Big Bad Beast (Pride #6) by Shelly Laurenston
Paranormal Romance
May 1, 2011
Trade Paperback
Brava
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “It’s Miss. Nice Southern girls use Miss.”
“Then I guess that still makes you a Ms.”
I ADORE Shelly Laurenston and her crazy unpredictable shifters. When I received Big Bad Beast for review I decided to get the first one, The Mane Event, so that I could get an insight into the overall arc. From there I went and got her whole back list and spent the weekend with these crazy, sexy, outrageously funny shifters.
Big Bad Beast is #6 in the Pride series. Filled with Laurenston’s trademark humor and snark, we get a ring side seat to the romancing and mating of a tough and nonsense ex-marine Dee Ann Smith by chef premier and pretty boy Ulrich (Ric) Van Holtz. Plenty of laughter, smoking hot love scenes, and interfering pride members will keep you rolling.
Ric is a wolf shifter and restaurant cook extraordinaire in his cousin’s New York restaurant. He also helps run The Group. The Group is a consolidation of ex-military shifters who are called in to investigate and handle shifter problems. When she-wolf Dee Ann Smith joins The Group after leaving the Marines, Ric thinks his fondest dream has been granted. Ric has wanted the elusive and very scary Dee Ann Smith since he met and gave her a candy bar at age 6 and announced to his cousin Van he was going to “nail her and nail her good.”
As Ric worms his way into Dee Ann’s bed and heart, they are both pulled into shifter politics as Ric has to deal with his narcissistic father, Dee Ann has find out who is kidnapping and pit fighting the hybrids, and they both have to deal with certain shifters who feel that a Smith and Van Holtz should NEVER be together.
One Bad Beast is hilarious from page one. Ric knew Dee Ann was the ONE when he first met her. But fate had different plans for them so they don’t meet up again till about 25 years later. Dee Ann now works for Ric but has no idea how he feels. Ric wants Dee Ann badly and he decides that the best way to do it is to let her catch him and make her think it was all her idea. Once Dee Ann “catches” him, the romance and the antics start. This story isn’t as much about the chase as the others books are but more about what happens after the chase. Dee Ann and Ric get together pretty quickly (though not that quickly because they have been working towards it for 2 books).
Dee Ann is a woman after my own heart. Tough, quiet, and takes no crap from anyone. Most of the shifters are scared of her. She takes after her father, Eggie Smith, as the pride’s unofficial enforcer. Or as her father likes to say, “Time to start the killin’.” Consistently reminded of her “freaky eyes” and her size, she’s always thought she’d be alone.
Ric is fabulous. Funny, sweet, supermodel sexy, and gifted with the kiss of snark, he is perfect for Dee Ann. He doesn’t want to own her or control her-he just wants to be with her. He understands her the way few do and it only serves to make him love her more. *sniff* I need a Ric.
The rest of the gang is all in here to interfere, offer useless advice, and eat them out of house and home. I love that Ms Laurenston adapts past characters into current story lines. The entire shifter nation interacting with one another is what makes these stories fabulous. We see Mitch Shaw who is STILL throwing his brother Brendon under the bus. “Take him!!!”
Blayne is still annoying Dee Ann to the point of murder but it’s so funny you can’t help but laugh as she pings and pongs all over the place. The rest of the Smith pack show up to comment on Dee Ann’s relationship with her wolf.
“Get your suit on. We’re hitting the beach.”
“I just woke up and —”
“Not a request. Just move your ass cousin.”
“Fine.”
“I know it’s fine. In fact, it better be goddamned fine.”
“Heifer.”
“Rich man’s whore.”
“At least mine can cook the food he eats. And replaces it too.”“Now see, Dee Ann Smith. That was just mean!”
What I really enjoy about this series is that while you have a romance and a main conflict, there is no heavy angst involved. Non-stop action and crazy antics keeps this series delightfully fresh and addictive.
The ending is action packed and resolves the main conflict perfectly. Other loose ends are tied up and we get a few clues to who Ms. Laurenston will write about next. If you enjoy non-stop humor and wit in your shifter romances then look no further than Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series. I guarantee you’ll soon be as addicted as I am.
Rating: B+
Recent Reviews:
Fiction Vixen – 3/5
Babbling About Books and More – B+
Book Addict – 4/5
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You have sold me. I neeeeeeeed to try this author!! :) Great review!
OMG you must. I literally cry with laughter when I’m reading them.
I wasn’t as into this one as I was most of the previous ones, but I still think this is one of the funniest series out there. There are so many laugh out loud moments!
When I need a good laugh-I re read one of these. I liked it wasn’t as action packed. I couldn’t imagine Ric & Dee having the probs the rest of them did. Dee would just kill the problem and be done with it. LOL
Good point. They were probably perfect for each other because she wouldn’t have had the patience to put up with a spaz like Mitch. She would have just killed him and been done with it!
I’m so with you Tori – I LOVE the lack of angst! It makes for a hilariously delightful read :D
Yes it does. I’m ready for book 7. :P
I’m unsure how I’ll like the next one. It may be weird, but the having a kid thing is turning me off a bit. I like them in real life, but in books they seem to get in the way.
I feel the same way, Catherine (I think we even talked about this already, haha). I’m not big on children in my romance, BUT she has had teens in her series already, so if they are anything like what we’ve already seen, I might be okay with that.
That’s true. I thought they were a great addition to Jessica and Smitty’s book.
I would have liked to have seen HOW Dez acted while she was preggie. Yea, sometimes adding kids makes it all “weird”. lol
There was just something so lovely about Ric and Dee, and each he time he asks her to “Ma-” I giggle. At the same time, he really knows her well enough to know how to entice her into a relationship, make her think she’s calling the shots. And he loves everything about her, the good and the bad. He’s not my normal type of hero (I’m usually all about the alpha), but he wasn’t exactly a beta either. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
That’s why liked this one so much. Ric loves Dee just the way she is. It wasn’t a dominance battle with them. Sometimes that just wears you out in a book. I want a scene somewhere where Gwen gets Ronnie Lee back. Gwen deserves some revenge & Ronnie needs a beat down. LOL
That’s what I’m hoping for, too!! I kept waiting and waiting for that moment in the book, because Gwen is supposed to be such a bad-a** as well, but it never happened. As much as I love Ronnie, that was ridiculous enough that I wanted a revenge scene.
We need to petition Shelly for an ultimate “smack down” scene. Though after Gwen’s showing at the roller derby-Ronnie may want to run for the hills. lol
I loved when he almost said that! It tied in so well to his reaction in Gwen and Lock’s book.
Everyone loves this author’s humor. A friend talked me into trying her out a while back and yet the book still sits on my Kindle. You might have just given me the extra nudge I need LOL.
Which one did you get? You really should try it out. Don’t make me nag you into doing it! :P
Oh Sophia, you must try it. The first one is ok, but I think the 2nd one and those after are hilarious! Her Magnus series is good but the characters in there are SO alpha (male & female), they get annoying.
I’d agree. I think what made a difference (and not that I don’t love Samhain), but the change in publisher, and probably editing. It can change the focus. That said, I did really enjoy the Magnus pack, but the editing and overall tone felt different, like she was going for what she had in the Pride series, but didn’t, quite, have it yet.
The Magnus pack is so much rougher. I think because they are promoted as being renegades and lone wolfes.
I know what I’ll be buying with my 50% off Border coupon today :-D
*GASP* Im jelios!! You won’t regret it. Perfect pick me up books.
Fabulous review Tori! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this series but it sounds like starting at book one would be the best idea. I must ask…how the hell old were they when they met? Or how old are they now? 25 years ago and he knew she was the one and they are just getting together now? Just crazy. It sounds like a great series that I need to go pick up book one for to see what I’m thinking.
Thanks D. Ric was 6 and Dee was 9 when they first met, but being part of 2 packs that didn’t like each other-they didn’t come into contact really after that. Plus, Dee was in the military in a special hush-hush branch for a long time. Nobody saw her.
My brest friends loves this series, but I have never felt the urge to try them. But as they are really that funny (she doesn’t laugh easy about a book) I will try them.
They are really funny to me and I often re read them when I’ve been on an emo angst kick and need a break.
Tori-I can feel how much you loved these books. Great review. I’ve seen her books, but just have never made the leap, even though they’ve been recommended-but I didn’t know about the snarky humor. Always a plus! You rec starting at the beginning though? Do previous characters show up in subsequent books? I have one of those 50% of Borders coupons too….hopefully they have book 1 in my store! :)
Ok. first off-where is everyone getting the Borders coupons from and why don’t I have one?
LOL I would start at beginning-The Mane Event. And yes, all the characters are main players so you see them frequently through out the series.
Funny, funny stuff here.
RE: Borders-I signed up for their in-store card ages ago. It’s free, and they’d send you coupons via email every once in a while. After so many purchases, you’d get a $5.00 off coupon too. Then a few months back, they offered an upgrade and for $20 you became a super member of sorts and now I get an additional 10% off all my purchases, which in CA is basically just saving the tax. But my 50% off coupon is like 60% off now…not bad, you know. I get about one coupon a week, sometimes two, but generally in the 33% off range. This one is special.
Great review Tori! Shelly Laurenston is one of my favorite authors and an automatic must-read. Her characters are so real and hysterical. I couldn’t wait for Big Bad Beast to come out and then I read it in one day; so now the long wait for the next book in this awesome series. :) But as usual, it’ll be worth it!
Thank you! Yes, the wait will be hard. *sob*
TORIIIIIIII!!!! I just bought the first book in this series, The Mane Event – AND the first book in the Warriors of Poseidon series by Alyssa Day because of your reviews. I can’t wait to start them!! I just have to figure out which one to start now :D You are one of the TOP influences of my book buying decisions so thank you!
You will LOVE both!! Laurenston is funny, Day is more serious.
I never want this series to end!
Great review :)
Thanks. Me neither!