Bear Attraction (Jennifer Ashley)
Okay, I admit, I was ready to dismiss this novella – especially when in the beginning, Walker and Rebecca seemed to be falling into the ‘lust’ aspect of paranormal romance rather than a slow and steady progress of ‘romance’. Don’t get me wrong, I think this series is entertaining –might not be part of my favorite paranormal/urban fantasy series list that I can rattle off top of my head but I have my fun. But, almost all of the novellas from this series for me were just okay. They are like crunchy popcorn – filled with instant everything, sexy scenes, and then it is over.
So when Rebecca is described as noticing how good Walker’s physical traits are (especially since she is mate-less and Walker triggers her mating need) or Walker reacting to Rebecca’s allure, I thought this would be another one of those instant-love things. It didn’t help that I actually couldn’t remember these two very well from the novels. I was forced to check when Rebecca and Walker first appeared in the series!
I am so happy to be proven wrong... because this one was really good and probably my favorite Shifters Unbound novella so far! Rebecca and Walker sizzle on the pages, there is chemistry between them and an actual progression of their attraction. There are no immediate writhing bodies, rolling on the bed/floor/grass/forest at all!
What I loved about Rebecca and Walker was that they were pretty much on equal ground. Yes, Rebecca is a Kodiak bear, even among other shifters she is pretty much an Alpha. Walker is just a human male but a well-trained military one; he knows his tricks to deal with dominant shifters, including bears. Having said that, Walker also knows how to step back when needed and lets Rebecca (or other shifters) take charge. He’s such a level headed and reasonable hero. I found that a very refreshing turnabout, compared to other warm-blooded aggressive heroes in this series so far (except for Tiger, maybe).
It was fun to read how these two worked side by side to find the missing girl. When danger threatens them, they don’t pull the “Alpha” card against each other (Rebecca because she is an actual Alpha or Walker because he is the man). They respect and trust each other – I could see them as partners and not just mere lovers. And I really liked that.
In addition, Ms. Ashley introduced a new development regarding a group of shifters here, which I thought was really interesting. I can’t wait to see how this twist will be played out in the overall arc. I wonder if we will get an update on this in the next novel, Mate Bond, coming in April.