Prickly Business

By: Piper Vaughn, Kenzie Cade

Narrated by: Iggy Toma

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Some people might call Avery Babineaux a prick. He's a hedgehog shifter from an old-money Louisiana family, with a penchant for expensive shoes and a reputation for being a judgmental snob. His attitude is why he and his fated mate are estranged. Not that Avery cares. He doesn't want to be mated to some blue-collar werewolf anyway. Or so he keeps telling himself.

No werewolf likes to be looked down upon, least of all Dylan Green. He doesn't need a mate, especially not some snotty hedgehog who sneers at his custom motorcycle shop and calls him a grease monkey. But when Avery gets into trouble with a shady loan shark, Dylan can't stand by and let him be hurt - whether he wants the brat or not.

Yet once Dylan steps into Avery's world, he realizes there's more to Avery than his prickly exterior, and that unexpected vulnerability calls to Dylan's protective instincts. The sassy little hedgehog needs a keeper, and despite their horrible first impressions, Dylan starts to believe he might be the wolf for the job.

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

Great narrator love this series!

Avery is a hedgehog shifter who left his home territory of Louisiana and move to Oregon. Shifter law dictates that he must join the local wolf pack since Portland falls in that jurisdiction. Though his family has always looked down upon wolf shifters, Avery doesn’t care a bit, and happily joins the pack.

Avery finds his mate, a wolf, and in a drunken mistake, throws him over for not being “good enough”. Dylan is of course hurt, and somewhat glad, because he doesn’t ever want a mate anyway.

Two years go by, and the mates avoid each other at all costs. It isn’t until Avery ends up in trouble because of some gambling debts that they spend any significant time together.

Finally, the two realize how wrong they’ve been about the other and they begin a relationship. In the meantime, Avery gets involved in a missing person’s project that might just end up costing him his life!

**

This a little different than the average “shifter” romance. For one, though the instant attraction is there, it isn’t acted upon until much later in the story. In addition, the side stories – Avery’s gambling problems first and later a missing female wolf shifter – take up a lot of the book.

The world building is excellent and the character development is also well done. I enjoyed the romance between Dylan and Avery but I was disappointed by how little time they spent together. (This is remedied in book two – so consider this a slow burn for the series.)

When they do get together the smexy times are HOT and the feels are wonderful.

The writing was really good and I am definitely interested in seeing more from this series.

4 of 5 stars

Audio

Iggy Toma does a fantastic job with this! He gives Avery a delightful Southern drawl and helps us to differentiate all the other voices as well. I love his reading voice and found this really enjoyable as an audiobook. Definitely the best way to enjoy this story!

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.5 of 5 stars

In spite of myself...

In spite of myself...I thoroughly enjoyed this shifter story. My first thoughts...a 'hedgehog shifter' and fated mates to a wolf shifter...really. I suppose this is based on my ignorance of shifter lore. As I began the journey of Avery and Dylan...I became engrossed in the story. I listened to the story in one sitting...a good way to spend a few hours (11+). Angst, murder, mayhem, preconceived ideas, and learning about one's self. This book has it all. Piper Vaughn did an excellent job and the narration of Iggy Toma made the journey that much better. Definitely would recommend this story.

The narration is fantastic

Any additional comments?

I’m really at odds on this. On one hand, the narration is fantastic. On the other hand, the miscommunication in this is so extreme it almost drove me insane listening to it.

The writing is sharp (communication issues aside), the characters are multi-dimensional and not just cardboard cutouts, and the narration by Iggy Toma brings out a lot of nuance to the story. I love Toma’s character voices, timing, and expression. 5 Stars for the audio!

But…Have I mentioned I hated the miscommunication?

It’s an interesting premise for a shifter story with a slow burn, even though Avery and Dylan are mates, with a mystery interwoven throughout. Yes, the mystery ends largely unresolved, but, luckily for my sanity, the relationship is resolved. Very satisfactorily. And there’s knotting!

I’d absolutely recommend to those for whom communication issues aren’t a problem.

A Real Story, A Real Romance

A great rarity: a M/M Romance with a plot. I didn't think I wanted to read about a hedgehog shifter. I mean wolves are beautiful and even tigers but hedgehogs? I was wrong, not only is our hedgehog beautiful in human form, but his wolf shifter mate loves how cute he is an animal too, not that a hedgehog ever has to shift so he's a very pretty young guy most all the time. But this isn't just a fated mate book. Rather it's a book with a real plot. There is reversal of fortune, mystery, danger and an Alpha's daring mission to save his mate and others captured to become sex slaves.There is no insta-love in this story, It is a slow buildup to affection that turns to love. The families, the cops and even the pack leaders are not to be trusted. What can our hero do? The first thing he can do is save his mate. An excellent M/M romance story with top notch narration.

Enjoyable but not much romance in it

Enjoyable, with likeable characters but a bit longer than it needed. I would have liked more romance and less time spent with the suspense part of the story.

Next book please...

Now I'm intrigued. I need to know what's going to happen between the alphas son and the Beta.

A Fun Story

A pretty cool story actually. There were a few things I didn't love... primarily, if they're fated mates, what the heck took them so long to get together?

Avery's character is great, and I liked how the mystery part of the story changed so much about him.

Nicely performed by Iggy Toma.

great story

l love this story. It has suspense, drama, comedy and overall a great book. I will definatly be reading the next chapter of this story.

I love this series so much

you will love this story it is a story that is so hot so like nerve-wracking like you want to just grind your teeth but it is so worth listening to because it's like love but yet it's dirty love I can't wait for the second book and I know for a fact if you give this book a try you will want the second book 2

Hedgehog shifter!! Fun PNR m/m romance!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a super cute PNR shifter romance about a prickly southern hedgehog shifter and his wolf soulmate. If you thought you wouldn't like a story about tiny little hedgehogs, this little story will change your mind. If not laugh out loud funny, it most definitely had me smiling at the interaction between these two at times.
Its got a touch of mystery, but is mostly about the road to romance for Avery the hedgehog and Dylan the wolf, and their very rocky start.

What other book might you compare Prickly Business to and why?

Can't think of any at the moment. Not a heavy read, just a light humorous, easy going m/m contemporary romance.

What does Iggy Toma bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He has a wonderful range of voices and I am always pleased to give 5 stars to any narrator that is able to separate each character in a book with a distinct voice, and maintain a smooth reading rhythm.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Just a fun enjoyable read. I did enjoy when Dylan and Avery stood up to the Alpha of the pack and Dylan's jerk of a father.

Wonderful

Loved this story, the characterisation and animal behaviours made me smile. I adore Avery and his prickly hedgie nature.

Love it!

perfect narator and exciting story line ... going to listen to the second one now and thank you for writing them... shifter stories are my fave!