She came to Shadow Wolf Creek to disappear. He'll burn the world down to make her stay.
I've waited years for a mate who might never come.
Then a woman with haunted eyes and a dying RV breaks down on my mountain. My bear knows before I do—she's the one. The anchor I've been searching for my whole life.
But Sage has been running for a decade, and she has every reason to keep going. A stalker ex who won't take no for an answer. A lifetime of refusing to put down roots. And an ironclad rule about men who think they can keep her.
She doesn't know that I'm the Alpha of the Ironwood Clan. That my territory is the safest place she could possibly be. That I'd rip apart anyone who tried to take her from me.
I told myself I'd give her space. Let her choose to stay.
Then her ex showed up in my town, making threats against my mate.
Now I'm done waiting. Done being patient. Done pretending I won't follow her to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes.
She can run if she wants. But this bear always catches what's his.
Ten years. Twenty-seven towns. One never stay long enough to get attached.
My grandmother's death taught me that roots only mean pain when they're ripped up. So I keep moving, living in my RV, chasing the horizon. It's worked perfectly—until Bess dies on a frozen mountain road and a seven-foot grump with golden eyes carries me to safety.
Ronan is everything I should run from. Protective. Possessive. Convinced I'm his "fated mate" and determined to prove it. He looks at me like I'm the answer to a prayer he's been whispering for decades.
I don't believe in fate. I don't believe in staying. And I definitely don't believe in letting another man make decisions about my life.
But when my stalker ex tracks me to Shadow Wolf Creek, I realize something for the first time in ten years, I don't want to run.
I want to fight. I want to stay. I want to see what happens when a woman who's never had a home finds an Alpha who'd burn down the world to give her one.
STRANDED WITH THE ALPHA BEAR is a steamy, standalone Black Paranormal Romance. It features a lonely Alpha who finally finds his forever, a road-weary heroine learning to stay, and a possessive bond that makes her stalker ex deeply regret his life choices.
🐻 Grumpy Alpha x Guarded Heroine ❄️ Forced Proximity (Stranded in Shifter Territory) 🔥 Fated Mates 🪟 Stalker Ex Gets Defenestrated 🏠 Finding Home ❤️ He Falls First & She Falls Forever
I thought Tolin’s book was good, but this one? Amazing!!!! I really loved getting that longing-for-family perspective from a male shifter. We don’t always get to see that. Seeing how deeply he craved forever with someone just did something to me. The way he wanted Sage but still allowed her to make her own choices and trusted she would choose him on her own? That was powerful. It made their connection feel mature and intentional instead of forced.Even though they were fated mates he still allowed her to choose 😭😭
We met Ronan in Tolin's book and while the brothers have a complicated relationship, it's clear that Ronan is an amazing Alpha and is longing for his mate. Enter Sage, someone who has been running from her past and grief for years. She finds herself stranded during a winter storm and is rescued by Ronan.
Ronan is very aware of Sage's aversion to staying in one place and is both patient and communicative with her. He is the typical alpha; protective, aggressive and truly a sucker for his mate.
There is also a crazy ex who gets his ass handed to him...as he should.
This is the first book I've read by this author, and after reading Ronan and Sage's story, it definitely won't be the last! First off, I'm a sucker for a sizzling shifter romance. Second, I love a grumpy alpha who'd go to the ends of the earth to protect his Luna. And wow, Ronan was all that and then some!
Sage has been on the run for ages, trying to escape her ex. She ends up in Shadow Wolf Creek when her RV breaks down, and that's where she meets Alpha Ronan Ironwood. There's an instant connection between them. Ronan knows she's his fated mate, but Sage has no clue Ronan's a bear shifter, let alone that she's his fated mate.
No spoilers here! This book was everything I hoped for and so much more. Seriously, I couldn't put my phone and Kindle down until I finished it. The storyline was fantastic. Sage and Ronan had me totally invested in their HEA journey. Ronan's mom, Lenora, his brother Talin, and his wife, Imani, brought some extra love, fun, and laughs to the story. And as for the ex, Warren? Let's just say Karma doesn't mess around, and he learned that the hard way. And those epilogues? Chef's Kiss! This was such an amazing book, a definite must-read in my opinion.
I am enjoying all of my time spent in Shadow Wolf Creek. It’s been an adventure seeing the different packs & clans. I’ve loved learning of their unique abilities, traditions, & histories.
These bears have a special place in my heart. I was excited to dive into Ronan’s story, after meeting him in his brother’s book. Ronan seemed so rigid & obstinate. His perspective brought light to his true feelings. Beneath his stoic demeanor was a somber man & his bear, yearning for their mate. I appreciated the irony of him finding Sage & then realizing she is his opposite in every way that matters. Her need for independence & self preservation went against his nature to protect & provide. But Ronan was beyond patient and understanding while Sage worked through her baggage & trauma. Mother Lenora was my favorite character.
While I enjoyed the characters & their challenges, there were some significant things that hampered my reading experience. The main one was continuity. The length of time between events changed. 8mos to 3mos, 3 days to 3 weeks.. One character’s description changed from chapter to chapter “he has his mother’s eyes & his father’s complexion” to “he has his father’s eyes & his mother’s color”. Without posting spoilers: Character A knew something about Character B before they mentioned it. Then in later dialogue Character A was surprised & asking questions about.. Another instance would be Character B thinking “Character C doesn’t even know about Character D” then in later dialogue Character C says “You know how Character D is”. It was frustrating. There was an entire scene recycled from a previous book. I recognized it right away, because I thought it was a beautiful scene. It was, in my opinion, an intimate bonding moment between two characters. I felt like Dang, Sage & Ronan don’t deserve their own special moment? This is the other couple down to the emotions & dialogue. I was disappointed.
There was so much intention & preparation leading up to the confrontation. Yet when it finally happened, I felt like “wait, that was it?” I suppose my anticipation built too high.
I was not expecting to feel so dissatisfied this far into the series.. 😔
I can’t even lie. It took me a little minute to remember who Ronan was after I read the author’s note. (In my defense, I’ve read A LOT of Tessa Stone’s books.) Once I reread my review for the last book, it all came back to me, and I became a part of the group of people who wanted Ronan to find love, too.
I really liked Sage’s ability to clock people’s body language and facial expressions so quickly. Which makes sense given that Sage was a single [black] woman crossing America by RV. Something so minute could happen, and Sage would’ve caught it and made note of it.
Alsooo, finally! A FMC who finds what the shifters say to be weird and stalker-ish! Lol. I’ve always said that outside of these books, shit like “you’re mine”, “I’ll follow you”, “I’ve waited my whole life for you,” etc are very red flag-like. And since Sage had no previous experience with shifters, all the shit Ronan was saying while explaining the concept of fated mates to her was ringing all of the alarm bells in Sage’s head. (And shoutout to Ronan for noticing the parallels between what he was saying and an abuser and then trying to adjust.) Luckily for Ronan, Sage was able to understand the importance of fated mates and feel the bond so she stayed put.
However, when Sage got the thought to run to “protect” Ronan, my immediate response was, ”girl, you bet not.” I was happy that by that point Ronan could feel her emotions and stop her. Cause girl you trying to play in my friend’s face, and I don’t like that lol.
Ok. Let’s discuss the handling of the Big Bad.
I really thought Sage’s sister told Warren where she was. Because if Sage took all the precautions she said she did, Warren couldn’t know where Sage was unless he was in contact with the one person Sage told her location to. But when the possibility of a tracker and a PI was brought up, I was like “okay. That makes more sense.”😂
Anyway, with the way the Ironwood Clan was preparing for Warren’s arrival and Ronan was ready to rip that 🥷🏾 to shreds, I thought there was going to be a major fight scene. I did find the way that Warren was handled slightly satisfying, but I really thought Warren was going to show up prepared or something and there was going to be a damn near war to protect Sage.
And if you’re not new to this series, Stanley’s Diner and Andy make an appearance and of course some chaos ensues lol.
I have to admit, when I met Ronan in Tolin’s book, I was like he’s so mean. Yup, thought he was meaner than Tolin! But seeing him yearn for so long and having to step up and become Alpha, made me understand the weight he’s been under. So much responsibility early on and waiting so long for his mate, put so much pressure on him. He was eager and after meeting Sage he just knew that he had to have her. It was beautiful watching him hold himself accountable and changing his language so that he reaffirmed that Sage always has a choice. Watching him wrestle with his primal instincts to be exactly who she needed and wanted, was amazing. Sage learning that she can in fact lean on the right people was breath of fresh air. Ronan and Sage are a great couple and it was nice to see Tolin and Imani again. Great read.
Okkaaayyyy, another one bites the dust. This book series reminds me of chasing Ebony (the bear shifter series) of winter moon. Except this series took place in shadow wolf creek. Ronon was not playing about having his mate claim him, it kept him up at night (which was kinda funny) seems like he was begging when he asked sage to claim him. But in the beginning it was such a CaWinkAdinK that Sage RV brook down in Shadow wolf Creek 🤔 now to think about it, just about all the shifter woman either brook down in winter moon or shadow wolf creek. Unless they are sent out on a mission and find them there. Waiting on the next book due out in June 2026 (this one about a Dragon 🐉)
I enjoyed Sage and Ronan's journey to their HEA. I like how, though considering herself independent, Sage leaned into all that was Ronan. She accepted his shifter heritage, the safety he provided, and the love he showed her. Sage was Ronan's anchor, helping to eliminate the restlessness and loneliness that was weighing Ronan down. Ronan was, of course, the protective and understanding man that Sage needed. Although he wanted to go full alpha,thanks to his bear, Ronan was able to tone it down. This helped Sage feel safe, seen, wanted, and wanting to finally stay in one place.
In full transparency, I have not read all of the books in the shadow Wolf Creek series because some of them are written by authors that I do not care for. So that being said, I know I am missing some pieces of the through storyline. I do like Tessa Stone; I have read many books by her. This was probably the most unfocused book I’ve read by her. There were quite a few instances where she seem to forget the plot, or where exactly she was in the plot. The timing was off and discordant. There were even times when the characters were referred to information that they shouldn’t have known. And the resolution of the threat was very rushed. Not her best work.
Special things happen when the Alpha finally finds its fated mate. Ronan, has been brooding for years watching everyone find the one Mother Fate had for them but somehow has always been out of reach for him. Sage is a runner ( not a track star). She’s never felt fully landed or like she might want to stay. That’s until fate has its way and a winter storm and busted down RV collide and that sets off a sequence of steps that ultimately land Ronan and Sage exactly where they need to be…. Together. Thrilled to see this alpha get his HEA.
Tessa Stone has some it again! Another fabulous read!
Another interesting exciting story by Tessa Stone Two people meeting and realizing they are fated mates One human and the a bear shifter and to bring drama a stalker ex who refuses to accept No We get some page turner moments and are hoping that Sage finally gets peace and happiness with a Hugh dose of love and family She gets all that from Ronan Their journey to their HEA is exciting and when it happens you breathe a sigh of relief Great job Tessa
I enjoyed this book. Stranded With the Alpha Bear has great chemistry, a protective grumpy alpha, and a strong, guarded heroine. Ronan’s possessive energy and Sage’s journey from running to finally choosing home made their romance satisfying. The danger from her stalker ex added tension without taking over the story. Overall, it’s a steamy, emotional paranormal romance that fans of fated mates and grumpy alphas will enjoy. 🐻❤️
Your running for your life but you don't think you need help. The fear is enough for you to travel from state to state, trying to cover your tracks. Yet you feel comfortable enough to want to be out in public because you want a job. I couldn't finish this one it rubbed me the wrong way.
I loved Tolin’s story and I was anxiously awaiting Ronan’s. The story was good but I felt that Sage was forced to do the mating vice letting it happen. All of the other stories were like, the mates didn’t realize what was happening and it came out of nowhere and happened. This should have been five stars but it was the little things. However, still a good read.
Sage was perfect for Ronan. She was beautiful, smart and fierce! Ronan had reel in his grumpiness so that he didn't run her away. This book was so good!! Sage needed a home and fate broke her to Shadow Wolf. Can't ego see whose next!!
I really enjoyed reading this book. This is the first time reading material from the author! I have read many paranormal romance novels, but this was more relatable to me somehow. The inner feeling of Sage's in her life. Great read🐻
This book had me smiling, laughing, crying happy and mad tears, sad and so many more emotions. I’m glad Ronan found his mate finally! I wanted more to happen to Warren, put them paws on him! Great read.
good story. watching the healing between the brothers over the past as Ronan finds his mate. I gave it a 4 star because when the heroine met the shifter side it was the exact same words as the first book. only with names changed. make the scenes different.
Ronan was introduced during Tolin's story. I was glad to see he got a story of his own. Sage was his match and I enjoyed their growth. The story had repetitive moments, but was a quick and predictable hea. The confrontation was anti-climatic. 2.5 stars
So well written! I loved the characters and their transparency. They fit together so well. As usual, I found some gems through their journey 💜 Your books never disappoint!
What a wonderful story about perseverance, self-love, self-awareness, and discovering who you are meant to be and Sage experienced it all and came through it with honor…Ase’🫶🏽
Classic Tessa Stone PNR fated mate tale that was pretty good! It was not as exciting or passionate as the Taming Kane 📗, but its very hard to top that novel 😘