I have always had a great love for this author and her books, but it feels like she keeps getting pulled away from the romance genre and into some weird mix of mystery and humor. Not to say I don't always enjoy her books, but they aren't as they used to be. Which, is very disappointing for me. I expect romance when I read a book in the "romance" genre. Only one sex scene and a few kisses doesn't make it a romance, it makes it just plain fiction. I hope to read more from this series in the future, as I always will read for the humor and dialogue alone. However, I can prep myself not to expect the 'romance' part of the story to be minimal.

4.5*
This is the 3rd book in the Badger series and I do have to say it is my favorite of all 3!
Max was a great protagonist and Zé was really adorable.
I liked that this book focused more on interpersonal relationships and not so much on action. There is still active but it wasn't overpowering the plot. And the humor was on point!
Having the perspective from Zé was also really enlightening and I totally understand his reactions and him one of the more realistic characters in this series.
The only thing I wished for was a bit more romance, it felt a bit underdeveloped which is a shame.
Still an awesome book with kickass heroines and incredible humor!

I thought I knew what to expect from Max's book, the final one in the honey badger trilogy. After reading so many Shelly Laurenston books, I should know better. In Charlie's book, we saw the focus on her sisters, in Stevie's it was on them and the Jean-Louis Parker family, and now with Max's book I thought it would go the loner route with Dutch. Oh, no. Max has a set of four BFFs from her professional shifter basketball team! The honey badger squad! Are they sequel bait? I guess we'll wait and see, I certainly hope so.
So the basketball friends are also there for Max in the deadly and violent ways she needs when she's kidnapped. That's how she meets Zé Vargas, and realizes he's a shifter. Except he doesn't know, and they're surrounded by full-humans. Uh oh. Anyways, she takes Zé home with her as they escape and he wakes up on a china cabinet in Queens. As one does. Then there's three strange women talking about how he's some kind of cat? And a panda bear? And bear triplets? And a lot of honey and bamboo in the house amidst the baked goods.
The romance is secondary here to the continuing adventures of the MacKilligan sisters as they deal with their nightmare father, cousin Mairi who is desperately trying to kill Max, and the rest of their zany relatives. Oh, and Max's mom has busted out of Bulgarian prison.
Badger to the Bone is my fave of the trilogy. Over the top and hilarious in that special Laurenston way, the bonds between the sisters are a highlight for me. A lot of new secondary characters are introduced in this book, with potential sequel bait amongst many of them. Zé learning about the many ways he is already a cat stereotype and finding his home among shifters is a delight.

This is the third book in The Honey Badger Chronicles and it tells the story of Max "Kill It Again" MacKilligan, the most crazy of the MacKilligan sisters and Zezé Vargas a man who has no idea he's a jaguar shifter.

I liked getting to really know Max and how she thinks. It was interesting to to know that she generally had a reason for her crazy, except for maybe the feud she had going on with the stray cat in their neighborhood. But her hatred of cats only made it more amusing when she fell for one.

A lot of interesting side characters were introduced in this series and I hope I get to read their stories sometime.

Badger to the Bone by Shelly LaurenstonGah. This book gave me so many feelings. Mostly a lot of confusion. Because there are so many things about this book that usually annoy me and... they just didn't. They might on a re-read but not this time. The first and most egregious was not enough focus on Max and Zé even though this is supposed toe their book. And this may sound odd but I'm not even sure that this was a romance because it seemed like it was on the back burner. Great character development and in depth relationship development are my numbers one and two catnip and we just didn't get either in this book. Second thing that usually bothers me is the introduction (and focus on) characters who are clearly sequel bait. Max's teammates? The shifter team that tries to recruit them? All sequel bait. And their introduction (their are, what, like 7 or 8 people total for all of them so there's a LOT of introducing) takes up most of the book that would be used for relationship development. Third, parts of people being introduced that weren't present in any other book in the series just to fit a plot point in this book.
And yet. And YET. Even though all of these things were present (or not), I still finished the book wanting more pages. Laurenston is the queen of the screwball shifter comedy and this book just continues in that vein. Max needs a group of friends who are her ride or die but we've never seen them before? Well, we'll just throw it into the story! Make it a fault of another character who never remembers them but scares the hell out of them.
Do you love Laurenston and the Honey Badger Chronicles? Pre-order this book. Right now. Haven't read them? Start from the beginning and just own them all. I fully plan on re-reading this book soon and will see if my feelings change.

Four stars
This book comes out March 31st
Follows In a Badger Way
ARC kindly provided by Kensington and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Shelly Laurenston is Always a favorite of mine. The main series as well as the Dragon series are always my go to. She is amazing at creating worlds that you love to visit. Her characters are always funny creative and a little bit crazy. This book continues with that wonderful tradition. Please keep it up

I just love all of Shelly Laurenston's books, she never disappoints, she can keep you laughing and loving the funny and quirky characters. Shelly Laurenston skills are unmatched, I don't know of any other author that can take flawed and somewhat murderous characters and make them into relatable and hilarious anti-heroes.

Max arranges her own kidnapping... okay she just helps it along, for reasons of her own. But one of her kidnappers is undercover, well until she blows his cover. So Max takes Ze home with her, and technically since he was unconscious you could call that a kidnapping too. Ze doesn't know that he's a shifter, so Max takes him under her honey badger claw to show him the ropes.

Why I started this book: I love Laurentson's zaniness, her characters absolute confidence and take of shifters.

Why I finished it: Another great book, like her others. Max is wonderful, so wrapped up in her sisters, that she's put out to remember Ze and all that he's learning. But he's a cat, and undoubtedly lands on his feet.

Shelly Laurenston is one author that has always had the most wonderful and diverse characters. Her Badger series is no exception. The cast is colorful, boisterous, fun, CRAZY, hilarious – one of a kind.

If you love PNR and shifters of all kinds, and you love entertaining, laugh-out-loud and ridiculously funny stories – you need to read this series – but please start with book one in her Pride Series. The author interweaves more and more of the Pride series with the Badgers – hello cameos from old favorite characters. And that’s also one of the reasons why I wouldn’t recommend jumping into this book without reading the other series first. There is definitely an overload of well known characters in Badger to the Bone.

I don’t think it makes much sense to talk about the plot. All you need to know is that Badger to the Bone is one of the most entertaining stories I read this year. I caught myself bursting out with laughter, snorting and giggling. It was crazily funny at times, definitely over the top crazy too. Very much what I was expecting when reading a Shelly Laurenston book. Lot’s of crazy but lovable shifters. Oh, and they are ALL violent – so you got to be ok with blood, and be ready for interesting food choices, and strong kick ass heroines – definitely those.

Badger to the Bone was a fabulously entertaining book and anyone who is a fan of this series will enjoy it. It was definitely the right book at the right time for me because I adored it. And I’m so happy the author is writing in her shifter world again. It’s my favorite series of her, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her shifters.

I have read almost every book this author had written and this book is just like the rest..... AMAZING!!! Max always made me laugh but in this book she has a whole mother side to her. The drama in the McKilligan Family is crazy and I love crazy.

This book was provided by Netgalley for a review. The opinions are my own.

This book is amazing! The author takes us back to the world where shifters are living beside humans. The main character Max is seen as psychotic by many In the book. At the beginning she rescues a soldier , Zoe, and the fun begins.

The plot is strong as the author weaves together threads from previous novels (which I highly recommend you read, but not required to enjoy the book) and creates conflict for amazon and Ze. I loved how Max changed as she and Ze tackled the problems created by their respective pasts. You will laugh out loud as Max grows and want to yell at other characters. This is a highly entertaining book. I highly recommend it.

Badger to the Bone is the third book in the Honey Badger series and is the middle sister Max's story. Max is the wild one of the MacKilligan sisters, and also the one you would want to have your back if you should find your in the middle of a fight with a bunch of mercenaries. Which is how she meets ZeZe Vargas who actually believes he's going to be Max's knight in shinning armor but quickly realizes that not only does Max not need saving , but he and the bad guys are the one's who actually need saving from Max. And that's when the fun really begins.
If you've been following along with the Honey Badger Series then you know that wherever a MacKilligan goes, a whole lot of trouble along with a whole lot of laughs usually follows, and in Badger to the Bone there was a whole lot of both. Max and Ze's story was hilariously entertaining with loads of action and drama. I'll admit, that if you're looking for a romance, even though there are bits and pieces, it's not full of a passionate and a I just can't see my life without you kind of a connection between these two, but I still loved Max and Ze just the same. Shelly Laurenston has always been must read author for me, and Badger to the Bone definitely helps in continuing my addiction to her stories.

Snark, humor, non-stop action, badgers, jaguars, and bears, oh my! As an avid reader of Laurenston's books, this story lives up to and passes all expectations. All the little details building the characters and world result in a story you can't put down anf that will go right on that re-read shelf, while you can't wait for the next one. Does read as a stand alone, but as so many characters have their own back stories it is best read as a series. Can a possible psychopathic badger find love? Can her love interest be any more like a cat? No apoilers, though I will say you will find yourself laughing out loud at the interactions between characters and many shenanigans that occur throughout the story. Truly a unique story, you have not read before!

What is there to say about this crazy series set in the author's Pride world and featuring a trio of batsh*t crazy honey badger sisters who are beyond vicious with outsiders, yet unfailingly defend their family and friends against all comers. This book was Max, the middle sister's, story. In the previous books, Max was arguably the craziest and least predictable of the sisters, and I had real doubts about whether the author could make her a heroine I could root for. She seemed to have no motivation beyond stirring the pot, driving everyone around her crazy, getting into fights with no provocation, and having "fun" as she defined it. Still, there were always hints that although she appeared completely self-interested, Max was, in fact, incredibly loyal to her circle, so I shouldn't have doubted that she could carry her own book. In Badger to the Bone, we finally get to see Max's loyalty and her motivations and I definitely came to root for her.

In terms of plot, to be honest, there really wasn't one, just basically an excuse for lots of over-the-top scenes featuring the main characters and a whole host of characters from previous books. I tend to kind of just smile the whole time I'm reading because it's all just so crazy and madcap and so far removed from everyday reality. As always, although there was kind of a romance between Max and Ze, a jaguar shifter who doesn't know that he's a shifter, the romance was not fully fleshed out and I think that's my one criticism of this trilogy, that I really wish there had been more showing of the progression of their romance.

I generally love Shelly Laurenston, but this one felt weaker than the others in the trilogy. I still really enjoyed it, but that was mostly because of the sheer absurdity of the humor and characters rather than the romance or flow of the plot. There were so many characters from previous books popping up randomly that I had a difficult time keeping up with the plot which wasn't super strong to begin with, and there was definitely some insta-lust/love going on between Zé and Max which isn't uncommon in this series but seemed even more random/sudden than normal.

Regular readers of the series will likely enjoy this addition with Laurenston's trademark humor and silliness, but I think new readers would have a tough time connecting with the story.

We finally get the story of the last MacKilligan sister Max. To be honest, I’m not sure exactly what the book was about, but I was enjoying myself so much, I really didn’t care. I love the shifter world created by the author and just wanted to spend more time with the characters. As with other books by this author, the romance isn’t necessarily the focus of the story. The book is more about the relationships between the sisters, their family and friends, as well as the other species.

I would recommend reading the previous books in the Badger series to familiarize yourself with the characters, but also because they are great fun. In fact, I would highly recommend starting from the beginning of the author’s shifter series. So many characters from the previous books make appearances in this book, including my favorite couple Niles Van Holtz and Dr. Irene Conridge. This author’s humor really works for me and I always find myself laughing out loud when reading her books. I’m hoping for a new series about the Malones and can’t wait to read it!

It’s Max’s story, the third sister in the Honey Badger series. What a great story. They get better and better. The snarky humor is right up my alley. So many LOL moments too.
The MacKilligan sisters are great and Max meets her match with Ze. He’s a cat and doesn’t even know it! So great!! The fun begins right off and doesn’t stop till the end. I couldn’t put it down. We get visits from old friends from past reads but can be read as a stand alone but would be enjoyed so much more if you were familiar with SL crazy world of shifters. Each book is fantastic and highly recommended.
No indication on who’s next. All I ask is that SL write faster. Way too much time between releases.
I loved it! 2 thumbs up!

ZeZe Vargas finds himself in a world he had no idea existed. He is watching a woman who has been kidnapped and should be quivering in fear go crazy on the men who kidnapped her. Ze is trying to figure out what the heck is going on when Max “Kill It Again” MacKilligan decides to do him a favor and take care of him after he is hurt. Max idea of taking care of though is just to bring him to her families home and let them help him out. However, Max's sister Charlie decides Max needs to take care of Ze. Throw in a crazy cousin who is out to kill her, her father's latest scheme that is bound to fail and her basketball team who is going to the playoffs, Max has her hands full but she is also trying to figure out what to do with the attraction she feels for Ze.

There are only a handful of authors I can get their book and know it is going to be excellent before turning the first page and Shelly Laurenston is one of them. I was not sure how Max's story would go because she is hardest of the sisters, but it was brilliant. Funny, unpredictable and pure joy. Picked it up and could not put down, ready to reread already.

Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston is the 3rd book in her wonderful paranormal shifter Honey Badger Chronicles series. I have said this before, Laurenston is a master at giving us wild crazy and hilarious stories, and the Honey Badger Chronicles series is totally a wild, violent, hysterical action-packed adventure that has us engrossed in the story and laughing all the way. If you have not read this series, you need to start with the first book, otherwise you may find yourself confused, not to mention you need to read about all three of these wonderful crazy sisters. They are Honey Badgers, who are hard to kill, as well as terrifying to all their opponents.

Max MacKilligan, our heroine in this story, is kidnapped by someone who wants to use her to find her father. Even though the kidnappers are big strong dangerous men, they have no idea who they are dealing with, as our Max brings out her knives and kills them all, freeing herself, and an injured man, who doesn’t know he is a jaguar shifter.

ZeZe Vargas, is an undercover agent, and when he sees the cute Asian young girl, he wants to come to her defense; to his shock she quickly takes care of all of them, as well as taking him to her house to recover from his injuries, and find a way to tell him he isn’t human. When Ze recovers, he also meets Max’s two sisters, Charlie and Stevie, who push Max to start proving to him he is a cat, and teach him how to be a shifter. The chemistry between both of them was totally sizzling, and I loved them together. In a short time, Ze will shift and realize he needs to be around the MacKilligan girls, as well as their family and friends to survive this crazy world.

Though the main focus of the story revolved around Max and Ze, there were many other things going on with their father, cousins, and other shifters. Make no mistake, this is a wild crazy family and a hilarious adventure throughout, which is the norm for Laurenston. I loved Charlie, who has an uncanny ability to take control of any situation, and terrify everyone. A riot all the way. Max is also amazing, as she is totally fearless, not to mention a bit crazy. Stevie, the youngest sister, who is a genius, also stepped up and was able to take a little more control. Love this family that Shelly Laurenston has created.

What follows is an exciting adventure that was also fun-filled, wild & crazy action, three great sisters, wonderful secondary characters, and so much hilarious laughter. When it comes to fun, crazy, hysterical and exciting, with fantastic characters, no one does it better than Laurenston. Telling too much more would be spoilers, and this is the kind of story that needs to be read and fully enjoyed. if you have not read Shelly Laurenston, you are missing not only a gem of an author that she not be missed

I enjoyed Laurenston's Pride Series, but the Honey Badger Chronicles are even more fun. I wouldn't call these novels Fantasy Romance as the romance takes a back seat to the fantasy, but that aside, I enjoyed the novel immensely.

Badger to the Bone has a little bit of everything - laughs, romance, suspense, mystery. I'm sad the three sisters have all found love. Please tell me there's another cousin out there who needs to find her mate, so the series can continue!

Normally, I'd end my review there - with a plea for more novels in the series - but I do have a few comments about Max's trip in the Netherlands (as I live there). First of all, it should be the Netherlands is not are. I know it's weird, but The Netherlands is a country and isn't plural. Secondly, bitterballen is the plural of bitterbal. When referring to bitterbal it should be singular. And finally, it's almost impossible to whisk someone away in a van in downtown Leiden as the streets are narrow, many are pedestrian-only, and one-way streets turn the entire place into a maze. And yes, I realize I sound like the nit picky attorney I used to be.

I recommend this read to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy romance.