Walk on the Striped Side (Big Bad Bite, #2) by Jessie Lane
Paranormal Romance
E book, 263 pages
February 25, 2014
Self Published
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote:”I’ve decided the civilian world can’t handle all the awesomeness known as me.”
Elena Demos is having a terrible day. Her mother has passed away, her sisters are getting on her nerves, she’s just found out she is descended from Amazons, and in order to get her inheritance she has to join the family investigation business. But things are looking up because her first case is involves proving the sister of the man who broke her heart, is a murdering hussy.
Tiger shifter, Gage Ivanov, is a very stupid man. Two years ago he drove the love of his life away because he couldn’t tell her about his supernatural side. Now she’s back and surprise, surprise…she wants nothing to do with him. But Gage isn’t a quitter and when it comes to his mate, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her back.
With a pack of rogue wolves threatening the world and trying to keep his sister out of the the nine circles of hell, Gage will need to break out the big guns and maybe some handcuffs if he wants to save the world, his sister, and the only woman he has ever loved.
Fans of outrageous, snark filled, sexy paranormal will enjoy Jessie Lane’s latest release-Walk on the Striped Side-book two in her Big Bad Bite series. A lightweight paranormal filled with lots of action, sarcasm, threats of bodily harm, and that’s just in the first few pages. Heavily character driven, our hero and heroine go balls to the wall as they fight their way through love, loss, reconnection, and annoying siblings. Per usual, Lane offers the reader a crisp, fast paced writing style that flows smoothly through the story. Humor, action, and romance all mix together for a laugh out loud story that keeps you hooked to the very end.
I did feel that this book is considerably lighter than the first one. World and character set up featured prominently in book one, while in here the romance claims a larger role with smaller sub plots to help round it out. The action here is less pronounced and the structure is looser which presents some small problems with its overall presentation.
Elena and Gage are hilarious together and apart. A slightly psycho, revenge seeking, grudge holding strong heroine matches perfectly with our slightly stupid, take what you want, overly alpha caveman tiger shifter. The story starts out in the past and we learn the hows and whys behinds Elena and Gage break up. Though Gage’s reasons are valid, you still want to smack him for how he choose to end it with her. The story then shifts to the present and the battle of the wills begins. Elena is NOT a forgiving girl and she lets Gage know that he is one bullet away from becoming a throw rug. Gage, bless his heart, is determined to not make the same mistake twice and does everything he can to convince her he loves her and will never leave her again. Elena doesn’t trust him though so Gage resorts to trickery to get his mate back into his bed and his life.
What makes this story so entertaining besides the crazy protagonists, is the past characters who merge into the present storyline with fantastic results. Alec, Gage’s man whore brother, offers up lots of laughter with his narcissism and useless love advice. Babouska, Gage’s grandmother, and her inevitable murder of the English language leaves you in tears. “Hole of ass” *snicker* Elena’s sisters are unpredictable in their behavior and have absolutely no boundaries. The NC pack is also present and accounted for…making trouble and laughing at you while doing so. And the spider…OMG…the spider.
What I really enjoy about this series is that while you have a very sexy physical romance and a solid plot line, there is no heavy emotional angst involved. The series is written to be over the top in all aspects. Misconceptions are cleared up in relatively small timeframe and the heroines are always given a choice, not forced to accept the hero. Non stop action and crazy antics keeps this series fresh and addictive. I did have a problem with certain aspects of Gage’s behavior. His obsession with getting Elena back had him crossing the line a few times and it made me uncomfortable.
The conflict flows over from book one but is only a very small part of the storyline. We aren’t given any additional clues to what the rogue wolves are up too and the resolution is immediate; not long term. I wish there had been more focus here. The ending wraps up nicely and we get a small excerpt concerning the hero and heroine Lane will be torturing next in book three-The Demon Who Loves Me. If you enjoy your PNR funny, snarky, and witty, then be sure to give Jessie Lane’s Big Bad Bite series a try.
Rating: C+
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This sounds good. I love Shelley Laurenston. Is this in that style? Being a completist, I’d have to order the first one in the series to start.
Yes, I find it’s similar to Laurenston.
I’ve read both Big Bad Bite and Walk on the Striped Side, both a great, Walk on the Striped Side had me laughing out loud. One of my favorite parts is when Alec told Elena she was jealous over his boots. Looking forward to The Demon who Loved Me.
Oh, me too. Keith and Chloe look like they are going to be oodles of fun.