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Honey Badger Chronicles #3
Badger to the Bone
She's the woman he's been hired to kidnap. But ZeZé Vargas has other ideas . . . like getting them both out of this nightmare alive. Just one problem. She's crazy. Certifiably. Because while he's plotting their escape, the petite Asian beauty is plotting something much more deadly . . .
Max "Kill It Again" MacKilligan has no idea what one of her own is doing with all these criminal humans until she realizes that Zé has no idea who or what he is. Or exactly how much power he truly has.
But Max is more than happy to bring this handsome jaguar shifter into her world and show him everything he's been missing out on. A move that might be the dumbest thing she's ever done once she realizes how far her enemies will go to wipe her out. Too bad for them Zé is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her alive . . . and honey badgers are just so damn hard to kill!
Max "Kill It Again" MacKilligan has no idea what one of her own is doing with all these criminal humans until she realizes that Zé has no idea who or what he is. Or exactly how much power he truly has.
But Max is more than happy to bring this handsome jaguar shifter into her world and show him everything he's been missing out on. A move that might be the dumbest thing she's ever done once she realizes how far her enemies will go to wipe her out. Too bad for them Zé is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her alive . . . and honey badgers are just so damn hard to kill!
406 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2020
1160 people are currently reading
5117 people want to read
About the author
Shelly Laurenston
46 books7,934 followersOriginally from Long Island, New York, Shelly Laurenston has resigned herself to West Coast living which involves healthy food, mostly sunny days, and lots of guys not wearing shirts when they really should be. Shelly Laurenston is also The New York Times Bestselling author G.A. Aiken, creator of the Dragon Kin series. For more info on G.A. Aiken's dangerously and arrogantly sexy dragons, check out her website at www.gaaiken.com.
Pseudonym G.A. Aiken
Pseudonym G.A. Aiken
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 964 reviews
April 9, 2020
Well that sucked.
It's bad enough that there is a fucking apocalypse going on and we don't even get to kill any zombies and instead are stuck at home cooking for a bunch of ingrates all day, but now the book I've looked forward to for months sucked?
Jilly's feeling stabby.
Oh yeah, I'm ordering this model when we all get our robot bodies. I like his sweet moves.
So, you might wonder why it took me almost a week to get through this book when I can usually knock out 2 or 3 in that time. It's because this book is so damn put-downable. Where was the hilarity? Where was the fun? Did the Rona kill it or something?
Thanks for making me spend time with the hubs, killjoy! All he wants to do is spend time with me and shit instead of letting me read and internet all day. *sigh* It's so hard to be me.
Okay, so this one was about the "last" sister getting her mate. The sister was hilarious in past books, but completely fails as a romantic heroine. She is basically a sociopath without any empathy. I don't think a person like her can feel love, so romance? Doesn't work. Also, what's supposed to be funny is mostly just mean. Don't get me wrong, bitchy can be funny sometimes, but this wasn't like that. She was rude and mean to people for no reason - not jokingly either.
Yeah, that's the vibe she was throwing out. Good job, mean dolly.
The other problem with this mess of a book is that it was too jumpy. There was a constant mixture of POV's in each chapter - some of people who were very peripheral characters, some of people we didn't know, some of old characters, some from other series by this author - and then occasionally the main characters. It was messy. And they were just jumping from place to place the whole time. It was hectic in that way, but then there would be pages of the play-by-plays of a basketball game that was just filler. I would have preferred that the page time had been spent on developing the romance we were supposed to be buying.
But, the romance was not believable. The only thing these two had going for them was having been in the same massacre at the same time. There was absolutely no chemistry.
As a Houston resident, I can state this is true. And, much like vegan food, I ain't buying the romance in this book.
However, I will admit that the hero character, Ze, was the best part of the book. He finds out he is a cat shifter at the beginning and I love how his cat-like personality traits show up. My favorite is when he looks at another guy who is annoying him and swats the guy's drink onto the floor. That is one of my favorite cat moves. Those evil little bastards crack me up with that one.
I love him.
Still, all together, avoid this hot mess. The first two were fun, but this is not in the same league.
It's bad enough that there is a fucking apocalypse going on and we don't even get to kill any zombies and instead are stuck at home cooking for a bunch of ingrates all day, but now the book I've looked forward to for months sucked?
Jilly's feeling stabby.
Oh yeah, I'm ordering this model when we all get our robot bodies. I like his sweet moves.
So, you might wonder why it took me almost a week to get through this book when I can usually knock out 2 or 3 in that time. It's because this book is so damn put-downable. Where was the hilarity? Where was the fun? Did the Rona kill it or something?
Thanks for making me spend time with the hubs, killjoy! All he wants to do is spend time with me and shit instead of letting me read and internet all day. *sigh* It's so hard to be me.
Okay, so this one was about the "last" sister getting her mate. The sister was hilarious in past books, but completely fails as a romantic heroine. She is basically a sociopath without any empathy. I don't think a person like her can feel love, so romance? Doesn't work. Also, what's supposed to be funny is mostly just mean. Don't get me wrong, bitchy can be funny sometimes, but this wasn't like that. She was rude and mean to people for no reason - not jokingly either.
Yeah, that's the vibe she was throwing out. Good job, mean dolly.
The other problem with this mess of a book is that it was too jumpy. There was a constant mixture of POV's in each chapter - some of people who were very peripheral characters, some of people we didn't know, some of old characters, some from other series by this author - and then occasionally the main characters. It was messy. And they were just jumping from place to place the whole time. It was hectic in that way, but then there would be pages of the play-by-plays of a basketball game that was just filler. I would have preferred that the page time had been spent on developing the romance we were supposed to be buying.
But, the romance was not believable. The only thing these two had going for them was having been in the same massacre at the same time. There was absolutely no chemistry.
As a Houston resident, I can state this is true. And, much like vegan food, I ain't buying the romance in this book.
However, I will admit that the hero character, Ze, was the best part of the book. He finds out he is a cat shifter at the beginning and I love how his cat-like personality traits show up. My favorite is when he looks at another guy who is annoying him and swats the guy's drink onto the floor. That is one of my favorite cat moves. Those evil little bastards crack me up with that one.
I love him.
Still, all together, avoid this hot mess. The first two were fun, but this is not in the same league.
March 14, 2021
3.5 stars
Max was ready to brush off yet another set of kidnappers with finesse and ease. That is until she realized he was a jaguar-shifter.
So...she kidnaps him instead.
As the enemies circle close, Max becomes desperate to protect what matters most - her family. And maybe ZeZé too.
So.
I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as the other two.
It MIGHT just be because I read all of these books one right after another but the more I read this one, the more similar it felt to the others.
Each story introduced the audience to a different perspective.
Book 1 - introduced us to Charlie - the fiercely protective and loyal eldest sister, who is a huge baker
Book 2 - introduces us to Stevie - the fiercely protective/loyal youngest sister, who is also a genius
Book 3 - introduced us to Max - the fiercely protective/loyal middle sister, who is extra aggressive
Each perspective ended up being very, very similar across the series. And book 3, Max's perspective, just felt like Charlie's but with the intensity turned up 10x...I just wasn't feeling it.
Other than that, it was a fast-paced and overall fun read...just too samey in terms of perspective.
With thanks to Kensington books for sending me a free copy in exchange for and honest review
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
ZeZé Vargas was hired to kidnap Max - and it seemed like a really, really easy job. That is until he realized just how crazy she was.
Max was ready to brush off yet another set of kidnappers with finesse and ease. That is until she realized he was a jaguar-shifter.
So...she kidnaps him instead.
As the enemies circle close, Max becomes desperate to protect what matters most - her family. And maybe ZeZé too.
So.
I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as the other two.
It MIGHT just be because I read all of these books one right after another but the more I read this one, the more similar it felt to the others.
Each story introduced the audience to a different perspective.
Book 1 - introduced us to Charlie - the fiercely protective and loyal eldest sister, who is a huge baker
Book 2 - introduces us to Stevie - the fiercely protective/loyal youngest sister, who is also a genius
Book 3 - introduced us to Max - the fiercely protective/loyal middle sister, who is extra aggressive
Each perspective ended up being very, very similar across the series. And book 3, Max's perspective, just felt like Charlie's but with the intensity turned up 10x...I just wasn't feeling it.
Other than that, it was a fast-paced and overall fun read...just too samey in terms of perspective.
With thanks to Kensington books for sending me a free copy in exchange for and honest review
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
January 24, 2023
Shelly Laurenston is one author that has always had the most wonderful and diverse characters. Her Badger series is no exception. The cast is colorful, boisterous, fun, CRAZY, hilarious – one of a kind.
If you love PNR and shifters of all kinds, and you love entertaining, laugh-out-loud and ridiculously funny stories – you need to read this series – but please start with book one in her Pride Series The Mane Event. The author interweaves more and more of the Pride series with the Badgers – hello cameos from old favorite characters. And that’s also one of the reasons why I wouldn’t recommend jumping into this book without reading the other series first. There is definitely an overload of well known characters in Badger to the Bone.
I don’t think it makes much sense to talk about the plot. All you need to know is that Badger to the Bone is one of the most entertaining stories I read this year. I caught myself bursting out with laughter, snorting and giggling. It was crazily funny at times, definitely over the top crazy too. Very much what I was expecting when reading a Shelly Laurenston book. Lot’s of crazy but lovable shifters. Oh, and they are ALL violent – so you got to be ok with blood, and be ready for interesting food choices, and strong kick ass heroines – definitely those.
Badger to the Bone was a fabulously entertaining book and anyone who is a fan of this series will enjoy it. It was definitely the right book at the right time for me because I adored it. And I’m so happy the author is writing in her shifter world again. It’s my favorite series of her, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her shifters.
If you love PNR and shifters of all kinds, and you love entertaining, laugh-out-loud and ridiculously funny stories – you need to read this series – but please start with book one in her Pride Series The Mane Event. The author interweaves more and more of the Pride series with the Badgers – hello cameos from old favorite characters. And that’s also one of the reasons why I wouldn’t recommend jumping into this book without reading the other series first. There is definitely an overload of well known characters in Badger to the Bone.
I don’t think it makes much sense to talk about the plot. All you need to know is that Badger to the Bone is one of the most entertaining stories I read this year. I caught myself bursting out with laughter, snorting and giggling. It was crazily funny at times, definitely over the top crazy too. Very much what I was expecting when reading a Shelly Laurenston book. Lot’s of crazy but lovable shifters. Oh, and they are ALL violent – so you got to be ok with blood, and be ready for interesting food choices, and strong kick ass heroines – definitely those.
Badger to the Bone was a fabulously entertaining book and anyone who is a fan of this series will enjoy it. It was definitely the right book at the right time for me because I adored it. And I’m so happy the author is writing in her shifter world again. It’s my favorite series of her, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her shifters.
April 3, 2020
I'm so disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book more. I love Shelly Laurenston. She can make me laugh and smile like no other, but this book just didn't have the romance I come to love from her funny shifter books. I loved Charlie and Stevie's books, and I loved Max in those books, but this one was a bit of a mess. First off it jumped around so much. One minute we are reading from Max's pov then the next some random character from one of her many other series/books. The cameos of past characters was out of control. Truly I think I was visited by the ghost of every character of past. Some from books I read years ago and it would take me a bit to even remember who the heck they were. Which just took me out of the story and confused me. Add to that almost zero romance besides the rushed bit at the like 85% and it really didn't work for me. This book wasn't all bad though and it did make me laugh, but it's not want I wanted or expected.
December 12, 2025
There is always one book in the series that disappoints me and usually it is the last one. Why? The endings are always rushed and here it was no different.
Seems I'm a black sheep when it comes to this book. It is most definitely Me and not the book!
I considered myself to be a very lucky lady and I am still of that opinion. However Shelly Laurenston writes hilarious female characters that are unique and know what they want and here with Max it is no different but out of these three sisters she is the wild card and I felt that she didn't really get her time in this book neither did the Hero Zé. There was just so much going on with other parts of the books and it was for me hard to keep track of who is who and why who was doing that. I can see potential for a lot of spinoffs for this series.
Seems I'm a black sheep when it comes to this book. It is most definitely Me and not the book!
I considered myself to be a very lucky lady and I am still of that opinion. However Shelly Laurenston writes hilarious female characters that are unique and know what they want and here with Max it is no different but out of these three sisters she is the wild card and I felt that she didn't really get her time in this book neither did the Hero Zé. There was just so much going on with other parts of the books and it was for me hard to keep track of who is who and why who was doing that. I can see potential for a lot of spinoffs for this series.
February 19, 2020
This had me laughing so hard, my sides hurt! I was recommending this to friends before I even reached the 25% mark, it was that good!
Max was one crazy, whack-a-doodle and I loved how protective she was over those she cared about. I’ve never read another heroine like her but she’s the type that I could definitely get used to. With her madcap group of friends she was scary good at taking down the bad guys, or just anyone that ticked her off.
And when it came to Ze, she didn’t do the insta anything. She doesn’t like cats, and Ze was very much a cat...of course, he doesn’t know that.
Watching Ze as he watched the sisters was hilarious. His reactions to them, although mostly internal, kept me in stitches. Theirs was a life he didn’t even know existed and suddenly he was thrust into the center of a house of family full of chaos. Lots of prime material for hilarity.
This story branches off in several directions and while I was a bit confused a time or two, it wasn’t hard to catch up. How the plot all begins to interweave together was a pleasant surprise and made me love this book even more. This is definitely a reread!
Multi POV
Safe
Triggers
Max was one crazy, whack-a-doodle and I loved how protective she was over those she cared about. I’ve never read another heroine like her but she’s the type that I could definitely get used to. With her madcap group of friends she was scary good at taking down the bad guys, or just anyone that ticked her off.
And when it came to Ze, she didn’t do the insta anything. She doesn’t like cats, and Ze was very much a cat...of course, he doesn’t know that.
Watching Ze as he watched the sisters was hilarious. His reactions to them, although mostly internal, kept me in stitches. Theirs was a life he didn’t even know existed and suddenly he was thrust into the center of a house of family full of chaos. Lots of prime material for hilarity.
This story branches off in several directions and while I was a bit confused a time or two, it wasn’t hard to catch up. How the plot all begins to interweave together was a pleasant surprise and made me love this book even more. This is definitely a reread!
Multi POV
Safe
Triggers
May 24, 2020
Many thanks to Kensington Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!
"I’m a fuckin’ honey badger and by this claw”— she held her hand up—“ I fuckin’ rule."
Well, now that I am at the end of the series (or at least, I've finished all of the books currently available in this series), I can say that, in my opinion, this series kind of went downhill.
So, what's this book about?
She’s the woman he’s been hired to kidnap. But ZeZé Vargas has other ideas . . . like getting them both out of this nightmare alive. Just one problem. She’s crazy. Certifiably. Because while he’s plotting their escape, the petite Asian beauty is plotting something much more deadly . . .
Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan has no idea what one of her own is doing with all these criminal humans until she realizes that Zé has no idea who or what he is. Or exactly how much power he truly has.
But Max is more than happy to bring this handsome jaguar shifter into her world and show him everything he’s been missing out on. A move that might be the dumbest thing she’s ever done once she realizes how far her enemies will go to wipe her out. Too bad for them Zé is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her alive . . . and honey badgers are just so damn hard to kill!
So....... so.... soo...... this series started out great. The first book was 4.5 stars but then the second book came around and it was four stars and now we're at the third book which was 3.5 stars. This series and its books aren't horrible but they did kind of get worse with each book.
I really loved the introduction of Ze. He was hilarious and I was really disappointed that the book didn't focus on him as much as I would have hoped. The book was more focused on Max and her sisters which wasn't horrible but at this point, I am getting a bit tired of their drama because it's just going in circles.
Finally, I was not a fan of the ending. It was very open-ended so I assume that there is going to be another book in the series. It was also such an abrupt ending which really annoyed me.
Overall, this book was eh... just okay. But I still recommend giving this and its series a read.
Bottom Line:
3 stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Positive Messages (0/0)
Violence (4/5) - [Gore, Fights, Gun, Death]
Sex (3/5) - [Sexual themes, Brief semi-detailed sex scene]
Language (4/5) - [C*nt, F*ck, D*mn, Sh*t, Wh*re, Sl*t]
Drinking/Drugs (4/5) - [Alcohol consumption, Medicinal drugs]
Content and Trigger Warnings - Violence, Sex scenes, Death, Loss of a loved one, Sexual themes, Language
Publication Date: March 31st, 2020
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
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Okay... that was an abrupt ending
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Happy Pub Date!
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April 5, 2020
Snarky...outrageous...."tongue in cheek" humor...Shelly Laurenston at her best!
4.75 stars.
I loved this one so much....but then I never had any doubts to start with...."mad" Max Mackilligan and her crazy honey badger sisters..... such divine stuff!!!! ....absolutely hilarious reading!!!!...plus the added benefit of super-cool cat..... ZeZé Vargas.....and all the usual suspects.
OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY!!!!
I SAVORED EVERY MINUTE OF READING TIME!!!
In fact, I am totally incapable of being objective here as this is my absolute favorite type of snarky, tongue-in-cheek humor. So I say, if you like to laugh or enjoy "quirky" paranormal romances then with this series you have hit the motherlode!!!
Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan possibly my most favorite of the honey badger sisters.
Not to overlook the equally as wonderful first two books:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review (truly, I would have begged for this one!!!).
4.75 stars.
I loved this one so much....but then I never had any doubts to start with...."mad" Max Mackilligan and her crazy honey badger sisters..... such divine stuff!!!! ....absolutely hilarious reading!!!!...plus the added benefit of super-cool cat..... ZeZé Vargas.....and all the usual suspects.
OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY!!!!
I SAVORED EVERY MINUTE OF READING TIME!!!
In fact, I am totally incapable of being objective here as this is my absolute favorite type of snarky, tongue-in-cheek humor. So I say, if you like to laugh or enjoy "quirky" paranormal romances then with this series you have hit the motherlode!!!
Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan possibly my most favorite of the honey badger sisters.
Not to overlook the equally as wonderful first two books:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review (truly, I would have begged for this one!!!).
April 23, 2020
Badger to the Bone is book three in the Honey Badger Chronicles by Shelly Laurenston and narrated by Charlotte Kane.
I had a blast with the audiobook. I smiled a lot. Laurenston, weather writing as Akin or Laurenston; always makes me smile and feel good. I know when I pick up one of her books I’m in for a good time.
As always the books are full of humor, quirkiness, action and entertainment. This was no exception! We still get that fun loving feel and silly humor plus some suspense and mystery added to it.
The downside to this one is that there is so much happening. The author brought back a lot of old characters from her Pride and Magnus Pack series to make appearances. I love revisiting older characters and having them worked into the story, but it was too much. It was just too many appearances and this ties into the POV issue. We get so many POV switches that it threw me. Even with the audio it took me moment to realize we where moving onto another character.
Besides the old characters we also meet a number of new characters like Max’s basketball team who are all honey badgers. This leads me to believe the author might be giving them stories of their own.
As for the romance. Nothing stood out to me. It was quick and almost rushed. I can’t really say they had a romance. It was some smiles and flirting; here and there.
I will say I like Max. She’s a fun honey badger and then we get to meet ZeZé Vargas a character that doesn’t know he’s a shifter. I liked how they first meet up. It was fun! I also liked that Max took him home and helped him figure things out.
Narration: Charlotte Kane did a great job on ALL the voice. As I said so many past characters came into the story that she had a lot of voices to do. They were distinct. The audio also helped to move the story along since we jump around so much in character POV’s, which slowed the pace down, and so having the narration deal with that, moved it along.
Badger to the Bone was another fun listen in the Honey Badger Chronicles. I liked the audio and would recommend this series in audiobook formate.
Rated: 3.5 Stars
I had a blast with the audiobook. I smiled a lot. Laurenston, weather writing as Akin or Laurenston; always makes me smile and feel good. I know when I pick up one of her books I’m in for a good time.
As always the books are full of humor, quirkiness, action and entertainment. This was no exception! We still get that fun loving feel and silly humor plus some suspense and mystery added to it.
The downside to this one is that there is so much happening. The author brought back a lot of old characters from her Pride and Magnus Pack series to make appearances. I love revisiting older characters and having them worked into the story, but it was too much. It was just too many appearances and this ties into the POV issue. We get so many POV switches that it threw me. Even with the audio it took me moment to realize we where moving onto another character.
Besides the old characters we also meet a number of new characters like Max’s basketball team who are all honey badgers. This leads me to believe the author might be giving them stories of their own.
As for the romance. Nothing stood out to me. It was quick and almost rushed. I can’t really say they had a romance. It was some smiles and flirting; here and there.
I will say I like Max. She’s a fun honey badger and then we get to meet ZeZé Vargas a character that doesn’t know he’s a shifter. I liked how they first meet up. It was fun! I also liked that Max took him home and helped him figure things out.
Narration: Charlotte Kane did a great job on ALL the voice. As I said so many past characters came into the story that she had a lot of voices to do. They were distinct. The audio also helped to move the story along since we jump around so much in character POV’s, which slowed the pace down, and so having the narration deal with that, moved it along.
Badger to the Bone was another fun listen in the Honey Badger Chronicles. I liked the audio and would recommend this series in audiobook formate.
Rated: 3.5 Stars
March 3, 2020
I can't possibly express enough how much I am loving this series. I don't think I have laughed so hard as I have at these sisters. They are totally kick ass woman and living on the crazy train!
This one focuses on Max, but where Max is, so are Charlie and Stevie. I love that. These sisters have each others back and really show what family is meant to be. They seem to hate everyone and everyone seems to hate them, and yet they are constantly surrounded by other shifters.
Even though each book focuses more on one of the sisters, I would recommend reading this series in order. You learn so much about all these characters, it will just increase your enjoyment of each book.
I will also warn that the romance is not a priority in the story. It's still there and I do love who Max is paired up with. Ze brought just as much entertainment to this book as the sisters did.
I have no idea if there are plans for more books in the series, but I sure do hope so. I don't think I could get enough of all these characters. If you love silly humor and love to laugh, read this series!
This one focuses on Max, but where Max is, so are Charlie and Stevie. I love that. These sisters have each others back and really show what family is meant to be. They seem to hate everyone and everyone seems to hate them, and yet they are constantly surrounded by other shifters.
Even though each book focuses more on one of the sisters, I would recommend reading this series in order. You learn so much about all these characters, it will just increase your enjoyment of each book.
I will also warn that the romance is not a priority in the story. It's still there and I do love who Max is paired up with. Ze brought just as much entertainment to this book as the sisters did.
I have no idea if there are plans for more books in the series, but I sure do hope so. I don't think I could get enough of all these characters. If you love silly humor and love to laugh, read this series!
April 5, 2020
Tons of humour, quirkiness, action and entertainment is what I've come to expect from Laurenston's books, but this book and the series it is a part of for me have not been up to scratch (to varying degrees) - especially when compared to a number of her previous books. I know to leave reality at the door and enjoy the often very crazy ride but this book for me was just a messy and at times confusing mixture of scenes, events and characters.
There was so much constantly happening in this one, and the fact that the POVs of other characters outside the main characters were included (even where they were quite short) didn't help add depth to the plot/story, I've read books where more than two POVs works, here it didn't.
Added to that Laurenston just threw in cameos from a multitude of characters, the inclusion of characters from previous books is something I usually adore, but here it felt like it was done to fill pages and occurred way too much.
There's no real development when it comes to the relationship between Max and Ze - questioning whether I can even call it that (felt like zero romance). There were one or two smiles but these were small and fleeting.
Overall, massively underwhelmed and disappointed - now contemplating whether I should just stick to re-reads of the author's older books (at least when it comes to books under this name).
There was so much constantly happening in this one, and the fact that the POVs of other characters outside the main characters were included (even where they were quite short) didn't help add depth to the plot/story, I've read books where more than two POVs works, here it didn't.
Added to that Laurenston just threw in cameos from a multitude of characters, the inclusion of characters from previous books is something I usually adore, but here it felt like it was done to fill pages and occurred way too much.
There's no real development when it comes to the relationship between Max and Ze - questioning whether I can even call it that (felt like zero romance). There were one or two smiles but these were small and fleeting.
Overall, massively underwhelmed and disappointed - now contemplating whether I should just stick to re-reads of the author's older books (at least when it comes to books under this name).
February 20, 2020
Absolutely hilarious.
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway!
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway!
March 22, 2020
Giveaway win!
Spring Into Reading A Thon: A book with romance or friendship
If I'm honest this book is probably more of a 2 star read but it was fun. And given what we are all going through I think we could all use a little fun.
The writing wasn't great. The plot was pointless but while I read this book I was able to turn my brain off. So for that reason alone I bumped it up a star.
Badger to the Bone is book 3 in this series but I was able to pick up the plot(what little plot there was).
Will I go back and read the first 2 books?
No. Not unless I can get it for FREE!
No rec!
Spring Into Reading A Thon: A book with romance or friendship
If I'm honest this book is probably more of a 2 star read but it was fun. And given what we are all going through I think we could all use a little fun.
The writing wasn't great. The plot was pointless but while I read this book I was able to turn my brain off. So for that reason alone I bumped it up a star.
Badger to the Bone is book 3 in this series but I was able to pick up the plot(what little plot there was).
Will I go back and read the first 2 books?
No. Not unless I can get it for FREE!
No rec!
August 15, 2025
Publication Date: March 31, 2020
" 5 -This is Your New Life - Stars!"
I'm a HUGE fan of Shelly Laurenston's over-the-top, obnoxious, extreme, sarcastic, and extremely funny characters.
Ever since I read the first book in this series Hot and Badgered, I couldn't wait to read Max's story. For me, she was the most outrageous and entertaining of the three sisters.
Don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed Charlie and Stevie's stories, but Max is on a level of special all on her own.
Badger to the Bone told Max's story perfectly!
Zé character was perfect for Max!
Max and Zé's bantering and chemistry were amazing!
Zé's sarcasm and "don't give a shit" attitude only irritated Max even more which made the story even more fun to read.
I also loved the secondary characters in this book.
Max's basketball team just made this story even more entertaining.
Great read!
"I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. "
" 5 -This is Your New Life - Stars!"
I'm a HUGE fan of Shelly Laurenston's over-the-top, obnoxious, extreme, sarcastic, and extremely funny characters.
Ever since I read the first book in this series Hot and Badgered, I couldn't wait to read Max's story. For me, she was the most outrageous and entertaining of the three sisters.
Don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed Charlie and Stevie's stories, but Max is on a level of special all on her own.
Badger to the Bone told Max's story perfectly!
Zé character was perfect for Max!
Max and Zé's bantering and chemistry were amazing!
Zé's sarcasm and "don't give a shit" attitude only irritated Max even more which made the story even more fun to read.
I also loved the secondary characters in this book.
Max's basketball team just made this story even more entertaining.
Great read!
"I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. "
May 5, 2020
Shelly Laurenston returns with book three in the Honey Badgers Chronicles! I was really excited about this book because I think of her books as refreshers for me. There are no other books like this series and really, no one else writes quite like Shelly Laurenston.
If you like over-the-top humor that’s a little bit violent and dark, then I think you’ll enjoy this series. The antics that these characters get themselves involved in are really crazy and it’s really fun to watch. However, I don’t know if this book grabbed my attention like the previous books have.
I enjoyed it, but it probably not my favorite of the series. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series. This series is just too unique to give up on just yet.
March 27, 2022
As usual for this series, lots of light-hearted and downright funny scenes, but violence is described in considerable detail and there's lots of it, especially with the combat-happy honey badger shifters, who heal very quickly and can only be killed in one or two highly specific ways.
Neither this book nor its predecessor, In a Badger Way, is anything like a stand-alone novel. Two dozen or more characters from the series debut, Hot and Badgered, pop up with little or no reference to anything about them, so if you're interested (and I can't recommend this series strongly enough!) stop here and read that debut. What follows in this review assumes you've done just that, or at least you've read my review of it at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....
This is the third book about the three MacKilligan half-sisters, Charlie (oldest), Max, and Stevie (youngest), whose despicable father, Freddy MacKilligan, is a honey badger (aka ratel) shifter who spreads his seed very wide indeed and turned a profit by selling the resulting daughters into servitude. He's one of the chief targets in this story. And his father was quite like him, so Charlie, Max, and Stevie have some very unpleasant aunts and cousins too; one cousin, Mairi, is even more of a bad guy than Freddy this time around.
There are even some "full humans" here and there in this adventure, but most of the many participants are shifters of many species. Most notable here are bears, a panda, lions, tigers, a wolverine, and for once more than just a few honey badgers (or ratels), which is what I had hoped for because the first book focused on Charlie and her bear love Berg, the second book on Stevie and her panda love Shen, and this one is all about Max the middle child and the only one of the three whose mother Renny is also a honey badger (or ratel).
Not only do those MacKilligan aunts and cousins show up, but (1) Renny escapes from a Bulgarian prison and puts everyone in danger of abetting a fugitive when she comes to the nice shifter neighborhood in Queens NY where the sisters live and tries to take Max with her for a life of crime, and (2) we discover that back in high school Max teamed up with four other honey badger shifters and the five best friends formed a girls' basketball team that has regrouped in New York City as part of a shifter pro basketball team.
The possibilities of (1) and (2) are endless, of course, and many of them fill the 400 or so pages of this book. Spoiler temptation strenuously avoided. You'll just have to read it and find out. Just consider what we know about honey badgers (or ratels) from the first two novels and/or documentaries about the ratels of Africa and Asia. I described them tentatively as a blend of badger, skunk, and wolverine with the fearless aggression of minks and remarkable intelligence for entering and escaping just about anything--natural thieves who frighten much larger predators away. Now put a dozen of them together in one book!
And, editorially speaking, the result may best be described as plot chaos. A chaotic story is totally in harmony with the ratel personalities these shifters carry over into their human forms, so I can't complain too much, and the author once again manages to keep the many action scenes clear in detail and fun to read. Still, my uncertainty over where these story lines were going keeps my rating down to a mere four stars instead of the five I gave to the first book.
One of those story lines that this chaotic review hasn't mentioned yet is the non-ratel point of view of Max's love (?) interest, a black jaguar shifter named Ze (accent on the "e") Vargas, whose life she saves in the first scene. He starts off as a regular, down-to-earth special ops kind of guy, and it's Max who introduces him to the shifter universe and helps him discover he's a shifter too. He still can't explain why he really likes to lounge on top of the china cabinet in the sisters' kitchen, when he isn't relaxing in the tree in their back yard, and that's in his human form too. He's a solid character all the way, just like Charlie's Berg and Stevie's Chen. Is this a pattern with Laurenston--wild females and sturdy males? Hmm.
A side note: given that this is a series about three tightly bonded sisters (forget the "half"), why are the covers always a bare-chested man? Of the three books so far, this is the first one where the guy on the cover could be the male lead, Vargas. Still, no hint that the majority of characters in these stories are female.
Another side note: Max's human form is described as tiny and Chinese like her mother; Charlie's mother was an African wolf shifter, and Stevie's was a Siberian (Amur) tiger shifter, so the three sisters are beautifully diverse.
My review of the first book is linked above; the second's at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Enjoy!
Neither this book nor its predecessor, In a Badger Way, is anything like a stand-alone novel. Two dozen or more characters from the series debut, Hot and Badgered, pop up with little or no reference to anything about them, so if you're interested (and I can't recommend this series strongly enough!) stop here and read that debut. What follows in this review assumes you've done just that, or at least you've read my review of it at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....
This is the third book about the three MacKilligan half-sisters, Charlie (oldest), Max, and Stevie (youngest), whose despicable father, Freddy MacKilligan, is a honey badger (aka ratel) shifter who spreads his seed very wide indeed and turned a profit by selling the resulting daughters into servitude. He's one of the chief targets in this story. And his father was quite like him, so Charlie, Max, and Stevie have some very unpleasant aunts and cousins too; one cousin, Mairi, is even more of a bad guy than Freddy this time around.
There are even some "full humans" here and there in this adventure, but most of the many participants are shifters of many species. Most notable here are bears, a panda, lions, tigers, a wolverine, and for once more than just a few honey badgers (or ratels), which is what I had hoped for because the first book focused on Charlie and her bear love Berg, the second book on Stevie and her panda love Shen, and this one is all about Max the middle child and the only one of the three whose mother Renny is also a honey badger (or ratel).
Not only do those MacKilligan aunts and cousins show up, but (1) Renny escapes from a Bulgarian prison and puts everyone in danger of abetting a fugitive when she comes to the nice shifter neighborhood in Queens NY where the sisters live and tries to take Max with her for a life of crime, and (2) we discover that back in high school Max teamed up with four other honey badger shifters and the five best friends formed a girls' basketball team that has regrouped in New York City as part of a shifter pro basketball team.
The possibilities of (1) and (2) are endless, of course, and many of them fill the 400 or so pages of this book. Spoiler temptation strenuously avoided. You'll just have to read it and find out. Just consider what we know about honey badgers (or ratels) from the first two novels and/or documentaries about the ratels of Africa and Asia. I described them tentatively as a blend of badger, skunk, and wolverine with the fearless aggression of minks and remarkable intelligence for entering and escaping just about anything--natural thieves who frighten much larger predators away. Now put a dozen of them together in one book!
And, editorially speaking, the result may best be described as plot chaos. A chaotic story is totally in harmony with the ratel personalities these shifters carry over into their human forms, so I can't complain too much, and the author once again manages to keep the many action scenes clear in detail and fun to read. Still, my uncertainty over where these story lines were going keeps my rating down to a mere four stars instead of the five I gave to the first book.
One of those story lines that this chaotic review hasn't mentioned yet is the non-ratel point of view of Max's love (?) interest, a black jaguar shifter named Ze (accent on the "e") Vargas, whose life she saves in the first scene. He starts off as a regular, down-to-earth special ops kind of guy, and it's Max who introduces him to the shifter universe and helps him discover he's a shifter too. He still can't explain why he really likes to lounge on top of the china cabinet in the sisters' kitchen, when he isn't relaxing in the tree in their back yard, and that's in his human form too. He's a solid character all the way, just like Charlie's Berg and Stevie's Chen. Is this a pattern with Laurenston--wild females and sturdy males? Hmm.
A side note: given that this is a series about three tightly bonded sisters (forget the "half"), why are the covers always a bare-chested man? Of the three books so far, this is the first one where the guy on the cover could be the male lead, Vargas. Still, no hint that the majority of characters in these stories are female.
Another side note: Max's human form is described as tiny and Chinese like her mother; Charlie's mother was an African wolf shifter, and Stevie's was a Siberian (Amur) tiger shifter, so the three sisters are beautifully diverse.
My review of the first book is linked above; the second's at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Enjoy!
March 2, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request for an ARC of this book. The review below is entirely my own opinion.
I love the MacKilligan sisters! I knew from book 1 that Max’s story was going to be one heck of a roller coaster ride. And it sure was!
This book was light on the romance versus other PNR‘s (and even books 1 and 2 of this series), but very much full of fun and non stop action! I couldn’t stop reading or laughing!
I will say though that you need to read the first 2 books of this series before diving in. Because there are so many characters who have been introduced from the previous books and there are also many plot references to those stories in this one, that going in blind will likely give you a headache.
And for fans of the honey badger sisters, I can guarantee that you will have a damn good time reading Max’s story!
I love the MacKilligan sisters! I knew from book 1 that Max’s story was going to be one heck of a roller coaster ride. And it sure was!
This book was light on the romance versus other PNR‘s (and even books 1 and 2 of this series), but very much full of fun and non stop action! I couldn’t stop reading or laughing!
I will say though that you need to read the first 2 books of this series before diving in. Because there are so many characters who have been introduced from the previous books and there are also many plot references to those stories in this one, that going in blind will likely give you a headache.
And for fans of the honey badger sisters, I can guarantee that you will have a damn good time reading Max’s story!
May 8, 2022
I loved it!!!! The Badgers and the cats are fucking amazing, and them together Rae hilarious and amazing and I will read them forever!!!
March 31, 2020
Three and a half stars.
I don't even know where to begin with this. Maybe I just need to say honey badgers are being honey badgers. This is the novel for the third of Freddy MacKilligan's daughters, Max Yang. Being stalked by her mad cousin Mairi, Max is kidnapped but she realises that one of her kidnappers is not like the rest, in fact he is trying to help her, so even though she doesn't need his help she has to save the poor schmuck, especially when she realises that he is a shifter and doesn't know it.
Uncle Will is looking for Freddy, Max's mother has broken out of a high security prison (so everyone is looking for her), Mairi is looking for Max and there's a rogue clan kidnapping humans (I think).
I've got to be honest, I've decided I just don't like honey badgers. I love the wolves and the bears, I even like the hyenas but the honey badgers, not so much. They seem to jump up and down shouting 'I'm mad and dangerous, me' while sticking their tongues out. They are OTT and not very likeable. About a quarter of the way through I even put the book down and read something else because I was tired of the relentless honey badger factor. But then I picked it back up and either the honey badger had been toned down or I was just in a better mood because I speed-read the rest of the book.
This has everything I've come to expect from these books. Mayhem, cakes, basketball, vicious fights, family feuds and oodles of humour. If you liked the other two honey badger books I'm sure you'll love this one.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
I don't even know where to begin with this. Maybe I just need to say honey badgers are being honey badgers. This is the novel for the third of Freddy MacKilligan's daughters, Max Yang. Being stalked by her mad cousin Mairi, Max is kidnapped but she realises that one of her kidnappers is not like the rest, in fact he is trying to help her, so even though she doesn't need his help she has to save the poor schmuck, especially when she realises that he is a shifter and doesn't know it.
Uncle Will is looking for Freddy, Max's mother has broken out of a high security prison (so everyone is looking for her), Mairi is looking for Max and there's a rogue clan kidnapping humans (I think).
I've got to be honest, I've decided I just don't like honey badgers. I love the wolves and the bears, I even like the hyenas but the honey badgers, not so much. They seem to jump up and down shouting 'I'm mad and dangerous, me' while sticking their tongues out. They are OTT and not very likeable. About a quarter of the way through I even put the book down and read something else because I was tired of the relentless honey badger factor. But then I picked it back up and either the honey badger had been toned down or I was just in a better mood because I speed-read the rest of the book.
This has everything I've come to expect from these books. Mayhem, cakes, basketball, vicious fights, family feuds and oodles of humour. If you liked the other two honey badger books I'm sure you'll love this one.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
March 3, 2020
Note - I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
* MAJOR SPOILERS*
This is yet another quirky, violent and fun addition to the series. The dialogue was humorous, the characters were interesting and the writing was engaging. There were a few hiccups in my opinion, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.
I wasn't sure I would like Max reading the previous book, but this installment surprised me. Max was shown violent, psychopathic, friendless and well, dumb before. Here, though, she still comes as violent and psychopathic, these qualities are glossed over. While this did make me like Max more, I have to admit, her character is subtly different from previous books.
When I started reading this series, I expected it to be a trilogy - each one having a plot central to each sister. I was expecting a proper conclusion to the entire debacle in this book. Disappointingly, this not only ends with an unsatisfactory ending, but also has many lose endings. Take for example, Max and the feral cat. I assume the author was building it as a background for Max and Ze, but midway, everyone simply forgets about the cat. Another example is Dutch - a central character in previous book, and who I expected to play a larger role since he was Max's friend; barely appears as a guest character. Hell, Imani is given more screen time than Dutch!
Max having no friends is greatly emphasized in previous books. But in this book, she suddenly gains a lot of them, and she is a team player! This image of her is contrary to her from previous books. I was hoping for a lot more consistency with the characters and plot!
Another disappointment was the romance. First one-third of the book, they are strangers, next they are friends who are attracted (mentioned once, I think) and then almost to the end, there is suddenly a chapter on their having sex. No build-up, no getting to know each other, no romance and no feeling of this being a life time commitment between them!
In conclusion, was the book phenomenal? - No; would I read the next one in the series? - Definitely yes!
* MAJOR SPOILERS*
This is yet another quirky, violent and fun addition to the series. The dialogue was humorous, the characters were interesting and the writing was engaging. There were a few hiccups in my opinion, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.
I wasn't sure I would like Max reading the previous book, but this installment surprised me. Max was shown violent, psychopathic, friendless and well, dumb before. Here, though, she still comes as violent and psychopathic, these qualities are glossed over. While this did make me like Max more, I have to admit, her character is subtly different from previous books.
When I started reading this series, I expected it to be a trilogy - each one having a plot central to each sister. I was expecting a proper conclusion to the entire debacle in this book. Disappointingly, this not only ends with an unsatisfactory ending, but also has many lose endings. Take for example, Max and the feral cat. I assume the author was building it as a background for Max and Ze, but midway, everyone simply forgets about the cat. Another example is Dutch - a central character in previous book, and who I expected to play a larger role since he was Max's friend; barely appears as a guest character. Hell, Imani is given more screen time than Dutch!
Max having no friends is greatly emphasized in previous books. But in this book, she suddenly gains a lot of them, and she is a team player! This image of her is contrary to her from previous books. I was hoping for a lot more consistency with the characters and plot!
Another disappointment was the romance. First one-third of the book, they are strangers, next they are friends who are attracted (mentioned once, I think) and then almost to the end, there is suddenly a chapter on their having sex. No build-up, no getting to know each other, no romance and no feeling of this being a life time commitment between them!
In conclusion, was the book phenomenal? - No; would I read the next one in the series? - Definitely yes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2020
As a lifelong reader of Laurenston's (/G.A. Aiken's) and the owner of everything she's ever written I have to say that I'm yet again disappointed by the turn her writing has taken in the last years. The books used to be an exciting combination of amazing sex, exciting characters, blooming relationships, and intriguing side plots. Now it's like here's a book full of confusing plots featuring every character ever mentioned in a previous book until your head is spinning and no sex.
Okay. Not no sex. But Ze and Max had almost NO chemistry whatsoever. I mean, they were pleasant enough but where's the explosive chemistry of Dez and Mace or all the other OG couples? Not there. Plus they didn't even kiss until around 60% and there was no sex until around 85% and even then it was just the one scene and then NOTHING. NOTHING ELSE. And it was boring.
I just don't understand what's gone wrong here. The books have lost what made them so charming and instead are packed full of violence, blood and gore, and insane levels of plot that just aren't worth the pay off at the end. This book felt more like a filler episode which sucked because I was excited for Max. Honestly, this entire honey badger series (after Livvy) has just been one disappointing book after another, unfortunately. The writing is there, but the characters and plot just don't meet the Laurenston level that I'm used to.
I'm hoping that Laurenston can find her spark again and bring us some couples with some honest-to-god chemistry that flies off the page like the couples from her previous novels. If she can't I'm afraid I might be hanging up my hat with these new books and just committing myself to rereads for the remainder of my life.
Okay. Not no sex. But Ze and Max had almost NO chemistry whatsoever. I mean, they were pleasant enough but where's the explosive chemistry of Dez and Mace or all the other OG couples? Not there. Plus they didn't even kiss until around 60% and there was no sex until around 85% and even then it was just the one scene and then NOTHING. NOTHING ELSE. And it was boring.
I just don't understand what's gone wrong here. The books have lost what made them so charming and instead are packed full of violence, blood and gore, and insane levels of plot that just aren't worth the pay off at the end. This book felt more like a filler episode which sucked because I was excited for Max. Honestly, this entire honey badger series (after Livvy) has just been one disappointing book after another, unfortunately. The writing is there, but the characters and plot just don't meet the Laurenston level that I'm used to.
I'm hoping that Laurenston can find her spark again and bring us some couples with some honest-to-god chemistry that flies off the page like the couples from her previous novels. If she can't I'm afraid I might be hanging up my hat with these new books and just committing myself to rereads for the remainder of my life.
April 13, 2020
Complete escapism reading at its B E S T! I love Shelly Laurenston's ability to make me care about a group of off the wall 1/2 sisters that just happen to be honey badgers, as well as the cats, bears and wolves. I laughed out loud, cheered them on and had a blast reading Max's story!
I received this ARC copy of Badger to the Bone from Kensington Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. Badger to the Bone is set for publication March 31, 2020.
My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Shelly Laurenston
Series: The Honey Badger Chronicles (Book 3)
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Kensington (March 31, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1496714407
ISBN-13: 978-1496714404
Genre: Urban Fantasy | Romance
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Bone-Ho...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/badg...
Itunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/badge...
I received this ARC copy of Badger to the Bone from Kensington Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. Badger to the Bone is set for publication March 31, 2020.
My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Shelly Laurenston
Series: The Honey Badger Chronicles (Book 3)
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Kensington (March 31, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1496714407
ISBN-13: 978-1496714404
Genre: Urban Fantasy | Romance
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Bone-Ho...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/badg...
Itunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/badge...
July 6, 2020
I enjoyed the audio-the narrator was good. However, this isn't a book to enjoy via audio because there are just so many characters!! The story is told in 3rd person and jumps from the Mackilligan sisters, to cats, to lions, to bears...it was just a LOT going on and it was difficult to keep up with while listening.
If you read the previous two, you know what you are in for-crazy antics from the sisters, hilarious banter, action, and a super strange romance! I enjoy the light heartedness of the books and Badger to the Bone was no exception!
If you read the previous two, you know what you are in for-crazy antics from the sisters, hilarious banter, action, and a super strange romance! I enjoy the light heartedness of the books and Badger to the Bone was no exception!
April 4, 2020
Loved it and laughed through most of it!
March 31, 2020
***4 Stars***
I totally NEEDED this.
I needed an insane, OTT, WTEF. make me laugh/snort out loud read to simply take me away from the reality we are living in and put in another one and this book did that for me.
Now, as I’ve said before, I don’t really read these books for the romance, I read them for the crazy, unique characters that populate them and this one is chock full of them. Max and Ze, being the MC’s as far as the budding romance is concerned, were a lot of fun. Max is beyond...well, simply beyond, but what I loved about her is that regardless of everything, her sisters are her priority ~ even when it comes to pissing them off. Ze was a bit unexpected but he fit right in with everyone, even when he didn’t realize it. Their journey was simply crazy and fun and considering their differences, they made a great couple.
Then there Charlie, Berg, Stevie, Shen, Dutch and everyone else ~ even the baddies ~ gave me everything I needed. I loved seeing how their relationships have grown, or not depending on who we’re talking about. But they all kept me on my toes along with a huge grin on my face the entire time.
I would recommend you do not read this as a stand-alone and start from the beginning. Everything is tied together, and a few characters from the Pride series show up (they are set in the same world). Also, expect the unexpected and if you have any issues with violence and blood, then you should tread carefully.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
I totally NEEDED this.
I needed an insane, OTT, WTEF. make me laugh/snort out loud read to simply take me away from the reality we are living in and put in another one and this book did that for me.
Now, as I’ve said before, I don’t really read these books for the romance, I read them for the crazy, unique characters that populate them and this one is chock full of them. Max and Ze, being the MC’s as far as the budding romance is concerned, were a lot of fun. Max is beyond...well, simply beyond, but what I loved about her is that regardless of everything, her sisters are her priority ~ even when it comes to pissing them off. Ze was a bit unexpected but he fit right in with everyone, even when he didn’t realize it. Their journey was simply crazy and fun and considering their differences, they made a great couple.
Then there Charlie, Berg, Stevie, Shen, Dutch and everyone else ~ even the baddies ~ gave me everything I needed. I loved seeing how their relationships have grown, or not depending on who we’re talking about. But they all kept me on my toes along with a huge grin on my face the entire time.
I would recommend you do not read this as a stand-alone and start from the beginning. Everything is tied together, and a few characters from the Pride series show up (they are set in the same world). Also, expect the unexpected and if you have any issues with violence and blood, then you should tread carefully.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
July 1, 2020
Off the wall, hilarious must read…
Closing the final page of this book hurt so much! I did want to close the MacKilligan sisters for good, not one little bit. Ferociously loyal and combative, Charlie, Stevie and Max were half-sisters that shared a bond like no other. Any paranormal/shifter story I ever read didn’t come close to the wackiness and utter laugh-out-loud-ness, every read in this series was. The third honey badger sister, Max had (as they all did) her own unique neuroses and way of doing things. Basketball player extraordinaire, she wasn’t prepared for Ze or the feelings he would stir up… With things with their dad, and his family, and Max’s mom too, and her family, and the bears and the wolves… Yeah, you get the picture, as usual there was a heck of a lot going on….
And all of it was completely over the tap fantastic-ness! Yes, you need a scorecard to keep all the characters straight. Yes, the romance is a low, low simmer, almost obscured by the rest of the story. The rest of the story though is utter deliciousness though so it was easy to forgive….
I either want to have a honey badger, be a honey badger or become friends with all of honey badgers. Right now!
If you haven’t picked up this series yet, and you’re in the mood for a great bit of storytelling, I would suggest doing that. RIGHT NOW! ~Diane, 4.5 stars
Closing the final page of this book hurt so much! I did want to close the MacKilligan sisters for good, not one little bit. Ferociously loyal and combative, Charlie, Stevie and Max were half-sisters that shared a bond like no other. Any paranormal/shifter story I ever read didn’t come close to the wackiness and utter laugh-out-loud-ness, every read in this series was. The third honey badger sister, Max had (as they all did) her own unique neuroses and way of doing things. Basketball player extraordinaire, she wasn’t prepared for Ze or the feelings he would stir up… With things with their dad, and his family, and Max’s mom too, and her family, and the bears and the wolves… Yeah, you get the picture, as usual there was a heck of a lot going on….
And all of it was completely over the tap fantastic-ness! Yes, you need a scorecard to keep all the characters straight. Yes, the romance is a low, low simmer, almost obscured by the rest of the story. The rest of the story though is utter deliciousness though so it was easy to forgive….
I either want to have a honey badger, be a honey badger or become friends with all of honey badgers. Right now!
If you haven’t picked up this series yet, and you’re in the mood for a great bit of storytelling, I would suggest doing that. RIGHT NOW! ~Diane, 4.5 stars
March 31, 2020
Well the DragonKin might be gone but we have the honey badgers to spread the kinds of insanity that only Shelly Laurenston can dish up since I am convinced it takes a very disturbed mind to think of these kinds of books ..... and I love them.
The first thing I remembered (that I had forgot) was you don't eat or drink while reading these books or you stand a very good chance of wearing those items. These books are insanely funny and if you can get through them without several laugh-out-loud moments we need to get you some professional help.
The stumbling, bumbling and hilarious courtship of Ze and Max is just part of the fun but the only thing that I find negative about these books is the fact they build upon each other and some of previous series of hers so the cast of characters is enormous and hard to process for my poor brain but it only detracts slightly since there are not many places where you have to do a serious "who is that and where did they come from" since most of the action takes place in the her and now.
Bottom line: One of the most disastrous and hilarious courtships ever plus it just feeds my addiction for more like this in these days of nothing but bad news. I would suggest you go back to at least book 1 of this series to start but for maximum entertainment you really need to back up all the way to the Pride series (9 books) but understand you are starting a serious addition to the insanity :)
Pride Series Link: https://shellylaurenston.com/series/p...
The first thing I remembered (that I had forgot) was you don't eat or drink while reading these books or you stand a very good chance of wearing those items. These books are insanely funny and if you can get through them without several laugh-out-loud moments we need to get you some professional help.
The stumbling, bumbling and hilarious courtship of Ze and Max is just part of the fun but the only thing that I find negative about these books is the fact they build upon each other and some of previous series of hers so the cast of characters is enormous and hard to process for my poor brain but it only detracts slightly since there are not many places where you have to do a serious "who is that and where did they come from" since most of the action takes place in the her and now.
Bottom line: One of the most disastrous and hilarious courtships ever plus it just feeds my addiction for more like this in these days of nothing but bad news. I would suggest you go back to at least book 1 of this series to start but for maximum entertainment you really need to back up all the way to the Pride series (9 books) but understand you are starting a serious addition to the insanity :)
Pride Series Link: https://shellylaurenston.com/series/p...
September 20, 2020
Liked the h so much in this book. Finally we see ore than her mad skills, she's funny and actually very caring, and we see this when she leaves the h to comes to terms with his family history. He was in shock at first, and it was rather sweet to see him wanting to stay close to her, and her family. Their madness somehow grounded him, and gave him time to just be himself. I liked seeing more the of their family connections, and how Charlie was valued by others in the shifter world. It was all great ending to this series.
March 31, 2020
I do this to myself. Every time.
I know that Shelly Laurenston, my favorite author, comes out with a book once or twice a year, so I have to savor her books when I can. But do I? Yes, if savor means devour them and get all sad because I have to wait. Again.
In this entry, Max MacKilligan and Zé Vargas meet when she’s “kidnapped” by an old enemy, aka her mother’s ex. What Zé comes to realize is that a) Max goes nowhere she doesn’t want to go; and b) there’s an entire shifter world that he didn’t know existed, because he didn’t know he’s one too. As Max deals with the people trying to kill her, including family, and Zé figures out his powers, romance happens. Along with alot of action, adventure and some really snarky humor.
The only caveat I have is, for those who adore a real romance-focused type of book may be a bit disappointed because the romance is there, it’s pretty mild and not the focus of the storyline. There’s so much more here though that I do love that I don’t mind, and this is coming from someone who adores a good romance-focused book.
The MacKilligan sisters have been a blast to read, and I love how they’ve integrated into the ongoing shifter ‘verse Ms. Laurenston has while making their own unique mark, so it’s not necessary to read the earlier books. I mean, I happily recommend them, but do as you like, you know? I also love the hints left for future books that I will definitely be reading.
Bottom line - it's all about the 'verse. It's complex mix of lions, tigers (and bears...no I won't do it but you KNOW I want to), and best of all, honey badgers, living, loving, and occasionally killing each other violently as only predators can do. If that sounds good to you, I think you’ll enjoy this.
**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review**
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February 23, 2020
I may had squealed a little when I got the email telling me I got this ARC. I absolutely love this series. It’s combines Shelly Laurenston’s signature humour with exciting action and a really lovely sister relationship that at times really steals the show. All the previous characters from other books make an appearance too which I loved. Max and Ze were at first a bit mismatched, with Max knowing with 100% certainly who she was and Ze still struggling to discover his true self. But just like her 2 sisters, once Max decides Ze is it for her (even if she doesn’t want to fully admit it) she is all in which is something else I really love about this series. No beating around the bush with the H&h. I will say I that wish we had gotten just a few more scenes with Max and Ze alone, this book has a lot of stuff going on, a lot of stuff being wrapped up, and at times I felt like they didn’t get as much attention as the previous couples did. Overall though I highly recommend this series, one of the best shifter romance series out there IMO
ARC Provided By NetGalley For An Honest Review
ARC Provided By NetGalley For An Honest Review
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