The Bear's Chosen Mate (Borealis Bears #1)
by Vivian Arend
Blurb:
He’s
going to accept his fate—but only with the woman he chooses!
Youngest
brother James Borealis figures if he has to get mated, it should be with
someone he already knows and cares about—his best friend Kaylee. But when the
mating fever hits, she’s still stuck in friendshipland while he’s ready to move
all the way to true love and forever.
Kaylee
has heard about polar bear mating fever, but while James has held the starring
role in her fantasies for a long time, she’s not about to leap into a permanent
relationship that’s all wrong for him. He’s the PR powerhouse for Borealis Gems
while she’s a quiet bobcat shifter with massive family baggage. He loves the
spotlight; she wants to hide in quiet corners.
But
mating fever knows best, and when the storm settles, there’s no use in arguing
with a polar bear’s choice.
Themes: Paranormal, Shifters
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
I have honestly waited AGES for Vivian to
return to her world of shifters and this new trilogy is just what the Romance
Witch doctor ordered! The setting is beautiful, the characters are hilarious,
and the best friends-to-lovers story never gets old in my opinion—as long as it
is well-written. The series kicks off with the three Borealis brothers,
millionaire polar-bear shifters that own an outrageously successful gem mining
company in the Canadian wilds, being confronted with an ultimatum from their
rather pushy Grandfather, who is determined to see them mated and happy as he
is. Arend weaves her tale as she leads the youngest brother James on a crazy
adventure through his mating fever to find true love with his best friend, a
wild-cat shifter that has always had intense feelings for him though she has
resisted him. If you love a sexy but
sweet alpha male, obviously head-over-heels in love with a woman resisting her
every instinct as they both fall in love and lust and give into their hearts and
bodies, along with a crazy cast of characters, a bit of intrigue, and of course
a little bit of silliness here and there, The Bear’s Chosen Mate will be just
the story to fill your evening with warmth and joy. I am dying to find out what happens next for
these sexy brothers and see them each find love and their happily-ever-after
with their fated mates, even though I imagine they will be surprised who they
end up with.
James
is beyond pissed at his grandfather’s ultimatum when he first hears about it,
but after coming to terms with facts, he begins to see the possibilities and
decides that instead of letting the whims of fate lead him around, he would
chose his mate. He has always loved
Kaylee, first as his young partner in crime, then as his best friend, but recently his attraction has
become undeniable, and now he has even more reason to let loose that lust. Kaylee has been attracted to and secretly in
love with her best friend since she was a young woman, but she knows she’s not
good enough for the youngest of the Borealis dynasty, for several reasons. When he begins subtly flirting with her, then
not so subtly hitting on her, she resists and pretends it doesn’t affect her,
but when he pulls her into his arms in the midst of his mating fever, the
ability to resist begins to crumble.
Once they both give in to their lust, they begin to see that their
attraction and emotional connection could grow into something so much more, if
they allow it to, but Kaylee’s objections and fears are nearly impossible to
overcome. Only true love and a desire to
be what they need for one another can truly open that last lock on their
hearts, if they can get it opened in time.
I
Loved getting to know Kaylee and James.
They were both silly, sweet, intense, and sensual in their every
interaction whether they were fighting, working together, or making love, but
my favorite moments were the quiet times they spent trying to come together as a
couple and find a way to overcome the obstacles in the path of their love.
James was a stubborn, alpha male to the core, but then again being a huge polar
bear-shifter would probably have a lot to do with that. I could see that he was willing to go the extra
mile to prove he was the male for Kaylee, working hard to overcome her fears,
and find a way for them to be together, even to the point of sacrificing a big
part of himself. He was sweet, sexy as
all get out, and his inner strength shined through as much as his crazy
protective side making him even hotter, but he also was willing to let Kaylee stand on her
own two feet and be the strong female she was destined to be at his side. Kaylee
likewise had some emotional and mental baggage she needed to work through before
she could be the mate that she needed to be for James. Her parents and childhood have left a few
lasting scars that she needed to work through, but honestly I think the love of
her sexy bear was the best thing for that in the end, giving her the confidence
she needed to find her four paws in his world and make her stand to be his
lover and mate. She was intelligent and
a smart-ass which made me love her all the more, of course, being as I am one
too, and when she was finally able to embrace her inner rebel I found that she
was my favorite heroine in a long time (for a cat anyway).
When
you begin a new series, even a spin-off a beloved one or one written by one of
your favorite authors, there is always
that fear or chance that you will be disappointed, but the Borealis Bears are
shaping up to be awesome. I am so
looking forward to seeing more of these sexy bears and getting to know more
about their lives, after all who wouldn’t love three sexy millionaires that can
also shift into huge, cute, furry polar pears?! James and Kaylee captured my
heart from the very beginning, each of them looking for something in the other
that they were denying has been right in front of them from the very beginning. James has resisted the attraction to his best
friend, but once he gives his heart and beast free-reign it’s obvious that the
only choice for a mate for him is his Kaylee, Fate be damned. He’s an alpha,
sexy and sweet bear with a heart of gold and enough charm to have women
throwing panties at him at ten paces, but he only has eyes for his woman and his
willing to fight for her and fight her to keep their relationship. Kaylee is a bit of a scaredy-cat in the
beginning, fighting and running from the emotions and passion for her man, but
once he overcomes those things she let’s loose, she becomes the sensual and sexy
beast that is the perfect mate for her bear.
Her wit and sweetness marries well with James’s and you can see
together that they will be a force to be reckoned with. The heat between
these two is definitely unchartable and undeniable from the very second they
are in one another’s orbit, but once they get their hands on one another you
will need a cold shower just to be able to move forward with reading,
guaranteed. I loved getting to see
Kaylee and James find their way together and am looking forward to seeing more
of them in the rest of the trilogy as James’s brothers find their mates. We did get a bit of a clue for Alex’s mating
in the very end and I can see that one will be just as fiery if not even more
so than James’s so look out! Another masterpiece Ms. Arend, keep up the magic!
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
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