Ordinarily, when we’re talking about paranormal romance, I’m not your girl. I’d much rather read a snappy contemporary or a sweeping historical. The funny thing is that I adore the genre of fantasy, and I adore romance; I just don’t adore them together. Until now, today, with Shelly Laurenston’s Hot and Badgered.
It. Is. Phenomenal.
The premise is simple enough. Three half honey badger shifter sisters raised by wolves have spent most of their lives running from their nightmare of a father, and in the process, the oldest falls in love with a bear shifter. However, the execution is anything but simple, and is the key to the superb nature of this book.
Despite the fact that lycanthropes are not real, the relatability of Laurenston’s characters practically leaps off the page. She draws you in with their warmth and care for each other, and imbues them with roughly a thousand foibles. Not only does she do this with her main cast, but every person who pops up to push the action forward is given real depth. This could be because this book is part of a larger universe that the author has built, but even without being familiar with the other books in the series, I still really appreciated them. The people in this story are nuts, and every time they hare off on some shenanigan, it makes you love them more. Not to mention, this book is funny. Serious, chuckle to yourself in public funny.
If I had one gripe to give, I would say that this falls somewhere close to -1 on the hotness scale. While the relationship between the protagonists Berg Dunn and Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is everything sweet and good in this world, it’s hardly what I would call scorching.
I would also caution lovers of paranormal romance; while the supernatural aspect is there, it is hardly the focus of the book. It forms the framework of the story, but isn’t as important as the relationship between various characters. This is probably part of the reason why I like it so much, but you may want more para than normal, and if so, I’d pass this one by.
Seriously, though, if you do pass, you’ll be missing out on one of the funnest books I’ve read in a long time. This story leaves you wanting more of these animal people moving through this world, which is good, because the next book in the series comes out in March. I highly recommend you gobble this book up, and join me in counting the days until the next one comes out.