Black Bear Outlaws Box Set: Books 1-3: Mating Fever

Copied my reviews for the books individually. I volunatraily reviewed an advanced copy of the series when it was published under Kenzie Cox.

And bears, oh my! Cyrus is the first book in Kenzie’s newest series Black Bear Outlaws, which is part of the multi-author Mating Fever Collection. These short stories are great for a quick read, full of action, romance, and spunk! Good girl, Claire Erikson always seems to find herself with the bad boy. Her ex is back claiming to be reformed and wants her for his mate. Claire is determined to keep that chapter of her life closed, date only nice men is her motto. With a pending mating between Claire and her ex…the Council is determined to see the mating through for the benefit of the pack. That is until former bad boy, Cyrus Doucet, comes to her aide. Cyrus is a great lead into what we can expect to see from the Doucet brothers.

Returning for his own story, Chase Doucet has found his mate, Katrina Craig. Only Katrina has plans of her own. After have given up on her ambitions with her first husband, she refuses to fall down that trap again. Willing to love again only when she has finally found love for herself, she leaves Chase before anything can even start. Instead of following Katrina, Chase is wallowing in self-pity. His brother’s are determined to break him out of his funk…that is until she walks into the local diner while he is having beers with his brothers…Cute and full of self-finding/acceptance, Chase was a great read that I couldn’t put down.

As the youngest of the Doucet brothers, the series wraps up with Cole’s story. Forced to leave Hollywood and her movie behind, Amberly Matthews hires Cole to be her bodyguard in little ole Bayou Basin. Safe and hidden away, Amberly thought her stalker days were behind her, that is until a package arrived. As Cole is guarding Amberly from her stalker…it awakens his need to protect, especially when she is his mate. With some twists and turns, not to mention action packed, Cole was a great read.

mmm bears... so yummy and fun.. sexy and kept me interested and excited to keep reading.. it was a good plot and good writing. i loved it

Cyrus

Cyrus is a reformed bad boy and now, with his brothers, runs the Black bear Outlaws Security Company. He has loved Claire, the actual girl next door since he was a cub but he thinks she is waaaay above his level.

Claire has loved Cyrus since she was 5 but after loving him from afar, whilst he dated everything female but her, she stretched her winds and found another bad boy. Only this one was a REALLY bad boy and after that experience she now dates nice, safe (boring) men. But when her horrible ex rolls back into town claiming to be reformed and manages to convince the elder council to arrange a mating between him and Claire, Cyrus overhears this and comes to the rescue.

Wonderful story line, great characters, especially Cyrus who got me way hot under the collar!!!! They are a great match being equally clueless about each other wanting them!

Chase

Chase and his brothers run a security business. He met Katrina when she was on the run from her slimeball abusive ex. He didn't count on her being his mate. He knows she's unsure around men due to her ex and he's willing to take his time but after they have a passionate encounter and she runs off the next morning he's not sure what to think.

Katrina didn't mean to lead Chase on but her head is all over the place and she needs some distance to sort herself out. When she returns to town will Chase forgive her for running off? Will his decision be swayed by the secret she is keeping from him?

I loved the way Katrina scrapes her life together and forges a new independent life for herself. Chase is wonderfully cute as the bear shifter who is not quite sure what to make of his mates disappearing act. I loved the wallow-in-his-own-alcohol-riddled-meltdown scene with his brother!

Cole

Cole is the last of these hunky shifter bear brothers to find his mate. He was hired to protect actress (and bear shifter) Amberly. She was being stalked by an unknown quantity and he decided the best place to hide her out was at a distant relatives home that she had inherited in his hometown. He didn't expect to be drawn to her though. She is nothing like the high maintenance, prima donna he expected.

But when explosives are delivered to her new hideaway and only sheer luck protects her and Cole, she loses it! But with her rising star firmly shackled to a new movie, she learns that the production crew won;t wait for her and recast an up and comer in her role! She wants to head back to Hollywood but this stalker has other ideas!

She and Cole can feel the mate bond but Amberley is sure that she is way too much trouble. He lives in the boonies and she's a starlet. Their worlds don'y usually mix. There are great red herrings as to who the stalker is. The rapport between the leads is electric and I just wanted the book to be longer.

I really hope that we can see these characters again in another book - maybe babies of the bear shifters!