Zoe Stewart didn't plan to end up in the woods after she emptied her corrupt boss's bank accounts, but the small town of Bear Creek is the only safe place for her to hide from his minions. Except Bear Creek isn't connected to anything and she might die without fast wifi, even with the handsome brooding lumberjack to look after her. After a walk in the woods goes badly wrong, Zoe discovers her protector is more than he seems.
Simon Crawford just wants to run tourists into the backwoods of the Cascades on boutique hunting and fishing trips. When his old battle buddy asks him to look after Zoe for a short time, Simon reluctantly agrees -- and discovers his bear wants her as much as Zoe wants to leave.
When a car accident leaves Zoe on the verge of death, Simon saves her the only way he knows: gives her his blood and changes her into a bear. Just as her bear recognizes his and their happily ever after seems just around the corner, Zoe's corrupt boss hunts them both down and threatens to destroy everything Simon has built in Bear Creek. Will Simon's bear hands be enough to save them both, or will their happily ever after end before it even begins?
“You’re my air, Zoe. Without you, I can’t breathe.”
✔️bear shifter novella ✔️fated mates ✔️FMC on the run ✔️slower burn ✔️no breakup
This is a solid spicy bear shifter novella. It is a slower burn, which is a nice change from what I am used to reading in this genre. There is definitely the fated mates aspect in play which usually equates to instalove, but the MMC doesn’t actually confirm that they are mates until some time has passed in the story, he is initially annoyed with the fact she is there and he has to protect her (or so he makes everyone think). Granted, the entirety of the story still only takes place over a couple of days, but the way it is written it feels like it is longer.
I loved that there are some twists and suspense, there was a reveal toward the end regarding a side character that I definitely did not see coming and it will be interesting to see if that character shows up again in a future book. The FMC in this story is quirky in a seemingly neurodivergent kind of way (and I love that she just is who she is, it isn’t made into a big deal) and she is so strong and doesn’t just give into what others in he life want, she actually takes time to figure out what SHE wants, even if that means rejecting her mate (and the MMC encourages it even though he absolutely doesn’t want her to go). The story ends on a hopeful note, and I am looking forward to seeing them pop up in future stories in this series.
Better than some shifter series I've read but not as good as Layla Roberts "City Shifters: Pride series". That was phenomenal! My daughter and I devoured them! Simon and Zoe needs so much more depth to the characters, and there was some questions- like what happened when she turned into her bear? And did her brother stay? But it had a nice HFN ending. I'll keep reading I guess.
My rating for this one is a 3.5. This is a well written shifter story with great characters. I would encourage everyone to get this one it is worth your time. This easy to read but take your time or you will miss something's. I would have liked to have seen more of their story. Go get this one and enjoy.
How does this have a 4.08? While entertaining....i ended up annotating this on my nook............wow...........so much cringe. Can't wait to review this on the channel! Lol
I enjoyed this book, it was filled with drama, action, friendship, loyalty, romance and love💖. What romance reader doesn't love💘 a little fantasy now and again!
Simon is a grizzly shifter and his friend Tate wants him to watch a young woman that was a hacker for a crime mob. His life is changed once he gets her scent.
Bad guys, shifters and love galore! You get everything in the book. I was hesitant to read this because I have never read from this author before, but I'm so glad I did. This book was packed with everything we want.
Simon was a gruff guy in the start of this book. You can really tell he likes his peace and wants to just be left alone. I really did like him. Even tho the gruffness kept up thru the book it evolved into how a hero should be in the end. He was too quick to judge Zoe and I really didn't care for that, it made him a lot less like able, but because of events he really starts to understand her and he finally was a true alpha male and not an idiot. One part towards the end where Simon thought he was losing Zoe, I broke out in chills and tears formed. It was heart breaking but so cute at the same time.
Zoe was way smart and trouble walking. She was scared in this book for right reasons but by the end of the book she was a much brighter heroine. When she was changed you could see the whole change and not just a change in her becoming an animal. I really liked her as a person.
The plot was really cool, I enjoyed it a lot, and left you wondering what was going to happen. Some of the events will have you like WHOO!!!! And make you want to keep flipping. This author did great with details considering the book is about 100 pages. It was really good! I can't wait to read more from this series!
Overall I would say 3.5 stars. I felt like something was missing, maybe in future books in this series I might get what's missing, but all I know is I will be adding the rest of her books to that ever growing TBR list!
This is a great standalone series opener. At 111 pages, it's a quick read, yet is still a complete story that doesn't feel rushed. Simon Crawford, a grizzly bear shifter, owes a favor, which an old friend calls in. He's asked to keep a computer expert hidden away from her boss, who is being investigated by the FBI. Zoe Stewart is on the run from Mick Castellano, a powerful and ruthless businessman. Zoe knows he will be coming for her and a lodge in the woods sounds like an excellent place to hide. Simon, however, seems really growly, he's way too handsome, and he expects her to get up much too early to help out with the lodge's guests. But when Zoe goes into the woods and accidentally gets between a mama black bear and her cubs, she finds there's a reason for those growls, a very big reason. This entertaining novella gets 4.5 stars.
I borrowed this book from someone who thoroughly enjoyed it and I have to say I agree. I haven't read anything by this author before and I found the characters to be fun, clumsy especially before noon, and fairly humorous. Ethan is a friend of Simon's, and Ethan asks Simon to watch out for Zoe who is "kind" of a criminal. Well... hacker. She freaks out after seeing Simon shift into a bear, after she gets between a mama bear and her cubs, he protects her and she tries to run away. Only she crashes. Things actually do go from bad to worse, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. I found the story to be worth the read and am looking forward to the next story.
This was my first book with this author. I liked the characters she created while giving just enough for the reader to want to learn more about them to create a whole new world, knowing that each character had their own story. The H/h were neither too bad ass or wimpy, nor too bossy or indecisive. Refreshingly Zoe didn't split her time being a femme fatale or too emotional which always makes me want to choke the heroine of a story.
I'll be waiting (hoping) for this story to grow into a series.
His Bear Hands by Callista Ball and Layla Nash is a fairly short read. This would be a good choice for those with limited time for reading. His Bear Hands is a well written paranormal shifter book. Simon and Zoe's story is full of humor, action, suspense and sizzle. The characters are lovable and fun. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Callista Ball and Layla Nash in the future. His Bear Hands is book 1 in the Bear Creek Grizzlies Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
Once I finished the City Shifters Pride and Den series I decided to check out this one as well. And It's got a complete new set of characters and is just as much fun. Zoe is human, and a master hacker. She gets into trouble with her bad guy boss so her brother decides to hide her with Simon. Simon is a bear and was not expecting his mate to be a wanted criminal. She gets into an accident and he can't think of losing her so he gives her a blood transfusion to save her life. She's not exactly grateful when she wakes up!
This was a great story. It had shifters, romance, suspense, and a few twists thrown in. Simon and Zoe were cute together. This was the first story by this author I've read but it won't be my last. I also liked seeing a bit of Ethan in this one and am looking forward to reading his story. *I received a copy of this story as part of the Paws and Claws (Volume 4) box set in exchange for my honest review.*
This was an enjoyable read. The main characters were very likable and the storyline held my interest. The biggest flaw I found was character development. There was very little background on either Simon or Zoe. More in-depth characters would have made the story so m much better.
Apparently I just wasn't in the mood for fated mates- the entire story takes place over a period of 2-3 days, which for me, makes the character 'development' feel superficial. The FMC also reads like a teenager (and gets treated like one IMHO), which makes the romance aspect problematic for me. YMMV
This was a good book but things happened a little fast for me. I know this was a short story so that should be expected. Most of the shifter books are this way. If you can get this book for free I would recommend it.
This book has most everything that I like to find in a story! I liked the story itself, even if it does have a few "oopsies" which should have been caught. I found the characters and humor really fun. I will be finding the next one.
I really liked this book and would have given it 5 stars but it just ends.....it isn't continued in another book! It wouldn't have taken the author much more to write one more chapter to give the book more closure!
Was pretty good. I liked Rosie's part in it. I'd love to read Ethan's story. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the Simon says bit, it got old fast.