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Hot and Badgered
by Shelly LaurenstonSeries: Honey Badger Chronicles #1
Published by Kensington on March 27, 2018
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: eBook
Pages: 418
Source: Library - Libby
Audience: 18+/Adult
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It’s not every day that a beautiful naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn’s hotel balcony. Definitely they don’t usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she’s gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she’s a honey badger shifter, it’s too late. Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He’s trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He’s cute enough that she just might let him tag along—that is, if he can keep up . . .
I’ve been in the mood for a funny PNR, so I was glad to find Hot and Badgered on Libby. This book had been on my TBR list for a while, and I finally made time to read it. It had also been some time since I read a shifter romance.
This was my first Shelly Laurenston book, although I have read her books under the G.A. Aiken pen name. I enjoyed Hot and Badgered, but I did have some issues, which I’ll discuss later.
This was my first book with a honey badger shifter as the main character, and she’s also part wolf. I enjoyed learning about Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan and her sisters, who share a deadbeat father who constantly puts them in danger. In Hot and Badgered, they’re on the run from people trying to kidnap or harm them thanks to their father’s life choices. Usually, they don’t accept help, but this time, some bear shifters, especially Berg Dunn, who is a character in the book and is growing fond of Charlie, insist on protecting them.
I loved the dynamics in this book and the different shifters being mentioned. I loved getting to know all three sisters: Charlie, Max, and Stevie. Max is the one you don’t want to cross and prefers to handle things her way. Stevie, who has been in a mental health institute, is scared of everything, especially bears, and with good reason. All three made the book interesting, and I loved reading this book because of them.
The romance that develops between Charlie and Berg wasn’t a major focus. It was present, but developed slowly and only came together at the end. The main focus was on the sisters’ troubles and how Berg and his family helped them. It didn’t bother me that the romance wasn’t really heavy in this book because I was more interested in the sisters and how they were going to fix what their father messed up this time.
My main issue with the book was keeping up with the many characters and the sometimes scattered storyline. I had to reread parts to make sure I didn’t miss anything, especially when new secondary characters appeared. Aside from that, I enjoyed the book, though it won’t be a favorite.
I plan to read Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series, since some characters from this book appear there. I only found this out by reading other reviews, and even though I didn’t read that series, it didn’t affect me while reading this book.
Overall, I give this book 3.5-stars. Despite its issues, I’ll continue the series because I want to know more about the MacKilligan sisters. The humor especially appealed to me; I laughed so much while reading that my stomach hurt. I’m glad I picked it up and can’t wait to read more from this author.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you want a funny PNR, this is a book I think readers will enjoy, especially if you’ve read Shelly Laurenston’s books before.
Audiobook Review: I listened to the book and recommend the audiobook if you enjoy listening to your books. Traci Odom was a fabulous narrator who brought the story and characters to life, making it very enjoyable.
What to Expect:
✔️Paranormal Romance
✔️Shifter Romance
✔️Opposites Attract
✔️Funny – Laugh Out Loud Moments
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