Born to Be Badger by Shelly Laurenston – Dual Review

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Bookbub

Description:
Emily “Tock” Meyerson-Jackson is on a mission to rid the world of shifters trafficking humans for hunting and cash. And now that she’s narrowed down her suspects to a brutal coalition of male lions, nothing will get between this honey badger and her prey—not even a dog-loving Tiger with absolutely no time management skills. Doesn’t matter that Shay Malone is ferociously adorable. With a war brewing between cat families, Tock doesn’t have time to lounge around with a football-playing tiger shifter. But when she realizes the coalition is also responsible for the death of Shay’s father, she’s forced to partner up with the flirtatious feline. . . .

Revenge is most definitely on the menu for Shay and his tiger shifter brothers. But when it comes to Shay’s alluring partner in crime-solving, so is seduction. Tock might be a bad-ass of a honey badger, but she’s awfully cute when she’s flashing her fangs, which she’s pretty much doing all the time these days. Good thing revenge is a dish best served hot. Because when it comes to Tock, Shay knows just how to turn up the heat. . . .

Barb’s Review:
Born to be Badger by Shelly Laurenston is the 5^th book in her fantastic The Honey Badger Chronicles. I was happy that Laurenston was giving us more Honey Badgers, as this is such a great series, with so much fun from start to finish.  With the honey badgers being the center of this story, expect crazy badgers, violence, mayhem in a wild hilarious, pulse pounding story.  So many wonderful characters, with many from the previous books. No surprise, since everything Laurenston writes, is filled with not only great stories, but fun humorous laughter throughout each book she writes.

This book focuses around Emily (Tock]) and her magnificent honey badger team, and the start of a romance with Shay, a tiger (with his daughter Dani playing a big part in this story). Shay was immediately attracted to Tock, who loved his daughter, but she did not want him to be part their fight; when she learns that the coalition is responsible for Shay/Finn/Keane father’s death, she allows them to help.  Tock and her team are determined to stop shifters who are trafficking humans for a hunt or cash.  They set out to find them, only to discover that they are in the middle of an ambush.

Tock and Shay were a slow burn romance, with them being a great couple.  I loved how Tock and Dani became close, and loved the cute little puppies that Dani took care of. We got to see so many new characters, as well as many previous characters. Tock’s grandmother was a powerful badger, but Tock and her bonded team were so insanely amazing, with nothing stopping them.   I absolutely loved Charlie, who played a major role throughout the book. Everyone feared Charlie, especially with her amazing abilities; and always able to take control.  Not to mention that when Charlies was stressed, she baked, and all the bears, lions, wolves ran to get her baked foods.

What follows is an exciting adventure that was also fun-filled, with wild & crazy action, a fantastic group of characters, and so much laughter throughout.  In order to stop a coalition of shifters trafficking humans, the Badgers will team up with the badger family, lions and wolves to defeat the enemy and stop the war.

When it comes to fun, wild crazy antics, hysterical and exciting, no one does it better than Laurenston.  Telling too much more would be spoilers, and this is the kind of story that needs to be read and fully enjoyed.

Born to be Badger was another fun, hilarious story, with great characters, sweet romance, action, suspense and so much laughter.  I cannot wait for the next book.   If you have not read Shelly Laurenston, you are missing an author that always gives us fantastic stories, who should not be missed.

•••••••

Sandy’s Review: BORN TO BE BADGER is the fifth instalment in Shelly Laurenston’s contemporary, adult HONEY BADGER CHRONICLES paranormal, romance series-set in the author’s Magnus Pack and Pride Worlds. This is Amur tiger shifter and single father Shay Malone, and badger shifter Emily ‘Tock’ Meyerson-Jackson’s story line. BORN TO BE BADGER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several third person perspectives including Tock and Shay BORN TO BE BADGER follows several overlapping scenarios including the hunt for the person(s) responsible for murdering Finn, Keane, Dale and Shay Malone’s father; the take down of a human trafficking ring; and the ongoing investigation into a powerful drug created to take down the honey badger shifters.

Shay and his brothers are desperate to find the person(s) responsible for the murder of their father but without the help of some powerful shifters, Shay struggles to ferret out those responsible. Meanwhile, the honey badgers have been targeted, and Tock Meyerson-Jackson has found herself the victim of a powerful tranquilizer, a drug meant to incapacitate the violent badger. As part of a search and rescue team, that was ambushed, Shay becomes guardian and protector of our story line heroine, something Tock does not need in the face of her large extended vengeful family. The search for any and all suspects reveals a human trafficking ring and a possible connection to a larger coalition somewhere in Europe.

The world building is detailed, complex and elaborate with many references to a number of shifter sports league and powerful groups, including families and deep ops organization, most of whom we met in the PACK series. We are up close and personal with Tock’s broad circle of blood family and family by friendships, as well as the considerable extended matriarchal family of questionable cousins (The MacKilligans), aunts, sisters and close friends. If you have not read any of Laurenston’s previous story lines or series, I recommend starting with The Magnus Pack then the Pride Series where the author begins to build her fantastic shifter world full of snark and fun-you will have to have a sense of humor for some of the darker scenarios. Ultimately, all of the shifters are predators, and therefore, killing is part of the cycle of life.

The secondary and supporting characters are numerous, powerful and energetic.-wolves, bears, lions, tigers, hyenas, badgers etc. We are introduced to Shay’s brothers Finn, Keane and Dale, as well as his daughter Dani, and the return of several Van Holtz including Ric and Niles, and the Dunn Triplets. The requisite evil has many faces.

The relationship between Tock and Shay is slow to build as there is limited break in the action, the impending war between the badgers and everyone else, and the take down of the people responsible. The Badgers are a powerful and vicious group of shifters, a group that every other shifter fears the most. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

BORN TO BE BADGER is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, friendships and family, acceptance and love. Shelly Laurenston pulls the reader into a humorous and frenetic action-packed story of secret organizations run by animal shifters, and the fight for control. The fast paced, character driven premise is intricate and fantastic; the characters are determined, dynamic and boisterous; the romance is subtle.

;