Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Were-Geeks Save Lake Wacka Wacka
SERIES: Were-Geeks Save The World #2
AUTHOR: Kathy Lyons
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2020
LENGTH: Print Length 262 pages
BLURB:
Paramedic and firefighter Bruce Collier became a werewolf to protect his family—and hopefully make amends for the way he treated his younger brother. His bitterness nearly turned him into the monster he thought his brother was… until he met Mr. Happy.
Werewolf Laddin Holt—a.k.a. Mr. Happy—likes things organized as he makes them go boom. He’s Wulf, Inc.’s explosive expert and the only one calming the turmoil inside Bruce.
At least until they’re drawn into a conflict between two factions of fairies living around Lake Wacka Wacka. Bruce wants to take them out, Laddin has other ideas, and neither of them sees the real threat lurking behind the scenes—or how their love could be the answer to everybody’s problems.
REVIEW:
Laddin – a Hollywood special effects guru, was told by his grandmother that something was going to happen to him. He didn’t expect to become one of several geeks ‘turned’ to help werewolves fight demons.
Bruce, a firefighter/medic, chose to be changed so that he could be in the same world as his brother. He was sure that Josh was caught up in a cult, and Bruce intended to save him. But that wasn’t quite the deal he made with the fairy who changed him into a werewolf.
A short-staffed Wulf Inc made it so that Laddin, aka Mr. Happy, a pup himself, was left to babysit the newbie – the dark natured, Bruce.
Reconciling his wolf with his bunny loving human, put Laddin into emotional turmoil. Bruce, wanting to atone for bullying Josh as a kid, is also an emotional mess. The yin and yang of Laddin and Bruce’s personalities, combined with their issues, balance each other, and something special is sparked.
What follows is a story that is not supposed to be completely serious, involves emotional turmoil, and in many ways is a work of genius.
The tale is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Laddin and Bruce. As the second book in a two-part series, there are obvious comparisons. The arcs themselves are significantly different. But there are similarities, like learning how to be a werewolf and the fight against evil.
A fellow LB reviewer posted her love of book one and sadly was unable to review book two. Therefore, as preparation, I read that first. I loved it. The more I read, the more I got involved with the characters and grew to love them. Of the two, book one is a more serious read.
An aspect that spans the series is the …banter is the wrong word – caustic honesty along with banter, which I loved. The pages are heavily sexed and encompass the phrase ‘you dog’.
Almost all the cast from book one return, though Laddin and Bruce take center stage. Bitterroot is the fairy pulling strings. From the outside, the fae has an affinity with Captain Barbosa, as when making contracts, the devil is in the detail.
The serious side of the story is how Laddin and Bruce help each other emotionally. We get to learn more about their home lives, why Laddin is such a positive thinker, and why Bruce hates himself so much. Laddin is the perfect antidote to Bruce’s dourness. It was a pleasure to read their journey, and I came to love them.
An excellent mixture of somber, subtle, direct, dark, and light scenes combines the wacky with emotional and world-ending storylines. Levity comes in the form of pixies who are off their rockers, embody mass hysteria and mob culture. They won’t answer a question that isn’t asked (in other words, volunteer extra info), act on thoughts, and they never give a straight reply. In short, totally confusing.
This is one of those stories where, if it were a stage play, at the end, the audience would stay in shocked silence for a few minutes then roar with applause. I liken it to The Hitchhikers Guide where, I enjoyed it, didn’t understand significant parts of it, the answer was 42, and it will be a cult classic. With Were-geeks Save Lake Wacka Wacka, I loved the characters and the werewolf interactions. The fae completely confused and frustrated me, though they made me laugh. I am in awe of how the author kept her sanity while writing.
I gave it four hearts because, for me, book one was more my style of reading. Though I can see some readers hailing it as the best read ever. I would say this is recommended reading for style, complexity, and sheer absolute out of this world wackiness. So, if a combination of serious werewolves and pixies that leave you with that WTF feeling are your thing, then this story is a must for your shelf and will receive a significantly higher personal score.
RATING: 
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