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Cormac has been moving from one Shiftertown to the next in search of a mate. Now he's in southern Nevada, where a beautiful, unmated bear Shifter greets him...with a shotgun in her hands.

Nell is a hot-tempered mother of two cubs, and she doesn't take kindly to new Shifters showing up in town without her consent - even one with a sexy smile and brilliant blue eyes. But when her sons are endangered and she desperately needs help protecting them, Cormac proves he's worthy of her trust as well as her desire.
____________

The print version of this story can be found in the anthology Unbound , which was released on March 5, 2013.

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2013

161 people are currently reading
1340 people want to read

About the author

Jennifer Ashley

210 books7,330 followers
NY Times Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance, historical mysteries, and urban fantasy as Jennifer Ashley, Allyson James, and Ashley Gardner.

Jennifer's novels have been translated into many different languages, and earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publisher's Weekly. More about her books at http://www.jenniferashley.com and http://gardnermysteries.com.

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5 stars
1,067 (33%)
4 stars
1,119 (35%)
3 stars
824 (25%)
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21 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
Profile Image for Jen.
1,655 reviews1,162 followers
January 16, 2016
This installment is a novella and takes place after book #4. In this one we are taken back to the Austin, Texas shiftertown, where the Morrisey family rules. Nell, is a bear shifter who has two sons (Brody, and Shane) and no mate. Being a bear shifter means that Nell has an Alpha-type personality, but she is quite satisfied to let Liam Morriesey be the "Alph-male" of all in this town. Nell is a cool woman. She is the type that if there is trouble, she runs and gets her shot gun first; then asks questions later!! Total bad-ass!! LOL She wakes up one morning to a giant "bear" of a man named Cormac doing work in her kitchen. It looks as if her sons, plus her Alpha has decided it is time that Nell meet someone. They figured Cormac might be a great candidate. The thing is, there is more to Cormac than meets the eye, and he has something to tell Nell.

A shiftertown story is never complete without some drama, and of course great sex too! This novella has it all in a quick tale of love, family and loyalty. I will admit that this wasn't one of my favorites in the series; but I did still enjoy it. I think that it was just too short for me to become totally invested in Cormac and Nell's relationship. It felt rushed, and by the time they said I love you to one another; I knew that it was way too soon, and it just didn't feel right. I am looking forward to the next novella which features Ellison, whom is another shifter, and one that is very much a sexy cowboy!!! Bring it on! Yeehaw!!
Profile Image for Sophia Triad.
2,241 reviews3,765 followers
August 6, 2016
Nell is the mama bear of the Las Vegas shifter town with the two grown sons who are already looking for a bride. She is happy with her quite life and anyway she already has enough problems with her two sons.
Cormac is a bear shifter who appeared in her kitchen at 5 in the morning and he is behaving like he owns the house. Nellie's sleep is sadly lost and we all know how much bears love their sleep-especially in winter.
Who is this guy, who let him in, why are her sons mysteriously smiling and what is the hidden agenda of Eric (leader of the town)?
Before she fully understands what is going on, Nellie's life is a completely mess and this is too much for this alpha bear.
A sweet, short story in the series. To be honest I did not expect Nellie to be the next mated shifter. She was too much of a mother figure from the previous books. But I enjoyed the story.
Profile Image for Angela (Angel's Book Nook).
1,672 reviews972 followers
August 3, 2024
Perfect Mate is a novella #4.5 in the Shifters Unbound series by Jennifer Ashley.

I enjoyed retiring to the Shifters Unbound series. I prefer the humans/shifter hook ups, but I still like reading about the shifter/shifter ones. I think this has to do with the shifter/shifter hook ups happen very fast compared to the human/shifter one.

I really like the bears and I like Nell. She is a mother to two grown up boys. I would have liked to have seen the boys mated first. However I enjoyed this novella. I liked Cormac and the plot to get these two together.

Perfect Mate is a sweet and quick read that gives you a taste of the Shifters Unbound world.

~ 3.5 Perfect Mate Stars ~

Audio Mar 2020: The audio was enjoyable.

angelsgp-seethisreview-blure
3,211 reviews67 followers
June 21, 2024
Sweet novella with the alpha heroine being wooed by the quietly determined H. She's bossy with everyone including her two adult shifter sons. He's immovable, she's his mate and that's it. They fight an old adversary and the adventure added to the excitement. Loved this couple.
Profile Image for Alison.
3,685 reviews145 followers
August 5, 2016
Maybe I'm having a bad day. Read three novellas today and was a bit meh about each of them.

Nell has been alone for nearly 100 years bringing up Shane and Brody her two cubs. One day she is woken by banging in her kitchen which turns out to be a hot male bear shifter called Cormac.

Cormac has found a letter from Nell's mate asking his family to look after Nell and her cubs. For some reason, just reading the letter about Nell was enough to make Cormac fall in love with Nell - without even meeting her!

When Cormac arrives in Shiftertown he has Eric's blessing, if not orders to mate Nell, and her sons are actively promoting the match. In fact, throughout the novella Nell gets rail-roaded by everyone into seeing/mating Cormac.

And then there's the insta-love. Why? I get lust, I even get the mate-bond in this universe. But after knowing someone for what I believe is 24 hours how can you seriously be in love?

Not one of my favourites and I didn't fell invested in either Nell or Cormac.
Profile Image for Linda.
2,042 reviews64 followers
June 13, 2014
A new bear has transfered to Shiftertown, and Nell is about to get an awakening she never saw coming.
Nell´s been alone with her two cubs since her mate ended his life, what she didn´t imagine was that someone would come for her after all this time.
Cormac found the letter after waiting years in a museum, and he´s now wanting nothing else than honouring the request. That Nell makes his bear purr? All the better.
A quick, in-between novella letting us see grumpy Nell from another view, and the bear who´s about to soften her grumpness.
Smutty fluff, shifters and suspense.
4,5 Stars
Profile Image for Tanya Davis.
544 reviews60 followers
July 20, 2017
Yay! Another bear book!

For Perfect Mate we find ourselves in the Nevada shiftertown. Nell is tough and stubborn. She has two cubs, that are mostly grown up bears. That doesn't mean mama bear is not heavily into their lives protecting them.

When Cormac ends up in town, Nell is instantly on alert. He's looking for a mate, and Nell is not thinking of mating. Her life is wrapped up in her cubs. Once those cubs are on board with Cormac's plan, they are frustratingly on his side and encourage Nell to mate. It doesn't take too much pushing before she accepts Cormac. She is definitely the dominant of the pair which is fun to see.

The back and forth between these two bears was really fun to read. But we can't leave out the action that comes when the cubs are in danger. We see mama bear take action to protect those cubs and gladly takes Cormac's help.

A couple of things about Perfect Mate. It was short as it was a novella. I love that this novella was done in audio, I hate switching formats to get the novellas read. Being a novella, the romance and the action all happen pretty quickly. Another thing is I love the bears. They are big, strong and protective. Nell is all of those and that made me love her as a main character. Cormac is a newbie, but his persistance and strength make him a great match for Nell. She is just so dominant that she balances out with Cormac.

This was a great pair and I loved every bit of their story.
The Series
This review was originally posted on Rantings of a Reading Addict
Profile Image for Lauren (The Novel Lush).
159 reviews467 followers
December 9, 2018
This one did not work for me AT ALL. It's SO insta-lovey. Even for a novella, it's SUPER FAST. In ONE DAY it goes from "Who tf are you, and why are you in my house. Hell no, I don't need a mate, fuck off" to "Mate of my heart, I love you." This is the first Shifters Unbound book that I just really disliked. So many things are just ridiculous.



The pacing was awful smh.
Profile Image for Vfields Don't touch my happy! .
3,491 reviews
April 12, 2018
These bears are fun and I love peeking in on their life. Their true family and true bear. I'm making the conclusion that Jennifer Ashley works better for me when she sticks to one plot line. Her big full length novels get too muddy and annoy me. Oh, I knew cubs are cubs until about 29 years old but those two are grown-ass-men!
Profile Image for Laura..devouring books like crumpets.
1,960 reviews109 followers
February 3, 2021
2.5

This has been my least favorite edition to this series... Nell has never been of much interest to me and to be honest i found myself not really Concentrating for some of the Audio version... But it was nice to be back with the familiar clan
Profile Image for Suzanne.
384 reviews42 followers
July 31, 2018
This is the first Shifters Undone story I did not enjoy. I'm giving it two stars because I love the universe and background and all the characters, including Nell and Cormac. Otherwise, I would give it one star. Unfortunately, I didn't believe their love at all and kept getting upset at Nell. She is supposed to be kickass and in charge. After all, she is the bear alpha for the whole Shiftertown! She didn't feel that way here at all.

They were also instantly in deep love for no reason within 24 hours after she very clearly said she was not interested. Waaaay too fast; and yet I've believed other Shifter stories where they fell in love almost as fast. It just didn't work in this story and to top it off, the chemistry wasn't great either. It was neither believable nor entertaining. I also didn't understand why Brody and Shane suddenly trusted Cormac when they didn't trust others. This was never explained to my satisfaction; I guess we were just supposed to go along with it without reason.

This was a story I was very much looking forward to reading and it was a disappointment. I will keep reading Shifters stories but I hope they improve from here. Mate Claimed (the novel before this) was the best yet so I have hopes.
Profile Image for Thenia.
4,405 reviews180 followers
June 7, 2019
This is the story of Nell, the dominant mama bear and Cormac, the new bear shifter in town who's looking for a mate.

While the two make a suited couple, it feels like it was a little too soon for their feelings to have reached the depth they had in such a short time.

Regardless, it was an enjoyable short story and I am looking forward to the unlucky Ellison's story next in Lone Wolf.

Previous book reviews:
Mate Claimed (Shifters Unbound #4) ~ ★★★★ (30/07/2014)
Hard Mated (Shifters Unbound #3.5) ~ ★★★★ (05/07/2014)
Wild Cat (Shifters Unbound #3) ~ ★★★★ (15/06/2014)
Bodyguard (Shifters Unbound #2.5) ~ ★★★ (09/06/2014)
Primal Bonds (Shifters Unbound #2) ~ ★★★ (12/08/2013)
Profile Image for Crystal Marie.
1,483 reviews68 followers
August 1, 2014
I have completely loved this series since the first time I found it over a year ago. (Back way before I started blogging!) I just can’t seem to get enough of the shifters that Ms. Ashley has created, and the new and different world that is around either. She has an amazing ability to keep a book going through such a long series, but it doesn’t get boring or feel overused as each book comes out.
I have always had a soft spot for Nell, and was very glad for the chance to read her story! Even though this was a novella, there was still a lot of action, smuttiness, adventure, mystery, and suspense packed into it that kept me turning the pages and wanting for more of Nell and Cormac’s story!
I think that Ms. Ashely has another hit on her hands with this short that just gives you a taste to remind you of the great series before the next book comes out.
I would really recommend this novella if you are unsure if you would like shapeshifter books because it is not like the other ones out there currently. There is a ton of stuff in them that will keep anyone interested.

*Copy BOUGHT for review*
Reviewed by Crystal Marie for Crystal's Many Reviewers
Profile Image for Silver James.
Author 128 books205 followers
January 19, 2020
Perfect Mate (Shifters Unbound, #4.5) by Jennifer Ashley This is a short novella with some awesome bears and a solid HEA.

2018 review: Ah, Nell. Alpha of the very small bear group/pack/family that's part of the Las Vegas Shiftertown. And Cormac, a strange bear who's in her kitchen banging on the walls with a hammer at 5 a.m. Bears are not morning people, not in the winter. Cormac has been on a mission, traveling from his Shiftertown in Wisconsin to Las Vegas, by way of Austin. He finds exactly who--and what--he's looking for in Vegas. That would be Nell. Watching their courting, along with a side helping of action in the form of a vendetta against Nell's son, Shane, makes for a quick, fun read in this novella. Ahhh, bears. They make me happy.
Profile Image for Claudia.
729 reviews24 followers
May 20, 2016
It was too short for my taste.

Cormac was one of the bears that were fighting with Spike.
I didn't get his reasons for wanting to find Nell. I can understand that a clansman asked for help but that was almost 100 years ago. What were to odds of finding Nell?

Ther mating was fun, short and fast. Cormac didn't waste his time and clearly Nell wanted to be caught.
Good read in the end.
Profile Image for Jenn.
37 reviews2 followers
June 5, 2017
Disappointed! I know this was a novella and had to be short, but it lacked a lot. I'm reading this series long after it's been out. Evidently the novellas were written after some of the main books, but put in the timeline before those books. This was choppy. Part of the plot covered an ongoing problem in the series, but seemed like this book was just written to fill a novella need.
Profile Image for Sarah.
2,131 reviews30 followers
August 8, 2014
I love that Nell got her mate. This book was really funny and steamy with sexual tension. Great HEA
Profile Image for eyes.2c.
3,112 reviews111 followers
March 25, 2016
I liked Nell's story. But really, the story line does not need the concentration on copious amounts of descriptive mating to hold it together. The storyline can stand by itself.
106 reviews2 followers
May 31, 2014
Kind of eh. I love this series but this didn't have much to it.
Profile Image for Kelly.
5,661 reviews227 followers
May 17, 2017
'm kind of skipping around with this series and I have to say I'm loving it despite my crazy reading order. I might not have met Nell before this book, but I like her spunk and sass. And her ability to drive her cubs crazy when she talks about her sex life.

Also... BEARS! I really like bear shifters and all the largeness that comes with them. Cormac is a perfect example of this. he's big and steady and he has that protective vibe that rears up when Nell is in danger. BEARS! Love 'em!

While their romance moves fairly quickly (not going to lie, I love when shifters get all growly and possessive on their first meeting with their special someone) it wasn't lacking. Cormac knows what he wants as soon as he sees Nell and Nell...well, she digs in her heels a bit. Really, though, that's to be expected after what her mate did to her all those years ago. Still, she comes around. Eventually.

Shifters, man. Gotta love 'em!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
3,415 reviews24 followers
July 24, 2018
Nell, powerful bear shifter, 100+ years old, raised her sons Brody and Shane alone, as her mate took his own life (not easy for a shifter to do, as they heal) when he could not live with being separate from his pack (and a coward)… he had written a letter to his pack describing his family, and asking for someone to come claim his family, but the letter got lost...

Nell wakes from a mini-hibernation to find Cormac redoing her kitchen... he's a new shifter, accepted into their shifter town... he was raised alone (parents disappeared, and no one took him in at first) so a bit disconnected and feral... but he found the letter about Nell, and felt a kinship and wants a mate... he's good-naturedly takes her on...

She yells, he smiles... they dance...they kiss... she runs... he chases... they connect... but then get the news that Shane is missing... Cormac's special abilities honed in the wild help them track him - he's been taken by a bounty hunter, hired by an anti-shifter guy... they rescue him

and Cormac is hurt, and Nell realizes she loves him... ahhhh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lita.
2,538 reviews7 followers
November 27, 2017
This is a short novella - a little over 100 pages and a quick read. I read it during an extended lunch. It has all the elements of the other shifter unbound novels with a focus on the bear shifters in the Nevada Shiftertown. There's the love story/mate bonding between Nell and Cormac. And a bounty hunter is out to get Shane. Mostly it's Nell's "in your face" attitude as she hides behind her persona in an attempt to protect herself from feeling love again since she suffered the loss of her original mate several years before. She doesn't want a mate, doesn't want a man and doesn't want to depend on anyone else or set herself up for another broken heart. Cormac on the other hand, has his mind and heart set on mating with Nell. This standalone novella has a happy ending and was an enjoyable read. Not one of Jennifer Ashley's best, but not a bad way to spend lunch.
2,988 reviews17 followers
April 2, 2019
Cormac will eine alte Schuld begleichen und da führt in nach Las Vegas und zu Nell. Die ersten Begegnung ist nicht gerade harmonisch und Nell ist nicht gerade begeistern, das Cormac hier auftaucht.Eine Kurzgeschichte aus der Welt der Shifters, die mich sehr oft zum Lachen gebracht hat. Die heftigen Diskussionen der beiden sind einfach das beste an dieser Geschichte. Beide kennt man ja schon aus den anderen Bändern und hat sie lieb gewonnen. Beide sind starke Charaktere die man nicht so schnell klein bekommt. Deshalb ist das "erste" Date der beide auch so köstlich. Es ist auch klar das es nicht so einfach geht. Ein neuer Charakter wird eingeführt und es gibt Spannung und Action die einen dann noch mehr an die Geschichte fesseln. Ich habe es genoßen das hin und her der beiden mit zu erleben und war recht traurig, dass es nur eine Kurzgeschichte war.
Profile Image for Faye.
457 reviews47 followers
November 25, 2018
Read: April 2015
The couple: Cormac & Nell

I loved this short story for so many reasons but I think the main reason why it is one of my favourites is that Ashley isn’t just giving out HEA’s to the young and beautiful people of the Austen or Las Vegas shiftertowns but also to the older members of the group as well. Nell is a middle aged shifter (or over 100 years old in human years!) with two adult sons who is fully set in her ways and doesn’t feel the need to couple up with anybody.

Cormac arrives in town and instantly falls for Nell. With the blessing and help of her sons and friends Nell finds herself falling for Cormac in return.

Perfect Mate is a lovely little addition to this wonderful series.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
Profile Image for Heather.
2,762 reviews19 followers
April 24, 2023
Cormac has been moving from one Shiftertown to the next in search of a mate. Now he's in southern Nevada, where a beautiful, unmated bear Shifter greets him...with a shotgun in her hands.
Nell is a hot-tempered mother of two cubs, and she doesn't take kindly to new Shifters showing up in town without her consent - even one with a sexy smile and brilliant blue eyes. But when her sons are endangered and she desperately needs help protecting them, Cormac proves he's worthy of her trust as well as her desire.

Heather's Notes
This was a good story. I liked Nell and Cormac and am glad they ended up together. Maybe I will give this series another go.
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