cover image Hot and Badgered: Honey Badgers Chronicles, Book 1

Hot and Badgered: Honey Badgers Chronicles, Book 1

Shelly Laurenston. Kensington, $15.95 trade paper (417p) ISBN 978-1-4967-1434-3

Laurenston builds on the popularity of her Pride and Pack series with the funny and quirky first Honey Badgers Chronicles paranormal. Charlie is the oldest of three half-sisters, all of whom are part human and part honey badger shifter, and she takes her responsibilities very seriously. Charlie is the peacemaker, middle sister Max embraces her full devil-may-care nature, and Stevie, the youngest, is a prodigy in several fields. While Stevie is on a mental health break in Switzerland, humans abduct her, attempting to kill Charlie in the process. Fortunately for all, Charlie meets Berg, a grizzly shifter and security specialist with a fondness for helping damsels in distress. What ensues is a frantic joyride through several countries, reintroducing beloved faces from earlier books and sparking new family feuds. Laurenston focuses on the three sisters as relative outsiders to their shifter heritage, showing that they face somewhat significant challenges due to their hybrid natures. Though the plot stalls in places, the story embraces the familiarity of old friends and the excitement of new, sometimes ridiculous adventures. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Apr.)