Review: Big Bad Beast

Title: Big Bad Beast
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Pride (Book 6)
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Buy: Amazon / B&N
Click here to read an excerpt

When it comes to following her instincts, former Marine Dee-Ann Smith never holds back. And this deadly member of a shifter protection group will do anything to prove one of her own kind is having hybrids captured for dogfights. Trouble is, her too-cute rich-boy boss Ric Van Holtz insists on helping out. And his crazy-like-a-fox smarts and charming persistence are making it real hard for Dee to keep her heart safe....
Ric can't believe his luck. He's wanted this fiercely independent She-wolf form day one, but he never expected teamwork as explosive as this. And now is has last chance to show Dee what she needs isn't some in-your-face Alpha male - but a wily, resourceful wolf who'll always have her back in a fight...and between the sheets.

Review:
I absolutely love Shelly Laurenston's writing. She does an excellent job of mixing action, sex, and humor in her books. I love how the women are kick ass and take no crap from their mates. This book was so freaking funny. Especially during the 4th of July weekend when all the shifters were under one roof. I had forgotten how much fun it is to have bears and lions in the same place. Lock and the Shaw boys are priceless and how can you not love the term "House Cat Someone". (OK, for those of you that have read this series you know what I mean and the ones that haven't, don't judge me. Read it, already!)

Dee-Ann and Ric's book has been in the works ever since they meet a few books ago. They have been the couple I've been waiting to see get together and I was not disappointed.

We get a glimpse of the two as young kids in the prologue and it was love at first site. Well at least for Ric. I love how Dee's father, Eggie and Ric's "Uncle" Van warns them both that Smith's and Van Holtz are enemy packs and they don't mix. The 6 year old Ric informs Van that it's ok he can wait until he is older to nail her.

As adults the two work together in The Group, an uncover protection group for the shifter community, working on finding who's behind the dogfights that involves kidnapped hybrids. Ric is Dee's supervisor and has been trying for months to get Dee into his bed but she keeps blowing him off but not in the way he would like. But for Ric it's not just about sex, he truly cares for Dee-Ann and knows that the fastest way to scare her off is to tell her how he feels. So he uses is wolfish craftiness to get her to chase him into bed.

Even though Dee is the She-wolf of every one's nightmares we get to see a softer side of her that is looking for a place to fit in. And after some knife fights and a tempted kid napping, Dee finally realizes that she has found the mate she didn't know she was looking for and that she feels totally at home with the supermodel, rich-boy.

As I've read this series I've really enjoyed the characters and their dramas. It's a world where best friends, brothers, sisters, and cousins have all mated/married into a large group that is now becoming a mix match family of shifters. And I'm glad that we get to see so many of the characters from past books in this one.

This is one of the series I can't wait to read the next book and I had this one pre-ordered for months. Come on any shifter series that has hybrids like polar bear/lion mix is something you need to read.

My Rating: 3.5

Series Reading Order:
The Mane Event
The Beast in Him
The Mane Attraction
The Mane Squeeze
Beast Behaving Badly
Big Bad Beast

Shelly Laurenston also writes under the name G.A. Aiken. To learn more about this awesome author, check out her website. http://www.shellylaurenston.com/