A big thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eARC. I am voluntarily revieiwng this book. This book can be read as a stand alone-but I think it would read better if you read some of the others in the series first. You will at least be familiar with some of the names, otherwise you may be on name overload. I love this series, that being said-this one was an odd one. I felt it jumped all over the place-and we the readers were the last to know. I love all the characters-Shay, Tock and their antics. For me, this one was just a bit convoluted and I couldn't get the connections. Still if you want to smile and giggle-these are always great for that!! Honey badgers rule!! 4 stars

Emily "Tock" Meyerson, and her team of honey badgers are on the hunt for the shifters that are part of a human trafficking ring that kidnap humans to sell to other shifters to hunt and for food.

Tock is sent on a simple mission by her grandmother to rescue her cousin. Shay Malone the sensitive tiger of the Black Malones decide to tag along to keep Tock safe since she and her team are helping the Malone brothers find out who killed their CIA father. A trap is set for Tock and she's injected with a poison that even paralyzes a honey badger.

An investigation begins with the security groups of the shifter nation when an attempt is made to kill the honey badgers and the Malone brothers. Whoever wants them dead has forgotten the honey badgers motto:

"" We never stop. We never back off. We never lose with grace."

One thing I know for sure about these shifters, they are going to make me giggle, I am going to randomly chortle, and there are belly laughs that are going to happen. Shay and Tock did not disappoint, their uniqueness and interactions would have been entertaining enough on their own, but there was more. There was more because of Shay’s brothers, Tock’s teammates, and of course, the MacKilligan sisters and all they bring with them. There are also extended family, and the more badgers, the more chaos that reigns down. Our couple aren’t sure they are a couple, and then they just are, another fabulous expectation met. Add in a precocious daughter, viscous dogs, puppies, and cranky wolves, along with our honey hungry bears, and this was a simply wonderful story that I didn’t want to end <3

I love this authors books. So much fun and hilarity usually with all the characters. Tock and Shay's story was prominent, but there was so much going on jumping from one group to the next. There was no cohesive storyline around them, and I had story whiplash. 10 year old Dani was superb. "Oh Daddy" made me laugh every time. Got it right about washing her panties. This really felt like a jumbled building block for the war. Lots of cameo's, I liked that. I was entertained, and recommend you read the previous books first, or you may be lost. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Kennsington Books.

Born to Be Badger by Shelly Laurenston
The Honey Badger Chronicles– Book 5
ASIN:B0BZBGM4NH
Romance/Shapeshifters/Paranormal Romance/Paranormal/Fantasy/Humor
Kensington Publishing Corp
https://shellylaurenston.com/
Reviewed by Nikita


The Honey Badgers are at it again, and this time around, a family of clueless tiger shifter brothers have no idea how lucky they are to have fierce honey badger females helping them find out who killed their father.
Emily “Tock” Meyerson-Jackson is on a mission to rid the world of shifters trafficking humans for hunting and cash, and nothing will get between this honey badger and her prey—not even a dog-loving Tiger with absolutely no time management skills.

Revenge is most definitely on the menu for Shay and his tiger shifter brothers. Tock might be a bad-ass honey badger, but she’s awfully cute when she’s flashing her fangs, which she’s pretty much doing all the time these days.

Taking a break after flying from country to country, and firefight to heist, Tock and her team, as well as the Malone brothers still end up getting drawn into trouble. The good thing about becoming the target of a coalition of mobster lions is that they find out who killed the Malone brothers’ father, the bad thing… is it really a bad thing when they get to toss that trouble right back into the mobsters’ court?

Although Tock and Shay seem to have nothing in common, Dani, Shay’s Daughter, becomes the link that really begins their real connection. Sure, when Tock gets drawn into an ambush and hit with a dart that actually works against honey badgers, and she may have accidentally nicked an artery when Shay got too close to help her, but he knows she didn’t mean it. Stevie’s working on the counter to the man-made poison, so she should be okay, right? Right??

Shelly Laurenston just keeps coming out with fantastic, funny, action-packed stories I can’t help but love! I really enjoyed getting to know Tock and Shay better, and Dani is an incredibly sweet tiger cub that knows what she wants and how to get her Malone uncles and daddy to do what she needs done. Calling Keane, Uncle Mean, is hilarious!

We find out who killed Malone Sr., and I can’t wait to find out what everyone is going to do to take down the de Medici coalition. After all, Charlie did the hard part, right? LOL! From first page to last, I couldn’t put this book down!

I remember way back when, Shelly only had a few books out and a gang of us used to hang out with her on her Yahoo group, making up short skits taking place in Shifterville. Playing with fictional flamethrowers, throwing parties in the bar, having bonfires drinking tequila and teasing our bunny-loving Joy. Shelly was a favorite author of mine then, and is to this day as she still tells amazing stories and I can’t wait for the next Honey Badger Chronicles book to come out!!

This is the 5th Badger book by Shelly Laurenston. I was disappointed. It was my least favorite. It definitely wasn't up to the same level of hilarity and fun of the rest of her Pride series. Very flat. It could have easily been shortened and tightened up into a short story. Tonk and Shay's story was the only saving grace. I loved Shay's daughter, Dani,. ("Oh, Daddy.")

I spent most of the book trying to figure out exactly who the different factions were. Tonk and the basketball team (Go, Wisconsin Butchers!) with the Malone brothers, Tonk's grandmother, Tonk's Aunt Tracey, and the bad guys who are human traffickers. You absolutely HAVE to read the series first. This book doesn't stand on its own at all. It is just a filler to get you to the next future book. From the cliffhanger, Born to Be Badger is a necessary read for it. (I am hoping for Nell & Uncle Meane! Whee!)

The cameos by previous characters were 2D. I was expecting an awesome cookout by Ric. Nope. Also no sporting events either. Oh well, not every book can be a winner. It isn't as if I am not going to re-read it a billion times. I LOVE the entire Pride world! This will hold you until the next book.

I have been a fan of Shelly Laurenston and her shifter series for years and Born to Be Badger does not disappoint. We see Tock and Shay as the main characters and all the craziness that comes along with the Badgers. I loved seeing the MacKilligan sisters and all the craziness the team gets into. We see the foundation being built in this book for a continuing story line. In this book we also got to meet new characters which was fun and I cannot wait to get to know them more.

Watching Shay and Tock fall in love was a very slow burn, they wanted to be around each other, and missed each other when the other wasn't around, but it was worth it in the end. I cannot wait to see more of them. The interesting brother will be Keane, I cannot wait to watch him fall, that will be fun. We also got to see Dee Ann and Malone in short clips, I wish we got to see more of them but I can understand why it was for such a short time. I would highly recommend this book, but I also recommend that you go back and read the past books to understand what is fully going on. This world builds on itself.

Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review from NetGalley.

I need to be honest: Shelly Laurenston and her alias, GA Aiken, are my go-to comfort food when I'm having a rough day. I know I'll get smart characters, strong women, delightful snark, and great chemistry. So when I saw this ARC, I almost begged. While this is building on the last few Honey Badger stories, it's clear she's laying the groundwork to move this series along into other, untapped story arcs with new characters all tangentially connected to others interwoven across the shifter series. This book, more than any of the others, had the. most "other" voices in the story thread. I could see how some might argue that this is a weakness of the plot, but really: this book is a bridge.

While the "main characters" are Tock and Shay, Laurenston does what she does so well: make all the secondary characters as strong as the mains -- and make me not care that they also take center stage with the romantic partners. I've noticed in her more recent books that the chemistry is more slow burn, but I don't really care - I find it worth waiting for because the ride to get there is so worth it.

While you could read this stand-alone, I would recommend that you at least go back to book one in this series. You'll love the characters all the more if you've journeyed with them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for this opportunity to read rage and review this arc which will be available November 28,2023!

This book cracked me up. Like all her books they are spicy ridiculousness with airhead humor. Logic is not needed to read this book. I love that I laughed out loud and snorted throughout reading this book.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of BORN TO BE BADGER (Book 5 of the Honey Badger Chronicles paranormal romance series) by Shelly Laurenston in exchange for an honest review. Emily “Tock” Meyerson-Jackson is a complex woman: basketball teammate, covert operative, heist participant, time-obsessed mathematician, science gal, explosive expert, and honey-badger shapeshifter. Shay Malone is a relatively simple go-with-the-flow family man: son, brother, father, dog-lover, football player, covert operative, and tiger shifter. When Tock leaves her team to deal with a family matter, Shay tags along. Soon, the pair are up to their ears in taking down human traffickers and figuring out who wants to kill both the Malone brothers and the MacKilligan crew. Somewhere along the way, they may have to admit that they like-like each other.

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend the series and the book to fans of humorous shapeshifter paranormal romances featuring heists, mafia, hit squads, and crazy family.

#BorntoBeBadger #NetGalley

This is the 5th book in the Badger series. And sadly, my least favorite. It took too long to figure out who the enemy was, and there were never any clues for us readers to be like, "I knew it". I know she was going for the grand reveal twist, but this felt forced and hidden from readers. I loved the characters and getting to see more of them. Her humor was there as always but this one felt forced and rushed.

Get ready to be entertained!

Emily “Tock” Lepstein-Jackson is a honey badger and very few of the shifter world even know they exist and they know to leave them alone because they never ever give up trying to get to their prey. Tock is all about keeping to a schedule and she connects with Shay Malone and then the actions starts.

I know when I start any book by Shelly Laurenston to be prepared for a wild ride with over the top characters because they cause chaos trying to solve problems for the shifter world. We read about more relatives of Tock’s, all of the new to us members of Van Holtz pack plus we get to see a few our favorite characters (Eggie, Dee and Ric).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As are all of Shelly Laurenston’s (aka GA Aiken) books, this was HILARIOUS! I always find myself highlighting most of the dialogue. The whole group of honey badgers and various other shifters are not only funny but the story is suspenseful. How could Tock not fall for Shay after seeing how he is with his daughter and how adorable Dani is. Love spending time with all the past characters as well. Truly a great addition to the series. You could absolutely read this as a standalone but don’t…you won’t regret it.

Another fun read by one of my favorite authors. Did enjoy this one, although it does have a bit of a cliff hanger. Still though, lots of previous characters to revisit and lots of snarky banter. Highly recommend.

Almost 4 stars

If you love shifter books, you have to read this series.

But be aware, these are no ordinary shifters, they are kinda crazy, but in a good way!

In this shifter world by Shelly Laurenston, there are all kinds of shifters. My favourites are the bears, but I also love the big cats, and some of the most entertaining shifters of all are the badgers.

Badgers are blood thirsty, extremely smart, tenacious, and incredibly hard to kill.

The main characters in the Honey Badger Chronicles are all badger females. Crazy females, with big personalities, and even louder voices. It's a lot of fun, and utterly entertaining from beginning to end.

The romance part is very slow burn, and sometimes it actually feels like an afterthought. But the interactions between the main characters are a big part of the entire story. There is enough time to allow the characters to get to know each other.

The books are full of interesting characters with big personalities. As always the interactions and relationships between the ever growing supporting cast is a lot of fun.

But that's also my main complain.

The amount of cast members is getting out of hand, and the big driving plot was almost non existing in this book. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the fabulous dialogues, and some of the many recurring characters, I just find it's getting to a point where there is nothing new in the overall plot and I'm starting to have problems keeping the characters apart.

Overall it was exactly what I expected, and I had a great time reading this new instalment.

Yet another amazing story by Shelly Laurenston.
This is another honey badger story with Max’s team and now linked to the Malone tiger shifters.
This time is Tock and Shay’s story. Both quite introverted but still sweet in their own way. You get to meet Shay’s young daughter and how the family live around her.
They are still on the hunt for the group that killed the Malone’s father and the honey badgers are helping in their own scary battle hardened way. Shay is quite sweet and very patient especially with his brothers! Tock has her own way of doing things but for the most part they operate the same way. A great addition is an older group of honey badger women middle aged whom are like Max’s team too laughs aplenty for all and some kick ass action. Bring on the next I’m hoping for Keane and Nelle what a pairing they would make

Oh no ends not on a cliff hanger but close, so much more to the story. Loved it, well done Shelly.📖📖👏👏

Ms. Laurenston has a way of writing that brings you right along for wild, mayhem filled adventures with unique, unforgettable characters and after you catch your breath you're ready for more. This book is no exception.

As with most of Ms. Laurenston's books there are some serious issues tackled in this book, human trafficking** being one but it is broken up with her signature humor (and some revenge).

I enjoy the cameo visits of characters we met in the Magnus Pack and Pride series and that always a fun thing.

I am a long time Shelly Laurenston/ G.A. Aiken fan and do grab any new books as soon as they are available to me so when I got the opportunity to read an ARC of the next Honey Badger's book I was excited and dropped the book I was in the middle of without a second thought and as it turns out without single regret.

Time for me to re-read the entire collection of series starting from the Magnus Pack - it never gets old.

Thank-you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#BorntoBeBadger #NetGalley

** Note - the human trafficking dealt with in this book is to 3rd parties. It is not main characters nor even characters we have 'met' in this or other of the books in the series**

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So here’s the thing, I read a minimum of 100 books a year and my memory isn’t as good as it once was and it’s not like she’s pumping these books out every 3 months. This world is vast, and she brings back characters from from a variety of series AND there’s a plot line threading throughout this series. I think this is why in the beginning I was struggling to keep track of who was talking and where everybody fit together. Eventually it began to ease and even when I didn’t remember where a character tied in I just let the story flow.
The reason I keep coming back is the world she has created. This wonderfully insane shifter world where women are as much of a predator (if not more) than the men they deem worthy of their time and affection. The loyalty, the love, the brutality. She never fails to make me laugh out loud, and make me wish I could step into her world.

In a word: Chaos. This book is chaos personified.

I do really like Tock and Shay (and his daughter and dog drama). Tock is a great character and like most of the honey badgers - authentically herself, but never what's expected. I just wish I could have had more of he book focus on them or from the POV. Although a listed as a romance, the two main characters are only the POV for maybe 30% of the book - the rest is a variety of characters from previous series which can be a lot to follow at times. I'd argue this is more of an ensemble book with a minor romance subplot.

It's not so much a plotline as a tapestry of threads from this story, previous, and other series pulled together. There is a romance plot, a conspiracy plot, a secret government/cabal plot, backstories for most of the side characters, beginnings of plots for new couples, continuations of previous couples (I assume, having only read this series I don't know most of the non-badger couples mentioned). That said the hijinks that these characters get into are endlessly entertaining and the characters so vibrant they all seem to stand out amongst a very large cast - I just wish I could get more focus that the broad array. I was left craving more on each individual I met as they blurred past in another over the top situation.

For fans of the series there are many re-occurring characters, and plots that will be a fun read. For anyone just starting, just make sure you know what you're signing up for and be prepared to be a bit lost.