Title:  No Ifs, Ands or Bears About It
Series:  Grayslake: More Than Mated
Author:  Celia Kyle
Published:  August 11, 2014
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  Owned
Cover Description:

The first day of Mia’s new life in Grayslake, Georgia is not going as planned. The house her grandfather left her looks ready to crumble, boxes cover every inch of the floor and—oh—there’s a bear cub in her pantry. It gets worse when the cub’s uncle comes by and busts out his fur and claws while on her front porch. Then it gets loads better because suddenly there’s a hot hunk of badge-wearing werebear on her lawn ready to rescue her. Yum. Of course, he has to ruin things by trying to take the cub out of her hands. Ha! The cub is hers… No ifs, ands, or bears about it.

Werebear Ty can’t seem to get the curvaceous, delectable Mia to understand that, even if she is one-quarter werebear, she isn’t keeping the cub. Ty is the Grayslake Itan, the clan’s leader, and the little werebear is going home with him… Unless it isn’t. It’s her smile. If she’d stop smiling and being gorgeous, his inner-bear would support him and Ty would get his way. But the beast wants to make their woman happy, so it’s perfectly content to let her do as she pleases. Then things change. Threats arise, danger comes close, and Ty demands she return to his den. No ifs, ands, or mates about that.

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

Read on for my thoughts on No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It.

The Grayslake series is one that I’d read over the years, but hadn’t reviewed.  So I took a trip down memory lane this past week and re-read the series and it is just as good today as it was back then.  On the surface, No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It comes off as the usual Shifter Romance with a few plot twists along the way.  (if you only read the blurb)  Yet there are intricately woven threads that begin in this first story and continue weaving their way through all of the rest of the series.  One of the reasons I enjoy series that have a cast of characters who show up, in some fashion, in almost every book is the different looks we get at the characters.  How they grow and change has always been fascinating to me.  Take Ty for example.  The falling in love, finding his mate, dealing with some major danger in this book – is not the same Ty we will see in the others.  He will show a different face in the next few books, and do an about face in the last full length story.  Not that there is anything bad about the Ty we meet later on, only that he evolves, shows a slightly different man now that his mate is secure at his side.  I happen to be a reader who enjoys that type of diversity.  Which is one of the reasons I enjoy this series so much.

Parker’s appearance in Mia’s pantry was the start of so much – discovering the man she was meant for, taking on being a parent to a very frightened bear cub and more danger than she ever thought she’d face in an entire lifetime.  In the midst of all of this chaos she shouldn’t feel so safe, so full of the knowledge that her mate would keep her safe or die trying.  The danger from within the clan was painful to acknowledge.  The threat from outside the Grayslake clan was very real, and wold have long term repercussions.

No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It begins a series that very easily becomes addictive in following.  Ty and Mia’s fledgling love for each other is a powerful story in itself.  The danger, threats and chaos that surround them and Ty’s brothers make this an entertaining and compelling first story in the series.  Yes, there is some time taken in world building, there has to be when you discover the depth of the story lines that are beginning here.  Yet, that building is meshed in with the story so seamlessly that you really don’t feel an information dump in process… it simply feels like part of the story.

If you’ve never read the Grayslake series, now would be an excellent time to dive right in.  If you’ve been to Grayslake, Georgia before now would be a great time for another visit,especially with Ms Kyle’s recent short story addition to the series in Sunday Bear-becue.

I would highly recommend this story and this series.  If you like complex stories, figuring out the bad guys well hidden within a community, lots of sexy times, and a love story to swoon over – then No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It should be on your ‘to be read list.’

Available for the Kindle