mate.

This is a Fantastic Read. If you are looking for a Spectacular paranormal book to curl up in your favorite chair and read, then you need to read this is the book. You don't want to miss this awesome book and it's a magnificent book to add to your TBR list. I'm excited and anxious to read the next book written by Georgette St. Clair next book and I highly recommend this book.

If you believe in the world of paranormal romance, then the possibilities are endless and fascinating!
Profile Image for Ivy Deluca.
2,391 reviews333 followers
April 6, 2016
description
It’s what I’ve come to expect from Ms. St. Clair. An enjoyable enough shifter romance with some humor. The romance portion is a fifty/fifty shot - I usually like the 'verse, and just ok on the romance. This book's 'verse was more interesting than the actual romance. But if you're into shifter books, you may enjoy it more than I did.


For more reviews, visit
description
description description description description description description
Profile Image for Rhonda Jones.
2,795 reviews17 followers
March 21, 2016
Funny, sexy, some action, and wonderful characters

This book had a whole bunch of strange but wonderful characters. A few were bad guys, but most were just zany funny people. And loyal, oh my, never read about so many people sticking up for their loved ones when they were completely wrong about the circumstances causing their ire. So funny. Great book.
Profile Image for Sydney M Neblett.
2,664 reviews26 followers
March 24, 2022
Playing to win

This couple might have not started out as conventionally as some, but the author made sure that it was a fun ride. I love the characters! Some made me laugh, others made me cry, and some I would have gladly throat punched, but they all kept me entertained and enthralled in the story. With each turn of the page, I found myself thrust into a new situation that made the story that much more enjoyable. I love this author and the fact I never know what she’s going to write about next.
Profile Image for C.J..
Author 4 books391 followers
March 25, 2016
This book was less about the story and more about the amazing characters. Every single one was vivid and totally insane in their own way. I smiled my way through this book. Harriet was probably my favourite but there are a lot of close seconds. If you want a good shifter story with lots of laughs, you'll enjoy this.
Profile Image for Laura.
1,157 reviews
February 9, 2017
What Is It About:
Ryker is an ex-boxer who now owns his own business while being the Alpha of his pack. Recently, a board of investors have become nervous about the fact that Ryker doesn't have a mater, which would improve his reputation in the press. Daisy is a teacher at an underfunded school in a bad neighbourhood. She left her own pack after being cheated on by her fiance.
As a relationship begins between the two of them as a way to gain investors, feelings do begin to show. The press, Daisy's roomates and Ryker's pack's enthusiam make it hard for them to get close, Daisy's pack has a plan that could drive them apart forever.

What I Liked and Didn't:
My biggest issue with this book is the length. It seems drastic to say that when that means the length of the book cost it three stars. But, the things that I disliked about the book may have worked out if the book had been longer.
The plot was mainly based on the relationship of Ryker and Daisy with a little action chucked on at the end. The characters as individuals were okay. Ryker seemed a bit softer than the bad boy image was made out, though he does have a trigger temper. Daisy does seem a bit whiny but can't fault her kindness working in that kind of school and putting in the effort with the children. But I feel like these faults could have been worked out if the book were longer. It would have created character development but also have given me a longer time to get into the characters and their way of thinking as opposed to just a snapshot into their lives. I quite liked the two of them together. There were some sweet moments, I wouldn't have minded the name calling at the start to have carried on a bit longer. They were in love fairly quickly considering this doesn't include an insta-love lifelong mate plot. Just another area that could have been developed a bit more *cough*longer book*cough*. What? Of course I'm not being repetitive.
As for the other aspects of the book. The secondary characters were a little one dimensional except for maybe Jasmine although JKAT? Really? Ryker's mother didn't really have a personality other than breaking down any boundary and Cadence was hardly mentioned considering she's in the next book. With the action plot, there was meant to be a twist but it wasn't foreshadowed that well. It made me question Daisy's brains and self-respect that she didn't see it coming.

Final Thoughts:
You probably wouldn't think that I liked the book considering how negative the review is but it's always easier to remember the negatives rather than the positives. I am actually a fan of Miss St. Clair's books but I suppose that can hinder me because I have higher expectations *sigh*.
Would I recommend this book? I don't know, I wouldn't say it was one of her strongest books but I suppose the first book in a series is always the hardest. I'll say go for it, and if you like it maybe try some of her other book series.
Will I be carrying on the series? I'll give it a go especially considering that it's dragons.
Profile Image for Alisha Rowe.
707 reviews34 followers
December 16, 2019
Daisy has been told her whole life by dates and by her mother that she is too heavy and that she will never find a respectable man who will love and be attracted to her. So her mother has taken it upon herself to set her up with the son of the pack leader for the neighboring pack. Too bad the jerk cheated on her and she will never in a million years marry him.

Ryker is a public bad boy ex-boxer whose entire pack is mortgaged to the hilt and must impress his investors in order to avoid loosing everything. So when his uncle sets him up at a mating agency to impress said investors he is in a tight spot. Good thing the chick is a curvy goddess...

For once a book about a chick who isn't a size 2. However the description for most of the book makes her seem really big only to find out she is a size 18. I'm a size 16 so 18 isn't huge, but curvy in all the right places with just a little belly. It made her more relatable to find out that she isn't huge and that she isn't a tiny thigh gap girl. It was a really nice change of pace. The down home country boy helped too. For anyone looking for a sweet empowering story that will make you feel comfortable in your own skin pick up this book and get lost in the story of Ryker and Daisy.
Profile Image for Kitty M Raja.
147 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2024
My low rating is because of the voice actor.

Look, the story in itself is a wonderfully short and silly novella. The family antics, the instant lust, the fake date premise were all enjoyable.

HOWEVER, it all went to shit for me the moment the voice actor started doing the characters’ dialogues. It was baaaaaddd. Terrible. Horrible. The narration of the actor was actually great but then the dialogue comes and you hear this abysmally fake and overdone accents in falsettos. It was like watching a comedic theatre that you just couldn’t take seriously. To add to that, all the female characters sounded the same (demented, fake Southerner 80 year old grandmas) and all the male character (growly, lung-damage from smoking, raspy fake Southerner 80 year old granddads) sounded the same. I did not know which character was speaking and had to repeat again and again.

Thank heavens this was a short book because if it wasn’t I definitely would have stopped at the 1 hour mark.
899 reviews
August 15, 2018
This book was very good. This is Ryker's and Daisy's book. Daisy is set to go out on a one time date with the notorious Ryker Harrison as a favor to her Aunt as she just opened up her new dating service. It doesn't quite work out the way Daisy thinks it will. It was a fun filled book with some side seriousness. What with nosy parents on Rykers side and Daisy's parents are a total work of art. They, Daisy's parents , were out to use her to bring two packs together and get more land, etc. They never thought much of Daisy at all as Daisy is BBW and a great personality to go with it. Rykers parents are just nosy and want the two together no matter what they have to do to get them paired. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Dasha.
1,603 reviews21 followers
December 15, 2019
Demasiado odio hacia las delgadas.
En mi opinión, se puede criticar las bases tan superficiales sobre la que está construida actualmente la sociedad, sí. Pero solo si lo haces sin atacar otros modelos de cuerpo femenino.
Evidentemente, no voy a leer un libro que se mete tanto con mi tipo de cuerpo.

¡¡¡Estoy delgada y como!!! Esto es algo inaudito según la escritora 🤣 (no es la primera en meter estas pequeñas pullas en boca de sus protas masculinos).

Me gustaría que, para variar, se dejase de atacar el físico de la mujer e intentar imponernos un canon. Sea el que sea.

Por lo demás, no me ha llamado lo suficiente la atención como para obviar tales prejuicios.

Profile Image for Julie.
370 reviews3 followers
July 20, 2024
He falls first, Alphahole, fake dating, shifter romance. Daisy agrees to being the first client at her aunt's mating agency. Ryker agrees to improving his image for prospective investors. The chemistry is hot for a couple who are only fake dating.
I loved the cast of characters all of which are funny and well written.
Fave Quote
“Get away from my niece right now! She’s a million times too good for you,” Wynona fumed. “You will not be dating Daisy.” He glared at Wynona. “Does insanity run in your family? Because that could be a deal-breaker.” That was followed by a flurry of blows to the head from Wynona’s purse.
Profile Image for Shauntavia McIntyre-Arnold.
340 reviews6 followers
January 4, 2020
Ryker and Daisy meet under unusual circumstances

Who says that you can't find love under unusual circumstances that's what happens when unbeknownst to Ryker his family wants him to settle down find love and have cubs. When he walks into a restaurant and sees a beautiful woman with red hair in a figure hugging dress he didn't know that his unknowing blind date would turn into his forever. They are made for each other in every way, she loves the real Ryker and not the one the public sees and he doesn't treat her like with disrespect and judgemental commets.
Profile Image for Han Spillane.
570 reviews11 followers
August 16, 2021
Got this based on an audible recommendation and I am SO glad I did. Such a brilliant, mostly light hearted and giggle worthy read. The only sadness is that the mother of the MFC cannot see her daughter's worth, but she get's hers lol.

Brilliantly read - I need to find many more by this voice actor, she managed to differentiate all the characters and some made me laugh and warm before their part fully started, just based on what the writer built alongside her voice.

Relatively short book, but all the feels and a fab HEA.
Profile Image for Kylie Scott.
519 reviews33 followers
March 5, 2023
This was read as an audio.
I really liked the storyline, the characters were great. I loved that the main female wasn’t a twig with huge boobs, but was a larger woman that he described as perfection, and he enjoyed her body as a whole without being fixated on a particular part.
The narrator that told the story wasn’t to my liking, her voice didn’t do them justice I felt.
All and all this was a great quick read and introduction to the author.
Profile Image for Cindy Hardegree.
1,245 reviews7 followers
May 24, 2023
A romantic wolf story of a big bad wolf named Ryker and a large woman wolf by the name of Daisy making a deal to ensure Ryker's pack of success. By agreeing to be engaged until a board meeting Ryker will impress the investors and Daisy will receive money for a rec center. However, Daisy's mother has other plans and is determined to force Daisy into a marriage with a man she despises.
Well written, this sexy slow burn story was fun to read.
I received this book as an arc and am voluntarily submitting my review.
Profile Image for Rosemary Hughes.
4,192 reviews23 followers
March 9, 2025
I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title (Audible Membership)

A sports celebrity had turned apparel manufacturer since retiring from the sports arena. He was still in the public eye, which his investors both wanted and didn't, depending on why that eye was watching him.
So, his uncle thought a mating to the right woman would clean up his image. This tale is what happens next.
Profile Image for Caroline Taylor.
40 reviews
January 30, 2018
An excellent rom-com

This was my first book by Georgette St. Clair. I drive a lot to and from work. I love listening to audio books. I chose this book because I like the audio reader Natasha Soudek. She has a smoky rich voice that I like to listen too. This book was awesome! The characters are crass, loveable, and so funny. I am so eager to listen to the whole series!
Profile Image for Angela Crockett.
294 reviews4 followers
August 6, 2017
This was one of those happily ever after stories. Daisy and Ryker are bear shifters. The story was more of a families interfering into their children's lives. All types of crazy. Still it was a funny story that made me smile.
Profile Image for Tsholo Mothibi.
55 reviews
August 29, 2018
Nice enough, I suppose, for whiling away an afternoon. The fact that they are Shifters doesn't really seem to have any bearing on the story and it just seems gratuitous and unnecessary which frustrated me more than the editing errors to be honest.
Profile Image for Wendy.
9 reviews
August 30, 2021
Got as an audible book the narration was atrocious worst I’ve ever heard at times you would need sub titles it was so bad and I’ve been listening to audible books for years. 1 star as that’s the lowest I can give and that is being very generous
Profile Image for Ferbooks.
1,786 reviews13 followers
December 22, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this story. Ryker's character has many layers, he is awkward with the woman he really like, a softy with his family but when he needs to be hard and macho, he is not to be crossed. The story is so much fun, I was sory to see it end.
235 reviews4 followers
April 26, 2022
The bubblegum pop equivalent of a book: short, sweet, and not much to it.

Liked the MCs but it’s too short to get attached to them or to feel any of the drama. Cute humor, a couple brief steamy scenes, and low conflict. The audiobook narrator’s Southern accent gave it some atmosphere.
Profile Image for The Queen Katz.
279 reviews3 followers
June 12, 2023
Nothing drives me mad more than inconsistency in a story and this one had a few.
As with most short stories there is not enough time to flesh out the characters/story.

Otherwise it was a easy enough to read, few laughs along the way, decent characters and storyline.
Profile Image for Christine.
725 reviews
January 31, 2017
I got lucky and read two really good ones back to back.

This one was a LOT of fun with colorful characters and situations. Never a dull moment.

Hopefully the start of a very good series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews