Customer Reviews

Really Unusual Bad Boys

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Really Unusual Bad Boys is a collection of three stories featuring The SandLands Royal Family.

In Bridefight, Detective Lois Commoner is tired of her life. Ever since she was injured on the job she's lived with pain and the knowledge that her injury will have her riding a desk for the rest of her career. She's been alone since the death of her mother and now, with the end of her career, she's depressed and makes the decision to end it all. After taking pain pills she wakes up in a strange new world. The first thing she sees when she opens her eyes is a large puma who stuns her by shifting into a man. Prince Damon believes that Lois has been delivered to his world, The SandLands, to be his mate. But before he can keep her, he has to win her in the Bridefight.

Mating Season continues the SandLand stories. With his brother's recent mating to Lois and apparent happiness, Prince Maltese is lonely for a mate of his own. He's in his bathing pool when he wishes that wherever she is she would come to him. Suddenly, a woman drops out of the sky into his bath. Lt. Anne Sanger is a World War II WAC who is not happy at finding herself in the SandLands. Nor is she thrilled to find out that Maltese is determined to be her mate. She's determined to find her way home regardless of how attractive she finds Maltese.

Groomfight is the last story in this book and is Prince Shakar's story. Prince Shakar is off hunting and bored when he wishes himself to be anywhere but the SandLands. He finds himself on a strange world facing Rica Callanbra. Rica's mother is from the SandLands and appeared to her father who, in an effort to keep his mate happy, built a machine allowing them to travel to the SandLands whenever they wished. Shakar determines that Rica is his mate, and before long, she is pregnant. When Shakar discovers he is to be a father, he decides that they should return to The SandLands so Rica and the baby can have proper care. They return only to discover that although it has been months on Rica's world, in The SandLands Shakar has only been gone a few days. Rica learns that Shakar has neglected to tell her that a Groomfight was called, and who ever wins will be his mate. Since all SandLanders are able to shift into cats this puts Rica and his unborn child in danger.

Really Unusual Bad Boys was, for a lack of better word, a hoot. Bridefight was originally published as an ebook for Ellora's Cave and I loved it just as much then as I do now. The addition of two more stories for Damon's brothers plus the interwoven story of Lois' mother Gladys and King Sekal made for a book I was unable to put down. Hilariously funny and filled with romance Really Unusual Bad Boys is a not to be missed treat!

Melissa

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I'm a huge fan of MJD. I love her sassy women and with few exceptions, find her stories to be a laugh-a-minute wild ride. That said, I feel rather luke warm about this collection. The first story was available from Ellora's Cave about 3 years ago, and doesn't seem to have been edited or reworked at all. (If you read Bridefight then and liked it, skip the rest of my review, because the other two stories are very similar.)

The recurring character, Lois is obnoxious and annoying, and while I concede that MJD's smart-mouthed women can sometimes be a little annoying, they usually go about it in some charming or humorous way. The rest of the characters are "OK". The steamy factor is "OK". The quality of writing is "OK". The "Bad Boy" factor is non-existent - these guys are pussy cats.

That said, an "OK" from MJD is still better than the good stuff of many other authors. As for me, anything by MJD has an automatic spot on my keeper shelf, so I had to buy this book, even if I'll never re-read it.

Better MJD recommendations: Undead and Un-(fill-in-the-blank), The Royal Treatment (sequel coming soon) , Hello Gorgeous, Under Cover, Derik's Bane (which you'll enjoy more if you've read Secrets 6 and Secrets 8)

I loved Bridefight when I read the novella in e-book format at Ellora's Cave. The aforementioned novella was the first part of a series that was never carried out called Canis Royal. In fact, I loved it so much that I wrote a review about the novella and expressed my pleasure in having read such a fun little story. So, imagine my delight when I heard that MaryJanice Davidson re-released Bridefight and added two more novellas of the SandLands for an anthology... and imagine my disappointment when I read Really Unusual Bad Boys. Mating Season leaves off where Bridefight left off, only this time this is Damon's brother Maltese's story. He wished for an earthly woman and got Lt Anne Sanger, a straightlaced WWII soldier. She has no idea how she'd landed in SandLands. Her circumstances are quite different from Lois's. She wants nothing more than to return to her home, however, will she want to after she spends time with the gorgeous werecat? And in Groomfight, third brother Shakar lands on earth and meets a beautiful dark-skinned woman. After spending time with her and indulging in some erotic moments, which includes skinny-dipping, he decides to stay on earth, but things could change after Rica discovers she's with child.

The problem I had with the last two novellas is that they seem rushed, thin and sloppily executed. When I read Bridefight, I felt that Davidson discovered a unique and erotic world with sharp humor and great one-liners to boot. However, the novellas are so short and end so abruptly that I am not any the wiser about the SandLands and its inhabitants. For example, in Mating Season, Anne was quite adamant about returning to earth, and then out of nowhere changes her mind. I was confused with her sudden change of heart. It was just too abrupt. I like that Davidson used the whole time-travel angle with the female characters, but she could have and should have done so much more with these stories. The characters lack depth and all I got from this anthology is a few good romantic scenes between the characters. And the titles "Mating Season" and "Groomfight" had nothing to do with the actual stories. That is another indication that Davidson wrote these stories without giving them much thought. Reading this book was like reading a pamphlet -- thin, light, brief. Bridefight is great and that is why I give Really Unusual Bad Boys two stars instead of one star. Davidson should have taken more time developing this erotic fantasy anthology in a more palpable way. I am a big fan of her work and love the Undead, Wyndham Werewolf and Alaskan books respectively, but I've grown wary of trying her novellas because they have left me unfulfilled. These shall be the last novellas I read from Ms. Davidson. They served their purpose in providing some (very) light entertainment during my train commute to work, but I expected more and I cannot help but feel disappointed and cheated. And ripped off! I paid fourteen dollars for this. Ugh.

Overall, I have not liked the Brava Bad Boys series. However, I like everything I have read by MJD and this book only strengthened that idea. The 3 stories are interconnected and revolve around the mating of the 3 princes from the SandLands. The SandLands is an alternate world where the people transform into animals; the 3 princes, by the way, transform into pumas. MJD's females are always quirky and sassy and this anthology is no different. From learning the language of the dark travelers, to confronting racism, to addressing the role of women, MJD's characters kept me laughing. Highly recommended!

"Bridefight". With her injured knee killing her, Detective Lois Commoner takes a pain killer. However, somehow she wonders what she took because she is no longer inside her apartment. Instead she is in a beautiful strange land looking in delight at a naked hunk Prince Damon who offers to take the visitor under his wings and his body. The cop in her says to investigate him thoroughly starting with a pat down even though she sees he has no hidden weapons.

"Mating Season". Army officer Lieutenant Anne Sanger looks forward to being stationed in Germany so she can see Europe and hopes to meet a strong farm lad in uniform who worships her. Instead she meets Prince Maltese naked in her tub who wants to kiss her senseless, which he does. Everything is ecstasy unless she figures she will wake up putting a climax to what feels so truly hard.

"Groomfight". Prince Shakar seemingly fell from the heavens at the feet of Rica Callanbra. He adjusts to her lifestyle while she adapts to having a compassionate caring hunk to swim naked with and make love to. However, the Prince must go home because he must marry one of the fighting females from his realm. Of course these women never battled a strong female human who knows what she wants and how to achieve her objective.

These three amusing erotic romantic fantasies are terrific fun stories starring strong females who match up well with REALLY UNUSUAL BAD BOYS. Once again nobody combines humor, romance, otherworldly elements (including that), and erotica into fabulous tales like MaryJanice Davidson.

Harriet Klausner

I wish I could give 3 1/2 stars! The first third of this book was fantastic, the middle dismal, and the ending nearly redeamed itself.

Bridefight- In MJD's tradition of sassy, talk & act first ask questions later women, she gives us Lois. She's just been forced off the police force and feels she has nothing left , so she contemplates suicide...only to wake up in the desert with a giant puma staring at her! She has somehow been transported to the SandLands, a fantasy realm where everyone are cat changlings. When in human form Lois's puma is the crown prince Damon. She quickly earns his interest as well as that of his father and 2 brothers.

Damon participates and wins the Bridefight, an event which happens every 3 years and allows the nobles their choice of bride. Ofcourse he picks our spunky heroine and eventually they live happily ever after. But now the younger princes need there mates as well...

Mating Season- Prince Maltese is wishing for his mate- and suddenly she drops from the sky! While Lois was from 2010, Anne is from 1945 and recently enlisted in the war effort. In a shortly contrived story she heads off the Sand Lands royal family from warring with a native race of unchangling brunettes who speak a strange language. Anne is conveniantly a language expert ( though why would the army have taught her spanish and manderin during WW2 when they would have taught her german & japanese?) Anyway, Maltese flips for her but I think the reader will find her pretty unlikable & annoying.

Groomfight- Lois was won in a bridefight and she feels its only right that the ladies of the realm get a chance to win prince Shakar. However before that can happen he is transported to a different world, one we think is Earth but turns out to be a simiallar planet in the future.Rica is this princes intended and is our first black heroine. She becomes pregnant with Shakar's baby and the two journey happily back to the SandLands to spread the good news...Only their just in time for the groomfight and Rica can't fully claim Shakar as her mate until she kicks all the other girls butts. Can she? Pregnant?

At first, I thought this was 3 novella's, but it really isn't. It's one big book about 3 brothers from another world. And apparently people from Earth & their world pop back and forth occasionally. The theory is that you are so sad/miserable that you get to go to the other world for another chance. Lois (first human to pop over) commits suicide. Later she finds her mom there -- who did NOT commit suicide, and yet, there was a body, because Lois had buried her mom, but here she is on this other world -- hmmm, major plot flaw. Most of this book didn't seem thought out. And really just bad writing. The 3 men weren't interesting at all and fell so quickly in love with humans. It seemed like they loved the women because they were from another world -- the world their mother was from -- hmmm, Oedipus complex??? And these guys might have been unusual (oh yeah, they could transform into pumas) but in no way were they "bad boys". Maybe "Really Unusual Boring Boys".

I'm still reading this book, but I'm having to make myself go forward with it. I'm finding it tendious, to say the least.

So what's the confusion? Three things.

Thing the first: The last time I looked, John Huston directed The Maltese Falcon. Why is Hitchcock being mentioned in conjunction with the middle brother's name?

Thing the second: I've hit a snag in Groomfight. Shakar has come into the room where everyone is having breakfast. There's some chitchat, and then he says, "I do not think you are understanding my purpose here this morning. I--- "

"Was a total big loser," Lois said, "and you shouldn't forgive me, but if you //do// forgive me, I'll make it up to you with gobs of oral sex."

Huh? Why would his brother's mate offer to give him head? Now, either I'm totally cockeyed (haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet) or someone's editor was napping when this page was slipped in front of him/her.

Thing the third: bringing up the fact that Maltese never allows anything to inferfere with breaking his fast in *this* story. To my recollection, nothing was said about this in Mating Season, which was his story, or even in Bridefight.

I've enjoyed others of MJD's books, most recently Dead and Loving It, but somehow I don't think this one will be able to redeem itself in the next 40 pages.

No one bats .1000, and it's unfortunately quite obvious here that MJD barely connected with this.

Really Unusual Bad Boys is a real disappointment, and IMHO not a keeper.

Thank goodness I did not pay good money to read this book. I have been curious about MJD - I've heard great things about the Undead series, so when I was given the opportunity to read this book, I jumped at it. This book of short stories feels as if it were written by an immature child. Very simplistic text and sentence structures. I really felt like this was a first effort of a new writer and that an editor seriously should have taken this book in hand and not let it be published. I really saw nothing bad about these boys. The sex scenes were Meh at best and I didn't believe that any of the couples were really in love. I did not care one iota about the world that was supposedly being created in the stories and I found nothing endearing about the characters. Trust me - do not waste your time or your money on this book.

This is not high drama. It isn't Shakespeare or even Masterpiece Theatre. You didn't want that though. You wanted a funny, feisty heroine and hero's that are incredibly hot and great in bed. You wanted humor and sex and witty banter and believe me this book has all of that in spades. Ms. Davidson continually writes the best females in the genre. They are independant, imperfect, funny and vulnerable in unexpected ways. In other words, they are a lot like regular women. READ THIS BOOK.