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P.O.L.A.R. #1

Team Leader Bear

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Serge's unit is on thin ice.
No more screw-ups or there will be dire consequences.

Hannah is on an eat-pray-love journey.
Traveling the trans-Siberian railway, she's searching for meaning.

The heat between these two can melt the polar ice caps.
But pursuing his mate might land Serge and his team in hot water.

P.O.L.A.R. (Private Ops: League Arctic Rescue) is a specialized, private operations task force—a maritime unit of polar bear shifters.
Part of a worldwide, clandestine army comprised of the best of the best shifters, P.O.L.A.R.’s home base is Siberia…until the team screws up and gets re-assigned to Sunkissed Key, Florida, and these arctic shifters find themselves surrounded by sun, sand, flip-flops, and palm trees.

SERIES READING ORDER:
1. P.O.L.A.R.
2. CYBERMATES
3. B.E.A.R.S.

Although it’s not necessary to read either P.O.L.A.R. or Cybermates to enjoy B.E.A.R.S., there are references to characters, places, and events in B.E.A.R.S. that first appeared in previous series.

THIS BOOK CONTAINS CONTENT FOR ADULTS ONLY.

P.O.L.A.R. is an adult bear shifter romance series that will appeal to lovers of paranormal, urban fantasy, shapeshifters, contemporary, and, of course, spicy, sizzling, hot romance. This is a steamy paranormal shifter fantasy romance series with an HEA and no cliffhangers.

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2021

205 people are currently reading
233 people want to read

About the author

Candace Ayers

286 books534 followers

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5 stars
354 (49%)
4 stars
219 (30%)
3 stars
117 (16%)
2 stars
21 (2%)
1 star
11 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Kait.
1,401 reviews229 followers
December 14, 2022
Super cute fated mate romance ❤️

Serge is a polar bear shifter and leader of his unit. While working a case he scents his mate and stops at nothing to win her. Hannah is traveling with a friend, searching for something. She didn’t expect it to be some crazy guy with voices in his head saying she’s his.

These two were so cute. I honestly cracked up so much. Serge isn’t one for words and it’s absolutely hilarious. Especially when he tries to explain mates to Hannah. 😂☠️
Profile Image for Svaetulla.
131 reviews4 followers
March 24, 2023
Ogni tanto si ha bisogno di leggere un libro volto solamente alla comicità involontaria e i romance con uomini addominalati sulla copertina sono praticamente sempre perfetti.
Questo non fa eccezione.
La squadra di orsi è un gruppo alla "The Expendables" ma con meno personalità. Serge, il capo di queste Spice Girl senza pepe, non fa eccezione, anzi, per gran parte del libro e le sue interazioni con la blandissima Hannah ha l'eloquio e lo stesso vocabolario dei gabbiani di "Alla ricerca di Nemo". Il libro twerka in faccia disagio tradotto in: coincidenze imbarazzanti, dialoghi e contrasti fondati sul nulla. Ovviamente l'unica svolta di trama pretesto è risolto in modo così frettoloso che poteva non esserci.

Profile Image for Darcy.
14.4k reviews543 followers
May 13, 2023
I found I was more invested in the friendship that Hannah had with her travel buddy, they were so different, it was fun to hear them talk, than the potential romance. All Serge could do is growl at Hannah and say "mine." For some reason that really drove me nuts and turned me off. This one wasn't for me.
Profile Image for SanNit's Büchersalat.
679 reviews2 followers
June 3, 2022
Eigentlich wollte ich nur was Schnelles für zwischendurch. Und bei der Länge der Geschichte habe ich jetzt auch nicht so sehr viel erwartet.
Aber, das war richtig schön.
Es wurden nicht zu viele verschiedene Themen behandelt, sodass hier der Verlauf der Geschichte ein schönes Tempo hatte und keine Fragen offen blieben.
Wie soll ich Serge beschreiben? Wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen passt, glaube sehr gut. Knallhart (zumindest soll er so wirken) und butterweich.
Hannah versucht seit 1,5 Jahren aus sich herauszukommen, verkriecht sich aber immer mehr in ihr Schneckenhaus.
Ich mochte beide sehr gerne. Sie haben eine schöne Dynamit. Ein wenig Katz und Maus Spiel ist mit dabei, sowie ein kleiner Spannungsbogen.
Ein paar unterhaltsame Lesestunden sind hier garantiert, meiner Meinung nach.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
3,679 reviews326 followers
January 19, 2023
This is a book for those who enjoy fated mates via instalust where they can’t control themselves and must have sex right away.

This isn’t for me and I won’t be reading any more books by this author. I may have lost a few brain cells (almost misspelled as sels).

He’s supposed to be this hot shot military guy but the moment he scents his mate, he can no longer think or stick to his mission. He has to find her and claim her.

I rolled my eyes so many times.

And she’s so afraid of being abandoned that she runs away from him. 🙄

This is not good. It wasn’t terribly bad but it was brainless.
Profile Image for Terry Sasada.
1,214 reviews8 followers
July 26, 2022
Here’s to the beginning of a new series. I have read Candace Ayers before, and I really enjoy her writing. And this series is off to a great start, not only do you have an excellent story with romance, a pretty sad human female that has had her heart broken, a wonderful specimen of a man who happens also to be a polar bear, there are funny parts in there and also some action, but most importantly it’s a story about Hannah coming to believe in Serge who would do anything for her, including rescuing her and saving her life. Really good book, and your first introduction into the whole team that the series is about. And I just love a happily ever after.
649 reviews
June 29, 2022
Easy read

Too easy and way too predictable it was great if you wanted a mind numbing story. The characters were underdeveloped leaving way too many loose ends and possibilities.
Profile Image for Ann Hupe.
500 reviews12 followers
December 30, 2021
When I read Rescue Bear (Book #1 P.O.L.A.R.), it felt like there had to be another book prior to this one. I mean, the references to Hannah and the mission that condemned the entire polar shifter team to subtropic Florida because polar bears and blazing-hot sand do not mix well. After finishing one of the Alpha Hordesman books, I had to read something I had read before, thus being a guaranteed good read. So why not Rescue Bear? That's when I discovered Team Leader Bear! Yayayay!!! Finally! I get to read about Serge and Hannah and how they got together.

This is a cool, little novella that introduces the team to the reader. I won't go further than that regarding the story line because it is a shaggy dog's story of its own, one it deserves to tell, not me.

But I will say the following. It is your typical fated mate cliche story line with a few surprises of its own that definitely makes it a little more original than I had first anticipated. I wish I could have liked the Hannah heroine a little more, but I didn't think the angst was being worked as successfully as I could have written it. I also was beginning to wonder if Hannah could ever face her cowardice and finally get with the program as described by Serge. Sure, instant hard-on of the female kind seems rather intimidating, especially since the thought of being mated never originally occurred to her. She had plenty of bad baggage in her emotional backpack. But how many times can you walk away from the only thing that might love you and make your life eternally special? I find that hard to swallow.

Nonetheless, the story does go on without having to wallow in that much self-pity. And it's a story I'd be willing to reread again, especially if I needed a short yet guaranteed good read of a heroine who doesn't scream her lungs out and act like a little pansy girl.

Ratings (out of possible 5)
Character building: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
World building: 🌎 🌎 🌎
Relationship building: 💓 💓 💓 💓
Romance: 💋 💋 💋
Heat/steam: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Drama: 👀 👀 👀
Action: 🍿 🍿 🍿
Suspense: 💣 💣
Dark: 💀
Triggers: Cheating husbands. Too-high-of ferris wheels along with fear of heights can be a good trigger.
POV: Multiple (2)
Ending: HEA
Length: Approximately 128 pages
Recommend: YES 👍

Thank you, Liz K, a reviewer on Amazon!
Profile Image for Larissa.
680 reviews8 followers
February 14, 2024
Well, Ayers is not a name we encounter much, so - I had to visit her goodreads profile just to check if my mind wasn’t playing games. Same author from She-Shifter and the Mate Cake thingy that made me laugh tons, and this alone made my expectations a little higher than usual. Oops. This is the first book in P.O.L.A.R series/novel.

Serge is a bear. Hannah is human. But when they meet, sparks fly and fated mates are brought together. If you like logic being used a little harder during these types of books, you will enjoy this one. Even tho it felt like 3-days story. It’s a prequel, after all.
The mission Serge was in charge of? Oops, forgot to tell you all about it, as much as he did when he met Hannah. His team seems to be a tight group, also, so, when all is said and done, a packaging suggesting relocation for a mission — they are ordered to report in 72h. These polar bears are going to Florida. Bye cold, hello tropics in North America. And it ends there. Shocker, although no cliffhanger, as promised by authors note.
Profile Image for Holly Stone.
899 reviews2 followers
July 27, 2024
This is a bit different than her other shifter books no less sex and hot Alpha Males but for this first one at least not a virgin. Hannah goes on a trip to Russia looking for a new her new experiences new everything after her husband left her and called her a cold fish....While she is at a stop along the Russian route she meets Serge a hot hunky Russian who keeps telling her she is his....Serge is not wholly human as it turns out but he is the leader of a team of shifter POLAR BEARS Hannah freaks and runs but when her life is suddenly endangered Serge and his team mates bring the full force of their bears to bear until she is found some laugh out loud funny bits in this book Looking forward to reading more as the rest of Serge's team find their forever mates
16 reviews
July 12, 2022
A great read.

A great read. All the right emotions, words and scenes. Hannah at turns, too thoughtful, full of emotions and in her own head. Her one and only fated mate, Serge, himself full of emotions too.
The military men, true brothers beyond blood. Voicing their comments and thoughts as true military brothers do.
A wonderful start to a series and I’m totally looking forward to the following books.
If you enjoy the shifter and his fated mate erotic storyline, get this book!
45 reviews1 follower
July 14, 2023
Cute read with some inconsistencies

I enjoyed this book, and it is much better than a lot of bear shifters I've read recently. My only issue is there are some glaring inconsistencies between what is said to happen between mates and was does happen. They're small enough to brush aside but impossible to ignore completely. I really enjoyed the twist with Hyacinth. I wasn't expecting it, but it made sense. I would've liked to see the big fight at the end from Serge's point of view, but it was a happy ending.
Profile Image for Doro´s Buchgalaxie.
530 reviews5 followers
December 7, 2025
Ich habe schon einen Band der Reihe gelesen und wusste daher genau, was mich erwartet:
keine tiefgründige Liebesgeschichte, sondern pure Unterhaltung, viel Spice und viele Lacher. Und genau das habe ich auch bekommen!

Hannah hat Männern eigentlich abgeschworen – bis sie Serge begegnet, der sofort erkennt, dass sie seine Seelengefährtin ist.
Blöd nur, dass sie ein Mensch ist … aber das hält ihn natürlich nicht auf.

Die Geschichte ist kurz, schnell gelesen, lustig und an den richtigen Stellen richtig spicy.
Perfekt für zwischendurch, wenn man einfach abschalten und Spaß haben möchte.
126 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2023
cute story

Polar bear meets cute divorcée. The leader of a security polar bear team meets his fated mate while guarding a spoiled politician in Russia. His hippie mom shows up and his mate is kidnapped by the Russian mafia, not to mention other odd complication/situations, plus job stress, boss trouble, and rescuing his mate he has his hands full. This makes a cute easy and romantic read. Great light reading.
632 reviews2 followers
October 8, 2023
Ottima traduzione e scorrevole in lettura, i personaggi sono ben descritti, le scene di sesso non sono volgari e lo scenario dove si svolge la storia molto bella, anche se non amo il freddo, inoltre c'è il rapporto di fratellanza tra la squadra operativa di Serge.
Certamente passare dal freddo siberiano per essere spediti al caldo assolato della Florida, non so come faranno gli orsi polari mutaforma.
Profile Image for Alessandra Ceravolo.
736 reviews2 followers
November 25, 2023
Dalla trama mi sembra molto intrigante , è presente del linguaggio scurrile, la storia è divertente, intensa, i personaggi sono interessanti. Le descrizioni sono molto curate e dettagliate.
Hannah la nostra protagonista femminile è dolce, riservata, solitaria, divertente, combattiva, fredda,con un cuore spezzato ma l’amore riesce a ripararlo.
Sergey o Serge è affascinante, dolce, possessivo, cavernicolo, razionale, geloso, protettivo, equilibrato, arrogante, non era in cerca della sua compagna ma il destino aveva già dei piani per il suo futuro.
Un amore destinato ad avere un lieto fine nonostante la diversità dei due protagonisti che appartengono a mondi molto differenti.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for greeneyes9999.
414 reviews3 followers
January 17, 2022
Hilariously funny, crazy and LOL kinda belly laughs!

I really enjoyed this prequel! I had started the Omnibus but saw there was a prequel so I quickly bought it and it was worth every penny! I can’t wait to jump into the Omnibus now! I highly recommend this series and the author’s other series! Make sure you check out the Bayou Dragons! Enjoy!
Profile Image for Shyla.
715 reviews3 followers
July 13, 2022
Team Leader Bear 🐻

Serge was trying to do his job when he came across a scent that he found intriguing. He followed it to a woman named Hannah and because he was surprised he couldn’t say anything. Hannah found him very attractive but could not understand why he kept following her. Can they finally communicate or will it blow up in their faces? Recommend this book
684 reviews3 followers
July 15, 2022
Hannah 2.0 is a work in progress.

Hannah is on a trip after learning her husband had cheated on her from the beginning. Hanna met Hyacinth on her trip and was encouraging Hannah to sow some wild oats. Hanna bumps into Serge literally and her world changes forever. I highly recommend getting this book for a fun quick read.
Profile Image for Kristine Keeney.
25 reviews24 followers
September 11, 2022
Fun to read

This was a fun and surprisingly detailed story for the quick read it was. I loved the characters and their realistic reactions, given the situations they found themselves in, that kept the story moving right along.
Truly entertaining and a great hook.
Now, for the next in the series… I can’t wait to see what happens next!


466 reviews
November 12, 2022
You're a what?!?!

Hannah is taking a Trans Siberian tour with a friend. They have been to some amazing places! Then she runs into a man, literally, who changes her life completely. Of course, nothing is easy. Especially with the Russian mob after them!!
Serge never thought he would ever find his fated mate. He didn't know that he would run right into her.
Profile Image for Alma Conchas.
369 reviews13 followers
November 27, 2023
I loved Serge's story, so dang much!

Wow, really, Hannah really ran away from Serge all those times and then realizes that he'll really come for her after she really gets kidnapped by the bad guys. I'm just glad they were able to work everything out because they are so cute together. Now I can't wait to find out what happens with Roman and Megan.
Profile Image for Cathy P.
1,788 reviews9 followers
April 22, 2024
Team Leader Bear book 1

I generally like quick reads, instalove and shifter romances. I liked the guys, Hannah wad a bit of a wishy washy spaz. Granted, the info share between the couple could have gone better. Just seemed a little disjointed. Lots of told not shown. Hoping book 2 is better. Serge and Hannah's story is a 3 for me. Medium steam.
Profile Image for Angi Everett.
735 reviews
January 1, 2025
You can just skip over every time the heroine inner monologs. This author just uses the same whiny template of all her books. They get told they're mates for life but every single woman argues in her head that it's not forever even if everyone around them says it's fate. They also all get unnecessarily mad at the men.
471 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2021
What an entertaining first book in this series. Hanna is touring through Europe when she starts traveling with a woman she meets. Hanna finds her fated mate, Serge, but what happens to get to her HEA had me lol, and swooning. I am voluntarily leaving my review of this ARC.
Profile Image for Jane Elizabeth .
4,342 reviews5 followers
November 19, 2021
What an absolutely fantastic experience! It is great to finally know how it all started for the P.O.L.A.R. crew and how/why they ended up in the sunshine state, Florida! I definitely got a kick out of Hyacinth!
1,160 reviews1 follower
December 21, 2021
Awesome

I've been waiting for this story for a long time now and it was worth the wait. Serge and Hannah were absolutely perfect. Their story is awesome and the inclusion to the polar bear shifter family was so heartwarmingly wonderful. Loved every word.
Profile Image for Robyn.
33 reviews
July 15, 2022
And so it begins.

I love Candace work, she is on of my favorite writers. This book is completely disarmingly perfect. All the characters are relatable, and the story moves like silk. An entertainingly good read.
556 reviews7 followers
July 20, 2022
Normally I read science fiction or fantasy. I read shifter-romance stories occasionally as they are predictable, light reading, and the couple ends up together. I have to say that this one was better than most and I really enjoyed it - it's a solid 3.5.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews

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