Reviewed by Cheryl K
TITLE: Bear With Me
SERIES: Un-bearably in Love #1
AUTHOR: Opal Andrews
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 236 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 28, 2026
BLURB:
Dennis
I booked two weeks of peace and privacy at a secluded cabin. So why do I almost immediately come across a naked man holding a fish in his mouth in the stream behind it? Turns out Bjorn is a bear shifter, he’s double-booked in the cabin, and he says I’m his fated mate.
How does he know this? Because once a shifter meets their fated mate, they can’t control their shifts unless and until they’re claimed. And Bjorn definitely can’t control his shifts now. Too bad for him I’m not interested in being set up with a mate by the invisible sky fairies.
Bjorn
I’ve met my mate! Finally, finally. But…he seems weirdly resistant to my charms. Luckily we’re double-booked in this cabin, and there’s only one bed. He’ll have to get close to me whether he likes it or not!
Just as I’m making plans to charm him, I get a phone call from home: someone is very ill, and I need to come home. Except I keep uncontrollably turning into a bear, which means no air travel and I can’t drive myself. So how to get across the country? Apparently, as a passenger in a truck driven by my maybe-mate. But when we get to my home den, things get even more uncomfortable with the input of my pushy-but-affectionate grandmother, a foul-mouthed den alpha, and two parents with sticks up their you-know-whats.
Can I win over Dennis and get my happily ever after, or will I have to choose between staying permanently as either a bear or a man?
Bear With Me is a slow-burn, low-angst MM paranormal romance featuring a sunshiny bear shifter and a grumpy human. Mpreg is not a thing in this universe, nor are a/b/o dynamics. This book is written in alternating third-person POV, with open-door sex scenes.
REVIEW:
What a fun shifter story. There were just some of the most laugh out loud scenes in this story. Opal really brought not only humor, but romance to this story. There is some trigger warnings listed at the beginning of the story, so please review before you read this beautiful story.
We have excellent world building in this contemporary shifter story. We go from rural Pennsylvania to the wilds of South Dakota, incorporating fated mate shifter/human struggles. Picture uncontrolled shifting and trying to fly in an airplane and oh wait – you’re a bear shifter. The only solution is to drive. I love a good road trip.
In this story we get to see Opal’s fantastic character development. We have detailed, in-depth main characters as well as the side characters. Our main characters are Dennis and Bjorn. The grumpy Dennis doesn’t believe in fated mates and has a very hard time reconciling his burgeoning feelings for Bjorn. Bjorn is our sweet, affable bear shifter. He’s the sunshine to Dennis’s grumpy. These two are so sweet together and the humorous banter between them is extremely well done. Not to be short changed is the side characters in this story. Bjorn’s grandmother is seriously a hoot, possibly my favorite character, after Dennis and Bjorn.
In this story, Opal has crafted a brilliant rom com with some low angst, yet sexy moments for Dennis and Bjorn. Of course, there is the prerequisite drama going on in the background. Meddling parents, an overzealous Alpha and a sassy grandmother. Will Dennis accept being fated mates? Will Bjorn ever regain control of his shifts? Will Bjorn’s parents be able to change? Guess what, I’m not telling you… You know the drill by now, you’ll need to grab a copy of this story for yourself to find out the answers.
I can’t recommend this new story from Opal Andrews enough. If you love sweet, slow burn, low angst shifter stories, this is the story for you. That being said, RUN to your favorite eBook purchasing site and snatch this one up. I hope there’s more to come for this couple and this series.
P.S. there is no Mpreg in this shifter world.
Till next time…
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
