This book was up on netgalley and as we all know, I love both of these authors, so I snatched it up! But it looks like maybe a reissue? I read this back in 2012 it looks like, so here's my original review from back when this blog was Demon Lover's Books & More. Also, I reread it, and to be honest, I'd probably bump my rating up to a 5 star. I really enjoyed this.

Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston- 4 stars

This was Eggie and Darla Mae’s story and I loved it. I’m not sure what I expected from Eggie, but I really enjoyed it. This story was a bit sweeter than Laurenston’s usual Pride books (no complaints here!) and her trademark sense of humor was present throughout.

Eggie accidentally kidnaps Darla Mae after saving her from humans trying to kill her. She’s a bit of a free spirit, or well, a hippie (hey, it’s the 70s after all!). He’s a very serious marine on forced leave. He unnerves people with his very direct stare and his eyes that always look wolf, even when he isn’t. They don’t seem like the ideal couple, but oh they truly are great together.

Their families cause more trouble than anything, but at the end, they all stick together and come through as only family can. Especially in a scene where they are racing their frenemies in a “friendly wager” but it turns sour quickly as some humans barge in with automatic rifles. We get to see some other characters from the series, but y’know, over 30 years earlier. It was pretty cool.

I loved this one. It was so fun and sweet and really enjoyable. My absolute favorite part, though, was the epilogue. If you’ve read Big Bad Beast, you’ll know exactly where it falls in the plot. Dee Ann, Eggie’s little sugarbug, has a bit in there that you’ll love.

This fits in really well with the series, but I don’t think it’s a great stand-alone. Other than that, I really got a kick out of Eggie Ray and Darla Mae.

Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden- 4.5 stars

Kayla is dragging her feet to the altar, literally. Sexy Gage, always with the ready smile and hot kiss is waiting for her, but she has to force herself to marry him. Why is that, hmm?

I’ll tell ya-he’s a werewolf, and she knows it. He’s also her mark. She’s supposed to get close enough to kill. But she can’t. In Kayla’s world, werewolves are monsters, and she’s a good guy, keeping the humans safe from the monsters that roam the nights. It’s very black and white.

Gage knows Kayla is a hunter, but he humors her and never lets on. Kayla is also his mate, and now that he has her, he isn’t letting her go. But their honeymoon is crashed by hunters who take Kayla too. Did her own people turn on her? Now Gage has to save them from her own people, and in the meantime he has to convince Kayla that the world she grew up in isn’t black and white at all. There’s a big fat grey area and they both exist inside it.

It was refreshing to see a heroine who hated the hero come to grips fairly quickly with the fact that maybe he’s not all that bad. And what’s even worse, is that maybe she’s the bad guy.

Set in the Night Watch world, but not part of the series, this novella has everything, danger, intrigue, suspense and love. But watch out, sometimes the bad guys aren’t so bad, and the good guys might just be the monsters hiding under your bed.

***ARC courtesy of Kensington Publishing

I read this book in one day and throughly enjoyed it. This is a well written paranormal romance book. These are great authors and I definitely recommend this book.

This is a re-release of this anthology, so if you have read them before, it is the same. It has two stories in it by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden. If you haven't read their books before, I highly recommend them as they are great!

Book 1 is Like A Wolf With A Bone by Shelly Laurenston. This book is a part her Pride series and it's about Dee-Ann's parents. We have seen in her in multiple books in this series along with one with her HEA. Eggie Ray Smith is a military man who falls for the giggly Darla Mae Lewis. So we get to see how her parents fell in love and mated. He always fascinated me when people talked about him in the books and this story definitely explains why he is the way he is but also how much Darla and Dee-Ann mean to him. I loved this glimpse into their background and the fact that it shows Eggie is more than just a blood thirsty shifter!

Book 2 is 'Wed or Dead' by Cynthia Eden. This one covers Gage and Kayla. They are getting married and haven't shared their secrets with each other. Little do they know, they each know the other's secrets and married each other anyway. I really enjoyed this one! Gage is definitely an Alpha and itn't afraid to do what is necessary in order to protect not only his pack but his mate. Kayla, well let's just say she has some issues. But she also doesn't have the the true story or even realize that there are things that have been manipulated in her life to force her into the position that she is in. Once they both decide to work together and have each other's back? Loved it!

All in all, both books were great. I like how they show us portions of stories that many of us have wondered about before. Definitely worth it to me!

LIKE A WOLF WITH A BONE by @Shelley
Egbert Ray ( Eggie ) is a deadly wolf shifter. His brothers have married or mated to the Lewis sisters. Everyone is scared of Eggie and try to stay clear of him. He's in a special unit in the marines with other shifters. Darla Mae is the first person not afraid of Eggie. She is attacked on her own territory and Eggie takes her back to his territory. But he never expects to fall for the pacifist wolf shifter. Someone still wants Darla dead but they'll have to go through Eggie first.
From what I understand this takes place in the '70s. Sometimes the dialogue didn't sound natural but there was plenty of action, fighting, and sex, with a little humor thrown in.
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WED OR DEAD by @CynthiaEden 5 stars
Kayla is a hunter who takes down wolves and other paranormal creatures who kill humans. Gage is the Alpha of the Vegas pack and is Kayla's next mission. She must get as close as possible to him and then kill him with a silver knife. What better way than to marry him. Gage knows her plans but they can't help but fall for each other. From the first time Gage got a whiff of Kayla, he knew she was his. They are captured and Kayla finds out some disturbing truths about the hunters leader.
Loved this story. Exciting, sexy, bloody, and a little suspenseful.
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* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

Shelley Laurenston does not write fast enough for me! Loved this book and can't wait for the next one.

Bravo. Shelly Laurenston has done it again. Great story. Strong female character is one my favourite things about her books. This book was entertaining from the first page. I am never disappointed with Shelly Laurenstons books. This is my first Reading Cyntia Eden book and I was happily surprised how much I enjoyed it. I am a very picky reader but I would read another of her books.

I have enjoyed all of Shelly Laurenston’s books and Eggie and Darla’s story does not disappoint. I enjoyed wasting Eggie and Darla’s relationship grow and how Darla saw more than most people did in Eggie. What and enjoyable read.

This was my first Cynthia Eden book and was quite enjoyable. Gage and Kayla’s story kept you on your toes.

<i>Like A Wolf With A Bone</i> by Shelly Laurenston
Darla Mae Lewis left the South for a reason. Mostly to get away from her argumentative sisters. They tend to fight not only with each other, but with the Smith boys whom most of them are hooked up with. The last (I think) Smith standing? Egbert "Eggie" Ray. He's the scariest of the Smith boys but he'd rather be left alone than be the Alpha of the clan. When he sees Darla, he doesn't immediately know that she's his One, but it happens pretty quickly. Of course, they'll have to figure out why there's a horde of humans after Darla.

A nice start to a new shapeshifter series from Laurenston. The repetitious rhyming of the middle names was a little weird and it was a little over the top but a nice world-building for a novel.

<i>Wed Or Dead</i> by Cynthia Eden
I like novellas where the h/h have known each other for awhile, they're much more believable. In this case, , they've known each other long enough to be getting married as the story opens. But there's a problem; he's a shapeshifter and she's part of an elite group of hunters who have been put together to kill the "monsters."
Well, the wedding night goes well... until it doesn't . And it starts both groups toward a final battle and a crisis of conscience for at least one of our characters.
This was definitely darker than the first sorry. Good, but in a different way.

Four stars
This book comes out January 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

This book contains two wolf-shifter stories by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden. I bought it because I enjoy Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series (also her dragon series as G.A. Aiken).

In Like a Wolf With a Bone by Shelly Laurenston we learn the story of how Eggie and Darla Smith (Dee-Ann’s parents from Big Bad Beast (Pride, #6) ) got together. Egbert “Eggie” Ray Smith has a reputation even among his own kin of being slightly psychotic. Darla Lewis is the “quiet” Lewis sister. But there is someone for everyone and for Eggie its Darla. Darla gets the monosyllabic Eggie to open up if only to her and Eggie finds the one person on the planet who isn’t afraid of him.

The only book I’ve read by Cynthia Eden up till now is Hotter After Midnight and to be honest I don’t remember it all that well. I guess I need to go back and re-read it. The second story in this book is Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden in which we find the alpha wolf-shifter of the Las Vegas pack, Gage, marrying a human hunter, Kayla. She knows he is a wolf-shifter but thinks he doesn’t know she is a hunter. It all started out as a job for her. Get close to Gage then kill him only she didn’t count on falling for the big lug.

As I said at the beginning I bought this for the Shelly Laurenston story and wasn’t disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised by the Cynthia Eden story.

I received a copy of Howl for It by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first story, Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston should have been a pass for me after the first few chapters rather than slogging through it. The story was way too redneck (think every hill-jack cliche you can imagine...it was probably included) and far more verbose than necessary. I was intrigued by the summary and wanted to like this novel, but it really was a chore to keep reading (I should have stopped after the first few chapters). The storyline should have been pulled together better and the characters developed fully, the content more succinct, and the whole thing just less juvenile. I would rate this maybe .5 star.

The second story, Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden, was far more palatable. Overall, this was a much better read and enjoyable. The characters were engaging and likeable, the plot was fun with witty and entertaining moments, and the writing was much more solid. I would happily read future items by Cynthia Eden and would rate this a 4.

Rating for both (due to the first novel) equals an average of 2.25.

Awesome stories by both talented authors. Couldn't put the books down. Enjoyed them both!

2017
This is a reread for me. It's been a rough year for me so I needed some escape and some laughs. Shelly Laurenston is the only author who makes me laugh so loud I wake up my family. Whether it's her shifters or vikings, she always delivers. In her shifter world, there is a tough cranky cop shifter named Dee. This is her parents love story featuring her protective daddy Eggsy Smith and her quieter yet just as tough mom Darla. These Smith wolves are crazy and hilarious.

The next story by Cynthia Eden is darker, but still an enjoyable reread. To me, she is one of the queens of paranormal romance and suspense and I devour everything she writes.

Both of these novellas deliver and I loved giving them a reread. Fans of both authors should give it a try if they missed it when it came out in trade paper a few years back.

Two excellent shifter tales.
Shelly Laurenston brings together Egbert Ray Smith a wolf operative working for the government. He is home on vacation when his talents are needed to foil a deadly plot against Darla Lewis a She-wolf. Protection and Chemistry abound.
Cynthia Eden's Wed or Dead is also included in Howl for It. Kyla Kincaid is a shifter hunter commissioned to take down Las Vegas Alpha Gage Riley. Story of twists and turns along with howling romance.
Book was provided by Kensington books via NetGalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion.

Like a Wolf With a Bone

I always enjoy the Pride series by Shelly Laurenston, and this one is no different with Darla and Eggie. I always wondered after reading the Pride series, how Darla and Uncle Eggie met, these two have such a hilarious story. Eggie works for the Group and is one of the most dangerous wolves, everyone is afraid of him, but Darla pokes at him and is not afraid if anything she is sassy. I love the whole series, and after reading Dee's story, I'm glad that we are able to see Eggie in a different light.

Wed or Dead
I like Cynthia Eden's books as much as Shelly's but I do not think that the combination of these two in the same book was not a good idea. Shelly write comedies and Cynthia writes more suspense romance/horror books. I would have liked to see more development of the characters, but Gage and Kayla are hiding secrets from each other. Once they decided to work together they change their future. I would have liked to see more of their story.

When I seen this on netgalley I knew I had to re read this!. It's been 3 years and I must admit I forgot how much I loved Shelly Laurenston's style of writing.

Like A Wolf With A Bone -

Eggie Ray and Darla May are just the cutest ever. His big tough brooding personality to her sweet rosey and a little fiesty one complemented Eachother perfectly. Total opposites in everyway yet they just worked. I love how unsure of the whole situation Eggie Ray was and how little Darla May sorta just took charge! She tickled me to no end with her fiesty little snits. I love how she defended his virtue against others including her family. Eggie Ray melted me with how gentle her was with her! For a deadly creature he was for sure as sweet as pie to her. I devoured this sweet little love story in a few short hours with no breaks. It's seemlessly written jam packed with all kinds of sweet, sexy and alot of funny. I have no complaints.. it was a pleasure to read again.

Cynthia Eden- Wed or Dead.

This ones a new read for me. I must admit I enjoyed it and it's one of my favs from this author despite it being a short read it was brilliant.

Kayla and Gage's book is all gogogo from the first page!. A gunshot wedding after a brief courtship probably wasn't the best idea for two people who've got skeletons sky high in their closets. Lies and deceit isn't the best way to start a marriage but it clearly worked out for these pair. I loved that I'm thrown straight into action without time to prepare, It made me pay attention to what's going on and sucked me in from the start. Although they're both very dominant personalities they didn't clash as much as I'd expected ... they didn't have an easy road to happiness. They had to let go of demons that they've lived with a long time and trust in Eachother. Super fast paced with action, humour and some hot romance it has a little of everything jam packed into this little story.

It's my first read since being neck deep in Christmas prep and birthday parties so it was a needed escape from reality that ticked all the boxes.

I kindly received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

**Received ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review**
Howl For It is a compilation of Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston and Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden. I would rate this book at 5 stars!!
Like a Wolf with a Bone is Egbert Ray Smith/Eggie and Darla Mae Lewis (AKA De-Ann Smith's parents) story. I will read anything by this author, I know when I read her books, there will be action/suspense, romance and comedy is just the right amounts for me, and this book is no exception. I loved Eggie and Darla Mae- if you haven't read the series they come up in book 6 Big Bad Beast, which is De-Ann and Ric Van Holtz's story. Eggie is quiet, alpha and lethal to those who harm his loved ones or those he's asked to dispose of, and Darla Mae is a pacifist/feminist, southern gal that wants to be treated like a lady. I loved the interaction between the two, the meddling family members, the chemistry between them and the craziness that followed. If you like hot and steamy, you will not be disappointed. It is difficult not to enjoy the craziness of the secondary characters in the story. Overall I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it!
Wed or Dead is Gage Riley and Kayla Kincaid's story. This story is drastically different then Like a Wolf with a Bone. Whereas the first story was funny, romantic with a little action/suspense, Wed or Dead is a lot of action/suspense with some romance. Kayla is a hunter, and she really hates shifters since her parents were killed by a wolf, her little brother Jonah was almost killed by a wolf and she was torn up by a wolf. Now she works for a secret government agency tracking down and picking up shifters, vampires and demons that are bad. When she is sent after Gage who has eluded their agency for some time, she will do anything necessary to bring him in, but one thing she didn't plan on was falling for him. Gage is the alpha of his pack, but is an alpha male by nature, and Kayla is a strong and fierce woman. Together they have great chemistry. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, and the characters. I'm hoping that Billy has a story or gets one (secondary character in the book/Gage's enforcer). This book is a rollercoaster, so be prepared! Overall great book! I really enjoyed and look forward to reading more by these authors!! Hope this helps! Happy Reading!!!

Like a Wolf with a Bone - This was a sweet glimpse into how Eggie and Darla Mae ended up together. Of all the Smith boys and Lewis girls, this was one the ones that seemed mis-matched the most. As we follow these two, we realize it wasn't, it was the perfect fit. Their differences from their siblings make them perfect for each other. They bring out the quality of themselves in their mate, and you see where Dee Ann gets all the qualities that make her the amazing She-Wolf that she is

Wed or Dead - started out reading but by chapter three I was bored with the wordiness of it. I was kinda interested in the story, so I quickly skimmed the rest of the book, quickly realized I wasn't all that interested after all

Like A Wolf With A Bone by Shelly Laurenston
Darla deals with stress differently than what Eggie expected, “good. We need to get this horrid couch out of your house and we need to go food shopping.” She marched past him. “I need to bake.” Eggie is a gentleman, he lets his woman just talk all she wants, "now they sat across from each other, eating delicious pie , and talking. Well. ..Darla talked. Eggie ate, grunted a few times, and stared at her ’cause she was naked." This story was entertaining as heck, I loved Darla and Eggie.

Wed Or Dead by Cynthia Eden
Gage is not a stupid man, he doesn't need to be told twice, “I thought you were supposed to be stripping.” He nearly ripped his jeans off. Then in one lunge, he was at her side." I liked this book, I loved Gage.

A fun pair of stories from two wonderful authors. First one is Darla and Eggie's story, written by one of my favorite snarky shifter authors: Shelly Laurenston. I have read a couple of other stories where Eggie shows up, so it was nice to go back and see how he and Darla met and fell in love. Fun story, and made me laugh out loud several times. Highly recommend reading more of her stories if you want a good laugh. The second one, by another favorite author of Cynthia Eden, is the story of hunter Kayla and her wolf Gage. This is a darker story, and at first was not sure why it was paired with the other, but it does work. Not a funny story, but a good shifter romance none the less. A good mystery too, and another story I highly recommend. Good authors, good characters and good plots.