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Brides for Beasts: Bears #1

Compañera Improbable: Romance Corto de Matrimonio Arreglado (Novias para Bestias: Osos nº 1)

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La autora superventas Candace Ayers te trae romances CORTOS y condensados pensados para leerse en menos de 2 horas.

Bienvenidos a Mystic Hollow, donde tus sueños más salvajes (créeme, se vuelven muy salvajes) se hacen realidad.

Como Alfa del clan de cambiaformas oso de Mystic Hollow, el deber dicta cada uno de mis movimientos.
Cuando el Consejo de Cambiaformas responde a nuestra población en declive implementando el programa NpB (Novias para Bestias), los chicos están bastante emocionados de que les presenten a mujeres humanas.
Yo también lo estoy, hasta que me enamoro perdidamente de la coordinadora del programa, quien deja muy claro que ella no es una de las aspirantes a novia.
Está bien. Soy un hombre paciente.
La convenceré. Tengo tiempo.
Excepto que NO tengo tiempo.
¡El consejo exige que sea el primero en elegir una novia... en dos días!
Entonces la fastidio, me transformo en un oso grizzly frente a sus ojos, la asusto como el demonio...
...y sale corriendo.

**Esta es una novela corta, reconfortante, de amor instantáneo, sobre cambiaformas oso y almas gemelas predestinadas.**

86 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2025

558 people are currently reading
151 people want to read

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Candace Ayers

289 books537 followers

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5 stars
573 (47%)
4 stars
352 (29%)
3 stars
215 (17%)
2 stars
44 (3%)
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14 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
Profile Image for Elizabeth Hillebrand .
352 reviews42 followers
May 23, 2024
Cute and amazing!!!
This story is really well done. The flow of the story to building character in its less than 100 pages.
I can't wait to read the next one
29 reviews
October 9, 2023
new author

This is the first book I’ve read by this author (s) so I am leaving a review. It was a wonderful book the only thing I wanted answered was the end questions she asked Silas but I’m hoping that is answered in the next book? But love the book plot the characters personalities I have to give you a five star.
1,180 reviews1 follower
July 13, 2023
Awesome

I love Silas and Cait. They are a perfect couple. Finding fated mates like this story reveals is awesome. I loved how they came together and found their happy ever after. I know I'm going to love this whole series of books if this one is anything to go by.
Profile Image for Lori.
804 reviews1 follower
August 1, 2023
Enjoy!

This is a quick read with a good story. I liked the characters and it set up for the following books with brief glimpses of more of them. Light and takes you somewhere else for a while.
Profile Image for Shifter Haven.
265 reviews8 followers
July 21, 2023
Reviewed at Shifter Haven

Unlikely Mate begins the Brides for Beasts series with a fun introduction to a clan that is in dire need of brides, starting with the Alpha, Silas.

Silas’ clan has a problem, a lady shifter problem, in fact, as there have been very few females born into this clan in recent years. Certainly not enough to ensure that their legacy continues into the next generation. But the council has an answer for that… human women looking to marry wealthy men, live remotely, and be sworn to secrecy about the turning into bear thing once they agree to a modern version of mail-order brides. Silas and his closest friends within the clan are the first to meet a group of ladies… and life is going to get interesting.

Cait has no idea why these ladies would be willing to just go marry practically a stranger. None. But, it’s a paycheck, and as a recruiter of these women, as long as it’s not illegal or unethical, well, the rent needs to be paid… and their silliness is their business. She might change her mind once she arrives in Mystic Hollow — or she may skip town as quickly as possible; only time will tell.

Unlikely Mate is short, novella length, so there isn’t a lot of time to get to really know either Silas or Cait. And frankly, I have questions as to why Cait constantly gave Silas mixed signals. It would have only taken a few lines to give some reason because this girl said yes at the beginning of a sentence and no by the end of that same sentence. There was a lot of pull this man towards Cait, and then Cait pushing Silas away. There was also a hint of possible danger ahead, and for that reason, I’ll continue to see what happens next. I enjoyed it, and I’ll pick up the next story before I decide to continue further or not.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Profile Image for Day.
1,760 reviews11 followers
July 15, 2023
I was very excited to read this new story since it was the first novella by these authors I've read. The story started great! We meet Silas and Cait and kind of get a feel of how their story will progress. They have a few moments where they seem to feel the insane attraction fated mates feel once they meet. Silas needs a bride, but Cait is the coordinator. She is not one of the women who sign up. That makes things trickier since Silas must be the first to get married according to the shifter council.
They have some steamy scenes together, but Cait is still on the fence with Silas. She keeps saying that she doesn't want to lose herself. However, we don't get a backstory from her. We never learn why she is so adamant about keeping her relationship with Silas on the down low. Maybe a past relationship? Or did her parents' relationship make her think that way? I'm not sure.
If you love short and steamy stories that are all about the present and how they feel now, you will love this story. I actually liked the steamy scenes and some of Silas's monologues. However, I was looking for something more when it came to them. I didn't feel their connection as strongly as other novellas I've read.
Either way, I would totally give the next book a try since we get to see Baylon a few times in this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
20.8k reviews362 followers
June 21, 2023
Brides for Beasts Program . . .

Mystic Hollow’s bear shifters are getting some help from the Shifter Council at last. With the lack of females over the past 40 years, their population is in a dangerous decline. This is of great concern to their Alpha Silas. So a “Brides for Beasts” program has been enacted to introduce the males to human females as their mates. Silas finds himself drawn to the human woman who is coordinating the program, Cait. However, she is not part of the brides to choose from. Silas doesn’t see that as a big problem since he is patient and will work to change her mind. Unfortunately, the Shifter Council wants him to be the first to choose his woman… and he only has 2 days to select her! Can he show Cait that he can make her happy and protect her? Or will his inadvertent shifting into his grizzly bear before he has a chance to explain this situation cause her to doubt their success?

This was a cute storyline and I enjoyed seeing the interactions of the bears. The Council needs to find a better way of handling the shock for the ladies, though. It’s difficult to keep the shifter secret and still try to match up a human who needs to know the kind of life she is entering into. Grab your copy and find out if Cait has ever stopped running long enough to talk to Silas again.
969 reviews9 followers
June 16, 2023
The bear clan at Mystic Hollow is dying out. There hasn’t been a female birth in over 40 years. In a desperate effort to save their clan, the elders have decided that humans may hold the key to their survival. So, they form the BfB, or Brides for Bears. They hire a human to screen the applicants and get the process started. Then they order their Alpha to start finding brides and getting married! As if it’s that simple, NOT!

Silus is the Alpha and has brought a lot of the males on board with the idea of a human bride. Any bride is better than no bride. But as soon as he meets the planner they hired, all bets are off for him. She is the one! But Cait is totally not on board with that!

This is a great first book in the series, and I look forward to the next one. Love, laughter, and danger – it doesn’t get any better than that!
Profile Image for Goddess of Chaos.
2,864 reviews12 followers
June 21, 2023
"All I need to do is persuade these hopeless romantics that they're destined to live happily..."

"All I need to do is persuade these hopeless romantics that they're destined to live happily ever after with a stranger,..."

Fair needs the job, and the money -- but she's determined to do right by the women she's recruiting.

Silas his an Alpha willing to embrace unique solutions to his clans problems.

This done in one Kindle Unlimited quick read is the first book in a series, as such it does a lot of world building, character introductions, and establishing of the clan and community. This is a fun read about dreams vs. reality, trying to keep our feet on the ground even when it's tempting to let our heads be in the clouds, and finding ways to face reality and its truths.

I read Unlikely Mate in Kindle Unlimited and chose to share my thoughts.
Profile Image for Angie.
1,411 reviews234 followers
July 7, 2023
We're drawn to each other like magnets, and every encounter sparks a deeper bond. She makes me feel invincible, yet vulnerable--powerful, yet so incredibly tender.


This was a short and steamy fated mates romance between a woman who is determined not to fall in love and a desperate alpha hoping to save his clan. I enjoyed the slow romance between Silas and Cait for the most part, except her sudden change of heart. Cait seemed to change her mind about Silas overnight with no explanation, and it seemed so sudden and out of character that I disconnected from her at that moment. Overall, it was an enjoyable if a little confusing first book in a new series.

Tropes: fated mates, instalust, alpha hero, reluctant heroine, small town romance, arranged marriage, STEAMY🔥
Profile Image for Terry Sasada.
1,221 reviews8 followers
October 27, 2023
A new twist on shifters finding their mates. Didn’t start out that way. It started out where the bare shifters just simply needed to find women. There are no young females anymore, and for some reason no females have been born. So a plan was put into place to bring human females to a meet and greet with bear shifters. Silas the leader of the bare shifters was always told stories about finding his true mate, never really thinking it was true until Cait stepped off the bus. Cait’s job was to see that the women were comfortable, well taken care of and we’re possibly matched with the shifters. But she knew something was off the minute she met Silas. The human females do not know about shifters and they are not going to know until a match has been made. interesting beginning to a series, now, we’ll see some more bears find their mates.
Profile Image for Dawn Siemer.
1,329 reviews7 followers
June 18, 2023
Not much here

This story is 90 pages long, and that includes the sample chapter of the next book. It is what it says on the tin: Girl signs up to lead a bride recruitment service, discovers it's for bear shifters and one wants her. She didn't want a relationship, and he needs one.

The problem is these characters are cardboard. They have no backstories. No quirks. The girl interacts with nobody except the guy. Many of the scenes reveal little about the characters beyond their mutual attraction and do little to advance the plot. We never find out why the girl was relationship shy, or what changed her mind. There is no character growth.

If you just want a short story with some heat, you might like this one anyway.
Profile Image for Lisa Bing.
6,277 reviews71 followers
June 21, 2023
This was a fun series opener and lighthearted romance. Alpha Silus, ordered by the council to open up to human females as mates, convinces his inner circle to give it a go. After-all, any mate is better than no mate... Cait, the person hired by BfB (Brides for Beasts) is supposed to find these human gals without realizing human was something to be aware of. Lol! She expected a bunch of old and, frankly, unsightly guys so imagine her surprise when handsome strapping men abound in this town ;) She certainly wasn't interested in a romance for herself but Silus knew immediately she was his fated mate. Let the fun begin ;P I enjoyed how this quick romance unfolded with some drama, angst and danger to keep things hopping. I'm looking forward to the next book :D
491 reviews5 followers
June 12, 2023
This is a really interesting premis for a series. Cart’s job is to find brides for a group of men living in a remote mountain community. What she doesn’t know is that they are in fact bear shifters. Despite being quite guarded and afraid to trust, Cait immediately falls for Silas, the leader of the community. He recognises her as his fated mate, but has to persuade her to give him a chance, without revealing his true identity. There are some glimpses of a longer term plot arch, but the book is fairly short. I would have loved the story to continue, so that we could see the relationship develop more, but am really looking forward to the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Willow field.
146 reviews1 follower
July 8, 2023
Unlikely Mates is a short shifters romance with tropes of arranged marriage, fated mates, instant attraction, forced interaction and quick timelines.


The main character are interesting and make you excited for their dynamic, and interact from the first moment they meet. Forced together as the leader of the town and the overseer of the program sparks fly when they shouldn't, ensuring they will be fighting that 🔥.


This is a quick read and I did find it enjoyable and I think I'll love the expanded world that gets built, but I did wish that things got a little bit more fleshed out in this story.
Profile Image for Vicky Johnson.
425 reviews
July 9, 2024
This was a fun little reed

I like the idea of the Brides for Beasts dating agency. If it was real I would totally sign up.

Silas is a alpha bear and his clan agrees to be the first 'beasts' to try this out but when the bus full of women arrive he only has eyes for one and she is not an option

Cait is the the co0ordinator of the weekend. She tries to avoid Silas as she never wants a relationship but their fated mates so its hard.

He is finally getting somewhere with her but has to shift to protect her and she runs away. He chases her and convinces her and all ends well

I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the clan
Profile Image for Juli.
1,587 reviews24 followers
November 29, 2023
3.75 stars

This was a cute read with very fast progression. Silas and Cait meet due to the BFB program that the council put in place to help find mates for the bear shifters. However, things take an interesting turn when Silas, the Alpha, finds his mate in Cait, the matchmaker,

I really wanted to like the book, but there wasn’t much information on either person or their background, we are given little info and things just take off.

The rest of the books in the series will focus on Silas‘s friends and the women that Cait brings in for matchmaking supposedly.
Profile Image for Book Binge.
410 reviews39 followers
July 28, 2023
This book was....okay.
It felt a little too cutesy to me and I didn't feel like we got to know either of the MCs very well. I mean we kept hearing about Cait's aversion to relationships as if she was about to reveal something about her past that caused her to feel that way but we never got an explanation. The H didn't feel very alpha to me either...just nothing that got my attention about either character so I wasn't very invested in their story.
42 reviews
September 4, 2023
Disappointed!!!

The story is missing a lot of content!!! What happened to the wolf after it ran off? Is the Clan or women in danger? Silias is called back to town for an emergency. What did they find when they got back? This story line is incomplete!!!!! The Story was rushed with no meaning, and it started out good. A rewrite is Badly Needed!!! I'm so Disappointed !!! Too many Questions, and No Answers!!!!! The Editor did this book an injustice!!!!
Profile Image for Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams.
2,705 reviews5 followers
January 18, 2024
Unlikely Mate (Brides for Bears: Bears Book 1)

The love story of Silas and Cait. Silas is the alpha of Mystic Hollow. He has got a decree for the Shift Council to aloud shifter to marry human women. Cait is the Brides for Beast (BfB) recruitment officer. She was hire to find women who want to get marry but she doesn't want to. When she meets Silas and spans fly. Will she find love or will she run when she learn the true? Great story.
Profile Image for Reader_for_LifeTLG.
2,788 reviews17 followers
March 6, 2025
He wants to be her teddy bear. - Silas is taken with Cait immediately, his bear standing up in the presence of its mate. Though not a shifter, Cait hates the idea of Silas being with another woman. A great start to this series and the BfB world of bears, wolves and dragons. Steamy goodness awaits and I look forward to devouring them all. I read the wolves' tales already so it will be fun to see how it all started.
1,412 reviews3 followers
October 22, 2025
Brides for Beasts book 1 Silas & Cait

Silas is a Bear Shifter and the people all from his town are shifters. But there are not enough females. So the town has a Brides for Beast meet up. Cait is in charge of the event and the Brides. When she meets Silas they both feel a connection. She may be his fated mate, but how is she going to feel when she finds out he shifts to a Bear? Good story. Looking forward to seeing more hook ups with Bears and Brides.
7,160 reviews33 followers
June 14, 2023
An amazing start to this series Brides for Beasts. We are introduced to Silos a Alpha of a bear clan and Cait the human that steals his heart. This is their journey to their happily ever after. This is a new author for me and I am looking forward to read the next installment. A fabulous read.

I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Robin Ann.
1,421 reviews3 followers
February 12, 2024
Unlikely Mate (Brides for Beasts:Bear's Book 1)

I enjoyed the premise of this book. The basis for the storyline was rather cute. Seeing that the men were not used to females, it was interesting seeing their reaction to the females. Especially when one sees their secret firsthand and they have a romantic reunion AND get their HEA.
Profile Image for Luna  ♡.
669 reviews252 followers
September 21, 2024
This was okay I think? The plot was weak and the characters were flat. The FMC changed her opinion every few pages which was annoying. Either she ignores Silas or she fucks him in the woods (literally). I expected more cause I enjoyed other books from the author. This one was not my cup of tea sadly.
Profile Image for Chalice.
3,706 reviews111 followers
October 2, 2024
The couple: Silas and Cait

Romance trope: shifter
Series: Brides for Beasts: Bears
Length: 98 pages

Plot: Cait is the coordinator for the new Brides program that aims to find brides for shifters in order to promote having more children. The humans, though, of which Cait is one, don't know that the guys are shifters. When she gets to the shifter town, she finds herself drawn to Silas, a leader of the town, despite not being a potential bride herself. Silas isn't going to let that stop him, though, since he recognizes Cait as his fated mate.

Commentary: Well, Cait was a tough nut to crack! She was just sticking to her guns. To be fair, she knew nothing about shifters and fated mates, so it makes sense that she thought she could fight what was happening between them, but destiny always wins!

Next book in the series: Off-Limits Mate
Profile Image for Patricia Baxes.
3,050 reviews30 followers
March 2, 2025
You can tell that this is the ‘starter’ book because it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. We know that the follow on books will give us answers. So get ready to be entertained by some interesting folks in Mystic Hollow…and watch love conquer all. Grab lyour copy today—my book 2 is already waiting for me. 💋
Profile Image for Jen.
225 reviews2 followers
March 30, 2025
A shifter story with a lot of heart and enjoyable characters. Even though it's a quick read I found it easy to understand the context, setting, characters, and plot. I like that there's a couple of points to carry into the next book but these don't detract from the HEA for these characters. Nicely written with a good flow & pace. Thank you :-)
902 reviews2 followers
July 11, 2023
Really good

Cait is the organizer of the Brides for Beasts program. Silas is the alpha of the bears. They meet and sparks fly, but Cait has a fear of relationships.l and what happens when she finds out he is a bear. Really good story.
487 reviews
November 5, 2023
Wowza!!

This book is a short read, but there is a whole lot of story packed into it! You get the reason for the BfB and the story of the maiden event. I'm really looking forward to the next books in this series!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews

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