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Shifter Hardball #2
Loaded for Bear
Polar bear shifter Graham Tundra can’t believe his bad luck. Not only is he traded to another baseball team midseason, but he’s also teamed up with Trigger widely considered the best player in the game—but with the worst attitude.
Trigger is on the fence about Graham. As a grizzly bear shifter, he’s relieved to have another ursine on the team, even if they are different species. The problem is Trigger is in the middle of his natural mating season, and Graham looks too damn good to pass up.
What begins as friends with benefits shows potential to grow into a deeper connection. If only they can put aside their differences, learn to trust, listen to their feelings, and realize it’s more than just a bear thing.
Trigger is on the fence about Graham. As a grizzly bear shifter, he’s relieved to have another ursine on the team, even if they are different species. The problem is Trigger is in the middle of his natural mating season, and Graham looks too damn good to pass up.
What begins as friends with benefits shows potential to grow into a deeper connection. If only they can put aside their differences, learn to trust, listen to their feelings, and realize it’s more than just a bear thing.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2016
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January 29, 2019
Must Be a Bear Thing!
Cheyenne Meadows brings the world of Shifter Hardball back with Graham “Tundra” Walter being purchased as a new pitcher for the Predators to pick up the loss of their regular pitcher who was injured. He’s meant to also prove his worth by keeping surly grizzly bear shifter Trigger Mallow in line while Trigger is being especially difficult to deal with due to being in the middle of his mating season. The team leaders set them up together to try to stabilize the team with a solid pitcher and catcher who can work together.
Trigger was a source of great amusement for me in the first book in the series since Ram and Wiley bonded originally as friends over his perfect backside---and nearly got themselves killed for their staring. I love how he basically embodies everything I think about when I imagine a bear. He’s grouchy, easily annoyed, eats as if he’s starving, and prefers solitude to socializing. He’s also the best player in the all-shifter league which also makes him the best catcher in the league. He sees things in other teams and players most miss because he truly loves the game. I love all the games as depicted from the point of view of Trigger or Graham for that matter.
Graham is laidback for a bear. He’s a polar bear which makes him a lot different from Trigger in terms of temperament and preferences. I loved him from his first appearance. He made me laugh when he stole the ice machine so he can stay cool. I laughed so hard over his banter with Trigger. His attitude is perfect against Trigger. I could not have imagined a funnier, more realistic relationship developing naturally between two men.
I love how everything is explained as being “a bear thing” when they’re talking about how Graham can handle being around Trigger versus how Trigger is with everyone else on the planet much less the team. I enjoyed seeing the team back up Graham and Trigger against any homophobic slurs or ideals. I would recommend this story for anyone who actually enjoys sports stories, romance born of circumstance, and heat levels high enough to rival the sun. It’s a fantastic read!
Cheyenne Meadows brings the world of Shifter Hardball back with Graham “Tundra” Walter being purchased as a new pitcher for the Predators to pick up the loss of their regular pitcher who was injured. He’s meant to also prove his worth by keeping surly grizzly bear shifter Trigger Mallow in line while Trigger is being especially difficult to deal with due to being in the middle of his mating season. The team leaders set them up together to try to stabilize the team with a solid pitcher and catcher who can work together.
Trigger was a source of great amusement for me in the first book in the series since Ram and Wiley bonded originally as friends over his perfect backside---and nearly got themselves killed for their staring. I love how he basically embodies everything I think about when I imagine a bear. He’s grouchy, easily annoyed, eats as if he’s starving, and prefers solitude to socializing. He’s also the best player in the all-shifter league which also makes him the best catcher in the league. He sees things in other teams and players most miss because he truly loves the game. I love all the games as depicted from the point of view of Trigger or Graham for that matter.
Graham is laidback for a bear. He’s a polar bear which makes him a lot different from Trigger in terms of temperament and preferences. I loved him from his first appearance. He made me laugh when he stole the ice machine so he can stay cool. I laughed so hard over his banter with Trigger. His attitude is perfect against Trigger. I could not have imagined a funnier, more realistic relationship developing naturally between two men.
I love how everything is explained as being “a bear thing” when they’re talking about how Graham can handle being around Trigger versus how Trigger is with everyone else on the planet much less the team. I enjoyed seeing the team back up Graham and Trigger against any homophobic slurs or ideals. I would recommend this story for anyone who actually enjoys sports stories, romance born of circumstance, and heat levels high enough to rival the sun. It’s a fantastic read!
August 10, 2017
The Preston Predators are back! They’re a shifters-only baseball team who play in the all-shifter baseball league in this world. I met wolf shifter Wiley and lion shifter Ram in the amusing and hilariously entertaining book one and am really happy to see there is a second volume now. This time the story is about two bears of very different disposition, and their struggling personalities combined with the fact that they need to play together seamlessly as pitcher and catcher if the Preston Predators are to stand a chance in the championship. But, as ever, there are a few issues. Graham is a polar bear shifter and traded into the Predators – against his will and at midseason. Trigger is a grizzly bear shifter and, in principle, likes the idea of a second bear shifter on the team – but he is in the middle of his mating season and has no idea how he’s going to resist Graham’s charms.
Graham is not amused when he is told he’s being traded to another team. He suspects it is because he came out to his teammates, and decides never to make that mistake again. His reaction to confrontation in general is internal withdrawal, but he’d never back down physically. It makes for an interesting internal “debate” every time he feels he is under threat or being attacked. And there are plenty of opportunities for Graham to have to decide how to deal with the aggression rolling off Trigger like waves. Graham expected them on a professional level, since Trigger has quite the reputation, but he finds the personal standoffishness and rudeness far harder to deal with.
Trigger is no more enthusiastic about having a new partner for the game than Graham, but the team manager, a hyena shifter, makes it abundantly clear that Trigger has no choice. Trigger, however, will not give in easily. He couldn't care less what anyone thinks and will do as he likes – within what he defines as reason. He has four older brothers, so I suspect he got used to sticking up for himself early on. Trigger uses that without regret. He has elevated being a dick to an art form, and prides himself on eliciting anger from others. Add the fact that he is a loner and doesn't believe in letting anyone know about his personal life, and I almost gave up hope he’d ever understand that there was potential for a deeper relationship with Graham.
I did not envy Graham having to learn how to deal with Trigger’s attitude. Both of them need to learn how to trust and be more open, and their growing relationship provides lots of opportunities. They are fascinating, if a bit lust-driven at first, and, despite their rough exterior and posturing, I liked both of them a lot. They start out as not-quite-enemies with no love lost between them. Both like to argue and needle each other to the point of emotional explosion, and that was quite entertaining.
If you like your shifter stories to be belly-laugh funny, if you want to find out more about two bear shifters who rub each other the wrong way before they figure out they are better off as partners, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, hot, and full of baseball details, then you will probably like this novel.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Graham is not amused when he is told he’s being traded to another team. He suspects it is because he came out to his teammates, and decides never to make that mistake again. His reaction to confrontation in general is internal withdrawal, but he’d never back down physically. It makes for an interesting internal “debate” every time he feels he is under threat or being attacked. And there are plenty of opportunities for Graham to have to decide how to deal with the aggression rolling off Trigger like waves. Graham expected them on a professional level, since Trigger has quite the reputation, but he finds the personal standoffishness and rudeness far harder to deal with.
Trigger is no more enthusiastic about having a new partner for the game than Graham, but the team manager, a hyena shifter, makes it abundantly clear that Trigger has no choice. Trigger, however, will not give in easily. He couldn't care less what anyone thinks and will do as he likes – within what he defines as reason. He has four older brothers, so I suspect he got used to sticking up for himself early on. Trigger uses that without regret. He has elevated being a dick to an art form, and prides himself on eliciting anger from others. Add the fact that he is a loner and doesn't believe in letting anyone know about his personal life, and I almost gave up hope he’d ever understand that there was potential for a deeper relationship with Graham.
I did not envy Graham having to learn how to deal with Trigger’s attitude. Both of them need to learn how to trust and be more open, and their growing relationship provides lots of opportunities. They are fascinating, if a bit lust-driven at first, and, despite their rough exterior and posturing, I liked both of them a lot. They start out as not-quite-enemies with no love lost between them. Both like to argue and needle each other to the point of emotional explosion, and that was quite entertaining.
If you like your shifter stories to be belly-laugh funny, if you want to find out more about two bear shifters who rub each other the wrong way before they figure out they are better off as partners, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, hot, and full of baseball details, then you will probably like this novel.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Want to Read
March 28, 2016Putting a pin in this for now. The ARC has a couple of continuity errors to ignore and the story isn't holding my attention. Maybe it has to do with mood.
No rating as placing on hold at 57%. Maybe I'll pick it up again someday.
Advanced Review Galley copy of Loaded for Bear provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange of an honest review.
No rating as placing on hold at 57%. Maybe I'll pick it up again someday.
Advanced Review Galley copy of Loaded for Bear provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange of an honest review.
May 10, 2016
**2.5 grizzly stars**
So I thought I’d expand my repertoire of shifters to...bears.
Graham is a polar bear shifter while Trigger is a grizzly. They are baseball players in a world populated by humans and shifters of all kinds, and it seems like they all know about one another. I haven’t read the first book in the series but it seemed to me that this could be read as a standalone. The plot revolves around Graham and Trigger as baseball players –practising together, rooming together, travelling to games, and eventually becoming friends with benefits. Tempers flare hot in the field and in the bedroom pretty quickly.
While I appreciated the idea of the story, it left me wanting in many ways.
First, there was no world-building. There was no information about the shifters, other than some titbits about matings, interspecies pairings, mating seasons, and a few details about the personalities of grizzlies vs polars. We were just told of this shifter-human world with no idea about how it remains harmonious.
Graham and Trigger developed a sexual relationship which was described as something almost clinical. They were hot for each other, Trigger was in his mating season so he was horny a lot, and they had a ton of sex. The sex scenes themselves failed to convey any form of bonding or intimacy. It was crude f@cking. The dirty talk was weird at times:
“‘Oh yeah.’ Graham ran his fingers over Trigger’s erection, setting off small cherry bombs in Trigger’s heated blood.”
Cherry bombs? In his blood? No idea what that was.
I also got the impression they were just using each other. No emotions were involved. They just kept going at it until one of them dropped an “I love you” towards the end and the other reciprocated. It was like it happened more because the story was supposed to come to an end and not because they were actually getting there.
There was a subplot with Graham’s dad that was completely underdeveloped and I am not sure that it added much to the character’s background. There was a HEA, of course, and like any shifter book that respects itself, it came with the mating bite.
But then... “You never said. Are you okay with my claiming you as a mate?” That could have easily been: “Do you want mushrooms on your pizza?” as far as I’m concerned. There was no build-up and nothing special about the mating itself. I was disappointed in that because if all else fails, I can usually count on an extra cheesy intense mating scene to make a shifter story for me. I can’t say the same about this.
Cannot recommend.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. See this review at Gay Book Reviews.
So I thought I’d expand my repertoire of shifters to...bears.
Graham is a polar bear shifter while Trigger is a grizzly. They are baseball players in a world populated by humans and shifters of all kinds, and it seems like they all know about one another. I haven’t read the first book in the series but it seemed to me that this could be read as a standalone. The plot revolves around Graham and Trigger as baseball players –practising together, rooming together, travelling to games, and eventually becoming friends with benefits. Tempers flare hot in the field and in the bedroom pretty quickly.
While I appreciated the idea of the story, it left me wanting in many ways.
First, there was no world-building. There was no information about the shifters, other than some titbits about matings, interspecies pairings, mating seasons, and a few details about the personalities of grizzlies vs polars. We were just told of this shifter-human world with no idea about how it remains harmonious.
Graham and Trigger developed a sexual relationship which was described as something almost clinical. They were hot for each other, Trigger was in his mating season so he was horny a lot, and they had a ton of sex. The sex scenes themselves failed to convey any form of bonding or intimacy. It was crude f@cking. The dirty talk was weird at times:
“‘Oh yeah.’ Graham ran his fingers over Trigger’s erection, setting off small cherry bombs in Trigger’s heated blood.”
Cherry bombs? In his blood? No idea what that was.
I also got the impression they were just using each other. No emotions were involved. They just kept going at it until one of them dropped an “I love you” towards the end and the other reciprocated. It was like it happened more because the story was supposed to come to an end and not because they were actually getting there.
There was a subplot with Graham’s dad that was completely underdeveloped and I am not sure that it added much to the character’s background. There was a HEA, of course, and like any shifter book that respects itself, it came with the mating bite.
But then... “You never said. Are you okay with my claiming you as a mate?” That could have easily been: “Do you want mushrooms on your pizza?” as far as I’m concerned. There was no build-up and nothing special about the mating itself. I was disappointed in that because if all else fails, I can usually count on an extra cheesy intense mating scene to make a shifter story for me. I can’t say the same about this.
Cannot recommend.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. See this review at Gay Book Reviews.
Read
May 11, 2016I am in love with this series. LOVE. I tell you.
When I met Trigger Mallow in Friends With Benefits I knew he was a grumpy bear with on hell of an ass. When I realized he was getting a book I was so excited I did a dance in my chair. You see. I have a thing for redeemable assholes and I was ready for Trigger.
I say I was ready but I really wasn’t. Trigger was so much more than I planned for and when you throw one ice cold Polar Bear to the mix in the form of Graham Tundra (I love the last names btw!) and literally put these two in a room together… *whistles* things get hot.
I love how we get to see the team again and even bits of Wiley and Ram and just be back in the land of this shifter baseball team. Speaking of baseball, let me get this out real quick. This story has more baseball in it than the first book, and while I am not a sporty kinda girl, I dug all the time we got on the field and was even holding my breath at the end waiting for the game to end.
Now all that being said… Trigger, you my dear are so prickly but that fine ass of yours has the softest and gooiest center I never would have imagined. I loved that once you decided Graham was worth your time, even as a friend, you began to settle and let nature take its course. Though the nature you were going through, aka mating season, was a bit hard to juggle being around someone as gorgeous as your polar bear teammate/pitcher/roommate, you were awesome.
Graham, how could I not love you? Knowing what you went through with your other team to where you are now makes you shine. Knowing how you feel about Trigger before you let him in on those feelings was swoon worthy and seeing you have your catcher’s back no matter what made you own my heart. You not only tamed the beast that is known as Trigger but you came into your own in such a beautiful way.
Bears! Oh my am I love with bears. What really makes me giddy in shifter books is when the boys shift into their animal form and have fun. Graham and Trigger were so freaking cute running around, pulling tails and wrestling that I couldn’t help but have a cheesy grin on my face. I just adored the hell out of it.
But the romance between these ball players was a pure joy to read. I love how they built a friendship and moved on to a physical relationship that you knew early on would be so much more. The emotions between Graham and Trigger just melted me into a big puddle of goo and that end, the whole thing from the sex to the biting (*growl*) to… just everything was so romantic and exactly what I needed.
Loaded for Bear is a fun and sexy story about two men from not only different ursine DNA but from different backgrounds who complement one another on the baseball diamond, in bed and in life. It’s a romance with an Icy bear being the one to melt the grizzly’s resolve and win his heart.
June 8, 2016
Banner Peterson, a hyena shifter, is a genius. As manager of the Preston Predators, it is his job to know what his players need, and pairing Trigger Mallow and Graham Tundra as team partners seems like a win/win for him. Banner is just one of the secondary characters in this book who provides humor and understanding to a shifter world that Cheyenne Meadows is so good at writing. Bears, ursine, I have read other shifter books but never one centered around a baseball team, and I have to say the author makes it work.
The Predators are made up of several shifter breeds, and this installment in the series centers on the catcher, Trigger, and the team’s new pitcher, Graham. Trigger is a grizzly and Graham is a polar bear. These two men are so very different and far apart, not just in bear species but personality as well.
Trigger Mallow is known as the biggest, baddest, surliest bastard in the league. All titles he is very proud of and has no intention of losing, and he’s in the middle of mating season when his bear is out for booty and lots of it. I loved Trigger; he was just so misunderstood. It takes a good writer to create a character that everyone in the story dislikes but the reader loves, and Cheyenne has done just that. There are a lot of things in Trigger’s life that have made him what he is, and the author takes her time to create the backstory on these men so they become dimensional characters who are real.
Graham Tundra had a bad experience when he came out to his last team. His confidence took a real hit, and he got knocked down in the league. He’s back now and determined to not let anyone know he is gay and have the same thing happen twice in a row. Trust is not high on his list. Being paired with a man who says he can’t stand him is daunting, especially when that man is another bear, in mating season and prickly as a cactus.
This is a different sort of shifter romance. Baseball factors heavily in this book, as most of it plays out on the diamond or in hotels on road trips. The other players are a motley bunch, and watching them come together as a team was fun. This is not a particularly heavy story, the angst is treated lightly and the way the two bears dance around each other is entertaining. I do wish that the romance was played out more and the baseball toned down. Sometimes it felt a little distancing, like we were being told the story not experiencing it with them, and the language could have been more sophisticated. I never read book one and found I didn’t need to. Loaded for Bear stands on its own. The sexy times are hot, the men are macho with a soft, gooey inside, and the story entertaining—not a bad combination. I recommend this book.
Reviewed by Carrie for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
The Predators are made up of several shifter breeds, and this installment in the series centers on the catcher, Trigger, and the team’s new pitcher, Graham. Trigger is a grizzly and Graham is a polar bear. These two men are so very different and far apart, not just in bear species but personality as well.
Trigger Mallow is known as the biggest, baddest, surliest bastard in the league. All titles he is very proud of and has no intention of losing, and he’s in the middle of mating season when his bear is out for booty and lots of it. I loved Trigger; he was just so misunderstood. It takes a good writer to create a character that everyone in the story dislikes but the reader loves, and Cheyenne has done just that. There are a lot of things in Trigger’s life that have made him what he is, and the author takes her time to create the backstory on these men so they become dimensional characters who are real.
Graham Tundra had a bad experience when he came out to his last team. His confidence took a real hit, and he got knocked down in the league. He’s back now and determined to not let anyone know he is gay and have the same thing happen twice in a row. Trust is not high on his list. Being paired with a man who says he can’t stand him is daunting, especially when that man is another bear, in mating season and prickly as a cactus.
This is a different sort of shifter romance. Baseball factors heavily in this book, as most of it plays out on the diamond or in hotels on road trips. The other players are a motley bunch, and watching them come together as a team was fun. This is not a particularly heavy story, the angst is treated lightly and the way the two bears dance around each other is entertaining. I do wish that the romance was played out more and the baseball toned down. Sometimes it felt a little distancing, like we were being told the story not experiencing it with them, and the language could have been more sophisticated. I never read book one and found I didn’t need to. Loaded for Bear stands on its own. The sexy times are hot, the men are macho with a soft, gooey inside, and the story entertaining—not a bad combination. I recommend this book.
Reviewed by Carrie for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
April 17, 2022
I was a bit disappointed with the first book in this series Friends With Benefits so I wasn't sure if I should continue with the series. Obviously I decided to give it another try and I'm glad I did. This story was more like what I was looking for.
QUICK THOUGHTS
-- Quick easy read -- Shifter/Grizzly/Polar bear pairing -- sports/Baseball -- teammates -- friends with benefits turns to more -- mates -- slow-ish burn -- no drama -- no angst -- some really sweet moments -- again a bit too focused on sex but better than the first book -- really likeable MCs... Graham & Trigger -- satisfying ending
July 23, 2017
Good story. Graham a polar bear shifter is traded to another baseball team and meets big time cranky grizzly shifter Trigger who is struggle with mating season heat. Sparks flying when these two have to be roommates
July 7, 2017
3☆
I liked this one better than the previous one
I liked Trigger the grumpy bear shifter
the sex scenes were hot
but I don't know why but I missed something maybe less sex and more story ..
I liked this one better than the previous one
I liked Trigger the grumpy bear shifter
the sex scenes were hot
but I don't know why but I missed something maybe less sex and more story ..
March 19, 2017
Definitely better than the first in the series. I liked how the two bears in the story, grizzly Trigger and polar Graham, went from acquaintances to friends then to lovers. There was a bit of backstory to explain their individual personalities as well. I'm a sucker for bears of any kind, so it was awesome to have a scene with them playing in their shifted forms.
May 11, 2016
Finally moving back into the big leagues should be a good thing for Graham Tundra. Except his new team has decided to pair him with the most obnoxious, most abrasive, most…frustrating, catcher on the team. Add into that the fact that Trigger Mallow is going into his mating heat and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. They may both be bear shifters, but that don’t mean they have to get along. Even when they start playing a whole different game in the bedroom.
Bear shifters are yummy. Bear shifters in those oh-so-tight baseball uniforms? Oh yeah…
I may not follow baseball, but i am a big admirer of sports people in general (at least when they are not being massive dickheads), so I was eagerly waiting to see what this book had in store for me. I had a bit of tough time with book one in this series, but I thought I’d give the second book a try. And for the most part I was not disappointed. The sex was hot, the bears were growly, the uniforms were appropriately tight (for, you know, totally innocent sports-related reasons…).
Despite the fact that I constantly got the whole polar bear thing mixed up between the two (I blame it on the name Graham. Puts me in mind of Teddy Grahams and as far as I remember there was nary a polar in the yummy cookie batch) I liked that these two bears went at it (sex, baseball, food) with a ferocity that matched their ursine counterparts. It really sold the whole bear thing. I could have done without the constant reminders that they were in fact bear shifters though. I am unlikely to forget, after 100 pages or so that they are bear shifters; it really wasn’t necessary to constantly hark back to it over every little thing they did.
As for the baseball aspects of the book…I think this part kind missed its mark with me. Not because it was badly written, but I really couldn’t care less about the sport so the actual game time was a bit boring for me. For someone who actually likes baseball I’m sure this would be much more interesting. I also had a hard time with Trigger when he was in baseball mode. To be frank he turns into a complete asshole when he is acting as catcher, and the fact that he is right most of the time only slightly lessons the overwhelming desire I had for someone to smack him upside the head with a baseball bat.
I was also left a little unsure about how that whole dad thing with Graham played out. I like how he handled it…but it felt a bit unfinished by the end of the book. The subplot was just left there hanging, and I wished it had a tighter finish to it.
Overall this was a pretty decent book. Much improved from the first one, in my opinion. Not terribly deep, it is still a good, lighthearted shifter book about baseball players.
3.5 stars
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
Bear shifters are yummy. Bear shifters in those oh-so-tight baseball uniforms? Oh yeah…
I may not follow baseball, but i am a big admirer of sports people in general (at least when they are not being massive dickheads), so I was eagerly waiting to see what this book had in store for me. I had a bit of tough time with book one in this series, but I thought I’d give the second book a try. And for the most part I was not disappointed. The sex was hot, the bears were growly, the uniforms were appropriately tight (for, you know, totally innocent sports-related reasons…).
Despite the fact that I constantly got the whole polar bear thing mixed up between the two (I blame it on the name Graham. Puts me in mind of Teddy Grahams and as far as I remember there was nary a polar in the yummy cookie batch) I liked that these two bears went at it (sex, baseball, food) with a ferocity that matched their ursine counterparts. It really sold the whole bear thing. I could have done without the constant reminders that they were in fact bear shifters though. I am unlikely to forget, after 100 pages or so that they are bear shifters; it really wasn’t necessary to constantly hark back to it over every little thing they did.
As for the baseball aspects of the book…I think this part kind missed its mark with me. Not because it was badly written, but I really couldn’t care less about the sport so the actual game time was a bit boring for me. For someone who actually likes baseball I’m sure this would be much more interesting. I also had a hard time with Trigger when he was in baseball mode. To be frank he turns into a complete asshole when he is acting as catcher, and the fact that he is right most of the time only slightly lessons the overwhelming desire I had for someone to smack him upside the head with a baseball bat.
I was also left a little unsure about how that whole dad thing with Graham played out. I like how he handled it…but it felt a bit unfinished by the end of the book. The subplot was just left there hanging, and I wished it had a tighter finish to it.
Overall this was a pretty decent book. Much improved from the first one, in my opinion. Not terribly deep, it is still a good, lighthearted shifter book about baseball players.
3.5 stars
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
May 16, 2016
Mitten in der Saison wechselt der Eisbären-Shifter Graham das Team und bekommt auch noch den ständig ärgerlichen, unfreundlichen und wenig teamfähigen Grizzly-Shifter Trigger als Partner und Reisegefährten zugeteilt. Großartig! Schnell entdeckt Graham den Grund für Triggers schlechter Laune. Sein Teamkollege befindet sich in der Paarungszeit und weit und breit niemand zu finden, der sich Trigger erbarmen würde. Wider Erwarten schliessen die zwei Bären aber Freundschaft. Ein Bären-Ding halt.
Trigger ist im Team ja auch nur von Katzen und Hunden umgeben. Graham versteht ihn doch deutlich besser und kann sich in ihn hineinfühlen.Für Graham, der schon sehr schlechte Erfahrungen in anderen Teams gemacht hat, ist diese Partnerschaft, die schliesslich zur Freundschaft wird, unerwartet und kostbar. Jedoch braucht Graham etwas Zeit um sich Trigger gegenüber zu erklären, dass er ebenfalls schwul ist. Allerdings hat Graham gute Gründe seine sexuelle Ausrichtung für sich zu behalten.
Es hat unheimlich viel Spass gemacht, die Geschichte von Graham und Trigger zu lesen. Während Graham ziemlich ruhig ist und nur bei großer Hitze ungemütlich werden kann, ist Trigger wirklich ständig stinkig und unzufrieden mit sich und der Welt und überhaupt. Allerdings fällt dem Leser diese Zickigkeit nicht auf die Nerven. Man weiss ja wieso Trigger so ist. Und als man dann auch noch mehr von seiner Kindheit und Jugend erfährt, ergibt sich ein ziemlich klares Bild.
Im Gegensatz zum ersten Teil, hat dieses Geschichte deutlich mehr Tiefgang und auch mehr Emotionen. Die Geschichte wird klar und ohne Schnörkel erzählt. Natürlich gibt es Differenzen und Streit. Nich immer ist alles eitel Wonne und beide Bären müssen am Ende über ihren Schatten springen und Schwäche eingestehen wie auch Kompromisse schliessen.
Wer auf Shifter-Geschichten mit einem Sport-Touch steht, dem kann ich dieses Buch nur ans Herz legen.
Trigger ist im Team ja auch nur von Katzen und Hunden umgeben. Graham versteht ihn doch deutlich besser und kann sich in ihn hineinfühlen.Für Graham, der schon sehr schlechte Erfahrungen in anderen Teams gemacht hat, ist diese Partnerschaft, die schliesslich zur Freundschaft wird, unerwartet und kostbar. Jedoch braucht Graham etwas Zeit um sich Trigger gegenüber zu erklären, dass er ebenfalls schwul ist. Allerdings hat Graham gute Gründe seine sexuelle Ausrichtung für sich zu behalten.
Es hat unheimlich viel Spass gemacht, die Geschichte von Graham und Trigger zu lesen. Während Graham ziemlich ruhig ist und nur bei großer Hitze ungemütlich werden kann, ist Trigger wirklich ständig stinkig und unzufrieden mit sich und der Welt und überhaupt. Allerdings fällt dem Leser diese Zickigkeit nicht auf die Nerven. Man weiss ja wieso Trigger so ist. Und als man dann auch noch mehr von seiner Kindheit und Jugend erfährt, ergibt sich ein ziemlich klares Bild.
Im Gegensatz zum ersten Teil, hat dieses Geschichte deutlich mehr Tiefgang und auch mehr Emotionen. Die Geschichte wird klar und ohne Schnörkel erzählt. Natürlich gibt es Differenzen und Streit. Nich immer ist alles eitel Wonne und beide Bären müssen am Ende über ihren Schatten springen und Schwäche eingestehen wie auch Kompromisse schliessen.
Wer auf Shifter-Geschichten mit einem Sport-Touch steht, dem kann ich dieses Buch nur ans Herz legen.
May 9, 2016
I enjoyed book one in this series because it was light hearted and funny to boot but I liked this one better because it was not given that these two men would come together and there were things that they had to work out.
Trigger could not have a more perfect name that is for sure because his personality has a short trigger and can go from not saying anything at all to biting someone's head off in an instance. But regardless deep down Trigger has a soft side and when he lets that soft side out, watch out because he is going to blow you away. I think that a lot of Trigger's problem is, he is lonely and has not connected without anyone on a personal level. He has friends and teammates but as far as someone he lets in his everyday life, he has not had that. I believe that Trigger was the perfect person and bear for Graham.
Graham is the exact opposite personality wise then Trigger. He is laid back, likes to be around others and he is a people pleaser. The thing is, if you get on his bad side he can be scary. But that is a rare thing. I don't think Graham is comfortable with telling others his sexual preferences because his old team tormented him and left him not being so confident about being gay and out in baseball. But Trigger is able to break his tight lippedness about being gay and these two men connected on many different levels.
The old saying opposites attract is definitely the case in story because they are definitely opposite personality wise but they bring out the best in each other and they build the other up and their personal insecurities start to heal because of the other. They make each other stronger and give each other the confidence in different situations that they may have been secure in before meeting each other.
This was an amazing read and cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out and see what this team gets up to next.
Was given this book for free from inked rainbow reads for an honest review
Trigger could not have a more perfect name that is for sure because his personality has a short trigger and can go from not saying anything at all to biting someone's head off in an instance. But regardless deep down Trigger has a soft side and when he lets that soft side out, watch out because he is going to blow you away. I think that a lot of Trigger's problem is, he is lonely and has not connected without anyone on a personal level. He has friends and teammates but as far as someone he lets in his everyday life, he has not had that. I believe that Trigger was the perfect person and bear for Graham.
Graham is the exact opposite personality wise then Trigger. He is laid back, likes to be around others and he is a people pleaser. The thing is, if you get on his bad side he can be scary. But that is a rare thing. I don't think Graham is comfortable with telling others his sexual preferences because his old team tormented him and left him not being so confident about being gay and out in baseball. But Trigger is able to break his tight lippedness about being gay and these two men connected on many different levels.
The old saying opposites attract is definitely the case in story because they are definitely opposite personality wise but they bring out the best in each other and they build the other up and their personal insecurities start to heal because of the other. They make each other stronger and give each other the confidence in different situations that they may have been secure in before meeting each other.
This was an amazing read and cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out and see what this team gets up to next.
Was given this book for free from inked rainbow reads for an honest review
May 11, 2016
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Graham is not happy. He's been transferred to another baseball team mid-season. And paired with Trigger, arguably the best player in the league but also the one with the biggest attitude. Trigger wasn't sure that his grizzly bear would play nice with Graham's polar bear, but once they decide to do something to help Trigger with his mating season problem, all bets are off!
Listen up, people!
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
I have a soft spot for bear shifters and a major hard spot for male/male books. If you add in sexy sports men, and a sport I know very little about, I'm sold. Absolutely and totally sold!
I don't care that it ain't never gonna win any literary prizes. It may never get on any best sellers list, but I really REALLY loved it!
It's not a difficult read, not complicated, or too hard a subject matter. There is no break-up/make-up. No nutty exs to deal with. An absent father who tries to worm his way back into Graham's life is about as angst as it gets. That along with the small mindedness of Graham's previous team-mates.
Very hot and steamy, all very well written. One thing I would have loved, was for Graham to take Trigger, even if it was just the once!
Its full of technical baseball mumbo-jumbo that meant absolutely nothing to me, but it did not spoil my reading, and I didn't care. I may even grow to love baseball.
I read book one AFTER this. Had I read book one first, I may well have not read this one. Because I did not like that one, at all. Its almost as if it's two different writers, the differences are that obvious.
But THIS ONE?? Loved it, really really loved it!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear on Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble**
Graham is not happy. He's been transferred to another baseball team mid-season. And paired with Trigger, arguably the best player in the league but also the one with the biggest attitude. Trigger wasn't sure that his grizzly bear would play nice with Graham's polar bear, but once they decide to do something to help Trigger with his mating season problem, all bets are off!
Listen up, people!
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
I have a soft spot for bear shifters and a major hard spot for male/male books. If you add in sexy sports men, and a sport I know very little about, I'm sold. Absolutely and totally sold!
I don't care that it ain't never gonna win any literary prizes. It may never get on any best sellers list, but I really REALLY loved it!
It's not a difficult read, not complicated, or too hard a subject matter. There is no break-up/make-up. No nutty exs to deal with. An absent father who tries to worm his way back into Graham's life is about as angst as it gets. That along with the small mindedness of Graham's previous team-mates.
Very hot and steamy, all very well written. One thing I would have loved, was for Graham to take Trigger, even if it was just the once!
Its full of technical baseball mumbo-jumbo that meant absolutely nothing to me, but it did not spoil my reading, and I didn't care. I may even grow to love baseball.
I read book one AFTER this. Had I read book one first, I may well have not read this one. Because I did not like that one, at all. Its almost as if it's two different writers, the differences are that obvious.
But THIS ONE?? Loved it, really really loved it!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear on Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble**
June 30, 2016
Even though I read these two back to back, they can be read as stand alone.
So shifters are widely excepted, and gay shifters are supposed to have laws protecting them, we find out that this is not always the case.
Graham comes from a team that didn’t accept him, so this time around he decided to stay in the closet even though his hawt, grouchy team and room mate has told him his gay. But as the season counties and things heat up, these two are finding it harder and harder to ignore the elephant in the room.
This time round we’ve more ‘on field’ antics more baseball, more team, more fans. So we get to feel the dynamics of how Graham and Trigger will interact with each other and everyone else.
And when it all comes together, it’s brilliant, they certainly have each others back. Trigger knows what he wants and lays claim. Finally.
But leading up to that was entertaining, mulish bear, v’s the I’m going to poke me a grizzly today. Just worked.
Another wrapped up HEA.
I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review by Crystals Many reviewers
So shifters are widely excepted, and gay shifters are supposed to have laws protecting them, we find out that this is not always the case.
Graham comes from a team that didn’t accept him, so this time around he decided to stay in the closet even though his hawt, grouchy team and room mate has told him his gay. But as the season counties and things heat up, these two are finding it harder and harder to ignore the elephant in the room.
This time round we’ve more ‘on field’ antics more baseball, more team, more fans. So we get to feel the dynamics of how Graham and Trigger will interact with each other and everyone else.
And when it all comes together, it’s brilliant, they certainly have each others back. Trigger knows what he wants and lays claim. Finally.
But leading up to that was entertaining, mulish bear, v’s the I’m going to poke me a grizzly today. Just worked.
Another wrapped up HEA.
I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review by Crystals Many reviewers
July 1, 2016
This is an “enemies to lovers” story about two shifters on an all shifter baseball team. We met this team in book one (reviewed here: http://kimichanexperience.com/friends...)
In this case, Graham is a nice guy and he’s paired with a grumpy-gus- Trigger. Trigger is a horny bastard and it makes things difficult because Trigger has no communication skills. The two dance around each other a long time but finally someone caves in…
There’s a lot of bear humor in this and some pretty hot smexy times. The feels are there, but more subtle.
I like Cheyenne’s writing style and I love her cat shifter books quite a bit. I thought this was fun and hot at times, but it wasn’t as deep as some of her other works.
If you like baseball, shifters, grumpy guys and humor – give this a go!
4 of 5 stars
In this case, Graham is a nice guy and he’s paired with a grumpy-gus- Trigger. Trigger is a horny bastard and it makes things difficult because Trigger has no communication skills. The two dance around each other a long time but finally someone caves in…
There’s a lot of bear humor in this and some pretty hot smexy times. The feels are there, but more subtle.
I like Cheyenne’s writing style and I love her cat shifter books quite a bit. I thought this was fun and hot at times, but it wasn’t as deep as some of her other works.
If you like baseball, shifters, grumpy guys and humor – give this a go!
4 of 5 stars
June 20, 2016
I really needed some escapist, easy romance. This shifter, male/male romance fit the bill nicely. There is conflict, but it is minimal. The tumble into love is gruff and sweet. An enjoyable read.
Bought from All Romance Ebooks.
Bought from All Romance Ebooks.
February 7, 2026
Good story, decent characters, hot sex scenes. Yeah, no earthshaking revelations here, but still some solid one-handed fluff, .
July 1, 2016
I don't like how Trigger outs Graham to the team with no consequences.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2022
I liked Graham and Trigger’s story even better than Ram and Wiley’s. Super fun, extremely hot, with moments of intense sweetness.
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