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Honey Badger Chronicles #6
To Kill a Badger
Win a free print copy of this book!
5 days and 11:56:45
25 copies available
U.S. only
Laugh-out-loud humor, a feminist outlook, and one-of-a-kind shape-shifting romance come together with the continuation of the fan-favorite Honey Badger Chronicles from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shelly Laurenston.
Nelle Zhao is a social media maven who knows what matters. And the only thing that matters right now is survival. Not easy, though, when her honey badger teammates attract trouble the way she attracts attention. She didn’t know when it became her job to protect the ones she cares about from themselves, but even she has to admit…she’s really good at it. Too bad some people don’t appreciate when she’s being helpful. Especially Keane Malone, who doesn’t know how to accept a friendly paw. But Nelle excels at helping! And at ignoring other people’s irrational demands, such as doing it all alone. Keane, poor pretty kitty, doesn’t understand the kind of assistance a shit-starting honey badger like Nelle can truly offer . . .
Keane knows two things—he doesn’t like other people, and he is going to crush the de Medicis, an evil coalition of male lion shifters who are not only snatching innocent humans for fun and profit, but also killed his father. And for once, he may not be able to fight this fight alone, forcing him to let long-legged, jet-setting Nelle join the fight. And getting close to Nelle is suddenly bringing out his roar . . .
Nelle Zhao is a social media maven who knows what matters. And the only thing that matters right now is survival. Not easy, though, when her honey badger teammates attract trouble the way she attracts attention. She didn’t know when it became her job to protect the ones she cares about from themselves, but even she has to admit…she’s really good at it. Too bad some people don’t appreciate when she’s being helpful. Especially Keane Malone, who doesn’t know how to accept a friendly paw. But Nelle excels at helping! And at ignoring other people’s irrational demands, such as doing it all alone. Keane, poor pretty kitty, doesn’t understand the kind of assistance a shit-starting honey badger like Nelle can truly offer . . .
Keane knows two things—he doesn’t like other people, and he is going to crush the de Medicis, an evil coalition of male lion shifters who are not only snatching innocent humans for fun and profit, but also killed his father. And for once, he may not be able to fight this fight alone, forcing him to let long-legged, jet-setting Nelle join the fight. And getting close to Nelle is suddenly bringing out his roar . . .
480 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2025
724 people are currently reading
12037 people want to read
About the author
Shelly Laurenston
45 books7,889 followersOriginally from Long Island, New York, Shelly Laurenston has resigned herself to West Coast living which involves healthy food, mostly sunny days, and lots of guys not wearing shirts when they really should be. Shelly Laurenston is also The New York Times Bestselling author G.A. Aiken, creator of the Dragon Kin series. For more info on G.A. Aiken's dangerously and arrogantly sexy dragons, check out her website at www.gaaiken.com.
Pseudonym G.A. Aiken
Pseudonym G.A. Aiken
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
August 26, 2025
I loved Nelle and Keane!! This whole series is hilarious. I love all the many, many side characters. Most are bat $**t crazy and I’m completely entertained by their wild antics. Charlie will forever be my favorite. Ever since book one, she has been the standout character, but I love seeing all the side characters get their piece in the series and Keane might just be my favorite hero so far. I really enjoyed how Nelle wrangled him in. Fun book!
August 27, 2025
Hopefully not the end
The battle that has been building for a few books is finally here, after Charlie MacKilligans actions.at The end of.the.last book a shifter war was inevitable but as usual Charlie and her sisters find themselves in this.right alone. Well not quite alone as they now.have friends willing to.stick by them, Max has her teammates, then there are the Malone brothers and let's not forget all their neighbours. Bears, who just love Charlie's baking and will.go.to.great lengths to ensure they continue to receive their treats. So prepare yourself as you will not expect what is to come as even for shifters it's extreme ............... But then we are talking about Honey Badgers
The battle that has been building for a few books is finally here, after Charlie MacKilligans actions.at The end of.the.last book a shifter war was inevitable but as usual Charlie and her sisters find themselves in this.right alone. Well not quite alone as they now.have friends willing to.stick by them, Max has her teammates, then there are the Malone brothers and let's not forget all their neighbours. Bears, who just love Charlie's baking and will.go.to.great lengths to ensure they continue to receive their treats. So prepare yourself as you will not expect what is to come as even for shifters it's extreme ............... But then we are talking about Honey Badgers
Read
March 19, 2024Can't wait to read it! I KNEW it was going to be Nelle/Keane eventually and so glad I was right! This series is AWESOME!
August 24, 2025
"An ARC of this book has been provided by Kensington Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review."
I would like to start by saying that Shelly Laurenston is one of my favourite urban fantasy/shifter/paranormal romance authors.
I had originally read this ARC in July and thought it was a good story, but it wasn't my favourite.
I then thought that in order to give this book an honest review, I should go back and re-read the whole series to see whether or not it follows the series arc.
Alas, I'm so happy I did!
continues exactly where
ends.This is Nelle's story.
She is the last of Max's "teammates" on her basketball team to be mated.
She's a honey badger.
It's also Keane's story.
The eldest of the Malone brothers to be mated
He's an Amur tiger.
His main purpose in life right now is to seek vengeance against the people who murdered his father...and play football.
Nelle's main purpose is to shop, try to get out of her sister's wedding, to unite all the powerful badger families in the world into some kind of agreement...and win the basketball championships.
There's a lot of bantering, shenanigans, killing, and baking by Charlie.
Lots of baking.
I love all the characters in this series!
From the MacKilligan sisters to the Dunn triplets to the wolves, the crones, the jaguar, the panda bear, and the lions.
The series has a wonderful ensemble of misfits with quirky mannerisms that are downright hilarious!
If you're interested in reading fun, with over-the-top characters' stories, then I highly recommend this series to you.
Enjoy!
June 22, 2025
ARC from author (thanks to the amazing Shelly Laurenston)
****SPOILERS****
I love this series and I couldn’t wait for this book to be released, so when I got the opportunity to read it I was super excited. I was going to find out how the de Mexico’s were going to be neutralised, how Nelle and Keane get together and enjoy the zaniness of the honey badgers.
Unfortunately I was disappointed in how the story progressed.
So the storyline is about Nelle and Keane right? About how they get together and get revenge for the death of Keane’s father? Yet this storyline is pushed to the side and the story is more about Mad’s aunt and her friends. The whole storyline of the de Medici lion coalition is wrapped up hastily in the last few pages.
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the book. It seemed to be more about setting up for the next book series rather than Keane finding justice and love with Nelle. In fact the whole relationship came across as forced and very sudden (one minute they’re hardly aware of the other and then they’re professing their love for each other), it all just felt rushed and not as great as the rest of the series.
As much as I didn’t enjoy the rushed, disjointed feel of the storyline there were parts and characters I enjoyed (wish Dutch, Dale and Kyle get their own stories!!).
While I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I thought I would, I’ll definitely still read anything Shelly Laurenston publishes
****SPOILERS****
I love this series and I couldn’t wait for this book to be released, so when I got the opportunity to read it I was super excited. I was going to find out how the de Mexico’s were going to be neutralised, how Nelle and Keane get together and enjoy the zaniness of the honey badgers.
Unfortunately I was disappointed in how the story progressed.
So the storyline is about Nelle and Keane right? About how they get together and get revenge for the death of Keane’s father? Yet this storyline is pushed to the side and the story is more about Mad’s aunt and her friends. The whole storyline of the de Medici lion coalition is wrapped up hastily in the last few pages.
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the book. It seemed to be more about setting up for the next book series rather than Keane finding justice and love with Nelle. In fact the whole relationship came across as forced and very sudden (one minute they’re hardly aware of the other and then they’re professing their love for each other), it all just felt rushed and not as great as the rest of the series.
As much as I didn’t enjoy the rushed, disjointed feel of the storyline there were parts and characters I enjoyed (wish Dutch, Dale and Kyle get their own stories!!).
While I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I thought I would, I’ll definitely still read anything Shelly Laurenston publishes
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2025
This is great story telling. The characterization of Nelle and Keane make them fun characters to read. The story line is intriguing and captivating. But there is so much going on that it drags too much in the middle. This book needs a genealogy chart for all the families involved in this mafia style romp. I enjoyed the pacing of the fight scenes at the tail end of the story but I almost put this book down and never got to them. Not enough of a payout for my trudge through the middle of this story justify a higher rating.
August 26, 2025
If you haven’t started reading about the antics of Honey Badger shifters then you are truly missing out . This series started with Charlie,Stevie and Max but has steadily progressed to their team mates and this time it’s the very pampered Nelle who steps forward . Now I won’t lie I did feel that it was Keane who made the greatest progress as a character here from being generally pretty antisocial to embracing being part of a couple but there’s so much madness and general mayhem abounding that I didn’t really mind .
Is this a romance ? For me it’s a riotous journey that just happens to have a couple making a connection but again I’ve no objection to that . Why ? Well there’s an over reaching arc that concludes in this book but still plenty left for the author to revisit if she wants to and I’m looking at you Freddy ! The Crones are just bonkers with adoring husbands or do I mean long suffering ? This is just such a wholly unique and funny world that will have you laughing so much . For this reader though the star actually isn’t Nelle but the very very capable Charlie and these sisters are never to be underestimated trust me . Fun, chaotic and totally a hoot I’m already desperate for whatever this author writes next
This voluntary take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts are honest and I believe fair
Is this a romance ? For me it’s a riotous journey that just happens to have a couple making a connection but again I’ve no objection to that . Why ? Well there’s an over reaching arc that concludes in this book but still plenty left for the author to revisit if she wants to and I’m looking at you Freddy ! The Crones are just bonkers with adoring husbands or do I mean long suffering ? This is just such a wholly unique and funny world that will have you laughing so much . For this reader though the star actually isn’t Nelle but the very very capable Charlie and these sisters are never to be underestimated trust me . Fun, chaotic and totally a hoot I’m already desperate for whatever this author writes next
This voluntary take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts are honest and I believe fair
July 28, 2025
Series: Honey Badger Chronicles #6
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it
This book picks up shortly after the previous book ended. The de Medicis are still after the badgers and they have a way to paralyze and possibly kill them. Nelle Zhao and Keane are working together to secure alliances with other badger families to help deal with the de Medicis. Along the way, they both realize they have fallen for each other.
Since they were introduced I have liked Keane and Nelle, so I was excited to finally see how they fall in love. Nelle and Keane’s relationship formed as they worked together and got to learn more about each other, much like the previous couples. Keane is such a grumpy cat who expects everyone to do as he asks but he has no problem letting Nelle lead, even if he knows it will lead to chaos. I really enjoyed the banter between these two and the shenanigans they got into.
The fight to bring down the de Medicis’ finally comes to an end in this one. The MacKilligan sisters end up working with Mads aunt Tracy and her band of crazy honey badger friends to gather information and allies. The Old Crones, as Max calls them, were interesting and caused all kinds of chaos. While I did like them, I also felt like they overtook the story. I wanted more of the MacKilligans and team, not the Old Crones, especially when it came to rescuing Nelle. It just felt like they kind of derailed the storyline a little and took away from the team dynamic that we had seen in the previous books.
Back to the fight against the de Medici’s though. I really enjoyed how the MacKilligan sisters dealt with the de Medicis in the end, especially the leader. What I didn’t love was that this battle ended up feeling like a second storyline instead of the main storyline. Nelle and Keane’s attempt to set up alliances ended up feeling like the main storyline, and that was a bit of disappointment with how little it ended up being relevant to the de Medici’s. I think I just wanted more of the MacKilligan sisters and their team working on these issues instead of handing it off to the older generation of badgers.
While I did enjoy the couple, I do have some issues with character changes in this one. In previous books, Nelle was terrified of Charlie, as were the other teammates, and yet in this one we don’t see that. She doesn’t show fear at all. It was just a bit jarring when in all previous scenes with the basketball team, they all were very cautious and scared around Charlie. Also Nelle acts like she and Charlie are the two who keep everyone in line, when we didn’t see any of that from her in previous books.
My other issue was with the Dunn triplets. In this book, they felt so flat and dumbed down. In previous books we see them as being smart and compatible bodyguards who have actual conversations, but not in this. They were barely in the story and what little we did get was them being emotionless triplets who just grunt instead of talking. It was jarring and confusing, especially for characters that are heavily featured in this series.
One last issue was with the character Manse. What was his deal? Why was he an enemy of honey badgers, mainly the Old Crones. What happened between them that led to the scenarios in this book? It just felt like his character was thrown into the story and we were just expected to know who he was and why he hates honey badgers.
So while I enjoyed Nelle and Keane’s relationship, I couldn’t overlook the other issues I found with this book, which really sucks because I love this series. I still love her work but I think this one just didn’t work for me as much.
TW: gun violence; kidnapping; car accidents; death and gore; death of parent mentioned; claustrophobia; panic attacks;
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it
This book picks up shortly after the previous book ended. The de Medicis are still after the badgers and they have a way to paralyze and possibly kill them. Nelle Zhao and Keane are working together to secure alliances with other badger families to help deal with the de Medicis. Along the way, they both realize they have fallen for each other.
Since they were introduced I have liked Keane and Nelle, so I was excited to finally see how they fall in love. Nelle and Keane’s relationship formed as they worked together and got to learn more about each other, much like the previous couples. Keane is such a grumpy cat who expects everyone to do as he asks but he has no problem letting Nelle lead, even if he knows it will lead to chaos. I really enjoyed the banter between these two and the shenanigans they got into.
The fight to bring down the de Medicis’ finally comes to an end in this one. The MacKilligan sisters end up working with Mads aunt Tracy and her band of crazy honey badger friends to gather information and allies. The Old Crones, as Max calls them, were interesting and caused all kinds of chaos. While I did like them, I also felt like they overtook the story. I wanted more of the MacKilligans and team, not the Old Crones, especially when it came to rescuing Nelle. It just felt like they kind of derailed the storyline a little and took away from the team dynamic that we had seen in the previous books.
Back to the fight against the de Medici’s though. I really enjoyed how the MacKilligan sisters dealt with the de Medicis in the end, especially the leader. What I didn’t love was that this battle ended up feeling like a second storyline instead of the main storyline. Nelle and Keane’s attempt to set up alliances ended up feeling like the main storyline, and that was a bit of disappointment with how little it ended up being relevant to the de Medici’s. I think I just wanted more of the MacKilligan sisters and their team working on these issues instead of handing it off to the older generation of badgers.
While I did enjoy the couple, I do have some issues with character changes in this one. In previous books, Nelle was terrified of Charlie, as were the other teammates, and yet in this one we don’t see that. She doesn’t show fear at all. It was just a bit jarring when in all previous scenes with the basketball team, they all were very cautious and scared around Charlie. Also Nelle acts like she and Charlie are the two who keep everyone in line, when we didn’t see any of that from her in previous books.
My other issue was with the Dunn triplets. In this book, they felt so flat and dumbed down. In previous books we see them as being smart and compatible bodyguards who have actual conversations, but not in this. They were barely in the story and what little we did get was them being emotionless triplets who just grunt instead of talking. It was jarring and confusing, especially for characters that are heavily featured in this series.
One last issue was with the character Manse. What was his deal? Why was he an enemy of honey badgers, mainly the Old Crones. What happened between them that led to the scenarios in this book? It just felt like his character was thrown into the story and we were just expected to know who he was and why he hates honey badgers.
So while I enjoyed Nelle and Keane’s relationship, I couldn’t overlook the other issues I found with this book, which really sucks because I love this series. I still love her work but I think this one just didn’t work for me as much.
TW: gun violence; kidnapping; car accidents; death and gore; death of parent mentioned; claustrophobia; panic attacks;
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
July 23, 2025
This was a great final to this series. If you had told me that when we were introduced to the Malone brothers that Keane would be my favourite, I would have called you a liar. The character development for him really worked for me. I honestly liked him probably more than Nelle. Especially once he decided to just go all in with Nelle. I do feel like the last couple heroines in this series suffered from the same issue for me which was that they only really have one personality trait, ei : likes basketball, likes to be on time, like to take care of stuff for other people. So I feel like even though I liked Nelle, she definitely wasn’t the star for me. The conclusion of the over arcing storyline in this one was very satisfying while also leaving some fun loose ends for future books. I’m very excited and hoping for a full series about the “crones” overall I really enjoyed this series, if you are looking for a fun, fast paced, shifter romance with characters that will leave an impression then I highly recommend.
ARC Provided by NetGalley for an honest review
ARC Provided by NetGalley for an honest review
Want to read
March 5, 2024Coming out Nov. 26, 2024.
August 30, 2025
3.25 Stars ⭐️
I think I need to start off by saying that I am a HUGE fan of Ms. Laurenston and specifically the Honey Badger Series. I have read all 5 prior books in this series and was THRILLED to receive the ARC for book 6. With that being said, I'm not exactly sure what went wrong for me with this book, but I had an extremely difficult time getting into the book. I kept putting the book down after reading a few chapters and literally had to MAKE myself keep coming back to start the book again when in the past, I devoured each new installment within a day - usually in one sitting.
What was the problem? Honestly, I'm not really sure other than there was too much going on. This story was supposed to be Keane and Nelle's story, but I NEVER felt any chemistry between the two of them and regardless, they seemed like a sidenote. And Nelle, what the heck happened to her? She had an 180-degree personality change and that was hard to fathom. It truly kept pulling me out of the story.
There was the competing storyline of the 4 older Honey Badgers- The Crones (and that was even MORE all over the place). Then there was the whole thing going on with our favorite gang of Charlie, Stevie and Max...and all of Max's friends. In this book it encompassed the bears and the lions who were all camping on the girl's street to protect them. Unfortunately, it was so confusing at times. I've read all of the books and at times I was completely confused with the myriads of characters and who belonged to whom - familywise. Not to mention who was actually fighting whom. I mean, the Crones were on their own mission, the girls were dealing with the consequences of Charlie's actions - not to mention the thing with Freddy.
Then main thing- or at least the thing that SHOULD have been the main thing (because remember - it was Keane and Nelle's story) there was the whole crazy events in Paris.
Like I said. It just felt like it was all over the place and then; to make things worse, it just seemed to lose all its steam in the middle, and the pace just began to drag. I WANTED to be excited. Heck, this series usually makes me laugh out loud so many times during their shenanigans, but for some reason, I don't think I did that once.
Who knows? Maybe it was me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right head space. I have no clue.
Does that mean I'm going to stop going forward on this series? Absolutely not.
Everyone is allowed a one off and Ms. Laurenston has more than earned her credit with me. I DO love this world she has created, and I adore the characters and their relationships - so I will be waiting on the next book and hopefully it will be AMAZING.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing | Kensington for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. This book will be out for publication on August 26, 2025.
I think I need to start off by saying that I am a HUGE fan of Ms. Laurenston and specifically the Honey Badger Series. I have read all 5 prior books in this series and was THRILLED to receive the ARC for book 6. With that being said, I'm not exactly sure what went wrong for me with this book, but I had an extremely difficult time getting into the book. I kept putting the book down after reading a few chapters and literally had to MAKE myself keep coming back to start the book again when in the past, I devoured each new installment within a day - usually in one sitting.
What was the problem? Honestly, I'm not really sure other than there was too much going on. This story was supposed to be Keane and Nelle's story, but I NEVER felt any chemistry between the two of them and regardless, they seemed like a sidenote. And Nelle, what the heck happened to her? She had an 180-degree personality change and that was hard to fathom. It truly kept pulling me out of the story.
There was the competing storyline of the 4 older Honey Badgers- The Crones (and that was even MORE all over the place). Then there was the whole thing going on with our favorite gang of Charlie, Stevie and Max...and all of Max's friends. In this book it encompassed the bears and the lions who were all camping on the girl's street to protect them. Unfortunately, it was so confusing at times. I've read all of the books and at times I was completely confused with the myriads of characters and who belonged to whom - familywise. Not to mention who was actually fighting whom. I mean, the Crones were on their own mission, the girls were dealing with the consequences of Charlie's actions - not to mention the thing with Freddy.
Then main thing- or at least the thing that SHOULD have been the main thing (because remember - it was Keane and Nelle's story) there was the whole crazy events in Paris.
Like I said. It just felt like it was all over the place and then; to make things worse, it just seemed to lose all its steam in the middle, and the pace just began to drag. I WANTED to be excited. Heck, this series usually makes me laugh out loud so many times during their shenanigans, but for some reason, I don't think I did that once.
Who knows? Maybe it was me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right head space. I have no clue.
Does that mean I'm going to stop going forward on this series? Absolutely not.
Everyone is allowed a one off and Ms. Laurenston has more than earned her credit with me. I DO love this world she has created, and I adore the characters and their relationships - so I will be waiting on the next book and hopefully it will be AMAZING.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing | Kensington for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. This book will be out for publication on August 26, 2025.
July 16, 2025
I've been reading Shelly Laurenston's books for a long time now. I know she is good and I enjoy the worlds she creates, her style, her plots, her humour, her feminism…, so when I started To Kill a Badger I was looking forward to it, I am enjoying tremendously the Honey Badger Chronicles and I couldn't wait for the next one. The book accomplishes all the expectations: badger shenanigans? check; hilarious and kooky situations? check and so on, this book proudly follows the others in this series and in all of Laurenston's shifters universe.
The surprise came (and shame on me for being surprised) with the complexity of this book. There are so many things happening at the same time, so many voices and the author is on top of it, not letting any ball drop, creating a well-timed and well-narrated complex story. The construction is very well executed and more intricate than in other books of the series, but it is well done and necessary, there are many things happening to many people in many places…
Shelly Laurenston is a very good writer.
I can't wait for the next one (I know, this is not published yet!), wherever she takes us, I will surely follow.
An ARC of this book has been provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and that is what I gave here.
The surprise came (and shame on me for being surprised) with the complexity of this book. There are so many things happening at the same time, so many voices and the author is on top of it, not letting any ball drop, creating a well-timed and well-narrated complex story. The construction is very well executed and more intricate than in other books of the series, but it is well done and necessary, there are many things happening to many people in many places…
Shelly Laurenston is a very good writer.
I can't wait for the next one (I know, this is not published yet!), wherever she takes us, I will surely follow.
An ARC of this book has been provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and that is what I gave here.
August 17, 2025
OMG this is why Shelly Laurenston is my comfort author. I know when I pick up one of her books ESPECIALLY from the honey banger series, I will be giggle, laughing and smiling the WHOLE time. What I love about her characters besides the banter and 1 liner which are amazing, but I also love the way she writes her FMCs and how they are all sarcastic, unhinged, tough and also have a sisterhood kind of friendship where they may not always like one another but they would kill someone for even looking at their "sister" wrong. I say sisterhood over found family which is also very strong in this book/series too, but the men are more of the supportive rolls while the women handle shit. Not that the men are weak they are hilarious strong characters themselves, but they love how strong and fierce their women are but also have a little fear of their mates because they know how unhinged they are, and I love it.
With this book the main couple is Nelle and Keane, and I just loved the two of them separately and together. I think Nelle was just hilarious with her meddling nature and just taking care of her friends sometimes in over-the-top ways that weren't wrong, but she did without permission. Like putting in a half-court basketball court for her friend in her new house's backyard bc all her friend cares is basketball, her basketball team and winning the championship. Nelle puts this court in without asking and covers the WHOLE cost simply bc she knows her friend and what she needs. Of course, her friend gets upset bc she didn't ask for this and major construction but it's not like Nelle was wrong. This is one of those sisterhood moments I was talking about where they are family and know each other so well that they annoy each other and scream things like "I will destroy you and everything you love, or I will tear off your head and wear it as a hat" but when someone comes after one of their sisters well it doesn't end well for them.
So, taking that personality and the usual honey badger traits plus her rich girl mindset (but not in a way that was offensive or off putting) matched up with Keane Malone who is so antisocial, grumpy and general distain for other people (so a cat) really worked. It was fun watching Nelle just poke the tiger essentially but also when she left to go handle her business, he wasn't far behind not to always help though he would have if he needed to but to watch her handle business bc he liked watching the havoc she made. So again, cat behavior. But reading him as he started to realize his feelings had me giggling so hard because he was so resistant to it.
The two of them had great chemistry and spice as well but I would say it is a low spice book but what was there was good.
Now for the plot there was a lot going on and you do have to keep track of it because as always with Honey badgers everyone has their own agenda and hidden motives so lots of trickery going on. There was also a lot of focus on Charlie who had her book earlier in the series, but Charlie is my favorite because I relate to her so much. I always joke that I don't cause mayhem on the daily and I am usually the one handling my family's drama/BS, but I always say that I am one minor inconvenience away from going feral and I just felt like that was Charlie at times. I also love baking. But it made sense especially with the ending why Charlie was so heavily featured. This book has a lot going on to wrap up the story, but it wrapped it up so well and was a wild ride to get there. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
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This book is about Nelle who is a pro when it comes to social media. But you know what else she is a pro at... dealing with her friends and teammates lives and more recently their troubles. She isn't sure when it because her job to protect them but surprisingly she is good at it even if they don't appreciate her efforts especially Keane Malone. But she is a honey badger she doesn't care what anyone thinks and will do what she things is best especially when they clearly need her help even if they don't think they do. But recently her friend's normal trouble has gotten them in a little hot water and may have gotten them in over their heads and it has now become about their survival against a lion cartel that not only traffics humans but also is responsible for the death of Keane's father. So as much as Keane hates working with others, he will need all the help he can get, and Nelle is more than happy to lend a hand. But he may be in over his head when it comes to him accepting help from the beautiful, long legged shit starting honey badger than that is making his inner lion want to roar and claim her.
I received and ARC copy from Net Galley/Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.
With this book the main couple is Nelle and Keane, and I just loved the two of them separately and together. I think Nelle was just hilarious with her meddling nature and just taking care of her friends sometimes in over-the-top ways that weren't wrong, but she did without permission. Like putting in a half-court basketball court for her friend in her new house's backyard bc all her friend cares is basketball, her basketball team and winning the championship. Nelle puts this court in without asking and covers the WHOLE cost simply bc she knows her friend and what she needs. Of course, her friend gets upset bc she didn't ask for this and major construction but it's not like Nelle was wrong. This is one of those sisterhood moments I was talking about where they are family and know each other so well that they annoy each other and scream things like "I will destroy you and everything you love, or I will tear off your head and wear it as a hat" but when someone comes after one of their sisters well it doesn't end well for them.
So, taking that personality and the usual honey badger traits plus her rich girl mindset (but not in a way that was offensive or off putting) matched up with Keane Malone who is so antisocial, grumpy and general distain for other people (so a cat) really worked. It was fun watching Nelle just poke the tiger essentially but also when she left to go handle her business, he wasn't far behind not to always help though he would have if he needed to but to watch her handle business bc he liked watching the havoc she made. So again, cat behavior. But reading him as he started to realize his feelings had me giggling so hard because he was so resistant to it.
The two of them had great chemistry and spice as well but I would say it is a low spice book but what was there was good.
Now for the plot there was a lot going on and you do have to keep track of it because as always with Honey badgers everyone has their own agenda and hidden motives so lots of trickery going on. There was also a lot of focus on Charlie who had her book earlier in the series, but Charlie is my favorite because I relate to her so much. I always joke that I don't cause mayhem on the daily and I am usually the one handling my family's drama/BS, but I always say that I am one minor inconvenience away from going feral and I just felt like that was Charlie at times. I also love baking. But it made sense especially with the ending why Charlie was so heavily featured. This book has a lot going on to wrap up the story, but it wrapped it up so well and was a wild ride to get there. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
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This book is about Nelle who is a pro when it comes to social media. But you know what else she is a pro at... dealing with her friends and teammates lives and more recently their troubles. She isn't sure when it because her job to protect them but surprisingly she is good at it even if they don't appreciate her efforts especially Keane Malone. But she is a honey badger she doesn't care what anyone thinks and will do what she things is best especially when they clearly need her help even if they don't think they do. But recently her friend's normal trouble has gotten them in a little hot water and may have gotten them in over their heads and it has now become about their survival against a lion cartel that not only traffics humans but also is responsible for the death of Keane's father. So as much as Keane hates working with others, he will need all the help he can get, and Nelle is more than happy to lend a hand. But he may be in over his head when it comes to him accepting help from the beautiful, long legged shit starting honey badger than that is making his inner lion want to roar and claim her.
I received and ARC copy from Net Galley/Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2025
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
Shelly Laurenston’s Badgers series is one of my favorites and is always guaranteed to make me laugh. Keane and Nelle being forced together and ending up causing international incidents was a lot of fun. I do think this may be getting too big because there are so many threads and characters, it’s hard to keep all of them straight, especially because these books aren’t exactly one storyline but several plots in a blender. It’s very chaotic, and I have fun with all the violence and honey badger interactions especially, but there’s so much happening… I don’t intend to stop reading these as of yet, if there’s going to be more Badger books, and there are threads that haven’t been completely addressed I think, but I am starting to get overwhelmed by everything happening.
Shelly Laurenston’s Badgers series is one of my favorites and is always guaranteed to make me laugh. Keane and Nelle being forced together and ending up causing international incidents was a lot of fun. I do think this may be getting too big because there are so many threads and characters, it’s hard to keep all of them straight, especially because these books aren’t exactly one storyline but several plots in a blender. It’s very chaotic, and I have fun with all the violence and honey badger interactions especially, but there’s so much happening… I don’t intend to stop reading these as of yet, if there’s going to be more Badger books, and there are threads that haven’t been completely addressed I think, but I am starting to get overwhelmed by everything happening.
August 29, 2025
3-3.5 ⭐️ there’s a lot going on
This book was better than last book but still left me feeling over stimulated. So many different voices/characters. I kept having to put it down and come back. While I adored how much Charlie was in this story (love Charlie!) there were just too many characters. I actually liked Keane and Nelle as a couple but would have liked it much more if they were more primary in the story. Also, everyone was fighting each other - everyone, all the time. It was exhausting. I feel like we got bamboozled by how Nelle was portrayed in previous stories as super calm (except for her sister) but she was as “shouty” and quick to anger as the others in this story. If she had been calm, it would have been a great counter to Keane’s personality. Overall, just too much going on. I will say the highlight of the story was Keane’s constant “fidgety” behavior knocking things down. That was funny. Everything seemed to be settled by the end and I am curious to see where the next story takes us.
This book was better than last book but still left me feeling over stimulated. So many different voices/characters. I kept having to put it down and come back. While I adored how much Charlie was in this story (love Charlie!) there were just too many characters. I actually liked Keane and Nelle as a couple but would have liked it much more if they were more primary in the story. Also, everyone was fighting each other - everyone, all the time. It was exhausting. I feel like we got bamboozled by how Nelle was portrayed in previous stories as super calm (except for her sister) but she was as “shouty” and quick to anger as the others in this story. If she had been calm, it would have been a great counter to Keane’s personality. Overall, just too much going on. I will say the highlight of the story was Keane’s constant “fidgety” behavior knocking things down. That was funny. Everything seemed to be settled by the end and I am curious to see where the next story takes us.
August 30, 2025
Scattered plotlines - SPOILER ALERT
I have loved this author’s books a d frequently pre-order them. This one, however, was a bit disappointing. The whole thing was a jumble of different plot lines and didn’t feel cohesive. There was absolutely no romantic element to the two main characters that don’t even feel like the main characters (as far as I can tell there aren’t any in this book) and we barely spent any time with them. We have to wait for the very end for anything at all to occur and even that feels forced. I lost count of how many people’s perspectives we wade through. Seemingly the entire universe so far. And those supposed main characters are not even involved in the final solution. The supposed bad guys don’t even do much, really. I made zero connection with the story here. All in all, it’s very disjointed and unsatisfying.
I have loved this author’s books a d frequently pre-order them. This one, however, was a bit disappointing. The whole thing was a jumble of different plot lines and didn’t feel cohesive. There was absolutely no romantic element to the two main characters that don’t even feel like the main characters (as far as I can tell there aren’t any in this book) and we barely spent any time with them. We have to wait for the very end for anything at all to occur and even that feels forced. I lost count of how many people’s perspectives we wade through. Seemingly the entire universe so far. And those supposed main characters are not even involved in the final solution. The supposed bad guys don’t even do much, really. I made zero connection with the story here. All in all, it’s very disjointed and unsatisfying.
August 7, 2025
I love this series, and yes, you NEED to at least read "Hot and Badgered" for this to hit where it's supposed to. This latest book is a solid addition, but I'm waiting to give my final review after I've received the printed version that I've already bought - despite working at a library! Because that's how much I love this series. I really appreciate Shelly Laurenston for writing books like these to help me when I'm stressed and down and Kensington Publishing for letting me read the ARC.
Honey Badgers!!!
Honey Badgers!!!
August 30, 2025
4.75⭐️ Nelle and Keen. A dramatic, serially meddling, and way too rich for her own good Honey Badger ends up with a perpetually grumpy, inconveniently logical “Black Malone” Amur Tiger.
I have been waiting for A YEAR for this book! And it didn’t disappoint. This whole series and anything written by Shelly Laurenston is HILARIOUS. It managed to be comedic, action-packed, somewhat… romantic (?) and left me excited to see what Shelly Laurenston has next on her book docket. If you like action, found family, shifters, rom(?) com and an altogether good time. I recommend this whole series.
I have been waiting for A YEAR for this book! And it didn’t disappoint. This whole series and anything written by Shelly Laurenston is HILARIOUS. It managed to be comedic, action-packed, somewhat… romantic (?) and left me excited to see what Shelly Laurenston has next on her book docket. If you like action, found family, shifters, rom(?) com and an altogether good time. I recommend this whole series.
August 27, 2025
The honey badgers are back, and I am here for them!
To Kill A Badger is Nelle and Uncle Mean's (I mean Keane's) story. It's fun and funny and irreverent. There are so many stories and side-stories and subplots and characters and honey badgers causing chaos and destruction and mayhem and giving absolutely no f'ks. And I enjoyed every word and all the chaos!
Loves me some honey badgers!!!!
To Kill A Badger is Nelle and Uncle Mean's (I mean Keane's) story. It's fun and funny and irreverent. There are so many stories and side-stories and subplots and characters and honey badgers causing chaos and destruction and mayhem and giving absolutely no f'ks. And I enjoyed every word and all the chaos!
Loves me some honey badgers!!!!
August 30, 2025
I feel like I had ADD while reading this book, with all the skipping between characters, but I was so very entertained! Ms Laurenston has such a way of writing humour, that even stuff you would not normally find funny, by her, it's hilarious. I can't wait to see what else she comes up with.
August 13, 2025
Review coming soon
****I voluntarily reviewed an ARC complimentary copy of this book provided by NetGalley thru Kensington****
****I voluntarily reviewed an ARC complimentary copy of this book provided by NetGalley thru Kensington****
August 15, 2025
Reading about the heists, chaos, and pure shenanigans these characters cause is the kind of fun that makes you forget about the laundry and just keep turning pages.
Keane Malone, an Amur tiger and oldest brother to Mads’ and Tock’s partners, is equally entertaining. Labeled “mean” by his loving niece, Keane delights in bullying full humans, yet he’s deeply loyal and unexpectedly smitten with Nelle; without the usual romance clichés. Watching the Malone brothers pair off with honey badgers has been a highlight of the series, and Keane and Nelle’s dynamic may be my favorite yet.
The story is witty, chaotic in the best way, and brimming with appearances from past characters, making it a real treat for long-time fans. It might just be my favorite Honey Badger book so far. If you love Shelly Laurenston’s humor, zany antics, and unconventional romances, To Kill a Badger is an absolute must-read—and definitely one for the keeper shelf.
Keane Malone, an Amur tiger and oldest brother to Mads’ and Tock’s partners, is equally entertaining. Labeled “mean” by his loving niece, Keane delights in bullying full humans, yet he’s deeply loyal and unexpectedly smitten with Nelle; without the usual romance clichés. Watching the Malone brothers pair off with honey badgers has been a highlight of the series, and Keane and Nelle’s dynamic may be my favorite yet.
The story is witty, chaotic in the best way, and brimming with appearances from past characters, making it a real treat for long-time fans. It might just be my favorite Honey Badger book so far. If you love Shelly Laurenston’s humor, zany antics, and unconventional romances, To Kill a Badger is an absolute must-read—and definitely one for the keeper shelf.
August 13, 2025
Okay. So, I love the honey badgers, but it feels like the books are getting more and more convoluted as they go. Though, it was supposed to be Nelle’s story, due to the various subplots, I didn’t feel as though we got to know her or Keane very well.
August 25, 2025
Finally Nelle and Keane get their book after building their romance in the two previous books.
They’re perfect together and complement each other. They have both opinions of the other that with time they see were wrong.
Nelle is amazing. Always seen as a rich vapid girl, but there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye. Keane is the same situation, seen as a brute handsome jock, even stupid, but he’s not at all.
We get the Old Crone Reading Club, Charlie, Stevie, Max, the teammates, and other characters from The Pride series too.
The book starts with action and keep it going during the whole story. It continues with the story where the previous book ended. They’re at war and on their own, nobody to support and/or help, but still they manage to do what’s necessary and succeed. Problems and questions from previous books are fixed and answered.
Several different POV but the main ones are Nelle's and Keane's.
As always, lots of humour!
It just ends but with a really nice ending.
Details:
- Neither virgins.
- No OP drama.
- H in his thirties, h is 29.
- HEA.
They’re perfect together and complement each other. They have both opinions of the other that with time they see were wrong.
Nelle is amazing. Always seen as a rich vapid girl, but there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye. Keane is the same situation, seen as a brute handsome jock, even stupid, but he’s not at all.
We get the Old Crone Reading Club, Charlie, Stevie, Max, the teammates, and other characters from The Pride series too.
The book starts with action and keep it going during the whole story. It continues with the story where the previous book ended. They’re at war and on their own, nobody to support and/or help, but still they manage to do what’s necessary and succeed. Problems and questions from previous books are fixed and answered.
Several different POV but the main ones are Nelle's and Keane's.
As always, lots of humour!
It just ends but with a really nice ending.
Details:
- Neither virgins.
- No OP drama.
- H in his thirties, h is 29.
- HEA.
August 3, 2025
Lions and tigers and honey badgers...OH MY! The queen of paranormal strikes again with a delicious romance that is egged on with ridiculous humor, world ending action scenes, and a storyline that you'll be sad to see end. Bring on the next book!
Want to read
April 26, 2024Here's to hoping I like Keane & Nelle's book more than the last one
July 14, 2025
FYI - Spoiler Alert
Usually, Shelly Laurenston’s Honey Badger books receive five stars from me but not this one. Three stars is the best I can give To Kill A Badger and the following is why.
1. This book is Nelle and Keane’s story and yet only about a quarter of the book is about them. The rest is focused on Mad’s Aunt Tracey and her friends (known as the crones) and the MacKilligan sisters. In my opinion it should have been the other way around. It might have required a longer story but that’s okay.
2. What happened to the proofreader? There were thirteen (13) word mistakes that were glaringly obvious to me and should have been to the proofreader. I love reading these books and I understand that mistakes happen and can be missed but not this many, some of which threw me out of the story.
a. Examples: “was was” in a sentence, calling Nelle “Mrs. Zhao”, and using Nelle’s name when it was really Tracey that was being talked about.
3. Explaining or refreshing to readers about Katzenhaus, BPC, and the Group is essential. However, can it be done in such a way that it doesn’t make the MacKilligan sisters seem like idiots who can’t remember such things? They all know who BPC are so why have them look to the “crones” for an explanation as to who the Bear Preservation Council are.
4. There are some character changes that seem to me to be unnecessary. For example, the Dunn triplets just staring at Charlie until she essentially does the thinking for them about dinner. WHY??? In the previous Honey Badger books, Berg, Dag, and Britta are all intelligent and able to speak to make their wants known. Not in To Kill a Badger. In this book, the three bears are as dumb as rocks. How can they be in protection and be that dumb???
5. When did Nelle, Tock, Mads, and Streep start calming Stevie or even know how? In Max, Tock, and Mads stories, they know about Stevie’s anxiety and that she can shift into something dangerous but not what. In this book, they all seem to know and I don’t see Max telling them exactly what considering Max is very careful not to tell anyone.
6. The most confusing character change that I noticed was with Nelle. In this book, Nelle is talking calmly to Charle, handling things before it gets to Charlie, and managing the MacKilligan sisters. When did all this happen? In the previous Honey Badger books, Nelle is terrified of Charlie. She even says so in Badger to the Bone (Max and Ze’s story). To me this is too big of a character change.
7. There are a couple of plot holes that are not resolved. The first is the Group dropping the MacKilligan sisters. Why? The Group are the ones going after the de Medicis, even formed a special unit for it. Also, Niles Van Holtz would never agree to let the sisters off the “leash”. The second is what happened to Imani Ako. She was in charge of the task of bringing the de Medicis down and yet she isn’t even mentioned.
I love Shelly Laurenston’s writing and the humor she manages to put into her books. I usually laugh out loud while reading her stories but To Kill A Badger barley got a smile out of me, and I only laughed at Max being attacked by a donkey which is at the end of the book. It pains me to give a Honey Badger book only three stars but, in my opinion, that’s all this book deserves.
Usually, Shelly Laurenston’s Honey Badger books receive five stars from me but not this one. Three stars is the best I can give To Kill A Badger and the following is why.
1. This book is Nelle and Keane’s story and yet only about a quarter of the book is about them. The rest is focused on Mad’s Aunt Tracey and her friends (known as the crones) and the MacKilligan sisters. In my opinion it should have been the other way around. It might have required a longer story but that’s okay.
2. What happened to the proofreader? There were thirteen (13) word mistakes that were glaringly obvious to me and should have been to the proofreader. I love reading these books and I understand that mistakes happen and can be missed but not this many, some of which threw me out of the story.
a. Examples: “was was” in a sentence, calling Nelle “Mrs. Zhao”, and using Nelle’s name when it was really Tracey that was being talked about.
3. Explaining or refreshing to readers about Katzenhaus, BPC, and the Group is essential. However, can it be done in such a way that it doesn’t make the MacKilligan sisters seem like idiots who can’t remember such things? They all know who BPC are so why have them look to the “crones” for an explanation as to who the Bear Preservation Council are.
4. There are some character changes that seem to me to be unnecessary. For example, the Dunn triplets just staring at Charlie until she essentially does the thinking for them about dinner. WHY??? In the previous Honey Badger books, Berg, Dag, and Britta are all intelligent and able to speak to make their wants known. Not in To Kill a Badger. In this book, the three bears are as dumb as rocks. How can they be in protection and be that dumb???
5. When did Nelle, Tock, Mads, and Streep start calming Stevie or even know how? In Max, Tock, and Mads stories, they know about Stevie’s anxiety and that she can shift into something dangerous but not what. In this book, they all seem to know and I don’t see Max telling them exactly what considering Max is very careful not to tell anyone.
6. The most confusing character change that I noticed was with Nelle. In this book, Nelle is talking calmly to Charle, handling things before it gets to Charlie, and managing the MacKilligan sisters. When did all this happen? In the previous Honey Badger books, Nelle is terrified of Charlie. She even says so in Badger to the Bone (Max and Ze’s story). To me this is too big of a character change.
7. There are a couple of plot holes that are not resolved. The first is the Group dropping the MacKilligan sisters. Why? The Group are the ones going after the de Medicis, even formed a special unit for it. Also, Niles Van Holtz would never agree to let the sisters off the “leash”. The second is what happened to Imani Ako. She was in charge of the task of bringing the de Medicis down and yet she isn’t even mentioned.
I love Shelly Laurenston’s writing and the humor she manages to put into her books. I usually laugh out loud while reading her stories but To Kill A Badger barley got a smile out of me, and I only laughed at Max being attacked by a donkey which is at the end of the book. It pains me to give a Honey Badger book only three stars but, in my opinion, that’s all this book deserves.
August 26, 2025
I don't know about you, but it seems like I've been waiting for what seem like ever for To Kill a Badger to come out. I've reread the series over and over just to keep everything in order, plus I love this series. Waiting so long doesn't always make for great reading. Which is why this winter I will read the whole series as a whole again just to be able to enjoy it without the questions that come with waiting.
I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the book because I really did. But at times I felt bad for the author. I'm sure she was under a lot of pressure to have a great book with all the questions being answered. Saying that one of our questions about how Nelle and Keane will be together is answered. They are perfect! She knows how to calm the beast we know as Keane. We all understand why he is the way he is. All the pressure he's been under since he was a kid which makes the fact that he now knows who killed his father such a relief for him that you can almost feel it in the way he acts and treats others
For me the biggest shock of this book in Nelle and her personality. I didn't notice before just how we knew nothing about her and who she is. We get glimpses of the real her in the prior books, but this one opens up Nelle.
I enjoyed them together and how they interact. You could almost feel them falling in love. There is so much good humor in this story and many touching moments. When Charlie gets into bed with Berg and tells him she loves him and what she wants him to do if something happens to her my heart broke for him. He even let got and didn't growl at Dutch being brought up. You also feel for Stevie who isn't used to not being able to figure something out right away. It's killing her not to be able to keep the people she cares about safe.
There are so many things I'd love to talk about in the book, but you need to read it for yourself. It will be so much better that way.
What I didn't care for is that even I felt there were too many storylines going on at once. It is such a busy book, and I was a bit disappointed that some of the past characters that might not have loved the badgers didn't come and help them. I missed the interactions which prior book characters for the prior series.
I am looking forward to the new series even if it's going back in time. I kind of wish it wasn't. I'd like it now, but it is what it is. I love the wolf husbands so I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. Them showing up in this book to help was done so well.
As you can tell by the length of this review this is a great story that does a wonderful job of tying up the story. Now I'm back to waiting for what we are getting next.
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ARC given for an honest review
August 27, 2025
TO KILL A BADGER is the sixth instalment in Shelly Laurenston’s contemporary, adult HONEY BADGER CHRONICLES paranormal, romance series-set in the author’s Magnus Pack and Pride Worlds. This is Amur tiger shifter Keane Malone, and Honey Badger shifter Nelle Zhao’s story line. TO KILL A BADGER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from several third person perspectives including Keane and Nelle TO KILL A BADGER continues to focus on the take-down of a human trafficking ring, and the ongoing investigation into a powerful drug created to take down the honey badger shifters but the past is taking aim with the return of the large European Lion Pride known as the de Medici’s, a group of powerful lions who have targeted the MacKilligan family in the wake of the murder of their patriarch and father. As Nelle is best friends and part of the MacKilligan extended family, she is determined to end the war before it begins but the arrival of the larger extended family of Malones, she finds herself facing not only our story line hero but a family of she-lions determined to protect one of their own.
The world building is once again complex, complicated and detailed with numerous references to shifter sports league, powerful shifter control groups (The Group, BPC, Katzenhaus, The Board) including families and deep ops organization, most of whom we met in the PACK and PRIDE series. The powerful and often crazy MacKilligan clan of honey badgers whose dynamic abilities and persuasive tactics are at the heart of many ops and take downs find themselves at an impasse when their own patriarch forces their hand in an effort to end a war not of their making.
The relationship between Keane and Nelle begins acrimoniously as Keane wants nothing to do with the Badgers and their extended families but Keane is pulled into Nelle’s around the globe journey as she looks for help in taking down the de Medici Group, only to discover betrayal when it comes time to fight. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, supernatural, dominant and commanding secondary and supporting characters including wolves, bears, lions, tigers, hyenas, badgers and the return of the foxes. We are reintroduced to Nelle’s extended blood family and family of the heart (MacKilligan); Keane’s brothers Finn, Dale and Shay, several Van Holtz from a different generation, and the Dunn Triplets-always fun to watch the bears run when Charlie sets about on a baking frenzy.
TO KILL A BADGER is another comprehensive and intricate story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, espionage and madness, family and friendships, relationships and love. The action packed, character driven premise is edgy, fast paced and full of snark, humor and fun-the darker elements require a great sense of humor, after all, it is a paranormal story and ultimately, all of the shifters are predators, and therefore, killing is part of the cycle of life.
copy supplied for review
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from several third person perspectives including Keane and Nelle TO KILL A BADGER continues to focus on the take-down of a human trafficking ring, and the ongoing investigation into a powerful drug created to take down the honey badger shifters but the past is taking aim with the return of the large European Lion Pride known as the de Medici’s, a group of powerful lions who have targeted the MacKilligan family in the wake of the murder of their patriarch and father. As Nelle is best friends and part of the MacKilligan extended family, she is determined to end the war before it begins but the arrival of the larger extended family of Malones, she finds herself facing not only our story line hero but a family of she-lions determined to protect one of their own.
The world building is once again complex, complicated and detailed with numerous references to shifter sports league, powerful shifter control groups (The Group, BPC, Katzenhaus, The Board) including families and deep ops organization, most of whom we met in the PACK and PRIDE series. The powerful and often crazy MacKilligan clan of honey badgers whose dynamic abilities and persuasive tactics are at the heart of many ops and take downs find themselves at an impasse when their own patriarch forces their hand in an effort to end a war not of their making.
The relationship between Keane and Nelle begins acrimoniously as Keane wants nothing to do with the Badgers and their extended families but Keane is pulled into Nelle’s around the globe journey as she looks for help in taking down the de Medici Group, only to discover betrayal when it comes time to fight. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, supernatural, dominant and commanding secondary and supporting characters including wolves, bears, lions, tigers, hyenas, badgers and the return of the foxes. We are reintroduced to Nelle’s extended blood family and family of the heart (MacKilligan); Keane’s brothers Finn, Dale and Shay, several Van Holtz from a different generation, and the Dunn Triplets-always fun to watch the bears run when Charlie sets about on a baking frenzy.
TO KILL A BADGER is another comprehensive and intricate story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, espionage and madness, family and friendships, relationships and love. The action packed, character driven premise is edgy, fast paced and full of snark, humor and fun-the darker elements require a great sense of humor, after all, it is a paranormal story and ultimately, all of the shifters are predators, and therefore, killing is part of the cycle of life.
copy supplied for review
September 2, 2025
This is book six in the Honey Badger Chronicles of a group of borderline insane honey badger shifter women who wreak international havoc when they’re not playing basketball. In this book, the last of the women, Nelle Zhao, the youngest daughter of a rich and influential Hong Kong honey badger family, finds her mate in Keane Malone, a Siberian tiger shifter who only cares about football, his family, and getting revenge on de Medici lion shifter coalition. Not necessarily in that order.
In the previous book, de Medicis released a drug that can kill honey badger shifters who are pretty much indestructible otherwise. In retaliation, Charlie, the oldest of the women, delivered a message, the dead body of the de Medici head of the family. In this book, de Medicis retaliate. Too bad they go after the wrong group of insane honey badgers. Now the previous generation is involved too.
Nelle, the fixer, needs to fix things before an all-out war breaks out—or before Charlie meddles again, because she’s not subtle. She heads to France to negotiate with influential honey badgers to form a coalition against de Medicis, and takes Keane with her. Things don’t go exactly smoothly, but the two end up bonding.
This was a great book, maybe the best in the series. Like always, there are several POV characters, some for only a half a chapter or less. Several things happen at once, but they were fairly easy to follow for a change. And as always, things were chaotic and bat-shit crazy, as some characters enjoy stirring shit. (Looking at you, Max.) The crones were highly annoying, but unlike in the previous book where they were just thrown at the reader who hadn’t read their series, they were properly introduced and given their separate identities.
Romance isn’t the driving force of the plot and is mostly on the background, like in the earlier books. However, the couple actually spends a lot of time together here and the reader can follow their bond forming. Nelle and Keane made a really good couple and their chemistry felt real, so that by the time they end up in bed together, it feels earned. Nelle wasn’t half as annoying as she’s appeared to be in earlier books and Keane was absolutely delightful for a grumpy, constantly angry tiger. Theirs might be a true union, unlike the other girls’ whose mates basically ended up as background characters the women barely interact with.
I think this is the last book. All the women have now found their mates and the Malones have had their revenge. If that is the case, the series ends with a high note and leaves things in a good place. However, the ending sets the stage for a new story, so there could be a spin-off in the making too. I would love to read that, or anything the author writes under her two names (I’m still waiting for more Crows), as no one does insanely violent women like Laurenston/Aiken.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In the previous book, de Medicis released a drug that can kill honey badger shifters who are pretty much indestructible otherwise. In retaliation, Charlie, the oldest of the women, delivered a message, the dead body of the de Medici head of the family. In this book, de Medicis retaliate. Too bad they go after the wrong group of insane honey badgers. Now the previous generation is involved too.
Nelle, the fixer, needs to fix things before an all-out war breaks out—or before Charlie meddles again, because she’s not subtle. She heads to France to negotiate with influential honey badgers to form a coalition against de Medicis, and takes Keane with her. Things don’t go exactly smoothly, but the two end up bonding.
This was a great book, maybe the best in the series. Like always, there are several POV characters, some for only a half a chapter or less. Several things happen at once, but they were fairly easy to follow for a change. And as always, things were chaotic and bat-shit crazy, as some characters enjoy stirring shit. (Looking at you, Max.) The crones were highly annoying, but unlike in the previous book where they were just thrown at the reader who hadn’t read their series, they were properly introduced and given their separate identities.
Romance isn’t the driving force of the plot and is mostly on the background, like in the earlier books. However, the couple actually spends a lot of time together here and the reader can follow their bond forming. Nelle and Keane made a really good couple and their chemistry felt real, so that by the time they end up in bed together, it feels earned. Nelle wasn’t half as annoying as she’s appeared to be in earlier books and Keane was absolutely delightful for a grumpy, constantly angry tiger. Theirs might be a true union, unlike the other girls’ whose mates basically ended up as background characters the women barely interact with.
I think this is the last book. All the women have now found their mates and the Malones have had their revenge. If that is the case, the series ends with a high note and leaves things in a good place. However, the ending sets the stage for a new story, so there could be a spin-off in the making too. I would love to read that, or anything the author writes under her two names (I’m still waiting for more Crows), as no one does insanely violent women like Laurenston/Aiken.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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