As with other Maryjanice Davidson books I’ve read, the beginning makes my head spin-but in a good way! The characters and plot are a trip!
This is the third book in a series but I didn’t have any issues not reading the first two so I feel it can easily be a standalone. Cute story!

When it comes to whacky female leads who are flawed in adorable ways, Ms. Davidson hands down creates the best ones. I picked this one up because it's been a while since I've read a paranormal from Ms. Davidson. This book defies categorization. Warning, I felt as if this book may be a book from a series that I haven't read. There were references to characters and previous events that felt like I should know about already. I made a cursory search and didn't see which book this series may be linked to... if you know what it is, post it below in my comments. Goodreads doesn't currently place it in a series.

Verity is our unshifting werebear who joins a "fight" club if you will, where weres who cannot shift band together to do challenges. If I could summarize the antics of these kids it is, to combine Jackass with Yolo mentality. During the first half of this book, I'm incredulous and a bit disgusted with how cavalier these kids treat their lives. Their challenges make absolutely zero sense to me. Not only does it not make sense, but their pride in their foolhardiness also makes me feel old. Was I ever this stupid? I guess it is true that those under 25 don't have a mature brain and should still be considered as kids. Have we made life so easy for the young now that they would pull off stunts that prove to no one that they are just as good as shifters who can shift? The lack of logic for this group of kids just boggles my mind. Lack of logic bothers me and causes to lose respect for the characters - be it in a book or in real life. Thankfully, Verity comes across a werebear who is logical.

I feel for Magnus Berne. He is a Bear shifter, and not any ole werebear. He is SCOTTISH! Incidentally, did you know that the Scots are rates as the number 1 holiday flings? They are the best lovers to play with for a bit of a tumble? (Scots voted world's best lovers in poll of greatest holiday flings (thesun.ie)) Ms. Davidson does use some Scottish wording to cause a reader to read all of Magnus' dialogue with a thick Scottish brogue. At times I didn't even understand what I heard in my head as Magnus speaks to Verity.

Whilst Verity's baggage is tied to her parents' fear for her, I found this to be heartwarming instead of annoying. Verity may be completely embarrassed and tired of her parents thinking that full shifters would kill her. This sentiment is not too different than my parents' fear when I moved to Michigan in the early 90s. A little more than a decade after Vincent Chin, an innocent Chinese man mistaken for a Japanese man was killed by automotive workers. (How the 1982 Murder of Vincent Chin Ignited a Push for Asian American Rights - HISTORY). My parents too feared that I may fall under a mistaken identity and be killed by crazed Michigan autoworkers. I can relate to Verity's situation and see it with a different set of eyes. Sometimes, art imitates life.

The ending of this book is what turned my rating around and I enjoyed it. I love Magnus and even if I find Verity a bit flighty, she seems to balance out Magnus's seriousness. This paranormal romance is recommended to readers who throw logic out the window and love crazy TikTok challenges.

Heat Factor: The slowest of horny slow burns, with hot fading to deep purple after 90%
Character Chemistry: I liked them for each other, but there was more focus on the banter and the danger than on the emotional development
Plot: A loner werebear with a checkered past finds a naked woman washed up on his island. Then she hops up and swims off, and he goes after her. Banter ensues.
Overall: I definitely laughed out loud.

If you’re looking for a serious romantic suspense book, or a romance that’ll release a kaleidoscope of butterflies in your stomach, this is not that book. In fact, if Verity and Magnus weren’t so horny for each other, it would be romance adjacent at best. But Verity is very interested in Magnus’s sexiness, even if not in his protectiveness, and Magnus just has this inexplicable need to just…check in. Make sure Verity hasn’t died yet. It’s nothing personal, really. So even though it’s a slow burn with a sex scene added at the very end (a thing some readers have feelings about), I would not categorize this book as smut adjacent.

We were introduced to Magnus Berne in A Wolf After My Own Heart. He’s a mysterious figure, extremely wealthy but also extremely isolated. You’d never know that Magnus’s story would follow Oz’s, but that’s how this series goes. You don’t really have to know about anything that happened in order to enjoy the book, but there’s plenty to make a reader go back and read prior books if they’re interested enough to do so.

Verity Lane is a squib, which is a shifter that can’t shift. In all other ways, she has all the shifter powers - the ability to heal quickly, super senses, and super strength. Her parents have always treated her as defective in a worried, hovering way, so when she ran off to Minnesota and met a fellow squib, she joined his squib club and proceeded to engage in extremely dangerous and sometimes illegal activities to prove that squibs are just as capable as all other shifters.

Which is why she ends up naked and asleep on Magnus’s island after swimming six miles across Lake Minnetonka.

There’s a whole mystery plot, complete with murders and threats to Verity’s life and limb, but really the draw of this book (and the whole series…and probably any book my MJD) is that it’s completely bananapants. Completely. Bananapants.

There is banter. There is cheek. There is a shocking lack of reverence for Serious Things. There are absurd footnotes (but I might try to find some kawaii sugar cubes, because I’m intrigued now). There is a woman who is perfectly capable of taking care of herself (Thankyouverymuch), murders notwithstanding. And a man who is not doing a particularly good job of taking care of himself but has decided to take care of others.

So if you like absurdity with your crime-solving, then this is probably a good book for you. And if you have a connection to Minnesota and the Twin Cities, it’s really fun. But if you like gentle romance, lotsa angst, or big romance feels, you might want to take a pass this time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Im So sorry i Just could not get into this... From Mannequins to squibs.... if a book could be schizophrenic this would be its definition i just felt dropped in a world with no explanation and characters that made no sense.... Usually i give a book 100 pages if i still cant get into it i have to DNF, its a shame as i loved this authors Undead series

A great read! This was my first book by MaryJanice Davidson although I have heard of her. I knew that I would probably like it because it was paranormal romance and of course I was right. It was a fun and enjoyable read. I loved the characters and everything about it. Thank you for the chance to read it.

MaryJanice Davidson is one of my favorite authors. However, I apparently missed some books in this series. I feel like you need to have read the other books to understand all the characters and what has been happening.

Verity is a squib - a shifter who cannot shift - and has recently joined a club where squibs prove they’re just as strong as shifters by carrying out dangerous tasks. One of these tasks brings Verity into contact with Magnus, a Scottish bear shifter who has come to the US to reconnect with his goddaughter. The pair are instantly attracted to each other, and when two members of the club die soon after each other in mysterious circumstances, they’re forced closer together.

I liked this book. The romantic element was a lot gentler than I’m used to from a paranormal romance - I don’t know if I’d go as far as calling it a slow burn, but the way that Verity and Magnus’ relationship develops is slower-paced and almost cute as they dance around their feelings for each other. I enjoyed the dynamic between them and it was nice to see how it developed.

I’ve never read anything from this author before, but their voice is really distinct and clear in the writing style. There are some really inventive ways that Davidson tells this story, with the novel being very funny in parts. However, I did struggle sometimes with the way the story was written. Part of this is because it’s part of a series, and there was a lot of world-building and characters I assume you’d have to have read previous novels to understand. But some of it was just the style: it jumps around a lot, there’s a lot of dialogue that can get quite dense and it wasn’t always clear who was speaking. This isn’t a criticism - I actually liked this aspect of it and I think if I’d read other books I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but as a first-time reader, it was a bit hard to wrap my head around at times.

But judging it for what it was, this is a good book. It was funny, the romance was quite sweet and cute, and there was a good, solid mystery at its heart, with some decent twists and turns. I enjoyed reading it, despite my reservations, and I would definitely give other stuff by this author a try, as it captured my interest. 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 for providing a free copy of this book.

Content notes: Death (off-page), murder (off-page), grief, human trafficking (in past), kidnap (in past), imprisonment (in past), blood, on-page sex (non-descriptive).
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The scene where the hero and heroine meet was hilarious. Someone had been habitually dumping mannequins on Hamish's island. By the end of the novel, you know who was doing it. And the heroine was just as spunky as Queen Betsy, even if she isn't as obsessed with shoes. I received a review copy from NetGalley and have left my opinion.

This is a case of loving the 'verse, but the romance? Maybe not as much. I think Ms. Davidson is still pretty damn funny and she makes these characters interesting in and of themselves. My issue is that the romance always feels like a side note, not the main show. And that's ok, as long as the story is still entertaining. This is the third book in the series, I believe and I do think it's important to read in order because there's alot going on and the supporting players will be a tad confusing, even with the helpful bits of backstory given here.

So will I continue to read this series? Definitely, it's entertaining, but I'm not coming here for the romance fix, that's more of a sprinkle than a cupcake. And now I'm a little hungry, not gonna lie. Ok, off I pop. If you like PNR and prefer the romance on the mild side, you may really enjoy this.

**ARC provided via Netgalley for review**

Mixed reactions after reading this. This is a part of a series (I was not aware of this and hadn't read the previous ones - so I had a bit of difficulty in catching up with some of the characters but otherwise can be read as a standalone.).


While the mystery aspect was good, i would have liked a bit more between Magnus and Verity.

I fell in love with MaryJanice Davidson’s books when I found her Undead series which follows the adventures of the Queen Vampire, Betsy Taylor. That series was always such a fun read, filled with lots of absurd situations and quirky characters. Davidson continues with the quirky characters, but makes some of the situations more realistic in Mad for a Mate and a bit heavier since the series has children who came up with bad home lives or were bounced around in foster care… although there’s still lots of crazy situations too!

One of the reasons I enjoy Davidson’s writing so much is the frantic pace that her characters end up talking from time to time. Four people will be talking, maybe not all about the same thing, and she doesn’t give you lots of definition as to who is saying what. For some people this can get confusing or they don’t like that style of writing, but I do, since this is in reality often how groups of people talk; everyone talking over each other, not really listening, but still wanting to be heard.

Davidson shines when it comes to character development, even if some of the characters are air-heads or vapid. And her secondary characters are always as complex as the main ones. Often one of them will become my favorite over the leads. Nadia is stealing my heart (and I’m hoping/thinking she’ll be the lead in the next book) since she reminds me of myself a bit, seems to not really like people, but is a soft, squishy mess under that hard exterior.

If you enjoy the quirky characters in Darynda Jones’s or Janet Evanovich’s books, you’ll want to check out Mary Janice Davidson. And while each book can be read alone, it’s best to start each series at the beginning so you can catch all the inside jokes and character crossovers from book to book and series to series.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Casablanca for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I believe that this is part of a series, that i now want to own and read, and reread!. What a fun book. I laughed, and yes I even cried! The characters are interesting and unique. I loved Magnus and Verity is a handful. I stayed up way to late so I could finish this book. Will definitely recommend this book to all paranormal romance readers, or anyone who will listen. 4.5 stars Keep these coming.

This is a snarky, madcap story. At times cute yet still full of snark. Verify is a shifter without the ability to shift. A "squib.". Truthfully the book is centered around that fact. Add in werebear scot Mangus and add a little heat and the madcap events start to roll.

Not the the best MaryJanice Davidson's book but a fun and entertaining read.
I laughed out loud, loved the world building and the plot kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Wait? This was supposed to be humorous? Sorry but this was so confusing, and so boring that I DNF'ed at like 20%. Verity is a squib, a bear shifter that can't shift that belongs to a club of other squibs and they do various competitions with each other because?? I think to prove they can do things like shifters can? Not sure. She runs into Magnus and then stuff...so much rambling and tangents that I can't really figure out what's happening not at this point do I care. So I don't know what happens because I stopped reading it.

Thank you so very much to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

MaryJanice Davidson is one of my most favorite author so you can just imagine my joy at getting to read and review this book.

The characters were described in so much detail I felt I knew each one of them personally and felt very thing they felt. I became part of the story. It was as if I were there experiencing everything the characters were.

MaryJanice bad truly evolved as an author. Just when I thought there was no way her books could get better bam, they do. Highly recomend.

MaryJanice Davison’s Mad for a Mate is a hilarious book! I have never found a book she has written, that I have not loved. She uses shifters that are not typically in shifter books. Davison knows how to put a spin on it that will hit you in the feel-goods. She will have you on a roller coaster of laughs, tears, and excitement. She will have you rooting for the grumpy reclusive bear to become gregarious. This book is for anyone who loves paranormal with a bit of romance, funny, and mystery all rolled into one.

Very good!!! You can’t go wrong with MaryJanice Davidson!! Verity is definitely a unique character and I enjoyed reading about her! And Magnus - a bear shifter. I really liked their interactions and and dialogue! A very good read!

Oh look! Another book in the BeWere My Heart series. Would I like to read it? Yes please. And so, begins my reading Mad for a Mate by MaryJanice Davidson.

Verity is a bear shifter who can't shift. To prove herself, she joins a local club of other shifters who can’t shift, the Damp Squibs. Club members do outrages, and dangerous, challenges to prove just because they can’t shift doesn’t mean they aren’t fierce and strong as other shifting shifters. Magnus, also a bear shifter, who can shift, lives out on an island. All he wants is to connect with his young goddaughter, and to find out who keeps dumping mannequins on his property. He gets up one morning to find, yet again, another mannequin. Or so he thinks until he turns it over to find a very alive, very naked, Verity. Surprise! Who then promptly swims away. Wait! He needs answers! And so does Verity especially after a second death occurs within the Damp Squibs. Was it an accident or something more? And who is next!

Just like the previous book, there isn’t a whole lot of romance to be had. Instead we get a rollicking funny story with great characters, great dialog, and a mystery to solve. Magnus is such a sweet (No pun intended) teddy bear! Verity is quirky and crazy. Not exactly a pair you would expect to see together, but they totally work. There’s plenty of secondary characters just as fun and quirky, who keep adding to all the chaos that surround Magnus and Verity. Let’s not also forget, there’s a mystery to solve. Who is killing the Squibs?! Not going to say I’m totally surprised when the big reveal happened. I just wasn’t expecting the exact who. The story is very face-paced and at times, I found myself a bit overwhelmed. It eventually came together for me.

You don’t have to read the previous titles in the BeWere My Heart series. Despite the repeating characters, each book does work well as stand-alones. Now that I got that PSA out of the way, I say do read the whole series. They’re fun and very entertaining. Looking forward to the next book!


Stars: 3.75
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A delightful, quirky read! It was fast and easy to read with a thrilling plot and interesting characters!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced copy.