Apex Shifters Boxset, Emilia Hartley

Book 1: The Bear's Home

A giant of a bear-man who knows very little about his past, a sly feline-woman whose avarice might just ruin her chance at a future with that bear-man, and an unknown danger threatening everyone.

Starting off the series with a simple-minded bear and a crafty feline, there's a lot of drama both in the relationship and in the danger behind the scenes.  I enjoyed the story more for the plot surrounding the town of Ripple and involving the "villain's" machinations of the MC's rather than for the characters themselves.  Thorn and Felicity were likable in an aloof way, but not relatable, admirable, or even charming.  There was an immense amount of objectification and brawn over brain that threatened to tank the story, but the direction of the series just may save it.

Book 2: The Jaguar's Romance

Helping an innocent bear shifter caught in the middle of a feud brewing into a war, the jaguar player might just have met his match in the curvy, insecure, subtly passionate woman who needs him...in more ways than one.

I can't say my opinion of Sally and Oscar was very good going into the story and wasn't holding out much hope for them.  They weren't bad, just not really my cup of tea.  With the drama in the story heating up, there's a lot more that drew me in and along the way Oscar managed to win me over with his heart and acceptance of all the changes he's willing to make to keep Sally and the love they've found.

Book 3: The Grizzly's Vendetta

Elathan is finally being brought to justice.  But the type of justice staring him in the face is none other than a past he swore to avenge...and to love.

Ending with a bang, there were a lot of surprises that kept drawing me into the story.  I don't feel the ending was complete enough and there was a lot of unresolved tension surrounding the MC's and the main players from Ripple, Oregon.  The dramatic story line throughout this series is brought to a satisfying conclusion, though only for us as readers, not for the rest of the characters from it.  I was so glad to get the full story, the bigger picture surrounding Elathan's actions and what goes down is definitely a doozy.  I'm glad I kept up with the series and didn't give up before getting to this point.

*$2.99 on Amazon