~ 2.5 Bearing It All Stars ~

I was waiting not so patiently for Bearing It All to come out in Vonnie Davis Highlander’s Beloved series. I have fallen in love with the world Ms. Davis has created as well as her characters. So to say I am sadly disappointed and bummed in Ms. Davis’s latest installment of Bearing It All, is an understatement.

I had such high hopes and expectations. Bearing It All started out at the begging so well, but something happened and I almost DNF'd it, but I kept going. I LOVED [b:A Highlander's Obsession|21544875|A Highlander's Obsession (Highlander's Beloved, #1)|Vonnie Davis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395700281s/21544875.jpg|40879171], and [b:A Highlander's Passion|22890393|A Highlander's Passion (Highlander's Beloved, #2)|Vonnie Davis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415540325s/22890393.jpg|42460380]. So, for this one to turn out to not work for me was sad.

What I Liked:
I like how the author has set up her shifters for this series. Man and Bear can talk to each other, its like two separate entities, yet they are one. Each bringing a different aspect to the conversation or situation. At times the conversations Ronan would have with his bear were insightful and funny. The author describes it best as “two different halves of a whole.”

I liked how the story starts out. It was just to funny reading about Anisa falling out of the sky and landing on Brother Bear (Ronan in bear form) and how she handles the situation. Funny!

I liked that we got to see some of the previous characters. Just glimpses into their lives. Like Bryce and Kenzie, waiting for the birth of their baby and how Colleen is so happy to become a big sister. Fans who have read the previous books will love the return of older characters.

I liked the short short story at the end called “The Pink Chapter.” Yep, those who are fans of the series will know by the title who it is about. We get a nice surprise in that story.


What I Didn’t Like:
The lack of Effie our ever loving pink haired grandma who loves to metal in the affairs of others. She brought so much comedy, humor, and fun to the stories, that I missed seeing more of her in Bearing It All.

Anisa and Roman. Well this story turned out to be an insta-love/attraction and they have a very quick romance. Yes, they have meet before about seven years ago in France, but that was more acquaintances, not a relationship. So, I never believed in their romance. It never felt right to me. In Highlander’s Obsession, book one, and A Highlander’s Passion, book 2, the couples had time to grow or they had a long history together, which made their romances believable. This one lacked that time of getting to know each other to really believe in their love.

Brother Bear was more like a child in this story. He sees Anisa as a mother figure or friend. I never got that feeling from the other books, so it just made the relationship between Roman and Anisa weirder.

I was not a fan of Anisa and that she is a CIA operative, yes she kicked butt, but some of the things that happened to her and why they happened never fully worked for me.

Last I never bought into the plot/storyline. Things happened that where just to unbelievable or it got resolved to easily.


Even though Bearing It All turned out to not be the book for me. If the blurb intrigues you, I urge you to give it a shot. Just because it did not work for me does not mean it won’t for you.

*Disclaimer: ARC provided by Loveswept via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.


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DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: A Scottish hunter and a French secret agent find themselves on a collision course with danger—and irresistible desire—in Vonnie Davis’s new bear-shifting Highlander novel, perfect for fans of Jennifer Ashley and Shelly Laurenston.

In the pine-dense mountains of the Scottish Highlands, shape-shifter Ronan Matheson is running free when a desperate woman parachutes out of the sky, directly onto his furry, powerful chest. Instead of clawing her to death, Ronan’s inner bear longs to keep her safe. Once he’s back in human form, Ronan is amused by the mysterious beauty’s fearless attitude—and tempted by her expertly toned physique. But what could she possibly be doing in this isolated stretch of the Highlands?

French intelligence agent Anisa Brosseau never imagined she’d be on the CIA’s bad side—until she’s framed for treason and forced to flee in a stolen drone. Hiding out in a remote cabin, Anisa just needs some time to clear her name. What she doesn’t need is a brooding, muscle-bound Scot in a skimpy kilt to drive her crazy with lust. But when Anisa’s enemies come knocking on his door, Ronan calls on a secret weapon to protect his turf and the bonny lass he’s come to love. ( )

This has been a fun light-hearted series that I have really enjoyed. Modern-day kilt-wearing highland werebears, a crazy old lady with pink hair and pink pelican baffies, and feisty females ... its a recipe for a good time.

Since the first two books featured the eldest brother (Creighton) and the youngest (Bryce) - we now get acquainted with middle brother, Ronan. I don't remember a lot about Ronan from the earlier books. That's not saying anything about his character or the writing though, I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. So anyway, Ronan is the middle brother and he is kind of closed off emotionally. He has never fully grieved for the loss of his father and he is a bit hung up on that, vowing never to marry or have bairns that he could die and leave alone like he was. Ronan's fumbling mannerisms were endearing. I liked that he is a man's man, fixing things and knocking heads are what he understands. Ronan refers to his inner bear as "Brother Bear" and he is very childlike and obstinate. His misbehaving, sneaking out and simple way of thinking was just as endearing as Ronan's vulnerability.

Ronan's special lady turns out to be a blast from the past, Anise Brosseau. Anise literally falls out of the sky onto Brother Bear as she is fleeing the French military and CIA, who have accused her of being a terrorist. She is not really a damsel in distress... but it kind of seems like she wants to be. She has been put through some hellacious training to become a French military agent... which goes way beyond anything G.I. Jane faced in SEAL training. I can't imagine this stuff actually happening - but I'll save that for my suspending belief discussion below. I just had a hard time connecting with Anise - though I did like that she was a capable female and very intelligent.

This installment was an entertaining diversion, but it wasn't my favorite of the series. Unlike the previous books, the plot conflict here is more real-world suspense than fantasy drama. The suspense aspect really requires you to suspend your belief, and because the national security area and legal field are within my professional line of work, there were times that I had a hard time with it. As long as you are able to look at it as "anything is possible" - you should be fine. And good grief, Effie still provides hilarious interruptions... and she has gotten to be even more of a dirty old bird in this book. Seriously, she has taken up handcuffs and sex toys and BDSM novels. So you can always count on her to be a good time.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars / 4 flames. ( )

Bears and intrigue!

Those handsome brawny Matheson men are back with their loveable wives and their precious niece Collen. Not to forget the pink encased hippie witch, Effie!
This time it's Ronan who is front and centre. Taking a couple of days off, Ronan has headed to his lonely cabin in the highlands for a time of release and repair. Let the bear run free!
Instead he's catapulted into the midst of a CIA internal investigation that includes the gorgeous French intelligence agent Anisa Brosseau, accused of treason, and who's being pursued by deadly agents.
Crashing her drone in the highlands and meeting a luscious highlander is not what Anisa set out to do. And when a delectable female pursued by dangerous thugs turns up on your doorstep what's a red blooded man whose bear is equally enthralled supposed to do?
I do like it that Ronan's bear, like a naughty child, sneaks away from time to time, and takes control. Bear's growing relationship with Anisa is beautiful in its own way. Ronan's relationship with Anisa is all that could be wished for. A great addition to the series.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

A very entertaining novel.
Ronan has always been told his woman will come for him from the sky, and Anisa Brosseau an intelligence agent on the run, does just that in away when she lands on him when he is in his bear form. They meet up again at Ronan's home and he is in human form and a relationship develops between.

The story was romantic and fun. I loved how Ronan's bear was treated like a separate person with feelings of his own. And Anisa was a real spitfire, she could take of herself.
And Effie was fantastic again, she is just a great laugh.

If you love a great shifter romance, I highly recommend this book and the rest of the series is also fantastic. ( )