4 stars - It was really good

Emily “Tock” Meyerson-Jackson and her honey badger friends are on a mission to stop shifters from trafficking humans for hunting and cash. They have realized that a brutal lion coalition is behind this enterprise and that it is also responsible for the death of Malone's father. Now the Malones and honey badgers are working together to stop them, but that also means they can’t ignore their attraction anymore either.

First, like the previous books, the main couple’s relationship is not really the main focus of the book. There is still relationship building and sex but the main focus of this series has been more on what is happening in this world and to the characters. I enjoy this series because of the crazy scenarios happening and how Laurenston weaves the relationship in between all the action and general honey badger craziness.

Shay and Tock’s relationship was a hilarious and action packed one. These two fall for each other while trying to uncover information on who killed Shay’s father. Shay is the sweet and introverted Malone brother who is also a great father. While I don’t usually enjoy children in my stories, Dani was a hilarious little tiger who really loved math. I actually really enjoyed seeing Shay and Dani’s relationship and watching Tock build a relationship with Dani. It was a surprisingly great addition to the book that brought a lot of humor.

Tock is a honey badger who keeps everyone on schedule. She is extremely conscious of time and hates messing up her schedule. I liked that while we see her manage time and get pushy with it, she was never shamed for her behavior and was frequently consulted to keep people on time. Tock’s family was very interesting, especially her grandmother, who I really hope we get to learn more about in the next book.

“I feel like I should tell you . . . I think I definitely like like you now.”“Oh, my God! Are we still doing this?”“I thought I should warn you.”“Why?”“I’m a cat. We don’t like anyone. So when we do like someone, it’s not something we just get over.”

Tock and Shay’s relationship was sweet and fun. I liked how Shay admitted his feelings first and knew he would never leave her. One thing about this series is that the relationships are very primal and influenced by their animal side which I like because they are shifters, so seeing him admit he had fallen hard for her made me happy.

“Better to bake,” she told herself. “Always better to bake. Mass murder bad,” she reminded herself. “Baking good.” (Charlie)

The search for information about the Malone father’s death and the battle with the de Medici lion’s was action packed and kept me hooked. My favorite part of this book was seeing everyone come together to fight back. I especially love seeing more of Charlie and how she is now handling being in control of her own missions. She is still my favorite character from this series and I loved seeing how she is handling things. Also, we get to meet new crazy honey badgers and their husbands in this and I really want to see more of them now.

Overall, this was another fun and action packed honey badger book. I can’t wait to see what will happen next now that war seems to have been declared.

CW: human trafficking, gun violence and death, blood, violence, and gore

Emily “Tock” Lepstein-Jackson, along with her honey badger basketball team, is determined to get rid of the shifters who are trafficking humans. She and her extended family have discovered which shifter group is responsible not only for this heinous crime, but also the Amur Tiger shifter Malone brothers losing their father. The nicest brother, Shay, may seem like Tock’s opposite pretty much every way; however, they make a good team not only in bringing down the perpetrators, but something more personal as well.

Tock’s group has been together since the early school days. One of her crew, Max, also comes with her sisters, Charlie and Stevie; even the honey badgers, who are generally fearless, are afraid of the hybrid shifter Charlie. Fortunately, Charlie and her family of misfits are on Tock’s side to aid in taking on the lions who are preying on humans as revenge for the Malone’s loss.

Shay and two of his brothers are mostly all about playing football in the shifter league but to them, retaliation is serious business even though the shifter leader types would prefer they drop the issue since an all-out war is a serious possibility. The last thing the various members of the community want is for the general public to find out that shifters exist right under their collective noses.
Tock tries to resist the charms of the big hunky Shay, who for a particularly vicious type of tiger, can be quite nice. Along with his young sister who is part badger, Shay has become more integrated into Charlie’s family especially since his brother, Finn, is dating another of the five honey badgers: the basketball obsessed, hyena badger hybrid, Mads.

Wherever honey badgers go, trouble follows because they tend to live either in chaos or causing it. This story brings several shifters groups together to deal with the escalating trafficking problems, and the mafia style group of Italian lions who are responsible. Fans of the series will enjoy Charlie and her over the top sisters, the Dunn grizzly triplets, Tock’s extended family with an overbearing grandmother, and of course, the tiger and lion factions. As is typical with this series, the small portion of romance is slow burn but none the less enjoyable. The number of characters and their POV’s can sometimes seem voluminous, but for the most part it works in the story.

Honey Badgers get things done and find trouble around every corner!

Emily “Tock” is apart of a team of badgers both on and off the court. They don’t bother with the niceties, they have their own honor code and system. However, when one of their own is threatened and almost killed, all the family pulls together to take down this threat.

Tock is obsessed with time, schedules, and planning, hence her nickname. She doesn’t try to hide her feelings about time or those who don’t understand the beauty in it. When a mission comes up and it’s a time sensitive matter, of course they ask Tock to take care of it. What she did not expect was a nosy cat shifter with a moral compass to tag along.

Now Shay (our cat shifter) and Tock must work together to figure out who is trying to take them out, if they don’t kill each other first. Watching them grow and develop throughout the story was a fantastic experience.

I found the overall plot to be solid and satisfying. I was addicted and had to keep reading. I applaud Shelly Laurenston’s ability to create and captivate the audience with her words.

Highly recommended!

Ever watch one of those A$$hole cat video's. How about know what a Honey Badger is. Well, make them slightly human, give them attitude and friends and you have this book. I loved it so much that after just reading the prolog, I went and bought the whole series. The level of Chaos that the girls are capable of, and they're ignorance to that fact, was beyond comical. Now add in some Hot guys with serious Cat behavior, and it gets even better. I was able to read this as an almost stand alone. That isn't to say that I won't be going back now to see what inside jokes I missed, but it was possible. All in all, as a shifter book reader, and someone who loves me some Chaos and snark, I 100% recommend this book. Oh and no worries, There were some sexy times too, for all of you who want to know if there is spice. Spice level I would give is 3/5.

This was unhinged chaos from start to finished and I loved every second of it!!

I momentarily forgot just how bonkers the honey badgers are and how chaos follows them wherever they go. Shay and Tock together shouldn’t have worked but opposites do attract after all and these two were no exception. I loved how Shay’s laidback personality blended with Tock’s tightly wound one. Tock was also somehow the perfect pairing for Shay’s daughter, Dani, too. Their brains together were the cutest.


Some might complain but I really enjoyed the multiple different POVs. It gave us different yet hilarious views on all the chaotic shenanigans going on throughout the story. Each new POV brought something new to the table, usually in a pretty funny way.

The spice was relatively low as per usual with this series and the romance was amusing because it was almost like they accidentally tripped into it. Like first they were annoyed by each other, then slowly became friends without meaning to, then slipped and fell into a kiss, and from there they were together as a couple. It was funny and cute!

Originally when I started writing this review I was giving it 4 stars but I’ve bumped it up to 5 because I remembered how much I enjoyed myself reading this book. I’m so intrigued by the war they started. I can already tell the next book is going to be just as crazy and full of drama as this one was, if not more, and I cannot wait!!

Not enough stars, need 10! Snarky fun and adventure with my favorite group of honey badgers and tigers. A reality so rich if feels real. Nonstop action and chuckles, highly recommended! My coworker called me a 'honey badger' saying I am relentless and don't back down - best compliment ever!!!

Theoretically you could start with either Mads’ story (Breaking Badger) or Max’s story (Badger to the Bone) before reading Born to be Badger, though this book is embroiled in the overarching MacKilligan siblings story which begins with Hot and Badgered.

Honey Badger books: 1) Hot and Badgered 2) In a Badger Way 3) Badger to the Bone 4) Breaking Badger 5) Born to be Badger

Born to be Badger continues with pairing someone from Max’s basketball team with a Malone brother, and there is sequel bait for the next honey badger book in this one. This book has the signature madcap adventure energy while also deepening and changing our understanding of shifter politics. Tock and Shay are believable as a couple. I absolutely loved Shay’s daughter and the ongoing hilarity of shifters owning non-shifting dogs, which they reluctantly claim ownership of but would absolutely kill to protect. There is another scene where Max’s hair changes style and probably even color between eyeblinks. At the same time, this book reads like a bridge between the previous books and what is looking to be the concluding book. There is a deepening of the worldbuilding, but nothing new is necessarily introduced. I also wouldn’t say that the romance is central to the story, though the two do spend a lot a time together because Shay just decides to tag along. I’m looking forward to the next book. I absolutely love all of the honey badger books and have read everything Shelly Laurenston has written.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley.

Wow. This was hilarious, ridiculous, and hilariously ridiculous. My first Shelly Laurenston, and it will not be my last. Now I need to go back and read all this hilarious honey badger mayhem.

While this is a series, each story sort of stands alone. So I read this without reading the first three. And while there are a LOT of characters, it was fine going in blind.

I laughed out loud multiple times, 5 stars for the pure enjoyment factor. Obsessed with Tock, Dani and Shay. Honey badgers don’t care. Honey badgers don’t give a shit.

Thankful for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love how unhinged and over the top this series is. I love the friendship groups, the family dynamics (most of the time) , and the fact that many of the female FMCs are absolutely badass and their love interests are totally on board with the shenanigans.
In this installment, we follow Tock and Shay, as they navigate the mystery of who is targeting honey badger shifters. What follows is a rollicking good time of action, banter and absolute mayhem.
If you like paranormal shifter books that don't take themselves too seriously, give this series a try.

I can't get enough of this basketball playing, ass kicking, honey badger clan and apparently the ambush of football playing tigers can't either. Tock and Shay dance around each other as they battle the baddies but can't resist their obvious attraction. I love revisiting these hilarious and unique characters! Throw in lots of intrigue, Shay's endearing daughter Dani and a potential romance between the volatile Keane and the fabulous Nelle and you have me hooked for the next book too! Another hit from the fantastic Shelly Laurenston!

I absolutely love this series from Shelly Laurenston, her books are always fun and full of adventure. Took and Shay start out as friends and their relationship grows throughout the story. It's not hard to be drawn into the shifter world and get caught up with all of the characters.

Another fun installment in my favorite shifter series. These books are just pure stress free enjoyment, even when the honey badgers go on murderous rampages. This plot moved well and the humor was, as usual, spot on. Only small issue is there are so many characters to keep straight, but in the end I realized it didn't really matter which book a certain character originated from. The story worked just fine without everyone's back story fresh in my mind. I enjoyed Shay and Tock's relationship as it built into something more, and the romance was more secondary, which works fine for me. I love reading about the shifter shenanigans and all the humorous interactions with the different characters. Looking forward to next book. I'll be reading this series as long as they keep coming.

Shelly Laurenston is one of my go-to comfort, always makes me feel good writers and Born to Be Badger continues to prove why. Strong women, smart, fantastically snarky, and always shows chemistry. This particular story continues the Badger series, but also gives the possibility of new stories and other characters that we may see coming. I can't wait! There is laughter, and mayhem, and not only do we get glimpses of new characters but of past ones as well. Just proves why this is a go-to.

Shelly Laurenston creates another full-bodied, action packed tale in this 5th book of the Honey Badger series. This one revolves around Tock, one of Max MacKilligan’s teammates but includes the whole gang from previous books.
Laurenston draws the reader in with excellent writing and maintains interest with well developed characters and expanding store lines. This is another witty, sometimes thought provoking, fast paced, fun Badger story.

Emily “Tock” Meyerson-Jackson has been part of a honey badger basketball team since junior high. She and her teammates indulge in a little mayhem and criminal hunting in their spare time. Speaking of time, Tock loves a good schedule and is horrifyingly draw to a tiger shifter with poor time management skills.

Why I started this book: Love Laurenston's zaniness and strongly opinionated heroines. Eagerly requested the ARC from Netgalley.

Why I finished this book: Perfect book, but a little more honey badger craziness and less romance. Which was the perfect combination for me... I'm eager for craziness to continue in any form that Laurenston writes.

The more I read in this series the more I love it! The humor has me constantly laughing. I love all the antics the Badgers get into and how they pull in other shifters. If you have read previous series, this feels like we are just continuing on, this one just focuses a bit more on Tock, Shay and Dani (Shay's daughter). I loved how Dani and Tock bonded with each other. And the puppies! And I really loved getting so much of Charlie. She is such a fascinating character that I'm glad she's had a big role in this whole series. I probably would recommend reading this in order. I think you just get more enjoyment out of these characters as you learn their personalities and what has conspired up to this point.

Mad bad and dangerous to know. Meet the most lovable laugh out loud family of hybrid Honey badger.
Bringing in famous characters from previous books will make you want to devour them as well.
One of the best books of the year to take you out of your life and into a world where you just want to be best friends with Honey badgers.
You will race through this book but will never want to get to the end.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Kensington Books) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Shay does not have an introduction that does him justice. In the first chapter he feels like a character that will get on everyone's nerves but he finds his rhythm pretty quickly and is a lovely addition to the cast. This series is fascinating and the tie-ins with the rest of the author's worlds make the world building top notch. Can't wait to read more!

Lions and tigers and honey badgers, oh my! Throw in the van Holtz wolves, the bears, a lot of thieving and chicanery, human trafficking for an unusual reason, a shifter foot ball team, and a mama dog and her babies, and you have extremely enjoyable chaos. The beginning was a little slow as there are many groups and characters to introduce but once the action started, it was hard to put down.

This book takes place in New York City where a lot of shifters live. If you are new to the series, I recommend reading at least the previous book where Mads, her half siblings and teammates are introduced. I was thrilled that Charlie, a wolf who can't shift, was also in this book. When Charlie gets stressed, she starts baking, and a stressed Charlie is a dangerous Charlie. Charlie bakes in this book.

Tock is one of the main characters. She is a honey badger and an excellent basketball player whose high school team wins championships. I was a little startled at first that the girls were teenagers, but they have been pulling heists for years. Honey badgers have a natural affinity for beautiful, expensive things, are excellent thieves, and have many contacts for fencing valuable items. Along with her teammates - also in high school - they steal a *lot*, including from museums. Leaving behind excellent facsimiles of the priceless items they removed. There is romance, of course. Shay, an Amur tiger, is fascinated by Tock. The two of them could not be more different, which makes their romance even funnier.

I highly recommend reading this book and the entire series, as well as all of the other books written as G. A. Aiken. They are some of the most entertaining books I've ever read and re-read. I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher Kensington Books via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

I've read most of this authors books and enjoyed them muchly. I've been a bit disappointed with the badger series so far. The first one was great, The second was ok. Max's was depressingly poor. This book is okay. I give it an okay because it continues the major storyline and does introduce some interesting characters. But this is not a romance book. There is no romance it's a guy who hangs out with a girl and then hooks up with her at about 80% through the book. Most of this book travels through the minds of most of the major characters from all the previous books. At least the ones attached to the Group and other such organizations. While a bit of revisiting old characters can be nice over half of this book is such revisiting. To the point where the characters we want to know about really aren't fully fleshed out. This has been the problem with many of the badger books. Too many characters, not enough time with the main ones so the romance part seems like an after thought. Gone are the scenes of tension, lust and you know what that made the previous books great to read. Sadly this book falls flat. There are some fun parts and funny parts but the romance just isn't there.