Scan barcode
fmcfranny's review against another edition
4.0
Characters:
Sara was broken, bruised, and tormented by her ex, who also turned her into a werewolf, and kept her abused and subdued for so long. Scared of her own animal side, unable to even be in werewolf presence without wanting to flee and vomit. And her abuse was not just physical, it was every kind you can think of. She felt real, and you got very invested in her future happiness wanting her to have everything life had denied her. She was trying so hard to be strong and independent, trying to suppress her terrified self. Her journey was touching.
Ramsey a virgin bear that had never had a mate, girlfriend or anything of the sort. Kicked out of his bear clan just for making friends with a were-cougar he was solitary, strong, sturdy, dependable and patient. He was the opposite of Sara in every way. But he used his strength to bolster her, submitting in a way that made them equals more than one lording over the other. Letting her take the lead and helping her realize her true strength. He was by far my favorite male lead ever.
The plot was awesome. It had romance, it had a bit of fighting over the girl and from the girl. It had a message about tolerance and accepting others no matter their differences. I loved it. It flowed smoothly without jumps or dips.
Overall a fantastic read and has my new favorite line ever-- "That is the sweetest, and bloodiest, thing anyone has ever said to me." And despite how it sounds the moment is incredibly sweet (and so amusing I laughed loud enough that everyone in the house looked at me like I had lost my mind). I loved book 1 but this one beats even that.
Sara was broken, bruised, and tormented by her ex, who also turned her into a werewolf, and kept her abused and subdued for so long. Scared of her own animal side, unable to even be in werewolf presence without wanting to flee and vomit. And her abuse was not just physical, it was every kind you can think of. She felt real, and you got very invested in her future happiness wanting her to have everything life had denied her. She was trying so hard to be strong and independent, trying to suppress her terrified self. Her journey was touching.
Ramsey a virgin bear that had never had a mate, girlfriend or anything of the sort. Kicked out of his bear clan just for making friends with a were-cougar he was solitary, strong, sturdy, dependable and patient. He was the opposite of Sara in every way. But he used his strength to bolster her, submitting in a way that made them equals more than one lording over the other. Letting her take the lead and helping her realize her true strength. He was by far my favorite male lead ever.
The plot was awesome. It had romance, it had a bit of fighting over the girl and from the girl. It had a message about tolerance and accepting others no matter their differences. I loved it. It flowed smoothly without jumps or dips.
Overall a fantastic read and has my new favorite line ever-- "That is the sweetest, and bloodiest, thing anyone has ever said to me." And despite how it sounds the moment is incredibly sweet (and so amusing I laughed loud enough that everyone in the house looked at me like I had lost my mind). I loved book 1 but this one beats even that.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
Wow this book really made me loathe werewolves, they are so off my list as hotties! They were mean, abusive, sexists, rapist assholes. In the corner with you wolves!
But ok there were 2 good wolves, one outsider and one known. Still the rest arghhhh. Poor Sarah. She was turned against her will, her ex beat her and held her down. So now she is scared of wolves. And who would not be when they are such asses!
Ramsey, awww, the big bad bear, who really is just a big kind cutie. He was so sweet with her and just wanted to protect her against those idiots.
The book was so light and easy and I just breezed through it in an evening. Sweet, with some danger and just right.
But ok there were 2 good wolves, one outsider and one known. Still the rest arghhhh. Poor Sarah. She was turned against her will, her ex beat her and held her down. So now she is scared of wolves. And who would not be when they are such asses!
Ramsey, awww, the big bad bear, who really is just a big kind cutie. He was so sweet with her and just wanted to protect her against those idiots.
The book was so light and easy and I just breezed through it in an evening. Sweet, with some danger and just right.
odomaf's review against another edition
3.0
This book is much more enjoyable than it's pretty poor choice of title. I tend to like a bit more humor in my romantic adventure tales, but if you like yours more on the dramatic side, you'll like this one.
The first chapter is a little rough - throws a bunch of info at you at once and made me wary of how the book was going to go. It steadies out, though, finding a smooth pacing as it continues.
The male lead hit a soft spot for me -- the soft-hearted "humble giant" archetype is one of my favorites. I struggled with the female lead, as she spent most of the book cowering in fear and doubting herself. That said, her backstory provides the reason for this, and this book is about her journey back to a healthy self-concept. I think I would have liked it if she got there faster or if she had a more steady improvement throughout the novel.
Some of the emotional conflict between the main characters seems contrived -- the female lead makes up complications where it's pretty obvious they don't exist. While this is part of her character development, it still feels a little silly to have her make up these stories against so much obvious counter-evidence.
The sex scenes are a mix of cute, endearing, a bit humorous, and highly arousing. There is definitely an "oh my god, he's so big" thing going on here, but at least the penis is in proportion to the rest of the guy's body. And thankfully, there's no "will he even fit inside me?", because yes, honey, he will. Babies come out of your vagina, penises can go in. And even big penises are smaller than babies. :)
Seriously, though, if you read these kinds of books because you enjoy some explicit romantic sex with your adventure tales, you'll be satisfied with what you find in Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter.
I also enjoyed the unusual flip (these days) of the werewolves being bullies rather than irresistible romantic interests. The nastiness of the pack was well-painted, and the implied internal conflict of the pack was also developed well.
Final observation - I don't think the author knows that "Bear" is a term the gay community uses to describe men exactly like Ramsey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_(gay_culture). This pulled me out of the story a bit, because every time anyone referred to Ramsey by his shifter nature, it made me giggle a bit.
Overall, I do recommend this book as a satisfying read for those who like more of an angsty and serious tone to their paranormal romantic adventures.
The first chapter is a little rough - throws a bunch of info at you at once and made me wary of how the book was going to go. It steadies out, though, finding a smooth pacing as it continues.
The male lead hit a soft spot for me -- the soft-hearted "humble giant" archetype is one of my favorites. I struggled with the female lead, as she spent most of the book cowering in fear and doubting herself. That said, her backstory provides the reason for this, and this book is about her journey back to a healthy self-concept. I think I would have liked it if she got there faster or if she had a more steady improvement throughout the novel.
Some of the emotional conflict between the main characters seems contrived -- the female lead makes up complications where it's pretty obvious they don't exist. While this is part of her character development, it still feels a little silly to have her make up these stories against so much obvious counter-evidence.
The sex scenes are a mix of cute, endearing, a bit humorous, and highly arousing. There is definitely an "oh my god, he's so big" thing going on here, but at least the penis is in proportion to the rest of the guy's body. And thankfully, there's no "will he even fit inside me?", because yes, honey, he will. Babies come out of your vagina, penises can go in. And even big penises are smaller than babies. :)
Seriously, though, if you read these kinds of books because you enjoy some explicit romantic sex with your adventure tales, you'll be satisfied with what you find in Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter.
I also enjoyed the unusual flip (these days) of the werewolves being bullies rather than irresistible romantic interests. The nastiness of the pack was well-painted, and the implied internal conflict of the pack was also developed well.
Final observation - I don't think the author knows that "Bear" is a term the gay community uses to describe men exactly like Ramsey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_(gay_culture). This pulled me out of the story a bit, because every time anyone referred to Ramsey by his shifter nature, it made me giggle a bit.
Overall, I do recommend this book as a satisfying read for those who like more of an angsty and serious tone to their paranormal romantic adventures.
valerieullmerauthor's review against another edition
5.0
The first thing that I loved about this book is both Sara and Ramsey. Sara learns to stand up for herself and by the end, she becomes stronger and more self-assured and Ramsey is the supportive, caring hero that I liked from the first page to the last. This is a great story and I would recommend it to anyone!!!
inmyhumbleopinion's review against another edition
4.0
Although this is book two it can be read as a stand-alone. This book picks up where Beauty Dates the Beast left off. Sara is Bathsheba’s sister from Beauty Dates the Beast. She is a bitten werewolf who is afraid of (with good reason) werewolves. When the local pack finds out she exists they kidnap a young female werecougar. Sara comes up with a plan to get the werecougar back. She’ll trade herself to the pack for the werecougar and then Ramsey a huge werebear will claim her as his mates. The wolves won’t take him on and Sara and the werecougar will be safe. Though her plan works the wolves aren’t giving up which means that Sara and Ramsey are going to have to spend a lot of close quality time together. Can the pretense turn into something real?
I am really getting a kick out of these books. Jessica Sims keeps you turning the page (although there were times I wanted to throw the book away but that was just because of what was happening in the story. (I yell at the TV too.) This story has romance, intrigue and action along with hunky shapeshifters and smart sassy females. What more could you want.
I am really getting a kick out of these books. Jessica Sims keeps you turning the page (although there were times I wanted to throw the book away but that was just because of what was happening in the story. (I yell at the TV too.) This story has romance, intrigue and action along with hunky shapeshifters and smart sassy females. What more could you want.
fictionalkate's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't a fan of the first book in the series but I saw enough of Sara and Ramsey to want to know what happened next. I liked them as a couple and many of the things I didn't enjoy from the first book weren't an issue in this one. The chemistry between the characters was great and I liked them together. Not entirely sure how Sarah's personality has taken such a huge change from how she was described in the first book but that's not really an issue.
Plot was very predictable but I liked Sara and Ramsay enough that I didn't care. Overall it's a fun romance and that's all there is to that.
Plot was very predictable but I liked Sara and Ramsay enough that I didn't care. Overall it's a fun romance and that's all there is to that.
amykastigar's review against another edition
2.0
The pacing was good; it was a very quick read. Plot and characters were passable, but nothing to write home about. I read somewhere that this author writes in the same genre under several different names. If this is true, I get it. I won't be dashing out to find the next book written under this name.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
I want a were-bear!
Well, I want one if he's anything like Ramsey, anyway. He's the strong, silent, stoic but gentle type of man-tree that just....sigh. Yeah, he was lovely. Built like a forest oak, with rare but devastating smiles, he totally won my heart in this second instalment of the midnight Liaisons series, this time featuring Bathsheba's werewolf sister, Sarah.
If you read book one, you'll recall the claim that was made to the werewolves at the end of that book. This book begins just a few days before that, with the conversation that led to that decision. What comes of that claim is Sarah having to prove to the werewolf clan that she's mated to were-bear Ramsey, because that's the only thing that could possibly save her from having to go and live with them—even the claim of your own clan isn't strong enough to separate a mated couple. The wolves, for their part, desperately need another female wolf for breeding, and since they're so rare, they're determined to do everything possible to snare Sarah. Except the thing is, Sarah isn't really mated to Ramsey. They barely know one another. It's all a big lie. And unfortunately, although brain cells aren't exactly abundant among the werewolves, even they don't believe her since she looks positively terrified of him. Of course, they don't realise that after Sarah's hellish past, she's terrified of most men. And Ramsey being so huge doesn't exactly help with her nerves, either. Still, she puts on her bravest face and tries to convince them of her love for her "Huggy Bear" in the hopes that they'll go away and leave her be. Sadly not. They remain unconvinced and insist one of their wolves remain behind to observe them. By living in Ramsey's house.
So, here we have two people—one nervous and jittery after being abused by her former boyfriend, the wolf who turned her, and one naturally quiet and shy who generally prefers to keep himself to himself—who would probably never have naturally come together of their own accord, but who are forced to act the part to maintain a deception. But what happens when you start to realize that you may not actually be acting anymore? Is the other person still just acting? Are you still playing the same game with the same rules? Or have things changed?
These confusing questions and feelings led to a wonderful and engaging paranormal romance. One I thoroughly enjoyed. Sarah and Ramsey's interactions were both swoon-worthy and, eventually, scorching hot. The relationship developed at the perfect pace and it just made my heart happy, as all good romances should.
The Big Bad in this case was the werewolf pack and their insistent claim on Sarah, which all comes to a head in the exciting final pages. There were also a couple of interesting developments with other potential couples in the series, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about them in future books.
A wonderful PNR, and again, a great audio production!
4 Stars ★★★★
Well, I want one if he's anything like Ramsey, anyway. He's the strong, silent, stoic but gentle type of man-tree that just....sigh. Yeah, he was lovely. Built like a forest oak, with rare but devastating smiles, he totally won my heart in this second instalment of the midnight Liaisons series, this time featuring Bathsheba's werewolf sister, Sarah.
If you read book one, you'll recall the claim that was made to the werewolves at the end of that book. This book begins just a few days before that, with the conversation that led to that decision. What comes of that claim is Sarah having to prove to the werewolf clan that she's mated to were-bear Ramsey, because that's the only thing that could possibly save her from having to go and live with them—even the claim of your own clan isn't strong enough to separate a mated couple. The wolves, for their part, desperately need another female wolf for breeding, and since they're so rare, they're determined to do everything possible to snare Sarah. Except the thing is, Sarah isn't really mated to Ramsey. They barely know one another. It's all a big lie. And unfortunately, although brain cells aren't exactly abundant among the werewolves, even they don't believe her since she looks positively terrified of him. Of course, they don't realise that after Sarah's hellish past, she's terrified of most men. And Ramsey being so huge doesn't exactly help with her nerves, either. Still, she puts on her bravest face and tries to convince them of her love for her "Huggy Bear" in the hopes that they'll go away and leave her be. Sadly not. They remain unconvinced and insist one of their wolves remain behind to observe them. By living in Ramsey's house.
So, here we have two people—one nervous and jittery after being abused by her former boyfriend, the wolf who turned her, and one naturally quiet and shy who generally prefers to keep himself to himself—who would probably never have naturally come together of their own accord, but who are forced to act the part to maintain a deception. But what happens when you start to realize that you may not actually be acting anymore? Is the other person still just acting? Are you still playing the same game with the same rules? Or have things changed?
These confusing questions and feelings led to a wonderful and engaging paranormal romance. One I thoroughly enjoyed. Sarah and Ramsey's interactions were both swoon-worthy and, eventually, scorching hot. The relationship developed at the perfect pace and it just made my heart happy, as all good romances should.
The Big Bad in this case was the werewolf pack and their insistent claim on Sarah, which all comes to a head in the exciting final pages. There were also a couple of interesting developments with other potential couples in the series, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about them in future books.
A wonderful PNR, and again, a great audio production!
4 Stars ★★★★