I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

When I’m in a book slump, as I was this fall, Shelly Laurenston is the author I turn to when I want to break it. That’s why I’ve already read Born to be a Badger twice. This book is a delightful continuation of the Honey Badger series. It focuses on Tock, with her fascinating family and fellow basketball playing honey badgers, and Shay, a Tiger football player. The sports talk is in short supply in this book which is mostly focused on the antics of the honey badgers, the development of a new poison and a conflict with lions. We also get introduced to another group of honey badger friends who are the future template of Tock and her team.

Like the previous books in this series, and in contrast to Laurenston’s Pride series, the romance between Tock and Shay is basically a subplot and not the overall focus. The action and over the top characters of the badgers and the Malone brothers are really the main focus. The series seems to be slowing down and I predict the next book will be the last with Keane and Nelle. There are moments of laugh out loud and turn the page actions as you’re amazed by the resilience of the badgers. There are also sweet moments, especially when Tock bonds with Shay’s daughter over math. I do really like the pairing of Tock and Shay and I just wish there was more page time devoted to their relationship. My favorite honey badger wrangler, Charlie, still continues to play a big role and I love any time she’s on the page. Overall, a great continuation to the series

I had such a fantastic time reading this book! Having different honey badgers from Max's childhood, getting together with the various Malone brothers, is so entertaining! And while there are 4 brothers, I'm not sure if the youngest would be a part of this, since he is collage-aged. We'll see what happens!

Tock is all about being on time, and being precise with it. Hence the nickname, and the very good, expensive watch that she has. That her mom's side of the family have a lot of power and influence as spies and such, well, of course she got to be a part of the shifter-trafficking humans take down!

Shay is more of the laid back brother. He's a dad, he loves his dogs, and his life is comfortable. Well, besides investigating his dad's murder, and his attraction to Tock. I really enjoyed watching them together as they dealt with everything life was throwing at them!

Loved what this book added to the world, of all these connections, and new information, and I'm so excited to see how it's all going to come together in future books! I just have so much fun reading these wild and crazy reads!

Absolutely loved reading this book, and I can't wait to continue on!

I am Now HOOKED on the Honey Badgers!
I have to admit, going into reading Born to Be Badger, I wasn’t entirely convinced that I’d like it, but the description was compelling, And, since I love shapeshifter romances and I’ve been meaning to read Shelly Laurenston’s work for some time. I am SO glad that this is my first read of hers, because this was a serious laugh-out-loud RIOT of a read the whole way through, and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series, going back to read the beginning of the series, and digging through Shelly’s backlist to see if any of the heroine’s friends group’s parents have a book, or any of the older generation honey badger friend group have books!
Told in multiple POV, Born to Be Badger does some serious world-building, and while clearly built on some previous world-building, feels largely stand-alone (with the only real overlap I’m seeing from the previous books in this series, but it doesn’t feel completely necessary to have read them all in order). Tock is a fascinating character, and I loved getting to know her and see her grow, both in and out of her relationship with Shay Malone. All of the honey badgers are dynamic and compelling, and the Malone brothers and other partners of the main group of honey-badgers are fantastic book boyfriend material. And I have predictions for Nelle’s book, which I expect is next, and I have strong suspicions as to who her hero will be.
I loved reading this, highly recommend, and can’t BELIEVE that I haven’t made a point to check out Shelly’s work before now!

Another witty and funny book by Shelly Laurenston: well plotted, entertaining, and compelling.
World building and character developement are excellent.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Honey Badger Tock is fresh off the action of the last book when a call from family sends her across the world on a rescue mission, with Tiger Shay along for the ride. But things are not what they seem like -- the mission becomes an ambush, Tock and Shay's families (found and otherwise) are in deep trouble, and a worldwide conspiracy to traffic full humans falls into their laps to stop. The action starts and just doesn't stop. Answers will be had, romance will be found, but will the enemy be vanquished once and for all, and their world be the same?

While worth the wait to continue the series, slightly disappointed in the fact it teases a big bad but doesn't really resolve or offer a cliffhanger, more like a slow buildup. Good but not the strongest in the series. I'm sad that I will have to wait for the next one, and I could not predict whose story comes next.

This book was pure chaos. Which probably shouldn't be surprising when the protagonist can shift into natures most chaotic little gremlin, the honey badger. The pacing is cinematic and slightly manic, jumping between scenes and characters in a way that really pulls you along. My only regret is that I didn't take the time to read earlier installments in this series first, since the cast of characters is fairly large, and I think I'd have appreciated it more if I'd understood their intricate relationships and dynamics from jump. That said, the book was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed spending time with the protagonists.

Tock, so nicknamed because of her obsession with keeping time, is a professional basketball player in a shifter-only league, as well as being a part time thief, brawler, fixer, and whatever else she needs to be. Shay is a tiger-shifter single dad to a math-loving little tiger cub. The two are in overlapping social circles that get completely thrown together when one of the badgers' investigations goes sideways.

The plot doesn't take a clear path to anywhere, but it's a lot of fun, full of action, violence, stress-baking, and international organized crime. Truly, the honey badgers are a handful.

This is another great read by Ms. Laurenston. This is Emily aka Tock and Shay 's story. The overarching story deals with a lot of background action and secrecy and different agencies, and there are a lot of other characters from other books that are constantly introduced, which I love! I love catching up on them, love knowing what they're doing! However, the romance is in the background and is not wholly in your face, so like a slow burn.
Shay was totally the sweetest tiget ever! Love him! The book basically premises on hilarious, laugh out loud moments, along with sibling rivalry in a good way, and the support of all those involved with each other. I must say that as much as I love Ms. Laurenston's books, the romance was a bit on the meh side for me.
Oh, and I absolutely adored Shay's daughter, Dani.
4 stars.

I am a big fan of the Honey Badger Chronicles and the Pride series before it. I love how the different shifters have personalities based on their shifter type. These books always make me laugh and Born to be Badger was no exception.

Shelly Laurenston has a way of writing that makes things that are completely extraordinary seem normal. Of course, honey badger shifters sleep in cabinets and steal things. Everyone knows that. I love how she writes strong female characters and we everyone is accepted for who they are.

If I had been reading this story as part of an urban fantasy series I would have given it 5 stars. I loved the plot and the antics of new and familiar characters immediately drew me in. However, I did feel that the romance was lacking. It felt tacked on as it was necessary for the genre but not very central to the plot. I liked Tok and Shay but I liked Tok's relationship with Shay's daughter almost more than her relationship with Shay.

If you are already a fan of the Honey Badger Chronicles I think you will enjoy the latest installment! It brings all the familiar characters and the same humor from earlier books. However, I would not recommend this one to people who have not read the earlier books. It would not function well as a standalone.

This next installment of the Honey Badger Chronicles was excellent and I encourage others to check out the entire series!

This one absolutely leaves you wanting more and anticipatory of the next installment.

This is a new book in the Honey Badger Series by Shelly Laurenston. This book is set in the Same world as the Pride series. Many of the same characters are in this book. This time the book is about Tock and Shay. The story continues with the search for the murder of the Black Malone brothers’ father.
They get help from the Honey Badgers because of family connections.
I really enjoy all the stories they are funny and way out there with the shifter side of the people.
This one was not as deep as some of the others, but I enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one about another Malone brother and a badger.
Recommended

Shelly Laurenston Books are the Absolute Best!!

Laugh out loud hilarious, suspenseful, romantic, steamy and action-packed!! These books are so entertaining and fun to read! If you’ve never read a Shelly Laurenston book…do yourself a favor and pick one up today! You won’t be disappointed!

Set in New York, we follow a group of rowdy and hilarious shifters that are on a mission to end shifter/human crime and get pulled into a bigger world of danger than they anticipated. As they figure out the new dangers they face, navigating twists and turns, Honey Badger shifter Tock and Tiger shifter Shay can’t fight the natural attraction between them and must rely on each other to solve this mystery.

The world building is amazing and you’ll be hooked. I love every book I have ever read by Shelly Laurenston. Not only do they have romance, action, humor, suspense and amazing characters, but they always have a great storyline with an intriguing plot. Five stars and highly recommended. Pick up a copy today! It’s that good!

I received an advanced review copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Heat Factor: It’s spicy but there’s so much violence and absurdity it’s really hard to explain it

Character Chemistry: There’s a very thin line between love and hate, and very thin skin between a claw and an artery

Plot: I don’t even know what to say here, just go with “shifters meet mafia mayhem but make it funny”

Overall: Don’t read the fifth book first unless you like taking notes and drawing complex diagrams while you read

I volunteered to read this shifter book by the title alone and I honestly thought it was going to be about happy, fuzzy, adorable badger shifters in cozy holes and crocheting little tea cozies and whatnot. I did not put together the title pun and the likelihood it was about honey badgers. And I did not anticipate the shenanigans and mayhem that would ensue.

Basically, Tock is a honey badger shifter, and the book opens with her parents talking through the likelihood their daughter undertook her first secret burglary with her friends while on a sports trip. Only it turns out they robbed a mafia man and he sent his henchman after the girls, so the girls had to kill all the henchmen while bedecked in stolen jewelry. This is when I realized things were not going to be “cute”.

Here’s the thing about this book, take all the shifter “norms” and throw them out the window. The honey badgers are matriarchal, and they’re unapologetically badass. They’re also near impossible to kill. At one point, Tock escapes through the ceiling of a hospital room and the next time we see her she’s climbing up the grill of a car on a highway, pauses to throw a middle finger to another driver on the hood, and slips inside the passenger window. And virtually every page has some character wanting to tear out another character’s throat, or rip off their head, or something violent.

Here’s what’s hilarious—Tock ends up being forced to utilize help from Shay, who is a tiger shifter. And the author really plays up his cat personality traits—at one point they’re on a private plane together and Shay gets bored, so he starts picking at the thread on his seat, and when Tock looks over his entire seat is dismantled. He’s the father of a young girl and ends up with a pile of puppies because he’s utterly clueless about dogs and decides not to spay or neuter the original few. Tock is all rough edges and sharp corners and Shay is powerful and effective, but he’s also kind of a soft, silly man. They’re a good match.

So essentially, Tock needs to stop someone from orchestrating the end of all honey badgers because they’ve figured out how to poison them effectively (which, if you know honey badgers is very, very hard to do), while at the same time having like, multiple other shenanigans going on requiring a lot of attacking and slashing.

This is why it’s hard for me to go into more detail about that—this book is the fifth of a series that is clearly a more complex shifter world. Sometimes you can start in the middle with a world building series, but I absolutely recommend you do not here. The sheer number of characters being introduced is hard to describe—and most of them are predatory animals, so most of their characters are similarly abrupt, ruthless, and protective. It can be very hard to tell them apart, and honestly it takes almost all the way through the book to understand what’s going on reading without the context of the prior books.

I can speak to what’s successful though—these characters are deliciously diverse, well-developed, and satisfy a deep need (I didn’t know I had) for some female characters to be unapologetically awful. Are they good people? I don’t know. Do they do bad things? Regularly, and without any thought. Do they do good things? Yes, but only because the way they execute those good things soothes their primal need to cause chaos.

Overall, it’s funny, engaging, and a wild, wild riot—and it’s probably worth starting at the beginning.

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.

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.

I. Love. Badgers!!!
This story was so good. The badgers never fail to amaze and amuse me. I’m equal part intrigued and appalled and the way Shelly’s writer brain works!

My first read from this author and the fifth book in the Honey Badger Chronicles and Born to be Badger was a rollercoaster of a read involving an Israeli/Jamaican honey badger with a penchant for rum raisin ice cream called Emily ‘Tock’ Meyerson-Jacobs and Shay Malone, a laid-back until you hurt someone he cares about, Siberian tiger. With a plot that includes an evil coalition of lions trafficking humans for sport and food and a mysterious vaccine that can fell a honey badger, reputedly the the psychotic rage-filled a$$hole of the wild and the most difficult animal to kill. Throw in a trio of tigers hunting their father’s killer and a machiavellian Israeli spymaster who just happens to be Tock’s grandmother Born to be Badger had me laughing throughout. The overall story did seem a bit chaotic to begin with with all the different plots but eventually they wove together into a cohesive story. It was the same with all the numerous characters. There are a lot and there are various familial relationships between several of them which made it a bit confusing keeping them straight so I eventually gave up trying and decided to just sit back and enjoy the read. Perhaps if I’d read the previous books in the series then things might’ve been clearer, but I knew who the main protagonists were even if their romance seemed like an afterthought. The star of the book for me though was Charlie MacKilligan, the honey badger who couldn’t shift and who should’ve been the weakest member of the group but in reality was a functioning sociopath who’s aim in life was to protect her younger sisters usually by eliminating any threat and who struck fear in the hearts of everyone especially when she started baking which even made the fearless Tock quake. By the end of this book, I was left hoping for a Charlie/Keane story.

Another great addition to Shelley Laurenston's shifter books! This story is part of the Honey Badger side series and stars one of Max's basketball team members. The book was a little heavier in the thriller and adventure, with high stakes and romance. Will continue to recommend this series to paranormal, and regular, romance fans. (Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Press)

OMG, Born to Be Badger has taken over as my favorite for the Honey Badger Chronicles.

Tock and Shay's slow-burning romance is chef's kiss. I loved how their friendship developed and turned into something more. I also loved how Tock interacted with Dani, especially their bonding over math and science. Too darn cute!

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the rest of the crazy Honey Badger crew because their antics were so over-the-top, yet fully on point for them. I laughed aloud at so many points while reading—especially the times when Charlie was baking. Good lord, the reactions when that occurs is comedic gold.

Y'all, if you've not read Shelly Laurenston's fun, smart, ridiculously well-written Honey Badger Chronicles you need to start!

This instalment in the honey badger series has all the things you want from a Shelly Laurenston book. Humour, action, and a cast of characters that grab your interest right from the start. I really enjoyed this, Tock and Shay being the focus was great, they are a pairing that wouldn’t be obvious at first glance but they are actually really cute. And then add in Dani, Shay’s daughter, and you have a winning combo. All their scenes were so fun. I will say that these books are very much shifter books with romance, and not romance shifter books. The focus is the story and the romance often gets left behind and at times feels very rushed. So as a reader you need to go into it with that in mind. I’m usually enjoying the characters and the story too much to really mind but I know that these types of books won’t be for everyone. Very much a slow burn. My only real complaint is that the cast of characters is getting very large and starting to become hard to keep track of, we have a whole new bunch of shifters induced in this book and at times, especially with the Honey Badgers, I was struggling to remember who was who and how they related to the other characters. Overall I would absolutely recommend this series, every book is a fun read and I’m looking forward to the next!

ARC Provided by NetGalley for an honest review

I love Shay and Tock. Oh and Dani. I hope one day Dani gets her own book.
I did not really like the book in the beginning. It was to slow and not very interesting but wow did it pick up with a great twist and suspense and I can not wait for the next book!