Badger to the Bone

Shelly Laurenston

Mar 2020 · The Honey Badger Chronicles Book 3 · Kensington Books

About this eBook

An Amazon Best of the Year Selection

“When it comes to combining offbeat humor and mayhem, it is tough to beat Laurenston.”
—RT Book Reviews
 
She’s the woman he’s been hired to kidnap. But ZeZé Vargas has other ideas . . . like getting them both out of this nightmare alive. Just one problem. She’s crazy. Certifiably. Because while he’s plotting their escape, the petite Asian beauty is plotting something much more deadly . . .
 
Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan has no idea what one of her own is doing with all these criminal humans until she realizes that Zé has no idea who or what he is. Or exactly how much power he truly has.
 
But Max is more than happy to bring this handsome jaguar shifter into her world and show him everything he’s been missing out on. A move that might be the dumbest thing she’s ever done once she realizes how far her enemies will go to wipe her out. Too bad for them Zé is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her alive . . . and honey badgers are just so damn hard to kill!  
 

Ratings and reviews

***4 Stars*** I totally NEEDED this. I needed an insane, OTT, WTEF. make me laugh/snort out loud read to simply take me away from the reality we are living in and put in another one and this book did that for me. Now, as I’ve said before, I don’t really read these books for the romance, I read them for the crazy, unique characters that populate them and this one is chock full of them. Max and Ze, being the MC’s as far as the budding romance is concerned, were a lot of fun. Max is beyond...well, simply beyond, but what I loved about her is that regardless of everything, her sisters are her priority ~ even when it comes to pissing them off. Ze was a bit unexpected but he fit right in with everyone, even when he didn’t realize it. Their journey was simply crazy and fun and considering their differences, they made a great couple. Then there Charlie, Berg, Stevie, Shen, Dutch and everyone else ~ even the baddies ~ gave me everything I needed. I loved seeing how their relationships have grown, or not depending on who we’re talking about. But they all kept me on my toes along with a huge grin on my face the entire time. I would recommend you do not read this as a stand-alone and start from the beginning. Everything is tied together, and a few characters from the Pride series show up (they are set in the same world). Also, expect the unexpected and if you have any issues with violence and blood, then you should tread carefully. ~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

4.5 stars--BADGER TO THE BONE is the third instalment in Shelly Laurenston’s contemporary, adult HONEY BADGER CHRONICLES paranormal series-a spin off from the authors PACK, and PRIDE series. This is honey badger /basketball player Max MacKilligan, and jaguar shifter, former US Marine and Black Ops member ZeZé Vargas. BADGER TO THE BONE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary but for back story and cohesion I recommend reading the series in order. Told from several third person perspectives including Max and Zé BADGER TO THE BONE follows several paths but continues to focus on the MacKilligan half- sisters: badger/ wolf Charlie; honey badger Maxie, and badger/ tiger Stevie MacKilligan. In the aftermath of an abduction in the Netherlands of badger shifter Max MacKilligan. Max is surprised to discover one of her would-be rescuers is a jaguar shifter, a shifter who is unaware of his DNA. Upon return to American soil, Max would become ZeZé Vargas’ mentor in an effort to acclimate her foundling ‘kitty’ into the unfamiliarity of the shifter world but everything continues to spiral out of control as the fractured and broken MacKilligan family dynamic targets our heroine from a number of sides. What ensues is the slow building relationship between Max and ZeZé, as Max, along with Charlie and Stevie, must come to terms with the fall-out of their father’s life. Like their human counterparts, the shifter world is constantly at war. From secret military organizations, to illegal money laundering, and the battle between shifter nations, specieism and discrimination are at the heart of everything that continues to go wrong. The MacKilligan family’s reputation is well known in the world of the shifters but Charlie, Max and Stevie are a weapon unto themselves. When another ‘secret shifter’ organization recruits Max to help shut down a human trafficking ring, Max knows, not only will her sisters be by her side, but her basketball shifter team that will always have her back. Once again, as per Laurenston’s style of writing, the back and forth, frenetic energy between characters and situations is fast paced, humorous, snarky and fun. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters-many whom we have me in this (who doesn’t love the bears) and the author’s previous series, as well as the introduction of more members of the cat nation, and a surprising addition to the MacKilligan family. The premise is imaginative and thrilling; the characters are spirited, sassy and playful; the romance is passionate and enticing.

Badger to the Bone is the third book in Shelly Laurenston’s Honey Badger Chronicles and continues where the previous two left off – trailing the trials and tribulations of the MacKilligan sisters, Charlie, Max, and Stevie, as they deal with their supremely odd and messed up extended family. In this book, we get to see Max, arguably the most daring and crazy of the three sisters meet – well, not her match but rather someone who’s willing to look past all those flaws of hers. Just as with the previous two novels in the series, Laurenston’s interesting sense of humor and love of kooky characters shines through. The sisters and the shifters who share their world are zany and over the top in the best way possible. This, combined with their penchant for getting into situations that often end in violence, is a recipe for entertainment. And I think that’s the best way to describe a series centered around honey badger shifters – entertaining. Most shifter series/romances tend to focus on the bigger predators, i.e., lions, wolves, bears, etc. so these books truly bring something new to the table and force you to reconsider the ferociousness of the honey badger. I highly recommend reading the first two books in the series before moving on to Badger to the Bone. There are a lot of interconnecting plotlines that begin and are carried out throughout the previous two books that continue in the third. The different points of view (and there are a lot) can often become confusing – which is my only real issue with the books. It’s hard to remember all the key players and who is related to whom and why they want to kill so-and-so. If you’re looking for a book chock full of humorously psychotic characters, strong sisterly bonds, and more than a little violence, this is for you. What you lose in the fast pacing and barrage of information, you definitely make up for in humor and that makes it worth the read. *ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

About the author

Shelly Laurenston is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Pride, Call of Crows, and The Honey Badger Chronicles, as well as winner of the RT Book Reviews Readers' Choice Award for her 2016 novel, The Undoing. When she’s not writing about sexy wolf, honey badger, lion, and other fang-filled predators, she's writing about sexy dragons as G.A. Aiken, the acclaimed and bestselling author of the Dragon Kin series. Originally from Long Island, she now lives on the West Coast and spends most of her time writing and making sure her rescued pit bull doesn’t love everyone into a coma. Please visit her online at www.ShellyLaurenston.com.