Cecelia and the Bear

by Elizabeth Kelly

Love is a spell that can't be broken.

As an apprentice witch, Cecelia is perfectly content to practice her folk magic and simple spells.

Until touching a stoic polar bear shifter triggers her ancient powers, putting desire and magic on a collision course.

Good news - Briggs is her conduit. Bad news - their connection isn’t real.

Author's This book is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. Please note this book has steamy scenes that may not be your cup of tea.

It’s supernatural.

Afraid of her growing magic - and her feelings - Cece vows to avoid the sexy polar bear shifter.

When a family of witches hellbent on revenge targets Cece, Briggs is assigned to protect her. He knows his feelings for her can’t be genuine, but there’s no convincing his polar bear that she’s not his mate.

As their connection grows, it’s nearly impossible to remember their budding love is bogus.
But when her enemies force them into the fight of their lives, Cece will need more than her witchcraft to save them…

She’ll need Briggs’s love.

415 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2026

About the author

Elizabeth Kelly is a romance novelist who spends her days writing and pushing her cat Murray off the keyboard. She firmly believes that a person can survive solely on sushi and coffee, and only her husband's mad cooking skills prevents her from proving that theory.

She also writes contemporary and paranormal romance under her alter-ego "Ramona Gray".

Reviews

[Christina L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cecelia and the Bear had many suprises at every turn. There are so many faucets to Cecelia. It was a fun read to see how she grows throughout the story. This is the first Elizabeth Kelly book that I was a little underwhelmed with. Don't get me wrong, I love love love the integration of previous book characters - especially Ronin! You never know what he is going to say. However this story seemed a little stuck where Cecelia and Briggs were concerned. I did feel a little lost in the point of the story and it felt a little stagnant. The story did pick back up though and the last third was great! Elizabeth Kelly books are an automatic read for me and that will not change. I received this book as an advanced reader copy, but the opinions are all my own.

[FULVIA BELLINATO · Rating 5 out of 5]

After an explosive first encounter, Cecelia and Briggs are determined to stay far away from each other but Fate has other plans for them!
While their kind of connection is rare in the magic world, neither of them is willing to take advantage of it but when Cece’s past resurfaces they are bound to reconsider their options.
Fast-paced, gripping and at times hilarious, this story is full of magic and pure feelings.
Ms Kelly’s imagination keeps surprising me and cameos from previous charachters are always a boon

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pinning! The action! The polar bear fur! This was a fun addition to the series, brought back the usual cast of characters, whom feel a lot like old friends by book 11 :) Fast-paced (action) slow-burn (romance). 4 out of 5 🐻s for me :P

Big thank you to the author for an advanced copy of this book! This is my honest review.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was Awesome!!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Elizabeth Kelly just keeps getting better and better!! Briggs and Cecelia, definitely don't disappoint.. This is a great series and can't wait to see what's next!!