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Hot and Badgered

Honey Badgers Chronicles Series, Book 1
By: Shelly Laurenston
Narrated by: Traci Odom
Series: Honey Badger Chronicles Series, Book 1
Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
Categories: Romance, Fantasy
4.8 out of 5 stars (43 ratings)

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Summary

It's not every day that a beautiful, naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn's hotel balcony. Definitely, they don't usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she's gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she's a honey-badger shifter, it's too late.

Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won't even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she's not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He's trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He's cute enough that she just might let him tag along - that is, if he can keep up....

Contains mature themes.
©2018 Shelly Laurenston (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about Hot and Badgered

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Profile Image for Chrissy’s Book Shelf

Absolutely Hilarious

This book was hilarious. I think it was made more so by the narrator, as I listened to this book rather than read it. The narrator Traci Odom was brilliant, except for her accents. Her Scottish accent was more Irish by way of Russia, it was distracting, but thankfully there weren’t a LOT of Scottish characters and they didn’t talk THAT much. It was so bad it was funny, so there was that. This book was a complete gamble, it was recommended in my Audible suggestions and I thought it sounded fun, which I was in need of yesterday. (Yes, I listened to it in less than a day, it was that funny). I’m really glad I decided to give into my impulse to buy it, because it was worth the credit I spent on it. Shelly Laurenston is a very talented author, she balanced characters, plot and humour very deftly indeed. The MacKilligan sisters are a brilliant creation. They are three half siblings who have a complete disaster for a father and their mothers aren’t in their lives. They were being raised by Charlie, the eldest’s, mother because Max, the middle child’s, mother was in jail for armed robbery and Stevie, the youngest’s, mother abandoned her daughter for some unknown reason. When Charlie’s mother was killed the three girls walked hundreds of miles, by themselves, to their grandfather’s pack and made sure they could stay in the most manipulative and ruthless way possible, because there was no way they were being separated. The rest of their lives they stuck by each other through thick and thin, despite their epic arguments. The arguments were mainly because they were honey badgers, well at least half honey badger. They are hybrids and as such have very freaky DNA. Charlie, for instance doesn’t shift, but she is incredibly strong and grows fangs and claws. She also holds the three sisters together through sheer determination, attitude and really heavy punches. She needs all three because Max is unburdened by morals of any kind and Stevie suffers from a severe panic disorder that needs constant medication and therapy. Stevie is also a genius. Basically Stevie and Max need lots of managing. Add into the mix their con artist of a father who doesn’t care for his daughters except to use them for his own safety or financial gain and there is a lot going on ALL the time. Charlie is introduced to Berg, a grizzly bear shifter, when she arrives naked into a hotel room where he is protecting a famous pianist. When armed military types swing into the room Berg’s chivalry springs into action and he helps her fight off the guys holding the weapons. He knows she is a shifter being chased by full humans so he gives her a gun and an oversized t-shirt and thinks he’ll never see the gorgeous woman again. When they meet again he decides to help once more and finds them a house to rent on his street, which in inhabited by bear shifters. He and his other triplet siblings, Britta and Dag, offer help and protection to the MacKilligans and the street may never be the same again! There are so many crazy antics in this book you will never get a chance to get bored. The sibling relationships are fascinating and the romance between Charlie and Berg is slow moving and believable. The romance is really the smallest part of the plot but it is sweet and worthwhile. The pace of the book is at a high level and you don’t get many slow parts to stop and thing about what’s going on, so you do have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. I think it’s worth it, if you are in need of a pick me up or a strong diversion. As this author has written so many other books about shifters I’m sure that I’m missing lots of information about some of the supporting characters but it didn’t matter as they worked within the context of the plot. It does make me want to look at some of the older books though, as well as listen/read the rest of this series. It really was very good.

2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable - author known as G.A. Aiken

This was a fun listen and made me laugh a lot. It was a little meandering at times and the story could have been tighter, which is why I didn’t give it 5 stars, but it’s still a worthy listen. The style of the story sounded oddly familiar so I looked the author up and it turns out they also write the Dragon Kin series under the name G.A. Aiken. That’s a fun listen too. I’ll definitely keep a look out for books by both pseudonyms.

1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer

Honey badgers rule!!!!!

Shelly did it again! A laugh out loud story with new characters merging with old. Can't wait for the next episode.

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Profile Image for Amazon Customer

loved it

I cant wait for more of shelly lauernston loved it wish there were a lot more

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Profile Image for Krystal Zitek
  • Krystal Zitek
  • 11-04-18

Great story but needs Charlotte Kane

Where does Hot and Badgered rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love all Shelly Laurenston books. She brings in all the same characters across her books, keeps your interest and makes you laugh at every turn.

What didn’t you like about Traci Odom’s performance?

Maybe Traci should have listened to Charlotte Kane's performance before she read this book. Bo Novikov did not grow up in Russia and seriously Ric Van Holtz's accent was just terrible. Most of us have listened to all of The Pride series with Charlotte and this read is just insulting to the characters we love.

44 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for R. Locke
  • R. Locke
  • 30-03-18

Bring back Charlotte Kane

What made the experience of listening to Hot and Badgered the most enjoyable?

I love listening to Laurenston books over and over, but this narrator is horrible. She got all the accents wrong and it really distracts from the story. The accents she did do, where done badly. It is just very lazy work. I also think she sounds too old for these characters. The book is great. It is a perfect blend of characters from her other books mixed into an exciting new storyline. Just the right amount of everything. I am looking forward to the next books in the series.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hot and Badgered?

The story was crazy and funny.

What didn’t you like about Traci Odom’s performance?

The lazy approach. Do some research! Know what is going on. Don't just give someone a Russian accent because their name is Russian. there should have been a fact sheet given to her to get her up to date. This person is from Maine, this person is upper society Manhattan, this person is from New Jersey, etc. Even the accents she tried to do were done poorly, I kept trying to figure out what she was trying to do. The producer/director is also to blame, that person should have respected the cannon of these stories.

Any additional comments?

This is a very good story. Shelly Laurenston always always does a great job. Her world building is excellent. I am sorry the poor narration screws up this audio version. Hopefully it will be corrected in the next books. Maybe they will redo this one??!! One can only live in HOPE.

46 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Robin
  • 01-04-18

NARRATOR KILLS IT!!! Read Book!!!

For some ungodly reason they not only switched narrator but hired a completely lackluster narrator who sucks at accents, reading & stressing sarcastic /snarky lines W/O ANY comedic timing. Previous narrator of this series, Charlotte Kane has done such an incredible job [& I believed helped the success of this series....I have gone &purchased audibles of this series even though I owned the bks because of Kane's outstanding performance]. I spent 1st third of bk replaying it trying to figure out who was speaking, trying to ungarble accents, & mischaracterization. This narrator reads Laurenston's work as it's a revision of the tax laws and codes. This bk could be read as a standalone; however, there are so many references to past characters, shifter stereotypes & traits, cameos of characters, & more that I would HIGHLY recommend reading/listening to other bks 1st....& buy this bk in print!!!! I believe this will be a fun spinoff but they HAVE GOT TO BRING BACK KANE OR FIND EQUALLY TALENTED NARRATOR.....PLZ don't waste your money on this audible!!!!

24 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Terri F
  • Terri F
  • 18-05-18

Such a hard review to write

I love Shelly Laurenston books. They are an auto purchase for me. The pride series is one of my all time faves that I listen to time and time again and I was so sad when the series ended. So imagine my excitement when I read about the honey badger series as a spin off!! I’ve been waiting months. So I didn’t even read the reviews because quite frankly I didn’t imagine that they would influence my purchase. Then I noticed a new narrator. Ugh. I loved Charlotte she was the pride series. She had a different and awesome voice for every character. And there are many! But I figure I’ll give this one a chance. Oh my gosh.so many issues with this performance. First of all, these characters were mainly in their 20s. The narrator sounded like an older mature woman not a youthful voice at all. Secondly, there was very little differentiation among the lead voices. Very annoying and tough to figure out who is saying what. And finally, dismiss Odom read or listen to any of the other books? Her voices and interpretations for our faves from previous stories were terrible and just wrong! Bo Novakov is from north eastern us not Russia. WTH with the weird Russian accent. Livvie had no accent. Deanne sounded like a dumb blonde redneck not the cool southern assassin we love. Rick is a cool rich northerner with a sophisticated accent not a faux ny Bronx. I surely with Shelly Laurenston had the ability to have Charlotte Kane re-record this story. It would make all of us so much happier and please get her for the remaining stories. I felt like this had the potential of being the best book yet but the performance was horrible. Travis Odom is now on my do not buy list she was horrible. If I didn’t love this author and series so much I would ask for a refund

10 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Ann
  • Ann
  • 11-05-18

Great Story, Wrong Narrator

I love that this series continues the Pride series (a few years down the road), and I love that it's about Honey Badgers. If you enjoy the Pride series, you should enjoy this book. Now, the narrator. To be fair, I don't think Traci Odom is a bad narrator. She just isn't the right one for this series. Shelly's humor in these books tends to lean on the insane side. It takes a very special person to convey the humor, the insanity, AND the voices. Charlotte Kane did all of that darn near perfectly in the Pride series. Ms. Odom just isn't up to par. For the new characters, she did fine though there wasn't much distinction between some of them. For the characters I did know, I kept thinking "Ric doesn't sound like that. Bo doesn't sound like that. Dee-Ann doesn't sound like that. Toni doesn't sound like." You get the picture. It soured my enjoyment of the book. However, I'll still buy the audiobooks even if Ms. Odom narrates them. I just won't enjoy them as much as I could.

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for ShaSha (Lover of Audiobooks!)
  • ShaSha (Lover of Audiobooks!)
  • 31-03-18

I need Charlotte Kane BACK!!!!

This book was Funny, Crazy, and Missed. I have missed all of the old characters and their antics. I am glad that we got to catch up with some of the characters. The only downsize was that awful narrator.

I have listened to ALL of Shelly Laurenston, G.A. Aiken's books and this book's narrator drove me nuts. Like come on!!! The voices of all of the old characters was a damn mess. Like other reviews of the narrator I do not understand how a character in the Pride Series' voice can change so dramatically. Take for instance Bo Novikov in Beast Behaving Badly. When in the hell did he move to Russia and get an accent. Also Ric Van Holtz, Big Bad Beast sounds as though he is part of the damn mob! He is from money and is from Manhattan. I do not know who this Traci Odom person is but she should not be narrating anymore of the The Honey Badgers series. He entire voice is trash when it comes to this series. I know that it sounds harsh but for anyone that has followed this series and listens knows that the characters and these voices do not match.

The story itself was very funny and good. I cannot wait to see more of what is going to happen with Charlie's sisters Max and Stevie and with Berg's siblings. I also find the fact that Kyle who we met in Wolf with Benefits is back. He is my favorite sibling in the Jean-Louis Parker family. I loved the relationship that all of the shifters have with their siblings and what they would do in order to protect them. I have a feeling that Stevie's book will be next.

15 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Brian
  • Brian
  • 31-03-18

Where is Charlotte Kane?!?

While Tracy Odom tries to do a good job... She is definitely not the right narrator for this series! Where is Charlotte Kane?!? Another Audible faux pax, because Shelly Laurenston says that she has no choice over Narators and this series is mostly narrated by Charlotte Kane, who does an awesome job! Stick with TRIED & TRUE and FIX THE AUDIBLE APP PLEASE?!?

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Amazon Customer
  • 14-05-18

Accents

Incorrect accents for some characters from previous books. Novikov's father is from Maine not Russia. Blayne is from Phillie. Lock is from Jersey. Malone is a bare knuckle fighter from Long Island not from a rich family.

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Patty B
  • Patty B
  • 04-04-18

The Narrator ruined it!

Would you listen to Hot and Badgered again? Why?

Only if it's done by Charlotte Kane! Traci Odom just killed the characters. It was hard to distinguish who was talking and not as entertaining.

What did you like best about this story?

I love Shelly Laurenston's stories!! I loved the fact that there were so many characters from her other series included in this new one.

What didn’t you like about Traci Odom’s performance?

I found it difficult to know which character was talking - many sounded the same to me, men and women. Which really shouldn't happen in an audiobook. Also, as many other reviewers have stated, the accents she tried to do were all wrong for the characters. The Van Holtz's sounded more mobster than the snobs they are.

Any additional comments?

Please have Charlotte Kane do future stories!! (And maybe redo this one!)

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for AR
  • AR
  • 28-03-18

They changed the Narrator

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would maybe recommend the book, but not the audiobook. The narrator just killed it for me.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Why would Novak have a Russian accent? He grew up in Maine!!!!

Do you think Hot and Badgered needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I hope Shelly writes more books in this world, but I won't be getting the audiobook unless the original narrator comes back.

Any additional comments?

Please bring the old narrator back!!!! Pleeeease!!! Pwitty Pweease!

25 people found this helpful