Title: Big Bad Beast ReRead
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Pride #6
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2011

There is something delightful, if not unexpected about Ulrich and Dee Ann that I really enjoy. They are a great couple who immediately connect, outside of everyone else’s expectations and prejudices. It’s a bit of an opposites attract kind of story, but more so, for me, about two people connecting in that unexplainable way and just accepting each other for who they are. I also completely love that it is the woman who is the kick ass powerhouse, and the man who is content to stay at home and literally cook for his partner.

Not only is this a great romance that I want to read again and again, it is also the very start of the Group actually figuring out who is behind the hybrid hunting horrors. This is the start of the peak of this series story arc for me. The lead up thus far in the series has been all about realising that there is someone preying on their outcasts, but now it’s all about actually getting the individual / individuals who are behind this. It leads perfectly into the drama, violence and action of the next three books and the rest of the Pride series.

As a very food driven individual, I love that part of Ric’s seduction of Dee Ann is through food – he literally just keeps feeding her and accepting her regardless of what nonsense she brings to his door. Honestly, outside of his feeding her, he has absolutely no strong opinions about her life and her choices. This easy acceptance was really beautiful and I absolutely adored the dynamic  which is created. Plus, you know… descriptions of yummy food.

Big Bad Beast is a great reminder that even those who seem big, scary and intense, really aren’t like that. They might have a slightly different moral compass and drive to others. But, ultimately, in the case of characters like Dee Ann, it still comes from a caring place. Just not one that I would be able to mimic anytime in my life. Laurenston does such a great job of humanizing the drive of the big bads and giving them an acceptance and home that is absolutely beautiful.

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Title: Beast Behaving Badly ReRead
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Pride #5
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: 2010

Honestly, Blayne is one of the most insane and unhinged characters I’ve read in a while. And, even on the reread, I still stand by that assessment. I completely adore her special brand of nuts, but that doesn’t take away from how truly unhinged she is. And yeah, after reading the other romances later in the series, I would probably want to purposely annoy and aggravate Blayne’s permanent perkiness and friendliness. I mean, my brain does work a lot like Blayne’s – jumping from moment to moment, thought to thought, but my behaviour is a whole lot less friendly when I’m doing so…

Contrasting to Blayne, Bo is just not a friendly man. He also has some of the worst tunnel vision ever. I mean, what is it about men and not being able to compromise? Because, whilst Bo’s tunnel vision and unwillingness to alter his own plans is painful, it is 100% believable based upon the men in my own life. I absolutely adored how Blayne sees this single-minded intensity, and interprets it as being a serial killer. The whole male version of resting bitch face (resting bastard face?) is so believably serial killer like. And, even though this was a reread, I couldn’t help but laugh constantly at Blayne’s first reactions to Bo’s intense regard.

Blayne may seem like a neurotic, ever-cheerful character, and when I started reading this series, I 100% thought that she was. Yet, as this story unfolds, more of her true self comes out. I particularly love her hidden talents and just how dangerous and manipulative she truly is. I don’t actually know if I could’ve enjoyed reading about a forever cheerful character who thinks that there is a positive in everyone. But reading about an optimist who can secretly kick your ass? Yeah, that’s way more my speed. It’s a great reminder that the persona we show the world is often not our inner self and what we are truly capable of.

Everything about Beast Behaving Badly had me laughing and smiling throughout. There is just something so unconventional and random about this couple that made me laugh. Honestly, Blayne and Bo have got to be the most off-kilter couple in this whole series (which is saying something), but they just work beautifully. Honestly, this kind of story and unexpected characterization is exactly what I love about Laurenston’s writing and why I keep coming back for more and more.

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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…

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Title: The Mane Attraction ReRead
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Pride #3
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

From my first read of The Mane Attraction, I really enjoyed Sissy Mae, I mean, the woman is chaos personified. But, on this read through, I didn’t quite enjoy her as much. And honestly, I felt kind of the same about Mitch. Yes, they were fun and I had a good laugh, but I didn’t quite love them as much on this read through. I think because some of the chaotic nature seemed a little bit more malicious in nature. Something I just wasn’t expecting.

Having said (written) all of that, I did absolutely adore the scene in which Sissy Mae just absolutely destroyed her brother. He had spent the entirety of The Mane Attraction seriously pissing me off with his attitude. And, honestly, Sissy Mae spends so long putting up with his shit and just ignoring it, that when she finally cracks… Chef’s Kiss. Slightly unnecessary violence, in the most beautiful manner. I mean, the woman does need to get revenge, and she works as a beautiful catalyst for the changes in her home town Smith Pack.

Honestly, my favourite thing about this book is Sissy Mae and Ronnie Lee’s friendship – they are truly a Ride or Die friendship. One that is definitely insane, but also incredibly loyal. It’s a pretty decent reminder of why someone like Sissy Mae, for all of her slightly bored / malicious tendencies, is the “Alpha” of her Pack. She is truly loyal to those she cares about. And she is also able to comfortably manage those around her, sometimes in more sublte ways that the original read throughout indicated.

The willingness of female lions to hunt for their somewhat lazy males has always astounded me. And I love that this is reflected in Laurenston’s writing. This whole story is a battle with the Shaw brothers thinking that they are constantly entitled to all of the food. And then the Shaw brothers being absolutely terrified of all of the nonsense that their women put them through with their driving… wonderful and seriously hilarious.

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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.

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