ARC REVIEW The Bear Who Loved Me by Kathy Lyons

My first Kathy Lyons book and will definitely not be my last. I have read her alter ego Jade Lee who writes historical romance, I was very surprised I liked this more than her historicals. The Bear Who Loved Me is the first of her new series Grizzlies Gone Wild, really not as cheesy as it sounds. I love the play on the James Bond movie title. It was a great introduction to the clan. It did jump into it the book kind of weirdly, but it all smooths out and really picks up and all very exciting and erotic.

Carl the Alpha "Max" shifter of the clan, wow! he's dealing with what the clan needs and wants but what they are used to and expect. They are use to domination and violence and what Carl is trying to change is the dominance without the constant threat of violence and death. The clan has short memories they have forgotten how horrible it was before Carl was the Max, they are judging him too harshly. Becca has had it rough but nothing she couldn't handle she started working as soon as she could legally work she worked her way through college and took over her Aunt's bakery. She then took care of her mother as she was dying of cancer and within the same year she lost both her mother and her sister and now she's left raising her teenage nephew. Theo, alone.

Carl keeps an eye on the possible shifters, it's his job as Max; one such possible is Theo. Spring is a busy time it's a time for taking a mate and for the teenagers to go through a transition. Becca is worried when Theo goes missing and when the Owner of the camp Theo goes to every year shows up with some astonishing news about who he is and who Theo is about to become. Carl has had his eye on more that just Theo, Becca has caught his eye and Theo's transition is the right time to bring her into his world. But something goes wrong Theo goes missing and armed men try to kidnap the other young bear going through his transition. Luckily Carl and Becca thwart the attack, Carl feels to blame for not stopping the men he was distracted making out with Becca. Along with the outside threat to the shifter community Carl is facing insubordination in his own clan and Becca comes face to face with how gritty the shifters can be. Becca is quickly falling in love with Carl but she's unsure if this is all because the stress and adrenaline of the situation that is pulling them together or if what they are feeling is real. Carl is worried that Becca has been scared off by the nature of the beast.

Overall, this was a great read. I really enjoyed it I look forward to the rest of the series. Kathy Lyons really hooked me with the underlying conflict with the missing shifters and a mad scientist.