Thorn (Los Osos de Burden nº 1)

Bears of Burden #1

by Candace Ayers

Allie está huyendo asustada. No de monstruos en el armario, ni de cosas espeluznantes debajo de la cama, tiene miedo del compromiso. Mientras huye de su futuro prometido, ella encuentra un trabajo temporal como mesera en un pequeño pueblo de Texas en el medio de la nada. El verdadero amor no está en su agenda hasta que conoce a su jefe alto, fornido e increíblemente sexy Thorn Canton quien la hace arder en todos los lugares correctos.

Thorn Canton, un cambiaformas de oso, es un propietario exitoso de una taberna sin planes de estar en una relación seria en lo absoluto. De hecho, para Thorn, una compañera podría significar un destino peor que la muerte, literalmente.

NOTA: En la ciudad de Burden, Texas, los osos buenos Hawthorne, Wyatt, Hutch, Sterling, Sam y Matt viven tranquilos. La cerveza fluye libremente, y las mujeres bonitas son abundantes. Lo último en lo que ellos piensan es en encontrar una pareja o sentar cabeza. Pero, el destino tiene su propio plan...

Una Serie de Romance Paranormal de Cambiaformas de Oso.

ADVERTENCIA: ESTE LIBRO ESTÁ DESTINADO PARA LECTORES MAYORES DE 18 AÑOS.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Novella, Contemporary

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2016

Reviews

[Melanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS!

Something I couldn't explain fizzled underneath my skin, working my jangled nerves to the max.

A quick and easy shifter story. Perfect for an in-between read.

I enjoyed the writing, so I'll be continuing with the series. I'm looking forward to Georgia's book!

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope

Absolutely appalling. This book is about a manwhore, and he sleeps with someone else in the book before getting together with Allie. OW/OM stuff doesn't at all belong in a ROMANCE. How is outside the relationship romantic? It isn't. It's gross. I do not recommend this book at all. Besides that, it was just odd and not put together well. It felt rushed and weird. I really really didn't like it.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jaded heroine walks into a bar and meets her player mate..

I really enjoyed this novella! I loved Allie as a heroine--she wasn't dazzled (too much) by Thorn's hotness and didn't let him get away with his stupidity. Thorn was not your typical shifter in that he was heartily against finding his mate because of what happened to his parents. He continually tried to deny his mating bond with Allie and ended up treating her like a complete jackass, which Allie promptly shutdown. My absolute favorite scene was Thorn trying to tell Allie that he was a bear shifter; there is nothing better than seeing a big burly man all flustered and unsure! Definitely recommend, and I will absolutely read the next book!

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, marked down because potential manwhorish ways!
They also both had TSTL tendencies.
They kinda deserved and were made for each other I'd say!
Bear's a good bear though!
Happy bear, loves his whiskey!

[Jenni LO · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book and thought, wow this is actually better than I was expecting and then not even moments after that statement leaves your mouth that you read a line and you regret ever picking the book up?? Well that is how this book was for me. I was loving it, it was cute and fun and overall a cute short read...a solid 3.5 stars.....It was checking all my boxes until.... that one damn line made me want to throw my tablet out the window. So, shifter book as you may already know but the main character finds out that he is a shifter by walking out the back of the bar to find said shifter in bear form wearing his human selfs hat and standing upright drinking whiskey??? WHAT!?!?!? WHEN THE FUCK DID I START READING ABOUT YOGI THE BEAR?? Bitch there is no picnic basket...He is going to still be wearing a John Deere hat after he has shifted?? OMG that line alone made me lose my shit all over the place!! I mean while you are writing this at what point in time did you think it would be a good idea to make the bear seem human and give him a fucking hat?? I can't do it...I won't do it! Lets just be glad it got the 2 stars I gave it, thankfully it was saved by the rest of the book!! UGH!

[MC The Bookaholic ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good short read.

Quick summary:
Allie finds her way into a small-town because she’s running away from her supposed fiancé. There she meets Hawthorne aka Thorne who is a manwhore, same as his local bear-shifting friends, and it turns out she’s his mate. She breaks up with her “fiancé” after having sex. She runs away from him. He stays away from her. Her “fiancé” shows up and she tells him to get lost and then she practically ends up with Thorne as they claim each other as mates.

I will say, this wasn’t too exciting. It was a pretty straight forward read. And there wasn’t much smut. Hell, it wasn’t lovely-romantic either.

But it was a good read nonetheless. Their HEA is insinuated 😊

3 stars!!!

[Danny Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Short and to the point, but I don't know how convinced I am of their love. Lust and claiming? Definitely. More primal than anything. Because it is so short there really is no buildup, but that's ok. H Thorne is a manwhore and wants to stay that way. Forever a bachelor with revolving women is his plan. And he thought that included his group of friends. But come to find out they'd drop their harem of women for their mates. He's having second thoughts because of his upbringing. The h Allie was ok. She get's over him being a shifter quite quickly because we're only working with 112 pages. So if short and sweet is your aim this may be good. Will continue the series. One of these heroes is probably bound to mess up. Thorne wasn't that bad.

Safety: he's sleeping around, but not when they get together. No ow drama, but there is a little om drama from Allie's ex fiance.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/5/2019)! 🎁

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much too it

This moves rather quickly. One thing I will give it is love isn't mentioned. It talks about forever and being all in but I appreciated that no one was babbling on about I love you when they barely knew anything about each other. There's really not much to it. It's a decent story.

[Wild_irish_rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author. I enjoyed the story, although I was a bit disturbed by Thorn's Player status. That aside the story was entertaining and I really liked Allie and how she came to value herself

[Julie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful read

Thorn and Allie’s story is amazing. Thorn is rough and rugged. He and his friends are all players. Allie is stranded and needs a job. Fate put these two together and even they can’t argue or fight this attraction. Awesome writing.

[Tracy DeNeal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorn and Allie

Cute 1st person POV. I love my shifter stories and this one was no exception. Girl walks into a bar and shifter mate call ensues.

[Sarah Triplett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Loved this book was great and very exciting can't wait to start on the next book! Happy reading hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[GuisBell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaya con el osito y su trauma, renunciando a algo bueno y juzgándola con la misma vara que las personas que le hicieron daño

[Sabrina (Soter) Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 e 1/2

"Il modo in cui il mio corpo aveva reagito al suo, il modo in cui sapevo quello che sentiva ... Era pazzesco, ma fu quello il momento in cui lo capii. Thorn era senza dubbio la mia anima gemella. Un concetto che non avevo nemmeno creduto fosse reale un paio di giorni prima, e che non potevo spiegare in un modo che non sembrasse ridicolo, era improvvisamente qualcosa di cui ero convinta con tutto il cuore. Però la mia anima gemella era uno stronzo completo o un grosso idiota.
Si trattava della mia solita fortuna."

A quanto pare quest'autrice ha un vero amore per gli orsi mutaforma, seppur ricalchi spesso lo stesso schema XD Nella fattispecie devo dire che inizialmente non ho apprezzato il personaggio di Allie, ci viene presentata come un tipo tosto ma la conosciamo in fuga come un leprotto spaventato e con una storia sentimentale alle spalle che chiunque con un minimo di spina dorsale avrebbe rifuggito prima di subito (e qui scatta la storia del'infanzia triste XD)... più avanti ho cominciato ad apprezzarla, sopratutto per come riesce a trattare con un certo orso scorbutico sebbene ridotta ad una massa di ormoni XD Sul nostro Thorn che dire, bella la complicità con il suo gruppo di amici fustacchioni e belle spesse le fette di salame che ha sugli occhi... per fortuna alla fine si riscatta XD

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 Unicorns - I really liked it!!!
***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!!

The cover is great! I always love having both beasts on the cover!

This is the first book in the series, and it is for adults only due to the steamy content.

Candace Ayers is a new author for me. I bought the book to check out her work. I definitely liked it! I do love shifter books. When I bought it, there are several other stories after the book itself. When I finished reading it, my kindle said 16 percent done. I know this bothers some people, but I love getting more content than I was expecting.

This story is about Allie and Thorn. Allie feels drawn to Burden like it is home, but she is not sure why but feels fate wants her to be there. Both have baggage, it’s about them overcoming that baggage. I usually like more action in my stories, but I definitely liked that story and will check out more of Candace’s work.

I recommend this book to all the shifter fans out there especially if you hold bears due to your heart, but there is definitely more here because a panther story is also included which I’m reading now.

[Stephanne88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good storyline

Felt like the storyline was good but didn't like how it was written. Changes from first person to third person.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who knew my destiny was a bear?

Eric had proposed to me, after three years. So why did I throw things in the back of my car and hit the road running, without a thought except to get as far away from Eric and North Carolina, as fast as I could? Maybe because he’d cheated on me, you think?
Finally, I was out of food snacks, water, gas and money. I’d landed at the edge of a small town in Texas. Leaving my fuel deprived car on the side of the road, just a ways out of town and I made the rest of the way in on foot. Hungry, thirsty and tired I walked into the honky tonk bar at the edge of town. There was laughter, music, delicious smells of food and a burly bartender that came over to talk with me. Didn’t take long, he offered me something to eat, drink, a job and a place to crash. It was strange but this place somehow made me feel safe, welcome like it had been waiting for me.
As Thorn stepped through the door of his bar, Abram his manager, told him right off that he had hired a new waitress and it was hands off. He reminded Thorn that they’d loss the last three waitresses because Thorn and his horny friends had ticked them off. But all it took was one look at Allie to know he was headed for trouble.
This is a shifter/human romance, soulmates with a bit of angst, trepidation, and hot sex. So the story definitely, has mature themes and scenes. Both Allie and Thorn have baggage they have to sort through before even discussing forever. I liked the honesty of both main characters, the back and forth situations and uncertainties. At its heart this is simply a paranormal romance with a few disruptive situations that are short lived. There are secondary characters that will follow with their own tales, so I hope that we will learn more about the town, its history, the shifter community, and more about Thorn and Allie. This is a stand alone tale with it’s own HEA, and introductions to other characters that made me want to learn more about them. There were a few insistences where I thought they could have fleshed out the storyline more but, this was a quick read with engaging characters all around. Last warning the scenes with Thorn and Allie are spicy and explicit but filled with love.

[MsRHReviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute fated mate shifter romance

Human Allie was driving without a destination in mind when she was running-not-running from her boyfriend's proposal. She loaded up her car with all of her clothes that she had at his place and just drove away. That was fine until she ran out of gas with no money in her bank account. She went on foot to the nearest town where she decided to get temporary work, just until she had enough money to get back on the road again. She didn't expect this to end up being her final destination... especially when it was a town full of shifters.

Thorn was a player. He had no interest in finding a mate or settling down. He hadn't grown up with the greatest example of what a mated pair should look like, so he was happy to live the life of a bachelor and as many women as he could. When he meets Allie and then realizes that she's his mate, he's terrified. He can't help but give in to his desires, but he also does what he can to push her away.

It's a romance novel, so there's no point in asking if you think they can find a way to be together; Of course they do. It's still an interesting enough story. I especially like Abram, the assistant manager of the bar!

[Victoria Rebecca Hawkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allie McMichael is running scared. Not from monsters in the closet, or creepy things under the bed, she’s scared of commitment. She has every reason to be scared after experiencing the pain of infidelity and after watching her parents’ failure of a marriage. On the run from a would-be fiancé, she finds a temp job bartending and waitressing in a small Texas town out in the middle of nowhere. True love is not on the agenda until she meets her big, burly boss, hot-as-hell Thorn Canton who lights her fires in all the right places. Bear shifter Thorn Canton is living the easy life. A successful tavern owner, he’s surrounded by good buddies, beer on tap, and an endless supply of women to keep him company. He has no plans -- whatsoever -- of getting hitched up, or of finding a mate. In fact, to Thorn, a mate might be a fate worse than death.

This bear shifter was amazing from start to finish, I loved how the book came together. The way the author brought Thorn and Ally together was fabulous and the personalities of both characters. The story line was fantastic from beginning to end and very enjoyable. Candace Ayers is a fabulous author and this is just an example of her work and I would highly recommend this book to any lovers of bear shifter romances

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read from this author. It is a very enjoyable volume, containing not only the title story, but includes a number of other shifter stories. The common theme, is most men, even those who are shifters and "know" their mate when they meet her, are still fairly clueless about relationships. Thorn is a bear shifter, who lives in the town of Burden, inhabited by many other bear shifters. He owns a bar and is a confirmed bachelor, mostly because of the poor example set by his parents. That is until Allie walks into his bar, looking for a job. He then realizes that she is his mate, but he tries to fight it, because he is clueless of how and what to do with her. Allie has her own issues. After several relationships with men who were cheaters, she takes off, when her current boyfriend wants to get engaged, even though he also cheated on her. When she pulls into Burden, Texas, she feels like she has come home, but has no idea why. As a whole this book is very entertaining and a good start to a new series.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where do I even begin to unpack this story. For a FMC who talks ALOT (the whole freaking book) about being cheated on by every man she’s been with and how terrible it is, but it’s all okie dokie artichokey for her to do it, he did it first, so her doing it is totally fine, eye for eye all the jazz. Don’t get me started on the manwhore frat bro thing going on with the MMC and his buddies, let’s just say I’m too old for this shit. It’s wasn’t funny it was obnoxious from chapter one. Oh and the bear drinking whiskey from a bottle while wearing a John Deere hat was just a bridge too far for me, who proof read that and thought “yes this is utter perfection, there isn’t a thing I would change in the way the reveal of the MMC as a shifter to the FMC” 🙄 Am I the only one who noticed the MMC never works in his bar he just sits at his table and drinks with his buddies, no one, its just me 🤨 Sadly this was first and last for me by this author.

[Reynir Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allie is running from a situation she doesn’t want—namely, a chronically unfaithful boyfriend and the pressure to settle for something less than real love. She’s looking for stability, not a new romance. Thorn, on the other hand, has spent his life convinced that mates are a myth and that women always leave, just like his parents did. Neither one is looking for a bond, but fate clearly has other plans.

This was a fun, steamy read with just enough emotional depth to make the romance satisfying. Thorn is gruff and set in his ways, and Allie’s sass and determination made her a great match for him. Their chemistry was instant, and I appreciated how both characters had to work through their own beliefs about love and commitment.

I really enjoy Candace Ayers’ writing style—her stories are always a good mix of heat and heart. I do wish I had started Bears of Burden before finishing She-Shifters, but I’m definitely glad I picked this up. I've already started the next one!

[Donna Feibusch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Read!!!

I loved reading THORN (Bears of Burden Book 1). All about Allie McMichael a young women in her twenties running from commitment and taking a very long road trip, till she runs out of gas & Hawthorn Canton a guy in his late twenties who owns a tavern and is a bear-shifter. The author wrote a story about a group of brother bears who are living their best bachelor days just waiting for their mate to come along. Allie walks into Cave Tavern and speaks to the bartender named Abram. He can spot right off she’s new. Allie says my car ran out of gas just before town, I’m broke and on a grand adventure. Ever tended a bar before, yes. Well I’m looking for a waitress, I’ll give you a trial if you start now. Read about Allie & Thorn and the chemistry that flys between them, is off the charts!! I loved reading this book and can’t wait to read book two!!!

[Dotti Elrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorn
Bears of Burden #1
Thorn (Hawthorn) and Allie
Bear shifter human mate

A very short book.
Allie, a human female wanders into the tiny town of Burden Texas. She’s on the run from her cheating boyfriend who wants to be her fiancé.
The last thing Thorn is looking for is a mate. Knowing what it did to his mother he does everything he can to push his new employee away.
But fate has a way of pushing back and before you know it, Allie is meeting his bear. It wasn’t planned, but it happens.
As with all short stories, things move really fast. They do end up together in the end.
My only real disappointment was the ending. There really was no wrap up for the story. It just ended abruptly.
I liked the writing style and loved the characters. Looking forward to seeing some of Thorn’s buddies find their own mates.

[S A M | The Book in Hand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a firm three star.

This book is exactly what it says I the tin! The synopsis says it all, literally, not a great deal happens beyond what the synopsis details and I'm not saying that as a negative. If you want intricate plots, complex world building and in-depth characters this book is not for you.

It is a fun to ready steamy romance, if it was a chick flick film you'd love it as it has all the classic romance features. It has the quick-witted new girl, a handsome hunk of a man, the guilty pleasure that is a ’make him jealous’ on a night out play, the ex and so much more. It ticks all the boxes of a guilty pleasure steamy and easy read romance book.

But shit! That first sex scene...damn!!!

[Elaine Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!

It wasn’t a burden to read this book as it was very good.

Hawthorne or Thorn to his friends owns a bar & his 1 rule for his friends is no sleeping with the help; unfortunately his friends don’t listen & now he’s out of a waitress.

Allie, is running away from a proposal from her cheating boyfriend who now wants to marry her. On her trip to no where her phone dies & so does her car in Burden. She finds a bar named “The Cave” & gets a job there to make some money to get her car fixed. Thorn is her boss & the chemistry between them is almost instant.

But, as they both try to deny their chemistry it only makes them want each other more. Until ...

Now it’s your turn to read this book to find out what happens.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book. Why only four stars well I can’t stand cheating. Through the majority of the book she talks about having a boyfriend or even a fiancé and how good he was it wasn’t until close to the end of the book that you find out he was a cheater. She even talks about how she was a cheater for sleeping with Thorne without thinking twice about her boyfriend and wondering if that’s how he was how he felt when he did it to her. It almost felt like they threw in that her ex was a cheater just to justify her doing it herself to make it seem like her ex was a bad guy. Why didn’t she tell abram when he asked her what the man did to deserve her running off it makes no sense. That is why I gave it four stars

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story. It was entertaining and enjoyable once it got past the manho part. The characters were interesting and likable for the most part. Thorn was a manho and I didn't like that. There aren't any descriptions of him with another woman other than kissing but it still annoyed me. Allie and Thorn are drawn to each other. Allie knows that Thorn is a player and knows that she needs to avoid him. But Thorn has a secret that he doesn't want to tell Allie that is very important. He doesn't know how to tell her so he just gives her a little bit of the information. Allie determines that there is more going on than she knows about but isn't running away. I liked how the story ended but I do wish there was an epilogue further out. I recommend reading this book.

[PepperP0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Runaway bride Allyson ‘Allie’ McMichael ran out of gas and money outside of Burden, Texas and she couldn’t explain how or why Cave, the only bar in town, felt like home. Neither could she understand why tavern owner, player, Hawthorne ‘Thorn’ Canton felt like home, too. Thorn definitely isn’t prepared for Allie or for his bear to demand he claim her as mate, fiancé forgotten her reaction mirrored his.

But both Allie and Thorn have issues that they can vocalize and are struggling through it. (why was the bear wearing a cap?) Both the characters and story were good and held this readers interest. This was the first read for me from this author but I have even intention of completing this series!
Rating: 4.5stars