Title: The Beast in Him ReRead
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Pride #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2008
The Mane Event and Shaw’s Tail might have loosely introduced the New York Smith Pack and all of their insanity, but it’s not until The Beast in Him that I became truly enmeshed in Laurenston’s Shifter World. Both in my first read, and this reread, I might have enjoyed the four novellas the preceeded this, but it was Bobby Rae and Jessie Ann’s story that really solidified my desire to dive into this series and story. Particularly because I absolutely adored Jessie Ann’s total and utter insanity, and Bobby Rae’s unshiftable will, regardless of what course and action he chose to follow.
I love that, paranormal tropes, Wild Dog insanity and just a whole lot of crazy aside, The Beast in Him, at its core is a second chance romance. Bobby Rae and Jessie Ann may not have actually been a couple in a past life, but they definitely have some history. And that history leads to some pretty decent hang ups. Mostly on Jessie Ann’s behalf, but that just made her refusal to dive right in all that much more fun. And some of the games she plays prior to letting Bobby Rae back into her life all that much more hilarious.
As the true start of the Pride series (at least in my mind, the four novellas are prequels), I love that Laurenston begins to introduce the idea of prejudice against hybrids. Nothing really obvious, but the occasional insidious comments here and there. It’s even better that all of this prejudice comes from external sources, and quite frankly, both Bobby Rae and Jessie Ann just do not care. Once they’ve both decided on a path, they stubbornly stick to it. Even if that path is towards one another and annoys untold individuals.
One of my favourite parts ever about this book though has to be the unity in Jessie Ann’s Pack of Wild Dogs. I, personally, am a big fan of the African Wild Dog, so I loved how Laurenston was able to create shifters in this image. Not only do they work fantastically as a team, but their joy and pleasure in each other that I’ve witnessed in real life just leaps off of the pages. As does their love for their pups… something that I totally understand, and I kind of wish I too had a pack of chocolate-obsessed weirdoes surroundign me and my own pups.
As much as I loved all of this story, I still found Bobby Rae’s stubborn adherence to his ideals to be frustrating. I mean, he’s decided what Jessie Ann deserves without discussing any of it with her. And, although he feels that he is being kind, honest, and open with her. He is actually being incredibly sexist and disrespectful. Luckily for my enjoyment and sanity, Jessie Ann absolutely calls him on this and makes him actually treat her with equality, not just parts of equality.
Earth and Skye 
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