Title:  Grizzly Fate
Series:  Riverwood #3
Author:  Keira Blackwood
Published:  August 24, 2016
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

Loving her came as naturally as breathing, as essential to my life as the heart beating within my chest. She accepted my claim, bore my mark. But the greatest challenge to our happiness, to our survival, was yet to come.

One disaster after the next has left small town sheriff Emma Hiller in a stressful position. When the existence of shifters is exposed, tension between the two species grows larger than the small police force can handle. With dark forces closing in, Emma struggles to maintain peace between the humans she’s sworn to protect and the shifter man she loves above all else.

After a lifetime of combat and solitude, grizzly shifter Liam Blake is ready to share every part of himself with another. But before he can, he must fight for his mate and the happiness that they deserve.

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

It has been an incredible journey through Grizzly Bait, then Grizzly Mate and now Grizzly Fate to discover Emma and Liam’s final life destination.  This story will bring the Riverwood series to a conclusion… but I never doubt that past characters can show up again in new series – and there is Logan and Liam’s “brothers” to consider, so I’m taking a wait and see attitude on never encountering Emma or Liam again *grin*

It was such a joy to watch Liam grow emotionally over the course of this series.  From a silent, gruff protector to a loyal, loving, protective mate, Liam has certainly become one of my favorite characters.  And you gotta love a guy who can gel along with his mate’s slightly odd mother better than Emma does.  Emma has come to the point where she not only accepts the shifters in her family with a full heart, but she’s more at peace with herself and her past.  She has an incredible man at her side and with the devotion they have for each other – she can face anything.

Emma’s younger brother, Logan acts as typically younger brothers do… he ignores his sister’s warnings, he does his own thing, his own way – and ends up in a heap of trouble.  Logan’s actions bring unwanted attention and trouble right to Emma and Liam’s door.

We’ll finally discover exactly what the Seals mean and exactly what is underneath the town that our villain wants dug up.  And I have to admit, I didn’t see that one coming – I should have, but I didn’t so kudos to Ms Blackwood on keeping me in the dark for so long.  It makes Sharpe’s actions more understandable but there had to be a better way… of course, then we wouldn’t have such an exciting plot now would we?

I want to know more about the mysterious Sam.  He’s compelling.  He’s an annoyance at times, and he’s also bound by rules.  Rules that he will bend at just the right moments but… I’d like to know his story.  And maybe some day we will.

I enjoyed this series very much.  The first two novels with their “happy for now” endings worked very well for me.  I was given a conclusion, a happy ending even if it was temporary and finally the ultimate conclusion.  It worked in this fashion, especially for a reader who needs that “ending” and not a cliffhanger to continue a series.  As much as I love Ms Blackwood’s work, I admit to being at first skeptical since I do not enjoy a cliffhanger ending.  I doubt I ever will.  But, and it’s a big one – I got what I needed which was an ending to each phase of the overall story – and that made the difference in enjoyment for me.

If you love a deep, intriguing mystery full of interesting characters good and bad – or maybe both – then I would highly recommend the Riverwood series.  You’ll find exciting, likable and believable characters, a very nasty villain, interesting secondary characters and a couple that you’ll be rooting for all the way.

Now the wait to see what Keira Blackwood brings to us next.

Available for the Kindle