Beast Behaving Badly, A Review

Beast Behaving Badly is probably my absolute favorite of all of Shelly Laurenston's Pride/Pack series.. This is the love story between crazies.. The Hero defines OCD.. seriously look it up, in the dictionary next to OCD you see Bold  Novikov and Blayne Thorpe? Well let's just say she is most definitely the poster child for ADHD.. in BOLD LETTERS. Talk about an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. These two are just fantastic..

The shifter world is getting more and more integrated with hybrids galore. Which is making for some interesting mixes.. Sure Blayne is a wild dog/wolf mix and that isn't quite as wonky as some BUT it is one of the most "unstable" breeds and there are some who would like nothing more than to put her down.. actually someone considers hybrids.. "breeds" as nothing more than fodder for their entertainment. And Blayne has been targeted. Since everyone loves Blayne (ok almost everyone.. we will just leave Dee-Ann Smith for later discussion) no one wants to actually tell her that she is in danger. So they are protecting her in secret. *grins* Seriously stupid mistake.. 

While everyone loves Blayne NO ONE and I mean NO ONE loves Bo Novikov. Shoot no one even likes him. He is controlling, insulting, demanding, arrogant and just plain onrey (and those are his good points) but he is the best shifter hockey player ever! And the Carnivores have him! Although even mild mannered Ric Van Holtz, owner, captain and chef extraordinaire would like to kill him on a regular basis. This is where that object and force come into play. Bo has crushed on Blayne for years.. well he saw her once and sent her screaming from the rink, something about a serial killer, but once he saw her again he found the attraction just as strong. Blayne, not so much that is until she realizes he just needs a friend.. *rolls eyes* yeah that's what most antisocial serial killers need.. 

This book is undefinable in it's uniqueness.. it has Laurenston's trademark humor, it has a plot of unbearable evil. Not the great end of the world evil, that would actually be easier to accept, nope this is what man does to man.. Ok, man does to shifter.. ok man does to hybrid. The thing is most shifters really don't care.. bunch of self righteous bigots.. The shifter nation is not real big on Hybrids. While Bo and Blayne find common ground on the rink (did I mention she is on a shifter derby team?) and slowly come to realize that they have something special.. and "the Group" secretly tries to protect Blayne.. Blayne is not beyond having some fun of her own. She knows Dee-Ann Smith is guarding her, she knows Dee-Ann has zero tolerance for her.. so what does she do? She befriends her! In the most hysterical, annoying manner, usually involving Blayne yelling DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ANNNNNNNNNNNN at the top of her lungs before hugging her and smothering her with affection. You know the type I am talking about. Such fabulous revenge.

In the end Blayne's revenge is even more diabolical.. but I can't tell that would be sharing spoilers. Let's just say, the teacup isn't quite so harmless and yet she shows over and over again how to kill em with kindness, winning over more than just the overly organized Bo Novikov. You know I am laughing just writing this review. Sharing Ms Laurenston's brilliance is hard.. there is just so much going on. If you haven't yet read this series.. what are you waiting for? It is a gift to all of us. A respite from all those dark brooding heroes out to save the world. Honestly, if I could cast anyone to play characters in this series.. Lucille Ball would be in there somewhere and the three stooges and Groucho Marks and Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart and Barbara Stanwyck and.. yeah leading men and women as well as the best of the best in comediennes true genius.. 

Ok, enough gushing.. read this series! It is worth your time, your effort and your pleasure. I remain eternally grateful to the woman who introduced this series to me. 

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of Beast Behaving Badly provided by netgalley and is scheduled to be re released March 4, 2013


If you all wanna chat about other books in this series I have posted a SERIES CHAT discussion on Tea and Book. Interested? Click HERE and add your thoughts.. Favorite book? Favorite quote? Favorite moment? Let me know what you think