Grizzly shifter Bill Torben has spent his life working for his family’s brewery and has loved every minute of it, although he’s a liiiittle bit envious of his younger brother leaving town and almost immediately finding his fated mate. But the brewery has been on shaky ground for the past few years, and Bill’s sense of responsibility won’t let him step away to look for a new future of his own.

And it’s just as well, because Gwen Booker is about to rock his world. Hired to be the musical talent at the brewery’s annual Oktoberfest, Gwen bursts onto the scene with beauty, enthusiasm, talent…

…and the wrong kind of music. There was a mixup somewhere along the way, and they hired rock musician Gwen Booker instead of jazz musician Gwendolyn Brooker…

…and Bill has never been so grateful for a mistake in his life. Now, if they can navigate a path through love, music, and homebrew beer, together they might just get OctoBEARfest back on its feet!

Titles in the Renaissance Shifters series (set in the Virtue Shifters world) include: OctoBeARfest ~ Partridge in a Bear Tree ~ Renaissance Bear ~ Bear Garden ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  OctoBeARfest
Series:  Renaissance Shifters #1
Author:  Murphy Lawless (a Zoe Chant writer)
Published:  November 12, 2024
My Rating:  4.5 stars

OctoBEARfest is the first title in the Renaissance Shifters series, bringing us Gwen’s and Bill’s completely unexpected romance, but then isn’t that just like fate to throw a curve at a couple?

Sometimes an accidental meeting is simply fate giving a couple a slight, if unexpected, push in the right direction.  Bill is really overworked and distracted, running the pub he took over from his parents, along with the brewery, with little to no help from his younger brothers.  It’s the only way that he can explain how, instead of the jazz singer he intended to book for the pub’s Octoberfest celebration, he ended up booking a rock ‘n roll powerhouse who would turn out to be his mate.  Now, if only he’d stop blushing so much, he might figure out how to make their vastly different lives and careers work together!

I completely loved OctoBEARfest by Murphy Lawless, absolutely everything about it, from the cinnamon roll meets the powerhouse couple to the vibrant secondary (but totally necessary) characters, to the endless Torben relatives, the music, the dynamics, and those twists that caught me unawares.  *chef’s kiss*  And don’t forget the Virtue Shifters series connections.  Yeah, this one will definitely be on the reread list.  Bill and Gwen simply fit, the human with a turbulent history, the bear shifter who is overwhelmed by family and responsibilities… they may seem like total opposites on the surface, but at the core, where it matters most, they complement each other, have each other’s backs, and they just work.

If you “need” a well-written, emotional, funny with laugh-out-loud moments, one-liners, an extended or found family, and a story that will warm your heart, then OctoBEARfest by Murphy Lawless is a perfect fit for you.  Loved it so much.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

If you love this author’s work, please be sure to visit our Murphy Lawless page or our Zoe Chant page for other reviews done here, or simply any series you might have missed over time.

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate  link)