A snowstorm on New Year’s Eve brought bear shifters Ellie and AJ together but a secret threatens to tear them apart. When Ellie is in danger, will AJ find her in time?
Each story in my Stranger Creatures series and
in my Haven Forest Resort series features a different couple as they fight for
their happily-ever-after and can be read as a standalone. Bear’s Dream (Haven
Forest Resort book 1) is AJ and Ellie’s story.
She had every
reason to hate him
Aiden
"AJ" Shepherd's mistake during a Shifter Army Enforcement rescue
mission cost Ellie Ortiz's brother, Marco, his life. She despises AJ with a
passion until a chance encounter with him on New Year’s Eve reveals he's not
the cold, heartless man she once thought him to be. Her attraction to him
takes her by surprise and she vows to ignore her feelings. When a new job puts
her in contact with him every day, the heat building between them threatens to flare
out of control.
His secret
could ruin everything
During a
disastrous assignment with Shifters United, AJ uncovers some information that
changes everything. Keeping the truth hidden from Ellie is killing him but he
might lose her forever if he tells her what he learned on his mission. When
Ellie ends up in danger, AJ will stop at nothing to save her. To survive,
they’ll have to work together to stop a reporter who is determined to prove the
existence of shifters.
Excerpt:
AJ staggered toward Ellie, holding
his side. She caught him before he fell. Blood poured down the side of his
face. She pulled the hood of his coat over his head to hide the blood.
People rushed over to them, asking
if he was alright.
I guess they only care how he is
now that the fighting is over.
“He’s fine. Just a little bruised
up.”
The wolf shifter woman cleared a
path to AJ and guarded his other side. “I’ll help you get him to the woods. My
friend can stall the cops and do crowd control while you guys shift out your
injuries.”
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
The wolf shifter nodded. “No
problem. Hurry.”
Ellie grasped AJ’s face in her hands
and looked him in the eye. “We just have to get to the woods. It’s not far.
Stay awake and stay with me. I can’t carry you. Understand?”
“Yeah.” His voice was barely
audible.
An eternity later, they found a spot
amongst the pine trees and bushes with enough cover for him to shift. “Hold on.
Don’t shift yet. Let me pull these chunks of metal out of your head first.”
He cursed as she pulled one
particularly large, jagged chunk out of his scalp. Blood poured down his face
and neck. His eyes drifted shut.
“Come on! Wake up! Shift!”
He slumped over, oblivious to her
yelling. She stripped him then dug her fingers into his stab wound. He growled
and shifted into bear form. A sob of relief escaped her. AJ shifted back to
human form, then, a split second later, he was a giant furry brown bear again.
The bear walked around for a moment, dug his claws into a tree, then pressed
his nose to Ellie’s cheek, making her laugh. In the blink of an eye, he was in
human form again.
“You’re alright now?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?” She ran her fingers
over the places on his head she’d seen cut and gouged. No sign of any wounds.
She looked at his eyes. He focused on her properly. She breathed out a sigh of
relief. “I’ve seen more than one shifter be pressed for time to heal and they
weren’t healed up as well as they thought.” His injuries hadn’t been
superficial. He wouldn’t have made it to their room to shift in privacy without
being stopped by well-meaning regulars—shifters and psy often referred to
humans with no strange, extraordinary abilities as regulars—insistent on taking
him to a hospital.
People who hated shifters lurked in
hospitals, watching, waiting to destroy anyone they found out of the ordinary.
Today, some ignorant haters had almost killed AJ, at a damn winter festival
celebration. Nowhere was truly safe. She was still freaked at how close he had
been to losing consciousness and never waking up. She knew damn well he would
have died if he hadn’t shifted when he did. She didn’t want his light to burn
out. Didn’t want anybody’s light to dim, really, but he was… She shook her
head. A good guy. That was all. She didn’t want to see a good person die too
young. She wrapped her arms around herself and her eyes teared up.
“Hey,” he spoke softly, “look at
me.”
She met his gaze, reluctantly.
“I’m all right,” he assured her.
“The important thing is, a group of angry men didn’t get the chance to beat the
living hell out of a shifter teenager.”
She nodded.
He gently stroked her cheek and his
hand came away bloody. “Your turn to shift.” She hadn’t felt any pain in her
face. Probably because several of her ribs were cracked and her stomach had a
fist-sized knot in it where she’d been punched. She stepped behind a tree,
undressed, and shifted. Her bear shook out her thick black fur and walked
around a few paces in the woods. After a moment, she reluctantly shifted back
to human form. Ellie stopped still when she caught AJ staring at her.
“Damn, you’re beautiful.” His
appreciative tone wrapped around her. She gulped and ducked behind the tree to
put her clothes back on. She emerged, wrapped back up in her bloodstained
winter coat and clothes. At least the blood wouldn’t show up since everything
she was wearing was black.
More about Bear’s Dream:
Inspiration for Bear’s Dream (Haven Forest Resort book 1):
Aiden “AJ” Shepherd and his brother Greg were both a small part
of Bear’s Edge (Stranger Creatures book 2) and the characters stayed on my
mind. Eventually I decided that the Shepherd brothers needed their own series,
so I had the brothers open up a shifter resort in the Haven Forest Resort
series.
Check out the library scene in Bear’s Dream!
One of my favorite parts to write in the story was when AJ and
Ellie escape captivity and seek sanctuary in a small library. Libraries have
always seemed to be so much more than just a place with books to borrow.
Libraries are safe places. They are places to let the imagination run free.
Within the buildings full of books and helpful librarians, there are computers,
connections to jobs, lifelines to help, opportunities for learning, and endless
wonderful possibilities.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Bears-Dream-Haven-Forest-Resort-ebook/dp/B09XT1WX5G
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bears-Dream-Haven-Forest-Resort-ebook/dp/B09XT1WX5G
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bears-dream-christina-lynn-lambert/1143427363?ean=2940160979106
Apple iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/bears-dream/id6448857265?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=books_box_link
Kobo Books: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bear-s-dream
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1388315
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Christina_Lynn_Lambert_Bear_s_Dream?id=psu8EAAAQBAJ
About author Christina Lynn
Lambert:
Before I was struck with the unexpected inspiration to write a book, I
worked in a few different fields. I was in sales for a while and did not enjoy
it. After I finished college, I worked as a case manager helping people with
disabilities. When my children were little, I was a personal trainer and running
coach. During the evenings, when I was supposed to be studying for another
fitness training certification, I started writing down the ideas for a story
that I couldn’t get out of my head. Finally, I gave in and acknowledged that
writing is what I was meant to do.
I love creating imperfect but
determined characters who find the courage to love and the strength to survive
in a world where there are no guarantees. My
stories include a fair amount of sarcasm, suspense, steam, and violence. When
I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time outside and finding ways to avoid
cooking. I live in beautiful Virginia with my husband, two kids, a sweet, hairy
monster of a dog, and two devious cats.
If you’d like to follow me on
social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info,
book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:
Amazon Author
Page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert
Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/cllambauthor.bsky.social
Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com
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