Review: Hot and Badgered

Author Shelly Laurenston 

Format e-book 

Print Length 433 pages

Publisher Kensington 

Published March 27, 2018 

It’s not every day that a beautiful naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn’s hotel balcony. Definitely they don’t usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she’s gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she’s a honey badger shifter, it’s too late.

Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He’s trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He’s cute enough that she just might let him tag along—that is, if he can keep up . . . 

My Opinion 

Set in the Pride world, Hot and Badgered is a new series that features three mixed breed ladies who happen to be half sisters. You see, daddy dearest, Freddy MacKilligan, got a round and leaving children here and there. Charlie’s momma took her half-sisters in and raised them until she passed. Then they went to Charlie’s grandpa. Please don’t call them half-sisters to their faces though; you may be missing a few teeth afterwards. But truth be told, it has been the sisters against the world as well as anything else their daddy threw at them. He is a real piece of work- I am not a violent person but even I wanted Max to kill him. Giving any hints would be a spoiler but seriously this is one horrible parent. 

Charlie is a honey badger/wolf hybrid which allows her to be calmer than her sisters. She is also the oldest and does suffer from old child syndrome. It is her job to protect her sisters and to make sure that everything is going to be okay. It is because of this she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She handles it well and when it gets to be too much she bakes. Since that is one of the ways, I handle stress I can totally relate. Her daddy has pissed off the wrong people this time and some folks are after the girls. So Charlie gathers them up, and hides until she can sort out her daddy’s mess again. 

Berg is on security detail (Cooper from the Pride series) when Charlie literally falls into his arms. Stunned and a little shocked when she jumps right up and keeps on shooting- he can’t help but find that well a little bit sexy. She doesn’t stick around but he can’t stop thinking about her. Imagine his surprise when he runs into her in New York. From there you got one smitten grizzly bear. Who happens to be a triplet which means that his siblings of course are going to come along for the ride. He wants to help Charlie and will do what needs to be done. Security is his thing. 

While there is some romance in this one, it is overshadowed by the girl’s relationship and all of the action. Berg tends to sit back and allow Charlie to do her thing until she asks for help. Which is nice-he doesn’t see her as a damsel in distress. He also takes things slow because he knows that it is what Charlie needs. 

This world is a whole lot of fun. I love that it took me away from reality for a little bit and allowed me to just laugh at life. Granted it was Charlie and her sisters’ lives I was laughing at but still. If you are looking for a book that has a lot of humor mixed, where the characters are snarky, some action and a whole of family love than this is the book for you. While you can read it stand alone, I do recommend that you read the Pride series first, some old characters show up. 

My Rating 5 out of 5 stars 

Favorite Quote “If you do it yourself, you get it done the way you want without having to constantly explain or give direction.” 

Other People 

Max- Charlie’s middle sister 

Stevie- Charlie’s little sister 

Dag- Berg’s brother 

Britta- Berg’s sister