Title: The Mane Squeeze ReRead
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Pride #4
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: 2009

I’m going to call it – Gwen is the best lion / lion hybrid in the whole of the thus far published books in Laurenston’s Shifter World. There is just something about her that I adore (and her best friend is Blayne, which is hilarious). She still has that cat-like desire to mess with absolutely everybody and everything. But, unlike Bo and the Shaw Brothers, she isn’t a needless self-centred jerk. Rather, most of her “messing with others” is in retaliation. It’s not because she feels entitled to anything really in particular.

Add to the fact that Gwen is an awesome lion mix, I also love that Lock is the first bear of the series. Laurenston’s take on shifter bears as a pretty chilled and easy-going bunch is great. I love how simply he just takes on all of Gwen’s nonsense. Until he decides that he’s actually upset over something – and then the bear is absolutely not calm anymore. This is kind of how I imagine bears are like in real life, not that I’ve actually had any exposure to this. But it makes me happy that Laurenston’s version fits into my internal ideals of bears.

I think one of the reasons I struggled so much more with The Mane Attraction was that I was aware how annoying Mitch was going to be in The Mane Squeeze. He is just such a self-centred moron. One that really isn’t being protective in any way, shape or form. Just being an entitled, opinionated jerk. Although, I do love how Blayne chooses to manage him, giving hints into just what she is actually capable of… to be fair though, he does ultimately pull back when he finally realises the outskirts that Gwen is constantly living on.

I  have briefly been introduced to Roller Derby in the past, through a movie (I can’t remember the name of it). But Gwen’s reentry into that world was really my first ever true introduction to this sport. And I’m absolutely fascinated. I have no coordination on skates, otherwise, this would 100% be the kind of sport that I would love to do. Just maybe without the “House Catting” aspect that Gwen chooses to introduce when she finally loses her temper…

<- The Mane Attraction ReRead

Beast Behaving Badly ReRead ->

Image source: Amazon