Review of Hot and Badgered (Honey Badger Chronicles #1) by Shelly Laurenston
Hot and Badgered is the first book in the series the Honey Badger Chronicles.
Grizzly Bear shifter Berg Dunn is shocked when a beautiful naked woman drops out of the sky onto his hotel room balcony followed by men trying to kill her. He gives her a tee shirt and his best gun, and then the honey badger shifter is gone.
Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is a survivor along with her two half-sisters. Nothing is more important to her than her sisters except maybe wiping the earth of her idiot father whose screw ups land on an epic scale, like the time he tried to sell her genius younger sister to Peruvian drug lords.
When Charlie and Berg meet again a short time later, Berg has to remind her how they first met. He's instantly drawn to her and wants to help. The girls' last safe house didn't work out so well, so they take his offer. They find themselves living in a bear neighborhood across the street from Berg and his siblings.
Berg sticks by Charlie's side while she navigates her messed up family's violent and criminal tendencies.
I passed over this book at the library a couple of times because of the absolutely terrible title, but I eventually read the blurb and was intrigued. The book was romantic, violent, and laugh-out-loud funny.
All the characters in the book are vibrant with full personalities, quirks, and behavior patterns. They were the most vibrant characters I've read in a long time. And they were hilarious!
Berg's tender feelings toward Charlie lead him to accept her sisters at face value even as they baffle him. He helps her in her quest to save them from her father's stupidity and takes on security gigs to help her in her efforts. His brother and sister back him up and slowly warm to the sisters.
Charlie's focus was her sisters, but she slowly envelops Berg into her life. He grows on her and she accepts his siblings into her life alongside him. Her tenderness to his enormous dog was cute, and the way she inches her way into depending on him was heartwarming.
The world-building was fantastic. I learned the rules of the shifter world, quirks of different species, and how they all interacted with ease. The insertion of shifters into modern-day New York made it seem like they'd always been there, and if I walked around enough neighborhoods in Queens, I'd find one filled with bears.
The dialog was very strong, full of comedic quips and no cheese. Each character had their own catchphrases and attitudes, making it easy to keep track of who was speaking even without a tag. The way the characters interacted and spoke was chock full of comedy gold. I couldn't get enough.
Descriptions were great, with the locations easily pictured through compact descriptions, and action sequences were accurately mapped out and easy to follow.
The tension was laced with comedy, and the bumbling idiot of a father made for funny moments when he'd pop in and immediately get caught. The sisters' ability to deal with trouble through effective violence or stealth (or both) made the tense sequences riveting, and the conflict weaving through the whole thing as Berg gently inserts himself into Charlie's life and she continues to fight for her place in the world made the whole thing tie together.
This was a surprisingly excellent read that I'm glad I took a chance on, despite the terrible title.
Comments
Post a Comment