Prickly by Nature

Portland Pack Chronicles, Book 2

By: Piper Vaughn, Kenzie Cade

Narrated by: Iggy Toma

Portland Pack Chronicles: Book Two

In the four months since hedgehog shifter Avery Babineaux started investigating the disappearance of a young female werewolf from the Portland Pack, he's discovered his life's passion. Now he's apprenticing under established PI Corbin Reid. Avery hopes his training with Reid will help him finally bring Lacey home, but detective work isn't without its perils, and the potential dangers strain his relationship with his new mate, Dylan.

Dylan Green would be perfectly content with his mating and his motorcycle shop if it wasn't for his constant worry about Avery's safety and the fact that Avery's never home. Proud as he might be of Avery's determination to prove his worth and fulfill his promise to Lacey's father, Dylan can't stand the thought of Avery being hurt. Yet what right does he have to demand Avery give up his job when it's clear Avery's found his true purpose? Still, Dylan wishes he could, and the appearance of a new police detective who sets his sights on Avery only adds to the tension.

Something has to give, but stubbornness runs in both their veins, and it might take a catastrophe for them to find a compromise they can live with.

©2015 Piper Vaughn, Kenzie Cade (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

Ok mystery, to much unnecessary drama

First book was good and they mated and got their happily ever after. Or not.

I’m well aware that real life relationships sometimes suffer from insecurities, disagreements and jealousy. But why with a mated shifter pair? They are mated, they know the other part won’t stray, they can feel each other’s emotions and they still get crazy jealous and have huge fights about it? Sorry, but that doesn’t fit for me and makes me annoyed.

Do not be fooled by the summary.

So the publisher summary describes what should be a completely ridiculous story and then Iggy Toma gets involved and suddenly it's an enjoyable experience. This is a continuation of a love story with a very odd basis wrapped in a crime story as well. The crime part fleshes out the personal and relationship growth of the characters. I hope to see a third installment soon. The love story part... Well. I liked it, even if a bit predictable. The characters do grow though usually as expected. The sex scenes. Not everyone will enjoy them. I did. I even started to worry about where I was when one started to play. Not something I'd suggest listening to while grocery shipping. Pause it and wait until you're alone in case you have a reaction to some of the explicit parts. There are not too many, leaving me wishing for more. To wrap up here I will say this has gone from a purchase based on "how silly can this possibly be" to the short list of stories I will gladly listen to again.

The narration by Iggy Toma is wonderful!

Any additional comments?

I really liked the relationship development in this.

Whereas in Prickly Business Avery and Dylan didn't communicate well at all (and that might be the understatement of the year), they definitely put forth more effort in this installment. Which went a long way to mollifying my ire over the last one.

The mystery is well balanced with the romance, and character growth and introduction makes this seem like a series that could really get some legs.

The narration by Iggy Toma is wonderful! Iggy has a terrific way with character voices, tone and intonation that makes listening a pleasure.

This has a good blend of romance, mystery, suspense, some light angst and action, and, of course, good sexy times makes Prickly By Nature an entertaining listen.

Recommended.

Love it...

I was so excited to see the Book 2 in this series. I had so many questions from the first book and I wanted to know the rest of the story. Piper Vaughn did not disappoint!!! Avery and Dylan's story continues and in spite of all the up's and down's answers are provided and love wins in the end!! Just like in real life ;-) . Iggy Toma was spot on as usual. A must read in the series!!!

Keeping Promises

They are continuing to work out their life as a couple and Avery begins to work at his new career. Dylan tries very hard to be understanding while it is clear that Avery has no intention of giving up on his promises. They face hardship and hard work as they move forward in their life. Excellent audio narration.

mixed feeling through out

Any additional comments?

Overall I’ve mixed feelings about this one. By the end of the first audio, I was warming up to Avery and his spoiled ways. I, as a reader, listener, felt like he was maturing into an adult, I could learn to like. And honestly that’s why I agreed to the second one.

But I quickly found out that I’ve a love/like with this hedgehog and it’s mostly not like. And I found myself skimming parts when Avery had a good part of the dialogue. Hats off to whoever wrote that character, and to the narrator, sure got under my skin.

On the flip side of that, I found Dylan to forgiving to Avery and his ways. Overall the whole thing frustrating, for someone that is supposed to be domain….

The story itself was entertaining, and a good follow up from the first. We got closure on the missing girl, Avery family and found out how being mated was working out. How Avery was doing becoming a P.I. How Dylan was coping.

The narrator, again does a wonderful job capturing all the voices, the tensions of the situations, the drama’s the love.

Love this series!

We met Dylan and Avery in book one, they’d finally admitted they were mates and are willing to make a go of it. Meanwhile, Avery is hot on the case of a missing wolf shifter and it’s turning into a career. Dylan supports Avery, but hates the time he’s away from home and the danger he’s in.

Meanwhile, people involved in the shifter case keep ending up dead and this makes Dylan all the more worried. But… the tension from the case and the unexpected reception they receive at Avery’s brother’s wedding, force them both to finally admit their love for one another.

So… on the one hand, things between them are getting better and better, but all the more dangerous, nonetheless.

**
So many times the sequel is never as good as the original… not so here! I loved this sequel so much!

These shifters are regular guys who also shift into animals, so pack dynamics play a role but it’s not as overarching as it is with some other shifter stories. The authors do a great job building this universe and putting in in beautiful (rainy!) PDX is great! (I loved all the local references!)


We finally get our smoin’ hot smexy times with Dylan and Avery, but we – more importantly – get their intimate moments as well.

The secondary characters are well developed and add to the story (Lucas and Miss Georgie are fab!). This is an amazing writing team and I hope we see more from them on other projects as well.

All in all I loved this and highly recommend it to fans of book one and shifter fans.


Audio:
Iggy Toma did the audio for book one and he continues to do a great job with book two. He does such a nice job with Avery’s accent and those of his family as well as giving a good voice to the females in this story. In addition handles the emotions really well and is great with the pacing. He’s another one of the narrators that really knows how to give a good performance with his work rather than simply reading the story.

I highly enjoyed this narration and give it 5 of 5 stars for both the book and the audio.

5 stars = I freaking LOVED this book!!!

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

Prickly by Nature picks up a few months after Prickly Business and returns readers back to the lives of Avery Babineaux and Dylan Green. Not only do we get to see how their relationship has progressed since their mating, but we also get to see how Avery has continued to grow as an individual without the continued influence of his family’s money. After his involvement in uncovering the dirty cops and their involvement in a human trafficking ring, Avery has decided to pursue a more legitimate line of investigation and began apprenticing to become a private investigator. Fortunately, the P.I. he’s working with, Reid, is also a shifter and a member of the Portland Pack, thus making it easier for Avery to focus on learning the skills he’ll need as he doesn’t have to worry about hiding his hedgehog nature. Unfortunately, Avery is so focused on his new profession that at times, he leaves Dylan feeling slightly neglected and worried about his safety, much to Avery’s chagrin. So while Avery continues to learn what it means to be a mate, he’s also faced with becoming a P.I., getting a break on Lacey’s case, and navigating the minefield that is his brother’s wedding.

I absolutely adore Avery. The spoiled young man we met at the beginning of Prickly Business is gone. In his place is a man who is not only willing to put in the hard work, but is dedicated to establishing a career as a P.I. Of course, he can still be a diva and has no problem complaining in his haughty manner, but he’s come to know what he wants from his life and does not hesitate to make it known. I will admit to being surprised at how well he stood up to his father – not the part where he turns down his father’s offer, but when he made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that his mate’s happiness was more important to him than his parents’ concern over the Babineaux name. I also enjoyed watching Avery and Dylan work to balance one another’s needs when it came to Avery’s career path – Avery’s need to prove himself capable of doing his job and Dylan’s need to keep his mate safe. What made the story even better is that the authors did not make their relationship perfect. Even after all that they’ve endured, Avery and Dylan are still new to their mating and they experience several bumps in the road in this installment. Yet perhaps the most exciting aspect of Prickly by Nature is when Avery’s discovery of who is involved in the human trafficking ring brings him that much closer to finding out Lacey’s whereabouts. And it makes for one heck of a showdown that gives the reader (or listener) the chance to see just how much alpha Dylan has in him and the lengths to which he’ll go to keep his mate safe.

As for the audiobook aspect of Prickly by Nature, Iggy Toma has yet again brought Avery to life. I cannot properly express how much I enjoy Toma’s narrative talents, especially when it comes to the contrasts between Avery’s southern gentility and Dylan’s gruffness – it’s hard to believe that I’m listening to the same person perform both men’s voices, as well as all the other characters that appear in the book. It amazes me that I can listen to a scene with four or more characters and never get confused as to who is speaking. Listening to Iggy Toma is a treat made even more enjoyable by the characters and story that Vaughn and Cade have created. I look forward to more from Avery Babineaux and the Portland Pack Chronicles.

it is so worth it

i love this series it is so worth it that you will not be disappointed and you will be hoping that there will be more in the series i really like this series

Annoying by nature

I listened to the first book so I thought I'd try Prickly By Nature. Instead of having the freshness of the first book, it was long and drawn out with the same issues repeated. Never hire a hedgehog as a private investigator or your case will proceed at hedgehog speed which is somewhat slower than a sloth.