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Bear Shifters of Alaska #1
Bearly Alive
(Standalone read. No cliffhangers.) The sweet smell of her skin called to me. She was strewn across the forest floor like a broken angel. I hoped it wasn’t too late. Her once silken hair stuck to her face, matted and caked in blood. I moved in closer and listened carefully. Relief rushed through me. She was breathing, but barely alive. I knew I had to save her.
When I find out who’s responsible, I’ll hunt them down like the savage beast I am. Nobody capable of doing this to another is deserving of their life. I’ll extinguish them in the blink of an eye, and the world will be a better place.
As for the woman, I’ll claim her for my own.
Mine to keep.
Mine to love.
Life in the Alaskan wilderness can be lonely – but it won’t be for me.
Not anymore. Not if I can help it.
When I find out who’s responsible, I’ll hunt them down like the savage beast I am. Nobody capable of doing this to another is deserving of their life. I’ll extinguish them in the blink of an eye, and the world will be a better place.
As for the woman, I’ll claim her for my own.
Mine to keep.
Mine to love.
Life in the Alaskan wilderness can be lonely – but it won’t be for me.
Not anymore. Not if I can help it.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2016
44 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Ava Catori
88 books105 followersI have a passion for storytelling. I write in a conversational tone that is often described as fun and easy. I love my characters to be easy to identify with and feel down to earth. Most of my characters have a girl-next-door feel.
This Jersey girl is happily married to a patient man who has the ability to sustain long hours of rambling thoughts spilling from me non-stop. With the company of my two dogs, I set my writing schedule around their inability to coordinate their potty breaks. :)
This Jersey girl is happily married to a patient man who has the ability to sustain long hours of rambling thoughts spilling from me non-stop. With the company of my two dogs, I set my writing schedule around their inability to coordinate their potty breaks. :)
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 4, 2017
This was awful and if I could post a no star review, I would.
Denver finds Lily left for dead in the woods. It turns out she was kidnapped 10 years ago at the age of 14 and has been locked up by her kidnapper all this time. In finally escaping, she was caught and beaten by her kidnapper and left for dead. So here the reader gets to picture underaged rape in their minds. 🤢
Apparently, Denver “takes care of” the kidnapper. No descriptions or scenes. Just a poof, don’t worry, he’s dead and can’t hurt you again.
But this poor victimized girl then just falls into lust and bed with this stranger who rescued her? I get it. It’s fiction. But I’m being asked to take too large of a leap of faith in the believability of this story. The kidnapper underaged sex stuff just left a squidgy idgy feel. There was no reason the storyline required her to have been that age when kidnapped. Just yuck.
I didn’t feel any chemistry other than sexual. Lily might be 24 now but has the social experiences and understanding of a 14 year old.
This is labeled as paranormal but there are maybe 3 scenes with Denver either in bear form or discussing being a shifter. The fact he is a bear seems to be an excuse for him to use a Magnum XL condom. So apparently, she never had to worry about safe sex with her kidnapper but practices it with Denver. Blech.
Truly, no story development. This was the first and last book I will read from this author.
Freebie read in the iBooks store.
Denver finds Lily left for dead in the woods. It turns out she was kidnapped 10 years ago at the age of 14 and has been locked up by her kidnapper all this time. In finally escaping, she was caught and beaten by her kidnapper and left for dead. So here the reader gets to picture underaged rape in their minds. 🤢
Apparently, Denver “takes care of” the kidnapper. No descriptions or scenes. Just a poof, don’t worry, he’s dead and can’t hurt you again.
But this poor victimized girl then just falls into lust and bed with this stranger who rescued her? I get it. It’s fiction. But I’m being asked to take too large of a leap of faith in the believability of this story. The kidnapper underaged sex stuff just left a squidgy idgy feel. There was no reason the storyline required her to have been that age when kidnapped. Just yuck.
I didn’t feel any chemistry other than sexual. Lily might be 24 now but has the social experiences and understanding of a 14 year old.
This is labeled as paranormal but there are maybe 3 scenes with Denver either in bear form or discussing being a shifter. The fact he is a bear seems to be an excuse for him to use a Magnum XL condom. So apparently, she never had to worry about safe sex with her kidnapper but practices it with Denver. Blech.
Truly, no story development. This was the first and last book I will read from this author.
Freebie read in the iBooks store.
November 9, 2017
This was very close to being a DNF.
Okay so the story idea wasn’t bad but I guess I had a problem with the execution of it. I felt no connection with the characters like I usually do, and everything just felt stiff (?). I don’t know how to describe it exactly but I felt like how I feel when I write/read over one of my essays for college, which is not a good thing because I just throw information in and sometimes without a proper transition to make it flow really well. I didn’t particularly like the police scene but I did like what Lily said about not knowing what a kidnapped person is supposed to act or behave. BUT I still thought that she would have behaved a lot differently than she did.
This book wasn’t for me but it might be for other people, idk. It started out strong but by the third or fourth chapter I just wanted to be done with it.
Okay so the story idea wasn’t bad but I guess I had a problem with the execution of it. I felt no connection with the characters like I usually do, and everything just felt stiff (?). I don’t know how to describe it exactly but I felt like how I feel when I write/read over one of my essays for college, which is not a good thing because I just throw information in and sometimes without a proper transition to make it flow really well. I didn’t particularly like the police scene but I did like what Lily said about not knowing what a kidnapped person is supposed to act or behave. BUT I still thought that she would have behaved a lot differently than she did.
This book wasn’t for me but it might be for other people, idk. It started out strong but by the third or fourth chapter I just wanted to be done with it.
October 25, 2016
Alaska Love
This is a voluntary review.
Denver found Lily half dead from a severe beating in the forest. He managed to get her to his cabin and took care of her the best he could. After three days, she finally woke up. Lily was so scared and Denver was able to assure her that she was safe with him and that he would protect her. As she recovered, she told Denver about her being kidnapped ten years earlier and how one day, she discovered the kidnappers name. She was able to escape finally and he found her and best her severely and left her to die. To find out what happens next, you need to read this book. Enjoy!
This is a voluntary review.
Denver found Lily half dead from a severe beating in the forest. He managed to get her to his cabin and took care of her the best he could. After three days, she finally woke up. Lily was so scared and Denver was able to assure her that she was safe with him and that he would protect her. As she recovered, she told Denver about her being kidnapped ten years earlier and how one day, she discovered the kidnappers name. She was able to escape finally and he found her and best her severely and left her to die. To find out what happens next, you need to read this book. Enjoy!
November 13, 2016
Fun story
I enjoy reading stories about bear shifters. This one is such a great story. It has a handsome, protective bear,a damsel in dire need of rescue, and, best of all a very happy ending.
I enjoy reading stories about bear shifters. This one is such a great story. It has a handsome, protective bear,a damsel in dire need of rescue, and, best of all a very happy ending.
December 9, 2016
Love a bear of a man!!!!
Denver and Lily what can I say I fell for their story and everything that happened. I like how he took care of her kidnapper/tormentor but for how to never come back from. I gave this a four star because to me it ended fast but I loved the storyline.
Denver and Lily what can I say I fell for their story and everything that happened. I like how he took care of her kidnapper/tormentor but for how to never come back from. I gave this a four star because to me it ended fast but I loved the storyline.
January 20, 2017
Jenny Brex really knows how to draw someone into a story. This book is very well written and the characters are very well developed. I found this book very hard to put down. This is my first book by Jenny Brex and I can honestly say that this book will not be my last.
December 3, 2020
a fast read and a great shifter book
March 24, 2024
Couldn't put it down. A very cute story
December 12, 2016
Reviewed at Shifter Haven
The idea of Bearly Alive caught my initial interest. A young 14 year old is kidnapped and kept hidden and used as a “wife” for a decade. When she finds a chance to escape she is caught then beaten to the point of being near death and tossed into the Alaskan wilderness, which is where she is found by the hero of this piece. She is taken to his cabin and tended until she awakens and begins to share her tale… and I thought this story was going to go in a different direction, but it didn’t.
I don’t DNF books, I’ve found too many times just as I was about to, well the story turned around so I suppose I look for that now when I’m tempted. Yet, for me, Bearly Alive never turned around from a direction that I simply could not enjoy. I’m sure there is an audience, but this one simply wasn’t for me. When I’m left with the impression that Lily has exchanged one captor for another, I was dealing with a very uncomfortable feeling. And please save me from asinine friends like King, within five minutes he had changed the perception of an okay guy to a total creep. Nice going friend. I really do understand the intent of all of this, but it didn’t work for me – it might work for you. Only you can decide that. This is the first in a series, I haven’t yet decided if I will be following it or not.
The idea of Bearly Alive caught my initial interest. A young 14 year old is kidnapped and kept hidden and used as a “wife” for a decade. When she finds a chance to escape she is caught then beaten to the point of being near death and tossed into the Alaskan wilderness, which is where she is found by the hero of this piece. She is taken to his cabin and tended until she awakens and begins to share her tale… and I thought this story was going to go in a different direction, but it didn’t.
I don’t DNF books, I’ve found too many times just as I was about to, well the story turned around so I suppose I look for that now when I’m tempted. Yet, for me, Bearly Alive never turned around from a direction that I simply could not enjoy. I’m sure there is an audience, but this one simply wasn’t for me. When I’m left with the impression that Lily has exchanged one captor for another, I was dealing with a very uncomfortable feeling. And please save me from asinine friends like King, within five minutes he had changed the perception of an okay guy to a total creep. Nice going friend. I really do understand the intent of all of this, but it didn’t work for me – it might work for you. Only you can decide that. This is the first in a series, I haven’t yet decided if I will be following it or not.
December 10, 2016
I really hate panning a book but... *sigh*
The author has zero clue about the effects of trauma, especially psychological trauma, on it's victims. The fact that the heroine went from a kidnapped at 14 year old who had escaped barely alive from her kidnapper after 10 long years of psychological, emotional and physical abuse and within hours went to lusting after her rescuer is completely absurd in every way possible.
Add in that all the actual ACTION, other than sex and long talks, is all "off stage" and never part of the actual story, leave zero emotional tension or even any real way to connect with the very one-dimensional characters.
About the only thing semi-decently written is the sex scenes, and they ain't all that great either. I mean, they're just kinda... "oh, look, sex is happening" and honestly contribute less to the story itself and are more the way to break up the blandness of the overall story. Sad, too, because it sounded like it SHOULD have been a great story.
The author has zero clue about the effects of trauma, especially psychological trauma, on it's victims. The fact that the heroine went from a kidnapped at 14 year old who had escaped barely alive from her kidnapper after 10 long years of psychological, emotional and physical abuse and within hours went to lusting after her rescuer is completely absurd in every way possible.
Add in that all the actual ACTION, other than sex and long talks, is all "off stage" and never part of the actual story, leave zero emotional tension or even any real way to connect with the very one-dimensional characters.
About the only thing semi-decently written is the sex scenes, and they ain't all that great either. I mean, they're just kinda... "oh, look, sex is happening" and honestly contribute less to the story itself and are more the way to break up the blandness of the overall story. Sad, too, because it sounded like it SHOULD have been a great story.
September 24, 2016
What happened
This had the potential to be a great story but throw in a so called big brother friend who tells Lily to leave and basically calls his friend a nutcase and a mom who doesn't seem to happy to see her daughter who was kidnapped 10 years ago and you get a story that makes no sense.
This had the potential to be a great story but throw in a so called big brother friend who tells Lily to leave and basically calls his friend a nutcase and a mom who doesn't seem to happy to see her daughter who was kidnapped 10 years ago and you get a story that makes no sense.
December 8, 2016
Highly Recommend
The. story that starts out with a girl that was found in the woods that had been badly beaten. Denver a bear shifter finds her and takes her back to his house. When Denver finds out who Lily's kidnapper was he goes after the man...read the book to find out what happens next.
This book does have a HEA for these two characters.
The. story that starts out with a girl that was found in the woods that had been badly beaten. Denver a bear shifter finds her and takes her back to his house. When Denver finds out who Lily's kidnapper was he goes after the man...read the book to find out what happens next.
This book does have a HEA for these two characters.
December 27, 2016
Delightful
It's not everyday that bear shifter, Denver, finds another person in the woods near his home in Northern Alaska, especially a woman. Lily is beaten and left for dead, barely breathing, when Denver comes to her rescue, changing her life all for the better. Fast paced read, definite page turner, well written emotional story one can't help but enjoy.
It's not everyday that bear shifter, Denver, finds another person in the woods near his home in Northern Alaska, especially a woman. Lily is beaten and left for dead, barely breathing, when Denver comes to her rescue, changing her life all for the better. Fast paced read, definite page turner, well written emotional story one can't help but enjoy.
October 20, 2016
Nearly Alive.
Lily was kidnapped when she was fourteen. She is now 24 and escaped from the man who imprisoned her for 10 years. Abe catches her and beats her close to death. Denver finds her and helps bring her back to health. But things don't go smoothly. Very good read.
Lily was kidnapped when she was fourteen. She is now 24 and escaped from the man who imprisoned her for 10 years. Abe catches her and beats her close to death. Denver finds her and helps bring her back to health. But things don't go smoothly. Very good read.
November 11, 2016
Complete Waste Of Time
I certainly hope this book is the authors first and will improve. I realize this is fiction but the story was so off that it was ridiculous. Glad I didn't pay for this book.
I certainly hope this book is the authors first and will improve. I realize this is fiction but the story was so off that it was ridiculous. Glad I didn't pay for this book.
December 27, 2016
Interesting take on Shifters protecting each other.
Denver finds Lily barely alive after someone beat her.
After Denver hears the whole story, he gets in touch with friends to see how to handle the problem.
Read and enjoy.
Denver finds Lily barely alive after someone beat her.
After Denver hears the whole story, he gets in touch with friends to see how to handle the problem.
Read and enjoy.
October 23, 2016
Great reading, enjoyed this book. Can't wait for more to read from this author. .
January 3, 2017
Bearly Alive
This was good. Very enjoyable. There is some sexual content and a bit of violence. Has some good characters in it.
This was good. Very enjoyable. There is some sexual content and a bit of violence. Has some good characters in it.
November 29, 2016
Okay
The story was okay, but it lacks any substance in my opinion. Sorry, I love shifter stories but this didn't get a hold on me.
The story was okay, but it lacks any substance in my opinion. Sorry, I love shifter stories but this didn't get a hold on me.
December 7, 2016
Very good story!
I love shifter stories! This was a really good one! Very cute! Denver was such a good Bear!! Lily was pretty brave too!
I love shifter stories! This was a really good one! Very cute! Denver was such a good Bear!! Lily was pretty brave too!
December 12, 2016
I enjoyed this book it was well written and i liked the characters but there were a few things missing for me to score it higher.
December 24, 2016
Steamy hot sexy
Wow! Dark plot, with steamy sexy hot scenes. Hot bear shifter with issues but finds love in the end. Interesting read.
Wow! Dark plot, with steamy sexy hot scenes. Hot bear shifter with issues but finds love in the end. Interesting read.
January 27, 2017
Alaska Shapeshifters
Good book. Enjoyed reading this story about Alaska and bears. Hoping it continues in another story as it left me hanging.
Good book. Enjoyed reading this story about Alaska and bears. Hoping it continues in another story as it left me hanging.
November 12, 2016
It's kinda shitty, but it's entertaining shit. Oh, the "hero" has a big d**k. I don't remeber how he was supposed to look, but the d**k was mentioned MULTIPLE times so that I do remember. A fun read, but only read it if you want a good laugh.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews