I Married A Bear Prince: A Monster Romance Novel

by Ava Wilde

After one cheating boyfriend too many, thirty-two-year-old Elsie Starling abandons the collapsing social experiment known as men and signs up with MonsterMatch, an interworld dating agency. The perks are downright sinful. Human women are the only species capable of popping out monster babies, which makes her Sacred: worshipped, protected, and paid stupid amounts of money just for showing up fertile.

Honestly, after the Earth men she has survived, a little worship feels long overdue.

The more she surrenders to monster hands, monster mouths, and monster tails, the more she understands she is nothing like the others. Her Sacred Cream could tilt the seven kingdoms into full political meltdown.

Which is exactly why someone far above the Citadel has already marked her as theirs, and they do not intend to share.

A filthy, heartfelt monster romcom for anyone who’s ever suspected the bear might be the better choice.

Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Sentient Cat Sidekick, Fake marriage, Forced Proximity, One Bed, Grumpy/Sunshine, Touch Her And Die, Size Difference, Possessive But Respectful, Alpha Cinnamon Roll, Breeding Kink, Paranormal Romance

Genres: Romance, Monster Romance, Erotica

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 11, 2025

About the author

I write filthy, funny, feel-good monster romances and sometimes contemporary when I lower my standards back to men 🤣

Follow me on IG/TT @avawildewrites for my latest releases.

On a personal note, I choose to protect my real-life identity/privacy because I write erotica and the real world is not always kind about that. I'd like to keep my day job and my in-laws’ ability to make eye contact with me at family gatherings. So I’m represented by a digital avatar I identify with.

If this would get in the way of enjoying my books, please give them a miss with my gratitude for considering them. Otherwise, strap in. It's about to get weird, wonderful and very, very tentacle-y.

Reviews

[Victoria Fellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I love reading funny, filthy, smutty nonsense, what really makes a book hit for me is a relatable FMC and solid writing. This book delivered both. Elsie feels real in the best way, self aware, funny, and exhausted by modern dating, which makes her journey into the monster world even more satisfying.

This was the absolute perfect palate cleanser after a long epic fantasy with zero romance. It jumps right into the good stuff, does not waste time, and fully commits to its premise.

Let me be clear, this book is downright filthy but not exactly in a sexual way. No sugar coating. If you do not like smut, this is not for you. But if you do, you are getting a unique plot, dark humor that actually lands, an elite sentient cat sidekick, and the ultimate question of bear or man answered very decisively.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fierce, strong and fantastic in such a bizarre and unexpected way. Absolutely couldn’t get enough of Mittens the cat! I laughed out loud more than once. The frustration with modern dating and toxic gaslighting made the development of the story even more satisfying. Can’t wait to find out what happens next when the next book comes out.

[Arctic_Banshee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was difficult for me to rate. On the one hand, I actually liked the fmc and her dark sense of humor. Most of the time when I read 1st person POV books, the tone is too fanfic for me. I went in expecting more of the same, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case here.

This book has some pretty brutal war scenes in it. Like, LOTR-level carnage. The bad guys are BAD. But…. one of them will be getting his own book in the future and I’m damn-skippy gonna be checking that one out for sure!

Also, this book made me laugh AND cry, which doesn’t happen often. I even liked the talking cat, because the cattitude was CATTING. 🐈‍⬛ He’s got the dry-as-a-bone butler wit down pat.

The tortured mmc has a realistic backstory of the pain he’s caused others and himself. It wasn’t anything bogus. The angst was reasonable and written well.

Which brings me to the oddness of how this book made feel. I get that some authors like to add depth to their romcoms. I really do. But… this skated mighty close to the dark romance side of the fence for me. The banter is seamless and gets you in one mood, but the switch off can be kind of jarring.

However, the author does provide an in-depth warning at the beginning of the book about all this.

I didn’t find this book smutty at all. Not sure what other reviewers are talking about. We have a couple of heavy make out scenes and a longer sex scene at the end. I’d say the heat level is a 3/5. Mainly this book is about pain and pining, disguised as a pnr romcom. It’s a good book overall, the fmc is someone I’d like to be friends with, and I’ll read the next one in the series.

[Nicci Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Would 100% choose the bear again.”

I laughed and laughed my way through this ridiculous, delightful, hilarious and somehow sneakily profound monster smut romance.

[Audrey W · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely unhinged in the best way. very creative scenes and worldbuilding.

a hilarious smutfest with one of the best FMC voices I've read in years.

didn't expect to tear up reading about a bear village. though to be honest, I felt more attracted to the snake character Aldric, who was super charming and it made me feel very guilty.

absolutely can't wait to read the second book!

[April Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was awesome!

I love everything about this book. It's was weird and funny and heart felt all at once. The cat is one of my favorite characters.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This paranormal romance starts with a fun and unusual premise. The female main character is completely done with dating men and decides to try something very different by signing up for a year with a paranormal dating agency—where she ends up being matched with a bear shifter.
As you might expect, the relationship doesn’t run smoothly right away. The story follows their ups and downs as they try to navigate the situation, which creates some entertaining and sometimes chaotic moments. The concept itself is definitely interesting and adds a playful twist to the paranormal romance genre.
The book also leans into the spicy side of the story, so readers who enjoy steamier romances will likely appreciate that aspect.
However, despite the intriguing premise, I personally found it a little difficult to stay fully invested in the romance. While the story was entertaining enough, I never quite felt deeply connected to the characters or their relationship.
Overall, it’s an interesting and spicy paranormal romance with a creative idea at its core. While it didn’t completely pull me into the story emotionally, it was still a decent and entertaining read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ingrid Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book i've read from Eva and again didn't dissappoint. The monster reads are just pure escapism for me accept in this one Mittens . He was truly the star of the book for me, i'm a cat lover , my cat is nearly 19 and still runs about like a 10 year old, , he is also a Ragdoll like mittens, so i was instantly connected, i so wish my Jimmy could talk, oh wait a minute i'm on earth damn, I'll just keep dreaming and hoping. This had every emotion possible , maybe a bit too much gore for me but in context with the story. I didn't want to say this but the ending Nooooooooo, Bjon has been through so much and this happens, i guess just another obsticle to overcome towards HEA and Elsie's but i guess i get to enjoy more of mittens.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book 1 of the Ava Wilde's Romantasy Collection. Look forward to more!

From the author: 'A filthy, funny, feel-good monster romance for anyone who’s ever suspected the bear might be the safer choice. Perfect for readers who love original, slightly delulu stories with a hilarious, voicy FMC that's unapologetically weird.'

The characters were very appealing and likeable and quirky and perfectly steamy together. Plot was intriguing and exciting and well paced. World building was solidly drawn and impressive. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend!

Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sonia]

38% This started out really strong. Funny but also with depth. Then at some point all the jokes became a bit too much? Like every sentence wasn’t serious yet it also was?

SPOILER.


SPOILER


the whole my sweat and juices and all is some magical curing/healing thing was random and kind of stupid. Then it also threw in this omega thing. Ok ok. And then the whole boobs out on display and the constant horniness of FMC was also annoying and just dragged on for too long. Like where a fucking shirt if you’re cold.

[Indie · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it !! a great start for this new series !! love Elsie and Bjorn but, mostly Sir Mittens..! this is their story... a fun fast paced monster match rom/com drama... Elsie is done with human men.. all they do is cheat and lie.. she is done... she's going monster match.. she could use a little worshipping right about now !!! with Sir Mittens of course... and Bjorn is a bear prince and he is ready to woo... so good !!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mingau · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I like spicy books, but the spice in this one wasn't doing it for me. Like having a whole village sucking her breasts to prove she was an omega. That is just awful, and not sexy. The snake also wasn't sexy, just a creep. The cat was the best part of the story. I also couldn't connect with the MMC. And they never really explain Nith's origin. Maybe it will be done in book 2, but I think there needed to be at least a bit more information.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

She Chose The Bear
Elsie is done with human men - she’s signed up with MonsterMatch and she’s off to Hearthpetal. There’s so much arc in this story - Elsie does some serious growing, Bjorn comes to terms with himself. Sir Mittens, of course, stay extremely judgmental. I loved this book - it’s less about monsters and more about family - and the whole world that is Hearthpetal. A fantastic read.

[Summer Steelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic! Just what you'd want to curl up with on a cold or rainy night with a warm blanket and a lovely drink. The hard part is putting it down and not finishing it all in one go. Thanks wilde.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandra Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of Ava Wilde's Romantasy Collection. The MonsterMash, a dating agency, matches human women and monster men. The object is having BABIES. A great plot inthis genre. Can't wait for the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, this was fun. I did question my sanity during certain scenes. Then I got to the battle scenes and had an absolute blast. Ava Wilde's writing is cinematic. I laughed and cried and laughed again from crying.

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elise is tired of men cheating on her so she joins Monster Match where she is treated like a goddess. I loved Mittens the cat he was hilarious, this story was pretty emotional and smutty and I loved every bit of this story and I highly recommend reading this book.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising

I was looking for alight hearted FM book. This was that and more! Great story, fast moving, it kept my interest as well as a few tear jerking moments

[Meagan Kraeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

so ridiculous and I loved every second of it

Light hearted, funny, and absolutely ridiculous. I loved it. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of this

I'm writing a review just to ask you to please write more featuring these characters and their village. There's so much more story here and I'm so invested!

[Kathleen T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this monster read it was funny and light hearted and steamy. Can't wait to read more Ava so good.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny cat

Did have me laughing out loud. The cat was a surprise and what is said sounds right for a cat.