Wolf with Benefits (Pride #8) by Shelly Laurenston Review

Wolf with Benefits by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Toni Jean-Louis Parker is the oldest sister to ten jackal-shifter prodigy. Wolf shifter, Rickey Lee Reed, loves to be entertained. When Toni’s family is threatened, who better to assign to keep an eye on Toni then Rickey Lee.

I love Wolf with Benefits. Shelly Laurenston does such an incredible job with this series. I can always count on her books to make me laugh. One of the things I adore most about this series is that the shifters are so driven by their animals, in a very humorous manner. All the different groups just accept the various quirks of the other species. They might not like each other but when it comes down to humans versus shifters, they will always stand by each other.

I really like Toni. Having helped raise her gifted siblings, she underestimates her own worth. She is a skilled negotiator and extremely good at reading people and what they value; a necessity when dealing with so many egos. Everyone who meets her ends up loving her or at least appreciating her.

I’ve always liked the Reed brothers. Rickey Lee is probably the most balanced of the three brothers. He is laid back, yet lethal in a fight. I love that he is easily entertained and lets the amusement come to him. I can understand how he would enjoy hanging around the Carnivore Hockey Team and the Jean-Louis Parker Family, entertaining they are.

Not only is the story comical, it has a noteworthy plot. Humans have broken into the Jean-Louis Parker family’s house, and they need to be protected. With so many prodigies, no one knows who the humans are interested in. The story is extremely clever and full of excitement.

I appreciate that characters from the previous Pride books and Magnus Pack series are essential in this story. While you could probably read this book as a stand-alone, I think you would enjoy it more if you read the books in order and got a good background on everyone’s personalities. Shelly Laurenston is so exceptional at character development that you become truly invested in the series.

The Pride Series is unique among shifter novels. Most shifter stories I have read seem are about people who can shift into an animal but act like humans. In this series, the people come off more like their animals. Male lions are obsessed with their hair; foxes are untrustworthy; honey badgers are mean, bears love honey (except polar bears). The wolves are a bit different depending on their pack.

Followers of the Pride series will not be disappointed. If you have not tried the series yet and enjoy reading about shifters and laughing, you do not want to pass this series up. I seriously want to know how Shelly Laurenston comes up with her material because it does not get old and is always entertaining.

Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paperback, 400 pages
Expected publication: June 30th 2015 by Kensington (first published March 2013)
original title: Wolf with Benefits
ISBN 0758265239 (ISBN13: 9780758265234)
series: Pride #8
characters: Ricky Lee Reed, Toni Jean-Louis Parker 
setting: New York City, New York (United States) 


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