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Grizzly List #2
One And Only Bear
Sometimes a bear is more than just a bear.
The Grizzly List, Book 2
Oscar is a socially awkward bear who's not like the other bear shifters in Colorado. He's a white spirit bear, and he works as a phone psychic. When he decides to try the Grizzly List weekly, he's only looking for a friend, knowing love isn't in the cards for him.
Firefighter Patrick is an outgoing grizzly shifter who's happy to meet Oscar and give him whatever he needs, as long as Oscar doesn't need a mate. Patrick doesn't believe in fated mates.
Can these two teach each other that what they want and what they need aren't the same thing?
The Grizzly List, Book 2
Oscar is a socially awkward bear who's not like the other bear shifters in Colorado. He's a white spirit bear, and he works as a phone psychic. When he decides to try the Grizzly List weekly, he's only looking for a friend, knowing love isn't in the cards for him.
Firefighter Patrick is an outgoing grizzly shifter who's happy to meet Oscar and give him whatever he needs, as long as Oscar doesn't need a mate. Patrick doesn't believe in fated mates.
Can these two teach each other that what they want and what they need aren't the same thing?
115 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2016
7 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Julia Talbot
308 books270 followersJulia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia is a hybrid author, and has been published by many presses as well as self publishing. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. Julia also writes as Minerva Howe. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at www.juliatalbot.com
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 21, 2024
4 Stars
Better than the first, my growing love of bears just keeps on, going on. This rating is for the pure enjoyment factor regarding the ridiculous fluff that this is.
Oscar is a lot shy, definitely a self isolationist, and understandably lonely. He simply wants companionship since sex has never been a priority, has never really interested him.
Patrick, like most bears, enjoys a good cuddle, loves all things sweet, and is always up for sharing an indulgent nap with a friend or lover. Oscar sounds like the perfect one to provide that and more.
So yes, these two click immediately and things progress fabulously. Despite Patrick’s belief that there’s no such thing as mates causing the necessary, but brief separation, the pure sweetness of this made up for it. Seriously endearing on all fronts and seriously sexy (with a good dose of sap) - I'm happy to see there's a third installment waiting for me!
Better than the first, my growing love of bears just keeps on, going on. This rating is for the pure enjoyment factor regarding the ridiculous fluff that this is.
Oscar is a lot shy, definitely a self isolationist, and understandably lonely. He simply wants companionship since sex has never been a priority, has never really interested him.
Patrick, like most bears, enjoys a good cuddle, loves all things sweet, and is always up for sharing an indulgent nap with a friend or lover. Oscar sounds like the perfect one to provide that and more.
So yes, these two click immediately and things progress fabulously. Despite Patrick’s belief that there’s no such thing as mates causing the necessary, but brief separation, the pure sweetness of this made up for it. Seriously endearing on all fronts and seriously sexy (with a good dose of sap) - I'm happy to see there's a third installment waiting for me!
December 4, 2016
3.5 stars
Very cute bear shifter story.
Bear shifter Oscar thinks a relationship or sex is not for him since he has never felt a lot of attraction to other people. But as any bear he does like to cuddle, so he places an ad in the Grizzly List Weekly for a cuddle buddy.
Big grizzly bear Patrick is intrigued when he sees the ad for a friend to cuddle with. After some online conversations the two decide to meet. Patrick immediately sees that Oscar doesn’t need a friend, he needs a bear like himself to take good care of him.
Everything seems to be going well between the two, when Patrick takes Oscar to meet his friends. When socially awkward Oscar feels overwhelmed Patrick doesn’t understand it, and they end up breaking up.
Of course once Patrick pulls his head out of his ass he is ready to beg for forgiveness if that’s what it takes for the cute white spirit bear to take him back.
I have to admit I’m not a big fan of the break-up trophy (especially the reason, Patrick was being a DICK!), but the cuteness of the rest made up for it. And there is snuggling. Lots of bear snuggling.
Very cute bear shifter story.
Bear shifter Oscar thinks a relationship or sex is not for him since he has never felt a lot of attraction to other people. But as any bear he does like to cuddle, so he places an ad in the Grizzly List Weekly for a cuddle buddy.
Big grizzly bear Patrick is intrigued when he sees the ad for a friend to cuddle with. After some online conversations the two decide to meet. Patrick immediately sees that Oscar doesn’t need a friend, he needs a bear like himself to take good care of him.
Everything seems to be going well between the two, when Patrick takes Oscar to meet his friends. When socially awkward Oscar feels overwhelmed Patrick doesn’t understand it, and they end up breaking up.
Of course once Patrick pulls his head out of his ass he is ready to beg for forgiveness if that’s what it takes for the cute white spirit bear to take him back.
I have to admit I’m not a big fan of the break-up trophy (especially the reason, Patrick was being a DICK!), but the cuteness of the rest made up for it. And there is snuggling. Lots of bear snuggling.
June 11, 2023
I don't know if I was the wrong audience for this or if I went into it with wrong expectations but this ended up being a waste of my time because it was generic, boring, rushed and contained way too many repetitive sex scenes.
I'm not a big fan of shifters but the unique premise for this one caught my attention. I was promised:
+ bear shifters who mirror a jock vs nerd dynamic (big grizzly bear vs smaller rare spirit bear)
+ Oscar struggling with social anxiety
+ Oscar looking for a cuddle buddy and friend (which implied the romance would be a slow burn)
To be fair, I loved how the story started. Oscar puts up an ad to find a cuddle buddy and friend because he's struggling with social anxiety and he's very lonely. Patrick is an extroverted, larger than life firefighter and he's intrigued by Oscar's ad. When they start chatting online and later over the phone, their interactions were really adorable. It was clear how much Patrick liked Oscar from the start and how much they both enjoyed getting to know each other.
My favorite scene was when they met up for the first time at a coffee shop and . Their interactions were so heartwarming and at that point, I thought this story would be exactly what I wanted.
Unfortunately, the author had different plans and their approach to all of the plotlines I listed above quickly veered into directions that I didn't want.
Shifters? What Shifters?
For a story that's about bear shifters, it was remarkable how little that aspect was present in the story or how little it mattered. The MCs shifted very briefly a handful of times throughout the story but each time it was so short and pointless that if you blinked and accidentally skipped those lines, you'd never know. At the very end, there was a scene where they shifted together and they're in the woods but that was way too little too late.
What's annoying is that the characters spend a lot of time talking about bear shifter stuff. For example, they often reference how their physiology is different from humans and how it makes trips to the hospital/doctors difficult but no details are provided and this is only important in one little section at the very end. Another example: they often discuss things like hibernation, enjoying long naps in the sun with other bear shifters and loving float trips in the river (I assume they meant while in bear form but I suppose you can enjoy doing that in human form too) but none of those things ever happen on page.
There was no point to these MCs being bear shifters and that's not what I want when I pick up a bear shifter story. I wanted to actually see those long naps in sunny fields, have the MCs plodding around in the woods and smearing berries on each other's muzzles and having Patrick catch fish for Oscar and them having fun in the river. There was so much potential here and I don't understand why the author didn't make use of any of it!
Fast Burn Romance
I specifically picked this story up because the premise implied there would be a slow burn romance. Having been unhappy with a previous story I read by this author (A Gentleman Of Substance) because it was erotica disguised as a romance, I thought this story would be better because surely, the author wouldn't have the MCs fall into bed very fast with this premise, right? Well, you know the expression 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?'. Yeah, that applies here because during the MCs very first in person meeting, they're kissing and by 40%, they're having sex. From that point on, the majority of their interactions involve lengthy descriptions of what food they're eating, Patrick marveling over how cute/little/adorable/tiny Oscar is (which weirded me out but maybe that dynamic is normal for shifter romances...?) and then they have sex. It was very repetitive and boring.
Oscar's Social Anxiety
The handling of Oscar's social anxiety is what shifted me (ha ha) from 'this is boring' to 'this is dumb'. The beginning of the story had Patrick being so understanding of Oscar's anxiety and he demonstrated that he was happy with the pacing of their relationship and that he was willing to help Oscar slowly improve his life. The message was clearly that Patrick adored Oscar for who he was but he knew Oscar's anxiety was holding him back from fully exploring the world around him so Patrick liked seeing Oscar making small steps to improve and he was always right by his side.
But near the end of the story, the author must have realized they forgot to include sufficient conflict in the smut-fest so they decided to have Patrick abruptly change his approach to Oscar's anxiety.
This was irritating because clearly, the author did have plans to deal with Oscar's anxiety but the problem is that I wanted that journey to be woven through the entire story (rather than having endless food-eating and sex-having scenes) and I wanted Patrick to be part of it. Yes, it's great that Oscar decided to do those things on his own but that could have still happened if Patrick were in his life. It was plotted out badly and it was written badly.
Conclusion
It's very unfortunate that the execution was so lackluster because the MCs and the premise were really interesting and this could have been an adorable and meaningful romance. Instead, it's a boring, generic and rushed insta-everything story that I feel wasted my time.
I'm not a big fan of shifters but the unique premise for this one caught my attention. I was promised:
+ bear shifters who mirror a jock vs nerd dynamic (big grizzly bear vs smaller rare spirit bear)
+ Oscar struggling with social anxiety
+ Oscar looking for a cuddle buddy and friend (which implied the romance would be a slow burn)
To be fair, I loved how the story started. Oscar puts up an ad to find a cuddle buddy and friend because he's struggling with social anxiety and he's very lonely. Patrick is an extroverted, larger than life firefighter and he's intrigued by Oscar's ad. When they start chatting online and later over the phone, their interactions were really adorable. It was clear how much Patrick liked Oscar from the start and how much they both enjoyed getting to know each other.
My favorite scene was when they met up for the first time at a coffee shop and . Their interactions were so heartwarming and at that point, I thought this story would be exactly what I wanted.
Unfortunately, the author had different plans and their approach to all of the plotlines I listed above quickly veered into directions that I didn't want.
Shifters? What Shifters?
For a story that's about bear shifters, it was remarkable how little that aspect was present in the story or how little it mattered. The MCs shifted very briefly a handful of times throughout the story but each time it was so short and pointless that if you blinked and accidentally skipped those lines, you'd never know. At the very end, there was a scene where they shifted together and they're in the woods but that was way too little too late.
What's annoying is that the characters spend a lot of time talking about bear shifter stuff. For example, they often reference how their physiology is different from humans and how it makes trips to the hospital/doctors difficult but no details are provided and this is only important in one little section at the very end. Another example: they often discuss things like hibernation, enjoying long naps in the sun with other bear shifters and loving float trips in the river (I assume they meant while in bear form but I suppose you can enjoy doing that in human form too) but none of those things ever happen on page.
There was no point to these MCs being bear shifters and that's not what I want when I pick up a bear shifter story. I wanted to actually see those long naps in sunny fields, have the MCs plodding around in the woods and smearing berries on each other's muzzles and having Patrick catch fish for Oscar and them having fun in the river. There was so much potential here and I don't understand why the author didn't make use of any of it!
Fast Burn Romance
I specifically picked this story up because the premise implied there would be a slow burn romance. Having been unhappy with a previous story I read by this author (A Gentleman Of Substance) because it was erotica disguised as a romance, I thought this story would be better because surely, the author wouldn't have the MCs fall into bed very fast with this premise, right? Well, you know the expression 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?'. Yeah, that applies here because during the MCs very first in person meeting, they're kissing and by 40%, they're having sex. From that point on, the majority of their interactions involve lengthy descriptions of what food they're eating, Patrick marveling over how cute/little/adorable/tiny Oscar is (which weirded me out but maybe that dynamic is normal for shifter romances...?) and then they have sex. It was very repetitive and boring.
Oscar's Social Anxiety
The handling of Oscar's social anxiety is what shifted me (ha ha) from 'this is boring' to 'this is dumb'. The beginning of the story had Patrick being so understanding of Oscar's anxiety and he demonstrated that he was happy with the pacing of their relationship and that he was willing to help Oscar slowly improve his life. The message was clearly that Patrick adored Oscar for who he was but he knew Oscar's anxiety was holding him back from fully exploring the world around him so Patrick liked seeing Oscar making small steps to improve and he was always right by his side.
But near the end of the story, the author must have realized they forgot to include sufficient conflict in the smut-fest so they decided to have Patrick abruptly change his approach to Oscar's anxiety.
This was irritating because clearly, the author did have plans to deal with Oscar's anxiety but the problem is that I wanted that journey to be woven through the entire story (rather than having endless food-eating and sex-having scenes) and I wanted Patrick to be part of it. Yes, it's great that Oscar decided to do those things on his own but that could have still happened if Patrick were in his life. It was plotted out badly and it was written badly.
Conclusion
It's very unfortunate that the execution was so lackluster because the MCs and the premise were really interesting and this could have been an adorable and meaningful romance. Instead, it's a boring, generic and rushed insta-everything story that I feel wasted my time.
March 3, 2016
Actual review rating 3 1/2 stars on Nautical Star Books. I received one copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
In One and Only Bear by Julia Talbot, you get to follow the story of Oscar the spirit bear and Patrick, the firefighting grizzly. Oscar is definitely a bit of a loner and works from home as a phone psychic. He has some social anxiety issues and has never been sexually attracted to anyone. He is lonely, though, and really just wants someone to snuggle with and bake desserts for.
Patrick was looking for something more than a hookup but less than a permanent relationship. He was intrigued by Oscar's 'friendship only' message and decided what the heck...he is a cuddly bear and can always use a few new friends. However, Oscar gets under his fur quickly and they both realize that their relationship has some serious possibilities. However, it also has a few obstacles as well and they guys have a bit of a rough patch to get through before their happily ever after.
One and Only Bear by Julia Talbot is a rather short story but the characters seemed fairly well developed. I did find myself wondering quite a bit about Oscar. I wasn't really sure what being a spirit bear meant for his character. He was a phone physic which made sense, but how did it factor into his lack of attraction for other people? Was that a fluke or are spirit bears supposed to be alone and not find mates? I really wanted to know more about him and what made him tick.
Patrick was pretty much an open book. Friendly, outgoing, cuddly and a lover of all things sweet. He was happy to snuggle with Oscar but definitely wanted a bit more. He didn't push, though, and I found his character to be quite nice and the perfect match for Oscar.
Seeing as this was such a short story, I did find that the writing was a tad bit rushed. The characters seemed well developed, there was a nice amount of heat and there was a small amount of drama before their happily ever after. However, I found that the pace was a bit quicker than I wanted and we didn't get to linger with the characters or situations long before moving onto the next page.
The secondary characters were all enjoyable. You got to see more of Finn and Lane from Book 1 of the series and there was an intriguing trio of kitties at the end that I would like to learn more about. The author did a great job of bringing the 'bear' characteristics into human form. They are both very cuddly and have near constant cravings for all things sweet. Oscar is very shy and nervous but Patrick takes charge gently and seems to be a good fit for him.
Overall, One and Only Bear by Julia Talbot was a good short story with enjoyable characters. I would have liked to see it a bit longer to really delve into Oscar's history and maybe just slow the writing down a bit. But, it was an enjoyable read and I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
In One and Only Bear by Julia Talbot, you get to follow the story of Oscar the spirit bear and Patrick, the firefighting grizzly. Oscar is definitely a bit of a loner and works from home as a phone psychic. He has some social anxiety issues and has never been sexually attracted to anyone. He is lonely, though, and really just wants someone to snuggle with and bake desserts for.
Patrick was looking for something more than a hookup but less than a permanent relationship. He was intrigued by Oscar's 'friendship only' message and decided what the heck...he is a cuddly bear and can always use a few new friends. However, Oscar gets under his fur quickly and they both realize that their relationship has some serious possibilities. However, it also has a few obstacles as well and they guys have a bit of a rough patch to get through before their happily ever after.
One and Only Bear by Julia Talbot is a rather short story but the characters seemed fairly well developed. I did find myself wondering quite a bit about Oscar. I wasn't really sure what being a spirit bear meant for his character. He was a phone physic which made sense, but how did it factor into his lack of attraction for other people? Was that a fluke or are spirit bears supposed to be alone and not find mates? I really wanted to know more about him and what made him tick.
Patrick was pretty much an open book. Friendly, outgoing, cuddly and a lover of all things sweet. He was happy to snuggle with Oscar but definitely wanted a bit more. He didn't push, though, and I found his character to be quite nice and the perfect match for Oscar.
Seeing as this was such a short story, I did find that the writing was a tad bit rushed. The characters seemed well developed, there was a nice amount of heat and there was a small amount of drama before their happily ever after. However, I found that the pace was a bit quicker than I wanted and we didn't get to linger with the characters or situations long before moving onto the next page.
The secondary characters were all enjoyable. You got to see more of Finn and Lane from Book 1 of the series and there was an intriguing trio of kitties at the end that I would like to learn more about. The author did a great job of bringing the 'bear' characteristics into human form. They are both very cuddly and have near constant cravings for all things sweet. Oscar is very shy and nervous but Patrick takes charge gently and seems to be a good fit for him.
Overall, One and Only Bear by Julia Talbot was a good short story with enjoyable characters. I would have liked to see it a bit longer to really delve into Oscar's history and maybe just slow the writing down a bit. But, it was an enjoyable read and I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
March 26, 2016
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This is book two in the series and is a standalone, though the MCs from book one play a prominent role in this as well, so I’d recommend reading them in order.
Oscar is so socially awkward that he fears he may have no romantic feelings in him whatsoever. So… he advertises for a friend and Patrick responds because who doesn’t like cuddles, right?
Of course, once they meet, the chemistry between them is far more than friendly. But… the road isn’t easy for them as neither is really sure of a romantic relationship or anything on a permanent basis and Patrick specifically makes some mistakes in that regard.
**
I loved book one in that it gives us two bears who are sometimes human. The emphasis is very much on the bear nature these guys have. In book two that continues, maybe to a little bit lesser extent.
I loved Oscar – he was a great character – slowly opening to the idea of being with someone when before he’d been so secluded. Patrick, on the other hand, flip-flopped back and forth for me. His character was less consistent and harder to love. He was still a great guy, but I really didn’t think the way he reacted to Oscar fit the guy I saw on earlier pages.
I still highly recommend this book and the series – especially if you’re a fan of shifter books that capitalize on the real animal nature of the shifters.
This is book two in the series and is a standalone, though the MCs from book one play a prominent role in this as well, so I’d recommend reading them in order.
Oscar is so socially awkward that he fears he may have no romantic feelings in him whatsoever. So… he advertises for a friend and Patrick responds because who doesn’t like cuddles, right?
Of course, once they meet, the chemistry between them is far more than friendly. But… the road isn’t easy for them as neither is really sure of a romantic relationship or anything on a permanent basis and Patrick specifically makes some mistakes in that regard.
**
I loved book one in that it gives us two bears who are sometimes human. The emphasis is very much on the bear nature these guys have. In book two that continues, maybe to a little bit lesser extent.
I loved Oscar – he was a great character – slowly opening to the idea of being with someone when before he’d been so secluded. Patrick, on the other hand, flip-flopped back and forth for me. His character was less consistent and harder to love. He was still a great guy, but I really didn’t think the way he reacted to Oscar fit the guy I saw on earlier pages.
I still highly recommend this book and the series – especially if you’re a fan of shifter books that capitalize on the real animal nature of the shifters.
September 1, 2017
After enjoying ‘Bear Wanted’, the first book in this highly entertaining series, as much as I did, I was looking forward to reading ‘One and Only Bear’. With a white spirit bear shifter who is socially awkward and an outgoing grizzly shifter who is extroverted, there were bound to be some issues. Like Lane and Fin in book one, Oscar and Patrick meet via the “Grizzly List”, a website specializing in personal ads for bears and those who are looking for them. But Oscar only wants a friend to cuddle with, not thinking he is all that attractive, and Patrick only wants some fun, although he is interested in doing way more than cuddling. It sounds potentially complicated right from the beginning, so while still shaking my head a little, wondering how this was supposed to work, I jumped right in.
Oscar is an unusual shifter – he is a white spirit bear. The fact that he works as a phone psychic made me grin, it is just too perfect. Oscar is quite happy to stay at home and live online, but he is lonely. He finally gets up the courage to put an ad in the Grizzly List weekly, and gets a response, he is super excited and close to hyperventilating from dread at the same time. It takes him a while, but Patrick is so patient that Oscar begins to open up, only to fall in love. Not something within their agreement. And when Patrick finds out Oscar has begun to think of him as a mate? The idiot runs for the hills and Oscar is left with a broken heart.
Patrick is a grizzly shifter, a firefighter, and he loves being out with friends. He thinks someone “just wanting cuddles” is sad, but the ad sounds interesting and Oscar sounds cute in the first few phone calls, so Patrick keeps moving ahead. They have fun, but when Oscar balks at being out with too many of Patrick’s friends at once and mentions mates – not something Patrick believes in for bears – Patrick panics and breaks things off. Biggest mistake he ever made – but how is he supposed to fix it?
If you like stories about unusual bear shifters and the grizzly shifters they fall for, if you think two men with opposite social needs meeting and falling in love might be interesting, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet and hot as it is angsty and fun, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Oscar is an unusual shifter – he is a white spirit bear. The fact that he works as a phone psychic made me grin, it is just too perfect. Oscar is quite happy to stay at home and live online, but he is lonely. He finally gets up the courage to put an ad in the Grizzly List weekly, and gets a response, he is super excited and close to hyperventilating from dread at the same time. It takes him a while, but Patrick is so patient that Oscar begins to open up, only to fall in love. Not something within their agreement. And when Patrick finds out Oscar has begun to think of him as a mate? The idiot runs for the hills and Oscar is left with a broken heart.
Patrick is a grizzly shifter, a firefighter, and he loves being out with friends. He thinks someone “just wanting cuddles” is sad, but the ad sounds interesting and Oscar sounds cute in the first few phone calls, so Patrick keeps moving ahead. They have fun, but when Oscar balks at being out with too many of Patrick’s friends at once and mentions mates – not something Patrick believes in for bears – Patrick panics and breaks things off. Biggest mistake he ever made – but how is he supposed to fix it?
If you like stories about unusual bear shifters and the grizzly shifters they fall for, if you think two men with opposite social needs meeting and falling in love might be interesting, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet and hot as it is angsty and fun, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
January 27, 2018
Rating: 4 stars
This was a cute light story about a psychic bear advertising for a friend and meeting his firefighter mate. I loved both Oscar and Patrick. I thought they were adorable together. The story was relatively angst free, with most of the conflict coming from Patrick’s inability to accept that mates do exist and to realize what is truly important in life.
A friend lent me her copy and I’m glad she did because this book wasn’t on my radar and I would have missed a really delightful story. The only reason I didn’t score it higher was I wanted to learn more about Oscar’s job as a psychic spirit bear. It was brushed over and I wanted to know more about his talent. As a side note, reading about all the deserts and food in this story made me hungry. I am really craving maple sticky buns right now.
This was a cute light story about a psychic bear advertising for a friend and meeting his firefighter mate. I loved both Oscar and Patrick. I thought they were adorable together. The story was relatively angst free, with most of the conflict coming from Patrick’s inability to accept that mates do exist and to realize what is truly important in life.
A friend lent me her copy and I’m glad she did because this book wasn’t on my radar and I would have missed a really delightful story. The only reason I didn’t score it higher was I wanted to learn more about Oscar’s job as a psychic spirit bear. It was brushed over and I wanted to know more about his talent. As a side note, reading about all the deserts and food in this story made me hungry. I am really craving maple sticky buns right now.
February 20, 2023
Definitely liked the first book in the series way better. Patrick is an absolute ass for so many reasons. Yes, he apologized in the end, but for me it was too little, too late. I was not rooting for them to get back together. It wasn't just the complete lack of empathy for Oscar's social anxiety, my dislike of the character started with his arrogance about seducing someone who is clearly demisexual, and very clearly stated he only wanted friends. The whole "he just hasn't had good sex" vibe was super acephobic and gross.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2017
Story ended too soon. Patrick didn't redeem himself. His reconciliation with Oscar wasn't believable.
June 22, 2022
I liked this one better than the first one - a bit more plot. Both books have likeable characters and it was nice to get cameos of the first pair in this book.
September 1, 2017
After enjoying ‘Bear Wanted’, the first book in this highly entertaining series, as much as I did, I was looking forward to reading ‘One and Only Bear’. With a white spirit bear shifter who is socially awkward and an outgoing grizzly shifter who is extroverted, there were bound to be some issues. Like Lane and Fin in book one, Oscar and Patrick meet via the “Grizzly List”, a website specializing in personal ads for bears and those who are looking for them. But Oscar only wants a friend to cuddle with, not thinking he is all that attractive, and Patrick only wants some fun, although he is interested in doing way more than cuddling. It sounds potentially complicated right from the beginning, so while still shaking my head a little, wondering how this was supposed to work, I jumped right in.
Oscar is an unusual shifter – he is a white spirit bear. The fact that he works as a phone psychic made me grin, it is just too perfect. Oscar is quite happy to stay at home and live online, but he is lonely. He finally gets up the courage to put an ad in the Grizzly List weekly, and gets a response, he is super excited and close to hyperventilating from dread at the same time. It takes him a while, but Patrick is so patient that Oscar begins to open up, only to fall in love. Not something within their agreement. And when Patrick finds out Oscar has begun to think of him as a mate? The idiot runs for the hills and Oscar is left with a broken heart.
Patrick is a grizzly shifter, a firefighter, and he loves being out with friends. He thinks someone “just wanting cuddles” is sad, but the ad sounds interesting and Oscar sounds cute in the first few phone calls, so Patrick keeps moving ahead. They have fun, but when Oscar balks at being out with too many of Patrick’s friends at once and mentions mates – not something Patrick believes in for bears – Patrick panics and breaks things off. Biggest mistake he ever made – but how is he supposed to fix it?
If you like stories about unusual bear shifters and the grizzly shifters they fall for, if you think two men with opposite social needs meeting and falling in love might be interesting, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet and hot as it is angsty and fun, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Omnilit / All Romance eBooks for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Oscar is an unusual shifter – he is a white spirit bear. The fact that he works as a phone psychic made me grin, it is just too perfect. Oscar is quite happy to stay at home and live online, but he is lonely. He finally gets up the courage to put an ad in the Grizzly List weekly, and gets a response, he is super excited and close to hyperventilating from dread at the same time. It takes him a while, but Patrick is so patient that Oscar begins to open up, only to fall in love. Not something within their agreement. And when Patrick finds out Oscar has begun to think of him as a mate? The idiot runs for the hills and Oscar is left with a broken heart.
Patrick is a grizzly shifter, a firefighter, and he loves being out with friends. He thinks someone “just wanting cuddles” is sad, but the ad sounds interesting and Oscar sounds cute in the first few phone calls, so Patrick keeps moving ahead. They have fun, but when Oscar balks at being out with too many of Patrick’s friends at once and mentions mates – not something Patrick believes in for bears – Patrick panics and breaks things off. Biggest mistake he ever made – but how is he supposed to fix it?
If you like stories about unusual bear shifters and the grizzly shifters they fall for, if you think two men with opposite social needs meeting and falling in love might be interesting, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet and hot as it is angsty and fun, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Omnilit / All Romance eBooks for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
I am not generally a fan of the break-up-to-make-up scenario, but I really felt it worked here because Oscar invested time investigating his life and planning how to improve it, even if Patrick isn’t part of it. It’s so out of his comfort zone, and yet, it’s a growth he desires for his own sake. I loved how he reached out and made new friends, ones who accepted him, and gently nudged his boundaries wider and wider. Patrick was the epitome of a hacked-off grizzly, snapping at his friends and co-workers, generally miserable and unhappy, missing his cuddle bear.
The end is an HEA reunion to beat all, with a giant claiming and coming-out. I had to giggle with glee at how absolutely smitten Patrick was and allowed himself to be, and Oscar was no wilting flower. He stood up for himself and claimed all that he wanted, too.
The novella is well-paced with an excellent level of slow-burn between Oscar and Patrick. Their sexytimes are super yummy, with tenderness, and hesitation, and all the good feels. I think the only thing I struggled with was a bit of formatting. When Patrick and Oscar are messaging it appears on the page as if it is a face-to-face conversation, and that was kind of confusing. Otherwise, I’d gladly go back for more snuggling with these two!
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
I am not generally a fan of the break-up-to-make-up scenario, but I really felt it worked here because Oscar invested time investigating his life and planning how to improve it, even if Patrick isn’t part of it. It’s so out of his comfort zone, and yet, it’s a growth he desires for his own sake. I loved how he reached out and made new friends, ones who accepted him, and gently nudged his boundaries wider and wider. Patrick was the epitome of a hacked-off grizzly, snapping at his friends and co-workers, generally miserable and unhappy, missing his cuddle bear.
The end is an HEA reunion to beat all, with a giant claiming and coming-out. I had to giggle with glee at how absolutely smitten Patrick was and allowed himself to be, and Oscar was no wilting flower. He stood up for himself and claimed all that he wanted, too.
The novella is well-paced with an excellent level of slow-burn between Oscar and Patrick. Their sexytimes are super yummy, with tenderness, and hesitation, and all the good feels. I think the only thing I struggled with was a bit of formatting. When Patrick and Oscar are messaging it appears on the page as if it is a face-to-face conversation, and that was kind of confusing. Otherwise, I’d gladly go back for more snuggling with these two!
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
December 21, 2016
Oscar was shy, and Patrick was a jerk. Oscar really won me over, though.
Apparently Oscar was demi-sexual, although the characters never used that word for it. Oscar was on the Internet a lot, and finding a definition for that would have explained a lot to him about himself. Guess he didn't go in that corner of the Internet.
Apparently Oscar was demi-sexual, although the characters never used that word for it. Oscar was on the Internet a lot, and finding a definition for that would have explained a lot to him about himself. Guess he didn't go in that corner of the Internet.
May 21, 2016
Rating 3.5
Sweet story of friends-to-more between one shy, socially phobic bear and his sexy, in denial firefighter bear. I found Oscar totally adorable and could really feel for him as he tried to expand his boundaries despite his fear. I thought the relationship conflict was appropriate and believable and liked that the resolution didn't just brush everything aside. One thing that I love about the book is something that others may not care for (and something I find in a lot of B.A. Tortuga's writing), short, staccato sentences (sometimes just one word) for the character's internal thoughts. It evokes the real way people think and I feel it makes the characters more relatable; I have a friend who says it drives her crazy. As far as being part of a series, I real this without having read the first and, while the couple from the book showed up several times, I didn't feel lost--I also don't think that it was a spoiler for the first one which I plan to read now.
Sweet story of friends-to-more between one shy, socially phobic bear and his sexy, in denial firefighter bear. I found Oscar totally adorable and could really feel for him as he tried to expand his boundaries despite his fear. I thought the relationship conflict was appropriate and believable and liked that the resolution didn't just brush everything aside. One thing that I love about the book is something that others may not care for (and something I find in a lot of B.A. Tortuga's writing), short, staccato sentences (sometimes just one word) for the character's internal thoughts. It evokes the real way people think and I feel it makes the characters more relatable; I have a friend who says it drives her crazy. As far as being part of a series, I real this without having read the first and, while the couple from the book showed up several times, I didn't feel lost--I also don't think that it was a spoiler for the first one which I plan to read now.
March 14, 2016
I enjoyed the very sweet novella. The chemistry was great, sexy and hot. The courtship was not rushed and who doesn't love a partner who wants to cuddles. All the characters had considerable amount time on the pages and made this story an excellent read.
April 21, 2016
Another great book by Julia Talbot! I loved this second book in the series. You'll laugh and cry on this journey of the 2 main characters. I totally recommend this book. It will keep you riveted to the end.
March 5, 2016
3 stars
Cute, sweet story
March 20, 2016
This one same as the first one... except a little more sweet and sour than just sweet. I think Patrick was let off the hook a little too easy.
April 1, 2016
3.5 stars
January 14, 2019
3,5 stars
December 20, 2016
I didn't have much empathy for the MCs. Maybe if the story was longer.
December 31, 2016
Quite enjoyable. On the silly side, but the characters were cute and adorable.
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