The Beast In Him (The Pride Series)

I've read Ms. Laurenston before, and as always the women and the draw, the men are the icing on the cake. The love story of Jessica Ward and Bobby Ray was full of laughter, angst and just marvelous moments. I agree with a reviewer the scene where Smith's mother set a distant relative straight was pure entertainment. Yet the Karokee(sp) scene was my favorite. Bobby Ray made my heart flutter, enjoyed that scene.

Jessica was a strong character and she and Bobby Ray did but heads but I loved how she handled her man. What endeared me was when his mother gave a little advice about her son, and Jessica took it to heart and got all she desired...and I as a reader got what I desired a romance filled with laughter, sensuality and wonderful read. Five stars.....a long awaited book for me, and I look forward to many more stories penned by Ms. Laurenston.

Shelly Laurenston is the best!!! I love her books. I'm so glad that I ran across one of her books and started from the beginning. Now that I have caught up its hard to wait for the next one to come out. It is worth the wait.

Extremely TOO MUCH dialogue and not enough explanation. Thought I was going crazy with all those "quotes". I'd rather the author tell me about what is going on rather than trying to figure out that with too many characters, too much dialogue and not enough explanation. After the 10th page I thought about tossing this. I prefer other books, such as Lora Leigh who actually has several paragraphs of explanation before brief and easy to understand dialog from one person at a time. I recommend the author buy and read one of Lora Leigh's books and see how an award-winning and popular writer writes.

4.5 stars

Dear Readers,

Laurenston’s Pride series is a series I come back to over and over, especially when I’m dealing with book slumps. Book slumps are periods of time after having finished or put down a terrible book (or even a book that baffled me) and have the urge to avoid all books like the plague, because the last one left me anxious and depressed.

When I pick up a Pride book, I know I’m going to enjoy the bumpy, laugh-out-loud ride. The Beast in Him tells the story of Bobbie Ray and his “one that got away”, Jessica Ward. While this book is not my favorite story in the series, it features some of my favorite characters, the wild dogs. Even though they are the smallest of the shifter predators, they are badass and very tricky – two characteristics that I always find humorous and extremely entertaining.

Jessica grew up as the only wild dog in a small, all-wolf town ran by the Smith pack that Bobbie Ray was born into. She was bullied and bruised and lived at the bottom of the food chain all of her life, until she grew up to be an extremely successful CEO and Alpha female to the biggest wild dog pack in America. When she hears of Mace and Bobbie Ray’s new security team, she hires them on to show Bobbie Ray how much she’s grown since she was the runt that used to follow him around with stars in her eyes.

Jessica is as sweet (and klutzy) as they come, until someone thinks they can come between her and her pack’s young. She’s badass when she needs to be, but not overly obnoxious. She has a shield she wears for the outside world, but when it’s just her, the pack, and her friends, she’s not afraid to accept comfort or empathy. Plus, she’s nerdy. What bookworm couldn’t identify with a nerdy character?

Bobbie Ray Smith is one of many sons of the Alpha of Smithtown. He moved his small pack up to New York and start his own little pack. When he “runs” into Jessie Ann all grown up and living large, he thinks she’ll fall right into his arms, professing her undying lust just like old times. Boy, is he wrong. Instead, she barely wants anything to do with the man who rejected her all those years ago, and ignores his advances to take things to the next level.

I had more of a crush on Jessie Ann than Bobbie Ray. He goes from manslut who will stop for a quickie in a bathroom with any stranger available, to a one woman man as soon as he sees Jessie Ann again. Not that I didn’t find his character entertaining, and I’m certainly not bashing his slutty ways (the sluttier, the better!), but it’s just not all that believable that the guy changes his whole personality all in one day. It just felt very insta-love for him, and honestly, I liked him the way he was before. Thankfully, the man’s charismatic personality saved him for me. If you love Mace, you will love Bobbie Ray. He may even turn you into a dog person! Woof, woof.

While I had a couple of complaints, the rest are glowing recommendations. Please read The Beast in Him if you loved The Mane Event. They can be read out-of-order if you want to start with book two, but what crazy person would do such a thing on purpose?

- One Curvy Blogger
onecurvyblogger.com

The Beast In Him by Shelly Laurenston

I am seriously in the minority on this book. I did not like it. I did not find the characters funny and engaging. I found them immature and mean. (and I mean every single character in the book). Bobby Rae and Jessie Ann have no romance between them and act like they really do not even like each other. They new each other in High School where Bonny Rae's sister and her friends constantly beat Jessie Ann up because they said her hair was stupid. (and that was Ok with everyone.) Bobby Rae helped protect her sometimes. They met later in life and Jessica tried to get back at him for some reason by acting like she couldnt really remember much about him and of course that was an instant challenge for him so of course he has to pursue her, because he is hot and every woman should fall over him. Each and every character was child like and mean spirited and had awful dialog with each other, enjoying any misery their friends were in . They are not a good recommendation for shifters of any kind. I really did not enjoy this read. Ms Laurenston is known for the humor in her books, but I just did not find these joke or style of humor funny and its hard to read a book, where you do not like to hear any of the characters speak.

This series had been recommended to me several times and indeed I have had book 1 on my kindle for ages. Well I read book 2 before book 1 and am now reading book 1.

This is Smitty and and Jessica-Ann's story. Smitty is the wolf and Jessica is the dog. They are shifters, so part animal/human. The story was funny which I enjoyed but it was not romantic enough for me. The book got off to a slow start for me too. However, I did enjoy the story and I am going to finish the rest of the series. All the books in the Pride series are interracial. Definitely worth a read.

SPOILER ALERT: I think the trouble is that I wasn't prepared properly for this book. I read a ton of shapeshifter novels and I wasnt ready for how animalistic these shifters got or how much like their animal counterparts they actually are. I don't like how the conflict between Sissy Mae and Jessie Ann is solved. I didnt like how Jessie Ann and Smitty actually fought eachother enough to draw blood and there was no remorse felt on either side. I understand how the fight was used to proved that Jessie Ann is a true Alpha in her own right but I think we were already ready for, and had that proof in the way she created her pack's business and ran it. I think continuing in that same vain, rather than having her beat up her mate and mate's sister was the better way to go. Furthermore, Sissy Mae still never felt any real remorse about how she treated Jessie Ann as a child and it seems rather unrealistic that jessie ann would have gotte over it on her own and that isn't gone into much. I just think if you're going to start a story in someone's childhood- and skip to their adulthood and they've changed a lot, there needs to be a good amount of explanation and character development there. This story was fun like many of the others- especially Jessie Ann's revenge in the beginning of the book- but there were some elements missing for me to truly enjoy the book.

The Beast in Him is probably my least favorite book that I've read by S. Laurenston. The first 100 pages were just not interesting to me. It started to pick up towards the middle, but the last third of the book was the best part. The Beast in Him is about a wolf shifter, Smitty or Bobby Ray Smith, and a wild dog shifter, Jesse Ann or Jessica Ward. Smitty meets up again with Jesse Ann sixteen years later at a party that she is hosting because she is now the CEO of a security systems company. Smitty has been hired to make sure that the party goes off without any problems (security detail). Growing up, Smitty always came to Jesse Ann's aide because she got picked on and beat up a lot. Now years later, Smitty wants to be friends again with Jesse Ann, but she doesn't want anything to do with him. There are some humorous scenes involving her brushing him off. She doesn't want to get involve with him because when he left town, and didn't so much as kiss Jesse Ann goodbye, that hurt her bad. Plus, she is a forever type of girl which is something that Smitty doesn't want. Smitty though relentlessly pursues Jesse Ann until she caves in. Things start to really heat up by this point because Smitty starts want more from Jesse Ann. It takes a while, but he finally realizes how good things could be with Jesse Ann as his mate. Jesse Ann just has to be convinced that he can do forever because Jesse Ann wants all of him, beast included.
Shelly Laurenston sure knows how to write some interesting characters. All of her females are aggressive, kick-butt types, think Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. She injects plenty of humor into her dialogue, mostly preferring the sarcastic type. She uses lots of pop culture references (which I like to an extent) and urban slang. She tends though to hold one stereotype for the southern characters in her stories, which as a true Deep South Southerner myself, find somewhat offensive. I try to overlook it though because she is not the only author that employs the technique of making all Southerners look like Dukes of Hazzard characters. I feel like she needs to change things up with her novels because they all seem too similar with the characters being alike, especially the females. The only difference with this female character is that she is black and the hero is white. 3 stars for The Beast in Him.

I am now becoming an avid fan of Shelly Laurenston. I absolutely loved THE MANE EVENT and really liked her writing style.

You really need to read THE MANE EVENT to familiarize yourself with all the characters, as THE BEAST IN HIM takes off right off where the first book started with all the characters that were introduced there - so it would be difficult for a new reader to immerse and understand in the novel and the changeling world.

Smitty (Bobby Rae Smith) with his partner Mace Llewellyn owns a very thriving security company. He is hired by Jessica Ward, who in turn owns one of the most successful computer companies in the world.

Unbeknownst to Smitty, he has already met Jessica Ward - back in the south Jessie Ann was the orphaned young teenager, whom he took under his wing to protect her from the vicious she-wolves of his pack - one of them being his sister Sissy Mae.

No longer the scared and beaten up teenager he remembers, Jessica (his Jessie Ann) is now a very wealthy and independent beauty and the Alpha of her pack of wild dogs. Jessie Ann can't help but remember those years of being scared, chased and mauled by the females of Smitty's pack and will not have anything to do with Smitty.

I must admit that I was disappointed with this story. For the most part is Smitty chasing Jessie Ann, and Jessie Ann refuting his advances - no matter how attracted she is to Smitty, (she has been in love with Smitty since their early years) but refuses to give into the attraction, because of old resentments.

Thus the chase is on. There are constant misunderstandings - where Jessie Ann gives into Smitty and then storms off - for whatever her reason. I found it difficult to follow some of those moments, as her anger was not explained well and the explanation was slow in coming, thus I was rather frustrated with Jessie Ann - her aloof and sometimes down right mean demeanor to a confused Smitty and with all "the we are on we are off" moments in the relationship - which were mostly horizontal.

The mental roadblocks were plenty for these two - who eventually become mated but with little romance between them with the story sometimes floundering with no direction in sight.

I will admit, though that I really enjoyed all the other characters in the story and the book was good overall. There are plenty of hilarious LOL moments in the dialogue and the sex is hot and often in the Laurenston manner. By and large a decent read - but not one that was exceptionally memorable for me.

A wonderful read by Laurenston, this book was full of zany humor, crazy antics, romance, action and suspense. I couldn't put it down--read it almost in one sitting!

The story really pulled me in. Geeky, smart girl makes good when she grows up; her former crush from high school shows up and is smitten; and then she leads him on a merry chase. The wild dog pack and their antics are hilarious. And I loved the Smith pack from the earlier books, of which Smitty the lead male character is part of. We see them again in this book. I liked the lead characters and great supporting cast.

All of her Pride Stories are terrific, with my favorites being this book, The Mane Attraction and The Mane Squeeze. I liked her Magnus Pack books to a lesser extent--still good but not great like the Pride Stories. I really enjoyed her Dragonkin series (written under GA Aiken). Check those out if you haven't already. My favorite in that series was What a Draqon Should Know. It was hysterical! Loved the characters. Laurenston has now surpassed Lynsay Sands as my new favorite for funny paranormal romance.

If you are on the hunt for more great shapeshifter romance, check out my list of favorites....
http://www.the store.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R3RRBZ0PV9G1AI
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In Smithtown, Tennessee, werewolf Bobby Ray Smith always protects wild dog Jessie Ann Ward from his sister and her pack. As he is about to join the navy, he wants to kiss Jessie Ann, but controls himself as he knows that once started he will not be able to stop and neither has sexual protection. Jessie Ann is mortified when he seemingly rejects her.

Sixteen years later in New York former SEALs Smitty and his partner were-lion Mace Llewellyn run a security firm. They are currently providing protection to a wild dog pack of computer geeks, Kuznetson Security Systems. The CEO and alpha dog turns out to be Jessie Ann. She pretends she does not remember much about Smitty, who is upset by her action and subsequent behavior towards him. Smitty and Jessie go for coffee where he tells her she is afraid because she wants him. Jessie says she hates him.

Jessie sees Walt Wilson, a cousin to the notorious Smith clan. He means trouble for her pack as his teenage daughter Kristin and her mother Maylin are part of the group. He never cared about them before so she knows he wants something besides Kristin. As she hides how much she loves Smitty from him, he works on keeping her safe and making her his, but fears wildly marking her as a wolf is so much bigger than a dog.

The sequel to THE MANE EVENT affirms that in the Laurenston world, the various breeds of shapeshifters come across as genuine. The lead couple is a nice pairing as both are likable protagonists who have a misinterpreted history, a confusing present, and a potential future as soulmates. Although the climax is too soft, fans will enjoy this lighthearted amusing paranormal second chance at love.

Harriet Klausner

Seriously. Had this been an Ellora's Cave book, I would not have been at all surprised at how bad it is. But, it's from Kensington who I thought was a little more...discerning? I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it quite a bit. Mace and Dez were a decent couple. I was looking forward to The Beast in Him. Boy was I ever disappointed.

This is just awful. What a disjointed mess of a book. So poorly written as well! Jessie Ann is so immature. I found it very hard to believe she was the alpha of her pack. Half the time she had no idea what she wanted, or was a complete brat (and not in the fun, cute way). She's supposedly smart, but she acts like a child most of the time.

Smitty acted ridiculous as well. I didn't find him to be much of an alpha or a hero. He's got daddy issues. He's overbearing. Worst of all, he doesn't seem to actually like Jessica. Isn't that a requirement in a romance?

None of the characters actions, or reactions make a lot of sense. All the women are completely insane. Everyone was violent, beyond a "hot paranormal shifter" level type of violence that actually made sense to the story.

There is no conflict. Or what passes for a conflict is so stupid, I didn't even care. Maybe because the author didn't take enough time to make me feel emotionally invested in the story or the characters? It's written like the reader should just know all this crazy pack stuff. I get it, I hate a book that bogs you down in backstory, but some clues would have been helpful so maybe I would have cared even a little about what was going on. It felt like torture to finish this book.

All the shifters from the South have stupid, hillbilly names. Jessie Ann, Bobby Rae, Sissy Mae, Ronnie Lee...you get the idea. As a born and bred Northerner, the portrayal of the South is even offensive to me.

This book honestly felt like a bunch of random paragraphs thrown together with the consistency of the character names being the only clue you were reading the same story. There are just way too many points of view going on in this book. Totally unnecessary and detracted a lot from the story. Considering they are asking $8.00 for the ebook, someone at the very least should have edited this mess.
After reading The Beast in Him, I don't think I can tolerate another book by this author.

Jessica is the millionaire TechGeek of her own company, having come a long way from the small, bullied young girl Smitty knew before he joined the military. They are both shapeshifters in a wide world of shapeshifters: Jessica is a wild dog while Smitty is a wolf. Now she gets to play Smitty as he discovers feelings for her he never realized before. The interaction of the wild-dog pack, all living together and cuddling in puppy piles, is absolutely adorkable. This is such a fun series! (Note that you will follow the characters better if you have read the prior book in the series.)

Just finished The Beast In Him and saying something Shelly Laurenston was great is almost getting redundant, since most of her other books were 5 Star or close this one might be just a bit over 4 Stars due to the excruciatingly long "courting" that takes up pretty much the whole book. I may have to get right to the next book in the series and try to ignore the screams for attention coming from my TBR mountain. This is a funny and well written book and if you have read any of her other books you know what to expecft and she does a very good job of delivering what her fans want, this book is a little low on the action of previous books or it would have been 5 Stars also IMHO.

Jessica Ward has wanted Bobby Ray Smith since they were kids. Then he left town to join the military. Not long after that, Jess left and many years later, is now not only the alpha of her own pack, but the CEO of a company. Jess is no longer the gangly geek girl who hid most of the time in high school. Now the timing is just right to show Bobby Ray that she is all grown up.

Bobby Ray is settling in with the part of the Smith Pack that followed him to Manhattan. He also has his new security business that is growing slowly as the word gets out. On the night he discovers that not only has Jess grown up but she has also become a beautiful woman, it's an eye-opening and lust-inducing event.

That night is the beginning of the unique romance of Bobby Ray and Jessica. Besides the day-to-day worries of their businesses, now they both also have the welfare of their respective packs to worry about and keep safe. Just their luck that when the packs seem to be accepting them, something happens that could not only risk the peace between the packs, but also any chance that Bobby Ray and Jess have to finally mate. Now it is up to Jess, Bobby Ray, and their packs and family to overcome the potential threat.

What is a girl to do when she has decided it's time to be claimed by her mate? In The Beast in Him, and if you are Jess, you arrange to meet up with your long-time mate of choice and proceed to show him how good you could be together. Bobby Ray was not ready to settle down, or so he thought, until he came up against Jessica during a security job. Now there is nothing he won't do to have her as his mate. So why is she giving him so much stress? Once again, I have found that nobody does subtle humor and mean in a loving way like Ms. Laurenston. Jess knows what she wants and how she wants it. Bobby Ray knows what he needs and just can't figure out how to get it. With fun antics, hot nights, a pack of crazy wild dogs, and the semi-insane Smith pack, there is no way to miss...right?

I found myself laughing so many times while following the circle route that Jess and Bobby Ray took into love. When you throw in the zany secondary characters and how they "helped" the situations - I just could not resist laughing, sighing, and yes, even snorting. My only warning is to be careful when drinking while reading. There are more reasons to love The Beast in Him than I could list here, but I will tell you that it is Joyfully Recommended and not to be missed.

Jo
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

'The Mane Event' introduced the group of characters who appear in this book - shapeshifting Wolves, Hyenas and Lions. In 'The Beast In Him' Smitty (Bobby Ray Smith), business partner of Mace Llewellyn in the previous book, meets up with a childhood friend, wild dog Jessie Ann Ward. He last saw Jessie Ann when he went to join the Navy at 18 years old, trying to once again protect her from bullying from the young female wolves of the Smith Pack. However the Jessica that he meets now, fourteen years later, isn't that shrinking and scared young wild dog but is instead the Alpha of her Pack.

And thus follows a chase - Smitty trying to catch Jessie, Jessie holding herself aloof from him at times, at others giving in. Jessie wants him to prove that she is important to him by the standards of his Pack, a rather rough mating, but Smitty wants to treat Jessie right and not hurt her. Thus the 'misunderstanding' of the plotting which was really rather a damp squib. There's a plot line of a potential kidnap and of family disharmony over Smitth and Jessie's relationship but the vast majority of the story is about Smitty and Jessie's discovery of each other - mostly in a horizontal fashion.

As with the previous book, this one wasn't entirely satisfying. The world of the Wolves, Wild Dogs, Cats etc was interesting but rather subordinate to the main story. There was little romance in the relationship between Smitty and Jessie, they seemed to spend a lot of the time misunderstanding each other. They had little in common and in some ways that part of the relationship worked well but overall it was a disappointing read. The roll-call of characters from the previous book became confusing occasionally and at times the story seemed to meander around in a rather directionless manner. It's a reasonable read but nothing particularly special.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book[...]. © Helen Hancox 2008

Once again, Ms. Laurenston kept me up most of the night with her book. I thought she'd reached the pinnacle in "The Distressing Damsel: Book 2 of the Dragon Kin" released 08-06...but no, here comes "The Beast in Him".

I simply adored the on and off and on again story of Jessie Ann and "Smitty" Bobby Ray Smith. Jessie, the "wild" dog shifter grows up in a rural Tennessee town filled with wolf shifters. The BMOC in her age bracket is Bobby Ray Smith, youngest son of "Bubba" Smith. Jessie and Bobby Ray have been friends of a sort for years. He has always been her protector, and she simply loves him.

Jessie realizes at age 16 that her puppy love for Smitty will never be answered because she is the Omega at that time, and all the she-wolves love to hunt her for sport. Now Bobby Ray escapes to the Navy "to get out of town" at age 18, leaving Jessie behind and breaking her heart in the process when he pushes her out of his arms the night before he is to get on the bus.

The story picks up again 16 years later when Smitty/Bobby Ray is out of the Navy and starting a security firm in New York City. Just so happens one of their first assigments is the security for Jessie's software security company. Smitty is floored when Jessie Ann, now known only as Jessica strolls past him like he doesn't exist! She barely acknowledges him, and that makes him mad. He just can't figure out why his old friend now wants nothing to do with him?

The chase is on as Smitty discovers he really wants Jessie in his life permanently and in his bed for "weekends" at a time. Jessie wants the same thing, but she wants him for forever, and the Smith males are known for their quick affairs.

May the best canine win!!

There is a huge cast of secondary characters, and we get to see what's happening with the cast of "The Mane Event" the prequel to this book. Even Sara gets a chance to rip someone's throat out. It's a riot.

There is a hilarious scene at a karaoke bar, and many other amusing places where the author just can't stop herself with the dog quips.

I loved this..and will keep it on my To Be Re-Read Once a Year shelf.

NOTE to AUTHOR: If I were a writer, I would want to know what others are thinking of my work. Yes, it's a sado-masochistic streak..but fun, nonetheless.

So, Shelly...FINISH THE DRAGON KIN BOOKS and get Book 1 re-published!! You would have a following as big as the Atlantic if you'd get those books re-done. If less-talented authors can get THEIR books re-printed...so can you. If the publishers are confused about this...sic Sara on 'em.

I just have to know what happens with Izzy and her blue dragon.

Thank you for another fun read...even if it is 4:20 in the morning!!! OK enough of the pitiful request to Ms. Laurenston.

Back to my review:

My recommendation of The Beast in Him..buy it in print, you will want to re-read it.

I couldn't get into Jess and Smitty relationship. They were missing that "spark" that I look for when reading about couples. I found myself skipping thru a lot of the back and forth between them. The ending was pretty classic- Smitty's mom sort of saves the day. The whole family/pack getting together was the saving grace for me. Liked it, didn't love it!

Shelly laurenston writes the best shifter books. They make you laugh so hard you can't breath. I have read all of her shifter books, but this is the best. The characters were so easy to like. You don't have to read these books in order, but I recommend it. Read them now!

The Beast in Him is my first Shelly Laurenston book and unfortunately not my last since I bought this book with Beast Behaving Badly. I should have tested her out in the library first because I could barely get through this.

First off I wasn't sure if this was erotica or YA. The majority of the characters came off as simple and juvenile and took up the first four chapters making fun of the hero and heroine's crush/attraction on each other. Seems like Ms. Laurenston likes this plot point because she continues it in BBB.

Like another reviewer I didn't care for the heroine. She was miscast. She was supposed to be the alpha of the pack but she was obviously born into the role instead of having earned it because she was weaker than five-day old coffee.

I would seriously have to think about reading another Laurenston book even if its from the library because I value my time.

I really liked Jessica she had that combination of aggression and innocence that make you want to stay to see what happens. Smithy seemed kind of weak for a wolf I as expecting more. The story about their past and mating was intriguing. I would stay with this series it is tempting.

I enjoyed reading this book in the Pride series - it had good pacing and a better balance between plot and sex scenes. The humor wasn't as good as in the second story of the first book, but there were moments. There was also good tension between the main characters until they finally got their happily ever after. Overall, it was a good addition to the series. Looking foward to the next one.

The Beast in Him is my first Shelly Laurenston book and unfortunately not my last since I bought this book with Beast Behaving Badly. I should have tested her out in the library first because I could barely get through this.

First off I wasn't sure if this was erotica or YA. The majority of the characters came off as simple and juvenile and took up the first four chapters making fun of the hero and heroine's crush/attraction on each other. Seems like Ms. Laurenston likes this plot point because she continues it in BBB.

Like another reviewer I didn't care for the heroine. She was miscast. She was supposed to be the alpha of the pack but she was obviously born into the role instead of having earned it because she was weaker than five-day old coffee.

I would seriously have to think about reading another Laurenston book even if its from the library because I value my time.

I really liked Jessica she had that combination of aggression and innocence that make you want to stay to see what happens. Smithy seemed kind of weak for a wolf I as expecting more. The story about their past and mating was intriguing. I would stay with this series it is tempting.

I enjoyed reading this book in the Pride series - it had good pacing and a better balance between plot and sex scenes. The humor wasn't as good as in the second story of the first book, but there were moments. There was also good tension between the main characters until they finally got their happily ever after. Overall, it was a good addition to the series. Looking foward to the next one.

I enjoyed the first book of this series which included two novellas in it. This longer book allowed more character development and some serious humour. Have to say it was great to watch Smitty be taken down a peg or two, or three, or more. I have so much fun reading this series.

This author is absolutely on my must buy list. This series is really entertaining; great sexual tension (and sex), laugh out loud humour, good quality writing and storyline.......all the ingredients for a book I'll read again and again