After three and a half decades of aimless purpose in Cadia, bear shifter Noah Landeau is in need of a change. Not content with something small, he decides to leave his homeland behind to go live among the humans. The Cadian embassy is expanding its guard team, and he volunteers to head up the trio of shifters being assigned there. Maybe a change of scenery is just what he needs. Upon arrival in the town of Cloud Lake, it doesn’t take him long to confirm he’s made the right choice. While following one of the senior guards around, he comes into contact with a woman that can drive his bear crazy with nothing more than a look. He knows she’s special, but even Noah never anticipated just how integral she would be to his world. 

Angela Breeson was sweaty and tired the first time she saw him. Having just finished teaching one of her active-wellness classes designed for mothers and infants, she wasn’t looking pretty at all. Not in her mind at least, but the way the tall, broad-shouldered shifter with incredible eyes of ocean blue stared at her seemed to suggest he thought otherwise. He was gorgeous, and for some reason wanted nothing more than to be close to her. There didn’t seem to be any reason not to let him in to her life. Everything was perfect, and the more she talked to him, the more she knew, just knew he was the man of her dreams. 

The startling discovery that a spy has been sent to Cloud Lake changes all that. For Noah, it means that he’s immediately under suspicion as the possible spy, ostracized by his peers and distanced from his mate. Angela, knowing full well what the spy was sent to find out, must determine if Noah is telling the truth, or if he’s full of lies. The unease between them grows, and when Noah stumbles upon the secret the spy is desperately trying to uncover, he faces a decision that will test him to the core of his foundation. Does he follow the law, and all that he’s been taught? Or will he follow his gut? If he does, he’ll have Angela and the trust of his peers. But it will cost him his home. Forever. 

Sexy shifters and their feisty mates who aren’t shy about loving each other – so, this is an adult, 18+ reader tale.

Titles in the Fated Mates Romance series include:  Wing Her Over – Big Bad Wolf Dad – Bad Bad Bear Dad – Big Bad Bear Daddy – Bigger Badder Bear Dad –

The Fated Mates Romance series is part of these connection set of series:  Top Flight Academy, Dragons of Cadia, Base Camp Bears and The Koche Brothers (Blackjack Bears).  A full list of the titles in these series can be found on the Amelia Jade page.

Title:  Bigger Badder Bear Dad
Series:  Fated Mates Romance #5
Author:  Amelia Jade
Published:  September 3, 2017
My Rating:  4.5 stars

New guards have made the trip to Cloud Lake from Cadia… and among them is a spy, a man on a mission to uncover a well planned out secret that will threaten so many lives.

Since the cover blurb description tells you so much about this story I’m going to simply dive in to my emotional response and reaction to Bigger Badder Bear Dad.  Noah and Angela are a charming couple, the drama comes for them rather late in their story when the presence of the spy is more firmly focused.  I liked this couple, they work together from the very start and their romance flows so naturally.  Angela is a stickler for truth, she reads body language and facial expressions like a professional profiler.  So it’s rather difficult for Noah to not tell her what he’s thinking, even though he’s holding back on the mate part of their relationship.  He gives her truth, even if it’s only an acknowledgement of his complete thoughts.

I didn’t discover the spy in advance, although the field of possibilities was very narrow, still it took until the intended reveal for me to sniff him out.  Politics are always a nasty bedfellow.  With peace comes those who believe a certain way crawling out from under the rocks they’ve hidden under during war.  I sense a pattern for the future, but I’ll wait on that opinion to be voiced in a review.

In all, Bigger Badder Bear Dad was a delight to read.  Noah, Angela and Cooper make a perfect family.  Laced with humor, sexy moments, danger and friendships this is an excellent addition to the Fated Mates Romance line.  I’d recommend this story and the entire set of connected series to any Paranormal Romance or Shifter Romance readers.

I do still have a touch of confusion that I’m finally going to address.  Time Lines.  In Wing Her Over, the first published story in this line, Andrew met his mate, and that set off a chain of events… and a puzzled brow for me.  Although this is not defined as a numbered series, I’ve been treating it that way.  Yet, there is no mention of Andrew’s finding his mate in the rest of the stories.  In fact, he’s almost being felt sorry for as it’s indicated that he still is in search of his mate.  I saw Wing Her Over as a transition story bringing us into the women’s stories who had been duped by the Institute’s actions  Now I’m no longer certain just where Andrew’s story fits.  It certainly makes no difference to the stories at all.  I’m simply confused on the time line and hope at some point that will be addressed.  But that’s my opinion, and my puzzle to figure out – it has no bearing on these amazing stories.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited Subscription.

Available for the Kindle