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Bear It All

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A castle of black stone, steeped in magic and mystery, Bartholomew University is where the wealthy and powerful come to secure their futures.

Within the stone walls, secrets are found at every turn. The students, the grounds, and even the statues have stories to tell.

Freya
Stay safe, stay hidden, stay in control. Those are the words I live by, but one look from Mikhail has me wanting to throw all of it out the window. I'm not sure how much longer I can resist. Sooner or later, he will pull me out of the shadows and into the light.

Mikhail
My mate, my future, my world is here, and she wants nothing to do with me. As much as she tries to hide, I still see her. No one will get away with threatening my mate. I'll give her some time to get used to the idea of being mine, but there's no avoiding fate.

Bear It All is a standalone, opposites attract, paranormal romance featuring shifters, witches and other woman drama.

***

The Sinister Season is a series of standalone books all set in a shared world, based at the fictional Bartholomew University over Halloween. These books include shifters, demons, gargoyles, and ghosts. So, if you don’t enjoy a little bit of intrigue, other woman drama, spice and magic… turn away now.

The titles in this series Entwined, Possession, Bear It All, What Bleeds Through, Zig Zag, The Demon’s Due and Stone Cold. They can be read in any order.

101 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2025

16 people are currently reading
16 people want to read

About the author

Crystal Nichols

3 books30 followers

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5 stars
29 (39%)
4 stars
19 (26%)
3 stars
17 (23%)
2 stars
3 (4%)
1 star
5 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Nicolina.
237 reviews
November 15, 2025
⭐ 1 star

The biggest problem here is the writing quality , it’s genuinely bad. That alone made the book hard to get through.

But beyond the writing, the story itself had several issues for me. One of the main reasons I avoid many plus-size FMC books is exactly what happens here: the FMC’s weight becomes the central source of conflict and bullying. Nearly every insecurity or insult revolves around her being “fat” or “overweight,” whether it’s coming from her own internal monologue or from the OW.

And of course, this is paired with a thin, fit mean-girl OW, which is presented as a negative trait. I’ll say it again: uplifting one body type shouldn’t require tearing another down.

We also get a full-on Mary Sue FMC. She’s everything all the other girls aren’t, soft and womanly when the plot needs it, but conveniently “fat and undesirable” when the story wants angst. She speaks several languages, has overpowering magic, is incredibly smart, humble, doesn’t seek attention… you get the idea. She’s written to be perfect in a way that ends up feeling flat.

The MMC, on the other hand, is more bland than plain rice boiled in water without salt. Zero personality. Zero spark. Nothing.

And the dialogue? Straight out of a 15-year-old’s Wattpad draft. Cringey.

Overall, this just wasn’t it for me.
Profile Image for SunsetLibrary.
114 reviews15 followers
October 31, 2025
Would’ve been great if I didn’t have to read explicit details of her “innocence” and how her hymen feels before he “breaks through her virginity” and claims her. The fact that authors still write such misogynistic shit like this in 2025 is absolutely, astoundingly disgusting.
Profile Image for Courtney Byrne.
129 reviews11 followers
November 2, 2025
5 ⭐️ | 2 🌶️

I am obsessed with this!! This novella was so good! It was my first ever shifter romance and now I’m completely hooked!

Freya and Mikhail’s bond was next level, I’m officially addicted to fated mates stories now. For a novella, this was so well written and packed with so much plot that I couldn’t put it down (I devoured it in one sitting!) And the spice was just the cherry on top, the perfect amount to keep things hot without taking over the story.

If you love fated mates, shifters, dark academia vibes, and a touch of OW drama (I’ll admit it… I’m a lil hoe for some OW drama ), this book is an absolute must-read!
26 reviews
November 1, 2025
Halloween fun

This an adorable Halloween short story. I will be reading all the stories in this shared world these wonderful authors have created. The story contains, fated mates, ow drama and comeuppance, and spice. I’m hoping we see Freya and Mikhail in a follow up novella at some point. Another amazing read from an amazing author.
Profile Image for Beckie Orms.
44 reviews1 follower
October 31, 2025
Awesome read!

Such a great halloween read! Loved the story and the characters. Fated mates are the best!!! Happy Halloween 🎃 ☠️💀👻 The spice was 🔥
Profile Image for Amanda.
28 reviews6 followers
November 3, 2025
Something about a Russian polar bear shifter just hits different 😮‍💨

Okay listen—Bear It All had no business being that good. I went in blind, not even sure if I should’ve started from the beginning of the series or just say “screw it,” and I’m so glad I said screw it. I was nervous at first ’cause romantasy usually isn’t my thing (and if I do read it, it’s an audiobook situation only), but two chapters in I realized—this isn’t romantasy, this is straight-up supernatural chaos and I was eating it UP.

The story takes place at Barathlomew University, where we meet Mikhail—the future North Alpha and a polar bear shifter—and Freya, an Element who can control earth, water, fire, air, and space. She’s been homeschooled her whole life, raised by loving parents, until she has to go into hiding (no spoilers yet—skip ahead if you want to avoid them).

So the reason she’s hiding? Elements’ blood is basically like a drug to vampires. It makes them stronger and gives them a taste of humanity again because it connects them to nature and life itself. Vampires don’t even understand it; they just think they’re getting high. Older vampires can sniff out an Element easily, which is why Elements are always on the run, never settling down or making real connections.

Freya’s trying to stay lowkey at uni, but of course Mikhail picks up her scent on day one and instantly knows she’s his fated mate. The twist is, he doesn’t realize she’s an Element—he thinks she’s human—and that’s where everything kicks off.

One thing I loved—Crystal made Freya plus-sized. As a plus-size babe myself, I instantly connected with her. Thick thighs, belly, social anxiety—girl, we’re twins. She’s grieving, missing her parents, trying to keep her head down. She’s so kind, never wishing harm even on the people who treat her badly. But when Bianca—Mikhail’s ex and ex-arranged fiancée—starts bullying her, I was sitting there like, girl, if you don’t set her on fire from the inside out! At first, I thought Freya was weak, but once you really get into it, you understand why she doesn’t lash out. She’s not just powerful—she’s dangerous. If she doesn’t release her energy regularly, it builds up and could cause massive destruction. And when she finally stands up for herself though? Yeah. She ATE. She could’ve directed that rage a little better (like… at Bianca, not Mikhail), but still, I was 🤏🏽🤏🏽🤏🏽🤏🏽🤏🏽

And let me just say—Mikhail? Obsessed. The man had me giggling and kicking my feet like a schoolgirl. He didn’t care that Freya was “human,” he just knew she was his mate and that was that. The way he watched over her, learned her routines, protected her, and didn’t hesitate to drop anyone who disrespected her—perfection. He was patient, protective, loving, and completely devoted.

Freya just needed time to let her guard down. Once she finally stopped running and opened up, it was so good. She deserved that kind of love. I loved Mikhail’s parents too—they were so kind and welcoming to Freya. And that reunion with her mom? Ugh, my heart. After everything they went through, they finally got to be together and safe.

My only reason for the 4.75 stars is that I wish we’d seen more of them as a couple. I get why Freya was hesitant, but by the time they really got together, the book was wrapping up. I loved the proposal and the epilogue, but it felt a bit rushed. For a novella, I like my couples solid by the 50% mark so I can really see them together.

Overall, I loved it. It was such an easy read, I finished it in four hours flat. If you like tall Russian shifters who love like they mean it, curvy anxious girls who could blow up a building if provoked, and supernatural college drama with a sprinkle of chaos—read Bear It All.

Freya and Mikhail were everything, and now I’m definitely going back to read the series from the start. Crystal, you did that—and if you ever bless us with a Russian-lite mafia story, I’ll be first in line because baby, I loved me some Mikhail.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the ride there
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 for how it wrapped up
Profile Image for Makenzie Goodson.
41 reviews
January 6, 2026
This is a good, quick shifter/mate romance. With a Bear shifter H named Maliki and an element (earth magic) h named freya. There is also other woman drama in the form of Malikis ex girlfriend.

For me this did sort of start out bad because the H came of hypocritical to me. As in the very first chapter freya talks about wanting to hide as she’s trying to fade into the background and not bring attention to herself as elements are rare and vampires hunt them to give them more power. But she’s always wanting maliki and feeling drawn to him, but he has briana all over him all the time. Yet he watches freya and makes sure no one is around her cause no one can be near his mate until he claims her. He does breakup with briana but she basically ignores this and continues to act like nothing happened and hang off him. This is just so hypocritical that he has to make sure freya has no one around her but he can have his ex that he’s been intimate with hang off him in front of freya.

Briana is also bullying freya for her weight probably cause she knows maliki wants her. But freya is hiding her powers from everyone and briana bullying her makes her powers come up so she has to go find a place to let them out. Maliki has been watching her so he goes to her and helps her sort of. But she runs away as she thinks like anyone that he’s still with briana.

But as she needs to be outside she ventures to the lake for a swim, where of course briana and her viper gang go and steal her clothes and post basically naked pictures of her online to bully her. Maliki learns this and outs his break up to the group. Then goes to save freya. But a while later, freya thinks he’s involved cause they are this friends and confronts him. I liked this part cause she tells him how it seems he’s been with briana on this and instead of protecting her as his mate he’s been hurting her.

Maliki does grovel with food and plants. Then his friends still try to hurt and threaten her, maliki takes them down and they finally mate. They deal with briana and it’s a happy ending. The beginning was not my favorite but maliki did win me over by the end and I enjoyed this wuock read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Shannon Lee.
395 reviews44 followers
December 18, 2025
Summary: This is a paranormal romance.

Additional tropes:
✅ Other woman drama
✅ Fated mates
✅ OTT possessive MMC

Detailed spoilers/trigger warnings (if any) and final thoughts can be found below.

Freya attends a school of humans and shifters. She herself is an Element, which is very unique and with that, she has great power, and her kind is often hunted and unalived for that reason. So hiding who she is, is of utmost importance. She endures bullying and taunting on a daily basis and is doing her best to deal with it.

Mikhail, our MMC is the popular guy, next in line to be alpha of his clan so everyone radiates to him, especially the other woman, whom he has dated over the years. But he is drawn to the FMC and quickly realizes she is his mate, and he ends his relationship with the other woman who doesn’t take it very well.

He becomes obsessed with the FMC and goes into full blown protection mode, not realizing he needs to protect her from herself as much as everyone else.


⚠️SPOILERS/SPICE/DETAILED TRIGGERS⚠️

*This is a very fast paced novella, but there is still a moderate amount of other woman drama.
🌶️: 1.5/5

Final thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. Even though it is very fast paced, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. There was a decent amount of other woman drama, and she ended up getting her comeuppance, which is something that I love to read.

I really loved the MMC in this book. Once he recognized Freya as his mate, he never looked anywhere else. He was devoted to her, he was protective of her, he was so lovingly obsessed with her, and I am here for it. I also love that his family never questioned anything and stood behind him,wholeheartedly, and every single decision that he had to make.

The end was sweet and endearing. This was just a great little angsty story and it’s definitely one that I recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Adrianna.
471 reviews3 followers
November 5, 2025
This is a short novella about fated mates and a school mixed with humans and magical creatures. I thought the world was very interesting and the FMC’s hidden magic was very intriguing.

Our MMC is a bear shifter that’s in relationship with a mean girl. Once he realizes his fated mate has arrived at the school he breaks things off. The mean girl obviously doesn’t take things well and begins tormenting the FMC unbeknownst to the MMC.

The FMC is extremely fearful about revealing her magic so she spends her time trying to get by unnoticed. When the bullying begins she just rolls over and takes it. I don’t like a doormat FMC so this turned me off a bit.

Overall, the story has promise but I think the story needed more. It’s less than 100 kindle pages and that didn’t give me enough to become invested in the characters or the world.
Profile Image for Bryn.
9 reviews
November 1, 2025
This was a really cute shifter novella. We got a taste of angst, OW drama, and a Hero willing to burn the world down to prove to his mate that he puts her first. I’m looking forward to diving into other books in this series.
This book had all my favorite things:
🌶️🌶️ spice
✨ likeable MC’s
💔 a Hero who messes up
🏰 magical academia world
🐻 shifters
🖤 strong heroine who takes no shit
❤️ redemption for Hero
Profile Image for Barbara L. Knieff.
30 reviews3 followers
November 3, 2025
I Just Love a Good Fated Mate Story

This book is part of the sinister series. Like all books in this series, it takes place at the same University. Each book has a different set of characters and themes. This book is about finding the courage within yourself to be yourself and trust another. It’s a fated mates story. The sinister in this book is a group of mean girls. As with the other books, the mains get their HEA. A great little read.
Profile Image for Nikki ღ Navareus.
1,098 reviews62 followers
November 13, 2025
This was a sweet fated mates story, with a unique storyline. I loved this author's first works, so I dived into this one. It's was written as a Halloween treat, and not my usual read, but I enjoyed the story never the less. I wish the evil mean girl had gotten a LOT more comeuppance. I'd have loved to see the mean girl REALLY get her ass handed to her with that awesome power the heroine had & the ending was a bit abrupt, but aside from that, this story was short and sweet.
746 reviews8 followers
January 24, 2026
Quick Read

I really enjoyed this quick read
Freya arrives at Bartholomew University in hiding. She needs to stay hidden but Mikhail makes that a bit impossible.
Mikhail is a bear shifter and he thinks that Freya us human...
They are mates but only Mikhail knows this. He tries to stay away and not scare her but can he do that when he needs to protect her? He will do anything to keep her safe and by his side.
I recommend
Profile Image for Linda Calizo.
760 reviews
November 2, 2025
unusual

The elemental thing was a twist, it’s sad she was hunted and lost her father. I like MFC to be strong not having to depend on the MMC but to stand with them
Profile Image for Traci.
263 reviews15 followers
November 12, 2025
Notes for me

Safe. Has known OW since childhood. Was expected they’d marry but they didn’t love each other He mentions they slept together in the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kim  Brewing.
3,629 reviews37 followers
November 15, 2025
Bear shifter and Elemental (new one for me). I did like the story, but it was a little too short and would be so much better fleshed out more.
Profile Image for Mona.
288 reviews3 followers
November 25, 2025
I’m not mad at it because it was entertaining but ya know it is what it is . Sometimes the writing felt very kind of kids bookish. The premise was there but not executed at all.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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