Smash & Grab

RELIC #1

by Maz Maddox

My standard issued lab badge reads 'Simon' but it really should say 'unexciting nerd with no social life'

Don't get me wrong -- I love what I do with a passion, but it doesn't leave a lot of time for much else.

Especially romance.

While chipping away at my work, I'm suddenly the person between hired cartel muscle and the fossil that will define my career.

Which isn't the most insane part of the story.

My savior is a chaotic, bat-wielding punk with a bubble gum pink mohawk and a killer smile.

In a mad dash to escape the thieves, my knight in studded armor sweeps me across the country while hitting every tourist trap along the way.

While smuggling a fossil, might I add.

Oh, and did I mention this pink punk can shift into a dinosaur?

Genres: Romance, M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook, LGBT

190 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 17, 2020

About the author

Maz Maddox is the odd lovechild between a unicorn, dinosaur and vampire. The outcome is a human-like figure who inherited aspects of all three. She is a champion of logic and science, adores beauty and whimsy, and has a slight streak of darkness that dances the line of genius and insanity.

Residing in the wild land of cowboy boots and Shiner beer, Maz spends her time with her two dogs and a husband who she adores, and is constantly demanding that science gives her a pocket sized triceratops. The efforts of these demands have yet to be fulfilled.

When she’s not pining over the lack of chihuahua sized ornithischia, she’s a writer who loves crafting adventures tales sprinkled with humor, a hefty helping of romance, and topped with a happy ending.

Reviews

[☆ Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I mostly kept thinking while reading this fun and ridiculous story was:

"Wow, this book is what would probably happen if Chuck Tingle learned how to write legitimate plots a whole lot better."

It pulled me in right from the start and, with its well-paced tone and eventual progression to both steam and feelings, kept me fully engaged right up until the end. : )

The story itself was pretty over-the-top, but never really approached the line of "OMMFG, this shit is just *too* much", so I was happy with all of the insanity and outlandishness.

I loved seeing how Dalton's crazy, relic-recovering antics finally started softening Simon's absolute focus on a life filled mostly with his work as an archaeologist during their road trip to escape a group of murderous relic thieves.

And the "Mystery Hole". *snort*

The angst wasn't too bad, and never detracted from their newly-forming relationship, plus, the steam was also nice.

However, I really, really, REALLY could have done without the few scenes where Dalton was out hunting large game to eat. Hard pass on the gore.



I'd rate this unconventional story at around 4.25 stars, mainly due to how often it made me smile, and recommend it to anyone who admits out loud that they enjoy reading weird shit.

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[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

NAH BUT FUCK IT, I'M UPGRADING THIS TO ⭐5 STARS⭐ BECAUSE I KNOW THE JOY THIS WHOLE SERIES OVERALL MAKES ME FEEL. EVEN THE WEAKEST BOOKS IN THE SERIES SLAP SO HARD.


I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my lord and saviour......... Kirt Graves.
He is also a gift from above. 🙏🙏


The way I would throw myself off a bridge for ANY of the silly goofy Dino’s in this series, if they asked me to is RIDICULOUS.
Please give it a go.
It’s so silly.
It’s just fun.
It’s just happiness.
No thoughts necessary.
Don’t think about the lore too deep.
Shhhhhhhhhhhh.
I want you to have some of this because I think you’ll like it. So in the car on the way home I can say “wasn’t it good?”. I can’t wait to talk about it later. I wish we were in the car right now.




I had to go back and upgrade to a 4⭐, because these books get better the further you go in. The found family vibes you feel by the end of book 3 OooOOOOOFT.
Dalton (shape-shifting dinosaur man with a pink Mohawk mentioned below) keeps getting better through the books. He's like the annoying brother I never had.
This book is just in a silly goofy mood, don't take it or life too seriously ya know ✨✨✨


Old Review: Gave it a 3 because it felt weird to give a 4 to a book about a shape-shifting dinosaur man with a pink Mohawk 😂 but I actually did really like reading this book haha. The banter was really good, and despite how short it is, it actually fleshed out the characters enough to really enjoy them.

Realistically, I’d say it would have been better if the two mc’s had a chat after Dalton just left him with a note, and also they didn’t say “I love you” and u-haul after knowing each other like 4 days….
Again though, a good time was still had… Sometimes you just need a silly lil goofy read in between larger projects 😂✨

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow! This book is just Dinoperfection! I just am blown away how truly marvelous this book was! Ms. Maddox not only rocked with her world-building and her characters but she also managed to create a type of shifter that I have never encountered in any other book before. Not just that there are dinosaur shifters, she takes it far beyond just that. I'm not gonna say more cuz I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone. But trust me it is AWESOME!!! The last 15% of this book was gangbusters with awesome action! I fell for Dalton at square one, he is just so much fun and sexy as hell. Simon took a bit more time to grow on me but I ended up adoring them both and as a couple. This series is gonna be a barrel of laughs, plenty of hot smexy times and lots of tears of happiness!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

What a fun ride!

I have always loved dinosaurs. When I was younger, I went to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. and visited the dinosaur exhibit. And when I say “visited” I really mean that I impatiently dashed to the T. rex exhibit, trembling in excitement.

It was glorious! (Admittedly, I was small), but I remember being amazed at this large and scary predator. Those teeth!!! Terrifying! Today, (as an herbivore myself) I am much more enchanted with the gentle giant, the Brontosaurus (aka the Apatosaurus); can you tell I am still that geeky, dinosaur loving child-at-heart?!

That’s why this little gem of a story hit all the right notes for me. Thank you to the delightful Porcelaine for recommending it!

I have never read a shifter story with a dinosaur, and the creativity in this one was outstanding. The RELIC (Reclaiming Extinct Lineage from Illegal Collectors) crew are all awesome, and I’m excited to read more about each character/Dino as the series continues.

For me, the standout star of this story is Dalton, the “chaotic, bat-wielding punk with a bubble gum pink mohawk and a killer smile.” I imagine Dalton as this boisterous mix of Harley Quinn meets Deadpool. He is wild, funny, unpredictable, unstable, and completely lovable! Dalton is covered in bright tattoos, and is as delightful in one form as he is in another. If you’ve seen any of the “Jurassic Park” movies, you will probably be googling his dinosaur form just to double-check the description. At one point in the story, Dalton’s friend calls him a “killer turkey,” and now I’ve got this strange feathered turkey dinosaur image in my head!

Simon is a great foil for Dalton. Their differences highlight the best qualities of each other. Simon is a serious, work-driven paleontologist. When he is waxing poetic about his love of fossils, he doesn’t even realize that his words are like a love song to Dalton. It is a joy watching Dalton bring some fun into Simon’s life (even when things get a little out of control)!

This story would make an amazing movie, and I look forward to more from this delightful Dino crew. What fun!

Highly recommend!

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smash & Grab by Maz Maddox
Paranormal M - M dragon shifter romance. 1st book in the RELIC series.
Simon proudly considers himself a nerd as a scientist studying fossils. He would say he leads an uneventful life. Until the day a famous fossil is threatened and Simon is under protection from a pink Mohawk wearing dinosaur shifter!

Smashing series starter. So much fun with silly and absurd events that are sublime in entertainment value. A fast moving story where every dream of a paleontologist comes true. Dinosaur! Plus M - M (first time) romance.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Kirt Graves. The performance emphasizes the humor which made it enjoyable for me. It was a little difficult to tell whose POV it was as they traded, but each had enough of a different personality to determine it within a few sentences.
I listened to this at 1.5 for the best conversational speed.

[Eugenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relisten: June 2024!

Woot! Woot! 🙌❤️🙌❤️
Fun factor: 5 Stars!
Narration: 5 Star (it’s Kirt Graves, y’all!)
Story: 3.5 Stars

FINALLY! A book that I ENJOYED!

I don’t know about you, but the last few months have seen me starting and stopping books—sometimes after a few chapters, sometimes 1/2 through. NOTHING has been “UNPUTDOWNABLE.”

Nothing...UNTIL NOW! 👏👏

Here’s what’s included:
Paleontologist-nerdy and handsome (of course)
Punk rocker w/a pink Mohawk—snarky and badass
Fossil theft!
Cartel baddies
Dinosaur shifters!!! 🦖🦖 (my first! Squeeee!!)
Road trip
Tourist traps
Sexy times
Running from bad guys
HEA ❤️❤️

This was SO FUN to listen to! Dalton, our raptor shifter is FREAKING ADORABLE!! I want Dalton of my own, but, alas, it’s Dr. Simon who gets the bad boy at the end!

The story isn’t deep, but I didn’t give a rat’s ass! I FINALLY HAD FUN READING/TO A BOOK!!

My rec? Hell yeah!

My rec?

[Rachel Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh this book was just so refreshing! It is the dinosaur shifter mm romance I didn't know I needed until I started reading and just completely fell in love with Dalton.

RELIC stands for Reclaiming Extinct Lineage from Illegal Collectors - although Dalton wanted to call it Fossil Assessment and Recovery Team (yes, FART). That's just the kind of person Dalton is. Dalton might look tough on the outside with his piercings, tattoos, and pink mohawk, but he's kinda a big softie who loves being the little spoon. He's also a raptor shifter. He works with a team to find others like him and also make sure that dinosaur fossils go to their rightful home, not illegal collectors.

Simon is a paleontologist, happily going through his routine and daily life when suddenly he's on the run from guys looking to take the fossil he is uncovering, and his only chance at protection is to stick with Dalton, the guy who mysteriously shows up to save him.

The two start out on a road trip from NYC to TX, and on the way Dalton wants to make all these stops at tourist traps, and I just loved it. I seriously loved Dalton, you guys, he was just snarky and sweet, and called Simon Sugar Bear to annoy him but also because he loved him, and it was just so sweet.

We also get to meet some of the other guys on the RELIC team - who are different types of dinosaur shifters, and I can't wait to get their stories! Seriously, you can tell that Maz knows her dinosaurs! And OMG I loved the bit where Simon realized that he just human-'splained what a raptor is to Dalton.

I definitely recommend this one, it was just a quick, sweet and sexy and fun read!

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Dinosaur (ish) shifters? Who would have thought they’re so much fun!

I admit that I went in blindly, I had this book on my audio tbr mainly because it was included in my Audible subscription and because it’s narrated by Kirt Graves.

Imagine my surprise when I started having so much fun listening that I started to grin and even burst out laughing at times. It’s so much fun. It’s the story of Simon, a palaeontologist, who gets in the way when a group of gangsters break in at the museum he’s working in and try to steal a dinosaur egg. But never fear, help is on its way in the form of Dalton, one of the “Relics”, a group of dinosaur shifters who try to return fossils to their origin (and look for others like them). Dalton is chaotic, loves to blow things up and cause mayhem, wears a pink mohawk - and is immediately attracted to the nerdy “pretty Simon”. A straight Simon I might add.

Simon’s gay/bi awakening is brief, and I know it’s not realistic, but COME ON. We’re reading a book about dinosaur shifters here, so there’s no better place to suspend your disbelief, right?

I had a lot of fun with this “gay Indiana Jones” book, and I’m definitely picking up the next one as I type this review 😬

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Near DNF, but I slogged through it.

Dino shifters are a cool idea in theory, but the concept wasn't well executed here.

Dalton isn't a mere dinosaur shifter. I mean, he is now, but he used to shape-shift into all kinds of prehistoric creatures. Then he slept as a bug for 65 million years and woke up human in the 1980s.

The fuck, you say? That's what I said too.

On top of that opium dream of a backstory, Dalton is a caricature of the too-cool-for-school, hyper dude bro on steroids.

I think his personality was supposed to be endearing, but I just found it hella annoying. He never stopped with the quips and jests.

Simon the paleontologist is whiney and kind of boring. He's supposed to be having a big bi awakening, but there is no emotional complexity behind this. He just kind of accepts dick, and that's that.

The plot, and I use that term loosely, consists of Dalton and Simon running away from some thugs who want to steal a priceless egg fossil.

Dalton has this advanced security team looking out for him, but the thugs keep finding them and beating them up.

Dinosaurs had small brains, so maybe that's why?

The whole thing is a silly, meandering mess.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok so...
Kirt Graves = epic narration naturally.
He was just amazing in this!

there are a lot of thing I love about this book...
- The snark and banter
- Dalton was just a hoot to read about...so funny and airy.
- Simon...pretty Simon was so sweet and nervous most of the time. it was adorable.
- The snark... I mentioned that already? Well yeah cuz it was awesome.
- The World building is very unique..
- The Dinos!! My science teacher heart was so happy with all the REAL FACTS in this book.
- The snark.... Third Time's the charm
- The one sex scene was hot too... I need more though..

A bit of insta-love but I dint mind it. It was cute.

[M.I.A · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a quirky little story!!^_^
**4.25 Stars**

Fresh, original and entertaining as hell.
Seriously, such lovable characters.

Dalton is a mischievous, playful dinosaur shifter with a bright pink mohawk, bubblegum Doc Martens and a body riddled with tattoos. He's perpetually naked and turns everything into an adventure.

“When I see you, all I want is to shake my tail, feed you rabbits and keep you safe.”
He blinked, his mouth open a moment as he wrangled his words. “That...is both the weirdest pick up line I’ve ever heard, and the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Pretty Simon is a paleontologist caught up in the greed of a fossil collector who's connected with the cartel. Simon is adorably nerdy, sensitive and finds himself falling for a man for the first time in his 30+ odd years of existence. I loved his lack of resistance towards his new sexuality discovery, super refreshing.

These two are so incredibly adorable together!!!!
I only wished I got a bit more relationship growth, world building and story length but one cannot have everything *shrug*. Despite those niggles, I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Highly recommend if anyone is looking for something different, adorable and fun in the shifter universe!

Cannot wait to continue this series!! Also definitely checking out more of Maz Maddox's work <3 <3

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first dinosaur shifter book and it was so fun!! Nothing like my experience of watching Jurassic Park as a young kid and being absolutely terrified - honestly it's thirty years later and I still get jump scared and massively tense whenever I watch it 😂😂

I really liked that Dalton is a type of Raptor and how playful he was in both forms. Simon being a paleontologist made him the perfect man for Dalton and his awe just made me smile so much.

This was a really nice introduction to the series and I'm super intrigued about the rest of the brothers, the T-Rex especially because I know I would absolutely die on the spot if I saw one in front of me 😂😂 there'd be no time for them to convince me they weren't going to brutally murder me!!! Very interested to see how that plays out...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly, kind of bonkers storyline. Gay dinosaur shifters is not what I expected to be into reading but I happily went along for the ride. Whilst I didn’t find it a particularly sexy read it was very sweet to discover that hunting for rabbits is this dinosaur’s love language.

Nerdy palaeontologist + pink mohawk dino shifter pleased my inner geek but their ridiculously quick ILY’s and rather bland relationship wasn’t overly engaging romance-wise so lower expectations here. Overall, this was a fun and easy read, as always - better enjoyed with friends 😊🦕🦖

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4**** stars


Well this was DELIGHTFUL!

Dalton and Simon together were delightful, so much fun to watch.

Turned out, Simon was not a morning guy. My offers of manhandling his dick were met with grumbled pleas for coffee and five more minutes of snoozing. I let him snooze so I could watch him sleep a little longer. He was a precious, snoring prince in the morning. He also drooled, which I tucked away for later teasing.

Definitely a first for me reading about dino shifters. And wasn’t Simon just the dang cutest when he found out that Dalton and his team were real life dinosaurs? THE EXCITEMENT!! My favorite moment for sure.


Sweet romance although emotionally not super impactful. Still enjoyed it tho.

Luckily, I had Simon with me, who was the best backseat hot nurse one could ask for. He snuck me candy and let me sleep on him for most of the trip. If I had to pick a shoulder to drool on, it would be his.

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RELIC Series

Book 1 - Smash & Grab - 4.0 stars
Book 2 - Sink or Swim - tbr
Book 3 - King & Queen
Book 4 - Lost in Amber
Book 5 - Gardens & Ghosts

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5 stars ⭐️

“And as for me, I’m your knight in spiky armor.”

Completely in love with this shifter series. Who knew I needed gay dinosaurs in my life?
The road trip adventures were so fun, the action well paced and the characters so sweet.
I already know Dalton is going to be my favorite of the series.

“When I see you, all I want is to shake my tail, feed you rabbits, and keep you safe.” He blinked, his mouth open a moment as he wrangled his words. “That...is both the weirdest pickup line I’ve ever heard and the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

CW and tropes(spoilers):
- Dinosaur shifters
- Queer awakening
- Bodyguard trope
- Strict top/bottom dynamic on page
- MC with tattoos

POV: 1st person, dual

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this and I listened to it on audio and I really loved the narration with Kirk Graves, he bumped up my rating from the last time I read this!!! Dalton I just adored with kid like personality and his protectiveness with Simon. 🤗

[Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first dinosaur shifter story and it was seriously cute!

[Megan [Slump City]]

MM Romance
Dino Shifters
No Rating


🎧Included with my Audible Plus subscription🎧

🎵Narrated by Kirt Graves🎵 I love this narrator however I had just listened to him on an epic series and all I could hear were those characters 😭


So I’m choosing not to rate this because I read it at the wrong fucking time. I had just listened to Nox & Anubis by Adrienne Wilder and that series rocked my world but finishing it put me in a major slump and I wanted something fun to pull me out of my funk. And this was fun so in theory it should have worked. However, there were two unforeseen problems with my plan.

1. Kirt Graves narrated Nox/Anubis too so I could only hear those characters.
2. While Nox/Anubis are way more in depth than this book, they still had a scientist who was rescued and on the run from crazy people. Instead of Dino shifters, it was Anubis shifters.

So it was really, really hard for me not to compare what I was reading and nothing was going to beat the books that had put me in the 5 star hangover slump to begin with. Therefore I’ll be returning to this series at a later date because I loved Dalton 💗

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinosaur shifter romance!? I never thought I would be interested but this was actually a fun read!

Smash and Grab is the first book in the Relic series that focuses on a group of dinosaur shifters. This first installment follows paleontologist Simon who spends most of his free time in the office. After getting kidnapped by a group looking to steal a fossil that Simon is working on, he is rescued by the infamous Dalton. The two embark on a fun adventure as Dalton attempts to keep Simon safe.

What Worked: Shout out to Stef from NovelTeaCorner for the recommendation. I'm not sure what video these books were including in, but I know that I had not heard anything about them before her content. This is my first time reading Maz Maddox, but it won't be my last! It's a shorter book so there isn't a lot of room for extensive plot and/or character development, but I really enjoyed the story that we got in this first entry. Dalton and Simon are polar opposites, but the chemistry was undeniable. It was cute getting perspectives from each one of them as they attempt to navigate their feelings for each other. It made for a lot of heart-warming/beautiful moments in the text. I also enjoyed the world building. Granted it wasn't a lot, but I was so interested in learning more about how this group became shifters and what they know or don't know about their pasts. I'm hoping that this is explored more in the other books.

Overall, this was a fun read! I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

[Clara's Book Lab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what a good time this was! It’s a silly goose -sorry a silly velociraptor type book! 🤭💅🏻

The storyline is all fun and goofy, but still heartfelt and the writing went down as easy as shoving down a plate of dino nuggies 🦕🦖✨

Did I just give this bite-sized shapeshifting dinosaur smut a 5 star? Yes, yes I did! I couldn’t find anything that I didn’t like about this book, so here you go: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Stacie]

Super cute M/M dino shifter (what?!) x paleontologist road trip adventure shenanigans. Audiobook is 5.5 hours so an absolutely perfect quick fun read. Spice included!

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes! It's as good as everyone says. A fun and unique twist on the abducted/body guard turned lovers story, plus some really creative info about dinos. (And it's a terrific love story too.)

Audio by Kirt Graves, need I say more? Gah, I adore him.

[K.A. Merikan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just so fun and adorable. Dalton was the epitome of COOL. SO funny and cute. The audio narration was fantastic too. Now I want to listen to the whole series. The premise for this series is just so offbeat and I absolutely loved it.

[PineappleLo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fun and I enjoyed every single page! A snarky dinosaur shifty who loves to be the little spoon? Yes, please! Dalton is one of my favorite new characters. He had the perfect level of dry humor that I appreciate in a character, but is often hard to pull off. Such a delightful read.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very very very silly book, it’s funny, it has very to no angst and it’s entertaining, so if you love dinosaurs/ Jurassic park and boys who love boys this is the series for you!

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

You ever see a book discussed that has a completely batshit insane premise but all the reviews you see are favorable and as a result your curiosity is immediately piqued? That was this book for me.

This was a light and uncomplicated adventure romance between Simon, the (newly bisexual) paleontologist and his punk rock and sunshine body guard Dalton… who also happens to be a dinosaur shifter? And they have cute flirty adventures as they try to escape the Mexican cartel fossil hunters hunting them.

Truly a bonkers premise. Lots of fun though, I read it in a single sitting and did not regret it at all.

Also hunting and providing rabbits as a language of love- adorable.

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - this was cute!

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC!

[Bon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fast paced. Only slightly disappointed that the, uh, important parts happened in human form.

[BevS · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Audio Review***

Quirky, fun read/listen from Maz Maddox. Dinosaur shifters 🦕🦖...it's my first one, and I would be very surprised if any other stories out there featured Dinos. Kirt did a good job as per usual.