Shelly Laurenston – Big bad Beast

The sixth book in the Pride series, published May 1, 2011.
Genre: paranormal romance
Cover: I like it.



Seeing is deceiving. And Ric Van Holtz, the wolfishly sexy hero of Shelly Laurenston's sizzling, wildly entertaining new tale, is nothing you expect - and everything you want...
When it comes to following her instincts, former Marine Dee-Ann Smith never holds back. And this deadly member of a shifter protection group will do anything to prove one of her own kind is having hybrids captured for dogfights. Trouble is, her too-cute rich-boy boss Ric Van Holtz insists on helping out. And his crazy-like-a-fox smarts and charming persistence are making it real hard for Dee to keep her heart safe....
Ric can't believe his luck. He's wanted this fiercely independent she-wolf from day one, but he never expected teamwork as explosive as this. And now is his last chance to show Dee what she needs isn't some in-your-face Alpha male - but a wily, resourceful wolf who'll always have her back in a fight...and between the sheets.


I have been looking forward to this story for a long time, ever since I first encountered Dee-Ann Smith on the pages of my first Shelly Laurenston novel, she intrigued me. She is really cold heart and a killer. All the shifters are predators of course, but she is a killer. She has been a marine, and now she has joined the Group. The attacks on hybrids are escalating, and they need to find the money. Cut that off, and the illegal pit fights will disappear. To her dismay Dee-Ann will have to work close together with Dez from LAPD and Malone as representative of the cats’ agency. She prefers to work alone, but her boss, in the form of Ric Van Holtz, leaves her no choice in this.

Ric Van Holtz is a wolf shifter, one of the rich and famous Van Holtz’s and a genius in the kitchen. He is also good at investing money, and has been in love with Dee-Ann Smith since he first met her at age 6. Of course she has no clue and Ric knows he has to work slowly to seduce her and make her his mate. It does drive him nuts that she has no problem at all to barge into his highly secured home to give him her reports, but he also loves seeing her at his home. When Dee-Ann is injured one day, he insists on driving her to her home, and is appalled at the apartment she has rented. As it has been taken over by some very feral rats, he insists that she uses one of his spare bedrooms until she rents another place. Dee-Ann never did spend much time at the flop she rented, usually sleeping in the hotel with her friend, one of the Reed brothers, but now she is embarrassed and has no choice but to accept Ric’s offer.
Every opportunity he gets, Ric makes food for Dee-Ann, as she does not take well enough care of her self, and is too skinny for a wolf shifter. Dee-Ann really loves his cooking, but is indeed not interested in feeding herself when she is on a case.

There is also a subplot with Ric’s father, who is embezzling funds from the Pack, and he needs to take steps to end it. Ric really does not want to become Alpha himself, and his father thinks he is entitled to all that Ric has. As does his older brother and the two of them try to intimidate him time and again. What was fun, was seeing how Dee-Ann deals with those two. She stuffs his brother in a garbage chute!


I enjoyed this one very much, as I just love both main characters. Dee-Ann and her father Eggie Smith are feared by most shifters, and that reputation is deserved. She loves to fight, and does not mind having to kill the bad guys. She is good at her job and she knows it.
Ric has been raised mostly by his uncle Van, and his aunt Irene, and they did a great job. I loved him. Sure he is alpha as most shifters are, but not annoyingly so. He has enough patience not to chase Dee-Ann away, but let her hunt him instead, and that was brilliantly done.

I did love seeing all the other couples appear in this book, as their storylines and lives keep intertwining. For now I am done reading this series, but I am looking forward to the next book.

Again, lots of action, fighting, bloodshed, but also lots of humor, foodtalk and friendship. And some hot lovescenes as Shelly writes so well. Perfect series to relax with, and yes, it does make me laugh out loud.

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian