I love how well Davidson manages to mix fun and heartfelt moments with some of the darkest subplots possible in a manner that doesn't take away from the romance and the wonderful feels her characters engender. It's an artform that not many authors can manage, but she is the master.
I loved Magnus ever since he was the enigmatic bear that popped up in a previous volume and this book just confirms that he's a giant teddy bear of a man. Verity took some getting used to because she's a bit caustic as a defense mechanism for being a were who can't shift, but she's the perfect mate for Magnus, and seeing them clash and come together was a treat.
I particularly like this book because it's a continuation of the love stories set up in the previous two volumes with the wedding of Annette and David. We also get to check in on the kids from previous books and it's great feelings and growth all around. But this might also be why I don't think this could be a book that new readers can jump in without knowledge from the previous ones. It would still be enjoyable because it's a fun story despite the darker undertones, I just don't think it would be as great.
Overall, it's a fun and exciting adventure that has some hilarious hijinks to offset the darkness of the murders at its core.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the phenomenal read!

If there’s one thing that MaryJanice Davidson always delivers on, it’s the humor. It’s been a while since I’ve read one of her stories, but she’s going back on my always read list!

Verity is a “squib” or a shifter who can’t shift, and other shifters tend to believe that squibs are a lower class. So, when Verity is offered the opportunity to join a squib club that’s about proving you’re adventurous shifter spirit she does.

Magnus is a thirty-four year old soul who’s been through some …stuff. He’s in the US to spend time with his goddaughter, spending time alone on his island, figuring out how to make friends, and wondering who keeps dumping naked mannequins in his garden.

When one of the mannequins is NOT a mannequin, but Verity completing a dare, Magnus is intrigued. So is Verity.

The inner monologues are just as amusing as their conversations to each other as these two lonely souls try to figure each other out, give in to their feelings, and try to figure out what the hell is happening to the squibs in the club. The supporting cast is equally fun and interesting making for an overall delightful read!

This was a super fun read. The mystery was good, albeit sad. In hindsight, I probably should have read the first two books in the series.

Will most definitely be reading them.

All the characters are great. Magnus especially. Verity, I didn’t much care for. She grew on me but she not one of my favourites by any means.

Her courage to get justice for her friend was good to see. I would have liked her to not be so self absorbed.

This book had lots of humour. Some really funny and some not so. Overall a fun easy read. The secondary characters are fantastic and you can’t help but want to know them and their stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a quirky, clever, and funny ride. I had not read a MaryJanice Davidson book in years, but I remembered they were always funny, so I requested this one. I totally got what I was looking for, though I wish I knew all of the backstory from the other books in the series.

This book contains mannequins, mayhem, murder, and an adorable werebear hero, Magnus Berne. I LOVED him. He is sweet, caring, and stalwart. A complete cinnamon roll. Verity Lane is a shifter who cannot shift, and I think it was so interesting to consider what that would be like. This is definitely a slow-burn romance, but it works.

We spend a lot of time with secondary characters, two of whom are couples that likely got together in the first two books of the series. I really do recommend reading them first, as I think it would develop things nicely.

My only complaint is a lot of things happen off page. The way she describes or responds to them after the fact is funny, but I would have liked to see the action. All-in-all, it is a fun read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This series has to be one of the funniest most awesome takes on Shifters I've ever read.

This novel had so many elements to it. I loved the paranormal aspect, as well as the romance, and mystery. My favorite part was that it was funny. The author has a way with words and there were many times I would get strange looks from my family because I was laughing out loud. I recommend this book to anyone looking for something to brighten their day.

I love MJD and I have been a fan for years now. I had no idea there were previous books in this series but will go back and read when I can. I did enjoy reading this book. Squibs are shifters who can't shift and I love that they are being represented in this book. It isn't something you find really in other shifter books. The romance between Verity and Magnus is definitely a slow burn romance. I wish it would have been a bit quicker to be honest. I loved the mystery though in this story. I think others will enjoy this book.

3.5 stars!

This is my first book by the author, and after reading this, I am going to go through and read the other previous books.

This was so close to being a 4-4.5 read for me, but I just wanted more romance! The world was got me, but it would have been phenomenal with a bit more romance.

That’s just my personal cup of tea, though! It was a great read.

So I’ve read the previous 2 books in the series... the first one twice but honestly I could barely remember anything that happened in those books... especially the 2nd one. So Magnus in any way being involved in the second book? No idea at all I do remember there being a child in that one but that’s it. But I suppose that doesn’t really matter much. I liked Magnus a lot... his awkward ways and wariness about things made sense with his background. Verity I found irritating and irrational a lot of the time. Her parents were obviously overprotective and maybe didn’t handle things the best but she overreacted to pretty much everything constantly. She blamed them for things that was clearly her own complex about being a shifter who couldn’t shift.

Usually when I do a review I would stop to like summarize it but this was essentially a bunch of nonsense and the way it’s described is not anything to do with wha5 it’s about. Yes Magnus is a bear shifter and yes Verity is a non-shifting shifter aka a squib. There are some murders and they are squibs but there were no dead bodies being dumped at Magnus’s house and there was no real threat to squibs or anyone through the book. Basically everything that happens is because Magnus involves himself in things. Had he not nobody would have even known there was a murder at all. So the story is kind of odd, not bad just odd. Some of the more interesting things going on though had nothing to do with the main characters, the characters from the previous books had more interesting things going on. The whole plot of the book though was kinda dumb, it’s like why was someone killing squibs? No real reason and there wasn’t even like some big conspiracy or plan.

I did like the book because it was funny and enjoyable however this series is the only one I’ve ever read from the author. That said I don’t know if it’s just this series or it’s just the way she writes but the female main characters in all 3 books could literally be the exact same person from the way they are written. They are all full of witty sarcastic banter constantly. It’s like the only differences between them are very slight. No a bad book but it was mostly just a series of evens in the lives of some shifters.

I love this series. For so many reasons. Funny, heartwarming, unique writing style, footnotes, political commentary and great, great, great characters! The cast of characters has slowly grown, and many carry over from one book to the next.

Magnus Berne seems a bit shyer in this book than in Wolf After My Own Heart. Maybe because he is awkward around Verity Lane, the lovely shifter that ended up on the beach of his island, naked. Verity is a squib – a shifter that can’t shift to her animal form. As a member of the Damp Squibs, she and her friends try to prove to themselves that they are as capable as any shifter. But when Damp Squibs start dying, Magnus brings in a private investigator because – well, things don’t smell right. Not that Magnus can smell very well, f&^*ing allergies!

The investigation brings Verity and Magnus together even though they annoy each other. (You know what that means.) Also in the story is more of the young shifters Caro and Dev, including a tearjerking scene with Dev and Annette. Also, a wedding. Not saying who. There are a few candidates from this series.

Some of my favorite quotes (it’s like the author read my mind):

"He gritted his teeth over the absurdity of turning nouns into verbs."

"Celery is repulsive…."

“If a club wants me, I don’t want them.”

Read this story, but only if you want to laugh, cry, solve a mystery and generally have a bit of fun.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Her anchor
What seems to start out as a descent into madness, okay the inner, and outer, ramblings of an intelligent soul with too much alone time and maybe a fair amount of ADHD, turns into a sweet romance story with a dastardly bad guy, friends, maybe?, and the sweetest HEA. I love how Variety’s mind works! And the more we unravel her bluster the deeper her personality becomes. Magnus is no slouch either. In his own quiet way he is exactly where he needs to be when he needs to be there and finds himself the perfect mate for him. He needs to be brought out of his shell and Variety will manage it where his friends, still not sure, have started the process. This book was a wild ride from start to finish and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Mad for a Mate
by MaryJanice Davidson

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If Lorelei Gilmore dictated a shifter murder mystery I imagine it would be something like this. Quirky to the extreme it was almost difficult to follow at times likely because this is my first time reading this author and it’s also one of the later books in a series.

This book features a unique oddball madcap zany sarcastic sense of humor that I imagine could be too much for some people.

Our heroine is a shifter who cannot shift but does have heightened senses. They call this minority squibs. More or less exactly the same as non-magic people from magical families in Harry Potter are called squibs. I was not sure how I felt about this and looked up the work on merriam Webster while there is a definition for just squib that I suppose could be somewhat related - a broken fire cracker that fizzes. More interesting was that “damp squib” was listed as British
: something that is disappointing because it is not as exciting or effective as expected.
The heroine and her friends call them selves the damp squibs and perform extreme challenges/dares.

Our hero is an adorably awkward Scottish bear shifter. Some of his backstory felt a little convoluted but I imagine would have made more sense had I read the previous books. So I would recommend reading in order in this case.

Lowish steam. Door only slightly cracked open and only at the end. More plot and humorous dialogue driven.

Trigger warnings - specism? Foster care, child runaways, remembered child trafficking (but not in a sex way), extreme sport death.

Additionally the title feels a little misleading. Many shifter books bring us fated mates or mate bonds or mate frenzies etc. There are zero mates here. There is a side character wedding but they’re not referred to as mates either it’s just a wedding. So don’t go in expecting Mates of any kind really.

4/5

Mad for a Mate is another heart winning, fun yet suspenseful novel in MaryJanice Davidson’s shifter series. With a reoccurring cast of characters from past books, reading the series in order only adds to the overall enjoyment of the rich world building. Bear shifter Magnus Berne is getting really tired of mannequins washing up on his island and then one day the dummy turns out to be a real woman. Damp squib, Verity Lane is part of a club of shifters without the ability to actually shift. To prove to the world how tough they are, the Damp Squibs do dangerous dares. Magnus believes murder is at hand when two of the squibs wind up dead. Magnus and Verity take on a twisted investigation and an orthodox beginning to a romantic relationship in a funny, heartfelt story full of good friends and rich world building. MaryJanice Davidson always provides a good time read that leaves you wanting more. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I have loved MJD ever since I picked up my first book of hers and have eagerly read as much of hers as I can since. This book started off slowly and really, it needed to since after the reader gets introduced to the primary characters, of which there are quite a few, it starts to pick up the pace and gets so much more interesting! This was in no way a normal shifter story which is what one expects when reading a book about shifters by this fabulous author. I won't give away any spoilers other than to say that I loved the idea of a new subspecies of shifters! The possibilities for interesting storylines in future books are huge! The only downside to me was that the romance between Verity and Magnus was way too slow to develop. The mystery was great but I wanted the romance to move as quickly as the mystery did. I had to drop a star in the rating because of that. It would have only been a half star but that isn't possible on the star system available. This was still a winner in my book and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley.

Magnus Berne is a bear shifter who has an issue with someone dumping dead bodies on his property. As Magnus investigates he finds that he has a stow away on his island, Verity. Determined to find answers and keep Verify out of harms way he needs answers. Verify is a very proud woman and doesn't need help. She feels she is quite capable on her own. The two realize they need to stick together so they can figure out must what is going on. This was a fun read filled with a ton of humor, romance, and shifters galore to make it that.Mich more interesting.

I enjoyed this book very much. It was fun and interesting and fast-paced and had loads of the author's signature zaniness. It's a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the other books in the series, if only for enjoyment. Looking forward to the next one.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

I liked this book, but I feel like I didn't like it as much as I could or should have. Think part of that is the author's writing style which doesn't quite work for me, it tends to feel just a little off. I generally like her characters and enjoy reading along as they fall head over heels. In this book that was true for Magnus (his sweet but awkward was endearing) but no so much for Verity (she seemed more 5 or 15 than 25 at times). I enjoyed seeing Magnus open up and spread his wings as the story progressed and the mystery was also interesting. It was also good to see the characters from the prior books and what was happening with them. However, you don't need to read the prior books as the author does a good job of providing any relevant history without "info dumping" through out the story.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, heartwarming, fast-paced and I didn't want to put it down. This book can be read as a standalone story, though it is book 3 in the BeWere My Heart series. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I have read many books by this author, including her entire Undead series, and have always enjoyed her sense of humor that is so much a part of her stories. However, I couldn’t make sense of this one (perhaps it would have if I had read the previous two books) and couldn’t get into the story or characters. I am so sorry as I have enjoyed her previous books and her delightful and “offbeat” sense of humor, but this one just didn’t work for me. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I didn’t know this was part of a series when I requested it, but I wasn’t too worried as I’ve read this author before. I was right. It didn’t take long to be drawn into the book, and I didn’t feel I was missing too much not having read the previous ones. I am sure that I did miss some subtle things and not know some of the characters as well as I should have. This story was at times funny, serious, and thought-provoking proving that the author still has it. I am not overly fond of shifter books, but this was still a great book. I admit that Verity at times really annoyed me, but Marcus is very endearing. All in all, this is a paranormal romance/suspense book worth reading. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Mad for A Mate by MaryJanice Davidson. (BeWere My Heart #3). 3 stars

I read to the other two book in this series and I have to say that while I thought it was good, it wasn’t great. The snark and sassy dialogue was there, but the story was slow and convoluted. I was almost going to give up, but the pace picked up about 30% into the book and I started to enjoy it. The other characters from the previous two books made it really enjoyable. The funny bits about the scones made me laugh out loud. The romance was a really SLOW burn, almost too SLOW. I look forward to the next book in this series because Ms. Davidson never really writes a bad book.

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC.