Sometimes the happy in happily ever after is relative. Or related. Sort of. The third slice of sweetness from the Cake-ily Ever After bakery in Kinship Cove will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. * * * I’m supposed to be the nice sister. The good one. The girl everyone can count on and who rallies the troops whenever one of us needs a little boost. I’m not supposed to be anything other than … boost. I’m not supposed to be anything other than sweet. I’m not the one secretly pining for a man twice my age. A man who shifts into a bear at whim and runs the whole darn town with a calm sort of confidence never before seen in Kinship Cove. But I do pine. I pine hard.
And when I make bad decisions because of that, I become the sister with a burden bigger than she can carry.
And a secret.
What would you do if you needed money fast? What wouldn’t you do?
I won’t sell my body. So instead, I’ll sell the closest thing I can—to whoever has the right amount of cash.
And I’ll cross my fingers and hope the bear shifter who refuses to see me as anything other than sweet never finds out.
* * *
I think this is my favorite book of this series so far. ~Sydney
HONEY BEAR is a paranormal romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling author Ellis Leigh. The story is a standalone PNR rom-com with wit, snark, shifters, and more than just flirting.
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Tempting him with honey
I think this is my favorite book of this series so far. I love that Jericho is trying to protect his mate without realizing he is actually hurting her, and that Madeline is trying to be strong when she is really sweeter than she thinks. Their road may be long, but eventually they make it to their HEA and their home sweet home. I can’t wait to read the next book.
– How to be seen as a mate? –
Madeleine’s ‘side business’ is a stark contrast to her ‘normal’ life and some readers may not like it quite as much as I do. I found it appropriate and original. Especially when you consider that shapeshifters work a lot with their sense of smell. (Note: How can you else – as an author – give a `stubborn goat` (here: Jericho) a helping hand?).
Just a shame it’s a short story. The characters are really adorable and you want to explore more of this citizen.
Sweet story on dad-bff-turned-lover and a long time coming love. The plot was all about accepting fate. When you love, you love. Why denying the inevitable. The plot was short but it did sweeten with the hot af sexy time. And what a sexy sexy time it was. Love how the plot spice up with bits of the resistance, the chase, and lovers quarrel here and there. We all know we need a bit of that in our instalove story, especially the smooth transition between drama and the lust part.
I really suggest reading the first two books to get a better feel for this story and the two main characters. These books sort of run concurrently but are not interlinked.
Poor Madelaine, her non-mate Jericho is really being a pain.
I could understand Jericho’s thinking but he was not giving Madelaine the respect she deserved. She is stronger than he believes though I did love him bearing out to confront Spencer when he was rude.
I found this a good fun story and would have loved to know what happens in the mayoral election. Hopefully that will be in Misty’s book which is next.
Misty and Paige were the ones being the most sensible in this book and I hope Paige gets her story too.
This is my honest review of this book which I have also read again through KU.
Madeline Chance is the youngest of the Chance sister. She’s had her eyes set on one male since she was a teenager. She is so in love with him that she even went so far as to buy the house she spent her childhood in (his relatives house) even though it’s falling down around her. But sadly, the male she’s madly in love with doesn’t return her feelings. He’s made this more than clear since the night she embarrassed herself and tried to throw herself at him, only to be rejected.
Now she’s trying to move on as best she can. However, she still owns a house that is falling down around her and the repairs cost more money than she has…So what’s a girl to do?
Sell her panties of course!
I absolutely loved Madeline and Jericho’s story. Although Jericho is a bit stubborn about his mate, especially because he’s known her since she was in diapers, there’s no fighting fate and the mate she gives you.
OUTRAGEOUSLY CUTE!!!
Title: Honey Bear (A Kinship Cove Fun & Flirty Romance)
Series: Book 3 of Mates & Macarons Series (Released as Part of the Multi-Author Shifters In Love Fun & Flirty Romance Collection)
Designation: Standalone Novella(Approximately 100 pages), NO Cliffhanger #paranormal #romance #smalltown #shifters #humor #funflirtyromance
My Rating: Five Deliciously Sexy Sweet Stars*****
I LOVED HONEY BEAR! And yes, I typed it in all caps because I’m screaming it from the rooftops. Mates and Macarons is, without a doubt, one of the cutest, sweetest, funniest, most outrageously adorable, feel-good paranormal romance series I’ve read this year, and that’s quite a statement because I read a lot of books! lol… I’m a diehard Ellis Leigh fan and have been for years. Leigh is one of my top five favorite paranormal, science fiction, suspense, and contemporary romance authors. And yes, you read that correctly – Leigh does write in all four genres and does it exceptionally well, consistently demonstrating her talent as a gifted storyteller and skilled wordsmith with every story she pens, which is why her books are an automatic one-click for me. For anyone unfamiliar with Leigh’s work, she writes captivating paranormal and science fiction romance as Ellis Leigh, riveting contemporary romantic suspense as Kristin Harte, and naughty contemporary/ new adult romance as one half of the London Hale dynamic writing duo. In the past, Leigh’s writing in paranormal romance has been somewhat darker in tone, but I was thrilled to see her stretch her wings and soar into something more fun. Don’t get me wrong; her other books also contain humor, but this new series is sweet, cute, lighthearted, fun, feel-good, and heartwarming without all the grit and danger, though there’s still a generous sprinkling of angst, just not the ‘OMG, I’m gonna die’ element, unless you consider dying of embarrassment a real possibility. Yeah, been there and done that! lol… But as usual I digress when talking about authors and books I love, so let’s discuss this story.
Honey Bear is a delightful, well-crafted, well-edited, fast-paced, easy to follow standalone novella with a beautifully written dual his and her first-person narrative. The storyline is upbeat with lots of cutesy, good-natured humor but does have its share of drama which, at times, is not only heartbreaking but also pretty darn hilarious. The dialogue is smart, snappy, and flows effortlessly. Honey Bear is very much a character-driven storyline, which brings me to my favorite component of every Leigh story – her always engaging and endearing cast of characters. I was immediately smitten with the female and male protagonists, sweet and very independent bakery co-owner Madeleine Chance and sexy, older bear shifter and mayor of Kinship Cove, Jericho. I am such a sucker for older alpha heroes and May-December tropes. But add in the fact that this is a paranormal romance totally sealed the deal for me because the only thing I love more than contemporary romance is paranormal/supernatural/fantasy romance. The physical attraction and sexual chemistry between sweet, kindhearted Madeleine and the reserved, always-in-control Jericho sizzles in every encounter. Unfortunately, Jericho’s control is about to be challenged. When he realizes Madeleine is his true mate, it definitely throws a monkey wrench into his re-election mayoral campaign and political plans. The fact that Madeleine is human will give his unscrupulous lion shifter opponent ammunition to use against him, but his bear is tired of being denied! He’s supposed to be her kinda, sorta adopted older uncle, a friend of the family and the one that made a promise to her parents, but there’s nothing familial about his feelings and desire for Maddy. With the mantle of his family heritage weighing heavily on his shoulders, serving as mayor and protector of Kinship Cove has never been a choice for Jericho but rather a family obligation. His good reputation and clean-cut image have always taken precedence over everything in his life, no matter what his heart or bear longed for. He just can’t allow his opponent to destroy Maddy’s good reputation and air her dirty laundry. Or can he? And his innocent (not really so innocent, after all), all-grown-up Madeleine isn’t helping one bit! Madeleine has always been the sweet, innocent, youngest Chance sister, the good one who’s always followed the rules – until now! She’s tired of being the good girl. Being good didn’t help her win the heart of the man she’s pined after for years, and it certainly hasn’t helped her get the money she desperately needs to repair her beloved Matilda. It’s bleeding her dry. When Madeleine’s parents were killed, she and her sisters were taken in and raised by Jericho’s aunt and Matilda is the home where he grew up. When it came up for sale, she had to buy it. It’s the only connection she has left to Jericho, and all she’ll ever have. Jericho has made it quite clear that he’s not interested in a romantic relationship with her, and it’s breaking her heart. But she can keep the house, if she can find a way to repair everything that keeps going wrong. So what’s a good little baker to do? Why give up on Jericho and find a source of secondary income, of course. Jericho always warned her that she’d have to be very careful living in a town full of shifters; they’d always be sniffing around after a sweet girl like her. And he was soooo right! For once in her life, she would turn a negative to a positive and use her smarts(among other things) to her advantage. But maybe, just maybe, both Madeleine and Jericho are tired of following the rules. Oh my! Nothing is ever easy for any of the Chance sisters, including love – but earning a little money online never hurt anyone, right? Maybe, but what happens when Madeleine’s secret side business is exposed and her dirty laundry is aired to everyone? (I just couldn’t resist the slight spoiler, folks! lol… You’ll understand after you’ve read the book!) Will she cost Jericho the election and lose her chance at love? We’ll see!
No spoilers from me but I will say this… Beautiful baker in desperate need of money and in love with a older man she can never have-check! An older bear shifter and mayor of Kinship Cove who has a reputation to maintain and a family heritage to uphold but is in love with a younger human woman he can never have-check! A sneaky fox shifter matchmaker determined to help her friends-check! A political campaign and a shifty, unscrupulous lion shifter opponent-check! A boatload of family drama, a liberal splash of angst, a healthy dose of laugh out loud humor, and a generous measure of steamy passion and sweet romance-you bet! That and a whole lot more!
So, did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adult readers since it does contain naughty language and explicit(dreamy) sex. Honey Bear is the third planned release in the Mates and Macarons Series with each book focusing on one of three human sisters who co-own the Cake-ily Ever After Bakery in Kinship Cove, a small close-knit town primarily populated with shifters. (Misty, the fox shifter who also works in the bakery, is not a Chance sister but I so hope Leigh will publish a story for her, too.) All the books are standalones with their own happy ending and could probably be read in any order since the timeline for each story is the same and the events in all three books are happening simultaneously. But to enrich your reading experience and avoid spoilers, I highly recommend reading the books sequentially. Will I read this author again? You bet, just as soon as she releases her next book – which I’m ready for now! And finally, was I entertained? OMG, completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
Great book. Great series.