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BeWere My Heart #2
A Wolf After My Own Heart
Things are hot and getting hotter… Escape into this delicious shifter romance from bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson. Oz Adway is a rare an accountant who wants to get dirty. He's a werewolf working for the Interspecies Placement Agency so it's not long before he gets the opportunity to break out of his boring, safe office job. He volunteers to find runaway bear cub Sally Smalls, recently orphaned by a plane crash. Piece of cake, right? Unfortunately, Sally's taken refuge with "ordinary" human Lila Kai. Lila has no idea what's going on, but she'll destroy anyone who tries to take the cub. Oz is not about to let a human jeopardize his daring career move, no matter how attractive he finds her. Lila knows something's different about the sexy weirdo who keeps popping up in the wrong place at the right time. She's determined to figure out what, regardless of the escalating threats to her safety and Oz's distracting hotness. She didn't move into a cursed house and take in a werebear just to run when things get complicated. Together, Oz and Lila will prevail! But only if they can keep their hands off each other... Put away your pocket This hilarious story includes a nerdy shifter accountant with a bad-boy side, a fiercely protective human heroine, and a baby bear cub who will make every reader sigh in cuteness. Fans of Shelly Laurenston and paranormal adventure won't want to miss the newest installment in the BeWere My Heart series! "This hilarious, sizzling romance [is] perfect for fans of Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series."― Publishers Weekly for Bears Behaving Badly "Davidson is in fine form with the over-the-top humor and outrageous situations that have made her a bestseller."― Booklist for Me, Myself, and Why
360 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 23, 2021
105 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
MaryJanice Davidson
145 books5,401 followersMaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
www.maryjanicedavidson.org
@MaryJaniceD
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www.maryjanicedavidson.org
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
January 27, 2021
A Wolf After My Own Heart
by MaryJanice Davidson is a fun, over-the-top, and snarky paranormal romance with a runaway shifter bear cub, fires, a crashed plane and much more adding some suspense, action, and deeper themes to the story. It also starts with a great first sentence.
Lila Kai drives a decommissioned ambulance and has just moved into a rental house in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. She’s a teddy bear surgeon, has a warped sense of humor, a strong protective nature, and a high tolerance for unusual events. Some insight into her personality comes from what she does and what she locates when she first moves to her new home. Oz Adway is a wolf shifter, a former accountant for the Interspecies Placement Agency (IPA) who is working his first field job as a case worker for them to find a runaway bear cub. What could possibly go wrong? (Note: Think of the IPA as an interspecies foster care system aimed at protecting at-risk were-children.)
Lila and Oz are great protagonists. Both have tragic backstories which affect their current-day actions and which add to the depth of their characters. However, there isn’t a lot of growth in their characters during the course of the story. And while there is attraction between them, this is not a steam-filled novel. The secondary characters were absolutely fantastic, especially the kids. Additionally, the bickering and love between foster siblings felt realistic.
The point of view mainly switches between Lila, Oz, and Oz’s wolf self. While I was always aware of whose point of view I was reading, the internal thoughts went on a little too long at times and slowed the flow and pace of the book. It also resulted in too much ‘telling’ and not enough ‘showing’.
Despite this, it was entertaining and very thought-provoking. It was also funny and heartwarming at times. Discovering some surprises along the way, with lots of laughter, I raced through this book. One of the unusual things about this book were the funny footnotes. Besides enjoying the story, I recommend that readers look for the deeper meanings that are within it. This is the second book in the series and I suggest starting with book one: Bears Behaving Badly.
This is the fifteenth book that I have read by this author. She continues to bring great characters and entertaining story lines together. I am looking forward to her next book.
SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and MaryJanice Davidson provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for February 23, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Lila Kai drives a decommissioned ambulance and has just moved into a rental house in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. She’s a teddy bear surgeon, has a warped sense of humor, a strong protective nature, and a high tolerance for unusual events. Some insight into her personality comes from what she does and what she locates when she first moves to her new home. Oz Adway is a wolf shifter, a former accountant for the Interspecies Placement Agency (IPA) who is working his first field job as a case worker for them to find a runaway bear cub. What could possibly go wrong? (Note: Think of the IPA as an interspecies foster care system aimed at protecting at-risk were-children.)
Lila and Oz are great protagonists. Both have tragic backstories which affect their current-day actions and which add to the depth of their characters. However, there isn’t a lot of growth in their characters during the course of the story. And while there is attraction between them, this is not a steam-filled novel. The secondary characters were absolutely fantastic, especially the kids. Additionally, the bickering and love between foster siblings felt realistic.
The point of view mainly switches between Lila, Oz, and Oz’s wolf self. While I was always aware of whose point of view I was reading, the internal thoughts went on a little too long at times and slowed the flow and pace of the book. It also resulted in too much ‘telling’ and not enough ‘showing’.
Despite this, it was entertaining and very thought-provoking. It was also funny and heartwarming at times. Discovering some surprises along the way, with lots of laughter, I raced through this book. One of the unusual things about this book were the funny footnotes. Besides enjoying the story, I recommend that readers look for the deeper meanings that are within it. This is the second book in the series and I suggest starting with book one: Bears Behaving Badly.
This is the fifteenth book that I have read by this author. She continues to bring great characters and entertaining story lines together. I am looking forward to her next book.
SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and MaryJanice Davidson provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for February 23, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
June 2, 2022
This is second in a paranormal kind of romance series and some characters and story things carry over. Not so much that you couldn't start here if you wanted. But I'd recommend reading in order.
I was worried on finding that Oz would star in this one. Oz is kind of a one-liner in the first book who only really comes into his own when the final confrontation happens and his inner badass comes to the fore. Which left me wondering what he'd offer a love interest and why she'd want him. It's not a good sign that I'm still wondering.
Lila, on the other hand? Yeah, she's hardcore awesome with extra spice. She's two steps ahead of opponents, lays her traps well (both verbal and physical), and is as unflappable as a block of granite. Seeing her encounter, navigate, and bend the shifter world to her will was engaging from start to finish.
The plot worked out fine. And the pacing is fantastic. And the secondary characters, particularly the cubs, were highlights. Davison keeps a light tone even in heavy subjects, but I think it serves these stories well (possibly because I'm expecting it).
But yeah, the romance didn't really gel for me. I get why Oz would be fascinated and drawn towards Lila. I'm less certain what she sees in the big goof. It might have worked better if he had rolled with her shenanigans right from the start. She really needs acceptance from someone who can keep up. And I think that may be what Davidson was aiming for because that's sort of where they end up. But it doesn't answer what she sees in him along the way or explain why she's into him so early and so strongly. There's a bit of a thread for a "fated mates" dynamic with a silly name, but that gets undermined hard in the end (and I'm just as glad it did so). What isn't taken into account adequately is that undermining the thing also undermines those initial relationship moments and leaves them begging for what she found to engage her in the goofball Oz.
Anyway, this ends up with 3½ stars that I'm going to round up on the strength of the hijinks and just loving Lila and the cubs.
A note about Steamy: There's an explicit nearly-sex scene and detailed aftermath of sex in a scene and it's enough to trip the steamy tag. But on the low end. And I have to say, one of the ways Oz might have been redeemed from gooftown was bypassed as a result.
I was worried on finding that Oz would star in this one. Oz is kind of a one-liner in the first book who only really comes into his own when the final confrontation happens and his inner badass comes to the fore. Which left me wondering what he'd offer a love interest and why she'd want him. It's not a good sign that I'm still wondering.
Lila, on the other hand? Yeah, she's hardcore awesome with extra spice. She's two steps ahead of opponents, lays her traps well (both verbal and physical), and is as unflappable as a block of granite. Seeing her encounter, navigate, and bend the shifter world to her will was engaging from start to finish.
The plot worked out fine. And the pacing is fantastic. And the secondary characters, particularly the cubs, were highlights. Davison keeps a light tone even in heavy subjects, but I think it serves these stories well (possibly because I'm expecting it).
But yeah, the romance didn't really gel for me. I get why Oz would be fascinated and drawn towards Lila. I'm less certain what she sees in the big goof. It might have worked better if he had rolled with her shenanigans right from the start. She really needs acceptance from someone who can keep up. And I think that may be what Davidson was aiming for because that's sort of where they end up. But it doesn't answer what she sees in him along the way or explain why she's into him so early and so strongly. There's a bit of a thread for a "fated mates" dynamic with a silly name, but that gets undermined hard in the end (and I'm just as glad it did so). What isn't taken into account adequately is that undermining the thing also undermines those initial relationship moments and leaves them begging for what she found to engage her in the goofball Oz.
Anyway, this ends up with 3½ stars that I'm going to round up on the strength of the hijinks and just loving Lila and the cubs.
A note about Steamy: There's an explicit nearly-sex scene and detailed aftermath of sex in a scene and it's enough to trip the steamy tag. But on the low end. And I have to say, one of the ways Oz might have been redeemed from gooftown was bypassed as a result.
December 9, 2024
4.5 Stars
I loved this book even more than the first one in this series. I suggest that you start with the first one if you are interested in this book, just to get you up to speed with the series. However, it is not absolutely necessary since this book has plenty of back-stories.
This book is filled with the author's marvelous and wacky tropes that long-time readers have come to know and love.
Oddly there wasn't a lot of 'steam' in this novel (some, but it wasn't the main focus), just humor and action.
If I have any complaints at all, it would be that I cannot wait until the next book comes out! Please, MaryJanice, write faster!!!
*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.
I loved this book even more than the first one in this series. I suggest that you start with the first one if you are interested in this book, just to get you up to speed with the series. However, it is not absolutely necessary since this book has plenty of back-stories.
This book is filled with the author's marvelous and wacky tropes that long-time readers have come to know and love.
Oddly there wasn't a lot of 'steam' in this novel (some, but it wasn't the main focus), just humor and action.
If I have any complaints at all, it would be that I cannot wait until the next book comes out! Please, MaryJanice, write faster!!!
*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.
February 24, 2021
✦Review: A WOLF AFTER MY OWN HEART by MaryJanice Davidson https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-bIO
Publication Date: February 23, 2021
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 3.5 Stars
It is a fun, energetic shifter story, full of interesting characters. I just had trouble with the jerky writing style. (It’s not for everyone.) The sarcastic humor seemed stilted and not always necessary. To me, you don’t need to make a snarky comment every time someone moves. For that reason, I couldn’t believe Oz’s attraction to Lila beyond maybe some kind of a fated kind thing. Oz himself was a likeable nerd without moving into the “hot/sexy nerd” mode. He was the straight man to her sarcastic whit, I guess. I never felt true chemistry between them, and I really wanted to.
I did like the storyline, secondary characters, and the children. They rounded the story out nicely and added depth to it all. It was a fun quick read, just not my perfect cup of tea.
*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
~*~*~*~
Kindle $4.99 https://amzn.to/2NH2Ts5
Publication Date: February 23, 2021
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 3.5 Stars
It is a fun, energetic shifter story, full of interesting characters. I just had trouble with the jerky writing style. (It’s not for everyone.) The sarcastic humor seemed stilted and not always necessary. To me, you don’t need to make a snarky comment every time someone moves. For that reason, I couldn’t believe Oz’s attraction to Lila beyond maybe some kind of a fated kind thing. Oz himself was a likeable nerd without moving into the “hot/sexy nerd” mode. He was the straight man to her sarcastic whit, I guess. I never felt true chemistry between them, and I really wanted to.
I did like the storyline, secondary characters, and the children. They rounded the story out nicely and added depth to it all. It was a fun quick read, just not my perfect cup of tea.
*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
~*~*~*~
Kindle $4.99 https://amzn.to/2NH2Ts5
April 18, 2021
Quick(ish) Review
The second book in Ms. Davidson’s shifter series is a great combination of humor, found family fun and just enough suspense to keep the plot moving along. The romance is sweet, the sex is more alluded to than descriptive, but all in all a good read for a gloomy gray day. If you like funny shifter romances, you may enjoy this like I did.
The second book in Ms. Davidson’s shifter series is a great combination of humor, found family fun and just enough suspense to keep the plot moving along. The romance is sweet, the sex is more alluded to than descriptive, but all in all a good read for a gloomy gray day. If you like funny shifter romances, you may enjoy this like I did.
March 12, 2021
A Wolf After My Own Heart is the second book in MaryJanice Davidson’s BeWere My Heart, and I was eager to dive into it after adoring Bear Behaving Badly. As with the first book, it was an addictive story I could not get enough of.
I’ll be honest and say I felt the mystery in this one fell into the background a wee bit. There was more added to the world, lots of chaos throughout, but the mystery wasn’t quite as intense as it was in the first book. Although it wasn’t as intense, I was hooked and eager to see how everything came together. With laughter and silliness, the story had me eager to see how each piece played out and had me hooked on the characters.
All in all, another addictive addition to the series. I certainly have my fingers crossed that we get more – specifically about a certain side character from this one.
I’ll be honest and say I felt the mystery in this one fell into the background a wee bit. There was more added to the world, lots of chaos throughout, but the mystery wasn’t quite as intense as it was in the first book. Although it wasn’t as intense, I was hooked and eager to see how everything came together. With laughter and silliness, the story had me eager to see how each piece played out and had me hooked on the characters.
All in all, another addictive addition to the series. I certainly have my fingers crossed that we get more – specifically about a certain side character from this one.
February 16, 2021
Once in a while, a book comes along that’s weirdly funny, drenched in sarcasm, and hella crazy and, it somehow works!
Moving to a new town can be hard, do you know what's even harder- running over an animal with your decommissioned ambulance, seeing a bearcub turn into a little girl, and getting thrown into a murder mystery/social worker case.
As if this wasn't tough enough for teddy bear surgeon Lila (yes this is an actual profession), she also has to deal with her nosey neighbors who she's afraid will eat her, a bear cub who won't go away, and the mystery surrounding her Curs(ed) house.
Oz Adway has just landed his dream job as a paranormal social worker, and he really wants to make a good first impression. Too bad his first case ran away from him, refuses to believe she's orphaned and keeps giving him the slip by hiding out in Lila's house.
Oz believes Lila could be his love at first sight, if only she would stop pointing her gun at him long enough for him to take her out on a date. This was pure comedy through and through as we follow a murder mystery with a twist, love/lust at first sight, typical small-town meddling, and a sinister plot for shapeshifter world domination.
Things you need to know before reading:
1) MaryJanice Davidson has a very distinctly unique writing style that takes some adjusting as a new reader. Fans of MaryJanice will know her as the queen of dark humor! No one does cynicism or insanely relatable yet highly entertaining inner monologues quite like her.
2) She speaks in italics a LOT, and there are footnotes everywhere. Her characters are blunt with no filter
3) Readers need to recognize that this book may not be for them and, that's totally fine. While some readers will find the dry wit and sarcasm hilarious, others may find it difficult (you can't please everyone).
I love that with any MaryJanice novel, there is a guarantee of unique yet lovable characters and a plotline so intensely captivating that you can kiss sleep goodbye!
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book.
This review will be published on my blog- Jessica Reads It from 19th February 2021 (https://jessicareadsit.wordpress.com) and will also be posted to my Instagram (JessicaReadsIt) on 23rd (to celebrate the Pub Day).
Moving to a new town can be hard, do you know what's even harder- running over an animal with your decommissioned ambulance, seeing a bearcub turn into a little girl, and getting thrown into a murder mystery/social worker case.
As if this wasn't tough enough for teddy bear surgeon Lila (yes this is an actual profession), she also has to deal with her nosey neighbors who she's afraid will eat her, a bear cub who won't go away, and the mystery surrounding her Curs(ed) house.
Oz Adway has just landed his dream job as a paranormal social worker, and he really wants to make a good first impression. Too bad his first case ran away from him, refuses to believe she's orphaned and keeps giving him the slip by hiding out in Lila's house.
Oz believes Lila could be his love at first sight, if only she would stop pointing her gun at him long enough for him to take her out on a date. This was pure comedy through and through as we follow a murder mystery with a twist, love/lust at first sight, typical small-town meddling, and a sinister plot for shapeshifter world domination.
Things you need to know before reading:
1) MaryJanice Davidson has a very distinctly unique writing style that takes some adjusting as a new reader. Fans of MaryJanice will know her as the queen of dark humor! No one does cynicism or insanely relatable yet highly entertaining inner monologues quite like her.
2) She speaks in italics a LOT, and there are footnotes everywhere. Her characters are blunt with no filter
3) Readers need to recognize that this book may not be for them and, that's totally fine. While some readers will find the dry wit and sarcasm hilarious, others may find it difficult (you can't please everyone).
I love that with any MaryJanice novel, there is a guarantee of unique yet lovable characters and a plotline so intensely captivating that you can kiss sleep goodbye!
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book.
This review will be published on my blog- Jessica Reads It from 19th February 2021 (https://jessicareadsit.wordpress.com) and will also be posted to my Instagram (JessicaReadsIt) on 23rd (to celebrate the Pub Day).
May 2, 2024
More animals behaving badly
We met Annette’s foster brother Oz in the first book. He was interested in the experience of helping her with the surprisingly challenging task of caring for her wayward kits & cubs. So he asked to be assigned to help a scared werebear cub. While he turned out to have a wild side to him, he might have taken on more than he thought he would!
When he’s running to catch the poor cub he’s hit by a big vehicle. Before he can shake that off, the cub runs to the arms of the new neighbor Lila Kai who happens to be a “normal human” known to the shifter world as a Stable. The potential disaster is magnified by the fact that Oz finds her scent mesmerizing! So now she’s both a possible danger to the shifters as well as alternately absolutely terrifying and absolutely fascinating to him. As the story develops, it becomes clear that someone wants to get to the cub & seems willing to hurt anyone who is in the way. Oz enlists the help of Annette along with their foster Mother in protecting their charge while they work to figure out what else is going on since the facts are starting to worry them.
Aside from the “will they or won’t they” there’s plenty of action as they have to fight to protect their own!
We met Annette’s foster brother Oz in the first book. He was interested in the experience of helping her with the surprisingly challenging task of caring for her wayward kits & cubs. So he asked to be assigned to help a scared werebear cub. While he turned out to have a wild side to him, he might have taken on more than he thought he would!
When he’s running to catch the poor cub he’s hit by a big vehicle. Before he can shake that off, the cub runs to the arms of the new neighbor Lila Kai who happens to be a “normal human” known to the shifter world as a Stable. The potential disaster is magnified by the fact that Oz finds her scent mesmerizing! So now she’s both a possible danger to the shifters as well as alternately absolutely terrifying and absolutely fascinating to him. As the story develops, it becomes clear that someone wants to get to the cub & seems willing to hurt anyone who is in the way. Oz enlists the help of Annette along with their foster Mother in protecting their charge while they work to figure out what else is going on since the facts are starting to worry them.
Aside from the “will they or won’t they” there’s plenty of action as they have to fight to protect their own!
Read
February 15, 2021DNF @ 10%
For me, the writing on this one was a bit too chaotic. I couldn't follow the story well, and I couldn't get invested in the story enough to continue. The formating was weird, and I didn't like some of the writing style choices.
For me, the writing on this one was a bit too chaotic. I couldn't follow the story well, and I couldn't get invested in the story enough to continue. The formating was weird, and I didn't like some of the writing style choices.
February 21, 2021
A Wolf After My Own Heart: A Hilarious Shapeshifting RomCom from a Beloved Bestselling Author
BeWere My Heart Series #2
MaryJanice Davidson
https://www.facebook.com/maryjaniceda...
Release Date 02/23/2021
Publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
Things are hot and getting hotter... Escape into this delicious shifter romance from bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson.
Oz Adway is a rare breed: an accountant who wants to get dirty. He's a werewolf working for the Interspecies Placement Agency so it's not long before he gets the opportunity to break out of his boring, safe office job. He volunteers to find runaway bear cub Sally Smalls, recently orphaned by a plane crash. Piece of cake, right? Unfortunately, Sally's taken refuge with "ordinary" human Lila Kai. Lila has no idea what's going on, but she'll destroy anyone who tries to take the cub. Oz is not about to let a human jeopardize his daring career move, no matter how attractive he finds her.
Lila knows something's different about the sexy weirdo who keeps popping up in the wrong place at the right time. She's determined to figure out what, regardless of the escalating threats to her safety and Oz's distracting hotness. She didn't move into a cursed house and take in a werebear just to run when things get complicated. Together, Oz and Lila will prevail! But only if they can keep their hands off each other...
Put away your pocket protectors: This hilarious story includes a nerdy shifter accountant with a bad-boy side, a fiercely protective human heroine, and a baby bear cub who will make every reader sigh in cuteness. Fans of Shelly Laurenston and paranormal adventure won't want to miss the newest installment in the BeWere My Heart series!
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Will her past hold her back ...
This is my first read by the author, and one thing is sure, she has her very own writing style and humor.
I need to find my pace to fully enter it, but once in, it is a much enjoyable read with the romance in the background.
As the second in a series, I suppose Oz’s past was more explained in his shelter sister’s story. So I had to piece together the intel distilled along the pages.
Lila is a Stable from a shifter’s perspective, an human. Still she does not react like any other human. She does not scream nor run away when faced with changelings or crossing path with big wolves. Her view of life and way of attending to it is peculiar as her job as a teddy bear surgeon. Such a beautiful job, bringing back a smile and dreams on a child’s face.
She has her own demons and tragic history, from which she learned to stand for herself and never let other to step on her way.
Oz is so sweet and fun, he knows from the beginning who Lila is for him, yet she is not easy to seduce, so determined to keep people at arms length. Yet with his kindness and many mistakes, he crumbles block by block the walls she has built around herself.
I loved the cute cubs and their attics, Oz’s adopted family and colleagues, they spiced this book with their banters and quips.
Add to it the fun footnotes.
You have hours loaded of puns and snarky teasing and lookout for cubnapping.
4 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 talk of sex and making cub but everything is set behind closed doors.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
BeWere My Heart Series #2
MaryJanice Davidson
https://www.facebook.com/maryjaniceda...
Release Date 02/23/2021
Publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
Things are hot and getting hotter... Escape into this delicious shifter romance from bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson.
Oz Adway is a rare breed: an accountant who wants to get dirty. He's a werewolf working for the Interspecies Placement Agency so it's not long before he gets the opportunity to break out of his boring, safe office job. He volunteers to find runaway bear cub Sally Smalls, recently orphaned by a plane crash. Piece of cake, right? Unfortunately, Sally's taken refuge with "ordinary" human Lila Kai. Lila has no idea what's going on, but she'll destroy anyone who tries to take the cub. Oz is not about to let a human jeopardize his daring career move, no matter how attractive he finds her.
Lila knows something's different about the sexy weirdo who keeps popping up in the wrong place at the right time. She's determined to figure out what, regardless of the escalating threats to her safety and Oz's distracting hotness. She didn't move into a cursed house and take in a werebear just to run when things get complicated. Together, Oz and Lila will prevail! But only if they can keep their hands off each other...
Put away your pocket protectors: This hilarious story includes a nerdy shifter accountant with a bad-boy side, a fiercely protective human heroine, and a baby bear cub who will make every reader sigh in cuteness. Fans of Shelly Laurenston and paranormal adventure won't want to miss the newest installment in the BeWere My Heart series!
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Will her past hold her back ...
This is my first read by the author, and one thing is sure, she has her very own writing style and humor.
I need to find my pace to fully enter it, but once in, it is a much enjoyable read with the romance in the background.
As the second in a series, I suppose Oz’s past was more explained in his shelter sister’s story. So I had to piece together the intel distilled along the pages.
Lila is a Stable from a shifter’s perspective, an human. Still she does not react like any other human. She does not scream nor run away when faced with changelings or crossing path with big wolves. Her view of life and way of attending to it is peculiar as her job as a teddy bear surgeon. Such a beautiful job, bringing back a smile and dreams on a child’s face.
She has her own demons and tragic history, from which she learned to stand for herself and never let other to step on her way.
Oz is so sweet and fun, he knows from the beginning who Lila is for him, yet she is not easy to seduce, so determined to keep people at arms length. Yet with his kindness and many mistakes, he crumbles block by block the walls she has built around herself.
I loved the cute cubs and their attics, Oz’s adopted family and colleagues, they spiced this book with their banters and quips.
Add to it the fun footnotes.
You have hours loaded of puns and snarky teasing and lookout for cubnapping.
4 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 talk of sex and making cub but everything is set behind closed doors.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
March 12, 2021
Oh, I've missed reading MaryJanice Davidson--I didn't even realize how much until just now! (Yes, all my fault. I know she's been writing all along. I've just been...distracted by other books? Gah, I have no excuse!)
A Wolf After My Own Heart probably isn't for everyone--it's snarky, full of irreverent humor, contains a ridiculous number of asides and even footnotes. There's so much that this book takes forever to explain--because it's the second in the series? Or because of Lila's nothing-can-surprise-her, bizarre-weirdness-just-rolls-off-of-her-like-water-from-a-duck's-back attitude? Even now I'm not sure. I'll go back and read the first book and let you know.
Or maybe I still won't know. We'll see.
Anyway--there was much snort-laughing during the reading of this book. I apologize (again!) to everyone unlucky enough to be in the same room as me as I did so. I tried really, really, REALLY hard not to read too much of it out loud to you, even though you were clearly busy doing your own thing.
I wasn't terribly successful. Again, apologies.
Again, anyway--Wolf is the second book in the BeWare My Heart series, which (apparently, at least so far) deals with shifter social workers. Or a shifter social worker, a shifter PI, a shifter accountant who has decided to do social work instead, and the Stable (plain old regular human) who moves in down the street and finds herself thrown into the middle of their drama, some of which is continued at least in part from the book before and some of which is new(er)(ish).
The Stable (Lila) and the accountant-turned-social-worker-wannabe (Oz, though I spent a whole lot of the first many chapters going, wait--it's *not* Ox, right?) may or may not be fated mates, which may or may not be a thing (everyone keeps saying it isn't, except maybe it is--and their behavior from the start veers heavily on the side of the latter, which means I am 100% using this book to fulfill a "fated mates" prompt for one of the dozens--only the slightest of exaggerations, sadly--of reading challenges I'm doing this year). As if their possibly-paranormal-level of attraction to each other weren't enough, they also have runaway shifter children to keep track of; shifter supremacists, traffickers, and arsonists to find and fight--all while Lila, at least, still hasn't unpacked all of her moving boxes.
It is clear why I wasn't terribly bothered by all of the asides and footnotes now, isn't it?
Anyway--again--I honestly can't adequately put into words how much fun I had reading this book. I'll even forgive Ms Davidson the teensy amount of tears she might have had me in near the end (Sally's mom--GAH!) as I nearly trip over my own (figurative, because of course I'm getting it digitally) feet hustling to get my hands on Bears Behaving Badly ASAP.
And yes, of course Amazon really does sell everything. But you didn't need me--or Ms Davidson's footnotes--to tell you that, did you?
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
A Wolf After My Own Heart probably isn't for everyone--it's snarky, full of irreverent humor, contains a ridiculous number of asides and even footnotes. There's so much that this book takes forever to explain--because it's the second in the series? Or because of Lila's nothing-can-surprise-her, bizarre-weirdness-just-rolls-off-of-her-like-water-from-a-duck's-back attitude? Even now I'm not sure. I'll go back and read the first book and let you know.
Or maybe I still won't know. We'll see.
Anyway--there was much snort-laughing during the reading of this book. I apologize (again!) to everyone unlucky enough to be in the same room as me as I did so. I tried really, really, REALLY hard not to read too much of it out loud to you, even though you were clearly busy doing your own thing.
I wasn't terribly successful. Again, apologies.
Again, anyway--Wolf is the second book in the BeWare My Heart series, which (apparently, at least so far) deals with shifter social workers. Or a shifter social worker, a shifter PI, a shifter accountant who has decided to do social work instead, and the Stable (plain old regular human) who moves in down the street and finds herself thrown into the middle of their drama, some of which is continued at least in part from the book before and some of which is new(er)(ish).
The Stable (Lila) and the accountant-turned-social-worker-wannabe (Oz, though I spent a whole lot of the first many chapters going, wait--it's *not* Ox, right?) may or may not be fated mates, which may or may not be a thing (everyone keeps saying it isn't, except maybe it is--and their behavior from the start veers heavily on the side of the latter, which means I am 100% using this book to fulfill a "fated mates" prompt for one of the dozens--only the slightest of exaggerations, sadly--of reading challenges I'm doing this year). As if their possibly-paranormal-level of attraction to each other weren't enough, they also have runaway shifter children to keep track of; shifter supremacists, traffickers, and arsonists to find and fight--all while Lila, at least, still hasn't unpacked all of her moving boxes.
It is clear why I wasn't terribly bothered by all of the asides and footnotes now, isn't it?
Anyway--again--I honestly can't adequately put into words how much fun I had reading this book. I'll even forgive Ms Davidson the teensy amount of tears she might have had me in near the end (Sally's mom--GAH!) as I nearly trip over my own (figurative, because of course I'm getting it digitally) feet hustling to get my hands on Bears Behaving Badly ASAP.
And yes, of course Amazon really does sell everything. But you didn't need me--or Ms Davidson's footnotes--to tell you that, did you?
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
January 26, 2025
4.75⭐️ If someone had told me I’d be doing a hot coco spit take at work at 0415 hrs, I’d ask them why they are talking to me, but this book!!! Hilarious. It was funny, witty, sexy, and I found the characters relatable (yes, even the ones that happen to transform into animals). We love a feminist QUEEN. This book has yet another badass female lead, and a male character that is rich but not a giant douche-nozzle. Added to the lovable lead characters, you get to revisit the main characters from book one and fall in love with some side characters all over again. This book was thick with plot and not completely romance centered which I adore. There are no full-on spice scenes just really intense make-out scenes but you don’t even miss it because the book is so good. Be sure to check trigger warnings before reading there are a few that may be hard on some people. I was able to easily guess one of the bad guys just from context clues alone but there are multiple streams of assholery in this book and I do hope you all enjoy it the way I did!
⚠️ Content Warning: racism, bigotry, terminal illness, cancer, sexual content, suicide, fire, fire related injuries
ptsd
⚠️ Content Warning: racism, bigotry, terminal illness, cancer, sexual content, suicide, fire, fire related injuries
ptsd
January 19, 2021
HOARDER CHALLENGE: BONUS #3: ARC
3.5 stars
so to be honest, I just saw a new MJD book avail thru NG & didn't read what it was about. once I started I realized this is book #2 in the BeWere My Heart series. Unfortunately, I wasn't too keen on the first book in the series.
the negatives are; similar to the first book, the beginning is confusing. you feel like you've turned on the tv and have started watching a movie in the middle. also, it's a little long. there was a little more explanation of things in this one which helped but still not enough.
the positives are that I liked this book much better than the first one which means that the writer is developing the story & characters.
There was much more humor & many laugh out loud points.
Oz is a nerdy accountant shifter wolf (b/c of course he is..) and I liked his character. Like many nerds, he was bashful which was a great contrast to his other "shifter wolf" self.
Lila is an intriguing character who doesn't bat an eye when moving into her new home & being confronted w/her new shifter neighbors. A lot of the humor/snark/witty comments came from her dialogue. She's exactly the type of character this writer creates that I've come to love.
And their chemistry is inevitable.
On a side note-Of course, any self-respecting junk-foodie knows that swiss rolls DEFINITELY taste better frozen or from the fridge. Only savages who can't wait eat them straight out of the box!
thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the ebook ARC in exchange for my review.
3.5 stars
so to be honest, I just saw a new MJD book avail thru NG & didn't read what it was about. once I started I realized this is book #2 in the BeWere My Heart series. Unfortunately, I wasn't too keen on the first book in the series.
the negatives are; similar to the first book, the beginning is confusing. you feel like you've turned on the tv and have started watching a movie in the middle. also, it's a little long. there was a little more explanation of things in this one which helped but still not enough.
the positives are that I liked this book much better than the first one which means that the writer is developing the story & characters.
There was much more humor & many laugh out loud points.
Oz is a nerdy accountant shifter wolf (b/c of course he is..) and I liked his character. Like many nerds, he was bashful which was a great contrast to his other "shifter wolf" self.
Lila is an intriguing character who doesn't bat an eye when moving into her new home & being confronted w/her new shifter neighbors. A lot of the humor/snark/witty comments came from her dialogue. She's exactly the type of character this writer creates that I've come to love.
And their chemistry is inevitable.
On a side note-Of course, any self-respecting junk-foodie knows that swiss rolls DEFINITELY taste better frozen or from the fridge. Only savages who can't wait eat them straight out of the box!
thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the ebook ARC in exchange for my review.
January 8, 2021
This author usually entertains so many with her writing but I struggled with this book. I think it's because it's not much of a romance because honestly there is zero chemistry or progression between Lila and Oz. Lila is a human who doesn't realise that she's just moved into a shifter neighbourhood. Oz is the Were who bumps into her when chasing down a runaway bear cub. Their interaction from the offset just felt to me stilted and just plain odd. Now that could be because Lila isn't exactly the most normal female around but it takes a while to really get to understand her background and motivation. Speaking of background Oz too didn't make sense as he's rich, an accountant and now apparently a social worker ! Numerous supporting characters join the story but for me too many times the writing felt jumpy for want of a better description.
There is an interesting storyline here but if I'm blunt I've read about shifters who are crazy, weird and often violent before particularly I'm thinking of Shelly Laurenston who also writes about hunting and kidnapping shifters but her recent books have much more of an impact than this. I'm truly sorry that I cannot rate this higher and probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't previously read the aforementioned author.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
There is an interesting storyline here but if I'm blunt I've read about shifters who are crazy, weird and often violent before particularly I'm thinking of Shelly Laurenston who also writes about hunting and kidnapping shifters but her recent books have much more of an impact than this. I'm truly sorry that I cannot rate this higher and probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't previously read the aforementioned author.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
February 23, 2021
Funny, Romantic, Action
Oz Away (wolf), an accountant at the Interspecies Placement Agency (IPA) decides he wants to be a field agent to locate Sally Small, a young bear shifter that runs away and refuses to believe her parents were killed in a plane crash. Sally attached herself to Lila, a human. Oz, and Lila unknowingly find out about a conspiracy to destroy the human race, so Shifters would be at the top of the food chain. A hilarious adventure begins as Lila adapts to her "new normal", as along with Oz, and others, she try to stop the events that would kill many humans and out the Shifters to the world
Oz Away (wolf), an accountant at the Interspecies Placement Agency (IPA) decides he wants to be a field agent to locate Sally Small, a young bear shifter that runs away and refuses to believe her parents were killed in a plane crash. Sally attached herself to Lila, a human. Oz, and Lila unknowingly find out about a conspiracy to destroy the human race, so Shifters would be at the top of the food chain. A hilarious adventure begins as Lila adapts to her "new normal", as along with Oz, and others, she try to stop the events that would kill many humans and out the Shifters to the world
December 20, 2024
You know what. I'm not ashamed. I loved it. I adore the writing style. It's as chaotic as my brain and just very relatable.
Did I reread like a month later? Yes yes I did
Is it my new comfort read? Also ABSOLUTELY yes
Anyway catch me reading it again in like a month
Did I reread like a month later? Yes yes I did
Is it my new comfort read? Also ABSOLUTELY yes
Anyway catch me reading it again in like a month
April 3, 2025
While I marked this as a "clean" romance, since there is no sex in it, there are a LOT of triggers in it to be aware of.
Trigger Warnings: enslavement (children, off-page), imprisonment (children, off-page), sounded like R or SA too of the children in cages but isn't specifically stated, attempt at genocide (off-page, backstory), arson (on-page and backstory), attempted murder, assault, kidnapping (adults on-page, children off-page), foster system, breaking and entering, plane crash (off-page), parent with cancer/death of parent (side character, off-page), abusive parents (backstory), hoarding (backstory), sibling death (backstory), person being burned in fire and dealing with scars and PTSD (FMC), PTSD, nightmares, morgue/dead bodies, racism (shifter vs not shifter so species-ism?)
I wanted to put the triggers at the beginning of this post because the book is marketed as a comedy, and it is for the first half, but then it gets serious and just goes deeper and deeper until it isn't funny anymore.
Apparently, this is book two, which I kind of figured out when it kept hitting me over the head with two of the other characters and how they were SOOOO in love. But aside from that, the previous book is explained here, and I didn't feel like I was missing anything. If anything, I was happy I didn't read the other one; it seemed pretty dark for a supposed comedy, kind of like this one.
The entire thing is written like how a person with ADHD thinks (at least it's pretty close to how quick my thoughts fly so I stand by that assessment). I really enjoyed that about the book, and how it was so dead-pan on things (kind of like Autism), again, I have that too, so I can relate. And I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times because it really resonated with me. But it also got really tiring. It took me the same amount of time to finish this as it did to finish Onyx Storm and that was 1018 pages (I read the large-print version).
I would have marked this as four stars if it hadn't had enslaved, abused, caged cubs along with genocidal maniacs.
It would have got five stars if there had been more romance and feeling in it. There was literally not a speck of heat between the FMC and the MMC, and since this is supposed to be a romance, I consider that to be pretty important. Instead, there was an instant attraction between the two of them, to the point where the FMC was thinking how hot the guy who just broke into her house was. No one does that. If there isn't going to be heat and lust between the two MCs then there needs to be at least friendship or something else to make this a romance, but there wasn't. They could barely be considered friends. It was like watching a regular comedy, but someone decided two of the characters should bone, so they threw in two pages at the end that said "Oh, by the way, these two had sex." at one point, the FMC bought an ovulation kit which was absolutely ridiculous because she has an IUD in, she tells him at the VERY end they won't have sex until the 17th date, and she also says she doesn't want kids. So what was the kit for? And she repeatedly says they aren't attracted to each other, and nothing will happen, which nothing does, so I guess she's right.
The Plot
Lila moves into a new town, accidentally hits a wolf, and saves a bear cub who is actually a little girl. The wolf, Oz, is a social worker for cubs and tries to put the cub into foster care. The cub, Sally, stays with Lila the whole time, along with half a dozen other were animals because of stuff. They all go above and beyond their jobs to find out where Sally's parents are and uncover the same stuff as the last book. Plus house fires.
The Characters
Lila has absolutely no response to anything. People change into animals, doesn't care. Someone tries to burn her house down, doesn't bat an eye. Guy breaks into her house, no big deal. She shoots someone, she barfs and that's it. She never yells, cries, anything. It was funny some of the time but just way too unbelievable.
Oz, is head over paws in love with Lila the moment he smells her and wants to make cubs with her. He thinks about her pretty much all the time and is constantly impressed with how she reacts to nothing instead of being worried.
There are quite a few other characters and none of them seem to have a whole lot of emotions going on, unless hungry is an emotion.
The Romance
There is none
Thoughts
It's worth reading for the first half because it was really funny. But after that, the constant dialogue with no character building or romance building really wears on you, and it becomes monotonous. The first half and second half feel like they come from different books. The last half feels like an extension of book one while the first half feels like a rom-com.
Trigger Warnings: enslavement (children, off-page), imprisonment (children, off-page), sounded like R or SA too of the children in cages but isn't specifically stated, attempt at genocide (off-page, backstory), arson (on-page and backstory), attempted murder, assault, kidnapping (adults on-page, children off-page), foster system, breaking and entering, plane crash (off-page), parent with cancer/death of parent (side character, off-page), abusive parents (backstory), hoarding (backstory), sibling death (backstory), person being burned in fire and dealing with scars and PTSD (FMC), PTSD, nightmares, morgue/dead bodies, racism (shifter vs not shifter so species-ism?)
I wanted to put the triggers at the beginning of this post because the book is marketed as a comedy, and it is for the first half, but then it gets serious and just goes deeper and deeper until it isn't funny anymore.
Apparently, this is book two, which I kind of figured out when it kept hitting me over the head with two of the other characters and how they were SOOOO in love. But aside from that, the previous book is explained here, and I didn't feel like I was missing anything. If anything, I was happy I didn't read the other one; it seemed pretty dark for a supposed comedy, kind of like this one.
The entire thing is written like how a person with ADHD thinks (at least it's pretty close to how quick my thoughts fly so I stand by that assessment). I really enjoyed that about the book, and how it was so dead-pan on things (kind of like Autism), again, I have that too, so I can relate. And I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times because it really resonated with me. But it also got really tiring. It took me the same amount of time to finish this as it did to finish Onyx Storm and that was 1018 pages (I read the large-print version).
I would have marked this as four stars if it hadn't had enslaved, abused, caged cubs along with genocidal maniacs.
It would have got five stars if there had been more romance and feeling in it. There was literally not a speck of heat between the FMC and the MMC, and since this is supposed to be a romance, I consider that to be pretty important. Instead, there was an instant attraction between the two of them, to the point where the FMC was thinking how hot the guy who just broke into her house was. No one does that. If there isn't going to be heat and lust between the two MCs then there needs to be at least friendship or something else to make this a romance, but there wasn't. They could barely be considered friends. It was like watching a regular comedy, but someone decided two of the characters should bone, so they threw in two pages at the end that said "Oh, by the way, these two had sex." at one point, the FMC bought an ovulation kit which was absolutely ridiculous because she has an IUD in, she tells him at the VERY end they won't have sex until the 17th date, and she also says she doesn't want kids. So what was the kit for? And she repeatedly says they aren't attracted to each other, and nothing will happen, which nothing does, so I guess she's right.
The Plot
Lila moves into a new town, accidentally hits a wolf, and saves a bear cub who is actually a little girl. The wolf, Oz, is a social worker for cubs and tries to put the cub into foster care. The cub, Sally, stays with Lila the whole time, along with half a dozen other were animals because of stuff. They all go above and beyond their jobs to find out where Sally's parents are and uncover the same stuff as the last book. Plus house fires.
The Characters
Lila has absolutely no response to anything. People change into animals, doesn't care. Someone tries to burn her house down, doesn't bat an eye. Guy breaks into her house, no big deal. She shoots someone, she barfs and that's it. She never yells, cries, anything. It was funny some of the time but just way too unbelievable.
Oz, is head over paws in love with Lila the moment he smells her and wants to make cubs with her. He thinks about her pretty much all the time and is constantly impressed with how she reacts to nothing instead of being worried.
There are quite a few other characters and none of them seem to have a whole lot of emotions going on, unless hungry is an emotion.
The Romance
There is none
Thoughts
It's worth reading for the first half because it was really funny. But after that, the constant dialogue with no character building or romance building really wears on you, and it becomes monotonous. The first half and second half feel like they come from different books. The last half feels like an extension of book one while the first half feels like a rom-com.
March 28, 2021
Finally, our second installment of the BeWere My Heart series is here! MaryJanice Davidson continues her funny, snarky, and widely entertaining paranormal streak with A Wolf After My Own Heart.
Lila finds herself in the middle of some very weird happenings to go along with pretty much the story of her life of weird happenings. So, pretty much, just another night. Lila is just minding her business, driving her decommissioned ambulance, on her way to her new rental home, when she gets stuck in some pretty familiar horror story scenarios. Large wolf creature, she accidentally clips with her vehicle, then stops to check it out, and.... nothing. Then she gets flagged down by some kids, at night, on a school night, and told someone needed help in an alley. Cue children on the Corn, anyone? Yesh. Then she finds a bear cub huddling in an alley and the other kids are gone? Um, yeah she might be getting set up. Then, when trying to contact animal control for the bear cub she gets sent to some other weird acronym group and a severely handsome man comes barging (ahem, breaking) into her house only to tell her everything is ok? Yeah, he really deserved that trip down the basement steps. Then the bear cub isn't a bear cub anymore but an actual kid? And, yeah. She's probably, definitely getting punked.
Oz Adway, wolf shifter, a former Interspecies Placement Agency (IPA) accountant turned social worked, and Annette Garsea's foster brother is working his first case. And, well, it's kind of gotten a bit away from him. The kid has flown the coup. Well, not flown, because she's a bear shifter, so, lumbered the coup? And then he finds a delicious scent of a woman, gets hit by an ambulance, and then that delicious scent and er the woman attached to it steals his kid? Then, the delicious-smelling Stable gets the drop on him and knocks him butt-first down into her basement while she and his quarry fled the scene. Yeah, Annette is never going to let him live this down.
As always, MaryJanice Davidson writes a wonderfully entertaining story. Oz and Lila were fun. I quite enjoyed Lila's unflappability in the face of all the paranormal shifter happenings. There was no studdering, utter denials, and huge leaps of folklore assumptions. She just took everything at face value and continued to be her quirky little self. Loved that. The mystery aspect was quite well layered. I was guessing the culprits until well up into the ending.
For those that like more mystery and less saucy, steamy romance, this is your book. The romance was there and though a constant aspect, it wasn't THE focus of the story. Also, this is a clean book with off-page saucy-times and only a single mention of ahem... you know. = ) And while this is a draw for some, well I'm just a creeper, I guess... because I was a little disappointed. I wanted and missed that about the story. It just felt like that was what we were leading to and then, fade to black-ish and then off-page remembering. Boo!
Anywho. A Wolf After My Own Heart was greatly entertaining, once you got used to the sort-of were-stream of consciousness writing... which is different and fun. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I seriously am interested in who the next book will be about. I absolutely LOVED Annette's old rommie from Bears Behaving Badly. He/She/They? were awesome and I would be greatly interested in more about them!!!!!! Long story short, More, Please!?!?!
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Lila finds herself in the middle of some very weird happenings to go along with pretty much the story of her life of weird happenings. So, pretty much, just another night. Lila is just minding her business, driving her decommissioned ambulance, on her way to her new rental home, when she gets stuck in some pretty familiar horror story scenarios. Large wolf creature, she accidentally clips with her vehicle, then stops to check it out, and.... nothing. Then she gets flagged down by some kids, at night, on a school night, and told someone needed help in an alley. Cue children on the Corn, anyone? Yesh. Then she finds a bear cub huddling in an alley and the other kids are gone? Um, yeah she might be getting set up. Then, when trying to contact animal control for the bear cub she gets sent to some other weird acronym group and a severely handsome man comes barging (ahem, breaking) into her house only to tell her everything is ok? Yeah, he really deserved that trip down the basement steps. Then the bear cub isn't a bear cub anymore but an actual kid? And, yeah. She's probably, definitely getting punked.
Oz Adway, wolf shifter, a former Interspecies Placement Agency (IPA) accountant turned social worked, and Annette Garsea's foster brother is working his first case. And, well, it's kind of gotten a bit away from him. The kid has flown the coup. Well, not flown, because she's a bear shifter, so, lumbered the coup? And then he finds a delicious scent of a woman, gets hit by an ambulance, and then that delicious scent and er the woman attached to it steals his kid? Then, the delicious-smelling Stable gets the drop on him and knocks him butt-first down into her basement while she and his quarry fled the scene. Yeah, Annette is never going to let him live this down.
As always, MaryJanice Davidson writes a wonderfully entertaining story. Oz and Lila were fun. I quite enjoyed Lila's unflappability in the face of all the paranormal shifter happenings. There was no studdering, utter denials, and huge leaps of folklore assumptions. She just took everything at face value and continued to be her quirky little self. Loved that. The mystery aspect was quite well layered. I was guessing the culprits until well up into the ending.
For those that like more mystery and less saucy, steamy romance, this is your book. The romance was there and though a constant aspect, it wasn't THE focus of the story. Also, this is a clean book with off-page saucy-times and only a single mention of ahem... you know. = ) And while this is a draw for some, well I'm just a creeper, I guess... because I was a little disappointed. I wanted and missed that about the story. It just felt like that was what we were leading to and then, fade to black-ish and then off-page remembering. Boo!
Anywho. A Wolf After My Own Heart was greatly entertaining, once you got used to the sort-of were-stream of consciousness writing... which is different and fun. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I seriously am interested in who the next book will be about. I absolutely LOVED Annette's old rommie from Bears Behaving Badly. He/She/They? were awesome and I would be greatly interested in more about them!!!!!! Long story short, More, Please!?!?!
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
February 18, 2021
A Wolf After My Own Heart is the second book in BeWere My Heart urban fantasy series by MaryJanice Davidson. I haven’t read the first book, but it didn’t matter at all, as this one had a unique plot and plenty of references to the previous book and characters.
The book is set in a small town outside St. Paul, Minnesota, and the world is mostly like ours, but populated with various weres ranging from wolves and bears to kangaroos and Tasmanian devils. They go under human radar, but with their own social organisations like child services and fire brigades.
Lila, a human—or Stable, though she doesn’t know that word yet—has just moved into a huge old house in a quiet neighbourhood. Her very first night, she runs over a wolf and finds an injured bear cub. The first disappears before she has a chance to do anything, but the cub she takes home. Only for it to shift into a little girl. This plunges her into a strange new world of weres, including Oz, the sexy social worker werewolf who’s supposed to look after the bear cub now that her parents are dead.
There’s instant attraction between Lila and Oz, but it doesn’t really go anywhere fast. For all that this is advertised as a sexy romance, anything romantic is pretty much in a backburner, and sexy things happen behind closed doors and only at the very end. This is more of a paranormal mystery, where the characters are trying to find out what happened to the cub’s parents and who is trying to kill her. The mystery unfolds in a fairly haphazard way, with everything happening in the last chapters of the book. The ending is satisfying, but not exactly a happily ever after kind of affair.
I liked the book, but I had some issues. The two point of view characters, Lila and Oz, had similar inner monologues that made them seem like ADDs off their meds; a stream of consciousness with many tangents that were supposed to be quirky and funny, but were only exhausting. It was difficult to tell them apart at times and more annoyingly, the inner monologues were in contrast with their actions. Oz was an accountant turned social worker, reliable but yearning for some action, and Lila was a survival who was prepared for everything life could throw at her. I haven’t read other books from Davidson, but I suspect this is her writing style that trumps the characters’ own voices. This stretched to other characters too, who only communicated with snarky, often really mean comments, which made them fairly unlikeable.
I’m also not a fan of a writing style where a scene starts in the middle, with nothing to indicate who is talking, where, when and why, with the POV character explaining the scene later. It made the narrative very clunky, and required a lot of backtracking. There were also footnotes from the author that constantly yanked me off the narrative and the world. Towards the end, a new point of view character was added to explain the plot, which confused the matters further. If it hadn’t been for the really sweet child characters and some funny moments, this would have been a three star book. But there was something compelling about the setting and the mystery, if not the romance, which left me happy with the book in the end, so it gets four stars.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The book is set in a small town outside St. Paul, Minnesota, and the world is mostly like ours, but populated with various weres ranging from wolves and bears to kangaroos and Tasmanian devils. They go under human radar, but with their own social organisations like child services and fire brigades.
Lila, a human—or Stable, though she doesn’t know that word yet—has just moved into a huge old house in a quiet neighbourhood. Her very first night, she runs over a wolf and finds an injured bear cub. The first disappears before she has a chance to do anything, but the cub she takes home. Only for it to shift into a little girl. This plunges her into a strange new world of weres, including Oz, the sexy social worker werewolf who’s supposed to look after the bear cub now that her parents are dead.
There’s instant attraction between Lila and Oz, but it doesn’t really go anywhere fast. For all that this is advertised as a sexy romance, anything romantic is pretty much in a backburner, and sexy things happen behind closed doors and only at the very end. This is more of a paranormal mystery, where the characters are trying to find out what happened to the cub’s parents and who is trying to kill her. The mystery unfolds in a fairly haphazard way, with everything happening in the last chapters of the book. The ending is satisfying, but not exactly a happily ever after kind of affair.
I liked the book, but I had some issues. The two point of view characters, Lila and Oz, had similar inner monologues that made them seem like ADDs off their meds; a stream of consciousness with many tangents that were supposed to be quirky and funny, but were only exhausting. It was difficult to tell them apart at times and more annoyingly, the inner monologues were in contrast with their actions. Oz was an accountant turned social worker, reliable but yearning for some action, and Lila was a survival who was prepared for everything life could throw at her. I haven’t read other books from Davidson, but I suspect this is her writing style that trumps the characters’ own voices. This stretched to other characters too, who only communicated with snarky, often really mean comments, which made them fairly unlikeable.
I’m also not a fan of a writing style where a scene starts in the middle, with nothing to indicate who is talking, where, when and why, with the POV character explaining the scene later. It made the narrative very clunky, and required a lot of backtracking. There were also footnotes from the author that constantly yanked me off the narrative and the world. Towards the end, a new point of view character was added to explain the plot, which confused the matters further. If it hadn’t been for the really sweet child characters and some funny moments, this would have been a three star book. But there was something compelling about the setting and the mystery, if not the romance, which left me happy with the book in the end, so it gets four stars.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 19, 2021
It’s been a while since I have read anything by author MaryJanice Davidson. When I came across A Wolf After My Own Heart, I thought sure why not. The blurb was promising me shifters, romance and humor so of course I am going to give it a twirl. Good thing to because this one kept me very entertained.
I jumped into this series without reading the first book and honestly, I don’t think it impacted me at all. It’s only now I realize Annette and David had their own story. So, let that be a hint to you, the books can be read as stand-alones. But I digress. This story belongs to Lila and Oz. There were moments while reading that I loss sight of the fact this was also a romance. While there are romantic moments (I want a big empty movie theater!) the overall theme was not of romance. Instead it felt more along the lines of a story with a mystery to be solved with a lot of levity injected into it.
Let’s discuss the levity and characters. Lila is a hoot and very patient with everything that gets dumped in her lap. Everything being all the shifters she probably should not know exist. It all starts with her rescuing a stray bear cub. Who does that??? Never mind, obviously Lila does. Which brings all her neighbors to her doorstep. Ones that are not quite human and not the normal shifters I am used to. Wolves and bears, okay. But now there is a kangaroo and Tasmanian devil? What what? Those exist?? They’re all loveable and full of quirks that kept me on my toes trying to keep them with who they belong to. At this point, I knew I was in for a crazy ride.
Crazy and chaotic is how I felt for the better part of the book. The pace is fast and at times I felt discombobulated with all the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I loved them all. It was at times I felt a little overwhelmed in how many they were to take in. I’m sure Lila had her moments as well. Annnd speaking of Lila, her and Oz. There was definitely an instant attraction between them, but it takes a while to make its appearance. Really it felt like it took a backseat to all the chaos that was swirling around them. By the time we finally get to the big Whodunit reveal, I was just resigned to a go with the flow by this point. Was it anyone I would have guessed? No, only because I complete forgot this character existed.
There ya go folks. A Wolf After My Own Heart, the second book in BeWere My Heart by MaryJanice Davidson, is a chaotic ride that, has some romance but overall is simply entertainingly funny and certainly worth reading.
Stars: 3.75
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I jumped into this series without reading the first book and honestly, I don’t think it impacted me at all. It’s only now I realize Annette and David had their own story. So, let that be a hint to you, the books can be read as stand-alones. But I digress. This story belongs to Lila and Oz. There were moments while reading that I loss sight of the fact this was also a romance. While there are romantic moments (I want a big empty movie theater!) the overall theme was not of romance. Instead it felt more along the lines of a story with a mystery to be solved with a lot of levity injected into it.
Let’s discuss the levity and characters. Lila is a hoot and very patient with everything that gets dumped in her lap. Everything being all the shifters she probably should not know exist. It all starts with her rescuing a stray bear cub. Who does that??? Never mind, obviously Lila does. Which brings all her neighbors to her doorstep. Ones that are not quite human and not the normal shifters I am used to. Wolves and bears, okay. But now there is a kangaroo and Tasmanian devil? What what? Those exist?? They’re all loveable and full of quirks that kept me on my toes trying to keep them with who they belong to. At this point, I knew I was in for a crazy ride.
Crazy and chaotic is how I felt for the better part of the book. The pace is fast and at times I felt discombobulated with all the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I loved them all. It was at times I felt a little overwhelmed in how many they were to take in. I’m sure Lila had her moments as well. Annnd speaking of Lila, her and Oz. There was definitely an instant attraction between them, but it takes a while to make its appearance. Really it felt like it took a backseat to all the chaos that was swirling around them. By the time we finally get to the big Whodunit reveal, I was just resigned to a go with the flow by this point. Was it anyone I would have guessed? No, only because I complete forgot this character existed.
There ya go folks. A Wolf After My Own Heart, the second book in BeWere My Heart by MaryJanice Davidson, is a chaotic ride that, has some romance but overall is simply entertainingly funny and certainly worth reading.
Stars: 3.75
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 27, 2021
Lila, a human or Stable, just unknowingly moved into a neighborhood of shifters. Something that starts becoming clear when she helps an injured bear cub that turns into a 10 year old girl....
Oz is a former accountant for the Interspecies Placement Agency, he’s on his first case since deciding to become a caseworker. He’s chasing down an orphaned cub who happens to be the very cub Lila found....
Sally, the bear cub, doesn’t believe her parents are dead but was convinced to eventually let IPA take her in for awhile. The adults are 100% certain that her parents are in fact dead. But a strange phone call seems to contradict that and sends Sally running again.
Oz is trying to prove himself and get the situation under control but he can’t help but to think there is something he is missing in the case of Sally and her dead/missing parents. The fact that he keeps getting distracted by and can’t stay away from Lila is a desperate issue. Doesn’t help that he has a meddling overprotective sister barely convinced he can in fact do his job and a meddling family.
Oz comes with a sad dark past and Lila comes with a past too and the fact that this Stable knows things she shouldn’t has everyone on edge. And then there’s Sally. What is really going on? Are her parents alive? Is something bigger and more dangerous happening? Can they protect her from others as well as herself?
And the biggest question of all can Oz and Lila overcome everything between them to get their own happy ending? And is Kama-Rupa real? Because it certainly seems like it...
I do so adore Mama Mac’s menagerie of family... Annette and Oz are always hilarious together and I loved getting to see Dev and Caro and everyone else again. I must say that Lila is one interesting character. I enjoyed this book it was another humor filled crazy story to add to the series.
One thing I find odd in the series though is how oblivious they all seem to be that obviously some Stables have to know about them which is part of how they are able to stay hidden. It was was baffling from the first time in the previous book when David introduced them to his friend at the hospital... really how else could they build a secret hospital onto an existing hospital without some regular folks knowing stuff? Seems like their fear has made everybody painfully naive in a weird way. I just find it odd I get why they would fear Stables but a lot of their thinking makes no sense.
I’m just saying though if the next book was to be about Nadia that would be very interesting... also terrifying...
Oz is a former accountant for the Interspecies Placement Agency, he’s on his first case since deciding to become a caseworker. He’s chasing down an orphaned cub who happens to be the very cub Lila found....
Sally, the bear cub, doesn’t believe her parents are dead but was convinced to eventually let IPA take her in for awhile. The adults are 100% certain that her parents are in fact dead. But a strange phone call seems to contradict that and sends Sally running again.
Oz is trying to prove himself and get the situation under control but he can’t help but to think there is something he is missing in the case of Sally and her dead/missing parents. The fact that he keeps getting distracted by and can’t stay away from Lila is a desperate issue. Doesn’t help that he has a meddling overprotective sister barely convinced he can in fact do his job and a meddling family.
Oz comes with a sad dark past and Lila comes with a past too and the fact that this Stable knows things she shouldn’t has everyone on edge. And then there’s Sally. What is really going on? Are her parents alive? Is something bigger and more dangerous happening? Can they protect her from others as well as herself?
And the biggest question of all can Oz and Lila overcome everything between them to get their own happy ending? And is Kama-Rupa real? Because it certainly seems like it...
I do so adore Mama Mac’s menagerie of family... Annette and Oz are always hilarious together and I loved getting to see Dev and Caro and everyone else again. I must say that Lila is one interesting character. I enjoyed this book it was another humor filled crazy story to add to the series.
One thing I find odd in the series though is how oblivious they all seem to be that obviously some Stables have to know about them which is part of how they are able to stay hidden. It was was baffling from the first time in the previous book when David introduced them to his friend at the hospital... really how else could they build a secret hospital onto an existing hospital without some regular folks knowing stuff? Seems like their fear has made everybody painfully naive in a weird way. I just find it odd I get why they would fear Stables but a lot of their thinking makes no sense.
I’m just saying though if the next book was to be about Nadia that would be very interesting... also terrifying...
March 2, 2021
Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf
The BeWere My Heart series continues with A Wolf After My Own Heart, a delightfully not really steamy but funny, lovable romance between two most unlikely people — and one adorable little runaway bear cub shifter who will steal your heart.
I enjoyed Lila and Oz’s adventures very much yet I do want to mention that this author’s sense of dark humor, her delivery might not be for everyone – just keep on going for the story itself is entertaining and easy to slip into… for the humor, the mystery, and one adorable little girl if nothing else.
Lila is a human who drives a decommissioned ambulance, lives in a probably haunted house, and will soon discover that she lives in a paranormal town full of shifters of all types. She’s been oblivious to all this until she runs across a bear cub who seems to have attached itself to Lila. Well, being a teddy bear surgeon (yes, such a profession exists) not quite used to the real deal, Lila does her best when the baby bear keeps showing up – right up until she shifted into a little girl, then all bets were off. But that doesn’t mean that she’s about to abandon this precious little one, nope, not going to happen, even if she does have to deal with the sexiest male she’s come across in quite a while.
Oz might have been trained as an accountant but he longed to get out in the field and do the work he felt drawn to, helping the helpless. Yet on his first field assignment, things aren’t going quite to plan since the little bear shifter keeps escaping and refuses to believe that her parents were killed in a plane crash. Little Sally keeps giving him the slip and taking refuge with a human who Oz would very much like to get to know better – in different circumstances. Right now, he has a bear cub to protect, a mystery to solve, and perhaps a mate to claim… eventually.
I enjoyed my time in A Wolf After My Own Heart. Yes, there were times when the POVs were a bit cloudy at first, but that was soon cleared. While this certainly isn’t the steamy, sizzling shifter romance many readers are accustomed to, it’s still a love story that will entertain and definitely draw a chuckle out of you. I had fun here and look forward to the next visit to this series.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
The BeWere My Heart series continues with A Wolf After My Own Heart, a delightfully not really steamy but funny, lovable romance between two most unlikely people — and one adorable little runaway bear cub shifter who will steal your heart.
I enjoyed Lila and Oz’s adventures very much yet I do want to mention that this author’s sense of dark humor, her delivery might not be for everyone – just keep on going for the story itself is entertaining and easy to slip into… for the humor, the mystery, and one adorable little girl if nothing else.
Lila is a human who drives a decommissioned ambulance, lives in a probably haunted house, and will soon discover that she lives in a paranormal town full of shifters of all types. She’s been oblivious to all this until she runs across a bear cub who seems to have attached itself to Lila. Well, being a teddy bear surgeon (yes, such a profession exists) not quite used to the real deal, Lila does her best when the baby bear keeps showing up – right up until she shifted into a little girl, then all bets were off. But that doesn’t mean that she’s about to abandon this precious little one, nope, not going to happen, even if she does have to deal with the sexiest male she’s come across in quite a while.
Oz might have been trained as an accountant but he longed to get out in the field and do the work he felt drawn to, helping the helpless. Yet on his first field assignment, things aren’t going quite to plan since the little bear shifter keeps escaping and refuses to believe that her parents were killed in a plane crash. Little Sally keeps giving him the slip and taking refuge with a human who Oz would very much like to get to know better – in different circumstances. Right now, he has a bear cub to protect, a mystery to solve, and perhaps a mate to claim… eventually.
I enjoyed my time in A Wolf After My Own Heart. Yes, there were times when the POVs were a bit cloudy at first, but that was soon cleared. While this certainly isn’t the steamy, sizzling shifter romance many readers are accustomed to, it’s still a love story that will entertain and definitely draw a chuckle out of you. I had fun here and look forward to the next visit to this series.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
February 18, 2021
The zany and crazy starts off really fast in this novel. An ambulance that isn’t an ambulance, wolves where there shouldn’t be, crazy pizza delivery guys that really aren’t, kids that aren’t exactly kids, a house that is rumored to be cursed and a heroine just trying to put down roots and have a normal life. She has no idea what she’s in for.
One very unusual, but charming and eccentric detail is how the inner wolf-speak is so different than an adult’s articulated speech. It’s almost childlike, you know, innocent, simple, repetitive and very, very enthusiastic. The author used that technique to good effect whenever the hero was in his furry form.
Another cute aspect of the novel is the building community. Lila meets the main characters of her neighborhood at warp speed, from trespassing, to bear repair, fairy bread and repairs of doors busted of their hinges. Odd hours, odd conversations and Oz loving the fact that Lila is not only capable, but seemingly unflappable, calm and has a gun and not afraid to us it. The teenagers find her cool, little Sally trusts Lila and the adults slowly do the same. I like Lila’s personality, and Oz’s reaction to her is charming and cute. True, he can be formidable, he is a werewolf after all, but when it comes to the heroine, he’s a handsome, well-dressed lovable marshmallow.
Speaking of Sally; she’s a pivotal secondary character that is integral to the plot, mystery and pace of the story. I enjoyed how I was introduced to her, how she won the hearts of all the other characters and how helping her, helped solve a much bigger and serious plot thread.
I startled my hubby so bad when I barked out a huge HA! at the part with the shorty robe. Then I snickered. Those two sentences in that scene totally tickled my funny bone. So, yes, there is a smorgasbord of reasons to smile during this novel, so even though the fires, drama and a bit of suspense is to be taken seriously, the author managed to keep the overall feeling of the novel, upbeat.
There are truly too many points, fun parts, interesting character interactions, dialogue and surprises to do justice in explaining how much I enjoyed the story. There were a few language choices that I personally cringed at, but take them out of the picture, and A Wolf After My Own Heart is a perfect MaryJanice Davidson read. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I like this one a lot better.
One very unusual, but charming and eccentric detail is how the inner wolf-speak is so different than an adult’s articulated speech. It’s almost childlike, you know, innocent, simple, repetitive and very, very enthusiastic. The author used that technique to good effect whenever the hero was in his furry form.
Another cute aspect of the novel is the building community. Lila meets the main characters of her neighborhood at warp speed, from trespassing, to bear repair, fairy bread and repairs of doors busted of their hinges. Odd hours, odd conversations and Oz loving the fact that Lila is not only capable, but seemingly unflappable, calm and has a gun and not afraid to us it. The teenagers find her cool, little Sally trusts Lila and the adults slowly do the same. I like Lila’s personality, and Oz’s reaction to her is charming and cute. True, he can be formidable, he is a werewolf after all, but when it comes to the heroine, he’s a handsome, well-dressed lovable marshmallow.
Speaking of Sally; she’s a pivotal secondary character that is integral to the plot, mystery and pace of the story. I enjoyed how I was introduced to her, how she won the hearts of all the other characters and how helping her, helped solve a much bigger and serious plot thread.
I startled my hubby so bad when I barked out a huge HA! at the part with the shorty robe. Then I snickered. Those two sentences in that scene totally tickled my funny bone. So, yes, there is a smorgasbord of reasons to smile during this novel, so even though the fires, drama and a bit of suspense is to be taken seriously, the author managed to keep the overall feeling of the novel, upbeat.
There are truly too many points, fun parts, interesting character interactions, dialogue and surprises to do justice in explaining how much I enjoyed the story. There were a few language choices that I personally cringed at, but take them out of the picture, and A Wolf After My Own Heart is a perfect MaryJanice Davidson read. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I like this one a lot better.
February 26, 2021
A Wolf After My Own Heart by MaryJanice Davidson is the 2nd book in her BeWere My Heart series. We meet our heroine, Lila Kai, as she comes across a bear cub, whom she brings to her new house (it is cursed and run down), and though she is human (stable), Lila finds herself protective of the little girl (Sally). What Lila will discover is that her house is in shifter territory, but with her finances so low, she is content to live there. Lila is smart and savvy, and also a teddy bear (stuffed) doctor.
Oz Adway, our hero, is a wolf shifter, who works for IPA (Interspecies Placement Agency) and takes on the assignment of finding Sally Small, who was recently orphaned by a plane crash, killing her parents. Oz lives with his mom, and two adoptees, and his were scent (Sally), pushes him to check out Lila’s house, who he immediately finds himself attracted to, despite she being a stable (human). Sally has a tendency to run away often, but meeting the other local young orphaned shifters (Dev & Caro) living next door, she always comes back to stay in the basement of Lila’s. We also get to spend a lot of time with Annette Garsea (previous book heroine), who will work with Oz to discover the mystery of Sally’s family. Did they both die, since someone is calling Sally to stay safe with Lila?
What follows is a wild adventure with a crazy group of shifters, including the orphans (I actually like Dev, Caro and Sally the best) that have you either laughing or rolling your eyes. I did like Lila, as she was a very good heroine, who had no problem dealing with shifters; Oz was a hunk and a nice guy, but I personally didn’t really feel the chemistry between them, though they there were likeable.
After a lot of chaos that destroys Oz’s family house, and has them all staying at Lila’s run-down house, the last third of the story line becomes an exciting and intriguing adventure, putting them in danger, with their lives on the line. A Wolf After My Own Heart was a good story line, with some really great characters. I will say that I found the wacky humor a bit overdone, with a lot of frenzy and confusion throughout. If you enjoy a paranormal romance, with lots of crazy wild humor, then you should be reading this series.
Barb
The Reading Cafe
Oz Adway, our hero, is a wolf shifter, who works for IPA (Interspecies Placement Agency) and takes on the assignment of finding Sally Small, who was recently orphaned by a plane crash, killing her parents. Oz lives with his mom, and two adoptees, and his were scent (Sally), pushes him to check out Lila’s house, who he immediately finds himself attracted to, despite she being a stable (human). Sally has a tendency to run away often, but meeting the other local young orphaned shifters (Dev & Caro) living next door, she always comes back to stay in the basement of Lila’s. We also get to spend a lot of time with Annette Garsea (previous book heroine), who will work with Oz to discover the mystery of Sally’s family. Did they both die, since someone is calling Sally to stay safe with Lila?
What follows is a wild adventure with a crazy group of shifters, including the orphans (I actually like Dev, Caro and Sally the best) that have you either laughing or rolling your eyes. I did like Lila, as she was a very good heroine, who had no problem dealing with shifters; Oz was a hunk and a nice guy, but I personally didn’t really feel the chemistry between them, though they there were likeable.
After a lot of chaos that destroys Oz’s family house, and has them all staying at Lila’s run-down house, the last third of the story line becomes an exciting and intriguing adventure, putting them in danger, with their lives on the line. A Wolf After My Own Heart was a good story line, with some really great characters. I will say that I found the wacky humor a bit overdone, with a lot of frenzy and confusion throughout. If you enjoy a paranormal romance, with lots of crazy wild humor, then you should be reading this series.
Barb
The Reading Cafe
February 2, 2021
A Wolf After My Own Heart was for me a completely fun and satisfying read. It's the second (I think) of a series, and it was my first (I think) Mary Janice Davidson novel. The first sentence--possibly the best first sentence I've read in a long time--suggested that I was in for a cheeky ride, and that first sentence didn't lie. Davidson's prose is as snappy as her dialog; if I have any criticism, it would be that my fuzzy quarantine brain couldn't always keep up.
Lila Kai is a Stable (plain old biped) who has just moved--unbeknownst to her--into a neighborhood of Shifters. Her story isn't immediately known; it unfolds slowly during the course of the book, with little bits coming out when appropriate to the rest of the story. What is clear straight off is that she's unconventional, witty, and hard to shock. Oz Adway, a wolf Shifter, is immediately drawn to her, suspecting she's his mate in the way that Shifters (not just this author's) are wont to do. They're joined by a cast of characters, almost entirely Shifters, that will make you wish you could move into Lila's rented house too (read the book).
Lila and Oz's romance is secondary to a storyline about an orphaned werebear cub and Shifter supremacists and all the chaos that comes with it. Lila is welcomed into the Shifter fold as they all work together to figure out what happened with the cub's parents and why everything keeps catching fire (read the book).
I didn't feel like I needed to have read the first book (Annette and David's story) to follow this one at all, though I definitely wish I had just so I could savor the characters more. I'm hopeful there will be more in this series for sure.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!
Lila Kai is a Stable (plain old biped) who has just moved--unbeknownst to her--into a neighborhood of Shifters. Her story isn't immediately known; it unfolds slowly during the course of the book, with little bits coming out when appropriate to the rest of the story. What is clear straight off is that she's unconventional, witty, and hard to shock. Oz Adway, a wolf Shifter, is immediately drawn to her, suspecting she's his mate in the way that Shifters (not just this author's) are wont to do. They're joined by a cast of characters, almost entirely Shifters, that will make you wish you could move into Lila's rented house too (read the book).
Lila and Oz's romance is secondary to a storyline about an orphaned werebear cub and Shifter supremacists and all the chaos that comes with it. Lila is welcomed into the Shifter fold as they all work together to figure out what happened with the cub's parents and why everything keeps catching fire (read the book).
I didn't feel like I needed to have read the first book (Annette and David's story) to follow this one at all, though I definitely wish I had just so I could savor the characters more. I'm hopeful there will be more in this series for sure.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!
January 17, 2024
-4 stars. a good story with not too much romance. i'm kind of romanced out at the moment. i enjoyed all the stuff going on that wasn't romance. and i do love this authors sense of humor.
"her pale blue socks read 'fuck off, i'm reading'." [i need socks like that!]
"Oz had wondered aloud if giving naughty kits their favorite foods was a disincentive. Mama had speared him with A Look and explained that nutrition and discipline were entirely unrelated. Mama never punished by withholding food. to her, that wasn't punishment, it was abuse."
"the nice thing about new trauma is that you got a break from your brain's reruns." [i can entirely identify with this]
"if they ask, would you tell 'em that we seemed super sad and contrite?"
"i could, but then they'd laugh themselves into hernias."
"sorry, sometimes i'm on auto-snark."
"if a shifter dyed their hair purple, was their fur purple too? so many questions."
"constantly throwing shade without saying a word might be your superpower."
"why are the people who grow fur and run around on all fours staring at me like i'm the weirdo?"
"people assumed most of the damage was caused by the fire itself. they discounted what happened after firefighters spend half an hour spraying water into their living room at three hundred gallons per minute." [my townhome building got struck by lightning and suffered *extensive* water damage, but no fire damage.]
"don't be an overbearing man-jackass hybrid. a manass. don't do something for her own good while leaving her out of the conversation. it's condescending and tacky."
"let me help or i'll make a fucking nuisance of myself the likes of which you've never seen."
"her pale blue socks read 'fuck off, i'm reading'." [i need socks like that!]
"Oz had wondered aloud if giving naughty kits their favorite foods was a disincentive. Mama had speared him with A Look and explained that nutrition and discipline were entirely unrelated. Mama never punished by withholding food. to her, that wasn't punishment, it was abuse."
"the nice thing about new trauma is that you got a break from your brain's reruns." [i can entirely identify with this]
"if they ask, would you tell 'em that we seemed super sad and contrite?"
"i could, but then they'd laugh themselves into hernias."
"sorry, sometimes i'm on auto-snark."
"if a shifter dyed their hair purple, was their fur purple too? so many questions."
"constantly throwing shade without saying a word might be your superpower."
"why are the people who grow fur and run around on all fours staring at me like i'm the weirdo?"
"people assumed most of the damage was caused by the fire itself. they discounted what happened after firefighters spend half an hour spraying water into their living room at three hundred gallons per minute." [my townhome building got struck by lightning and suffered *extensive* water damage, but no fire damage.]
"don't be an overbearing man-jackass hybrid. a manass. don't do something for her own good while leaving her out of the conversation. it's condescending and tacky."
"let me help or i'll make a fucking nuisance of myself the likes of which you've never seen."
January 1, 2026
Very sweet and funny shapeshifter romance. Shapeshifters are real, and a lot of them live in St Paul suburbs. But humans aren't supposed to know about them. I really liked Lila as our human narrator, who, you know, HAS A BRAIN AND EYEBALLS, so she keeps uncovering things about the shapeshifters around her. Who panic. How can you know? Who told you?!? Nobody, I just observed. It was a refreshing and entertaining change from a lot of these stories. There's a handful of precocious kids and teens, providing actually funny commentary and plot devices. Protection of a lost werebear cub. A slow burn romance. Good banter. It actually made me laugh out loud several times. Felt wholesome and sweet, and spice levels were low (until the very end chapter when suddenly there's a graphic spicy time. Which felt like an abrupt tonal change. It didn't upset me, but made me curious about the intended audience. Because generally there are those who want lots of sexy times and those who would prefer the book pan to the fireplace, as it were. I personally am fine with either. But it did feel like an abrupt change that meant I now had to give a caveat when recommending it to my more prudish pals. Well, prudish feels judgmental and that's not my intent. But those who prefer their romances sweet and not spicy, this is 95% sweet and then a dash of cayenne at the finish). Regardless, had me laughing and smiling throughout. Decent mystery investigation, too. There's some glimpses of darker storylines, however, as the magical Child Protective Services is involved, and allusions to bad events in the first book, which I hadn't read, so just FYI. Some real-world bummers in the background.
March 1, 2021
A great follow up to Bears Behaving Badly.
We met Oz in Bears Behaving Badly, that book was his foster sister Annettes story. Oz and Annette work in social services dealing with children in need, but it’s social services with a difference as they are shifters and deal with shifter children. Mamma Mac their old foster mother lives next door to new arrival Lila, also living there are her two foster children Clair and Dev. Lila is new to town, she is what they call a “stable “ a person with only one form, in other words human not shifter. On her first day in the new neighbourhood (which is all shifters) Lila comes across a bear cub wondering round an alley, it has an injured paw and is very friendly so Lila takes it home to care for and call animal services. Surprise surprise the bear cub transforms into a little girl, after Lila gets over her shock she takes care of Sally—- the cub——- then there’s a crash at her kitchen door and a strange man comes barrelling into the room, Lila manages to manoeuvre him into falling down the stairs into the cellar, this is her first meeting with Oz who has come for Sally, he’s her caseworker, or was till she ran off. Now, Oz has to get himself out of the cellar and explain himself to Lila hopefully before she calls the police. So starts a really entertaining read. With some truly laugh out loud moments.
We met Oz in Bears Behaving Badly, that book was his foster sister Annettes story. Oz and Annette work in social services dealing with children in need, but it’s social services with a difference as they are shifters and deal with shifter children. Mamma Mac their old foster mother lives next door to new arrival Lila, also living there are her two foster children Clair and Dev. Lila is new to town, she is what they call a “stable “ a person with only one form, in other words human not shifter. On her first day in the new neighbourhood (which is all shifters) Lila comes across a bear cub wondering round an alley, it has an injured paw and is very friendly so Lila takes it home to care for and call animal services. Surprise surprise the bear cub transforms into a little girl, after Lila gets over her shock she takes care of Sally—- the cub——- then there’s a crash at her kitchen door and a strange man comes barrelling into the room, Lila manages to manoeuvre him into falling down the stairs into the cellar, this is her first meeting with Oz who has come for Sally, he’s her caseworker, or was till she ran off. Now, Oz has to get himself out of the cellar and explain himself to Lila hopefully before she calls the police. So starts a really entertaining read. With some truly laugh out loud moments.
March 11, 2021
MaryJanice Davidson is a new-to-me author. But she is on my list now! A Wolf After My Own Heart is delightful. Loads of snark and humor are mixed with a variety of characters – everyone of them is full of personality!
And style. This book is full of style. The hero drives an orange car. (Oh, sorry, Sunset Metallic.) The heroine drives a decommissioned ambulance. If that is not style, I don’t know what is. And there is quite a bit of speaking in italics. Yes, it is a thing and it is very stylish.
Going back to the hero and heroine (Oz and Lila), their occupations are accountant and Teddy Bear surgeon, respectively. It takes a lot of cheekiness to make a hero out of an accountant. Think about it. And Teddy Bear surgeon is just plain cute!
Interwoven into the story are a number of socio-political references. (guns, reactionaries, racists, succession of power and the evolution of a certain political party). These are not subtle, so prepare to laugh or be offended. I laughed…..soberly.
A Wolf After My Own Heart is part of a series but absolutely okay to read even if you have not read book 1. But don’t blame me if you then want to go back and read book 1.
Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
And style. This book is full of style. The hero drives an orange car. (Oh, sorry, Sunset Metallic.) The heroine drives a decommissioned ambulance. If that is not style, I don’t know what is. And there is quite a bit of speaking in italics. Yes, it is a thing and it is very stylish.
Going back to the hero and heroine (Oz and Lila), their occupations are accountant and Teddy Bear surgeon, respectively. It takes a lot of cheekiness to make a hero out of an accountant. Think about it. And Teddy Bear surgeon is just plain cute!
Interwoven into the story are a number of socio-political references. (guns, reactionaries, racists, succession of power and the evolution of a certain political party). These are not subtle, so prepare to laugh or be offended. I laughed…..soberly.
A Wolf After My Own Heart is part of a series but absolutely okay to read even if you have not read book 1. But don’t blame me if you then want to go back and read book 1.
Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 13, 2023
Checked out this one a bunch of times but never got around to reading it until this week, when I was just in the mood for some goofy paranormal romance. This qualified, but I'll say that compared to the first in the series, Oz being a werewolf was oddly sort of tangential to the story. I mean, him being a Shifter and part of the larger Shifter community WAS the plot, but the actual physicality of him turning into a wolf was surprisingly minor (somewhat to my disappointment). I'd been hoping for an oddly sexy werewolf accountant, and didn't QUITE get what I'd been craving.
That said, I still enjoyed the fanfiction-y, jokingly meta writing style, the quirky characters and wild romp of a plot. Like the first, it had some surprisingly dark elements considering how silly it is at the same time. And if you're looking for a steamy read, this isn't it. (Not a problem for me-- I'll take a tame slow-burn every day-- but if you're looking for a paranormal romance because you want to read some werewolf boning, this ain't it.) The plot was a little convoluted (like the first, but maybe even more so), but I can mostly forgive that because I still enjoy the author's voice.
I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first, but it was still a very solid romance/sitcom/action drama. I'd happily read more by this author.
That said, I still enjoyed the fanfiction-y, jokingly meta writing style, the quirky characters and wild romp of a plot. Like the first, it had some surprisingly dark elements considering how silly it is at the same time. And if you're looking for a steamy read, this isn't it. (Not a problem for me-- I'll take a tame slow-burn every day-- but if you're looking for a paranormal romance because you want to read some werewolf boning, this ain't it.) The plot was a little convoluted (like the first, but maybe even more so), but I can mostly forgive that because I still enjoy the author's voice.
I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first, but it was still a very solid romance/sitcom/action drama. I'd happily read more by this author.
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