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Beary Christmas #1
A Very Beary Christmas
For most people, Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and friends, but not for Chloe Lewis. She plans to spend it as she does every other day— alone, escaping the harsh realities of the world through her art. Painting mountainous landscapes reminds her of the one brief time in her life when she didn’t feel so alone. The hallmark grizzly bear she incorporates into each and every painting has the same golden-brown eyes as the only friend she’d ever known.
Sam Brown was only eight years old when Chloe moved to the small mountain town he and his family called home, but his bear knew right away that she was the one for him. In a cruel twist of fate, Chloe was taken away, but he’s never forgotten her – or what she is to him.
When Sam’s cousin comes home for the holidays and shows him a painting he’d seen of a very familiar looking bear and signed simply “Chloe”, it might just be the break he’s been hoping for. A winter storm is coming but nothing is going to stop Sam from finding her and bringing her home.
After all, Christmas is the time for miracles…
Sam Brown was only eight years old when Chloe moved to the small mountain town he and his family called home, but his bear knew right away that she was the one for him. In a cruel twist of fate, Chloe was taken away, but he’s never forgotten her – or what she is to him.
When Sam’s cousin comes home for the holidays and shows him a painting he’d seen of a very familiar looking bear and signed simply “Chloe”, it might just be the break he’s been hoping for. A winter storm is coming but nothing is going to stop Sam from finding her and bringing her home.
After all, Christmas is the time for miracles…
Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2017
169 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Abbie Zanders
79 books2,049 followersAbbie Zanders is a USA Today Bestselling Author with more than 55 published romance novels to date. Her stories range from contemporary to paranormal and everything in between. She promises her readers two things: happily ever afters, always, and no cliffhangers, ever.
Born and raised in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where she sets most of her stories, she’s known for small town romance featuring golden-hearted alpha heroes and strong, relatable heroines. Besides being an avid reader and writer, she loves animals (especially big dogs), American muscle cars, and 80's hair bands.
Born and raised in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where she sets most of her stories, she’s known for small town romance featuring golden-hearted alpha heroes and strong, relatable heroines. Besides being an avid reader and writer, she loves animals (especially big dogs), American muscle cars, and 80's hair bands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
Want to read
December 18, 2017
MAYBE...this sounds cute, but since he knew the heroine was his mate he has to have stayed celibate otherwise this will have to be a pass for me. I am SUPER picky about my mate books! If anyone has read this, then feel free to drop me a line and let me know if the hero remained faithful to his mate or not. :D
December 31, 2017
Sam and Chloe
This one I loved! A troubled beginning ends in happier ever after with some twists!
This one I loved! A troubled beginning ends in happier ever after with some twists!
January 9, 2018
Ummm..where the fuck is the epilogue?
#epiloguewhorehere
#epiloguewhorehere
Want to read
December 2, 2025🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/29/2019)! 🎁
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November 9, 2022
A Very Beary Christmas
is the first book in the Beary Christmas series. It was originally published in December 2017 under the Howls branding.
Tags: Paranormal Romance, Sweet Holiday Romance, Bear Shifter, Fated Mates, Feel-Good Romance
Christmas wishes do come true. Some just take a little longer than others.
For most people, Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and friends, but not for Chloe Lewis. She plans to spend it as she does every other day— alone, escaping the harsh realities of the world through her art. Painting mountainous landscapes reminds her of the one brief time in her life when she didn’t feel so alone. The hallmark grizzly bear she incorporates into each and every painting has the same golden-brown eyes as the only friend she’d ever known.
Sam Brown was only eight years old when Chloe moved to the small mountain town he and his family called home, but his bear knew right away that she was the one for him. In a cruel twist of fate, Chloe was taken away, but he’s never forgotten her – or what she is to him.
When Sam’s cousin comes home for the holidays and shows him a painting he’d seen of a very familiar looking bear and signed simply “Chloe”, it might just be the break he’s been hoping for. A winter storm is coming but nothing is going to stop Sam from finding her and bringing her home.
After all, Christmas is the time for miracles…
A Very Beary Christmas is a stand-alone, novella length, feel-good story of two special people finding each other and getting the happy ending they both deserve. It’s got all the feels, and a surprising twist you won’t see coming!
Get your copy of A Very Beary Christmas here:
👉 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧: https://smarturl.it/azrBearyChristmas
👉 Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasBN
👉 Apple: https://apple.co/3UCTYFe
👉 Kobo: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasKobo
👉 Google: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasGoogle
Praise for A Very Beary Christmas:
“Beautiful sweet romance.” – Amazon Reviewer Catori
“Great read for the holiday season.” - Amazon Reviewer Shelly
“Abbie Zanders is one of the few writers who writes paranormal stories with such a feel of normalcy, you are sure there [are] shifters and vampires living next door.” – Amazon Reviewer Kathleen
“I want to get to know every bear in that family.” – Amazon Reviewer Serenity
“Warms your heart like hot chocolate.” – Amazon Reviewer Holly
👀 Wanna sneak peek?
“Sam!”
I rounded the corner of the house, my arms loaded with firewood, to find my cousin Kayden loping up the walk.
“Is it Christmas break already?” I teased. Even if I hadn’t kept regular tabs on Kayden and the half dozen or so others attending the university a few hours south, I would have known they were coming based on the amount of cooking my mother had been doing all week. Everyone came to the lodge for Christmas.
“Yeah,” he grinned. “Did you get a tree for the common room yet?”
“Not yet. I’ve been waiting on you.”
His eyes glittered. “Awesome. Thanks.”
“Go on, throw your gear inside and say hi to Ma. I’ll pull out the sleigh.”
He lumbered toward the lodge and I went out to the massive barn to ready the sleigh. It was the same one my father used, and his father before him. Now the task fell to me while my father and grandfather sat by the hearth bouncing cubs on their knees and telling ridiculous stories. We were big on tradition that way.
Someday, the task would fall to my son, and I would be the one resting his paws by the fire. Maybe. I had yet to find a mate.
That’s not true, my bear growled inside me. We met our mate a long time ago.
I sighed, thinking of Chloe as I tested the reins. That had been what, twenty years ago? Though we’d looked for years, we’d never found her. I knew she was still out there, somewhere. I felt it in my heart. But where she was, I didn’t know.
She probably still hated me. Hated us. We promised her she would be safe, and we’d failed her.
My father did what he thought was the right thing, calling the town sheriff to let him know that Chloe had been found, and that she was alive and safe with us. He hadn’t expected the sheriff to show up with Chloe’s father, especially since everyone – including the sheriff – suspected something was wrong with that whole situation.
The sheriff said his hands were tied. Legally, her father was her guardian, and without proof, there was little he could do. Chloe had refused to admit anything. I remember her sitting there in the kitchen, her piece of shit father glaring at her as the sheriff asked why she had run away. Where her bruises had come from. If she had enough to eat. She had answered all of his questions quietly with well-rehearsed answers, while staring at the floor.
She had been lying. I knew it. My parents knew it. The sheriff knew it. Yet there was nothing he could do, not without evidence, and with reluctance, had said Chloe had to go with her father.
I didn’t understand it at the time. How could a man sworn to serve and protect just hand her over like that? My father tried explaining it to me, talking about things like politics and fragile shifter-human relations. What it came down to, I think, was that the sheriff had been afraid of upsetting the delicate balance we had with the humans. Most of us, shifters and full-humans alike, coexisted peacefully, but there were always a few on both sides who would have preferred segregation. One small human female who refused to open her mouth in her own defense wasn’t worth a war or the exposure it would bring, the sheriff had said.
My father didn’t believe that any more than I did, and that day, well, it changed him. I think it changed all of us. The sheriff retired shortly afterward and moved away, and the shifter community grew even closer.
The thing I will always remember most about that day was those few moments when Chloe looked at me. She wouldn’t look at anyone else, but she had looked at me. I’d been yelling at them to stop, and she turned back, just that once. “It’s okay, Sam,” she’d said.
And then the sheriff put her in the back of his car and they were gone. It was the last time I ever saw her.
Not a day goes by when I don’t think about her. When I don’t think of the way she used to follow me around, skulking in the shadows, thinking I didn’t know. I knew. My bear knew.
Because she was ours.
Copyright © 2022 Abbie Zanders.
Written by Abbie Zanders.
All rights reserved.
Get your copy of A Very Beary Christmas here:
👉 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧: https://smarturl.it/azrBearyChristmas
👉 Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasBN
👉 Apple: https://apple.co/3UCTYFe
👉 Kobo: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasKobo
👉 Google: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasGoogle
Tags: Paranormal Romance, Sweet Holiday Romance, Bear Shifter, Fated Mates, Feel-Good Romance
Christmas wishes do come true. Some just take a little longer than others.
For most people, Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and friends, but not for Chloe Lewis. She plans to spend it as she does every other day— alone, escaping the harsh realities of the world through her art. Painting mountainous landscapes reminds her of the one brief time in her life when she didn’t feel so alone. The hallmark grizzly bear she incorporates into each and every painting has the same golden-brown eyes as the only friend she’d ever known.
Sam Brown was only eight years old when Chloe moved to the small mountain town he and his family called home, but his bear knew right away that she was the one for him. In a cruel twist of fate, Chloe was taken away, but he’s never forgotten her – or what she is to him.
When Sam’s cousin comes home for the holidays and shows him a painting he’d seen of a very familiar looking bear and signed simply “Chloe”, it might just be the break he’s been hoping for. A winter storm is coming but nothing is going to stop Sam from finding her and bringing her home.
After all, Christmas is the time for miracles…
A Very Beary Christmas is a stand-alone, novella length, feel-good story of two special people finding each other and getting the happy ending they both deserve. It’s got all the feels, and a surprising twist you won’t see coming!
Get your copy of A Very Beary Christmas here:
👉 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧: https://smarturl.it/azrBearyChristmas
👉 Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasBN
👉 Apple: https://apple.co/3UCTYFe
👉 Kobo: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasKobo
👉 Google: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasGoogle
Praise for A Very Beary Christmas:
“Beautiful sweet romance.” – Amazon Reviewer Catori
“Great read for the holiday season.” - Amazon Reviewer Shelly
“Abbie Zanders is one of the few writers who writes paranormal stories with such a feel of normalcy, you are sure there [are] shifters and vampires living next door.” – Amazon Reviewer Kathleen
“I want to get to know every bear in that family.” – Amazon Reviewer Serenity
“Warms your heart like hot chocolate.” – Amazon Reviewer Holly
👀 Wanna sneak peek?
“Sam!”
I rounded the corner of the house, my arms loaded with firewood, to find my cousin Kayden loping up the walk.
“Is it Christmas break already?” I teased. Even if I hadn’t kept regular tabs on Kayden and the half dozen or so others attending the university a few hours south, I would have known they were coming based on the amount of cooking my mother had been doing all week. Everyone came to the lodge for Christmas.
“Yeah,” he grinned. “Did you get a tree for the common room yet?”
“Not yet. I’ve been waiting on you.”
His eyes glittered. “Awesome. Thanks.”
“Go on, throw your gear inside and say hi to Ma. I’ll pull out the sleigh.”
He lumbered toward the lodge and I went out to the massive barn to ready the sleigh. It was the same one my father used, and his father before him. Now the task fell to me while my father and grandfather sat by the hearth bouncing cubs on their knees and telling ridiculous stories. We were big on tradition that way.
Someday, the task would fall to my son, and I would be the one resting his paws by the fire. Maybe. I had yet to find a mate.
That’s not true, my bear growled inside me. We met our mate a long time ago.
I sighed, thinking of Chloe as I tested the reins. That had been what, twenty years ago? Though we’d looked for years, we’d never found her. I knew she was still out there, somewhere. I felt it in my heart. But where she was, I didn’t know.
She probably still hated me. Hated us. We promised her she would be safe, and we’d failed her.
My father did what he thought was the right thing, calling the town sheriff to let him know that Chloe had been found, and that she was alive and safe with us. He hadn’t expected the sheriff to show up with Chloe’s father, especially since everyone – including the sheriff – suspected something was wrong with that whole situation.
The sheriff said his hands were tied. Legally, her father was her guardian, and without proof, there was little he could do. Chloe had refused to admit anything. I remember her sitting there in the kitchen, her piece of shit father glaring at her as the sheriff asked why she had run away. Where her bruises had come from. If she had enough to eat. She had answered all of his questions quietly with well-rehearsed answers, while staring at the floor.
She had been lying. I knew it. My parents knew it. The sheriff knew it. Yet there was nothing he could do, not without evidence, and with reluctance, had said Chloe had to go with her father.
I didn’t understand it at the time. How could a man sworn to serve and protect just hand her over like that? My father tried explaining it to me, talking about things like politics and fragile shifter-human relations. What it came down to, I think, was that the sheriff had been afraid of upsetting the delicate balance we had with the humans. Most of us, shifters and full-humans alike, coexisted peacefully, but there were always a few on both sides who would have preferred segregation. One small human female who refused to open her mouth in her own defense wasn’t worth a war or the exposure it would bring, the sheriff had said.
My father didn’t believe that any more than I did, and that day, well, it changed him. I think it changed all of us. The sheriff retired shortly afterward and moved away, and the shifter community grew even closer.
The thing I will always remember most about that day was those few moments when Chloe looked at me. She wouldn’t look at anyone else, but she had looked at me. I’d been yelling at them to stop, and she turned back, just that once. “It’s okay, Sam,” she’d said.
And then the sheriff put her in the back of his car and they were gone. It was the last time I ever saw her.
Not a day goes by when I don’t think about her. When I don’t think of the way she used to follow me around, skulking in the shadows, thinking I didn’t know. I knew. My bear knew.
Because she was ours.
Copyright © 2022 Abbie Zanders.
Written by Abbie Zanders.
All rights reserved.
Get your copy of A Very Beary Christmas here:
👉 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧: https://smarturl.it/azrBearyChristmas
👉 Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasBN
👉 Apple: https://apple.co/3UCTYFe
👉 Kobo: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasKobo
👉 Google: http://bit.ly/azrBearyChristmasGoogle
December 7, 2017
One of my favorites from this collection. So sweet! And felt like a full-length novel while being a fast read.
December 24, 2017
Adorable! Chloe has had such a difficult life and to see her get her mate was so sweet! I wish the story was longer-I could have read about Sam and Chloe forever!
February 25, 2018
feel good read...H never looked for any one else...was one great hero
August 28, 2022
Chloe and Sam were childhood friends, he was her protector. From opposite backgrounds, he lives in a lodge, she lives in a trailer, often hiding to escape the drunken abuse dealt at the hands of her father. The day she had first stepped into his second-grade classroom, he went home and announced that he’d met the girl he was going to marry someday.
Chloe often replays dreams of her past, of that night so many years ago. A ghostly echo of the hope she had felt back then, even though that hope had been crushed less than twenty-four hours later.
Nearly twenty years later, he had been the best friend she’d ever had, he had cared, and tried to help her. Most people probably didn’t obsess about their childhood friends, especially when they hadn’t really been very friendly. They had rarely spoken and they had never played together. The only time she’d been to his house was that one time, and she’d never, invited anyone over to her father’s trailer, not in that little town or any of the nameless others they went to afterward.
Sam looked for years, but never found her. He and his family had promised her she would be safe, but had failed her. His father had done what he’d thought was right by ringing the sheriff, letting him know Chloe had been found and was alive and safe with them. He hadn’t expected the sheriff to show up with Chloe’s father, especially as everyone, including the sheriff, had their suspicions. The sheriff said her her father was her legal guardian, and without proof of abuse or neglect, there was little he could do. Chloe had refused to admit anything. She sat there in the kitchen, her father glaring at her as the sheriff asked why she had run away. Where her bruises had come from. If she had enough to eat. She had answered all his questions quietly with well-rehearsed answers while staring at the floor. That’s the last time he saw her. Weeks after they had left, their trailer had been found abandoned on the side of the road. Inside, the police had found traces of blood, but no sign of them or clue to where they had gone. He could only guess what had happened, and his heart broke all over again, thinking of the hell she must have gone through.
He met Chloe when he was eight, and she had imprinted on him. That was how he knew she was his mate. He didn’t fully understand the significance of their connection and it would continue to grow, someday, they would be together.
Now that he was older, he understood more about what being mated meant, and that once they accepted each other and bonded, their love would transcend everything else.
She has a vague memory of standing by a grave as a little girl, the images in her head of that day were of a hole her vile father had dug in the woods himself, not in any consecrated ground. Instead of a marble headstone, the only marker had been the pile of leaves, twigs, and pine cones she had gathered and piled upon the loose dirt.
“After he took you away, we tried to find you, but it was as if Jack and Chloe Lewis never existed.”
“That’s because we didn’t. He changed our last name every time we moved. That made it harder for anyone to track him down. When we moved on, it was usually for a reason.”
“Do you even know your real name?”
She didn’t know who she was or where she had come from.
After their mating bond, Chloe awakens in excruciating pain, it is then discovered that she carries the shifter DNA and she’s only partly human. The mating allowed her to shift for the very first time.
His beautiful human mate shifted into a stunning golden sow—it happened suddenly without warning. The physical shift would’ve been a painful process and downright painful.
Concluding that Chloe’s half-human, not full-human as shifting is physically impossible without the genetic foundation. If she shifted, it’s because it’s in her blood. The fact that it hasn’t occurred before suggests that only one of her parents was a shifter, or less likely, a grandparent. Some half-breeds never shift. It depends on which genetic code is dominant. As Chloe doesn’t remember her mother, perhaps she could have been a shifter.
A very sweet story of second chances, first kisses…their first everything.
Chloe often replays dreams of her past, of that night so many years ago. A ghostly echo of the hope she had felt back then, even though that hope had been crushed less than twenty-four hours later.
Nearly twenty years later, he had been the best friend she’d ever had, he had cared, and tried to help her. Most people probably didn’t obsess about their childhood friends, especially when they hadn’t really been very friendly. They had rarely spoken and they had never played together. The only time she’d been to his house was that one time, and she’d never, invited anyone over to her father’s trailer, not in that little town or any of the nameless others they went to afterward.
Sam looked for years, but never found her. He and his family had promised her she would be safe, but had failed her. His father had done what he’d thought was right by ringing the sheriff, letting him know Chloe had been found and was alive and safe with them. He hadn’t expected the sheriff to show up with Chloe’s father, especially as everyone, including the sheriff, had their suspicions. The sheriff said her her father was her legal guardian, and without proof of abuse or neglect, there was little he could do. Chloe had refused to admit anything. She sat there in the kitchen, her father glaring at her as the sheriff asked why she had run away. Where her bruises had come from. If she had enough to eat. She had answered all his questions quietly with well-rehearsed answers while staring at the floor. That’s the last time he saw her. Weeks after they had left, their trailer had been found abandoned on the side of the road. Inside, the police had found traces of blood, but no sign of them or clue to where they had gone. He could only guess what had happened, and his heart broke all over again, thinking of the hell she must have gone through.
He met Chloe when he was eight, and she had imprinted on him. That was how he knew she was his mate. He didn’t fully understand the significance of their connection and it would continue to grow, someday, they would be together.
Now that he was older, he understood more about what being mated meant, and that once they accepted each other and bonded, their love would transcend everything else.
She has a vague memory of standing by a grave as a little girl, the images in her head of that day were of a hole her vile father had dug in the woods himself, not in any consecrated ground. Instead of a marble headstone, the only marker had been the pile of leaves, twigs, and pine cones she had gathered and piled upon the loose dirt.
“After he took you away, we tried to find you, but it was as if Jack and Chloe Lewis never existed.”
“That’s because we didn’t. He changed our last name every time we moved. That made it harder for anyone to track him down. When we moved on, it was usually for a reason.”
“Do you even know your real name?”
She didn’t know who she was or where she had come from.
After their mating bond, Chloe awakens in excruciating pain, it is then discovered that she carries the shifter DNA and she’s only partly human. The mating allowed her to shift for the very first time.
His beautiful human mate shifted into a stunning golden sow—it happened suddenly without warning. The physical shift would’ve been a painful process and downright painful.
Concluding that Chloe’s half-human, not full-human as shifting is physically impossible without the genetic foundation. If she shifted, it’s because it’s in her blood. The fact that it hasn’t occurred before suggests that only one of her parents was a shifter, or less likely, a grandparent. Some half-breeds never shift. It depends on which genetic code is dominant. As Chloe doesn’t remember her mother, perhaps she could have been a shifter.
A very sweet story of second chances, first kisses…their first everything.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2017
A sweet story of true love!
Chloe had a horrible childhood. She was abused by her father and they moved frequently to hide her father’s indiscretions. When she was 7 she met Sam. He was sweet and tried to help her any way he could. After Chloe ran away, her father took her and moved again, but only after beating her so badly she lost part of her memory.
Sam is a bear shifter. When he met Chloe for the first time, he immediately knew she was his mate. He tried his best to save her, but after she disappeared with her father, he didn’t know where to look. Several years later, Sam finally had a solid lead to where Chloe is.
Chloe had been dreaming of Sam ever since she left him. She couldn’t remember what the name of that town was and has been traveling around selling her paintings. Chloe’s always has always had a connection to bears. Her paintings always featured a bear with Sam’s eyes. Now Sam has found her and convinced her to come home with him. The only problem is whether or not Chloe can except that he’s a bear shifter and her mate.
December 20, 2017
Wowzer!!
A Very Beary Christmas was a wonderful Christmas story! Sam met Chloe when she joined his second grade class as the new kid. Later in that year he was her rescuer when she ran away from home and her abusive father. After the sheriff reluctantly returned her to her father, they left town and Sam spent 18 years looking for her. As fate allowed, his cousin saw a painting she had done and he told Sam about it. It was the clue he needed to find her. When he found her she was very ill with the flu. He stayed to care for her and then to take her back to his family’s lodge in the mountains.
I’m stopping here so that I don’t reveal any spoilers! There are a few surprises that are so wonderful! Abbie Zanders has a wonderfully creative imagination and tells an amazing story!l
A Very Beary Christmas was a wonderful Christmas story! Sam met Chloe when she joined his second grade class as the new kid. Later in that year he was her rescuer when she ran away from home and her abusive father. After the sheriff reluctantly returned her to her father, they left town and Sam spent 18 years looking for her. As fate allowed, his cousin saw a painting she had done and he told Sam about it. It was the clue he needed to find her. When he found her she was very ill with the flu. He stayed to care for her and then to take her back to his family’s lodge in the mountains.
I’m stopping here so that I don’t reveal any spoilers! There are a few surprises that are so wonderful! Abbie Zanders has a wonderfully creative imagination and tells an amazing story!l
December 12, 2017
After a very traumatic beginning to her life Chloe is alone and set to spend yet another Christmas alone, with only her paintings and dreams for company. She dreams of a childhood friend who tried to give her her one and only Christmas.
Sam has been hunting for Chloe since she was turned over to the sheriff before Christmas. HE promised her she'd be safe and have her first real Christmas. Within 24hrs she's gone. No trace.
Can a painting lead him to her? Will he find her before her gypsy ways nudge her to move again?
A story of a long lost love searching for each-other even after 2 decades. Abbie Zanders does a wonderful story line once again. Felt like a full length novel as I ready it, in one sitting, and NO I couldn't put it down. It was that awesome.
Sam has been hunting for Chloe since she was turned over to the sheriff before Christmas. HE promised her she'd be safe and have her first real Christmas. Within 24hrs she's gone. No trace.
Can a painting lead him to her? Will he find her before her gypsy ways nudge her to move again?
A story of a long lost love searching for each-other even after 2 decades. Abbie Zanders does a wonderful story line once again. Felt like a full length novel as I ready it, in one sitting, and NO I couldn't put it down. It was that awesome.
November 19, 2020
What lovely, charming story and the perfect way to eascpe for a few hours! Chloe and Sam met as children and had an instant connection but were soon separated as Chloe's worthless Dad never stayed in one place for long. Sam never stopped searching for her and fate played a hand 20 years later to bring them back together. Sometimes bittersweet but a true love story. Very enjoyable.
December 6, 2020
I loved this book. Shifter romances are my favorite! Such a sweet Christmas story. This one was better than some of the most recent ones I've read.
November 7, 2018
Chloe
Sam finds his childhood friend again who is his mate. Another awesome book for the holidays from an amazing author
Sam finds his childhood friend again who is his mate. Another awesome book for the holidays from an amazing author
February 14, 2018
Fast read. Liked it. Love that they were each other's one and only. Physical abuse by the h's father. Safe otherwise.
January 6, 2018
I love Abbie Zanders’ books. There really has not been anything she’s written that I didn’t love, whether its paranormal, contemporary, time travel, or romantic suspense. There’s never one of her books that doesn’t grab my attention and hold on through to the very end. It was such a pleasure to receive an ARC in exchange for my review.
“A Very Beary Christmas” is a lovely romantic tale with a twist. Chloe and Sam are two people who should have grown up childhood sweethearts, but instead they’re ripped apart. Their story is shadowed by abuse and sorrow, but it’s not about that. There’s a flavor of it that permeates their past, defining it, but the story is really about how True Love guides Sam and Chloe back to each other. Sam always knew exactly who Chloe was to him, and never gave up hope that he’d find her again. No other woman would do – Chloe is it for him. At the same time, Chloe grew up endured great pain and fear, unable to clearly remember Sam, clinging to a vague hope of something better.
It’s not a long book, but I think that’s part of its charm. There are times when “less is more,” and a gifted writer like Abbie knows when to let the absence of detail speak volumes. Chloe’s thoughts, feelings, memories, etc., tell us so much more than a long, detailed book describing her childhood would. As a reader, I feel like imagining what Chloe went through makes it more emotional, and it’s not information that is necessary to the story anyway. Conversely, there’s enough detail provided about Sam and his family to tantalize the reader into hoping for another story in the future.
“A Very Beary Christmas” is a lovely romantic tale with a twist. Chloe and Sam are two people who should have grown up childhood sweethearts, but instead they’re ripped apart. Their story is shadowed by abuse and sorrow, but it’s not about that. There’s a flavor of it that permeates their past, defining it, but the story is really about how True Love guides Sam and Chloe back to each other. Sam always knew exactly who Chloe was to him, and never gave up hope that he’d find her again. No other woman would do – Chloe is it for him. At the same time, Chloe grew up endured great pain and fear, unable to clearly remember Sam, clinging to a vague hope of something better.
It’s not a long book, but I think that’s part of its charm. There are times when “less is more,” and a gifted writer like Abbie knows when to let the absence of detail speak volumes. Chloe’s thoughts, feelings, memories, etc., tell us so much more than a long, detailed book describing her childhood would. As a reader, I feel like imagining what Chloe went through makes it more emotional, and it’s not information that is necessary to the story anyway. Conversely, there’s enough detail provided about Sam and his family to tantalize the reader into hoping for another story in the future.
December 21, 2017
Reviewed at Shifter Haven
What an amazing Shifter Romance story. Usually I’d be giving you a brief reaction of mine to the parts of the story revealed in the books’s cover description and them my own emotional feelings about the book. I’m going to change that up a bit for a couple reasons. First, the cover blurb gives you the necessary information to get started, and second – in this powerfully touching story I think you should experience it firsthand to get the full impact… and there is an impact for certain.
A Very Beary Christmas is a story of pain and loss, hope and love. It will brings tears of anger and sadness to your eyes… but they will be replaced with the happy kind that shows the author understands just how to touch her reader’s emotions. Sam knew from the first sight of Chloe that she was the only one for him and his bear. They might have been children, but he knew. When she disappeared off the face of the planet he was devastated but he never stopped looking for her or believing he’d find her one day. Fate is a funny thing, it reveals things at just the right moments in time.
I loved A Very Beary Christmas. Sam and Chloe will capture your emotions so very easily. And since Sam has a rather large family – I hope we’ll get to visit with this particular clan of bears again one day. I would highly recommend this story to any Romance reader across the genres. You don’t have to enjoy Shifter Romance to fall in love with this couple.
I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
What an amazing Shifter Romance story. Usually I’d be giving you a brief reaction of mine to the parts of the story revealed in the books’s cover description and them my own emotional feelings about the book. I’m going to change that up a bit for a couple reasons. First, the cover blurb gives you the necessary information to get started, and second – in this powerfully touching story I think you should experience it firsthand to get the full impact… and there is an impact for certain.
A Very Beary Christmas is a story of pain and loss, hope and love. It will brings tears of anger and sadness to your eyes… but they will be replaced with the happy kind that shows the author understands just how to touch her reader’s emotions. Sam knew from the first sight of Chloe that she was the only one for him and his bear. They might have been children, but he knew. When she disappeared off the face of the planet he was devastated but he never stopped looking for her or believing he’d find her one day. Fate is a funny thing, it reveals things at just the right moments in time.
I loved A Very Beary Christmas. Sam and Chloe will capture your emotions so very easily. And since Sam has a rather large family – I hope we’ll get to visit with this particular clan of bears again one day. I would highly recommend this story to any Romance reader across the genres. You don’t have to enjoy Shifter Romance to fall in love with this couple.
I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
December 23, 2017
Sam and Chloe
Sam and Chloe met in second grade. Sam is a bear shifter and his bear knew that she would marry him some day. Chloe's father was an abusive drunk. Whenever people found out or tried to help Chloe, her father would move them somewhere else. So she only knew Sam for six months before she left when him and his family tried to help her at Christmas.
Chloe grew up and painted landscapes. Every painting included a bear in the picture. She thought of Sam every day and thought that the bear symbolized Sam because he was big caring and protective.
Sam's family searched for Chloe after she disappeared for twenty years. His cousin took a picture of a painting with a bear that looked just like Sam's bear and the artists name was signed Chloe. He knew he had to go find out if this was his Chloe or not, even if there was a big storm passing through.
This was an absolutely amazing story. So much love pouring out to a young girl from the family she never had but wished for. There is a surprise twist at the end. So good!
I have already read Ms. Zanders' other Howls Romance story and it was similarly good. I will continue reading her books because these two I read were both great!
Sam and Chloe met in second grade. Sam is a bear shifter and his bear knew that she would marry him some day. Chloe's father was an abusive drunk. Whenever people found out or tried to help Chloe, her father would move them somewhere else. So she only knew Sam for six months before she left when him and his family tried to help her at Christmas.
Chloe grew up and painted landscapes. Every painting included a bear in the picture. She thought of Sam every day and thought that the bear symbolized Sam because he was big caring and protective.
Sam's family searched for Chloe after she disappeared for twenty years. His cousin took a picture of a painting with a bear that looked just like Sam's bear and the artists name was signed Chloe. He knew he had to go find out if this was his Chloe or not, even if there was a big storm passing through.
This was an absolutely amazing story. So much love pouring out to a young girl from the family she never had but wished for. There is a surprise twist at the end. So good!
I have already read Ms. Zanders' other Howls Romance story and it was similarly good. I will continue reading her books because these two I read were both great!
January 12, 2018
Beary good read
I enjoy the Howl's Romance books and when I found Abbie had a Christmas one out I jumped on it. This book was absolutely perfect to read on a snowy day with a blanket and hot cocoa.
Sam and Chloe have a story for the ages. I love how they received a second chance at love and life together. Neither one fully gave up on the idea that it was them all along. This second chance at a romance that never got the first chance was bearably sweet.
All the little traits Chloe has made for the surprise at the ending perfect and unexpected.
Chloe is a female that instead of having self-pity for what she endured, decided to make her own happiness. She found the light that would help make bright her life. While she was always searching, hoping to be led back to the boy she never forgot.
Sam couldn't forget Chloe if he tried. He's everything you expect and more. When clues land him on Chloe's front door, he has to take a breath before he scares her away.
I loved his family. His Mom, even though her parts were small, had me chuckling and falling in love with how big her heart was towards Chloe.
If you love holiday reads and shifters, then this story is for you. Grab it and feel the Christmas magic all over again.
I enjoy the Howl's Romance books and when I found Abbie had a Christmas one out I jumped on it. This book was absolutely perfect to read on a snowy day with a blanket and hot cocoa.
Sam and Chloe have a story for the ages. I love how they received a second chance at love and life together. Neither one fully gave up on the idea that it was them all along. This second chance at a romance that never got the first chance was bearably sweet.
All the little traits Chloe has made for the surprise at the ending perfect and unexpected.
Chloe is a female that instead of having self-pity for what she endured, decided to make her own happiness. She found the light that would help make bright her life. While she was always searching, hoping to be led back to the boy she never forgot.
Sam couldn't forget Chloe if he tried. He's everything you expect and more. When clues land him on Chloe's front door, he has to take a breath before he scares her away.
I loved his family. His Mom, even though her parts were small, had me chuckling and falling in love with how big her heart was towards Chloe.
If you love holiday reads and shifters, then this story is for you. Grab it and feel the Christmas magic all over again.
December 25, 2022
I don't usually read shifter books, but I really liked this one.
Sam knew from the first time he saw Chloe in second grade that she was his, but he didn't understand at that time the true meaning of his feelings. Chloe always felt that Sam was her protector even if it was just in her dreams and he was a bear. She always painted him as a bear into her paintings. Twenty years later they both are still trying to find the other unknowing how close they truly were to each other. When Sam finally finds her, she is really sick and he stays to take care of her, then brings her home for the holidays. Chloe always felt that their lodge felt more like home than living with her father, who abused her. Never saw the plot twist coming at the end and it surprises everyone.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Sam knew from the first time he saw Chloe in second grade that she was his, but he didn't understand at that time the true meaning of his feelings. Chloe always felt that Sam was her protector even if it was just in her dreams and he was a bear. She always painted him as a bear into her paintings. Twenty years later they both are still trying to find the other unknowing how close they truly were to each other. When Sam finally finds her, she is really sick and he stays to take care of her, then brings her home for the holidays. Chloe always felt that their lodge felt more like home than living with her father, who abused her. Never saw the plot twist coming at the end and it surprises everyone.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
December 12, 2017
A Very Beary Christmas
A truly heart warming quick read. Chloe has had a truly awful childhood, with having an abusive father that quickly moved her place to place any time someone questioned him. It was during one of those moves that she met Sam, but was quickly whisked away. Even in the second grade Sam was drawn to Chloe and knew she was his mate. He’s spent every year after her disappearance looking for her and hoping she might return. Fate steps in years later and brings these two together again. Chloe is such a fighter and a character that you want to have the happy ending . Sam is equally sweet and sexy. Again the worst thing about this story is it’s too short. I rate this story 5 glowing stars.
A truly heart warming quick read. Chloe has had a truly awful childhood, with having an abusive father that quickly moved her place to place any time someone questioned him. It was during one of those moves that she met Sam, but was quickly whisked away. Even in the second grade Sam was drawn to Chloe and knew she was his mate. He’s spent every year after her disappearance looking for her and hoping she might return. Fate steps in years later and brings these two together again. Chloe is such a fighter and a character that you want to have the happy ending . Sam is equally sweet and sexy. Again the worst thing about this story is it’s too short. I rate this story 5 glowing stars.
December 27, 2017
An amazing book
I loved this book. Sam was such a warm character who wanted to care for Chloe, who at 7 had ran away from her abusive father. Many years had passed and Sam was still looking for his Chloe. Having a cousin show him a painting by Chloe of a bear, his bear, he knew he would get to her. Chloe is alone in the world, not accepting charity she struggles but is happy with what she is doing.
Sam catches up with her as she battles flue and they are both pleased to see each other. He takes her home where he tells her about his bear and her being his mate. After mating there is a shock in store as they realise what Chloe is. A fantastic book that I really enjoyed. I loved the story and character gets within it.
I loved this book. Sam was such a warm character who wanted to care for Chloe, who at 7 had ran away from her abusive father. Many years had passed and Sam was still looking for his Chloe. Having a cousin show him a painting by Chloe of a bear, his bear, he knew he would get to her. Chloe is alone in the world, not accepting charity she struggles but is happy with what she is doing.
Sam catches up with her as she battles flue and they are both pleased to see each other. He takes her home where he tells her about his bear and her being his mate. After mating there is a shock in store as they realise what Chloe is. A fantastic book that I really enjoyed. I loved the story and character gets within it.
December 11, 2017
Another brilliant read by Abbie Zanders, she never fails to deliver an awesome story.
Once I had started I got so into it that there was no way I was going to put it down until I had finished it.
This story is packed full of twists, turns and surprises, emotions that the characters feel, I could feel while reading the story, I may of cried once or twice, big old softie that I am.
This story is so worth the 5 stars I have given it, I highly recommend this book.
If you have never read a book by Abbie Zanders you are missing out, she has a way of making you feel as though you are part of the story, you won't be sorry if you give her books a go.
Once I had started I got so into it that there was no way I was going to put it down until I had finished it.
This story is packed full of twists, turns and surprises, emotions that the characters feel, I could feel while reading the story, I may of cried once or twice, big old softie that I am.
This story is so worth the 5 stars I have given it, I highly recommend this book.
If you have never read a book by Abbie Zanders you are missing out, she has a way of making you feel as though you are part of the story, you won't be sorry if you give her books a go.
December 27, 2017
This story is short, fast paced and festive. I read this book in one sitting and wasn’t once bored. I liked both Chloe and Sam. I liked the flashbacks Chloe had. I enjoyed seeing what he past was like despite it being bad for her. I liked that Chloe subconsciously saw Sam as a bear despite not believing in shifters. I liked that Sam never gave up looking for Chloe. When he found her again, he wasn’t willing to lose her. I did see some chemistry between Sam and Chloe; I liked them as a couple. Overall, I enjoyed this book.
Without giving anything away; I liked the ending to this book. I liked the surprise that Sam got.
The storyline for this book is easy to follow and an enjoyable read.
Without giving anything away; I liked the ending to this book. I liked the surprise that Sam got.
The storyline for this book is easy to follow and an enjoyable read.
December 2, 2019
A Very Beary Christmas is an outstanding paranormal romance with a Christmas twist. This is a quick read, perfect for those with limited reading time. Ms. Zanders once again displays her talents with a story that will suck you in from cover to cover. Chloe was abused and mistreated her whole childhood. Sam is a bear shifter and childhood friend of Chloe and has never stopped looking for her after she and her father disappeared. Chloe and Sam's story is packed with drama, humor, sexy bits and holiday cheer. I enjoyed every page of this book and can't wait for my next book by Abbie Zanders. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
December 21, 2017
This is such a fantastic Christmas story! This is one of the few that I have read this season, but it is one of my favorites. Sam and Chloe are such an amazing couple, and I love the story! Chloe and Sam knew each other when they were young, and Sam has been searching for her since then. Except for Sam turning into a bear, it reads like a regular story. It is a shifter book, but that is not what the book is focused on. That is what makes this different, and I would definitely recommend that you give it a try! You will be disappointed.
December 18, 2022
Chloe & Sam
Super cute Shifter story! Chloe goes through some rough stuff growing up, but she never forgets Sam, and doesn't recognize that her wanderlust as an adult is a need to find him.
Sam knew Chloe was his when they were kids, but hadn't been able to find her after her father forced her to leave town.
Once they find each other again, Sam proves to be just as caring and amazing as Chloe remembers. Things happen pretty quickly, and soon they have their beautiful HEA!
😍😍😍
Super cute Shifter story! Chloe goes through some rough stuff growing up, but she never forgets Sam, and doesn't recognize that her wanderlust as an adult is a need to find him.
Sam knew Chloe was his when they were kids, but hadn't been able to find her after her father forced her to leave town.
Once they find each other again, Sam proves to be just as caring and amazing as Chloe remembers. Things happen pretty quickly, and soon they have their beautiful HEA!
😍😍😍
January 1, 2026
A Very Heart Christmas
Wow! This is a very cute story. It's about Chloe and Sam. They met in second grade but lost contact with each other when her nasty father made them disappear again. It is sad in so many ways for Chloe yet she never forgot about Sam and vice versa. When they finally meet again, Sam has to nurse her bad to being healthy since she was sick when they met again. The surprise was finding out what Chloe did in the end. FANTASTIC job Abbie! I would recommend this book!
Wow! This is a very cute story. It's about Chloe and Sam. They met in second grade but lost contact with each other when her nasty father made them disappear again. It is sad in so many ways for Chloe yet she never forgot about Sam and vice versa. When they finally meet again, Sam has to nurse her bad to being healthy since she was sick when they met again. The surprise was finding out what Chloe did in the end. FANTASTIC job Abbie! I would recommend this book!
December 19, 2017
Chloe and Sam are absolutely precious together. I adored this book, getting the back story through dreams, Sam's search for Chloe, her paintings they all make this a wonderful story. My only complaint is I wish I had more to read ;). The writing is wonderful, the story-line/plot is unique and the characters are fabulous. I've read most of Abbie Zanders' books and this one just moved to the top of my favorites list.
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