Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Big Bone Lick Pack
AUTHOR: Kendall McKenna, Jambrea Jo Jones, and Cherie Noel
PUBLISHER: MLR Press
LENGTH: 79,000 words
BLURB: Welcome to the Big Bone Lick Pack: A more friendly and hospitable group of werewolves you’ll never meet! Visit with; ‘Devil Dog & Bad Wolf’, a ‘Big Bad Bear’ and enjoy some ‘Shifty Fox Shenanigans’. Watch yourself, ’round the state park, ’cause we had a grizzly on the loose, just a bit ago. Our brave men and woman of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department have everything under control. (Except maybe their own love lives!) But if find yourself needing a doctor, head on down to Rabbit Hash clinic, or St. Elizabeth’s Hospital is just up the road a piece. We hope you enjoy your stay.
REVIEW:
Devil Dog and Bad Wolf by Kendall McKenna
Kendall is the Queen of bad-ass Marine stories, and this one is no exception! Marine Seth Price is out adventuring on his own, looking for werewolves one night. He finds a werewolf and soooo much more than he bargained for…. The details Kendall includes make it very clear she knows what she is talking about. The phrases and words, weapons and equipment used by Seth show her obsession to detail. Plus she writes an awesome story! Lots of action and drama, details of the location, the smells and sights, totally puts you in the scene.
Then there is the romance part of this story… These two men are so perfect for one another, fated or not, they are meant to be together. Both strong, beautiful men, in the prime of their lives. Bad-ass Marine, Alpha werewolf, how could it be better? Asa is so sweet and gentle with Seth when he needs to be, Seth is so stoic and strong. A true Marine. Their families, the pack, the whole town is there to help and support. We just get to sit back and enjoy! And watch the sparks fly. Then there is the sex. Not a lot of it, but holy smokes! It is hot and wonderful. Two big, hot men, this is exactly why I read m/m. Wow. Loved it!
Big Bad Bear by Jambrea Jo Jones
Kendall’s story sets the stage and gets us going, Jambrea’s picks up and carries it along. It takes place simultaneously, but features Kane, who is Asa’s Beta wolf, and Dov, a very confused bear shifter. Dov has gotten whacked on the head and caused some trouble in the neighborhood. Kane is sent on a mission in the woods to find the renegade bear, and finds waaaay more than he bargains for! Then the fun begins.
Dov is a big bear steamroller, just flattening Kane out. I generally like stories between bears of the non shifter kind, paired with non bears, and we get that here as well. Although in this case, Dov the bear of a man is a bear shifter! He’s obviously a big strong, hairy man, Kane is smaller and slim, both are hot and sexy. Dov has sex on the brain, Kane barely manages to keep a grip on him, and slow Dov down. This story moves very fast, insta-love, insta-sex, insta-family, it’s a fun, enjoyable story, but very much sex oriented. Not a bad thing, just no build up, no suspense, just bam! Hot sexy times! I wish there had been a bit more about how Dov’s accident occured, the mystery was dropped pretty quickly.
Shifty Fox Shenanigans by Cherie Noel
It took me a minute to remember who Simon was…. He and Josiah are the stars of this part of the book. We met Simon way back in Asa and Seth’s story. Josiah pops out of nowhere like a breath of fresh air. Simon is a bit wacky, moving from England, and bringing some issues with him. We don’t get a lot about what has happened to him, he has some drama in his past but it’s not clear what. Josiah is a local boy, but very disconnected from the pack. Again, it’s not as clear why as it could have been. But the two of them have some indecent contact in the hospial, then take us on a wild ride!
Picnic sex, cheese danish and beer…. Cherie writes a very descriptive story, I wanted tomatoes after reading this one! Also a walk in the arboretum. She gives us several side characters that I loved, Rae the Beta Bitch was fantastic. It’s a sweet story, with a really hot sex scene at the end. Brought a tear to my eye as well.
There is a great little epilogue at the end tying all of the stories together and wrapping them up in a neat little bow. We see mated pairs and meet parents, apologies are given and accepted, and they all live happily ever after!
I’ve read books by Kendall McKenna before, she’s definitely the strongest writer of this anthology. If you have read and liked her other books, you’ll like her contribution to this one. Both Jambrea Jo Jones, and Cherie Noel were new to me. I can’t compare their stories here to others they have written. I enjoyed both of their stories very much. I loved Cherie’s descriptions and quirky characters. Jambrea’s was the lightest of the three, very fun and hot. What I like about anthologies is being introduced to new authors, I’ll watch for books from both Jambrea and Cherie in the future. And of course more werewolf Marines from Kendall!
RATING: 