REVIEW: The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston

Author: Shelly Laurenston
Title: The Mane Event
Series: Pride #1
Source: Library

One of the hottest new voices in paranormal romance, Shelly Laurenston knows how to do it all, delivering tales that are wickedly funny, action-packed, and scorch-your-fingers sexy. With The Mane Event, she proves just how delicious love can be once you unleash your inner beast...

I heard this series was rather humorous, and so wanted to check it out. The first book in this series is actually to separated stories with two separate couples; one just happens to take immediately after the other, sort of a continuity.

I didn't care for the second story (featuring Brendon and Ronnie Lee) too much, but I do think that the first story epitomizes all that fans say is good about this series.

Mace and Dez's story: 3-3.5 stars
It started off strong and was laugh-out-loud funny in several places, making it unique, to me at least (I don't often come across PNR that's this funny). I liked Mace a lot, and I thought the idea of the shifters Ms. Laurenston had created were great. I liked the characteristics she gave them: lions usually grew up in a pride, the males grew a mane, literally. They had to cut their hair almost daily or they'd had a shaggy ole mop on their heads, the hyenas were brutal....just little quirky things that reminded me of the animals themselves.

Then it all goes downhill from there. Believe it or not, I didn't realize this book was classified erotica before I started reading it and had gotten well into the first story. And while I have nothing against erotica apart from it's not really a genre I read, this was one instance where I felt that the story was hindered by all the smexing. Before it started, we were being treated to a rather funny story of a shifter trying to woo his childhood friend, whom he'd loved all his life. Then the smex started and wouldn't stop. Every blessed passage they were going at at like rabbits. All the emphasis on sexual gymnastics took the focus off the romance - at least for me it did. I really felt the story would actually have been so much better if the intimate scenes were...well, intimate, instead of so hot and heavy... anyway, they fell flat for me, and since they dominated the story once they began, the rest of the story fell rather flat for me too, spoiling all the fun I'd been having. The story moved from four to three-ish stars.

Brendon and Ronnie Lee's story: 2.5 stars
Unlike Mace and Dez's, I didn't find much romance in this one to begin with. the focus was pretty much on body parts from the get-go, and beyond that, there wasn't much to go on. The side characters were pretty much annoying in this one, and the things that were cute in the previous story quickly became annoying here. Yes we know: cats are tricky; wolves can't hold their tequila - we get it all; we don't need to be reminded every two pages. I didn't much care for Brendon or Ronnie either. Meh.

Final thoughts:
All in all, it was an okay book. I think I would have enjoyed it far more if I'd only read the first book, and if it had sensual intimacy instead of the gymnastics, but we don't always get what we want, :) I'd recommend the book, the first story, at least. It really is funny and wonderfully written. And who knows, you might find it hot too :D.

I don't think I'll be reading more in this series, but I'll definitely be checking out Ms. Laurenston's work as G.A. Aiken, and I'll make sure to find out if it's erotica before I start!

★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas

The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas
My rating: ★★★★

I chose to read this Western romance for a challenge, and I am glad I did.

I love the characters Jodi Thomas created for her novel. This book in set in Texas at the time of the Western frontier and is about Bailee and Carter's "arranged marriage" after a hilarious series of unfortunate events that landed Bailee in trouble.

This is a character-driven book, and oh my, what awesome characters they are! Carter is beyond sweet! And Bailee is funny. I didn't like hearing the beginning because i didn't understand how a woman could be so silly about sexual relations with her husband, but I realized that's how they were brought up in those days. Once I got over that hang-up, I went along with them on their incredibly sweet journey to love.

Pure awesomeness.

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Changeless by Gail Carriger

Parasol Protectorate #2
Changeless by Gail Carriger
My rating: ★★★★

3.5+

More than 3.5 but not quite 4 stars. I jumped into the third book in the series without bothering to finish the second because its plot sounded more interesting. Now I am back to #2. CHANGELESS is the second book in the parasol protectorate series, and it follows a new adventure of werewolf Lord Conall Maccon and his wife, the soulless Alexia Maccon.

I like the story. None of it felt fillerish. I love the humor and the writing and the unique feel it has - a werewolf-vampire-soulless world set in 1800's United Kingdom: very unique and very well-executed. I am loving the relationship and the banter between Lord and Lady Maccon. Their love does not overshadow the story, but it doesn't take a backseat either; it strikes the perfect balance.

What I am NOT loving,however, is some of the supporting characters: Ivy Hisselpenny is so stupid and annoying and doesn't serve any useful purpose, not even comic relief. Neither does Alexia's family. I am just grumpy because I had to spend more time than I liked with those people in this book.

But yeah! I am really enjoying this series.

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When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

My rating: ★★★★★

All the people whose reviews I trust raved about this book. Well, i just finished it and...

Wow. I have nothing useful to add to the other glowing reviews except that this book is A-MAZING! It was so much fun to read and I am in awe of Ms. James' talent. It's a simple enough tale - a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Only this time, instead of a literal beast Ms. James gives us a hero "Beast" who's fashioned after Dr. House: a brilliant doctor who behaves like a beast. Cue in the awesome snark. To me the heroine perfectly mirrored Belle in the original fairy tale - beautiful and wickedly smart. Put the Beauty and the Beast together and you have an awesome story that is rollicking fun.

FUNFUFUNFUNFUN!I can't tell you how much fun I had reading this book. It was almost like watching a particularly brilliant episode of House on TV, lol. Amid all the fun, Ms. James also manages to tell a very touching love story. Several scenes tugged at my heartstrings and tear ducts (but I firmly resisted the urge to cry, lol).

I can find absolutely nothing wrong with this book and everything right with it. Pure awesomeness.



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Soulless, by Gail Carriger

Soulless by Gail Carriger

My rating: ★★★★½


The entire time I was reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about limericks. That's what this book is - a limerick: something absurd and fanciful, which is created masterfully and results in a work that is utterly delightful. Right from the get-go, I thoroughly enjoyed wading through the story.

The book is essentially about Alexia, a soulless person in a London filled with soul-full beings. Normal humans have the requisite amount of soul, while supernaturals (vampires, werewolves, etc) have an overabundance of soul. Of course, since this is a romantic fantasy, it is also about Alexia finding love with the local werewolf Alpha, Lord Maccon.

Lord Maccon, Professor Lyall and Alexia were a joy to read about, and consistently kept me laughing. Some of the side characters are also interesting, namely the flamboyant Lord Akeldama and Alexia's friend Ivy.

By far the best thing about this book is the writing. Absurd fun!
It is definitely well worth a read.



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Dragon Bound, by Thea Harrison

Elder Races #1
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

My rating: ★★★★★

THIS BOOK!

LOVED IT!

Well, not so much the first half - that was just meh. The writing was good, but I just could not get into it. Pia was annoying, but Dragos (insert besotted smile here) was cute from the very beginning.

The second half however, is gold, pure gold. I could not stop giggling while i was reading it. it was funny and sweet and cute.

Pia was actually a very worthy heroine. She was kick-ass, smart, funny, and snarky while still managing to be gentle, and sweet and cute (those three words again). You don't get a winning combination like that often. I thought she was annoying in the beginning, but she's truly charming. I take back everything bad i said about Pia, lol. My one pet peeve is that I HATED it when she called Dragos "Big Guy". The heck? All this great writing and Thea Harrison couldn't come up with a better pet name for Dragos? smh.

Dragos is one of the best heroes I've had the pleasure of reading in a while. He is your typical "alpha-male",take-charge, gruff, dangerous, primal, untamed, wild... alla that good stuff, and he is at the same time endearing and sweet. I mean, how many 'uber-male, he-man-type' heroes do you know of who have no trouble saying "sorry" and meaning it? (I can't tell you how much I loved it when he offered sincere apologies to Rune and Pia). Right from when I read about him, I loved him.

The plot:
Like I said before, it dragged in the first half, but man, oh man was I sucked in during the second half. Many times I found myself going back to read the pages I'd complained were dragging, lol.

when i remembered getting to the end that Pia and Dragos had only known each other a week or two, I was actually surprised. I felt like we had been with them ages, watching them grow with each other, so I must say that their love story worked very, very well for me.

The supporting cast was great: Tricks was cute, but Rune and Graydon were my favorites. I liked Rune immediately I read about him, but Graydon took a while. I fell head over heals for him the moment he said "that was goddamn balletic, Pia" on the excercise mat, after she'd thrown Rune down. I mean, how cool is that? Who says "balletic" - I HAD to love Graydon after that. I hope he gets a book (I know Rune and Tricks get theirs).

In a way, I wish the next books were not going to focus on other characters, I'd have loved to see more of Dragos and Pia. They're that cool.

I will be waiting to read the other books. But this book is gold. It is lovely, funny, witty, charming...all the superlatives you can think of. Well the last 50% anyway. Skip the first half if you can :D

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