Bear With Me by Lynn Red

Bear With Me by Lynn Red
A Jamesburg Shifters Novel
Publisher: Yellow Moon Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (243 pgs)
Other: M/F, Masturbation
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Curvy, sharp-witted and slightly self-conscious, Lilah Jorgenson is a raccoon-shifting painter with a white streak in her hair and a longing to find the family – but mostly the MATE – she never thought she’d have.

All she wants is someone to hold her, to kiss her, to… claim her as HIS. But who has the time to hunt down a perfect man? Does such a creature even exist?

Clocking in for what she assumes is going to be a normal night at her job at the Jamesburg jail Lilah’s got no clue that she’s about to meet the bear of her dreams.

Thickly-muscled, widowed, inked-up former soldier Rex Lee spent five years away, but clan trouble called him home. Love is distant memory for Rex – the only thing on the huge alpha’s mind is keeping his cub and his bear clan safe, even if it means the occasional scrape that ends with him in the slammer.

Trekking down the cell block, Lilah stops, dead in her tracks. A bear with wicked tattoos, a massive chest and a pair of arms perfect for holding her tight? Who was tossed in jail for fighting to keep his daughter safe? Maybe that perfect man DOES exist!

When Rex catches a glimpse of Lilah’s two-toned eyes, her luscious curves, and her wicked little grin? The bad boy alpha decides right then he’s found something he never would – a mate to claim, to possess, to make his forever – no matter what it takes.

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I enjoyed this roundabout story that takes the present, introduces a crisis , and ends up solving a past mystery all while telling the story of two people falling in love.

Jamesburg is an odd place and I think that’s part of its charm. This time around there are were-unicorns and were-Pomeranians. But they are only secondary characters. The main characters are a were-raccoon with a story and a were-bear with an even darker background. How could I not read this novel?

I like how Ms. Red seems to be able to blend various elements in her stories. There’s comedy, both light and dark, silliness, sex, dark paranormal villains, romance and a zombie with a crush. The villain is kind of two-fold which was interesting because there are times that I think one isn’t a true villain but a victim. There was something the full villain said that made me question the heroine but whatever it might have been was never realized. I had a lot of possibilities rummaging around my brain but they were all for naught. The author didn’t do anything with that cryptic comment. I couldn’t be too disappointed though because what she did do was pretty fascinating in and of itself.

Bear With Me is a standalone story. It starts off with the mayor and his wife so a reader can still find out what’s going on with them since the first book but unlike the second book, Erick and Izzy don’t play a role in the final showdown. They are just there in the beginning to break the ice for this newest tale in the town. This current novel follows Lilah and Rex exclusively. Well, the villain has his POV time too.

Another carryover character is Jenga and Atlas, the zombie bear. Even though Jenga started out bad, he’s actually turning into an endearing, eccentric and fascinating character and he’s a great asset to this series. A reader gets to see a bit more of his character growth and it lends itself nicely to the telling of this tale.

A major factor that I greatly appreciate about Ms. Red’s style of writing is her balance between dark conflict and light humor. This novel could have really been dark and depressing because certainly the villain was a nasty bit of business but the author stops just short of it and injects some comic relief, a hero to the rescue and a heroine who isn’t shy about defending herself and those she cares for. It’s because of the lightness and comedic bent that I keep reading these stories. It has the drama and suspense to appeal to romantic suspense readers, it has the sexy escapades to appeal to erotic romance readers, and it has the silly quips, unique observations about Jamestown’s residents and adorable personality quirks of the main protagonists that keeps me coming back for more. It’s just plain fun.

Atlas has more onscreen time in this tale and the effect is hilarious. He actually helps the hero and heroine save the day but I’m willing to bet readers have NEVER seen the kind of comeuppance that gets doled out to the villain in Bear With Me . I laughed and giggled. Ms Red has a devious and highly entertaining mind.

There are other aspects of the book that I wasn’t clear on, and those are the pesky Edgewood brothers. I sort of understand their purpose in the beginning of the book but I am still confused as to their true motivation and target of their ire. What they’re doing makes no sense and I didn’t feel it was explained well enough for me to accept their presence in this story. That being said, the author made it very clear that they were not nice people and in fact were losers. But angry, petty and jealous bears are trouble no matter which way you look at it. That was their function in the book and in that, they were effective.

There are other people that populate the story that provide emotional insights and motivation for Lilah and Rex and played valuable roles in the conflict. Leena was my favorite.

Bear With Me is a really good tale with lots of diabolical twists and a wonderful romance. It has surprises, sexy encounters, silly humor, a bit of action and suspense and a well-rounded and sentimental wrap up that’s as beautiful a happy ever after as one could wish. I had fun reading this novel and give it a good recommend.