Title: The Beast in Him
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Pride #2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2008

Smitty and Jessie Ann are a wonderful and fun couple. I mean, you have two canine shapeshifters to start with. I’m obviously going to love that. And then, there’s also the whole childhood history and prejudices that are so obviously present in the Shifter World. I loved that Jessie Ann is an African Wild Dog shifter – not a shifter that I’ve seen very often, and one that I really enjoyed. I also loved how Laurenston highlighted the differences between the two types of shifters.

Jessie Ann might be small with a history of being a bully victim, but she is incredibly tough. I seriously enjoyed all of the ways in which she led her Pack and found a way to compensate for the size difference. Particularly when she decides to enact her revenge on Sissy Mae. She also continuously fights with Smitty to make sure he sees her as an equal, not someone who is smaller and weaker.

Smitty’s parents are secondary characters in Like a Wolf with a Bone, and I didn’t get overly attached to them in that story. But, their manipulations and energy in this novel was brilliant. I absolutely adored them and found their antics quite funny. Don’t get me wrong, I would HATE the idea of having such people as my parents, but it was still quite an entertaining plot driver.

I honestly read this paranormal romance from cover to cover. I thought that the characters were lovely, and the romance passionate, with a little sweetness rubbed in. Although, I must say, that I loved the Wild Dog Pack the most. I really want more of them in my future readings!

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The Mane Attraction ->

Image source: Shelly Laurenston