Dria Andersen

Paranormal romance books are a guilty pleasure of mine and I just love finding new (to me) authors and books in this genre. This is exactly what I have been needing lately. This book was a wonderful escape from reality and it was highly entertaining.
Gabriel Hamilton is a bear shifter and he has been in love with Naomi a member of the Ayala Panther Prowl for the longest time. Gabriel also knows that Naomi is his mate. Naomi is resistant to the notion because she is latent, meaning she does not have the ability to shift, and because of this she believes she can never be mated to a shifter. She also has some issues from a past relationship with a fox shifter that I feel clouded her judgement a little.
Therefore, Gabriel cooks up a fake marriage plan. He tells Naomi that he is betrothed and wants to get out of the arranged marriage, but the only way to do so is to tell his family he has found his mate… her. Now he just has to find a way to convince her she is his mate.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected despite the very familiar plot of a convenience marriage. On top of that you also have the best friends to lovers story. Both are well used in romance books. However, the author introduced elements of humor and family along with a few other things to make the story interesting and updated. It is also a feel good story and that is just want I wanted and needed.
The plot moved nicely and I enjoyed the characters a lot. The interaction with other characters was genuine and overall the story had a “real” quality despite being a paranormal book. I also thought the setting in the book worked well for the story. Lastly, I appreciate that the author ended the story and didn’t leave us hanging in order to sell her next book. That to me is always a big turn off.
While this book is one I would but into the beach read category, it is still a great story with characters that are well done. So don’t overlook it because of how people tend to stereo type romance stories, you will miss out on this little gem. Needless to say, I recommend this book and I am looking forward to reading more about some of the minor characters in the book.
I used my Kindle Unlimited account to read this book, though the author did request a review. You can read more of my book reviews, and author interviews, on my blog at www.thespineview.com.… (altro)