I LOVED this book.  How much you ask?  I’d read the prologue and two chapters before I went to bed figuring I’d read another chapter before going to sleep.  I finished the book in the very small hours of the night… haven’t done that in awhile.

Shelly Laurenston [or her alter ego, G. A. Aiken] consistently delivers good books but I really thought this was exceptional.  Her plot didn’t get in the way of the romance and the romance didn’t get in the way of the plot, her characters and the relationships between them were strongly defined, and her world building is excellent.

Dee Ann is a Smith – a backwoods Tennessee wolf with a trained assassin for a father, an ex-marine with the all-shifter unit, current employee of The Group [think shifter cops], and a stone-cold killer.  She has no social skills that don’t involve violence and havoc, doesn’t own a dress, and has no desire to be involved with anyone – especially that pretty rich boy boss of hers at The Group.  So why does he keep trying to feed her?  And then there’s the part where he’s always trying to get her naked…

Ulrich van Holtz is the supervisor of the New York chapter of The Group, owner and goalie of the Carnivores hockey team, and a chef who with a skill level so high that recipients of his art drop to their proverbial knees in ecstasy.  Ric is a saver; he wants to save the world, hybrids, various individuals and Dee Ann Smith – not necessarily in that order.  He doesn’t want to save Dee from what she is but from what she is neglecting – herself.  He doesn’t mind the gun and knife under the pillow, he finds the scars rather attractive, and sure he worries when she’s on a mission but as long as he gets to take care of her when she comes home he’s good.  Most of all he just wants to feed her, that girl has no sense of nutrition.  He wants to mate her too but he’s not telling her that…

Meanwhile The Group is zeroing in on the money trail behind the hybrid fighting ring.  Dee is assigned to work with NYPD cop and full human Dez [Mace’s mate from The Mane Event], and Malone, a tigress and old rival from the Marines.  The hybrid fight ring story started back in The Mane Squeeze, you’ll need to read that and Beast Behaving Badly before this one for story continuity.  You could read it as a standalone but you’ll miss some important backstory.

Pride
1. The Mane Event (2007)
2. The Beast In Him (2008)
3. The Mane Attraction (2008)
4. The Mane Squeeze (2009)
5. Beast Behaving Badly (2010)
6. Big Bad Beast (2011)

Warning: Below review is filled with gushing enthusiasm… 

I LOVED this book. How much you ask? I’d read the prologue and two chapters before I went to bed figuring I’d read another chapter before going to sleep. I finished the book in the very small hours of the night… haven’t done that in awhile.

Shelly Laurenston [or her alter ego, G. A. Aiken] consistently delivers good books but I really thought this was exceptional. Her plot didn’t get in the way of the romance and the romance didn’t get in the way of the plot, her characters and the relationships between them were strongly defined, and her world building is excellent.

Dee Ann is a Smith – a backwoods Tennessee wolf with a trained assassin for a father, an ex-marine with the all-shifter unit, current employee of The Group [think shifter cops], and a stone-cold killer. She has no social skills that don’t involve violence and havoc, doesn’t own a dress, and has no desire to be involved with anyone – especially that pretty rich boy boss of hers at The Group. So why does he keep trying to feed her? And then there’s the part where he’s always trying to get her naked…

Ulrich van Holtz is the supervisor of the New York chapter of The Group, owner and goalie of the Carnivores hockey team, and a chef who with a skill level so high that recipients of his art drop to their proverbial knees in ecstasy. Ric is a saver; he wants to save the world, hybrids, various individuals and Dee Ann Smith – not necessarily in that order. He doesn’t want to save Dee from what she is but from what she is neglecting – herself. He doesn’t mind the gun and knife under the pillow, he finds the scars rather attractive, and sure he worries when she’s on a mission but as long as he gets to take care of her when she comes home he’s good. Most of all he just wants to feed her, that girl has no sense of nutrition. He wants to mate her too but he’s not telling her that…

Meanwhile The Group is zeroing in on the money trail behind the hybrid fighting ring. Dee is assigned to work with NYPD cop and full human Dez [Mace’s mate from The Mane Event], and Malone, a tigress and old rival from the Marines. The hybrid fight ring story started back in The Mane Squeeze, you’ll need to read that and Beast Behaving Badly before this one for story continuity. You could read it as a standalone but you’ll miss some important backstory.

Pride

1. The Mane Event (2007)

2. The Beast In Him (2008)

3. The Mane Attraction (2008)

4. The Mane Squeeze (2009)

5. Beast Behaving Badly (2010)

6. Big Bad Beast (2011)