<i>Like A Wolf With A Bone</i> by Shelly Laurenston
Darla Mae Lewis left the South for a reason. Mostly to get away from her argumentative sisters. They tend to fight not only with each other, but with the Smith boys whom most of them are hooked up with. The last (I think) Smith standing? Egbert "Eggie" Ray. He's the scariest of the Smith boys but he'd rather be left alone than be the Alpha of the clan. When he sees Darla, he doesn't immediately know that she's his One, but it happens pretty quickly. Of course, they'll have to figure out why there's a horde of humans after Darla.

A nice start to a new shapeshifter series from Laurenston. The repetitious rhyming of the middle names was a little weird and it was a little over the top but a nice world-building for a novel.

<i>Wed Or Dead</i> by Cynthia Eden
I like novellas where the h/h have known each other for awhile, they're much more believable. In this case, , they've known each other long enough to be getting married as the story opens. But there's a problem; he's a shapeshifter and she's part of an elite group of hunters who have been put together to kill the "monsters."
Well, the wedding night goes well... until it doesn't . And it starts both groups toward a final battle and a crisis of conscience for at least one of our characters.
This was definitely darker than the first sorry. Good, but in a different way.

Four stars
This book comes out January 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

This book contains two wolf-shifter stories by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden. I bought it because I enjoy Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series (also her dragon series as G.A. Aiken).

In Like a Wolf With a Bone by Shelly Laurenston we learn the story of how Eggie and Darla Smith (Dee-Ann’s parents from Big Bad Beast (Pride, #6) ) got together. Egbert “Eggie” Ray Smith has a reputation even among his own kin of being slightly psychotic. Darla Lewis is the “quiet” Lewis sister. But there is someone for everyone and for Eggie its Darla. Darla gets the monosyllabic Eggie to open up if only to her and Eggie finds the one person on the planet who isn’t afraid of him.

The only book I’ve read by Cynthia Eden up till now is Hotter After Midnight and to be honest I don’t remember it all that well. I guess I need to go back and re-read it. The second story in this book is Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden in which we find the alpha wolf-shifter of the Las Vegas pack, Gage, marrying a human hunter, Kayla. She knows he is a wolf-shifter but thinks he doesn’t know she is a hunter. It all started out as a job for her. Get close to Gage then kill him only she didn’t count on falling for the big lug.

As I said at the beginning I bought this for the Shelly Laurenston story and wasn’t disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised by the Cynthia Eden story.

I received a copy of Howl for It by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first story, Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston should have been a pass for me after the first few chapters rather than slogging through it. The story was way too redneck (think every hill-jack cliche you can imagine...it was probably included) and far more verbose than necessary. I was intrigued by the summary and wanted to like this novel, but it really was a chore to keep reading (I should have stopped after the first few chapters). The storyline should have been pulled together better and the characters developed fully, the content more succinct, and the whole thing just less juvenile. I would rate this maybe .5 star.

The second story, Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden, was far more palatable. Overall, this was a much better read and enjoyable. The characters were engaging and likeable, the plot was fun with witty and entertaining moments, and the writing was much more solid. I would happily read future items by Cynthia Eden and would rate this a 4.

Rating for both (due to the first novel) equals an average of 2.25.

Awesome stories by both talented authors. Couldn't put the books down. Enjoyed them both!

2017
This is a reread for me. It's been a rough year for me so I needed some escape and some laughs. Shelly Laurenston is the only author who makes me laugh so loud I wake up my family. Whether it's her shifters or vikings, she always delivers. In her shifter world, there is a tough cranky cop shifter named Dee. This is her parents love story featuring her protective daddy Eggsy Smith and her quieter yet just as tough mom Darla. These Smith wolves are crazy and hilarious.

The next story by Cynthia Eden is darker, but still an enjoyable reread. To me, she is one of the queens of paranormal romance and suspense and I devour everything she writes.

Both of these novellas deliver and I loved giving them a reread. Fans of both authors should give it a try if they missed it when it came out in trade paper a few years back.

Like a Wolf With a Bone

I always enjoy the Pride series by Shelly Laurenston, and this one is no different with Darla and Eggie. I always wondered after reading the Pride series, how Darla and Uncle Eggie met, these two have such a hilarious story. Eggie works for the Group and is one of the most dangerous wolves, everyone is afraid of him, but Darla pokes at him and is not afraid if anything she is sassy. I love the whole series, and after reading Dee's story, I'm glad that we are able to see Eggie in a different light.

Wed or Dead
I like Cynthia Eden's books as much as Shelly's but I do not think that the combination of these two in the same book was not a good idea. Shelly write comedies and Cynthia writes more suspense romance/horror books. I would have liked to see more development of the characters, but Gage and Kayla are hiding secrets from each other. Once they decided to work together they change their future. I would have liked to see more of their story.

When I seen this on netgalley I knew I had to re read this!. It's been 3 years and I must admit I forgot how much I loved Shelly Laurenston's style of writing.

Like A Wolf With A Bone -

Eggie Ray and Darla May are just the cutest ever. His big tough brooding personality to her sweet rosey and a little fiesty one complemented Eachother perfectly. Total opposites in everyway yet they just worked. I love how unsure of the whole situation Eggie Ray was and how little Darla May sorta just took charge! She tickled me to no end with her fiesty little snits. I love how she defended his virtue against others including her family. Eggie Ray melted me with how gentle her was with her! For a deadly creature he was for sure as sweet as pie to her. I devoured this sweet little love story in a few short hours with no breaks. It's seemlessly written jam packed with all kinds of sweet, sexy and alot of funny. I have no complaints.. it was a pleasure to read again.

Cynthia Eden- Wed or Dead.

This ones a new read for me. I must admit I enjoyed it and it's one of my favs from this author despite it being a short read it was brilliant.

Kayla and Gage's book is all gogogo from the first page!. A gunshot wedding after a brief courtship probably wasn't the best idea for two people who've got skeletons sky high in their closets. Lies and deceit isn't the best way to start a marriage but it clearly worked out for these pair. I loved that I'm thrown straight into action without time to prepare, It made me pay attention to what's going on and sucked me in from the start. Although they're both very dominant personalities they didn't clash as much as I'd expected ... they didn't have an easy road to happiness. They had to let go of demons that they've lived with a long time and trust in Eachother. Super fast paced with action, humour and some hot romance it has a little of everything jam packed into this little story.

It's my first read since being neck deep in Christmas prep and birthday parties so it was a needed escape from reality that ticked all the boxes.

I kindly received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

**Received ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review**
Howl For It is a compilation of Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston and Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden. I would rate this book at 5 stars!!
Like a Wolf with a Bone is Egbert Ray Smith/Eggie and Darla Mae Lewis (AKA De-Ann Smith's parents) story. I will read anything by this author, I know when I read her books, there will be action/suspense, romance and comedy is just the right amounts for me, and this book is no exception. I loved Eggie and Darla Mae- if you haven't read the series they come up in book 6 Big Bad Beast, which is De-Ann and Ric Van Holtz's story. Eggie is quiet, alpha and lethal to those who harm his loved ones or those he's asked to dispose of, and Darla Mae is a pacifist/feminist, southern gal that wants to be treated like a lady. I loved the interaction between the two, the meddling family members, the chemistry between them and the craziness that followed. If you like hot and steamy, you will not be disappointed. It is difficult not to enjoy the craziness of the secondary characters in the story. Overall I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it!
Wed or Dead is Gage Riley and Kayla Kincaid's story. This story is drastically different then Like a Wolf with a Bone. Whereas the first story was funny, romantic with a little action/suspense, Wed or Dead is a lot of action/suspense with some romance. Kayla is a hunter, and she really hates shifters since her parents were killed by a wolf, her little brother Jonah was almost killed by a wolf and she was torn up by a wolf. Now she works for a secret government agency tracking down and picking up shifters, vampires and demons that are bad. When she is sent after Gage who has eluded their agency for some time, she will do anything necessary to bring him in, but one thing she didn't plan on was falling for him. Gage is the alpha of his pack, but is an alpha male by nature, and Kayla is a strong and fierce woman. Together they have great chemistry. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, and the characters. I'm hoping that Billy has a story or gets one (secondary character in the book/Gage's enforcer). This book is a rollercoaster, so be prepared! Overall great book! I really enjoyed and look forward to reading more by these authors!! Hope this helps! Happy Reading!!!

Like a Wolf with a Bone - This was a sweet glimpse into how Eggie and Darla Mae ended up together. Of all the Smith boys and Lewis girls, this was one the ones that seemed mis-matched the most. As we follow these two, we realize it wasn't, it was the perfect fit. Their differences from their siblings make them perfect for each other. They bring out the quality of themselves in their mate, and you see where Dee Ann gets all the qualities that make her the amazing She-Wolf that she is

Wed or Dead - started out reading but by chapter three I was bored with the wordiness of it. I was kinda interested in the story, so I quickly skimmed the rest of the book, quickly realized I wasn't all that interested after all

A fun pair of stories from two wonderful authors. First one is Darla and Eggie's story, written by one of my favorite snarky shifter authors: Shelly Laurenston. I have read a couple of other stories where Eggie shows up, so it was nice to go back and see how he and Darla met and fell in love. Fun story, and made me laugh out loud several times. Highly recommend reading more of her stories if you want a good laugh. The second one, by another favorite author of Cynthia Eden, is the story of hunter Kayla and her wolf Gage. This is a darker story, and at first was not sure why it was paired with the other, but it does work. Not a funny story, but a good shifter romance none the less. A good mystery too, and another story I highly recommend. Good authors, good characters and good plots.

Solid 3.5
First time I've read either author and I enjoyed both stories. Shelly Laureston has a delightful sense of humour and fun characters. I struggled a little bit with the names and some of the secondary characters, but overall am intrigued enough to check out more of her books.
Cynthia Eden was a little weaker for me. The characters didn't quite grab me, but it was a solid story.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I believe this is a reissue I had previously read these 2 short stories. Both are fun and fast reads. Excellent fun! I rate them a 4.5.

Like a wolf with a bone -
Y’all I have adored Eggie since we first met him and I love loved seeing his and Darla’s history. For lovers of this series this will not disappoint. You get to see lots of the parents of the kiddos we know and love from their stories and it will keep you laughing throughout. Definitely a must read for lovers of the series and if you haven’t read any from this author...go do so! It makes me want to go do a full series reread.

Wed or dead
Gotta say I was slightly confused as this kicks off in what I felt like was the middle of a story but it’s not bad. I’m not sure if it’s part of a series, the start of one or what though. After SL’s story before this one this seems darker.

This was a complimentary advanced reader copy provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a honest review via Netgalley.

Loved this book the second time around. 5 years has only made it better.