This review is for the main story. I have not read all the bonus stories. Backcountry Werebears is about Amy's journey to find what makes her happy. There is a lot of steam in this story as she figures it out. I felt it was a bit rushed, and I would have preferred more time with Steve and Justin as well.

This is my unsolicited review.

I make no bones about the fact that I adore T.S. Joyce. Her Damon’s Mountain series is one I go back to when I am feeling blue, tired, or just want a quick, happy read with a bit of an edge. There is drama and danger, prejudice and bigotry, but there is also love and courage, family and friends.

Now, the Harper’s Mountains stories begin, and the children of Damon’s Mountain take center stage. In “Bloodrunner Dragon” we got the setup, and began to learn what has happened with the children since “Boarlander Cursed Bear.”

Everyone we knew as a baby is all grown up. And while they were desperately loved as children, that doesn’t mean that all was flowers and sunshine. Take Aaron Keller. As a child he was, literally, the poster child for Shifter Rights. Bright blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a tinkling laugh that grabbed hearts. He was a poster child all right. But that doesn’t mean his life was all roses. His story began in “Bear My Soul.” Living with only his mother for the first six years of his life, Aaron’s life was, as much as his mother loved him, and as hard as she worked to make him happy, brutal. The bear inside him was a brawler, strong and headstrong, and drove Aaron’s life. Drove him into a cage in order to keep himself, and his mother, safe. Six years before it was a one night stand Cody ran from – from the man, and from the feelings he caused. Not knowing who, or what, he was, finding Aaron was a bear was hard. It worked out, but the time in the cage as a child damaged Aaron, and his bear. Damage that has carried forward into his present life. But in "Bloodrunner Bear" Harper’s Mountain is a soothing change to his life. And meeting Alana has promise – but the war between a coven of vampires with a grudge may cost Alana her life. Which could very well cost Aaron his mind.

This has all the potential of the Damon’s Mountain series, and in the first two books? It meets that potential!

“Superstition, bigotry and prejudice, ghosts though they are, cling tenaciously to life; they are shades armed with tooth and claw. They must be grappled with unceasingly, for it is a fateful part of human destiny that it is condemned to wage perpetual war against ghosts. A shade is not easily taken by the throat and destroyed.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (1862)

Humans. As Hugo says, superstition, bigotry and prejudice incarnate. When you are ‘different’ it is hard enough. When you are a Shifter? Well, as Shrek put it, “Grab your torch and pitchforks!” Or, in this case, your cops with riot guns. Cause as much as we would like to think that we should all be able to live together, well. It ain’t happening. The humans love watching Shifters fight, MMA style, in the ring, but they certainly don’t want them in their towns. Of course, the Shifters don’t really care. After all, they worked out some really good financial contracts for their shows – so, who cares, right?

When Freya Wright was eight, her father disappeared. Walked out the door to “run a quick errand” and never returned. It destroyed her mother, and left a darkness in her own heart. Her mother took her from Washington and moved them to San Diego, but rather than getting better, she lost herself in a bottle. Now, with her mother dead, Freya has a plan to try to cut the darkness in her heart. She wants to walk the Pacific Coast Trail, the 2,659 mi trail up the coast from Mexico to Canada. While she plans to go alone, a high school reunion adds her friends Eloise and Marin to her trip. It will be hard, harsh and brutal, months of hiking over rough terrain in all sorts of weather. There are ups and downs, literally, but also mentally and emotionally. Then, the worst happens, what all women on their own fear. They see what they shouldn’t. And their lives will never be the same. Now, they are terrified, kidnapped and held prisoner. Life and death hangs in the balance, and is beginning to slide to the right.

In a lot of ways, this is a standard PR, but at the same time the strength of the women was pleasing, and the ideas behind human/shifter relations was interesting as well. It kept me interested, and left me satisfied. If you like PR with a ‘shifters in the modern world’ bent, give it a try. Free on Kindle Unlimited, or .99 if you don’t have KU.

I read to 49% and realized I was wishing for something bad to happen so that the story could progress onward and I could finally be finished with the book.  I figured it was time to stop wasting time and move on to one of the 200 plus other books I have waiting on my reader.

Molly is the heroine.  She's a waitress at a diner in a small town.  She struck out on her own in New Orleans with a friend and it's indicated that bad things happened and she went back to her small town.  Asa is the hero and he's a cook at the diner where Molly works.  He's new to town and is apparently a werebear.  It's not expressly stated by the 49% mark, but he does have a big secret.

So, the first 49% is just a bunch of emo back and forth between Molly and Asa.  Molly wants Asa and pursues him pretty hard.  Asa wants Molly but he has this big secret and says he will hurt her.  It's just that back and forth and back and forth between Molly and Asa.  That's really all that happens.  A mysterious guy named Jeremiah does make an appearance and shows an interest in Molly.  Molly entertains the idea of Jeremiah because Asa keeps pushing her away, but there's something "off" about Jeremiah.  So, once I started hoping Jeremiah was a serial killer and would attack one of them, just so something would happen, I decided it was time to throw in the towel.

Aside from the boring story, it could've used some further editing to catch some of the typos.

DNF.

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 Unicorns - I really liked it!!!

***Received a copy of the ebook for an honest review

The cover has a polar that looks like he might be swimming and the chest that definitely distracts you :)

This is the 4th book in this novella series.  They are completely standalone and HEAs(Happily Ever Afters).  It is for adults only due to the steamy content. 

I really liked this story especially the last half.  I did have trouble connecting the first 15 percent, but I think it is because I didn’t like Lorelei.  Once Lance was introduced, and it was more him and Zelda, I was happy.  This is a unique twist on the Rapunzel fairy tale where Sable makes it uniquely hers.  I am really into all the fairy tale twists that are popular right now especially if it involves shifters too!!  Can’t wait to see what Sable comes up with next :)

I recommend this story to bear shifter lovers who love a good fairy tale twist where the author makes it her own and unique :)