This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I read both of the books and I enjoyed them! I have not read Cynthia Eden before so am glad to say that Wed or Dead was a good story. Kaylee and Gage were kind of like shifter Romeo and Juliet as she was a hunter and he was a wolf. She married him as part of her assignment, and yet she couldn't complete the assignment.

The story Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston was another good shifter story and love the setting in a backwoods area and kind of hillbilly like family! Wow, Eggie's mom really sounded like a tough woman!

I loved that Darla could see into Eggie's soul and knew that she never had to be afraid of him and they come to love each other. There was so many funny parts, great romance, and sibling rivalry! Eggie was great when he confronted his father, wow, glad I don't have that kind of parent!

Two great stories from two great authors!

This was a two book set with each having wolf-shifter elements to tie them together. While I probably preferred one over the other, they were both easy paranormal reads.

Like a Wolf is apparently a part of the pride series. I’m not really that well versed in that world, but I don’t think it stopped me from enjoying the characters. That’s really the highlight of this book – the characters. Darla Lewis is the quietest and most easy going of the wild sisters. Matched up with the most feared Smith boys, these two were wonderful to watch dance around one another. This was a true romance with all the awkward and awesome bits thrown in. And pie!

Wed or Dead is from Cynthia Eden and I’m honestly not sure if this ties in to any of the author’s other universes. This story is about a hunter and a werewolf who, like Romeo and Juliet, end up falling in love. Along the way, there’s a lot of lies and betrayal and fighting, but we get a really nice little happy ending (or at least closer to happy than the beginning).

Two great paranormal romances.
I particularly liked the 1st story, loved how it was not the main characters who fought the relationship but all those around them.

LIKE A WOLF WITH A BONE
Shelly Laurenston

It was interesting at first but I just couldn't get behind a character as goody goody as the h, Darla. She was just too sweet, too peppy and of course she's also bossy, opinionated and sassy (-_-) but somehow ended up being rather boring for me.

Then there was the H, Egbert Ray Smith (who goes by Eggie!) and it all kind of went down hill from there. No matter how alpha and dangerous we're told he is, with a name like Eggie, I just couldn't take him seriously.

On top of that there were a lot of side characters that made vague appearances throughout the story that derailed the focus off the main couple and the whole story takes place in 1974 with an epilogue 30 years later that just felt off for me.


WED OR DEAD
Cynthia Eden

A mate bond between a shifter and an assassin? Yeah, to say it's complicated would be an understatement. Kayla and Gage have good chemistry and I liked the action and conspiracy that surrounded the h. She was strong and pretty kick ass. Until they introduce the cheesey villain and her annoying brother. Blood is thicker than water so I get why she acted the way she did when it came to her brother, but the villain! She frustrated me with her second guessing of the H and throw him over so easily for her brother. And vise versa, the way her brother so easily threw her over for the villain.

Gage was a good H but there just wasn't enough page time with him to really get a feel for him. Liked that he was 100% committed to Kayla right from the start (even before they find out their truly mates) but it felt too rushed. The smexy times were hot and creative *wiggles eyebrows* It's worth a read for that alone, Lol!

This was a fun quick read. I really enjoy reading the background stories of the older pack members. This one was about Deanns parents very much worth your time!

Howl For It was two paranormal shifter romances in one book, each novella length. I originally picked up the book because I’m a big fan of Cynthia Eden’s romantic suspense novels, but I’d never tried her fantasy books. After reading Wed or Dead, I’m definitely trying more of her paranormal books, because it was fantastic! I’ve never read Shelly Laurenston’s stories, so I was pleasantly surprised by her story! It had me cracking up and it was pretty hot!

3.5 Stars Like a Wolf With a Bone-Shelly Laurenston

Egbert Ray Smith, Eggie for short, is on break from the Marine Corps and back home with his family, the Smith Pack. As usual there’s family drama with his brothers and their mates it seems the Smith boys have married the Lewis sisters and they’re always fighting over something. Waiting outside while they hash things out inside, Eggie spies the youngest sister, Darla Mae outside as well, shaking her head over the drama playing out between the mates inside. Eggie is immediately smitten and follows Darla Mae out into the forest where he witnesses a few male figures hunting her. Apparently, Darla Mae has brought trouble back with her from San Francisco, and Eggie makes it his mission to keep her safe.

As I said, Like a Wolf With a Bone had me cracking up. The antics between the families were funny, just their names alone had me laughing: the Lewis sisters all had Mae as their middle name: Janie Mae, Roberta Mae, Janette Mae and so forth, and all were married/mated to the Smith brothers all with Ray as their middle names: Nicky Ray, Bubba Ray, Frankie Ray. You get the picture. At any rate it was fun seeing the Eggie and Darla Mae get to know each other, falling a little harder with every minute while settling in to his home and town, battling family and danger in the process. Their romance was hot! Definitely want to read more from Ms. Laurenston.

4.5 Stars-Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden

Cynthia Eden’s romantic suspense is always a thrill ride and I can now say the same about her paranormal stories. Kayla and Gage are on opposite sides, Kayla is a hunter of all paranormal entities, and Gage is a wolf-shifter, a powerful Alpha of his pack; so, you wouldn’t think they’d be getting married, yet as the story opens that’s exactly what’s playing out.

Oh, the chemistry between Kayla and Gage was sizzling! There’s obviously some mistrust between them when they each had secrets, but there was never a question that these two weren’t meant to be together. Their secrets come out pretty much from the start and they each must deal with betrayals from each of their groups. It was non-stop action, and when there wasn’t danger to deal with Kayla and Gage couldn’t keep their hands off each other! Loved the story and the paranormal world set up, but I’m not sure if this book is part of another series Cynthia Eden writes. I see a potential for more stories here, and I’d like to read more!

This is a release of a previously published book, but don't let the fact that these stories are older turn you away. Adventures, action, intrigue and romance are the words that pop into mind when i re-read this compilation. Laurenston And Eden are masters of their craft

LOVE that we got Eggie's story! I seriously love Shelly Laurenston so freaking much. Darla wasn't my favorite female character but I do like how she handled Eggie. He was a big ol softy. I loved him. This book also had a novella from Cynthia Eden, Wed or dead. I'll be honest.. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did the first story. But to be fair I have read all of Laurenston's Pride series and I went into it super excited because I already knew the characters. And I haven't read any of Eden's series. So Maybe I would have liked it more if I would have read ore of her works. But still a good story.

I love paranormal romance and normally I would have loved Howl For It because I love both Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden’s books. For some reason I just didn’t love either story like I had hoped I would. Maybe it was my mood, maybe it was the books themselves but while I didn’t hate them I just feel like they didn’t stand up to some of the other books I have read by them. Something essential was lacking and I think that is why I just thought they were ok.

Two fast-paced shifter reads. Both reads are entertaining with great characters. The stories have plenty of suspense, drama and plenty of steam. I liked them.

5-stars for Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston. This is actually one of my very favorite books by Shelly (which says a lot as I love her Pride series). Eggie and Darla are so good together (even though she's a free-spirited, fun/peace-loving wolf shifter and he's a trained killer (through the military) and the most-feared Smith wolf shifter).Add in the rest of the crazy Smith wolves and the Lewis she-wolves and this book is just fun! I have this book in trade size and as an ebook and re-read this story quite often.

3 1/2-stars for Wed of Dead by Cynthia Eden. This book was a bit darker and more intense. I liked the characters and thought the story was pretty good. It opens with Gage and Kayla staring their honeymoon. Both are hiding secrets from the other...and they are fairly big secrets that sort of explode during their honeymoon. They have to work together to stay safe. I think it could have been just a little longer to give more backstory.

I have this book in trade-size paperback and was excited to get to re-read it in ebook. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

I enjoyed both stories in this “bundle”, although each is very different where one has humorous overtones, the other is more suspenseful. If you’ve followed Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series then you’ll enjoy going back to revisit a beginning of well established characters from that series. I happen to love a rough, gruff, silent type of Alpha and Eggie is all that – his perfect counterpart is the fun loving, adventurous Darla. Like A Wolf With A Bone reminded me of why I enjoy this series so much.

Wed or Dead is very different where one hunter tries (and fails) to pull the wool over one shifter’s eyes. Gage and Kayla may both be marrying under the totally wrong reasons but that doesn’t affect the chemistry between them. Kayla is about to discover that her prey isn’t what she thought he was, and one stubborn man is about to get caught in his own trap… with his mate. Suspenseful, sexy and entertaining. I enjoyed this one.

If you love Shifter Romance, then you’ll want to check out Howl For It.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Like a Wolf With a Bone – Shelly Laurenston

This was delightfully fun, though it took me a bit to get into it. It’s set in 1974, with Eggie Ray Smith home on leave from the special shifter group of the Marines, and Darla Mae Lewis home from her work as a pastry chef in San Francisco. When she’s attacked by humans, Eggie decides to take her back to his place in the hopes that whoever’s after her won’t be able to follow. Of course, once Darla wakes up, she’s got something to say about his high-handedness…

“I could skin ya, have you deboned, and buried in less than an hour. It’s in the trainin’. So don’t y’all cross me when it comes to Darla Mae.”
The two eldest hunkered down more over their food, the youngest nearly choked on his pancake, but Bubba Ray leaned back in his chair and noted, “I guess this means you love her.”
But Eggie wasn’t about to get into discussing any of that with his kin. “Just don’t get in my way, and I won’t have to kill any of ya. I hate upsettin’ Momma and all.”


I loved these two together. Darla’s able to take care of herself, and that’s one of the things Eggie loves about her. The whole thing is ridiculously tongue-in-cheek, and I laughed so much while reading this. It’s still also sweet, and I loved the way their relationship developed.

Wed or Dead – Cynthia Eden

“But Kayla wasn’t leaving. She’d never left a job before, and she wouldn’t start now. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Gage. Poor guy. He had no idea what was coming for him. Did he think this was some kind of epic romance?
Think again.
She was the predator. He was the prey. And, soon enough, he’d grow to hate her.”


This was much more action-packed than the first story, and also a bit more typical. Kayla’s a monster hunter tasked with killing Gage, the alpha of the Las Vegas shifter pack. Unfortunately, getting close to him has involved getting, well, *very* close to him, and the story picks up at their wedding. I think this story suffered in comparison to Ms. Laurenston’s, since this one has so much more action, plot, and backstory, that the characterization was weaker. I was hoping this was the start of a series, but it looks like it’s not, unfortunately. As it is, I’ll definitely be looking up more by Ms. Eden.

Overall, two enjoyable shifter romances!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Howl For It by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden
Pride #0.5

WOW – Looking for a book that provides alpha male shapeshifters in wonderful stories AND women that get them? Look no further!

Like A Wolf With A Bone by Shelly Laurenston
I LOVED this story! Egbert “Eggie” Ray Smith is a bad boy with a reputation that leaves most people afraid to get near him but Darla Mae Lewis “sees” him and only feels safe and secure when he is close. This is definitely new for Eggie and he laps it up. Darla may seem sweet and gentle but she is a whole lot more than a smart woman in a beautiful body…and definitely capable of taking care of herself. When her life is threatened Eggie steps in and does what he does so well…ruthlessly keeps her safe. I loved the couple, the dialogue, the setting and just everything about this story. It left me feeling good with a smile on my face and wanting to read more by this author. (5 Stars)

Wed Or Dead by Cynthia Eden
Completely different in some ways but also the story of a hot male shifter who knows what he wants – yep – Gage wants Darla and is willing to marry her in spite of the secrets she is keeping. This is a story of hunters seeking out and killing paranormal entities. The hunters’ leader is a ruthless government contractor with a secret of his own. The fact that Darla falls for her prey while trying to enact a black widow scenario is only part of this wonderful nail-biting edge-of-your-seat story. Another stellar story that goes very well with the other in the book. (5 Stars)

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I liked both books, but they're different.

Shelly Laurenston writes funny books, while Cynthia Eden's stories are a bit more intense. So you can't really compare the two, but they both are with and about shifters, so that's the only thing they have in common.

Fans of Shelly Laurenston will not be disappointed - it's her usual humorous story with a bit annoying side characters [I never liked how the family members always meddled into everyone else's business], while fans of Cynthia Eden will get some action, a sexy hero and a few hot scenes.

All in all, I'm rating this one 4 stars, I voluntarily agreed to review a copy through Netgalley.

Howl For It is 2 books/novellas in one.

The first Book/novella is: Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelley Laurenston

I wasn't sure at first ... this was set in the South and all of the Characters male Smith's had Ray as their 2nd first name or middle name (it is unclear which it is) & the Lewis sisters were all "first name" Mae's.

That said even the character written to be the least endearing will work his way into your heart.

Eggie Ray and Darla Mae were born for each other. Eggie Ray is more Wolf than man and Darla Mae is a pacifist Werewolf. Despite the fact that Eggie Ray would just as soon kill you as talk to you they seem to work ... maybe Darla Mae's amazing pies help as well.

There was action, strife, crazy families coming together (again! ) ... this book was fun to read.

Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden is the second of the books/novellas.

This was my first Cynthia Eden book/story and it was good! It took me a few chapters to get into to it but in the end it was worth the effort!

Give this book a try if you want a good set of paranormal romance books/stories!

I volunteered to read the book as an Advanced reader copy and now I am writing my honest review of the book.

Reviewed by Jennifer of the GothicMoms Review Team

"Like A Wolf With A Bone" by Shelly Laurenston - 5 star read.
Fun, flirty and fabulous insight into the elusive "Eggie" Smith and his journey to find his true love.

Wed or Dead by Cynthia Edens 3 stars
The story was interesting with some really strong highs and lows. I felt some of the choices were completely over the top interrupting the story's flow.

I received this ARC copy of Howl For It from Kensington Books. This is my honest and voluntary review. Howl For It is set for publication Jan. 30, 2018.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Brava; Original edition
Publication Date: August 28, 2012
ISBN-10: 0758273444
ISBN-13: 978-0758273444
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Howl-Shelly-La...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/howl...

Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

5 likes

Both of these authors are extremely experienced with this type of fiction. There is nothing new in this collection (can you call it a collection of just two?) That said I thought Eden's offering was a bit stronger with more of an actual story. I've read so much better from both though, especially Shelly Laurenston. I felt a bit like these were old story ideas being put into production for a "filler" book between actual ones. Not much to recommend other than to die-hard fans.

Like A Wolf With A Bone by Shelly Laurenston:
This was such a cute shifter story! Both main characters were quirky and just had me laughing. It was silly but entertaining. The blurb makes Eggie sound scary and while he was a well trained military man with no social skills, he came off almost shy when he was with Darla. Darla was the fun, outgoing shifter who didn't really have a care in the world and wasn't afraid of anything even when their were human men trying to kill her. She pretty much just inserted herself into Eggie's life and he just followed along with whatever she wanted. Both of their families added some entertainment to the story as well. Very fun read.

Wed Or Dead by Cynthia Eden:
This was a more serious read than Shelly's story but equally as entertaining. If you like the Hero's who go after what they want no matter the consequences, you get that in Gage. He's a strong, dominant and protective Alpha of his pack and that extends to his very human mate Kayla. Their courtship was very short and all Gage wanted to do was bind her in marriage as quickly as possible. Probably due to the fact that he was hiding a secret from her, but she was hiding a secret from him as well. This short story was full of action as Gage and Kayla work together to try and survive a rogue shifter posing as a human hunter.

I would give both these stories 5 Stars. I enjoyed both of them in different ways. Shelly Laurenston for the fun entertainment and Cynthia Eden for the Suspenseful entertainment.