Review of Badger to the Bone (Honey Badger Chronicles #3) by Shelly Laurenston
Badger to the Bone is the third book in the series the Honey Badger Chronicles.
Max "Kill it Again" MacKilligan is crazy. Certifiably. At least that's what Zezé Vargas thinks when she throws herself into the van of men sent to kidnap her in order to escape someone more deadly.
Zé has infiltrated the kidnappers as part of an effort to take down the organization and its leader, and he hopes to rescue the woman, but then she attacks and is joined by other women who exhibit some strange traits as they annihilate everyone but him.
Max is shocked that Zé doesn't know what he is, but the panther shifter needs some guidance, so after he sustains a head injury in the fight, she takes him home to Queens to recover and introduces him to the world of his kind. Zé is more than a little shocked, but takes to learning the ins and outs of his new life.
But there are plenty of enemies out in the world who want Max dead, and people are still hunting her father. And now Freddy seems to have gotten himself into even more trouble.
This book wasn't nearly as good as the first two. It was funny, but not as funny, and there wasn't much romance at all. Minor flirting, a handful of kisses, and one night of sex. Then declarations of devotion. I felt little chemistry between them to be honest, and that's a killer in a romance novel. Especially one with so little actual romance.
I grew somewhat bored with the novel about halfway in. There wasn't much happening besides Max introducing Zé to the shifter world, but they were mostly things the reader already knows from reading the first two books. His reactions to things were funny, and seeing characters from the first two books were nice.
The climax disappointed me. It was understated and almost swept under the rug, and the characters involved surprised me because it wasn't what I expected, and probably not what most readers would expect. And not in a good way.
On a positive note, I have discovered that this is an ongoing series, not a defined trilogy as I originally thought, with a new book due out this year. Several new characters were introduced in this book, and the next book involves some of them.
Character development was good mostly, but not as good as previous books. Almost like the author had trouble connecting with Max. Zé's development was better, and his reactions to things were very catlike, and became more so as the book progressed. That was entertaining. His character development almost made up for a lack in Max's. Her character was full and thriving, but it didn't mature and develop over the course of the book. She stayed much the same and didn't have a lot of inner conflict.
As with the other books, descriptions were fantastic. I knew where I was and what I was looking at. Action was clear, including the sex. The way the actions reflected the animal the character shifted into made them even more entertaining. I wish the places were a little clearer, though.
Dialog was great. At times hilarious, and at others serious. It really added to the story and filled it out.
While the book had many pitfalls, much of the writing was excellent, just like the first two books, giving it a higher rating than I would have given it otherwise.
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