So long as the guys call him Boomer, Theodore Parker is content with his life. He has a place to stay, work to do, guys to hang out with — or fight with — when he wants, and the wilds of Montana to roam when he needs to be alone or go full bear. He has everything he needs. 

At least he thinks he does. 

Then, while he’s out logging with the guys, he finds a woman on the side of the hill, hurt and unable to remember who she is. When he takes her home to help her recover, he knows it isn’t a permanent arrangement. He knows she’ll have to go back to her old life someday. 

But the more he’s around her, the more he realizes his life isn’t complete without her. He’s not so selfish as to doom her to a rough life with a bear-shifting mountain man, though. He wants what’s best for her, even if that means leaving him, destroying his contentment forever. So, he protects her and keeps quiet about his shifting, so she isn’t forced into something she doesn’t want. 

What Emmy White wants, once she remembers herself, is Boomer. And safety from her past. What she doesn’t want is another relationship with a secretive, overprotective man. She thinks Boomer might be different, but how can she trust him when he won’t do the one thing she’s asked of him — give her the power to defend herself from the monster lurking in her past? 

Titles in Lumberjack Bears include — To Love A Bear – To Save A Bear – To Trust A Bear – To Tame A Bear – To Redeem A Bear

Title:  To Love A Bear
Series:  Lumberjack Bears #1
Author:  Emilia Hartley
Published:  September 17, 2018
My Rating:  4 stars

“To Love A Bear” introduces us to a group of bear shifters who are all nearly out of control in some way.  Lumberjacks by trade they travel to locations with temporary homes, for the moment jobs and each other for back up… when they aren’t fighting each other that is.

The day that changed his life forever began like any other, it was only after being on the job for some time that he noticed that bit of white in the trees… a bit so something that didn’t feel right in this forest.  That bit of white was the white shorts on a human female, and Boomer’s bear stood up and took notice from that very first glimpse.  Getting her to safety was his first priority, his second would be to keep the other bears far away from this woman who shouldn’t matter so much… but does.

Taking a tumble down a ravine has done more damage than a twisted ankle for Emmy, it’s also stolen some of her memories as well.  She feels that she’s on the run from someone but nothing makes sense, except maybe the feeling of safety she has when she’s around Boomer.  As her feelings for Boomer intensify and her memories begin to return Emmy has a choice to make — run again or make a stand with a man who isn’t telling her everything.

This first story in the Lumberjack Bears series sets up an interesting background.  While each man could be an Alpha on his own the crew seems to bond through their brokenness and it feels very much like an end of the line crew.  We get a glimpse of each bear shifter, a touch of their personality and a crew is forming in the reader’s mind.  There is one nasty piece of work villain who, like most bullies, is brave only on his own.  There is an interesting development that may be fleshed out further in the series, so I’ll hold on off commenting on that.  I enjoyed my time in this world and it captured my attention to where I now need to know what comes next for these characters.  I will mention that there may be some triggers for some readers as this story does deal with domestic abuse.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Available for the Kindle