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Soldier Bears #3

Big Strong Bear

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He's strong, he's dangerous, and he'll battle through hell itself if it means getting back his mate...

Cassie is in trouble, and the only person that can help her is the last person that she wants to ask. Her ex-lover, Hades. Sure, he may be tall, huge, handsome, and deadly, but the man she waited for while he served in the Special Forces hasn't been the same since he came back, and has done nothing but avoid her ever since.

Hades got his name in the military for a reason. He's accurate, dangerous, and won't hesitate to put you six feet under. He has also been avoiding his mate since he got back from the war. A dangerous rescue mission left him badly scarred, and he's not sure if she can accept the man he has become. Until she knocks on his door late at night, needing his help.

Protecting Cassie gives Hades the second chance he's been needing to win over his mate forever. But the danger chasing Cassie runs deeper than either of them think, and if Hades wants to keep his mate, he's going to have to fight the battle of his life.

122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2015

274 people are currently reading
233 people want to read

About the author

Terry Bolryder

149 books1,251 followers
Terry is the author of over forty bestselling shifter romances. She spends her spare time dreaming of dragons, playing with her pets, and watching sunsets from her home in the mountains alongside her husband (who she suspects would make a great bear shifter). She loves the wild outdoors, her fans, all readers, and getting lost in a great book.

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5 stars
549 (47%)
4 stars
342 (29%)
3 stars
195 (16%)
2 stars
61 (5%)
1 star
12 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
228 reviews
September 8, 2015
Okay, this was a little ridiculous. This being the third book in the series, I felt like they just combined the storylines of the first two books and came up with this one. Yes, she's a bear too and they didn't just meet and have this whirlwind romance, but the coincidence of her having this bad man chasing after her seemed exactly like the dealio with Ares' mate and then they end up in the same place that the confrontation happened with Zeus' mate. Would it kill the author to come up with some new places and situations? I think not.

I will say that Hades was very intriguing (and hot) in the first two books. I was very much looking forward to his story and found most of this to be a let down. The MCs acted like idiots when it came to each other and no one in this book communicated at all, so every bit of plot made me want to smack my forehead in frustration at these people and their lack of communication. Makes me wonder if this is the final book in the series though. Hera was a bit of a curveball and I would like to know more about her.
Profile Image for Chris.
57 reviews
September 23, 2015
Really?

I have a hard time with stories about stupid people who refuse to talk about the problem that are keeping them apart. I'd have smacked this guy stupid!
Profile Image for Jenna ✨DNF Queen✨Here, Sometimes....
435 reviews49 followers
September 9, 2015
Ugh what an obnoxious heroine! This girl whined and bitched and ran on assumptions and couldn't even admit when those assumptions were wrong! I loved Hades' character but Cassie ruined it for me, I wanted someone Better for him! Also the book started mid-relationship (was this not meant to be stand alone? I don't care about her enough to go back and read more If it's not) and the whole first chapter was a Great Misunderstanding. Puh-lease. Disappointed for sure. 2 stars for Hades, he's one sexy tall dark a handsome scary scarred-up sexpot so at least there was that.
Profile Image for Lani ⚔⚔  the Destroyer ⚔⚔.
743 reviews41 followers
January 9, 2016
This was close to a DNF for me simply because it was too much like the previous books and Hades and Cassie being apart for years simply because they didn't talk is stupid and juvenile. This big misunderstanding was dragged out for too long and I was bored with it.
Profile Image for Amber.
489 reviews63 followers
August 29, 2015
Holy HOT Hades! This was such a sexy and emotional read! With some action thrown in!
I love Hades. He thinks he's lesser of a man because of his wounds, emotional and physical but he's really not. I love how he fights for Cassie. Even though both of them can be completely frustrating at times they were mates and belonged together.
I haven't read the first two in the series yet but this one stands-alone fine. I definitely plan on going and reading them soon!
25 reviews
October 17, 2015
Cute stories

I enjoyed the stories and characters. Kind of light reading for me, but I'd still recommend them for fun reading.
Profile Image for Marsha Keeper Bookshelf.
4,290 reviews88 followers
May 10, 2017
Reviewed at Shifter Haven

Big Strong Bear may just break your heart while giving you a powerful story to enjoy. Before Hades went away to the military and his special ops unit he and Cassie were young lovers, mates and had the whole world ahead of them. Then life happened. While on duty Hades was badly injured and the damage was beyond his shifter healing to complete. He’s left with the scars on his body and his soul. When he returned home he avoided his love, his mate feeling no longer perfect enough for her. (Men…sigh) Eventually Cassie stopped coming to his door but she didn’t stop watching over him. Which turned out badly for her when she saw something she misinterpreted and that set up resentment and pain. Two misunderstandings lead to a whole lot of heartache for this couple. And it gets worse when Cassie is in enough trouble to show up on her mate’s doorstep asking for help.

I’ll be honest, my heart ached for this couple while I wanted to sit them down for a stern talking to at the very same time. Watching their love be rebuilt, rekindled was an enjoyable experience. And getting to see all the other people from this series one last time was pure fun. I love the banter of this group. I enjoyed my time with Cassie and Hades They make a great couple, if a bit stubborn and bull-headed. Full of action, sexy times and true mates who are finding their way back to each other – this is a story and a series I’d recommend for any Paranormal Romance or Shifter Romance reader.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Profile Image for Vicki.
1,704 reviews
January 15, 2017
This series was so much fun and the romance so hot I had to read #3 just to find out what happened.

Hades was hurt, badly burned when he rescued a man in his squad. He came home physically scared and emotionally too. He shut himself off from everyone even his mate, Cassie. Cassie is a black bear shifter and she know Hades is her mate but he won't talk to her. Then one day she drives by and sees a blonde woman in military dress knock on his door and he answers it and hugs her and lets her in. She stays with him for two weeks. She is furious and after 2 weeks he comes to see her and she tells him to get lost. He doesn't know why she is mad. The plot is them talking things out and fighting off motorcycle gangs and a loan shark that Cassie has gotten in trouble with. This was exciting and fun to read and ended the trilogy.
Profile Image for Silke  K.
391 reviews8 followers
September 6, 2020
Hades needed to correct mistakes of his past

Hades knew he needed up after coming home from the military. He was burned from an explosion. He didn't want his mature to see his pain and anger. Cassie was mad from seeing a female coming into his house, she thought the worst. She made him suffer, of course. Cassie made a big big mistake and now needed Hades to protect her. Will he? They were both so angry with one another.
Profile Image for Tania Rodriguez.
728 reviews2 followers
October 13, 2019
It was awesome!!!!!😍

I loved it!!! I love that this time the female was the heroine!!!! So cool. I was.surprise by the outcome of the book. Like the others the men were the butt whooping. I was expecting the same this but she kicked Butt!!!!! Looooove it!!! 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💞💞💞💞💞💞💗💗💗💗💗💘💘💘💘💘💖💖💖💖💖💖💖👍👍👍👍💋💋
Profile Image for Reader_for_LifeTLG.
2,737 reviews17 followers
December 2, 2019
I have enjoyed all of the Soldier Bear books but I think Big Strong Bear is my favorite. Hades has spent so much time feeling sorry for himself that he inadvertently pushed his mate away. He's ready to move forward with her but she's done with him. But then she comes to him for help and he'll stop at nothing to win her back.
Profile Image for Jo.
1,036 reviews
Read
June 28, 2024
❌ Shelves: ex-lovers/H&h, ex-partner/H&h, second-chance, both-celibate-during-seperation, no-sex-scenes-with-ow-om, safe-no-cheating-no-ow-om, not-a-manwhore, hero-first-and-only-lover, v-card, curvy-heroine, tortured-or-scarred-hero, hero-alpha-male, size-difference, military, bear-shifter, shifter-haven, paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, mf, hea, safe.
Profile Image for Pansy.
2,198 reviews24 followers
January 23, 2020
Interesting

There wmas a bit of a twist in this one compared to the other two of this Soldier Bear series. It made things a bit different and added a little interest. Nice bedtime read.
Profile Image for Annette Cousins.
124 reviews2 followers
February 6, 2020
Brilliant

Captivating from start to finish. Sexy hot guys and smart beautiful women. Gripping from the start that I couldn't put it down. And to top it all happy ever after. A must read
1 review
September 8, 2020
Love everything you write! Completely addicted! Your books are fun to read @ I look forward to your next one!

Your romances are full of adventure and intrigue. Like most romances, add a kid or pet and you get laughter! Keep writing & I'll keep reading .
712 reviews
July 9, 2022
Awesome💥

I've read🐻 the entire series, couldn't put it down. OMG, it was filled with drama, friendship, action, romance💖 and love! You must read this series in order to understand what is going on, you will have a hard time putting it down.
Profile Image for Elisa.
3,229 reviews41 followers
October 20, 2017
Hades and Cassie a great story, good adventure
Author 6 books17 followers
February 5, 2019
This was my favorite of the series. I enjoyed it! Wish there were more...
Profile Image for Pamela.
1,252 reviews11 followers
February 12, 2021
Great little series

I enjoyed reading the awesome journey of each couple, their story was well written , drawing you in, feeling their emotions as everything unfolded
Profile Image for Loata93.
371 reviews
October 14, 2016
This book was based on the heroine seeing something then making assumptions based on this one event so it is pretty irritating i read it mostly to find out what had happened to make them separate then i found out and was pretty disappointed. Also the fact shes shifter too and can take care of herself blah irritating. Halfway through i was done. But as a set its a must read or else youll feel like you missed out lol
106 reviews14 followers
March 26, 2017
This is the third story in the Soldier Bears series. Hades and Cassie are both were-bears and fated mates. They both know they are fated mates as they were together and then broke up. To be honest the story line was a bit weak and the interaction between the two main characters was ok. I have to say tying in a portion of the story line from the first book was a good idea.
Profile Image for Cherri-Anne.
922 reviews
August 28, 2015
I want your heart. 5 BEAR PAWS UP

You have it, even when it was broken, you had it. WHOA BABY!!! Now this is one BEARRIFIC story! My heart broke & overflowed with happiness and love right along with Cassie and Hades. I could not wait for Hades' story! The Big Dude looking all hot & dangerous who, from the brief glimpses we saw of him in the other 2 books - Big Bad Bear & Big Sexy Bear - had no idea how to be discreet, delicate in his ways of talking and acting, this Tough Guy image...you just knew his mate & their road to Happily Ever After was going to be filled with lots of humps for them (pun fully intended!) and lots of tears, laughter & enjoyment! Hades was gonna fall hard & fast and I for one just had to be there for it! BUT WOW! As much as I thought on how this book would play out, I NEVER considered that Hades had already met & been with his mate Cassie!! I loved that twist as it gave the story a whole new & unique meaning making it even more BEARTABULOUS!! Cassie is one GRRRERRIFIC gal who I felt for as soon as her story started to play out. And I never realized just how scarred Hades was both inside and out. “Just being with her felt like healing.” Luckily he has one FANGTASTIC mate in Cassie! “It was a powerful force of nature, a bear’s call for its mate.” “Her fated mate had always been a very big, very strong bear.” I consider the “unpredictable” factor to be one of the signs of a GRRREAT story & author. Being able to keep each story fresh, exciting and unpredictable, time and again is the mark of a truly fantastic author. I feel that if I love (or hate) the characters, laugh & cry with and for them, as well as being able to see and experience their story along with them, then that is also a testament to the authors talent. Once again, Terry has created one massively PAWESOME hot & sexy romance that I couldn't put down! In fact, I finished it and... yup! I went back and read it again, it is THAT BEARTASTIC!! Terry is a phenomenally gifted author who has me instantly captivated right from the first glimpse of the cover all the way through to my two most 'hated' words in any great story - The End.
4,226 reviews
June 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hades, scarred and haunted by his past, had given up on love—until Cassie, his longtime admirer, refuses to quit on him. This emotionally charged story explores themes of healing, redemption, and second chances. The tension between Hades’s darkness and Cassie’s unwavering hope creates a gripping narrative with intense chemistry and heartfelt moments.
3,423 reviews20 followers
August 26, 2015
Book three and what a story. I have loved this series of the Soldier Bears. Each an army into himself and with names to fit their fighting prowess. But this is a romance and Hades has watched, even helped, his two buddies save their mates to get their HEA. What about him? He is the only one who found his mate before going to war, but the only one without a mate when they return.

He plans to change that! His gift from saving another from a bomb is terrible scars even his bear could not heal. But he has finally come to terms with them and is planning to go after Cassie, his she bear mate. When the knock on his door comes he has no idea just how soon he'll get his chance.

Cassie and Hades each have different misunderstandings about what went wrong. But she is in trouble and doesn't know who else to turn to. He won't make it easy for her, but this could work for his new chance. It is not an easy road and there are others out there who make it even more dangerous and difficult.

Buddies Zeus and Ares get the chance to payback and help him with his mate. You will love the way he thanks them in the end. Watching Cassie come into her bear and Hades soften a little into the man to be loved is a journey I will take again with a reread of this and the entire series. A strong recommend from me.

I was provided an ARC for an honest review.
Profile Image for Monica.
2,079 reviews
August 27, 2015
I think if I had to choose which I liked better of this series it would be Ares' book first, Hades, and then Zeus. Weird how that worked. Hades comes back from serving a broken man/bear. He is scarred and feels Cassie wont want him now. Cassie is a she-bear and is his mate. She tries to see him but he rudely pushes her away and breaks her heart. She also sees something that breaks her even more...another woman going in and leaving his place. She's just utterly broken...she feels he rejected her but accepted another. Is it true? Could she really think Hades would do that? Hmm...also with her father dying the previous year with nobody to turn to she gets a loan from a loan shark. This loan shark Richard wants Cassie so he kept not letting her pay now that the interest is too much for her she can never pay. He wants her as payment but she goes to Hades knowing only he can help her. Should he considering he felt she didnt want him? How many misunderstandings could these 2 have between them? What annoyed me quite a bit was Cassie was a bit of a runner and not wanting to deal with real problems. Hades had NO clue what he did and she refused to tell him why. Frustrating to no end! LOL. I enjoyed the series but I did like book 2 the best. Looking forward to more of her work!
Profile Image for Crystal Watson .
379 reviews6 followers
Read
August 29, 2015
What does that? How can it feel so good? Every time. Oh my god every woman needs a big sexy bear!

This is the last book in the series it's Hades and Cassie's story. Poor Hades is a werebear that nearly lost his life in the army. Hades survived but it left him terribly scarred. Cassie is Hayden's true mate they've known it forever but decided to grow up a little before mating. Cassie's had a rough go since Hades went off to the army her dad has passed leaving her with mounting bills and the bakery she owns just doesn't bring in enough to cover them. So when she goes to a friend to borrow money she has no clue that it's not money he wants for payment it's her. Cassie has no choice but to turn to the one man her broke her heart. Hayden doesn't know if his heart will be able to survive is Cassie's leaves him again but he understands that he's not a handsome as he once was with all the scars. Will Cassie and Hades figure out what went wrong between them? Can they live long enough to figure things out? Is it Hades scars that keep Cassie away? Well Zeus and Aries be able to help save them? Well stop reading this and go get your copy today and find out. Lol I loved this series. It was absolutely wonderful.
Profile Image for Nikki.
248 reviews4 followers
August 29, 2015
Big Strong Bear by Terry Bolryder

Holy wow! Where can I get a big strong bear like Hades for myself?! I love this series, they just keep getting better!! Hades has been through hell and back, he survives an explosion that, if it hadn't been for his bear, would have killed him. He is covered in scars as a reminder of what happened and comes home to claim his mate. Cassie is also a bear shifter and has know since they were kids that Hades was her mate. When he returns from the military, he is a different man; cold, hard and distant, she believes he betrayed her and keeps her distance from him. After months of refusing to talk to him, Cassie comes to Hades for help...someone is after her. Hades sees this as a second chance to win his mate and resolve all the misunderstandings between them. The chemistry and feelings are still there and he won't let her walk away again without a fight. This story was amazing! I love how dark and dangerous Hades seems to everyone but how sweet and loving he is to his mate, it's an awesome contrast. I would love for there to be more Soldier Bear books in the future, maybe one for Hera...??? :)
523 reviews2 followers
August 28, 2015
Hades in my bed now

Wow! This conclusion to the trilogy of the Greek gods bears was awesome. John aka John knew he wanted his mate every since he moved from Richmond as a kid to cassie hometown. He thought she couldn't love a man who was injured and scarred from the war. Lies he tell. She thought he moved on with someone else because he wouldn't let her see him like that but another female. Well, as it turns out it was all a misunderstanding. She ran to Hades when she needed help. He figured even if he couldn't be her mate and make love he would protect her with his life. And he is one man bear or whatever you do not want to reckon with. He's an awesome weapons man and computer savvy. With the help of Ares and Zeus they make it happen. But after a incident with Hades mamma bear had to go get her man.....well, you just need to read the book. It's a lot of action... Terry Bolryder knows how her stuff about bears and mates...I beg to differ if someone said differently.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews

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