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The wolves of Angels Rest destroyed the cruel Kingdom Guard’s secret outpost, but not all the victims were saved. Yet…

Tortured and drugged by a clandestine human organization seeking to turn shifters into supersoldier slaves, bear shifter Cianán was rescued by the Mesa Diablo pack. But he was left twisted and broken, some part of him left behind in that too-small cage. Now a quiet forest, alone with his honeybees, is the most he hopes for.

Undeterred by the harsh realities of her upbringing, Trudy’s artistic soul demands she capture all the wonders of the world in her camera lens. When a grumpy, reclusive mountain man saves her from an early-spring snowstorm, she realizes there’s more to his humped and hairy shyness than meets the eye.

He doesn’t believe she can see past his ugliness, but she won’t let him hide from a love that burns true in the heart of the beholder.
_______________________

BEAST is a standalone bear shifter paranormal romance with a Happily Ever After for the heroine and her hero. Some of the characters first appear in the earlier books of the Wolves of Angels Rest series, and some might appear in future books! So watch out for sexy shifters in need of a true mate.

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2017

260 people are currently reading
314 people want to read

About the author

Elsa Jade

97 books157 followers
I grew up reading SFF, buying the biggest books I could with my chore money. While I loved the action, adventure, and exciting worlds, most of those stories were missing…kissing! Now I read and write paranormal romance and science fiction romance which I think mix the best of all worlds. I also write urban fantasy romance as Jessa Slade and sexy contemporary romance as Jenna Dales.

I spend most of my time at my computer thinking about stories, in my garden thinking about stories, or walking my dog thinking about stories. Hmm, I think there’s a theme… 🙂

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5 stars
119 (35%)
4 stars
97 (28%)
3 stars
93 (27%)
2 stars
21 (6%)
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5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews116 followers
Want to read
May 26, 2023
🎁 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (7/31/2020)! 🎁
Profile Image for Ingrid Stephanie Jordan.
1,862 reviews24 followers
June 6, 2017
Title:  Beast 
Series:Wolves of Angels Rest: Book#10
The Mating Season
Release Date: #AlreadyReleased
Author: Elsa Jade
Reviewer: Ingrid Stephanie Jordan
Genre: #PRN #Furry #Beast
#5Stars☆☆☆☆☆
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Beauty and the Beast hmmmm this book I enjoyed very much. Besides who doesn't want a Beast in bed? Ms. Elsa has written her characters absolutely magnificent together. Just love it.
     Trudy is a human in college, having a artistic soul, she wants to show everyone what she see with her camera. Trudy is also gullible which a lot of us are we take the person we see thinking that they are truthful but he wasn't truthful. Trudy ended up fighting so she didn't get raped, she takes off only to run into a freak snowstorm in the mountains only to fall to off a cliff. When she comes to she realizes the man who is taking care of her is very kind, considerate and he saved her life.
     Cianán is not sure what he is, the Kingdom Guard captured him and started testing him to be a super soldier. Angels Rest destroyed Kingdom Guard’s outpost, saving many but Cianán had no control they let him stay on the mountain alone to live, he is in between a change, he doesn't know what he is but a BIG FURRY BEAST. Hearing a scream he decides to investigate finding out he has to climb a tree to get a human down who is alive. Taking her to his cabin he bandaged her up and took care of her but he bandaged her eyes so she didn't see the Beast he was. Then all of a sudden he started feeling things that he never felt before is that possible for a BEAST?  Guess you have to read it find out.
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     A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Ana.
2,038 reviews6 followers
September 11, 2018
Beauty is the Beast.....

After being tortured by scientists of the Kingdom Guard the gentle man turned into a beast unable to shift from one to the other, living in between.. He lives secluded in the mountains where no one can see the beast he has become, until a vision falls from the skies.

Cianan fears the beauty will run in fear if she sees him, but little does he know that just Trudy's touch will release him from the hell he has been living. Can he keep her by his side knowing the hell he was put through after being kept against his will, or will he lose the only person that can keep him grounded.

Trudy is running from a world where she is condemned for her love of beauty and art and from a man that would lie to her in order to take advantage of her. But she is not daunted by Cianan, she sees the beauty in the beast and thus brings it to the fore.
Profile Image for Angie.
1,374 reviews230 followers
May 6, 2019
4.5 stars

This was a sweet and sexy Beauty and the Beast retelling with an underlying story of redemption and strength.

Cianan is a bear shifter who has isolated himself in a cabin in the woods, trying to recover from an attack that has caused him to remain locked in his "beast" form. He believes himself to be weak and unworthy of love or friendship as he was unable to save himself from the attack and is now unable to control his beast.

Trudy is a photographer who is able to see the beauty and life in everything surrounding her. As she is escaping her own captivity, she wanders into the woods and gets lost in a sudden snowstorm. Cianan is out hunting for food when he picks up her scent and takes her unconscious form back to his secluded cabin. As they spend more time together, they come to realize that they may be the other's salvation--the other's mate--and must decide whether the risk is ultimately worth the fall.

Overall, this was a quick but engaging read that I could not put down. The characters were well-developed and not stereotypical while the story flowed seamlessly. Definitely recommend this shifter romance!
Profile Image for Sharon Richmond.
1,118 reviews11 followers
June 20, 2017
5 Stars

Yay !!! Cianan and Trudy's story was awesome.
So happy he was able to overcome the damage the Kingdom Guard did to him.

Cianan may have felt less of a bear/man and Trudy may have not felt pretty or good enough
But brought together by mother nature and Wow, what a story!

Cianan character makes you hurt for him, yet he's strong, loving, caring but a angry man underneath his beast.
Trudy's character will make just about every woman nod their heads at her past, the ones who have been in her shoes that is.

Beautiful, Heartbreaking and Teasingly Good.

Mature readers 18+ strong language and sexual content

I voluntarily read and reviewed this Advanced Reader Copy of the book by it's author.
Reviewer for Nook Books and More Blog.

R/R 6/2/17
Profile Image for Maaren.
1,400 reviews10 followers
December 27, 2022
Retelling with a twist

When Trudy falls down a cliff, the last thing she expects to happen next is waking up with her eyes bandaged and a soft, rumbly voice telling her all will be well.

Cianan is locked in a half-state, half man and half bear, just biting his time until the beast takes over. But with Trudy here, even if he doesn’t want her to see him, both him and the bear find themselves drawn to the woman they saved. He’s determined though to make it through this without her seeing him but when will plan ever go accordingly?

I enjoyed this retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I loved the twists of it. It felt fresh and unique while still keeping the original story intact. Trudy is an ingenious FMC and I found her strength particularly amazing. She’s been through a lot, but she holds her own and isn’t afraid to say her thoughts out loud.

Cianan and his bear are adorable even if he has a big chip on his shoulder from his time in captivity. He’s both afraid and desperate for her touch and it makes him feel all conflicted. He’s so convinced nothing and no one can love him the way he is and he’s uncertain if he can ever return to his human form which makes his isolation even more fitting.

I enjoyed watching them grow closer in the cabin and his internal struggle to hold part of himself back but wanting her at the same time.
Profile Image for ShoppinMama .
66 reviews
March 17, 2023
Good Beauty and the Beast retelling

Trudy gets lost in a blizzard while trying to escape a bad situation. Cianan saves her but tries to hide his grotesque form from her. That obviously fails and Trudy knows the man inside doesn't match the monster on the outside. Cianan looks the way he does because of an event in his past that makes it hard for him to trust himself and others. Can Trudy convince him that she chooses to be with him? Will he let her in?
This retelling is done in a truly modern way but keeps the storyline of the original story in tact. The characters development for Trudy and Cianan is great. I feel Cianan's torment and Trudy's frustration. I also love how Trudy does not have to give up her dreams to be with Cianan. I hate when the heroine does that in movies and books!
There were a few odd bits that threw me off the story a bit. Without spoiling too much Trudy puts on a dog collar and that is just weird. She also sometimes sees a fuzzy shape around Cianan and it is never explained why that happens. Sometimes Trudy acts immature but she is pretty young in the book so that fits.
It was a quick easy read but has more meat than some others. I would recommend.
Profile Image for Sony.
382 reviews3 followers
January 14, 2019
Who would have though falling off a cliff is your destiny...

I enjoy shifter stories! I found this story to be enjoyable and a great short story to read. This is book 10 in the "Mating Season Collection", even though I hadn't read the prior stories in the series I was able to follow with few questions. I do however suggest that you read them in order, because of the few questions I do have.
I liked the hero in this story, I found him to not be too overbearing, puns intended, and sweet as honey. I heroine is a strong woman, she goes after what she wants and sees the world differently than most. She was a great help to our hero in finding himself, and finding his inner strength to heal. Because this is a short story, I think this would be a great vacation read, on the beach or in the mountains by the fire with snow falling and a cup of hot chocolate.
Profile Image for Romantically Inclined Reviews.
720 reviews2,826 followers
September 26, 2018
The book started off good--a little cheesy but I really love shifter romances. Still, it got to a point where the cheese was a little too much to stomach for me. Plus, I could never get that great of a visual regarding his odd appearance. I tried really hard to picture what he looked like at every given stage, but I just couldn't quite figure it out which really bugged me. I ended up giving up the book right about the time she put on a dog collar for no good reason (62% in). I rarely stop books part way through even if I'm not feeling it just because I hate leaving stuff unread, but the minute that collar went on I tossed my phone across the couch and went, "Nope." (And I love BDSM and shit, but you don't just put on a dog collar you found in someone's room. That's fucking weird.)
Profile Image for Barbara.
1,313 reviews54 followers
January 2, 2019
Trudy fell off a cliff in a snow storm and is rescued out of a tree by Cianan, a bear shifter who is stuck between man and bear after being abducted by an evil group and subjected to terrible experiments. She wakes up with her eyes covered and is told she injured her eyes, mostly so Cianan can hide what he is from her. As she gets to know the kind and gentle man before she ever sees him, she’s not frightened of what he looks like, and once he feels her trusting touch, he begins to heal. I really felt for Cianan and was happy he encountered Trudy, who was just the right woman for him. He deserved happiness after the horrors he suffered. I loved that he was a bee keeper, what a great occupation for a bear.
428 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2023
Reviews

Cianan was drugged and tortured by a bad human organization seeking to turn shifters into Super soldier slaves. He was a bear shifter that was rescued by the Mesa Diablo pack. They brought him to their land where he was alone twisted and broken and help him to survive. He has honeybees. Trudy ran away from a man that tried to rape her. It was an early spring snowstorm because she ran in the woods and got lost. She fell off a cliff and he heard her scream and looking for her. He rescued her realizing they were mates but he was going to let her go because he was had not completely shifted back human
488 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2019
Cician and Trudys story

Living out in the forest hiding from the world Cician lived alone half a man half a bear. More bear than man that's why he kept himself locked away from the world. But a piercing scream broke his world apart one day when he found Trudy hanging in a tree after slipping over a mountain side. He couldn't leave her there
His life was never the same again after that day. . . . . . . . . . ..... .


I enjoyed the story
But it's another will they won't they get together in the end story, love conquers all!
Profile Image for Jennifer Holzapfel.
1,037 reviews4 followers
January 12, 2020
Very unique story of a woman saved from dying in a tree, after falling down a cliff in a snowstorm. Her savior is a bear shifter stuck between forms, after being kidnapped by a government testing facility, force fed drugs to turn him and the other victims into super soldiers. Scratched eyes was the excuse used when she woke up with bandages over her eyes. She peeked and saw a hairy blur. Can Cianan keep Trudy for a day or two until the snowstorm passes, or will she take a good look at him and run away into the storm?
Profile Image for Annemarie.
2,186 reviews16 followers
April 25, 2021
Cianan was being used as a science experiment to use his bear to become a super soldier. He was rescued by the Mesa Diablo wolf pack, but he doesn't trust himself. He hears a scream and finds a passed out Trudy hanging in a tree. She had fallen off a cliff in a snowstorm. He takes her back to his cabin to take care of her. Can he learn to trust her with his secret before he loses her? Sweet ending only wished there had been an epilogue showing them married, happy and maybe a pregnancy announcement.
895 reviews
September 29, 2018
A Special Kind of Story

A bear Cianan who is caught in mid shift is allowed to stay in a cabin on the wolves property after they free him from the ones who have captured him. If he loses himself to his bear completely he can run free on their land. When he responds to a scream he finds a woman Trudy who he takes home to help. She sees him and doesn't run away or let him push her away from him. She will help him heal and bring his bear back into control.
266 reviews1 follower
October 17, 2018
A Whole Lot Of Honey

This was a very sweet emotional ride. A very damaged bear just trying to survive and a very feisty female who won’t give up on what she wants made this a very enjoyable read with touches of humor throughout.
This book is the 10th in the series but can be read as a stand-alone. This is an excellent series , if you enjoy shifter themed books with a lot of action and well developed characters then this is a must buy.
Profile Image for Sharon Ryder Roberts.
1,080 reviews17 followers
October 3, 2021
I liked the new plot with this one, a bear trapped in half shift... not heard of that before in other novels of this type.. so congrats to author for bringing us something new in the way of shifter romance novels... I was wondering where the wolves came into this novel though.. and its not till the end that they appear. Even though i liked the plot i did not like the characters, they were too wishy washy and soft for my liking....and did not seem to fit as a couple.
1,412 reviews2 followers
May 7, 2023
This is a short and well written story. Trudy is a photographer and artist who was scammed into traveling to a lodge to meet with a man with not so good intentions rather than wanting her for her artistic capabilities. Cianan is a reclusive bear shifter who was abused for evil purposes. When Trudy runs from the man to save herself from being raped, she falls down a cliff but she is saved by Cianan. Cianan hides his beast from Trudy initially but then love and trust wins out.
Profile Image for Mary.
221 reviews28 followers
October 30, 2018
This was pretty decent quick read (for me anyway)

There were some things a bit off, though. Cianán’s looks at the beginning wasn’t clearly defined so imagining him beyond a blob of human and bear was a bit difficult. Also, Trudy putting on a collar she found and using it to flirt was a bit strange to me.

I think the bees may have been my favorite character though. :)



Profile Image for Jo Oehrlein.
6,361 reviews9 followers
March 14, 2023
I didn't realize this was book #10. It did feel like we were in the middle of a defined world, but it wasn't awkward.

She runs away from a man who expects sexual favors. Unfortunately, she runs into a winter storm. He rescues her. Her touch "cures" him -- he'd been stuck more beast than man and he gradually shifts back to full man.
490 reviews
September 19, 2018
Totally great!!

I loved it. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. Almost burned supper. Lol! Family was not to happy. The massive mountain man bee keeper and the little photographer make a great couple and a formidable force for any creepy old wanna be bad guy!!!!!!
Profile Image for angela gunstone.
1,857 reviews8 followers
January 2, 2019
Beast: wolves of angels rest

Omg couldn't put it down can't wait to read more in this series as I loved the storyline and the characters so it's a well deserved five stars and I would recommend this book to everyone
Profile Image for Punkin.
983 reviews
October 21, 2020
Short.

But interesting and cute. No real testing conflict but enough where they banter back and fourth a bit. Enough backstory you aren't in the dark and enough depth you aren't in a kiddie pool.

My favorite part was the imagery and the way the author described things.
29 reviews
July 23, 2021
Bear Dream

This was a great fun read. The first time you get into the story you think you know how it will go but not there so you start writing in your head and the twists keep coming, love the book
Profile Image for Shawn Pinzon.
880 reviews7 followers
December 28, 2022
Good Shifter Romance

I enjoyed reading Beast. It reminded me of beauty and the beast. This book is part of a series. Elsa Jade is a new author to me. I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.
Profile Image for Megan.
268 reviews29 followers
January 3, 2023
I’m a bit torn

Some of the most poignant lines about healing I’ve ever read couldn’t save this book from some truly cringy dialogue.

He calls it her womanly cave during spicy time. I…. Blargh. 🤦‍♀️
Profile Image for Amy.
83 reviews
October 8, 2018
Good read

I enjoyed this book very much! It was a good read! Will be checking out more books that I have missed in Mating Season Collection!
579 reviews5 followers
October 4, 2019
Great

Love this series. Lots of romance. I like that the stories are concise and get right to the point. Good characters
Profile Image for Sydnee Walsh.
1,212 reviews30 followers
October 15, 2019
This was kinda like a beauty and the beast telling. Trudy takes right away to Cianan. Cianan just needed a little waking up to the fact she can take him how he is.
1,748 reviews15 followers
September 26, 2020
A light read with romance, action and sex. Also bad guys doing bad things and special bees.
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