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A review by emilyberrios
The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Technically comprised of two novellas: "Christmas Pride" and "Shaw's Tail". Reviewed separately below and the star rating average rating of the two.
Christmas Pride 2.25
Frankly, while I don't regret reading it I didn't love it and toiled through it. Dez, the female lead, is apparently Puerto Rican-Irish a detail that seemed unnecessary to the story other than to justify her curves and give her a semblance of being "ethnic" or "exotic", her heritage never was part of the plot or a part of her character. Mace, the male lead, is a were-lion keen on dominating and humiliating because the woman he loves is strong and he must be the one to break her. Great. Love that. Whole thing felt crass, immature (think highschool mean girls, but the characters are supposed to be in their 30s), regressive, and half baked with a little bit of plot thrown in. The author seemed to be trying real hard to be sexy, all the time... trying too hard. First sex scene had too much anticipation built in and ended up feeling underwhelming and even abrasive. The world building was interesting, and I wish the author had spent less time obsessing over sex and more time developing plot and character building... Mace and Dez both felt flat to me. Lots of telling and not showing. Definitely not my favorite, but not bad enough to keep me from reading more in the series. Fortunately, this was just a novella and there are other much stronger entries.Magical penis trope. That's it. That was this book's main pull. Mace's magical penis will fix "whatever little issues" (actual quote) Dez has. 😑
Shaw's Tail 3.75
I had a much better time with this one! Characters are likeable and more well rounded. Ronnie, the female lead is a she-wolf of beta status, a southern gal, and a 30 year old college drop out trying to get her life back in order. Brendon (Shaw), the male lead, is a were-lion, a breeding male with 2 cubs he loves, on his way out of the pride after doing his duty, and with a wayward brother which he's worried about. These characters have lives, aspirations, goals, and hopes. They're flawed and funny, they have dialogue and silly banter, the chemistry is palpable and that makes them sexy. A far cry from the try-too-hard flatness of Mace and Dez. This novella is much more plot and character driven, more showing and less telling. Loved the world building and character development. They read like people I'd like to talk to. I ate this up.
Christmas Pride 2.25
Frankly, while I don't regret reading it I didn't love it and toiled through it. Dez, the female lead, is apparently Puerto Rican-Irish a detail that seemed unnecessary to the story other than to justify her curves and give her a semblance of being "ethnic" or "exotic", her heritage never was part of the plot or a part of her character. Mace, the male lead, is a were-lion keen on dominating and humiliating because the woman he loves is strong and he must be the one to break her. Great. Love that. Whole thing felt crass, immature (think highschool mean girls, but the characters are supposed to be in their 30s), regressive, and half baked with a little bit of plot thrown in. The author seemed to be trying real hard to be sexy, all the time... trying too hard. First sex scene had too much anticipation built in and ended up feeling underwhelming and even abrasive. The world building was interesting, and I wish the author had spent less time obsessing over sex and more time developing plot and character building... Mace and Dez both felt flat to me. Lots of telling and not showing. Definitely not my favorite, but not bad enough to keep me from reading more in the series. Fortunately, this was just a novella and there are other much stronger entries.
Shaw's Tail 3.75
I had a much better time with this one! Characters are likeable and more well rounded. Ronnie, the female lead is a she-wolf of beta status, a southern gal, and a 30 year old college drop out trying to get her life back in order. Brendon (Shaw), the male lead, is a were-lion, a breeding male with 2 cubs he loves, on his way out of the pride after doing his duty, and with a wayward brother which he's worried about. These characters have lives, aspirations, goals, and hopes. They're flawed and funny, they have dialogue and silly banter, the chemistry is palpable and that makes them sexy. A far cry from the try-too-hard flatness of Mace and Dez. This novella is much more plot and character driven, more showing and less telling. Loved the world building and character development. They read like people I'd like to talk to. I ate this up.