This book was hugely funny, well written and featured pop-in appearances of countless previously featured characters from Shelly Laurenston’s other books. If possible, readers should be familiar with at least the previous Honey Badger Chronicles to read In a Badger Way with an appropriate amount of context. The book does have a clear arc of its own and could work as a standalone, but a lot of jokes, backstory and references would be missed if this was the first of Shelly Laurenston’s books that they had read.
One of the most impressive things about this book was the way it covered serious issues without making light of them, while remaining an entertaining read. It takes skill to write a book with lines like—
“Medication should never be given without therapy.” She suddenly looked at him. “And if you ever go to a doctor who tries to tell you otherwise… get another doctor.”
—and also…
“All three of you ladies are half-sisters because your father is, to use your words, Ms. MacKilligan, ‘a wh*re that can’t stop f*ucking anything that moves.’”.
Stevie is a smart woman living with a number of mental health issues. Despite this, she is a multi-dimensional characte, with relationships with a wide cast of characters. Although she lives with anxiety and a panic disorder, her role in the book is never reduced to ‘person with anxiety’. It was great to see a character with mental illness seek treatment, use medication in a healthy way, and surround herself with supportive people that didn’t infantilize her. Stevie’s sisters are protective of her, but they are nothing but encouraging when she makes her own decisions and mistakes.
Shen is a good match for Stevie, their relationship develops slowly throughout the book (after being hinted at in previous ones). As with Shelly Laurenston’s previous novels, however, things play out in an ever-entertaining, thoroughly unexpected fashion. Shen’s sisters were great, and the sheer potential for sequels in the world Shelly Laurenston has created is outstanding. There are at least ten characters that appear in In a Badger Way that could take centre-stage in future books, and presumably will eventually appear in a future novel.
A strength of Shelly Laurenston’s writing is the distinct voices and manner of interacting that she gives to each character, without typecasting them. It gives a true lifelike quality when Stevie’s ‘voice’ alters when she’s speaking to Charlie as opposed to Shen, or Irene instead of Kyle. This lifelike variation gives a sense of the relationships Stevie has with other characters, and is especially impressive when the number of other characters and novels is considered—because it’s not just Stevie that gets this treatment.
The Jean-Louise Parker children feature somewhat heavily in In a Badger Way, and the depth brought to both Kyle and Oriana by their interactions with Stevie was entertaining and impressive. Kyle’s interactions with Oriana were a highlight of this book, with moments of sweetness contrasted by a scorn that will be familiar to anyone with siblings of their own. The phrase “her raw and unappetizing sexuality” made me snort so hard I hurt my throat.
Anyone who has read Shelly Laurenston’s work before knows that she doesn’t skimp when it comes to writing family for her main characters—In a Badger Way is no exception. Stevie’s family play a big role in her life and the novel—not just her sisters, either. The intricacies of honey badger meet-ups and business dealings (ie. crime) are showcased in this novel, leaving several interesting threads to be explored in the next book (presumably involving Max).
In A Badger Way is a hilarious read, with witty dialogue, sympathetic characters and non-stop action. The world Shelly Laurenston created with her varying breeds of shifters, hybrids and underground science, sports and society continues to entertain, and fans of the previous books in the series will thoroughly enjoy this book. The sense of humour in Shelly Laurenston’s work is similar to Ilona Andrew’s The Edge and Hidden Legacy novels, though admittedly with a less intensively developed magic and political system. For those who haven’t read the previous books—you should—but this book will probably be to your taste if you like urban fantasy/paranormal romance with badass heroines and a healthy dose of comedy.

I absolutely LOVE Shelly Laurenston's writing. In a Badger Way is a fun, sweet, hot romance rhat has you in tears from all the antics the MacKilligan sisters get in to. You are also fanning yourself from the chemistry between Shen and Stevie. I love how protective Shen is of Stevie and yet how he gives her the freedom that she needs. Stevie attaches herself to Shen and deems herself as Shen's girlfriend and making Shen crazy in the process. I love the secondary characters as well as the storyline. As always I enjoyed every page in this story.

OK, first thing here is you have to love the insanity of this series, this extended family of honey badgers are just this side of totally insane ...... or maybe not, anyway the over the top humor is something you either love or you will never get through this book.

The humor is what I love about this series and all her writings but this one seemed to get off to a slow start in the humor dept and it was around the 30% mark before it had me laughing out loud like I expected and while the others had something that passed for a plot, this one seemed to really only had the bare bones of a plot.

I had to go back and read the first couple of chapters and the last couple of chapters again to get a plot of any kind straight in my head. So bottom line, I enjoyed it but felt like it was a little less than most of the other books of this type like the Dragonkin so I am giving it 4 Stars for the laughs I got and the action plus something resembling a subplot that I did enjoy them taking care of but as far as an overall plot to this book I am still kind of scratching my head.

In a Badger Way was one of my most anticipated reads/listens of 2019. I fell in love with Hot and Badgered last year and couldn't wait to get more of the MacKilligan sisters! Stevie, the youngest sister, is bat crap crazy (literally). She has a serious panic disorder-if you startle her or stress her she turns into a 2 ton badger tiger hybrid. Charlie and Max, her sisters, are very protective of Stevie because she is brilliant and kind of a mess. I was not sure how Stevie could be the heroine. I mean, who would be able to be in a relationship with Stevie? Enter Shen.

A giant panda shifter enters a house full of bears and he is a body guard to a weasel. Nope, not the start of a joke! Shen is super chill. He is the yin to Stevie's yang for sure. He is swept into the MacKilligan chaos because he is assigned to protect Stevie's prodigy friend, Kyle.

"I like my toes. You can't be a dancer and have pretty toes. And from what Kyle has told me...you have some fucked-up hooves."

What I love about this series is how ridiculous it is! Stevie is this genius girl whose life is a total disaster in every area except science. Max is a psychopath (I mean that literally). Charlie is a compulsive worrier. They are surrounded by a slew of crazy characters and I love it all. It's just a mad cap story that is delightfully entertaining because you simply cannot fathom what will happen next. And how can you not love Shen? He is so tranquil even when things get a bit tumultuous. I also loved that Stevie gets her panic disorder under control a bit. I really felt that she would never be a good match for Shen if she was still so neurotic she couldn't function normally. His zen does help her keep from going bat crap crazy!

"Gangsters soon learned the local nuns were not to be fucked with."

I adored the audio for Hot and Badgered. In a Badger Way was narrated by a different narrator. Kane was good, but it didn't quite have the same magic as Odom brought to book one. Still, a great listen that I recommend!

Hot, sweet, protective panda shifter (just look at that gorgeous Asian cover model) meets hybrid honey badger shifter prodigy with panic disorder and two homicidal sisters - ah, I loved this crazy romp so much. While Stevie was my least favorite MacKilligan sister (no one compares to Mad Max imo), Shen is now my favorite shifter dude or at least tied with my longtime love, Lock.

This really wasn't about a romance with Shen and Stevie. The real romance was the MacKilligan sisters' insanely intense bonds and the maniacal mayhem they cause. Shen was absolutely perfect because he completely understood and respected the MacKilligan madness.
“You know what I’m not going to do?” Shen announced. “Get between sisters. I have two. I got between them once, and when I woke up from my coma, I decided I’d never do that again. With any sisters.”

I think the elevator pitch for this book should be "Shifter Karaoke". My favorite part was the zany trip down Memory Lane with some of the biggest, baddest, and bestest of Shelly Laurenston's shifters: Blayne! Bo! Gwen! Dee-Ann! The Van Holtzes! I'm going to reread all of them just to kill time until Max's book - please don't make us wait too long for her!

August 29, 2018 review of teaser: MacKilligans! I need it to be 2019 already so I can finish Stevie's book. The excerpt provided by NetGalley was such a tease. C'mon, she's a hybrid part honey badger shifter prodigy with a panic disorder and he's a happy go lucky giant panda shifter bodyguard - the world needs their story!

Hot and Badgered was one of my favorites from Shelly Laurenston (disclaimer: I'll read almost anything by Shelly Laurenston) and I can't wait for more from the ragey but loving MacKilligan sisters. It looks like the Van Holtzes and Jean-Louis Parker packs make wonderfully weird appearances as well. There are unnamed bears in the excerpt so I'm hoping for more of the Dunn triplets.

To be honest, my favorite of the MacKilligans is Max. I need it to be 2019 so we can get Stevie's book and then be that much closer to Max's, please and thank you.

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed the excerpt of In a Badger Way generous provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Rated 4.5 Stars

In A Badger Way is an over the top, ridiculous, laugh out loud funny read with action, romance and suspense (not in the sense that you don't know who the bad guys are but their end is a bit of a mystery). It's also about realizing that what you thought were faults really were strengths and finding someone who sees your perceived imperfections as perfection. I loved this story especially the off-beat and quirky romance between Stevie and Shen. I love these badass and weird honey badgers. This series just seems to get better with each new book. I cannot wait for Max's story and the mayhem that will ensue. I highly recommend this series.

I really enjoyed this book! I just love Stevie & Shen as a couple! I hope Max gets a book next, it would be interesting to see who she's matched with!

If you’re looking for a humorous and very sexy read, then look no further. Because Shelly Laurenston has you covered in her latest book titled In a Badger Way. Stevie MacKilligan is the youngest and a child prodigy of three sisters. And by the end of this story, you will also come to know she is the deadliest out of the three. Everyone wanted Stevie MacKilligan not for her ability as a fine singer, but for her mind. Even at the young age of five, Stevie has shown a talent for science. When the first kidnapping occurred and thwarted, it was advised to enter her into every science contest to avoid another instance. Well, someone failed to either get the memo or just didn’t bother to read what happens to the last group who thought Stevie MacKilligan was easy prey. What I loved about this story, is Stevie’s panic attacks. Those attacks can be deadly, especially if you are in the vicinity when she has one. During the entire story, it seems numerous things brings them on, which humor is soon to follow, trying to bring Stevie down is not a pretty sight. I definitely recommend that you add this book to your collection

Buckle up, because In a Badger Way is one wild ride. It’s an energetic, outrageous, wholly unique read thanks to Shelly Laurenston’s exuberant shifters.

Stevie MacKilligan, the youngest of the three MacKilligan half-sisters, grabbed my attention in the first of the Honey Badger Chronicles, Hot and Badgered. She’s a genius and the way her mind works is fascinating, which would be enough to entertain me, but she’s also kind and caring. One of Stevie’s biggest problems is that she panic shifts into a two ton badger/tiger. Oh, and she just happens to be terrified of bears…and lives in a bear neighborhood. One type of bear who doesn’t terrify her? Pandas. They’re just so cute! And none is cuter than panda shifter Shen Li. Shen, tasked to guard Stevie’s friend and teenage prodigy Kyle, is used to geniuses and for the most part is unfazed by the MacKilligan craziness. Shen made me smile more than once. He’s protective, calm, and (yes) so cute that I could happily read about him all day (and totally wanted to see more of his panda side). A genius with an anxiety disorder and a roll-with-it panda? They’re a perfect match. I adored them together and thought they made an interesting, sweet, and sensual couple, which made it easy to become invested in their story. The one downside of In a Badger Way is that I felt like I didn’t get quite enough time with Stevie and Shen. There are so many characters and points of view that I felt parts of Stevie and Shen’s relationship development were sacrificed in favor of other plots and characters.

In a Badger Way has a lot going on, but Ms. Laurenston keeps all the balls spinning in a way that only a truly talented author can. Stevie’s personal journey and her romance with Shen were my favorite parts of the book. But there was also an intriguing plot involving someone experimenting on shifters that I would have loved to delve deeper into. Not to mention the overarching series storylines involving MacKilligan family dynamics, a truly menacing assassin, appearances from a boatload of secondary characters from Ms. Laurenston’s Pride series, and more. I haven’t yet read the Pride books, but I liked the characters I met well enough and am sure fans of that series will be thrilled to check in with some past heroes and heroines. You don’t have to have read the Pride books in order to follow along, but I do recommend reading Hot and Badgered before starting Stevie and Shen’s story.

In a Badger Way is funny, over-the-top, and highly entertaining. I loved Stevie and Shen together and I just can’t get enough of the MacKilligan sisters (I’m seriously excited to see what Ms. Laurenston has in store for Max). If you’re looking for a vibrant paranormal romance that’s out of the ordinary, you can’t go wrong with In a Badger Way.

In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston is the 2nd book in her wild crazy exciting and hilarious Honey Badger Chronicles. Trust me when I say, if you have not read Shelly Laurenston, you are missing not only a gem of an author, but so much fun as you read each and every one of her books. I cannot say enough about Laurenston, as she continually has me engrossed in the story, which has a lot of action and violence, but at the same time I am laughing all the way. Needless to say, I adore Shelly Laurenston and cannot get enough of her books. Now for my review :)

In the first book of this trilogy, Charlie, the oldest sister was the heroine. She was an awesome heroine, tough, respected and devoted to her two younger sisters, as well as being the sister who is always in control and feared the most. They are Honey Badgers, but hybrids; together all three made a wild crazy and terrifying team. In a Badger Way, the youngest sister, Stevie is our heroine, and we can help but love Stevie; she is the child prodigy that everyone wants, even at times to kill her. Stevie is a genius in everything she does, whether its music or physics, but she has a flaw; she has anxiety panics and when scared, she loses control and shifts into a huge tiger monster.

What I love about this series is that the three sisters are there for each other, even if they also fight against them. In this story, Charlie and Max are always helping to protect Stevie, even if she can handle herself, if she stays in control. We also get to meet many of the other shifters we have met previously, like Blayne, Irene, Dee Ann, Jess, just to name a few. It will be Irene who will convince the Stevie her sisters and MacKilligan family to help bring down a group that are planning a drug that will neutralize hybrids.

Shen Li, our hero, is a panda shifter, as well as a bodyguard. Shen finds himself spending more time trying to protect Stevie, then what he was hired for. But living with the MacKilligans is a non-stop wild ride, and life will never be the same. Stevie likes have Shen around, as she find the panda cute; in a short time after all those around him (especially Max and Charlie) hint that something is going on between him and Stevie. Shen begins to realize that he enjoys being with her and her sisters; he was the perfect person for Stevie, not only protecting her but helping her learn to control her violent anger and shifts.

What follows is an exciting adventure that was also fun-filled, wild & crazy action, three great sisters, wonderful secondary characters, and so much hilarious laughter. I cannot wait for the next book. If you have not read Shelly Laurenston, you are missing an author that always gives us fantastic stories. When it comes to fun, crazy, hysterical and exciting, with fantastic characters, no one does it better then Shelly Laurenston.

Shelly Laurenston's books always have strong characters with the strangest quirks. 'In a Badger Way' is the second book in the Badger series and these three sisters keep amazing me. There are a lot of characters from previous books, so it does help to have some background to fully enjoy this book,

This story has plenty of family relationships (both the good and the bad) to think about; some outrageous fight scenes (that somehow include humor); and even an all around wild ride.

I love the strong female characters, and Stevie has to be my favorite with her combination of brains, strength and sweetness. She is not as crazy as her sisters, but she can be much scarier than Charlie and Max.

Okay, Shen, the panda has won heart. That is all I can say.,

I received an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley and this is my honest review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2760949337

Stevie MacKilligan is a honey badger hybrids, a brilliant scientist and terrified of bears. Shen Li is a panda bodyguard for a child genius that Stevie is mentoring. Stevie and her sisters are vicious hybrids because their no-good loser father liked to play the field.He also robbed another branch of the family of millions.

When shifter bodies start turning up, partially shifted in death, Stevie is sure that someone is trying to cure shifters, something she desperately wants to do because her hybrid is hugely destructive and uncontrollable, she also think she knows who it might be.

Let me start by saying I love Shelly Laurenston and I love her books but I have to say this one did nothing for me, I felt like it was a roll-call of characters from every previous book just thrown into the mix, there were too many plots and too many characters. Stevie was bit like Irene Conridge (who features in this book) but not as good, in fact I think that having so many much-loved characters in this book just highlighted that Stevie and Shen just weren't as memorable.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book (hey, its still Shelly Laurenston, one of the funniest writers on the planet) but compared to some of her previous books this was a bit of a hot mess.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I love the MacKilligan sisters, especially Stevie. She's afraid of bears. And she doesn't like to be startled. Somehow she keeps finding herself in situations where she encounters both, bears and being startled. One bear doesn't seem to bother her and Shen finds himself wanting to protect Stevie. Even when he doesn't agree with her decision to meet with a man that they believe is experimenting on hybrids. While protecting Stevie is Shen's idea of what's happening, Stevie's idea is totally different. Will they ever agree on what's happening and also be able to stop the experiments?

Stevie and Shen’s book!!!!!!

Honey badger-tiger shifter Dr. Stevie Stasiuk-MacKilligan and her sister’s do everything for each other and when other hybrids are being threatened she ends up with bodyguard panda shifter Shen Li.

How do I describe any of Shelly Laurenston’s books? Be prepared to laugh out loud and never plan on reading just one more chapter before going to bed of any Shelly Laurenston’s books because it will not happen! You need to read Hot and Badgered first because it is about Stevie’s sister Charlie and then we get to revisit many of the characters of Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series and Magnus Pack Series (P.S. you really need to read them) also appear in The Honey Badger Chronicles

I can’t wait to see what she does with Max’s story! Shelly Laurenston is on my auto-buy list without knowing anything about the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really love this author. I haven't read a book by her that wasn't good. I love how her books make me laugh. I especially like her characters, each and every one of them are crazy hilarious in their own unique way. There shifter breed greatly influences how their human side acts.

This one features a giant panda bear, Shen, and a honey badger/tiger hybrid, Jenny.

Jenny is a genius, this helps to contribute to her being very socially awkward. She has super anxiety, especially confronted with bears in anyway, but not pandas. She can't control her freakishly large, extremely strong animal form. Her sisters keep her close in order to stop her from destroying the world and try to shelter her from everything acting as a buffer between her and real life. Shen is an extremely patient man. He loves bamboo, has a lot of friends, and is typically levelheaded no matter what situation he finds himself in. He somehow finds himself in the position of being Jenny's protector.

At first I didn't like the idea of the the two of them being a match. I really wanted Jenny to end up with one of the bears that terrified in the begining of the book. I am happy to say that by the middle of the book I was rooting for Shen.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a light romance that will have them laughing out loud. I do recommend tat you start from the beginning where thus world that the books is set in began, The Magnus Pack series, but starting with the first book in the Pride series works almost as well.

Electronic review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

I adored this when I originally read the first few chapters. 5 stars. But reading the entire thing now I just could not immerse myself in the story. Whether it’s because I’m in the midst of a Veronica Speedwell thing. Or because I continue to struggle with contemporary romance. Or because I’ve read too much Laurenston I just keep thinking about other things during this read.

I like the MacKilligan sisters. I loved Charlie and Berg’s story. Here it felt like too much focus on other characters. We had at least 3 story lines going on. We had visits from a bunch of our favorite couples.

Nothing felt fresh. Everything felt frantic. And I just couldn’t get off the page and into the story.




****Review of first few chapters****
I got a little sneak preview of this from Netgalley bc the first book in this series is one of my #Bestof2018. I cannot wait to read about Stevie and Shen - and all of their friends. Laurenston is amazing and funny - telling sweet, charming stories that brighten my mood. I’m stoked for the rest of this.

<a href="http://alleskelle.com"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1531392914r/25962167.jpg?v=1531392917324"width="400"></a>

Throw out your normality and enjoy this ride of blow-your-head-up crazy fun.
It's even better than the first one!

I absolutely love these insanely violent and crazy girls, and I was actually laughing so hard that I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

If the cover misleads you to think this is a romance - it's really not. What it is, is a hilarious, action packed, very very funny, story with vicious but loveable characters.

OMG, this book was Amazing!!! I made the mistake of starting the book during my lunch break, and was laughing and giggling so much people where giving me funny looks.....not to mention pepsi hurts when it comes out your nose!!! BUT THIS BOOK!!! You'll regret it if u don't!

Wow, Charlie, Max and Stevie are at it again. I love Shelley Laurenston books. Her fast-paced, hilarious storyline pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages until the end. There are so many amazing characters in her books. There are funny and laugh out loud moments from the beginning until the end. I love these snarky, sassy take no prisoners sisters. I can't wait to read the next book.

I've been patiently waiting for this book ever since I read the first in the series. Charlie, Max and Stevie are some of the craziest and badass heroines I've read. I get suck a kick out of women who grown men fear.

I would suggest reading Hot and Badgered first. There are many side characters in this series with the main focus on the three sisters. This one features more of Stevie but where Stevie goes, so does Charlie and Max.

This was very entertaining with some pretty outrageous scenarios. I can't tell you how much I laughed out loud reading this.

There is also a lot of violence. I feel that's to be expected with as many shifter breeds that are featured, but this is a step above. These women will do anything to keep each other safe and they are more than capable.

The romance aspect is on the slower side but it just as entertaining. Stevie has decided that she and Shen are dating and he doesn't really have a say in it. They are a perfect match. Stevie is neurotic and Shen is as calm as can be.

I loved the glimpse we got of Charlie, Max and Stevie as they were young girls. It explains so much as to why they have grown up to be the way they are. I'm really looking forward to Max's story next.