The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston

 I've read a later book in this series several times and decided to start from the beginning. I was surprised to find there were actually two stories in this book. They're both sort of short but they are good setups for the Pride world - just the sheer crazy fun that Laurenston has built.
The first features Mace Llewelyn who is back in New York after a stint in the army. And he's ready to track down the woman he never forgot, Desiree MacDermot. While she's never forgotten him either, she's not exactly ready to jump into a relationship with him, especially when she finds out that he's a lion shifter (she's definitely more of a dog person). But their paths are crossing pretty hard when a shifter is killed and Desiree is the cop assigned (and then quickly taken off) the case.
The second story features another lion, Shaw. He's bred twice with a couple of Mace's sisters but hasn't exactly been tied down. It was the relationship to the Llewellyn that led to him very nearly being killed in the first story. He's in the hospital being watched over by Ronnie Lee Reed, a wolf shifter when two men come into his room with guns. Ronnie Lee gets him out of there alive. 
Ronnie Lee knows that she's led a wild life (she's not allowed in more than a few countries) but she doesn't know what she's done to have run into a lion that seems to want nothing more than to settle down with just her forever.

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 25th, 2007

Followed by The Beast in Him

Hard copy I own
Opinions are my own

Reread as Audible borrow January 2024

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy by G. A. Aiken

Éibhear has been attracted to his (not blood related) niece Izzy since her mother married his brother something like 15 years ago. He went absolutely nuts when he found out she was having sex with one of his cousins but still has never made a move toward her. At least, not until this book. After all these years, he is being summoned to go find her and take her home. Nobody knows quite why but they do make it home and he finally apologizes for his actions from ten years ago. Izzy is not impressed. But they do have to work together to help keep her sister and cousins safe.
There was so much going on in this book. Some series story arcs got wrapped up in this book which was nice but it was sometimes hard to follow.

 
Three and a half stars
This book came out September 4th, 2012
Follows Dragon Who Loved Me
Followed by Light My Fire
Opinions are my own
Audiobook from library

The Dragon Who Loved Me by G. A. Aiken

 Rhona the Fearless has been fighting in the dragon war for five years along with everyone else in the series. And even after all this time, the Northern dragons still don't understand that females are just as capable as the males at fighting. And when Vigholf breaks her favorite spear... she is beyond peeved. So when she learns that she is going to be traveling with Vigholf to protect some of the royal family, she's not exactly ecstatic. But traveling together means that they're going to get to know each other better and she might discover that Vigholf doesn't want to protect all females so much as he wants to protect her.

This book does a lot to move the overall storyline forward (lots of battle descriptions and catching up with other characters) but there isn't a lot about Rhona and Vigholf.

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 1st, 2011
Follows Last Dragon Standing
Followed by How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
Opinions are my own
Audiobook from library

Last Dragon Standing by G. A. Aiken

Keita has been described in previous books as something of a "slag." Like, girl got around. But there have been shades that she is going to be something more, especially since her mother, the Dragon Queen, hates her so much. 

Ragnar has also been in previous books. He's a little full of himself and thinks very little of Keita. Well, he thinks about her a lot but doesn't actually think she's good for anything. Even so, he is really good at apologizing when he makes a mistake. Like, none of that, "I'm sorry your feelings were hurt" BS.

Together, the two will work to keep Keita's mother on the throne.

The story doesn't hang together well and doesn't make sense toward the end but is so fun it's hard to care.

Three stars
This book came out September 7th, 2010
Follows What a Dragon Should Know
Followed by The Dragon Who Loved Me
Audiobook from library
Opinions are my own

Burn This! by Tasha Black

 Dragon-shifter rockstar Johnny Lazarus is at the top of the world or at least he should be. But the dragon that was put to sleep for 300 moons is about to come out or... else. But no one actually knows what "else" is. Johnny assumes that it means he will lose his dragon which is okay with him. The dragon has only caused him problems. So he decides to go to a rehab center because it is quiet, out of the way, and he can wrestle with his demons out of the spotlight.
Neve Whittaker is a nurse (more than a nurse? I either missed the clarifications or it was never clearly stated) at the rehab center. She's met many famous people and isn't impressed by Johnny. But she is attracted to him. First his exterior and then, as she gets to know him, the man himself. They'll just have to survive the blackness that seems to be chasing Johnny.
I really thought I was going to DNF this book after the first few pages. But I didn't and it was okay. There were a lot of things that weren't really explained and I didn't feel like we got to really know either Neve or Johny or why they would have an HEA.

Two and a half stars

This book came out March 7th, 2016

Book from my Kindle collection

Opinions are my own

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs

Mercy is worried about her mate bond. Her husband Adam has been distant and she's not sure why. But that comes in second when Underhill, the magical land of the fae who can take a human form, comes to visit. And with that visit, a dangerous fae escapes. One who can assume the form of any one or anything. It has already killed some of Mercy's friends and now it is coming for her. Because it can't control Mercy and it wants to know why.
I'm not sure I connected with the monster story in this one but I'm sort of okay with that because of the way we got to see Adam and Mercy's relationship build on itself as well as getting better glimpses into some of the characters that have been firmly B or C level before. I'm really excited to see where Briggs takes Wulfe (I think we got some glimpses in this book) and also hope that we will see some friendships building between Mercy, Aurielle and Honey.

Three stars
This book came out March 17th, 2020
Follows Storm Cursed

Followed by Soul Taken
Ebook from Library
Opinions are my own

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

The book starts off with a goblin hunt and leads into complete zombie fest. Mercy originally set out with Ben and Mary Jo (the latter of whom she is still trying to figure out; she saved the woman's life but she still hates Mercy) but ends up needing the help of powerful witch Elizaveta. But, for some reason, no one at her house is answering the phone. It seems that a witch consortium is building power and if Elizaveta's family isn't with them, they are against them. And Mercy's pack? They're automatically against them. And the cute little zombie goats that begin the story have nothing on the creatures that these witches will unleash in the search for power.
This story definitely move forward the stories of a lot of the main characters as a couple of the B characters in this series. A nice addition to the series that is making look forward to the next.

Four stars
This book came out May 7th, 2019
Follows Silence Fallen
Followed by Smoke Bitten
Ebook from Library
Opinions are my own

Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston

Miki Kendrick just wants to finish her PhD. She doesn't want to deal with mysterious people calling her from alleys and she darn sure doesn't want to deal with overly large shifters who are obsessed with her. Yet here she is with Conall Víga-Feilan a wolf descended from Loki himself. And the man is hot. Distractingly hot.
Super-smart and well trained in the art of the hunt, Miki takes no prisoners. And in Conall's case, she doesn't want to be caught with him either. But trying to make it through her dissertation may prove harder than she originally thought.
Early Laurenston shifter, a little rough but a fun read nonetheless.

Three books
Follows Pack Challenge
Followed by Here Kitty, Kitty
This book came out March 6th, 2007
Audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Reread July 1, 2022, March 2023

Here Kitty, Kitty! by Shelly Laurenston

The hyenas are still up to no good. Even the tigers know it. Which is why Nik’s brothers kidnap Angelina Santiago from outside her shop in Texas and take her to North Carolina. Well, and they know their brother really likes her.
Angelina wakes up swinging. She never expected to wake up in the house of a man she flirted with briefly. Nor did she expect to fall in love so fast...
Wish that we had seen more with the hyenas but a fast, fun, and fluffy book all the same.

Three stars
This book came out July 3rd, 2007

Follows Go Fetch! 

Followed by Miss Congeniality in When He Was Bad
Audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

Reread March 2023 as audiobook from Hoopla

Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

It's a night of pirates and gaming when Mercy discovers she needs more ingredients to bake cookies. She goes out but then wakes up battered and bruised in a cube with two vampires, her pack and mate bonds seemingly severed. She is on her own. Luckily, Mercy is underestimated once again and she manages to escape (because the pack was practicing their Jackie Chan moves, she knows how to run up the corner of a wall.) But now she's in Europe. Alone. With no known allies (and a lot of enemies), Mercy needs help more than ever but her pack doesn't know where she is.

This book is nice because Briggs introduces a third person omniscient that follows both Mercy and Adam at different points and that was really fun, to get more of a look at his side of the story.

Three stars
This book came out March 7th, 2017
Follows Fire Touched
Followed by Storm Cursed
Ebook from Library
Opinions are my own

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

The werewolves are out. Humans now know that they exist. They also know about the fae. And the humans are frightened. So when there is a troll on a bridge, the werewolves are on the list to help take care of it. And while dealing it, some old friends show up to help and they bring a small boy. Mercy  agrees to take care of the boy for 24 hours and accidentally declares that her wolf pack is in charge of the tri-cities (which is more than three, really.) But the small boy turns out to be both a blessing and a curse - he has spent a long time in Underhill and has been changed in ways that make the fae jealous. Mercy will have to protect him from the Grey Lords themselves.
A good story but I'm not sure about Aiden and what that will mean for Mercy in future books.

Three stars
This book came out March 8th, 2016
Follows Night Broken
Followed by Silence Fallen
Ebook from Library
Opinions are my own

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Would you want your husband's ex-wife living with you? A wife who is known for manipulating the people around her? I sure wouldn't. But Mercy Thompson is a kind person who wants to help everyone, especially her stepdaughter's mother. Even if that means that she's made to feel uncomfortable in her own house as the ex hides from a recent bad breakup. Like, he killed her last boyfriend bad breakup.  And... it might be that he's a slightly crazy fire-godlike-creature. Oops.
It will take the might of the full wolf-pack as well as Mercy's vampire friend Stefan to make sure that everyone makes it out alive.
This was a nice, fast read and a good addition to the series. I didn't love seeing Christy getting to walk all over Mercy but at least we're finally starting to see the pack rally behind her.

Three stars
This book came out March 5th, 2013
Follows Frost Burned
Followed by Fire Touched
Borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own

Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston

Gah. This book gave me so many feelings. Mostly a lot of confusion. Because there are so many things about this book that usually annoy me and... they just didn't. They might on a re-read but not this time. The first and most egregious was not enough focus on Max and Zé even though this is supposed toe their book. And this may sound odd but I'm not even sure that this was a romance because it seemed like it was on the back burner. Great character development and in depth relationship development are my numbers one and two catnip and we just didn't get either in this book. Second thing that usually bothers me is the introduction (and focus on) characters who are clearly sequel bait. Max's teammates? The shifter team that tries to recruit them? All sequel bait. And their introduction (their are, what, like 7 or 8 people total for all of them so there's a LOT of introducing) takes up most of the book that would be used for relationship development.  Third, parts of people being introduced that weren't present in any other book in the series just to fit a plot point in this book.
And yet. And YET. Even though all of these things were present (or not), I still finished the book wanting more pages. Laurenston is the queen of the screwball shifter comedy and this book just continues in that vein. Max needs a group of friends who are her ride or die but we've never seen them before? Well, we'll just throw it into the story! Make it a fault of another character who never remembers them but scares the hell out of them.
Do you love Laurenston and the Honey Badger Chronicles? Pre-order this book. Right now. Haven't read them? Start from the beginning and just own them all. I fully plan on re-reading this book soon and will see if my feelings change.

Four stars
This book comes out March 31st, 2020
Follows In a Badger Way

Followed by Breaking Badger
ARC kindly provided by Kensington and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Reread May 2022, January 2024

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

The book opens on Black Friday with Jesse having talked Mercy into braving the midnight shopping options. While heading to the mall, she experiences a panic attack and plows into the car in front of her. And she has good reason to panic; the pack has been taken. The entire pack. Supposedly, the people that took them worked for the government but she has good reason to believe that is not the truth.
Her mate bond with Adam is tested and she learns more about who her allies are and what they can do. And it seems that there may be a Big Bad who is using the government for their own purposes.
And that link didn't quite make sense to me. Maybe it was because I was listening to the audiobook but I didn't quite get the link. Lots of action in this book, not as much character development.

Three stars
This book came out March 11th, 2014
Follows River Marked
Followed by Night Broken
Borrowed from Library
Opinions are my own

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Mercy has been dragging her feet on her marriage plans to Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. Not because she doesn't want to marry him, but because the arrangements are getting so insanely out of hand. When her own hand is forced, it's not such a bad thing. At least she and Adam are getting to go on their honeymoon. Except that, even there, it seems that fate seems to intervene, making sure that their time together isn't going to go exactly as planned.
A nice addition to the series. More background on Mercy and her parentage is added which is nice but there is a lot of lore that can make it hard to follow.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 2011
Follows Silver Borne
Followed by Frost Burned
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

In a previous book of the series, Mercy had borrowed a book from a man named Phin. She has been very busy in the mean time and has been reading it off and on because it has very interesting handwritten stories about the fae. But there is something more about this book because Phin is gone after leaving a cryptic message to protect the book and there are strange fae hanging around his shop trying to get her to give them the book.
There is also something going on with her BFF Samuel and it's bad enough that she can't tell anyone else. And even worse, there are still members of Adam's pack that resent Mercy and they're going to have to figure it out before the pack falls apart.
Great build up until the end and then a lot was resolved in the last 15 pages and that felt rushed.

Three stars
This book came out March 30th, 2010
Follows Bone Crossed
Followed by River Marked
Borrowed from library
Opinions are my own

Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Anne Latham is still getting used to being a werewolf. Never mind throwing into the mix the fact that she's an Omega (outside the normal pack structure with powers of her own). And she just was mated to Charles Cornick who is the son of the most powerful werewolf in the Americas. And Charles, his father's enforcer, is no slouch. That's the reason why Charles, instead of his father, is the one to attend a meeting of Alphas from around the globe to discuss whether or not werewolves should make themselves known to the human population.
Also attending is a man known as "The Butcher," a long-loved werewolf from France who loves to kill. Innocents are his favorites and he may have set his eyes on Anne. Someone certainly has since she's set upon by six vampires while shopping. It all gets hairier when the wife of a werewolf who believes he's King Arthur reincarnated is attacked. Through in a fae who used to be Charles' lover and it all gets very, very complicated.

A fine story that does a lot to advance what's going on in the larger Mercy Thompson universe.

Three stars

Follows Cry Wolf

Followed by Fair Game
This book came out August 25th, 2009
Borrowed this book from the library
Opinions are my own

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

A couple/few books ago, Mercy Thompson killed two vampires. One that she was sanctioned to kill and one she was not. Now, however, the local head of the vampires has discovered that she was the one to kill the second vampire and has basically opened the floodgates for creepy-crawlies to come after Mercy.
At the same time, Mercy's old college friend has shown up and asked Mercy to come help her get rid of a ghost that is terrorizing the woman's son. But the timing of the invitation is more than a little suspicious. Does Amber really need help with her son Chad? And why was disbeliever Corban, Amber's husband, the one to suggest that Mercy be the one to call?
This book moved along nicely and built more on Adam and Mercy's relationship and Mercy's on character.

Four stars
This book came out February 3rd, 2009
Follows Iron Kissed
Followed by Silver Borne
I listened to this as an audiobook
Opinions are my own

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Mercy's mentor Zee has called her in to help solve a series of murders. The victims were all fae so the human police haven't been brought it. Mercy quickly determines the killer but is shocked when Zee is arrested for the man's death. He is obviously not the killer but the Gray Lords are willing to let him take the fall in order to have it cleaned up quickly. The acceptance of fae by the humans is imperative and having one person go down is not beyond their plans.
But Zee belongs to Mercy. Whether or not he wants her to investigate, she's going to. And this book ends with a rather graphic scene and some discussion of what happens in the aftermath of rape. I am so glad that I read this book even though I listened to the rest of the series because there is at least a bit of space between the book and the brain that sometimes isn't there if you are absorbing a book through your ears. I haven't personally had the experience but, from the outside, it seemed like an eloquent description of what a victim has to wrestle with.

Three stars
This book came out January 2nd, 2008
Follows Blood Bound
Followed by Bone Crossed
I listened to this as an audiobook
Opinions are my own

What a Dragon Should Know by G.A. Aiken

Gwenvael the Handsome has been sent by his sister-in-law, Annwyl, to follow up on a rumor that people are plotting against her because she is about to give birth to half-human, half-dragon twins. But that means he has to go to the North and talk to the Reinhold. The man has an offspring that is known as the Beast. Gwenvael is shocked to discover that the Beast is actually a woman, Dagmar Reinhold. And she refuses to help him unless he helps her first. So they'll have to travel together to help to save not only the children but basically the world.
Gwenvael is beyond conceited but Aiken is amazing at making him very likable even through that. And Dagmar is intelligent. Definite shades of Laurenston at her best.

Three stars
This book came out September 1st, 2009
Follows About a Dragon
Followed by Last Dragon Standing
Audiobook from library
Opinions are my own