Love and Other Wild Things
3.5 Stars

Danica Teel, an energy witch, is sent to Mystic Bayou by the League to try and stabilize the mysterious rift that is causing chaos among the town's supernatural and human residents. Together with mayor Zed Barron, Dani faces off against a malevolent stalker determined to widen the rift and destroy the only place magical beings can coexist with humans.

Despite the charming setting and quirky characters, there is something missing from this follow-up to How to Date Your Dragon, and the problem lies in the romance.

Unfortunately, Zed and Dani's romance falls flat, especially when compared to the couple in the first book. Their interactions are lacking the witty banter that so enhanced Bael and Jillian's chemistry, and aside from an instant-lust attraction, there doesn't seem to be any foundation to their relationship. Zed is a homebody while Dani has wanderlust; he wants a mate to share his cave with while she is looking for a lover and not a partner. Obviously, these issues are resolved by the end, but it all feels contrived rather than natural.

In contrast, the suspense plot revolving around the person widening the rift is intriguing, and the climax and resolution are intense and exciting. Harper also managed to surprise me with the identity of the villain; someone who wasn't even on my radar. So kudos here!

In terms of the audiobook narration, Amanda Ronconi is as fantastic as ever and Jonathan Davis's deep baritone is growing on me.

In sum, there are hints at a larger agenda at play in the world of Mystic Bayou, and I look forward to finding out what happens next.

( )

I will lump all six books of the Mystic Bayou series into one review because they follow the same charming formula that Molly Harper tends to use. The similarities between the stories don’t harm them, as long as you go into each knowing exactly what you will get. There will be a meet-cute, followed by lots of sexual tension, a mystery solved together with the requisite found family, and happily ever after for our star couple. Throw in a dragon, a were-bear, selkies, a dryad, a witch, and a gnome, and you have quite the community. I enjoyed every minute of listening to the series. ( )

I love me some Molly Harper, but this one was not one of my favourites. It was good, just not as good as most of her other stories. The characters in this one didn't click with me the way the featured characters in the first Mystic Bayou did, and I've officially decided that I don't like the dual narrative voices. Both Amanda Ronconi and Jonathan Davis are excellent narrators, but when the book is told in the 3rd person, I'd rather just one narrator; in this case Amanda Ronconi.

And I categorically do NOT like having sex scenes read to me by any narrator, male or female.

The plot felt rushed; what would have been an interesting story if allowed to simmer and develop just felt like a non-event; a flimsy construct to prop the romance up in. Harper's books always have a romantic element, but not usually at the expense of the rest of the plot; this felt phoned in. So much so that even the humor felt absent.

Still, not every book can be a masterpiece, and Harper has written far more that's good than she has bad. I happily look forward to her upcoming books and will read them with pleasure. Though no more audio editions; printed editions for these from now on. ( )

Welcome to Mystic Bayou, a tiny town hidden in the swamp where shape-shifters, vampires, witches, and dragons live alongside humans. The town formed around the mysterious energy rift in the bayou, which helps keep the town's magic in balance. But lately the rift has been widening and destabilizing - threatening to send the town's magical population into chaos.

Energy witch Danica Teel has been sent by the League to figure out what's going on, with the help of bear-shifter Mayor Zed. While working on the case, Zed falls head over paws for Dani, but she's reluctant to engage in anything beyond a roll in his cave. Dani's family is counting on her to get the job done, and she has no time for distractions. But when an ominous presence begins stalking Dani through the bayou, they'll need to band together to make it out alive.

A new paranormal ability and a bear in love. Another delicious offering from Molly and as I had been chatting with a friend and mentioned details on the books and she went and got a bunch. ( )

Love and Other Wild Things
By: Molly Harper
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Amanda Ronconi
Series: Mystic Bayou, Book 2
Book 2 continues the series with a new employee coming to the town. The rift is getting bigger and they brought in a witch to help monitor and control the rift. Someone once her to stop, or die! The Brown bear shifter has got his eyes on her! 😁 A fun, sexy, but with a mystery, read with supernatural characters! Great narrators! ( )