The Mane Event

It is sort of silly on my part, reviewing The Mane Event. I mean, let’s face it, Shelly Laurenston is a well-known Paranormal Fantasy author (read, more shifter sex than shifter adventure, but there ya go). I really do try to review mostly unknown and Indie authors. This book has, as of this moment, 135 reviews on Amazon, and mine is just one more. But I have to tell you, the reason I am reviewing? Well, because I laughed my ass off!!! And I mean that in a good way, not a “I laughed because the book was so bad I couldn’t help myself.” Instead, I laughed because Shelly Laurenston is just darn FUNNY! I laughed long, and loud, and with tears running down my cheeks and the occasional “OMG I am going to have to change my underwear show more soon” sort of laughter I haven’t been able to enjoy in a very long time. There is, of course, a lot of sex in the book, as is to be expected from the genre, so one must keep that in mind. However, the dry wit, subtle humour, and occasional outright outlandishness of the book more than make up for the sex scenes, if you aren’t a person that likes that sort of thing. And if you do like that sort of thing? Well, those parts are well written and hot as heck – so what’s to lose by immersing yourself?

This book is really a ‘two-fer’ in that there are two complete, and yet tied together stories included. In Christmas Pride you first meet Mace Llewellyn, former Navy SEAL, now retired, and the only Pride Breeding Male of the Llewellyn line. Well, at least he would be a Pride Breeding Male if he would stand for that sort of bull. Instead, he is determined to track down and capture Desiree “Dez” McDemot, his true ladylove since the age of fourteen. Even if capturing requires ‘taking care of’ any other male who happens to have the misfortune of being in the path of his goal. Imagine his surprise, therefore, when Dez is on site as the lead detective on the murder case currently being investigated at the Pride home. Now, the chase is on, and Mace has no intention of letting Dez escape – Bronx accented, tough, Puerto Rican, full-human that she is. A chase that infuriates Mace’s sister, Missy, “f'king queen of the Serengeti” and leader of the Llewellyn pride. The very rich, very entitled and elitist, and very purist leader of the Llewellyn pride. Allowing Mace to claim Dez is absolutely NOT on Missy’s agenda - especially as Petrov, the only other Pride Breeding Male in residence has just been murdered.

While the mating chase of Mace and Dez is funny, interesting, and hot as a cast iron skillet just out of the oven, what is really interesting is the murder mystery. What happened to Petrov? How did someone get to him, and who-dun-it and why? There is something going on here, something that could put the whole Llewellyn pride in danger. And the fact that Dez is the person in charge of finding out what drives Missy right out of her ‘tree’ and leads to a plot that is much more serious than anyone could have expected.

Add then there is Mace’s friend and fellow soldier Smitty and his pack. “Pack and Pride, dog and cat’. . . the military created strange bedfellows.” Especially when Mace is rich and entitled, and Smitty is a no-holds-barred Tennessee redneck. With Smitty and his pack now firmly ensconced along with Mace in New York while they set up their security business, the opportunities for hysteria are numerous.

The second story in the book is Shaw’s Tail. We meet Brendon Shaw at the climax of the previous novel, as he is located in the tunnels beneath the city by Dez and the wolf pack. Severely wounded by a vicious hyena pack and barely able to stand, Brendon is rescued and taken to hospital – but not before getting a whiff of something wonderful, powerful, and delicious – and catches a glimpse of a pair of beautiful hazel eyes. Oops. Cats and dogs, anyone? For Brendon Shaw is a proven Lion Breeding Male, and his new obsession is in no way, shape, form, or fashion going to be acceptable to Missy! Because Ronnie Lee Reed is a redneck Tennessee Hillbilly Beta wolf, with attitude to spare.

Stuck with babysitting duty in the hospital with Shaw by her Alpha female, Sissy Mae Smith, Ronnie is in for a lot more than just babysitting duty. When Shaw takes down two strange humans with jackal scent all over them in his hospital room, Ronnie whisks Shaw away to her aunt’s house in Long Island, only to have Shaw’s ‘healing fever’ cause a world of trouble for her, and a world of hysterical laughter for me. Can we all say “full grown lion doing the Mamba in the neighbor’s front yard?” And then there is always the doggy “play bow,” front down, ass in the air (and do you think he is EVER going to live that one down . . .?)

There is action and adventure in this story line, hot nookie and laughter, and a good dose of mystery and suspense. All in all? I am now deeply addicted to Shelly Laurenston and her Pride Series. If you like paranormal romance with a good dose of mystery, action, and laughter, you can’t go wrong! show less

This review first appeared on A Weebish Book Blog.

THE MANE EVENT is the first novel in the Pride series, a beloved series I often go back to when I want something familiar or sure to put me in a good mood. Laurenston’s books are funny and sexy, and they’re a favorite re-read. THE MANE EVENT features the first two stories in the series, and introduces us to some entertaining furry friends the series will star in upcoming books.

CHRISTMAS PRIDE
It took me a few months to strum up the courage to buy this book. I’d heard wonderful things but had never read anything by Laurenston before. I soon discovered Laurenston is laugh out loud funny, and her books get sexier in every book. She excels at keeping a reader entertained, throughout all show more her books, no matter the size of the series. I absolutely loved Christmas Pride. She dug her claws in and kept me intrigued until the end.

“Cats attach themselves to one person.” He raised his head to glare at Smitty. “We just don’t let them know.”

Mace and Dez were best buds in high school high school and were secretly crushing on one another until Dez and her family moved out-of-town. Twenty years later, when Mace leaves the Navy and returns home, he realizes Dez is back in New York and a police detective for the NYPD. His love for her has continued to grow over the years, and his plan to hunt her down and make her fall for him has just got easier… Or has it? Anytime he tries to spell out his feelings for her, she flees. To say she has commitment issues would be putting it mildly. Unfortunately for Dez, Mace is a “tricky cat” and no isn’t a word in his vocabulary.

Another wonderful aspect about THE MANE EVENT is the characters. They are all well-rounded and I couldn’t help but wish they all got their own story! You either hate these characters or love them. You may even want to bash a chair over their head and boss them around—but there’s never a blah moment to be had. One thing that truly kills a book for me is not feeling a connection to for the characters. What’s the point of reading a book about characters you care nothing for? I don’t have this problem with Mace, Dez, or any of the characters. In fact, I may have a not so mild obsession with most of them.

“I don’t like to be fucked with, Llewellyn.”

“Then you shouldn’t bend over and hand me the lube.”

Mace is so cute in his adoration for Dez. Okay, he’s cute regardless. At times I can see he’s literally a cat marking his ownership and he’s jealous of any attention she shows to others, even her pets, which I found truly hilarious. He’s also a gentleman, and incredibly ungentlemanly in bed. In a good way. Snort.

Dez is the type of woman I crush over. She’s extremely direct, kinda dangerous, and downright sexy. Plus, she shares a love of chocolate that I really relate to! I dig this women so hard and I like that she’s just as mischievous as Mace. They’re such a fun couple.

All-in-all, this story gave me a love for Shelly Laurenston, and started my attraction to humorous paranormal romance books.

SHAW’S TAIL
If I had any doubt that Christmas Pride was Laurenston’s one hit wonder, Shaw’s Tail proved them wrong. I fell more in love with the characters, especially Brendon who I was curious about in the first story. The writing is as brilliant as ever and I enjoyed reading Ronnie’s story and how she interacts with her big, overprotective brothers—one of my favorite familial themes in romance.

Shaw’s Tail is the story of how Ronnie Lee Reed, Sissy’s best friend and trouble making cohort, nurses Brendon Shaw back to health after he survives a deadly beating by a pack of sketchy lions. Brendon has two children with the Llewellyn Pride, and they’re two adorable but rambunctious children. Ronnie was ordered to stay with him until he got released, but she didn’t bet on him coming down with the shifter fever, and wrecking havoc on New York City… and her panties.

Ronnie Lee Reed is a fun she-wolf who’s decided it’s time to settle down and stop getting into trouble, a difficult task to accomplish while babysitting feverish lions who can’t keep it in their pants (and when your best friend is Sissy Smith). Plus he’s crazy sexy. What’s a she-wolf to do, but to keep him around until she gets bored?

Ronnie’s head tilted to the side. Is he…? Yup. He was doing the mambo. Paws crossing over paws. Head bopping to the beat. Thick, regal mane waving in the cold December air. He actually wasn’t too bad. For a big cat doing the mambo.

While I loved Ronnie and her outrageous—and sometimes illegal—sense of fun, I crushed harder on Brendon. He’s just too cute not to love. Laurenston has a talent for creating some cute and furry heroes. He’s über sensual yet adorably silly. He was the cause of a lot of giggle-snorting on my end. LOL.

THE MANE EVENT was freaking awesome. I strongly urge all shapeshifter/paranormal romance junkies to pick this book up. It’s totally worth the laughs, cuteness, and furry fun! show less

The Pride series is a series I frequently go back to when I don’t want to read review books, or I’m just in a slump. Laurenston’s books are funny and sexy, and always get me in the mood… for reading, of course. ;) The Mane Event features the first two books (or rather, novellas) in the series, and introduces us to the main characters that the series will be featuring.

Christmas Pride – five stars

I admit it took me a few months to strum up the courage to buy this book. I wasn’t the hugest fan of shifter romances, after quitting the Anita Blake series (I don’t want to talk about it. -.-) Thankfully, Laurenston and Laurell K. Hamilton aren’t even in the same ballpark. Laurenston is laugh out loud funny, and her books get show more sexier in every book. She excels at keeping a reader entertained, throughout all her books, no matter the size of the series. I absolutely loved this story, and thought she did an excellent job of pulling me into the story, and keeping me intrigued all the way to the end.

Another great thing about this author is the character development. They are all well-rounded, to the point I kept thinking, damn, I hope all these characters get their own story! You either hate these characters, you love them, and you may even want to bash a chair over their head and boss them around, but there’s never a blah moment. I don’t know about you guys, but the one thing I hate is not feeling anything for the characters in a book. What’s the point of reading a book and having zero connection? There is no point, and I’m glad I don’t have this problem with Mace, Dez, or any of the characters. In fact, I may have a mild obsession with most of them. hehe.. *ahem*

“Cats attach themselves to one person.” He raised his head to glare at Smitty. “We just don’t let them know.”

Mace and Dez have known each other since high school, and secretly crushed on one another for just as long. Twenty years later, when Mace leaves the Navy and comes back home, he realizes Dez has moved back to New York, and achieved her dreams of becoming a police detective. His love for her has grown over the years, and his plan to hunt her down and make her fall for him has just got easier… Or has it? Anytime he tries to spell out his feelings for her, she flees. To say she has commitment issues would be putting it mildly. Unfortunately for Dez, Mace is a “tricky cat” and no isn’t a word in his vocabulary.

“My family moved, Mace. To Queens. My sisters and I went to a different school. I assure you it was nothing personal.” He stared at her. “It wasn’t!”

Mace is so cute in his adoration for Dez. Okay, he’s cute regardless. At times I can see he’s literally a cat marking his ownership, and he’s jealous (in a cute way, not in a creepy, manipulative way) of any attention she shows to others, even her pets. . .much like a real cat would act. I like that the shape shifters in this series have actual characteristics of the animals they shift into. I’ve run across many a shape shift novel where the characters just seem like regular Joes, until they grow hair and claws. He’s also a gentleman, and incredibly ungentlemanly in bed.

“I don’t like to be fucked with, Llewellyn.” “Then you shouldn’t bend over and hand me the lube.”

Dez. . . She’s the kinda woman I crush over. She’s extremely direct, kinda dangerous, and downright sexy. Plus, she shares a chocolate love that gave me wide hips. I dig this women so hard, plus I like that she’s just as troublesome as Mace is, making them an entertaining couple. It’s also nice to see that the woman is dragging her heels at commitment, instead of the man. :]

All-in-all, this story gave me a love for Shelly Laurenston, and started my attraction to humorous paranormal romance books.

Shaw’s Tail – five stars

If there are any doubters claiming that Christmas Pride is Laurenston’s one hit wonder, Shaw’s Tail proved them wrong. I fell more in love with the characters, especially Brendon who I was curious about in the first story. The writing is as brilliant as ever, and I was super excited about Ronnie and how she interacts with her big, overprotective brothers – one of my favorite familial themes in romance.

Shaw’s Tail is the story of how Ronnie Lee Reed, Sissy’s best friend and cohort, nurses Brendon Show back to health after he deadly beating by a pack of sketchy lions (yeah, you heard me. Lions.) Brendon was contracted to breed two children with the Llewellyn Pride, and created two wild, rambunctious children (that I can’t wait to read more about!). Because the pride is all kind of fucked up, nobody came and visited him in the hospital, so Ronnie was ordered to stay with him until he got released. She didn’t bet on him coming down with the shifter fever, (which heals badly hurt shifters and ultimately makes them horny nuisances until they are fever-free) and wrecking havoc on New York City… and her panties.

There were rock stars with cleaner pasts than her and Sissy.

Ronnie Lee Reed is a fun she-wolf to have as a main character. She’s trying so hard to settle down and stop getting into trouble, but it’s a difficult task to accomplish while babysitting feverish lions who can’t keep it in their pants, and like to dance the mumba in lion form in front of stranger’s houses. Plus, he’s crazy sexy and can keep up with her kinky sexual needs, which include some very hot roleplaying that may or may not involve a Catholic school-girl uniform. What’s a she-wolf to do, but to keep him around until she gets bored?

Ronnie’s head tilted to the side. Is he…? Yup. He was doing the mambo. Paws crossing over paws. Head bopping to the beat. Thick, regal mane waving in the cold December air. He actually wasn’t too bad. For a big cat doing the mambo.

While I loved Ronnie and her outrageous–sometimes illegal–sense of fun, I crushed hard on Brendon… He’s just too cute not to fangirl over. Seriously, Laurenston, what’s with the cute males? I want them all to myself… I don’t mind cooking, cleaning, and satisfying all of their urges… as long as they do the same for me! *ahem* Moving on… He’s über sensual, but also really silly. He made me giggle and made me horny. What else could a girl ask for?

This book was freaking awesome. I strongly urge all shape shifter/paranormal romance junkies to pick this book up. It’s totally worth the laughs, awes, and sex – and the kindle version is pretty damn cheap, too!

❤ - I received this book for free from [SOURCE] in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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CHRISTMAS PRIDE

I say this right off the bat, I love Shelly Laurenston. She is one of the few authors that can make me laugh even when I am depressed. She has a wonderful sense of humor, but it isn't for everyone. I am fonder of her Magnus Pack and Pride stories than I am of the dragon series. Her women or tough and take no prisoners ladies that keep their men confused but happily sated. Ms. Laurenston can also write some of the hottest love scenes on the market today. I read this story some time ago and loved so much I went out and bought the rest of her books. I have bought each new book as it comes out and usually read it right away.

This book starts off the Pride series. Mason “Mace” Rothschild Llewellyn has made his own way since show more he was old enough to join the Navy. He is a Navy SEAL that has retired from the service. He is back in his home town of New York City and he is determined to find the woman that he left behind and make her his own. Mace is also a lion shifter and as such he has many of the lion characteristics. He is an alpha male that wants things done his way, he has very little patience with the rest of the human race, and he can be a little on the lazy side when he has time off. I loved watching him interact with Dez's dogs.

Desiree “Dez” MacDermott is a police officer and former Marine Corps military police. She has been perfectly happy with her life. She has her dogs and her friends from the service and those at the precinct. Her family drives her crazy but she still cares about them. She isn't prepared for Mace and all that he brings into her life. I was pleased the Dez didn't freak out when she realized that Mace was a shapeshifter. In fact I think that made it easier for her to accept him. Dez is an animal person. She understands animals better than she does humans. She is stubborn, tough, and loyal to a fault. I loved her interaction with the Smith pack that is settling into New York City. Dez fights her attraction to Mace for all she is worth but in the end Mace wears her down. I also loved the scene at her house on Christmas day.

This is a fun story set during the Christmas holiday and all the stress that can put on a person. Ms. Laurenston does a good job of setting up her universe in this short story. She shows the reader that there are more than one shifter race and the dynamics of territories and packs. I love this series of books and I would recommend it to any that love shifters. Ms. Laurenston's sense of humor isn't for everyone but she does write a good story.

SHAW'S TAIL

We met Brendon Shaw in CHRISTMAS PRIDE and this story picks at his rescue by the Smith Pack and Dez. This is when Brendon meets the woman he that will be his mate Rhonda “Ronnie” Lee Reed. There are some very funny scenes while Brendon is fighting a fever. A fever is a very bad thing for a shifter. I loved Brendon being shifted and dancing the mumbo on the lawn of someone’s home just before Christmas. Brendon is also an alpha male proud of what he and his twin sister have made of themselves over the years. He is loyal to those that are friends and family. He is willing to fight to take care of the same. He is also a loving father. He is a successful hotel owner and a very lonely man. He also needs someone that enjoys life as much as he does and he finds that in Ronnie.

Ronnie is a Southern girl with a friend that is always getting them into trouble, Sissy Mae Smith. I think that Sissy sees it as her role in life to cause trouble. Ronnie is at the point in her life that she wants more than one night stands and waking up with a tequila hang over. She wants a family and loving husband. She gets that and more when she runs into Brendon. After reading both these stories I am sure and male lion can’t be sated, at least not easily. Ronnie is trying to go back to school but the thought of a scheduled ordered life scares the heck out of her. She is also afraid of commitment to a single person even though she wants a stable life that includes a family. She is afraid of becoming her mother.

As always with a Shelly Laurenston book there are some great scenes. Ronnie’s brothers meeting Brendon for the first time and Brendon meeting Ronnie’s parents for the first time just to name a few. Ms. Laurenston also steams up the pages again with some great love scenes. As always she introduces us to great characters that will have you rolling in the aisles and a story that you just have to find out what is going to happen next. I love her work and can’t say enough good things about. If you love shifter stories then you are probably going to love these stories. I just wish she would write more of them. show less

I have read several of Laurenton's shifter-themed novels (The Mane Attraction, etc.) , and I would definitely consider this the favorite for me. The main characters, especially the bear shifter Lock, and the well-meaning but completely unstable Blayne, were well-developed and interesting characters. The roller derby twist definitely threw me for a loop at first...but I enjoyed the description of the sport, and it certainly put Blayne and Gwen in some action-packed and amusing scrapes. By far, the grizzly shifter personas of this novel were the most interesting for me; the lip thing was a little odd, but playing with their toes? Dreaming about honey-covered salmon? Being the 'boogie man' to every other shifter breed out there, including show more all the big predators? Hilarious! I giggled my way through a good half of this book. Laurenston's novels aren't exactly what I'd call brain busters by any stretch, but for a light, fast, and quirky paranormal smut, this can't be beat. show less

"Christmas Pride":

Mace Llewellyn, a lion shapshifter, has just come back to his Pride after being in the Navy. He plans to break things off with his Pride and go off on his own - male lion shifters in the Pride are expected to have sex with all the women and get as many of them pregnant as possible, but Mace is unusual in that he would like to settle down with one woman. Specifically, he'd like to settle down with Dez, an Irish-Puerto Rican woman he was friends with as a kid and who he hasn't seen since. When Mace gets home, he discovers that one of the Pride's males has been killed, his sister, the head of the Pride, is one of the suspects, and Dez is part of the investigating team. Mace isn't particularly upset about the murder, and show more he hates his sister, so, rather than get worked up about the murder investigation, he flirts heavily with Dez. Mace's sisters have made it clear that they don't consider Dez to be worthy of Mace, but Mace is determined to convince Dez that they're perfect for each other. Soon, however, Mace finds himself having to show Dez what he is - she's a little freaked out at first, but it isn't long before the two of them are having sex. Dez's objectivity is blown, so she can no longer work on the murder case, but she finds herself getting involved in it anyway. She and Mace have to deal with the danger this puts her in.

I disliked parts of this novella so much that I almost quit reading it at several points. I'm not very good with erotic romance - I don't like it when the main characters of a story use the word "f**k" when they talk about having sex with each other, and I want main characters of a romantic story to actually engage in activities that show that they like each other and have more in common than sex. If I remember right, Mace and Dez don't actually have sex until at least half way through the novella, but they think about sex all the time. Mace frequently says that his feelings for Dez are about more than sex, but there's little proof of that. When he's around her, all he can think about is her breasts and having sex with her. Dez feels pretty much the same way when she's around Mace. The only things they do around each other than don't involve sex or thinking about sex are talking about the murder or about their past or the bit where Mace finds Dez watching Cops.

Speaking of Dez's breasts... They were mentioned a lot, and apparently they are huge. Like, porn star huge. Laurenston couldn't seem to decide whether to make Dez shy about her body (a little chubby; she was self-conscious when she was a girl because she developed early) or really bold (wearing a leather corset for Mace, tricks with her breasts, etc.), so she tried to do both, and it didn't really work. Laurenston wrote about Dez as though she were making sure that potential male readers would have something to drool over, and, who knows, maybe she does have a lot of male readers. That would explain the emphasis on sex over romance.

The most romantic parts of this book were the bits where Mace or Dez thought about their relationship when they were younger. Their relationship sounded really sweet. Mace was the funny, skinny boy with the wild hair whom Dez befriended. If Laurenston had spent more time on those parts and used them to develop scenes where Dez and Mace get to know each other again (after all, it's been a long time since they've last seen each other - 17 years?), I think I would've liked this novella much more.

I don't really know for sure, but I felt like Laurenston went a little over the top when she wrote about Dez and dogs. When Dez was in the military (yes, she was in the military, too), she trained dogs. Her dog was so vicious that it scared even her, but she managed to get the dog under control. When the dog was given to a different handler, however, it apparently took the handler's hand off. Tell me, if Dez was such a good trainer, wouldn't a dog she'd trained be able to handle being with another trainer? I don't really know for sure, but it seems to me like that would be the case.

[If I were rating these stories individually, I would probably give this one 2 stars.]

"Shaw's Tail":

Brendon Shaw, a lion shifter and wealthy hotel owner, got into trouble during the events of the previous novella. A wolf shifter named Ronnie makes sure he stays safe while he recovers from his wounds and a fever, and she is both amused and dismayed when the feverish Brendon acts attracted to her. Wolves and lions don't generally mix, and, besides, Ronnie is trying to clean up her act and be a good girl - she's spent years as a wild child, doing dangerous things, getting banned from whole countries, and sleeping with anything attractive and male. She's decided that she should be a proper female wolf shifter and find another wolf shifter to settle down with. Things don't go as planned, though, because Brendon is still interested in her, even after he gets over his fever, and Ronnie is attracted to him, too. Brendon has to convince her they'd make a good couple, and they both have to overcome the objections of their family members.

After the previous novella, I was afraid of what I was going to have to deal with in this one, but I enjoyed this novella much more than the previous one. That doesn't mean I thought it was great, but it certainly was a quicker and more enjoyable read.

Brendon and Ronnie actually manage to have fun with each other and get to know each other a little. Granted, during a good portion of the "getting to know each other" part, Brendon was delirious with fever - I loved how goofy the fever made him, and I actually liked Brendon better in his lion form than in his human form sometimes. Later on, after Brendon has recovered from his fever and after he and Ronnie have begun something of a relationship, Brendon takes Ronnie to meet his children. I enjoyed that scene, and it wasn't as weird and tense as it could have been, since the mothers of Brendon's children weren't upset that he had a new woman and Ronnie wasn't jealous and upset that Brendon had had children. It was just understood that these children were part of the life Brendon had to lead as part of his agreement with the Pride - he didn't like having to be a breeder, and was getting out of that life, but he loved his children. In addition to Ronnie meeting Brendon's kids, Brendon gets to meet Ronnie's family. Unlike in the previous novella, where Mace and Dez can barely keep themselves from pawing each other when her family is over for Christmas dinner, Brendon and Ronnie behave themselves when they're around her family (for the most part), and I liked that.

Ronnie wasn't always presented in such a nice way as Brendon - she of the Tennessee accent came across as a bit of a hick sometimes, and she frequently thinks about her mother and others calling her a whore because of her tendency to sleep with lots of men. Laurenston had already established in the previous volume that female wolf shifters tend to have big feet, and she continues that with Ronnie. I found the references to her big feet somewhat distracting, but at least it wasn't as annoying as Dez's breasts.

As with the previous novella, Laurenston went a little over the top with some things, particularly in her presentation of Ronnie's "wildness." Ronnie tells Brendon that her behavior has gotten her banned from several countries. Laurenston later continues the joke by having Brendon complain about the list of places he can't take Ronnie to, because she's been banned. While I'm sure it's possible to be banned from a country, it's a little over the top for Laurenston to act like Ronnie has managed to get herself banned from a long list of places.

Oh, as an added note, in case you are interested in the sex in this book, the second novella has something that I don't think I've ever seen before in erotic romance (or any other romance, for that matter): role play. A couple times during the story, Ronnie pretends to be an inexperienced schoolgirl who's come over to tutor Brendon, who's role playing as a bad boy jock. It was a bit weird, and it wasn't really something that interested me, but it's worth mentioning. Bondage comes up a lot in erotic romance; role playing does not.

Although I hated the first novella, I liked the second novella enough that I might give Laurenston another chance and try something else by her. In a final note, unrelated to the content, the copy of this book that I read had a publishing error - pages 329-360 were repeated. It's not too big a deal, because no pages were actually left out, but it confused me a bit at first.

[If I were rating these stories individually, this one would probably get 3 stars.]

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Mace Llewellyn has changed a lot since his teenaged years - now out of the army and all grown up so very well (and his lion’s mane now growing out to its full glorious length) but he never forgot Desiree MacDermot.

When a murder in his mother’s pride brings him home, he is again reunited with now police detective Desiree. Their attraction burns - but there’s a murder to investigate and Desiree knows nothing of the supernatural - or the politics of werelion prides

While Ronnie Lee, werewolf, has had a wild life and she thinks she’s ready to make better choices and settle down. But does Brendon Shaw, werelion ready to leave the pride life count?

I love so many aspects of the world building here. So many books have sued the concept of show more the supernatural to justify all kinds of weird and regressive ideas (like alpha werewolves being abusive arseholes for romance and everyone considering it perfectly ok). Which is why I really like how the concept of werelions here is so turned on its head. A society where the men basically do nothing but breed with multiple women and get fed? That sounds so ideal for creating said abusive nonsense. But instead we see female dominated societies, men traded back and forth as breeding stock and discarded when they’re no longer useful (Brendan is considered less useful to the Llewellyn family because he’s already bred several times; they have children from him they don’t especially need him any more). The men live lives of relatively idle luxury but it comes with being treated as very hungry decorative ornaments who can fight really well. One of the linking elements between Brandon, Mace and Mitch is that they’re all heavily opting out of the Pride system because they object to this treatment and usage.

The Hyenas also look savagly interesting. Again a strong sense of community and culture from another supernatural group. If I have any complaint about the world building and these excellent cultures it’s that we focus so much on the romance between the characters that we don’t actually explore these cultures, this world building (and anything else that may be out there) as much as I’d like - there’s something really excellent here but we’re focused so much on the, admittedly fun, relationship that we don’t really delve into it.

I also like the plot lines which explore the worlds far more - the conflict between the shapeshifter groups, the importance of various characters and how certain actions are considered “cheating” even in relatively violent societies and how investigating requires territory wrangling - the plot intertwines excellently with this and is fun to watch. And I quite liked that there were two stories here - because when we focused on Mace we kind of ignored Brandon despite him being more centrally a victim. It was nice to step back and revisit the person who had taken the most hits here

I wasn’t a fan of the sex scenes. Not so much because they were bad but because there were So. Many. Of. Them. And, again, it got in the way of far far far more interesting parts of the book. I found it especially frustrating when Desiree learns about the supernatural and doesn’t particularly examine it or ask many questions.

I have… a niggle. It’s a niggle that comes having already read book 3 (because I managed to completely get the first book in the series wrong). The thing is, Mitch (the protagonist in Mane Attraction), Brandon and Mace all feel…. Pretty similar? Lions who have, for various reasons, opted out of traditional werelion society. Men who are pretty light hearted, jokey and hilarious.

And Sissy, Ronnie Lee and Desiree are… also quite similar. All tough women who prefer casual encounters to relationships and all are pretty severely adamant that they will not will not will not have a long term relationship (either in general or with this specific man). Until the above man continues pushing until she surrenders to the inevitable. The basic frame of the plot, the basic frame of the characters

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