Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Polar bear shifter Graham Tundra can’t believe his bad luck. Not only is he traded to another baseball team midseason, but he’s also teamed up with Trigger Mallow: widely considered the best player in the game—but with the worst attitude.

Trigger is on the fence about Graham. As a grizzly bear shifter, he’s relieved to have another ursine on the team, even if they are different species. The problem is Trigger is in the middle of his natural mating season, and Graham looks too damn good to pass up.

What begins as friends with benefits shows potential to grow into a deeper connection. If only they can put aside their differences, learn to trust, listen to their feelings, and realize it’s more than just a bear thing.

Book Review

The Preston Predators are back! They’re a shifters-only baseball team who play in the all-shifter baseball league in this world. I met wolf shifter Wiley and lion shifter Ram in the amusing and hilariously entertaining book one and am really happy to see there is a second volume now. This time the story is about two bears of very different disposition, and their struggling personalities combined with the fact that they need to play together seamlessly as pitcher and catcher if the Preston Predators are to stand a chance in the championship. But, as ever, there are a few issues. Graham is a polar bear shifter and traded into the Predators – against his will and at midseason. Trigger is a grizzly bear shifter and, in principle, likes the idea of a second bear shifter on the team – but he is in the middle of his mating season and has no idea how he’s going to resist Graham’s charms.

Graham is not amused when he is told he’s being traded to another team. He suspects it is because he came out to his teammates, and decides never to make that mistake again. His reaction to confrontation in general is internal withdrawal, but he’d never back down physically. It makes for an interesting internal “debate” every time he feels he is under threat or being attacked. And there are plenty of opportunities for Graham to have to decide how to deal with the aggression rolling off Trigger like waves. Graham expected them on a professional level, since Trigger has quite the reputation, but he finds the personal standoffishness and rudeness far harder to deal with.

Trigger is no more enthusiastic about having a new partner for the game than Graham, but the team manager, a hyena shifter, makes it abundantly clear that Trigger has no choice. Trigger, however, will not give in easily. He couldn't care less what anyone thinks and will do as he likes – within what he defines as reason. He has four older brothers, so I suspect he got used to sticking up for himself early on. Trigger uses that without regret. He has elevated being a dick to an art form, and prides himself on eliciting anger from others. Add the fact that he is a loner and doesn't believe in letting anyone know about his personal life, and I almost gave up hope he’d ever understand that there was potential for a deeper relationship with Graham.

I did not envy Graham having to learn how to deal with Trigger’s attitude. Both of them need to learn how to trust and be more open, and their growing relationship provides lots of opportunities. They are fascinating, if a bit lust-driven at first, and, despite their rough exterior and posturing, I liked both of them a lot. They start out as not-quite-enemies with no love lost between them. Both like to argue and needle each other to the point of emotional explosion, and that was quite entertaining.
 
If you like your shifter stories to be belly-laugh funny, if you want to find out more about two bear shifters who rub each other the wrong way before they figure out they are better off as partners, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, hot, and full of baseball details, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 192 pages/68234 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	11-May-2016
Price	$5.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/loaded-for-bear-by-cheyenne-meadows-6770-b