What do you think?
Rate this book
Shift Work #1
Papa Bear
Raising a kid on my own wasn’t the plan. Then again, neither was falling for the first shifter I allowed to get close to me after my ex left me with a newborn.
I’ve always been a solitary bear, and that suits me fine. Until a remodel at the zoo where I work showing off my shifted form to an admiring crowd turns everything upside down. Bramble moves into my habitat and after a bumpy start, he worms his way into my heart.
My daughter, Myra, is my entire world. Being her dad doesn’t leave much room for romance, but Bram is one persistent bird when something shiny catches his eye, and somehow—impossibly—to him, I sparkle.
Papa Bear is an M/X omegaverse mpreg enemies to lovers romance with a grumpy genderqueer single parent bear shifter and a sunshiny raven shifter who wants to fix everyone’s problems for them.
I’ve always been a solitary bear, and that suits me fine. Until a remodel at the zoo where I work showing off my shifted form to an admiring crowd turns everything upside down. Bramble moves into my habitat and after a bumpy start, he worms his way into my heart.
My daughter, Myra, is my entire world. Being her dad doesn’t leave much room for romance, but Bram is one persistent bird when something shiny catches his eye, and somehow—impossibly—to him, I sparkle.
Papa Bear is an M/X omegaverse mpreg enemies to lovers romance with a grumpy genderqueer single parent bear shifter and a sunshiny raven shifter who wants to fix everyone’s problems for them.
409 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2022
35 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 17, 2022
3.5 ⭐
M/X shifter mpreg romance between a crow and bear with Forced proximity and the grumpy sunshine trope .
Gender fluid bisexual bear shifter who's a loving single parent 🥰 Ty was my favorite , they and their daughter were the highlights of the book for me.
There's so much going on in Brams life that it took me away from his and Ty's romance. It did drag a bit until Bram went into heat and the relationship went on fast forward.
As with the other Alex Silver books I've read the queer intimate scenes are very well done . 🔥
M/X shifter mpreg romance between a crow and bear with Forced proximity and the grumpy sunshine trope .
Gender fluid bisexual bear shifter who's a loving single parent 🥰 Ty was my favorite , they and their daughter were the highlights of the book for me.
There's so much going on in Brams life that it took me away from his and Ty's romance. It did drag a bit until Bram went into heat and the relationship went on fast forward.
As with the other Alex Silver books I've read the queer intimate scenes are very well done . 🔥
October 14, 2022
Papa Bear is the first book in the Shift Work series and was a cute, super sweet shifter romance! Ty is an Alpha Bear that works in a zoo show off his animal form. He’s raising his daughter after being abandoned by his Omega. Bram is an Omega Raven who also works at the zoo. When the Raven’s enclosure is closed for remodel, he is put in the Bear enclosure. Ty is super grumpy about that happening, but Bram is all sunshine and quickly wins Bram over. Papa Bear has two of my favorite troupes, grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity. The story hooked me, read it in one sitting, couldn’t put it down. Fantastic secondary characters that I’m hoping get their own story. Overall, a fantastic read! Well written with pacing that flowed!
October 18, 2022
To read a full review check it out here.
Overall, I loved the characters. They were so vibrant and full of life. I loved the idea of the shifters working at the zoo. I loved so many little details. It just felt like the omegaverse details got away from Silver at times (creep, trans second gender) that it was sometimes hard to follow.
Overall, I loved the characters. They were so vibrant and full of life. I loved the idea of the shifters working at the zoo. I loved so many little details. It just felt like the omegaverse details got away from Silver at times (creep, trans second gender) that it was sometimes hard to follow.
October 16, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I loved how Ty and Bram slowly learnt to work together and the way their relationship developed as the story progressed. I also loved how the usual gender stereotypes were cast aside and found that really refreshing. Will definitely read more of this series as I really enjoyed it.
October 15, 2022
There’s something about the combination here of grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and the overall premise of the world building (shifters working at a zoo) that just *works* and I liked pretty much everything about this story. Both Bram and Ty feel like nuanced, interesting people and watching their connection develop was rewarding on so many levels— watching them gradually realize all the ways they fit together is sweet and fun and lots of good feels.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
October 15, 2022
Papa Bear is the first book in the Shift Work series by Alex Silver. This book is about Bram and Ty... and Myra. Ty is an alpha bear shifter with a daughter, Myra, who he raises alone after her Omega father left them. Bram is an Omega raven shifter. They both work at the zoo as a zoo exhibit. When the raven's place is closed because of a remodel the ravens temporarily move into Ty's Bear enclosure, Ty really doesn’t like that.
I really liked their story. It was sweet, sexy, full of feels and very well written.
I really liked their story. It was sweet, sexy, full of feels and very well written.
October 14, 2022
I absolutely loved Ty, Bram, Myra, Elric, and all the other amazing characters in this story.
This is about Ty who is a single black bear shifter who's also a dad, his Alpha mom helps him out but he's mainly on his own. After getting told he has to share his exhibit with birds he's not happy. Once these two meet it's explosive, they just keep getting off on the wrong foot and misunderstanding each other, when they finally give into each other is when the story really starts.
Bram is a raven shifter who used to share an apartment with his brother and sister. After his sister got injured and his brother got diagnosed with a shifter disease he's put all the responsibility on himself. He has to get his sister that surgery, even if she doesn't want it. When he meets Ty he wants nothing to do with him at first, then when they finally give into each other all he can think about is Ty.
I enjoyed getting to see the characters development and growth throughout the course of this story, we got to see Ty overcome his fears and let Bram into his and Myra's life. We got to see Bram talk to his siblings about what they wanted instead of him just injecting himself into their lives without asking them first. We also got to see Ty and Bram's relationship grow and evolve. What started out as disgruntled employees turned into friends with benefits that eventually turned into mates.
I appreciated the fact that the author didn't just have Bram get pregnant right away, especially considering all of the detail saying how difficult it could be for Bram to get pregnant if he had Croop. I liked that it was a process and a journey that we as readers, went on with the characters.
I also really appreciated the fact that Alex wrote about a gender fluid character and did so beautifully. I personally haven't read too many books that has a gender fluid character so I really enjoyed that
I really enjoyed this story, my favorite part was the ending when their babies started shifting into their other counterparts, it made me aw outloud. This was so well written and detailed I could see these events playing out in my head. I'm really excited to seeing what else comes out by this author.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves shifters, single dad's finding their second chance, and found family.
*I received an early copy of this book and this is my honest review."
This is about Ty who is a single black bear shifter who's also a dad, his Alpha mom helps him out but he's mainly on his own. After getting told he has to share his exhibit with birds he's not happy. Once these two meet it's explosive, they just keep getting off on the wrong foot and misunderstanding each other, when they finally give into each other is when the story really starts.
Bram is a raven shifter who used to share an apartment with his brother and sister. After his sister got injured and his brother got diagnosed with a shifter disease he's put all the responsibility on himself. He has to get his sister that surgery, even if she doesn't want it. When he meets Ty he wants nothing to do with him at first, then when they finally give into each other all he can think about is Ty.
I enjoyed getting to see the characters development and growth throughout the course of this story, we got to see Ty overcome his fears and let Bram into his and Myra's life. We got to see Bram talk to his siblings about what they wanted instead of him just injecting himself into their lives without asking them first. We also got to see Ty and Bram's relationship grow and evolve. What started out as disgruntled employees turned into friends with benefits that eventually turned into mates.
I appreciated the fact that the author didn't just have Bram get pregnant right away, especially considering all of the detail saying how difficult it could be for Bram to get pregnant if he had Croop. I liked that it was a process and a journey that we as readers, went on with the characters.
I also really appreciated the fact that Alex wrote about a gender fluid character and did so beautifully. I personally haven't read too many books that has a gender fluid character so I really enjoyed that
I really enjoyed this story, my favorite part was the ending when their babies started shifting into their other counterparts, it made me aw outloud. This was so well written and detailed I could see these events playing out in my head. I'm really excited to seeing what else comes out by this author.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves shifters, single dad's finding their second chance, and found family.
*I received an early copy of this book and this is my honest review."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2022
A good first book in the new Shift Work series. It's a little different in that humans are aware of shifters and live alongside each other and I really liked that some shifters are happy to work in a space such as a zoo, meaning they get paid a good wage whilst allowing visitors to learn of their animal and shifter habits.
Ty and Bram don't get off to the best start but a mutual physical attraction has them connecting quickly. They both have things that have them wanting to keep it casual but that doesn't last for long. Ty has his daughter, Myra, who is so adorable and funny. Bram had two siblings going through their own problems and he's put it upon himself to worry and fix things for them, as much as he's able. Heat has things developing quicker and that's when I felt their feelings really started to develop and it got complicated for them.
I liked the pace that the story progresses and how Alex has made this into their own fantasy world. It occasionally got a little bogged down in talking through medical and shifter terms, history etc but it's a good way to set up the rest of the series. It's very inclusive, as with all of Alex's books and I love the variety of characters, gender identities and shifters.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Ty and Bram don't get off to the best start but a mutual physical attraction has them connecting quickly. They both have things that have them wanting to keep it casual but that doesn't last for long. Ty has his daughter, Myra, who is so adorable and funny. Bram had two siblings going through their own problems and he's put it upon himself to worry and fix things for them, as much as he's able. Heat has things developing quicker and that's when I felt their feelings really started to develop and it got complicated for them.
I liked the pace that the story progresses and how Alex has made this into their own fantasy world. It occasionally got a little bogged down in talking through medical and shifter terms, history etc but it's a good way to set up the rest of the series. It's very inclusive, as with all of Alex's books and I love the variety of characters, gender identities and shifters.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
August 18, 2025
I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this before.
In this universe, shifters are out and some of them work in zoos as the animal exhibits. This is where Ty meets Bram and they don't get along right away. After some acclimatization, they begin a casual sexual relationship.
There was A LOT of talk about gender and sex for trans or gender fluid people, what pronouns to use and how to affirm individuals. I learned so many new things...like muffing.
Also quite original is that for mixed species shifters, they can actually take on their 2 separate animal forms. We find out how ravens behave and it was cute to see Bramble build his nest.
The book itself was quite long and could have been trimmed down some. It sometimes felt like a manual on animal behavior and sexual protocols. The relationship was quite transactional at first, but feelings slowly developed between Ty and Bram.
In this universe, shifters are out and some of them work in zoos as the animal exhibits. This is where Ty meets Bram and they don't get along right away. After some acclimatization, they begin a casual sexual relationship.
There was A LOT of talk about gender and sex for trans or gender fluid people, what pronouns to use and how to affirm individuals. I learned so many new things...like muffing.
Also quite original is that for mixed species shifters, they can actually take on their 2 separate animal forms. We find out how ravens behave and it was cute to see Bramble build his nest.
The book itself was quite long and could have been trimmed down some. It sometimes felt like a manual on animal behavior and sexual protocols. The relationship was quite transactional at first, but feelings slowly developed between Ty and Bram.
December 6, 2025
Fantastic
It had everything I've wanted from queer and trans friendly shifter-omegaverse story. The characters were established adults, family themes, socio-economic issues, trans and queer positive representation, LGBT family representation, very spicy intimate scenes that were also trans-queer friendly. Sensitive handling of injury/disability woes in a for profit medical system. Depression and mental health around infertility. Loved it.
One thing I do wish was added to the story, Amab omegas with vulvas. I noticed the distinct lack of details around how conception, labor, and birth without a vulva and vagina. It's the best part for the job, so I was surprised it wasn't there or even showed up for the birthing scene. I notice this a lot with omegaverse stories, it feels like the erasure of men with vulvas.
It had everything I've wanted from queer and trans friendly shifter-omegaverse story. The characters were established adults, family themes, socio-economic issues, trans and queer positive representation, LGBT family representation, very spicy intimate scenes that were also trans-queer friendly. Sensitive handling of injury/disability woes in a for profit medical system. Depression and mental health around infertility. Loved it.
One thing I do wish was added to the story, Amab omegas with vulvas. I noticed the distinct lack of details around how conception, labor, and birth without a vulva and vagina. It's the best part for the job, so I was surprised it wasn't there or even showed up for the birthing scene. I notice this a lot with omegaverse stories, it feels like the erasure of men with vulvas.
November 15, 2022
A grumpy bear and a sparkly raven...what is Fate thinking?
I love this world. A world where shifters are the animals in zoos, where creep is a devastating disease, and traditions often cause more problems than they solve. This book features a grumpy bear who is trans-fliud, and a raven who loves sparklies and is accepting of his alpha's pronouns. Their attraction is as intense as it is inevitable. Their secrets must come to light. But together, they will conquer them. Family will help. And there is a nest to remember. You are gonna love this book!
I love this world. A world where shifters are the animals in zoos, where creep is a devastating disease, and traditions often cause more problems than they solve. This book features a grumpy bear who is trans-fliud, and a raven who loves sparklies and is accepting of his alpha's pronouns. Their attraction is as intense as it is inevitable. Their secrets must come to light. But together, they will conquer them. Family will help. And there is a nest to remember. You are gonna love this book!
October 13, 2022
I really enjoyed how Bram and Ty's relationship grew. I can't call this a slow burn since they start with the physical but the feelings are really given a chance to grow naturally. This is not an insta-love. Ty and Bram grow to know each other and value each other and why they are so good for each other. The growing relationship between Bram and Myra was also sweet.
This is a rich world with interesting characters and I can't wait to learn more about the rave and Four Corners.
This is a rich world with interesting characters and I can't wait to learn more about the rave and Four Corners.
October 4, 2022
You never know who you’re going to fall in love with. Ty wasn’t looking for love, he was content raising his daughter and working at the zoo. Bram wanted a family of his own but certainly didn't expect it to become interested with his grumpy gruff co-worker. But you never can predict who your heart will fall for! Super sweet, shifter romance that will make you swoon.
October 15, 2022
Ty can come across as a very grumpy bear. That’s because they are so protective of those they care about. As for Bram, he’s just down right adorable. Beam is a stunning raven shifter who loves his family. This story was beautifully written and you’ll root for the characters!
October 16, 2022
This was such a cute story. A half grumpy raven and a very grumpy bear come together in a wonderfully written new world where shifters are known and can work in zoos. I really enjoyed this story and all the characters and I hope that there is more to come in this world.
March 3, 2025
Great Start to Series
This is my first time reading a book from this author, and I was not disappointed. I was immediately pulled into this world and couldn't put the book down. I'm looking forward to how the author will expand this world.
This is my first time reading a book from this author, and I was not disappointed. I was immediately pulled into this world and couldn't put the book down. I'm looking forward to how the author will expand this world.
October 26, 2022
I thought this was a different take on Alpha/Omega stories. I liked the characters and enjoyed the story. Will be looking forward to Book 2.
Read
October 26, 2022DNF
December 26, 2022
Adored
I love this story. The character development and stories went together well. Laughed, cried just all around completely loved this. Can not (but will) wait for the next.
I love this story. The character development and stories went together well. Laughed, cried just all around completely loved this. Can not (but will) wait for the next.
October 18, 2022
I enjoyed this story. I wasn't fully sure what to expect but it was good. Ty and Bram had interesting interactions but I loved that they were able to grow closer together and become a family.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews