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Shifter Town #1
Bare in the Bar
No-one in town could take Bear, but there were nights she'd sure like to try.
BEAR REID is a grizzly bear shifter. He's miles of ripped, protective male who knows what he wants. That would be KELLY MCKENNA, the luscious redhead with curves that won't quit, who waits tables at his bar.
They've craved each other since day one, and when Bear rescues Kelly from a hyena pack, months worth of sexual tension explodes. The encounter is wild and untamed. The connection so visceral, they can't stop.
But Kelly's determined to guard her heart, convinced that if she were Bear's mate, he'd have claimed her already. Bear's not one for negotiating. No need, when you're the biggest, baddest thing in town. But Kelly re-writes all his rules and soon enough, there's nothing he wouldn't do for her. Now he's going to prove it...
BEAR REID is a grizzly bear shifter. He's miles of ripped, protective male who knows what he wants. That would be KELLY MCKENNA, the luscious redhead with curves that won't quit, who waits tables at his bar.
They've craved each other since day one, and when Bear rescues Kelly from a hyena pack, months worth of sexual tension explodes. The encounter is wild and untamed. The connection so visceral, they can't stop.
But Kelly's determined to guard her heart, convinced that if she were Bear's mate, he'd have claimed her already. Bear's not one for negotiating. No need, when you're the biggest, baddest thing in town. But Kelly re-writes all his rules and soon enough, there's nothing he wouldn't do for her. Now he's going to prove it...
62 pages, ebook
First published July 8, 2015
701 people are currently reading
738 people want to read
About the author
Novalee Swan
14 books78 followersI'm just a girl from down under who writes paranormal and contemporary romance. I love travel, my dog Emma, and creating sexy alpha heroes who know how to scorch the sheets — with the right woman.
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March 4, 2016
RATING 3.5 STARS
Bare in the Bar: BBW bear shape shifter romance is book one in the Shifter Town series by Novalee Swan.
Bear Reid purchases bars that are in trouble and cleans them up. Once he has things where he wants them, he moves on. As soon as he took over the bar in Rosewood, Tennessee, he felt the pull towards the sexy waitress, Kelly. At first she seemed to feel the same way, flirting and lots of fun conversations while closing down the bar at the end of the nights. But all of a sudden, she just shut things down, avoiding him. All that was left was lots of sexual tension. Oh, and did I mention that Bear is a sexy bear shifter?
Kelly McKenna used to hate her job as a waitress at the bar. But as soon as Bear bought it and cleaned things up, it became a much better place to work. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her new boss. She knew he was attracted to her as well. But once she realized he would be moving on soon, she couldn’t risk the heart break. So she shut her feelings down.
Things are busy on this particular night and there is a pack of hyena shifters playing pool. They have had a lot to drink and decide instead of playing pool, they want to play with Kelly. But Bear realizes Kelly is in trouble and saves her. This is just what they needed to open the gates to their feelings towards each other. What Kelly doesn’t realize is the depth of Bear’s feelings. She is his mate.
This is a short, hot story. It was just ok for me, it felt a little awkward at times but it gets a half point for the hotness factor. I liked the secondary characters as well, Kelly’s best friend, Ashley, a lioness shifter, and Cage, the town sheriff who is a lion shifter. These two are featured in book two, Caging Ash.
Bare in the Bar: BBW bear shape shifter romance is book one in the Shifter Town series by Novalee Swan.
Bear Reid purchases bars that are in trouble and cleans them up. Once he has things where he wants them, he moves on. As soon as he took over the bar in Rosewood, Tennessee, he felt the pull towards the sexy waitress, Kelly. At first she seemed to feel the same way, flirting and lots of fun conversations while closing down the bar at the end of the nights. But all of a sudden, she just shut things down, avoiding him. All that was left was lots of sexual tension. Oh, and did I mention that Bear is a sexy bear shifter?
Kelly McKenna used to hate her job as a waitress at the bar. But as soon as Bear bought it and cleaned things up, it became a much better place to work. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her new boss. She knew he was attracted to her as well. But once she realized he would be moving on soon, she couldn’t risk the heart break. So she shut her feelings down.
Things are busy on this particular night and there is a pack of hyena shifters playing pool. They have had a lot to drink and decide instead of playing pool, they want to play with Kelly. But Bear realizes Kelly is in trouble and saves her. This is just what they needed to open the gates to their feelings towards each other. What Kelly doesn’t realize is the depth of Bear’s feelings. She is his mate.
This is a short, hot story. It was just ok for me, it felt a little awkward at times but it gets a half point for the hotness factor. I liked the secondary characters as well, Kelly’s best friend, Ashley, a lioness shifter, and Cage, the town sheriff who is a lion shifter. These two are featured in book two, Caging Ash.
March 7, 2016
What was this?!?!
Ok, I didn't read the blurb before I started reading this book, only knew it was a shifter story. So imagine my surprise when, right after I started remembering the characters' names, I see that the book is finished!!
This is why I don't like reading novellas. They're way way too short. I mean, I'm not even sure I liked it! I could have liked, but now I'll never find out, 'cause the book is finished already! True, I enjoyed the few pages, but still... I need longer books!
But yeah, if you like short, fast, shifter books, this seems like a pretty good one.
Ok, I didn't read the blurb before I started reading this book, only knew it was a shifter story. So imagine my surprise when, right after I started remembering the characters' names, I see that the book is finished!!
This is why I don't like reading novellas. They're way way too short. I mean, I'm not even sure I liked it! I could have liked, but now I'll never find out, 'cause the book is finished already! True, I enjoyed the few pages, but still... I need longer books!
But yeah, if you like short, fast, shifter books, this seems like a pretty good one.
April 9, 2021
I got the majority of the books in this series on sale last year because they looked interesting and looking back at it, it was a very good decision ;) for the last few months I’ve been determined to make a solid dent in my Kindle tbr so when I found this series there I figured out I would give it a try, cause it would be a win either way :) either I will love it and can read it with pleasure or I won’t like it and it still will take off four books of my tbr :) and I ended up absolutely loving them :) since I read them one after another, including getting the fifth, and currently last one available, so I can binge all of them, I will write one review with a few words about each book, because I would have to repeat a lot of the things about the series in general so why not make it easier for me ;)
this is an urban fantasy / paranormal series set in an alternate version of our world where paranormal creatures are living out in the open and people know about them :) it takes place in this small-ish town where a lot of them live, hence the name of the series Shifter Town (it’s a nickname of the town) each story technically can be read as a standalone, but I would very highly recommend you to read them in order, cause the main characters are always a strong presence in other books and it will be definitely easier to follow all the connections if you read them that way :) the first three are novellas and the other two full length novels :) I absolutely adore the writing style of Novalee Swan :) she creates great characters and then gives them amazing romances :) there is always a ton of chemistry and banter, phenomenal friendships and all around great fun :) I adore that she doesn’t take these stories too seriously so even though some of them might feel a bit rushed they are always an awesome source of entertainment :)
book #1 Bear temptation 4 stars
first novella that surprised me in the best possible way :) and even though there is a bit of weird pacing (as in a time jump that fits a bit awkwardly in the story) the romance between Kelly and Reid was good enough for me to fall in love with this series :)
book #2 Caging Ash 4 stars
usually I am not a fan of those stories where a couple dances around each other for a long time without doing anything about it, but somehow this one worked… maybe cause it focused on the actual action part ;) I liked it a bit less than the first one, but it was still a good entertainment
book #3 Wolf down 3,5 stars
the last novella and my least favourite in the series, mainly because it really should have been longer, especially if you take into account the issues Lucas has… he struggles with some serious shit and we don’t really have the time in this story to really deal with it… nonetheless, it was a solid addition to the series
book #4 Bear essentials 5 stars
my favourite so far :) what the previous stories lacked (mostly because they were too short) this one delivers plenty :) we have a slower build of the relationship, with all that delicious tension and great chemistry :) there are friendships forming, with a lot of appearances from all the previous couples as well as introducing some new characters, most of which will for sure get stories in the future (or so I hope) also, it includes some of my favourite tropes in books :) we have a big, mostly silent guy who looks terrifying, but is just the sweetest teddy bear in the world :) and we have Lily, who has a hard past behind her and now she’s working to rebuild her life… add to it a slow building romance and it was a done deal for me :) also, the writing style gets even better when you have a full length novel to build the story
book #5 Ever unbroken 5 stars
this one surprised me :) I’m not gonna lie, I was more curious about other characters getting their own story first, but I was hopeful I would still love this one and damn… it was soooo good :) I loved Renkin Jones and his twin brother before but Sabine was a bit of a mystery for me… mainly because she kept her distance from everyone… but the more I read and learned about her, the more I understood her attitude… because once we learn more about her past and why she acts this way… once we get under that attitude and shell she puts up before the world… *sighs* watching these two fall for each other was wonderful… we also get a few more potential couples for future books and I need them all in my hands ASAP
honestly, I can’t believe more people haven’t heard about this series :) I highly recommend you to check it out :) it’s fun and super entertaining, perfect if you want to escape reality for a while :)
XOXO
A
this is an urban fantasy / paranormal series set in an alternate version of our world where paranormal creatures are living out in the open and people know about them :) it takes place in this small-ish town where a lot of them live, hence the name of the series Shifter Town (it’s a nickname of the town) each story technically can be read as a standalone, but I would very highly recommend you to read them in order, cause the main characters are always a strong presence in other books and it will be definitely easier to follow all the connections if you read them that way :) the first three are novellas and the other two full length novels :) I absolutely adore the writing style of Novalee Swan :) she creates great characters and then gives them amazing romances :) there is always a ton of chemistry and banter, phenomenal friendships and all around great fun :) I adore that she doesn’t take these stories too seriously so even though some of them might feel a bit rushed they are always an awesome source of entertainment :)
book #1 Bear temptation 4 stars
first novella that surprised me in the best possible way :) and even though there is a bit of weird pacing (as in a time jump that fits a bit awkwardly in the story) the romance between Kelly and Reid was good enough for me to fall in love with this series :)
book #2 Caging Ash 4 stars
usually I am not a fan of those stories where a couple dances around each other for a long time without doing anything about it, but somehow this one worked… maybe cause it focused on the actual action part ;) I liked it a bit less than the first one, but it was still a good entertainment
book #3 Wolf down 3,5 stars
the last novella and my least favourite in the series, mainly because it really should have been longer, especially if you take into account the issues Lucas has… he struggles with some serious shit and we don’t really have the time in this story to really deal with it… nonetheless, it was a solid addition to the series
book #4 Bear essentials 5 stars
my favourite so far :) what the previous stories lacked (mostly because they were too short) this one delivers plenty :) we have a slower build of the relationship, with all that delicious tension and great chemistry :) there are friendships forming, with a lot of appearances from all the previous couples as well as introducing some new characters, most of which will for sure get stories in the future (or so I hope) also, it includes some of my favourite tropes in books :) we have a big, mostly silent guy who looks terrifying, but is just the sweetest teddy bear in the world :) and we have Lily, who has a hard past behind her and now she’s working to rebuild her life… add to it a slow building romance and it was a done deal for me :) also, the writing style gets even better when you have a full length novel to build the story
book #5 Ever unbroken 5 stars
this one surprised me :) I’m not gonna lie, I was more curious about other characters getting their own story first, but I was hopeful I would still love this one and damn… it was soooo good :) I loved Renkin Jones and his twin brother before but Sabine was a bit of a mystery for me… mainly because she kept her distance from everyone… but the more I read and learned about her, the more I understood her attitude… because once we learn more about her past and why she acts this way… once we get under that attitude and shell she puts up before the world… *sighs* watching these two fall for each other was wonderful… we also get a few more potential couples for future books and I need them all in my hands ASAP
honestly, I can’t believe more people haven’t heard about this series :) I highly recommend you to check it out :) it’s fun and super entertaining, perfect if you want to escape reality for a while :)
XOXO
A
June 3, 2021
Do I seriously need to write this review? Beyond saying it's competently-enough written for being exactly what you'd expect from the cover and blurb? Which makes it pretty outstanding in its niche, but only about average for my personal taste. Also, ignore the weird stinger in the blurb. Bear doesn't have a secret and it's not any secret that gets in their way.
A note about Steamy: There are a couple explicit sex scenes putting this on the high end of my steam tolerance for being so short. They are also what you'd expect given the niche (i.e. magically delicious!).
A note about Steamy: There are a couple explicit sex scenes putting this on the high end of my steam tolerance for being so short. They are also what you'd expect given the niche (i.e. magically delicious!).
December 13, 2019
All of the first 50% or so of the book just seemed to be build up for the sex scenes.
March 5, 2016
3.5 stars! Short, hot sexy read:)
safety gang safe!
I need to mention that in the beginning the h is assaulted by a pack of hyenas. it didn't get to far hero saves her. they were touching her grabbing her. ripped her blouse and started to pull her pants off.
safety gang safe!
I need to mention that in the beginning the h is assaulted by a pack of hyenas. it didn't get to far hero saves her. they were touching her grabbing her. ripped her blouse and started to pull her pants off.
January 27, 2022
Charming romance between a bear who owns a bar and cocktail waitress who falls for him.
September 8, 2023
»Because you're leaving!«
»What kind of shifter leaves his mate?«
★ ★ ★ ★
Got this book for free on stuff your kindle day (it‘s still free in the kindle shop btw) and I really enjoyed it. Super cute romance with a good plot and likeable characters. Exactly what I hoped for in this story.
A quick read for everybody who enjoys shifter romances. Go for it!
#1 Bear Temptation ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Caging Ash ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Wolf Down ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Bear Essentials ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
»What kind of shifter leaves his mate?«
★ ★ ★ ★
Got this book for free on stuff your kindle day (it‘s still free in the kindle shop btw) and I really enjoyed it. Super cute romance with a good plot and likeable characters. Exactly what I hoped for in this story.
A quick read for everybody who enjoys shifter romances. Go for it!
#1 Bear Temptation ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Caging Ash ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Wolf Down ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Bear Essentials ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 19, 2022
This is a pretty good story given its short length. Not a lot of room for development or tension. Shifter-fated-mates simplifies a lot of it. The town and side characters are nicely established, and there are 4 more short stories in this series.
I will wait for the collection before reading more.
I will wait for the collection before reading more.
October 13, 2020
Quick(ish) Review
Cute shifter romance that’s fast and smutty, and the found family angle is strong enough that I want to check out more from this author. Onto the next.
Cute shifter romance that’s fast and smutty, and the found family angle is strong enough that I want to check out more from this author. Onto the next.
March 6, 2016
Bare in the Bar was a short, sexy read that I really enjoyed. I kept waiting for Bear to explain why he waited months to claim Kelly if he knew she was his mate but it was never discussed and that left me a little disappointed in the end. Other than that and a few editing issues I was pretty happy with this one and will probably check out the rest of the books in this series.
Want to read
December 7, 2019🎁 Books 1-3 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (12/7/2019)! 🎁
June 1, 2021
Nothing particularly mindblowing about this novella. Bear is the sexy new bar owner. Kelly is the pretty waitress. They flirt. Some things happen. They have sex. Bear initially plans to leave the town, but hey, Kelly's his mate. So he can't. They love each other. The end ^o^
But the cover is pretty (I particularly love the bear!) and it's free. So there you go.
But the cover is pretty (I particularly love the bear!) and it's free. So there you go.
June 3, 2021
DNF at 29% - the setting has shifters out and mix openly with humans. It was a good setting but nothing happened. They flirt and she says she wants 6 kids and that's it? Both of them are low key - boring, no action in the story. Writing was Ok, the plot seemed to be missing.
September 13, 2017
This...was like amateur porn literary edition. It had a beginning, middle, and end but the plot was just a way to get to the sex scenes. It's the first in a series but doesn't do anything to set up this world. What exactly is a wilding? Are mates fated or chosen? Are shifters out or is that just in this one town? The sex scenes started off ok but the word titties makes me giggle and ergo shouldn't be in a sex scene. Also bothersome is the hero's declaration that they were going to try anal play...that's something you inquire about not demand. It was ok but I won't be seeking out the others in the series.
March 11, 2016
2.5 stars?
July 4, 2018
Hot read
First time reading this author and I loved this story! I just wished it was longer! The steamy scenes were HOT! Would recommend to anyone who wants a good quick read!!
First time reading this author and I loved this story! I just wished it was longer! The steamy scenes were HOT! Would recommend to anyone who wants a good quick read!!
April 18, 2021
"Her arms were full of Oscar Wilde and orange gerberas."
We've all read a mediocre self published novel, haven't we? Something written by an author with an idea for a story, but no execution, no technical skill, no finesse.
Bear Temptation isn't one of them. It's genuinely really well written. The author's writing style is lovely - not just on point grammatically, but also funny in a kind way and laced with southern charm. The characters are well developed and I have a clear sense of even the secondary ones - impressive when you consider they don't occupy much page space. I'm dying to read about Kelly's lioness friend!
Definitely give this charming freebie a try. You won't regret it!
We've all read a mediocre self published novel, haven't we? Something written by an author with an idea for a story, but no execution, no technical skill, no finesse.
Bear Temptation isn't one of them. It's genuinely really well written. The author's writing style is lovely - not just on point grammatically, but also funny in a kind way and laced with southern charm. The characters are well developed and I have a clear sense of even the secondary ones - impressive when you consider they don't occupy much page space. I'm dying to read about Kelly's lioness friend!
Definitely give this charming freebie a try. You won't regret it!
March 18, 2021
Fun, typical fare
This is not anything new, but still a decent enough story. Moves along well, and is the usual shifter combination of basic story mixed with explicit sex.
This is not anything new, but still a decent enough story. Moves along well, and is the usual shifter combination of basic story mixed with explicit sex.
November 30, 2023
Another place on my bucket list to revisit — Rosewood, TN (aka Shifter Town). Lots of shifters to deal with. Even the local non-shifters have managed to live side-by-side to its shifter population without much trouble... just stay away from Bear Bar if you wish to avoid the occasional barroom brawl that may happen.
Ryan "Bear" Reid, a bear shifter, buys dilapidated, failing bars, cleans them up, rebrands them, then moves along to the next flagging pub and repeats the pattern once again. However, Rosewood feels different... probably because one of the original bar maids, a human by the name of Kelly, continues to work there under the new management. However, both would like to experiment with the "under new management" part except for one thing. Kelly wants forever, not a one-night stand, and Bear will eventually leave to fix up yet another bar like the ultimate bar rescue flipper he was. Perhaps things might be different this time...
This is a cute, introductory story about Shifter Town, yet another shifter community hidden away in Appalachia. It reads like a long novella with interesting characters including a lion shifter as the town's sheriff, a wolf shifter as a tinkering car mechanic, plus many others. It brings up more questions than answers but ones that could be easily be answered in the subsequent books. (There's a total of five in this particular series so far.) Once I finished, I did have a clear picture of the major characters and their distinct personalities. I could also begin to piece together the town. (Novalee Swan also put together a PDF describing the characters of Shifter Town, including plenty of pictures of various popular sites in town. Go check it out!)
Novalee does take advantage of a few subplot templates, but she crafted them to be more original than the usual normally taken by many writers. Still more angst than I'd care for at the moment. However, I appreciate the openness of her characters' wishes and concerns.
Editing-wise, still more than a few errors, mostly wrong-words, word-switching, and broken paragraphs. She does establish her version of animal shifters readily and is beginning to craft the politics of shifter society. I know I expect perfection, but she's closer than most in the current books I'm reading.
I highly recommend purchasing this series. I've already reread Book 2 and am anxious to read Book 3. Not available for Kindle Unlimited. I purchased mine through another platform because I'm having issues with my Kindle for Mac app. I hope this gets fixed very soon!
Ratings (out of possible 5)
Character building: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
World building: 🌎 🌎 🌎 🌎 🌎
Relationship building: 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓
Romance: 💋 💋 💋💋 💋
Heat/steam: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Drama: 👀 👀 👀
Action: 🍿 🍿
Suspense: 💣
Dark: 💀
Triggers: rape attempt, workplace sexual harassment (but not by the boss), unfair treatment of employees (old boss), terrible unrequited love at the workplace.
POV: Multiple (2)
Ending: Nice HEA without being rushed.
Length: Approximately 134 pages
Recommend: YES! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Ryan "Bear" Reid, a bear shifter, buys dilapidated, failing bars, cleans them up, rebrands them, then moves along to the next flagging pub and repeats the pattern once again. However, Rosewood feels different... probably because one of the original bar maids, a human by the name of Kelly, continues to work there under the new management. However, both would like to experiment with the "under new management" part except for one thing. Kelly wants forever, not a one-night stand, and Bear will eventually leave to fix up yet another bar like the ultimate bar rescue flipper he was. Perhaps things might be different this time...
This is a cute, introductory story about Shifter Town, yet another shifter community hidden away in Appalachia. It reads like a long novella with interesting characters including a lion shifter as the town's sheriff, a wolf shifter as a tinkering car mechanic, plus many others. It brings up more questions than answers but ones that could be easily be answered in the subsequent books. (There's a total of five in this particular series so far.) Once I finished, I did have a clear picture of the major characters and their distinct personalities. I could also begin to piece together the town. (Novalee Swan also put together a PDF describing the characters of Shifter Town, including plenty of pictures of various popular sites in town. Go check it out!)
Novalee does take advantage of a few subplot templates, but she crafted them to be more original than the usual normally taken by many writers. Still more angst than I'd care for at the moment. However, I appreciate the openness of her characters' wishes and concerns.
Editing-wise, still more than a few errors, mostly wrong-words, word-switching, and broken paragraphs. She does establish her version of animal shifters readily and is beginning to craft the politics of shifter society. I know I expect perfection, but she's closer than most in the current books I'm reading.
I highly recommend purchasing this series. I've already reread Book 2 and am anxious to read Book 3. Not available for Kindle Unlimited. I purchased mine through another platform because I'm having issues with my Kindle for Mac app. I hope this gets fixed very soon!
Ratings (out of possible 5)
Character building: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
World building: 🌎 🌎 🌎 🌎 🌎
Relationship building: 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓
Romance: 💋 💋 💋💋 💋
Heat/steam: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Drama: 👀 👀 👀
Action: 🍿 🍿
Suspense: 💣
Dark: 💀
Triggers: rape attempt, workplace sexual harassment (but not by the boss), unfair treatment of employees (old boss), terrible unrequited love at the workplace.
POV: Multiple (2)
Ending: Nice HEA without being rushed.
Length: Approximately 134 pages
Recommend: YES! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
January 12, 2016
Needs a bit of editing, but other than that it's a good smutty short.
March 3, 2020
3 Stars. That was fun & short. When was the last time you read the word "titties"? Hehe
July 5, 2020
No esta mal
November 3, 2020
Reviewed at Shifter Haven
I usually try to not judge a book by the cover, I’m often wrong… but this cover for Bear Temptation is so eye-catching that it stopped my scrolling through titles and managed to get me to click over. Now, I’ll admit that I’m a shoo-in for a Shifter Romance and love to discover new-to-me authors but I have to say that the cover for this, and the other books in the Shifter Town series caught my eye, they are simply stunning.
Ryan (“Bear”) and Kelly’s romance may be short, story length-wise, but a pretty powerful first in the series reading punch is easily delivered in Bear Temptation. Ryan flips bars and then moves on to the next never staying in one place for long. Yet, there’s something about this town, this bar, and this woman that is giving him second thoughts about leaving. Who knew that one bet could change lives forever?
Because of the length, I’m not going into any details beyond the Cover Description Blurb. I had a blast in the opening story of the Shifter Town series. We will meet some of the townsfolk, most of the characters we’ll run into throughout the rest of the series, and get a good feel for the location. And encounter some rather vile villains as well.
Kelly and Ryan are hot together, steamy moments will be had, but they’re also good for each other beyond the strong chemistry or the fact that they do belong together. I liked them, I enjoyed the town, and I need to know more.
I have all but the final book (which releases in Dec. 2020) and I’ll be doing a binge-read of the rest of them in the coming days. Yes, if I’m doing a binge-read then I’m totally hooked on knowing more or most of the story… right now, right this minute. If you enjoy a quick read that will draw you in and not let go, then you should check out Bear Temptation right now for yourself.
I own a Kindle edition of Bear Temptation.
I usually try to not judge a book by the cover, I’m often wrong… but this cover for Bear Temptation is so eye-catching that it stopped my scrolling through titles and managed to get me to click over. Now, I’ll admit that I’m a shoo-in for a Shifter Romance and love to discover new-to-me authors but I have to say that the cover for this, and the other books in the Shifter Town series caught my eye, they are simply stunning.
Ryan (“Bear”) and Kelly’s romance may be short, story length-wise, but a pretty powerful first in the series reading punch is easily delivered in Bear Temptation. Ryan flips bars and then moves on to the next never staying in one place for long. Yet, there’s something about this town, this bar, and this woman that is giving him second thoughts about leaving. Who knew that one bet could change lives forever?
Because of the length, I’m not going into any details beyond the Cover Description Blurb. I had a blast in the opening story of the Shifter Town series. We will meet some of the townsfolk, most of the characters we’ll run into throughout the rest of the series, and get a good feel for the location. And encounter some rather vile villains as well.
Kelly and Ryan are hot together, steamy moments will be had, but they’re also good for each other beyond the strong chemistry or the fact that they do belong together. I liked them, I enjoyed the town, and I need to know more.
I have all but the final book (which releases in Dec. 2020) and I’ll be doing a binge-read of the rest of them in the coming days. Yes, if I’m doing a binge-read then I’m totally hooked on knowing more or most of the story… right now, right this minute. If you enjoy a quick read that will draw you in and not let go, then you should check out Bear Temptation right now for yourself.
I own a Kindle edition of Bear Temptation.
February 11, 2021
This review contains spoilers that are clearly marked, the first half of this review is entirely safe to read.
According to Kindle, this book is 134 print pages, which puts it in the category of Novella, a short length novel. A story this short is difficult to rate at more than 3 stars, there simply isn't a lot of content to judge, and its simplicity while very fun works against a higher rating. That being said, it's adorable. Bear as a character while being a protective, alpha-ish, kinda guy is also just a huge cinnamon roll softy. The characters, world-building, the focus on consent (minus the one blip covered in the CW), were all fairly solid and I'd be interested in giving other longer books by the author a shot.
// Content Warning // Contains Spoilers //
Kelly, one of the main characters, is a waitress. One of the main points the book makes is touching the waitress and unwelcome advances are not okay in Bear's Bar. Now, the main turning point leading to them getting into bed uses her being attacked, aggressively and on-page, though it is stopped in seconds this moment is used as a catalyst. Kelly decides she'd rather not lose another moment and consent to what she did want (bear). While the problematic scope of jumping straight from being attacked to sex is questioned in the text - they go ahead anyway. I can see why, but also it just feels like they could have and should have waited.
According to Kindle, this book is 134 print pages, which puts it in the category of Novella, a short length novel. A story this short is difficult to rate at more than 3 stars, there simply isn't a lot of content to judge, and its simplicity while very fun works against a higher rating. That being said, it's adorable. Bear as a character while being a protective, alpha-ish, kinda guy is also just a huge cinnamon roll softy. The characters, world-building, the focus on consent (minus the one blip covered in the CW), were all fairly solid and I'd be interested in giving other longer books by the author a shot.
// Content Warning // Contains Spoilers //
Kelly, one of the main characters, is a waitress. One of the main points the book makes is touching the waitress and unwelcome advances are not okay in Bear's Bar. Now, the main turning point leading to them getting into bed uses her being attacked, aggressively and on-page, though it is stopped in seconds this moment is used as a catalyst. Kelly decides she'd rather not lose another moment and consent to what she did want (bear). While the problematic scope of jumping straight from being attacked to sex is questioned in the text - they go ahead anyway. I can see why, but also it just feels like they could have and should have waited.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2024
The FMC, Kelly, works as a waitress at a run down bar. The MMC, Bear, buys and restore bars and becomes her new boss. They have crazy hot chemistry until she finds out he’s only staying temporarily until the bar is stable. They don’t really speak for 6 MONTHS and only do so when Kelly gets attacked in the bar. That same night, they bang for the first time and continue to do so for about a week. Kelly is trying not to get attached because, as far as she knows, Bear is still planning on dipping. Bear, on the other hand, changes his mind about leaving because he realizes that Kelly is his mate. He tells her, he marks her, they live happily ever after.
Okay so my first issue was that he was a bear shifter named BEAR. Give me a break. We come to find out his real name is Ryan but he only lets Kelly call him that. Also, Kelly’s arousal is often referred to as “honey”. Get it? Because bears?? That was certainly a choice..
The main conflict of this book was that Bear was planning on leaving. For at least 6 months, it was a well known fact that he was NOT staying. Once he realized that Kelly was his mate, he decided to stay but did he tell her that? No. Why? Because he’s an idiot. Kelly was distancing herself and preparing to be heartbroken. Literally he only thought to mention he was staying once one of his friends figured out that was probably why Kelly was upset. Big dummy
Okay so my first issue was that he was a bear shifter named BEAR. Give me a break. We come to find out his real name is Ryan but he only lets Kelly call him that. Also, Kelly’s arousal is often referred to as “honey”. Get it? Because bears?? That was certainly a choice..
The main conflict of this book was that Bear was planning on leaving. For at least 6 months, it was a well known fact that he was NOT staying. Once he realized that Kelly was his mate, he decided to stay but did he tell her that? No. Why? Because he’s an idiot. Kelly was distancing herself and preparing to be heartbroken. Literally he only thought to mention he was staying once one of his friends figured out that was probably why Kelly was upset. Big dummy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2023
Grizzly bear shifter Bear Reid is in Rosewood, Tennessee to check out a bar when he spies a waitress with red hair whom he's very much drawn to. She's good at fending off overeager patrons with sweet threats which he finds intriguing. Bear winds up buying the bar simply because of her. Kelly McKenna may be a waitress but she has a head for numbers and doesn't have plans for dating. But in meeting Bear, she understands what really wanting someone is like. The two flirt a lot then they play a game of pool with a bet. Winner gets what they want. But there's something Kelly doesn't know about Bear. Can these two work things out or will hearts be broken?
This is the first book in the series and I enjoyed the read. This steamy, paranormal romance was well-written and had wonderful characters. There is a variety of shifters in this charming, small town and you get to meet a few whose stories you'll want to read. Bear and Kelly are great together and you'll find yourself really hoping that they get a happily ever after. I did like this engaging story very much and read it in a couple hours, but I found myself wanting more at the end. Still I do recommend it for anyone who loves shifters and romance.
This is the first book in the series and I enjoyed the read. This steamy, paranormal romance was well-written and had wonderful characters. There is a variety of shifters in this charming, small town and you get to meet a few whose stories you'll want to read. Bear and Kelly are great together and you'll find yourself really hoping that they get a happily ever after. I did like this engaging story very much and read it in a couple hours, but I found myself wanting more at the end. Still I do recommend it for anyone who loves shifters and romance.
August 23, 2025
Kelly works at a bar and the owner sells the bar to Bear who wants to make it better. It's a rowdy place to work not only because of the drunks and bikers but because of the shifters as well. Bear is a bear shifter and when he spots Kelly, all of his possessive, mating instincts kick in big time. They both really like each other and they seemed to be getting close and then Kelly finds out that he doesn't plan on staying more than 6 months and she shuts the relationship down before anything can happen. She's not about to be a one night stand.
Kelly and Bear keep working together at the bar but their working relationship is tense at best. Then something bad happens at the bar and it's Bear that Kelly turns to for comfort. Bear still wants her really bad and he tells her that he doesn't feel good about taking advantage of her after what happened but she isn't having it and let's him know that she wants him.
Bear was great but he really needed to be more forthright about what his plans were instead of thinking that everyone would just know what he was thinking. People are not mind readers and this led to a bit of a misunderstanding between Bear and Kelly.
I had a great time reading this book and am looking forward to reading the next one now.
Kelly and Bear keep working together at the bar but their working relationship is tense at best. Then something bad happens at the bar and it's Bear that Kelly turns to for comfort. Bear still wants her really bad and he tells her that he doesn't feel good about taking advantage of her after what happened but she isn't having it and let's him know that she wants him.
Bear was great but he really needed to be more forthright about what his plans were instead of thinking that everyone would just know what he was thinking. People are not mind readers and this led to a bit of a misunderstanding between Bear and Kelly.
I had a great time reading this book and am looking forward to reading the next one now.
October 6, 2020
It isn't Cheers...but everybody knows your business!
Goddess Mathematika, aka Kelly McKenna, accounting student by day and barmaid by night at O'Malley's nka Bear's Bar, in Rosewood, Tennessee, aka Shifter Town, is ready to jump the new bar owner the minute she lays eyes on him. Ditto for bear shifter Ryan "Bear" Reid. What would be the end of an already short novella, if not for Kelly and Bear's misunderstanding of why their relationship will not last. Fortunately, there are many nosey shifters in Ash, Sofia, Cage, and Logan, and the smarta$$ cracks you expect in a shifter bar, a bit of danger involving an attack by hyena shifters and lots of makeup sex.
Bear Temptation is the first book in the Shifter Town series by Novalee Swan and a delightful read. Swan could have better defined the characters a bit; otherwise, she has created an enchanting world of characters and levity with a mundane storyline about shifters and humans living together in a small town and the main characters on their way to being mated and getting their HEA.
On my Were Scale of Hotness, 4 stars.
Goddess Mathematika, aka Kelly McKenna, accounting student by day and barmaid by night at O'Malley's nka Bear's Bar, in Rosewood, Tennessee, aka Shifter Town, is ready to jump the new bar owner the minute she lays eyes on him. Ditto for bear shifter Ryan "Bear" Reid. What would be the end of an already short novella, if not for Kelly and Bear's misunderstanding of why their relationship will not last. Fortunately, there are many nosey shifters in Ash, Sofia, Cage, and Logan, and the smarta$$ cracks you expect in a shifter bar, a bit of danger involving an attack by hyena shifters and lots of makeup sex.
Bear Temptation is the first book in the Shifter Town series by Novalee Swan and a delightful read. Swan could have better defined the characters a bit; otherwise, she has created an enchanting world of characters and levity with a mundane storyline about shifters and humans living together in a small town and the main characters on their way to being mated and getting their HEA.
On my Were Scale of Hotness, 4 stars.
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