Mary Elizabeth hated the countless demands of her self-centered mother and the sudden unwanted attentions of her brother-in-law. Charles apparently thought the death of his cheating wife - Mary Elizabeth's favored twin sister - gave him the right to walk back into Mary Elizabeth's life after leaving her for Babs. Besides, her mother was on a crusade to move Mary Elizabeth home, where she'd have her at her beck and call. Fortunately, Mary Elizabeth's friend Kiesha was opening a new outlet in her chain of consignment stores in Refuge, North Carolina and wanted Mary Elizabeth to manage it.

Refuge is a community of shapeshifters, humans and a vampire. While the majority of the shifters are wolves, Hugh is the lone bear shifter. Owner of the only cafe in town, he's happy to rent the apartment above it to the manager of Kiesha's new store. The last thing he expects to feel when he meets Mary Elizabeth is sexual interest. After years of looking for a mate, could he have finally found his One, the one human compatible with his DNA?

Mary Elizabeth is short, but she wasn't tiny. Yet, Hugh - a big bear of a man - makes her feel petite and desirable. While she isn't interested in a permanent relationship, she's willing to have an affair with him. But when Hugh begins sneaking into her bed and moving his things into her closet, she begins to wonder if she's bitten off more than she can chew. Then she accidentally discovers that he isn't human. Although she knows about the wolf shifters in town, that rat Hugh hasn't bothered to inform her that he can morph into a bear! Ultimately, when a surprising and dangerous confrontation promises to rip her from Hugh's arms forever, she fights for the one chance she has to tell him she loves him.

Zena Wynn's Mary and the Bear, the second installment in her True Mates series is a dramatic character-driven love story that managed to draw me in as quickly and thoroughly as the action-packed fare I usually devour. The emotional aspect of this book is just so strong, it had me turning pages far into the night. As a bear shifter, Hugh is a bit rough in his lovemaking, but the undercurrent of tenderness in his love for Mary Elizabeth certainly makes up for it. Although she fears emotional entanglement because of the hurt in her past, she must ultimately accept that she deserves to be loved before she can recognize that Hugh loves her.

While Mary and the Bear can be read as a stand-alone story, I recommend reading this series in order. This book continues to build on the back story about Shannon and Nikolai that began in True Mates and is featured in book three, Nicholai's Wolf. We're also introduced to Deputy Chadleigh Wilson, the hero in book four, Tameka's Smile, along with Sheriff Rome, who appears to have a book in the offing as well. I can hardly wait!

Reviewed by: Merrylee