ellemichmoore's review
5.0
who knew a slow burn bear shifter and off season training hockey player romance was exactly what i needed? not me but it was and i loved it so much.
intheblackout's review
4.0
I really enjoyed True North. It's a romance between bear-shifter Misha who's running from a dark past, and hockey star JT who's struggling with being the captain of a team that's on a loosing streak, while also keeping his sexuality a secret from the public.
At the start, Misha has been shifted into his bear form for a long time. He's been rooting around JT's house for food and generally being a nuisance, leaving trash from JT's bins strewn across his lawn. The part where JT finds Misha in his hot tub was so funny - just a big ol bear hanging and relaxing in a hot tub.
Their relationship and romance was great. Corey Kerr did a nice job with the development; from JT coaxing Misha into his human form to overcoming the language barrier (as Misha had lost a lot of his English from being in bear form for so long and could only speak Russian), to the romance finally growing between them. It never felt rushed, and even though it was fantastical in nature their relationship was grounded.
At the start, Misha has been shifted into his bear form for a long time. He's been rooting around JT's house for food and generally being a nuisance, leaving trash from JT's bins strewn across his lawn. The part where JT finds Misha in his hot tub was so funny - just a big ol bear hanging and relaxing in a hot tub.
Their relationship and romance was great. Corey Kerr did a nice job with the development; from JT coaxing Misha into his human form to overcoming the language barrier (as Misha had lost a lot of his English from being in bear form for so long and could only speak Russian), to the romance finally growing between them. It never felt rushed, and even though it was fantastical in nature their relationship was grounded.
suflet's review
3.0
A very sweet story
I enjoyed this! It was interesting to see Misha's personality slowly reveal itself over the course of the first half of the book as he gradually felt safer and safer in his new environment with JT.
I enjoyed this! It was interesting to see Misha's personality slowly reveal itself over the course of the first half of the book as he gradually felt safer and safer in his new environment with JT.
galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
READ: Jun 2023
FORMAT: Audio
BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this contemporary shifter romance, JT has a problem: a feral brown bear shifter has chosen his garbage can as a prime destination for table scraps. The guy is skittish, and while the local shifter community knows he’s around, nobody knows who he is or where he came from. Recognizing he could be in some form of distress, JT reaches out to Misha with compassion and patience, ready to help him remember his humanity and re-enter society.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3.5 / 5⭐
Let’s get this out of the way: this story is kind of Saviour Complex, The Book™. Both JT and the author show at least some awareness of that fact. It’s pointed at. It’s even noted that JT has gone through it before; but that’s it. It’s a character flaw that’s never really resolved. It’s just showcased, then left to be.
Misha went through a traumatic experience in the previous year that had him retreat into his bear form, drifting from Toronto to Sault Ste. Marie over the course, where he then settled in and made a routine for himself. As a bear, emotions are uncomplicated, memories are quieted, and basic survival as an apex predator is prioritized. Trash cans aren’t the most lucrative dining spots, however, and his condition is declining and in need of some TLC.
JT is getting tired of having to clean up scattered trash from his driveway every day, and his hot tub is at no small risk of being damaged and gunked up by a several-hundred-pound animal, but he decides to kill the problem with kindness. Some tasty peace offerings go a long way towards earning Misha’s trust, and it isn’t long before he can offer the man some long-overdue care and shelter. A language barrier complicates things, but it’s nothing a bit of technology can’t solve. What the tech can’t help with, though, is the attraction they feel for each other but couldn’t possibly act on.
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3.75 / 5⭐
I don’t really have too much to say about the technical side of this story. The writing didn’t go above and beyond, but neither was it tedious in any way. Both the author and the audiobook’s narrator were new to me, and neither stood out in a way that made me want more from them, but at the same time I’m not offended by their work. I simply feel neutral.
I liked the cast of characters well enough. There were a couple characters I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. The setting was pretty well-realized. As a Canadian who lives a few hours out from Toronto, there were a number of moments that made me chuckle and go, “Yep, that feels like home.”
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 3.5 / 5⭐
This book is fine. It doesn’t lean strongly into any sort of shifter lore; they sort of just exist alongside humans and aren’t kept secret from them. There’s no mention of ‘mates’ or any sort of predestined/fated relationships. The romance is cute enough, it doesn’t really break any grounds, and the conflict sort of ends in an anti-climactic (but realistic) way.
This book has representation for gays. One of the main characters is Russian. A small handful of side characters are non-white, including at least one First Nations character.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
Spoiler
This book contains: animal death (fish eaten by bear); references to substance abuse and other issues associated with homelessness; alcohol use; homophobia, past hate crime; past attempted assault with a weapon; and, past accidental death (in self-defense).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Homophobia, and Animal death
Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, and Hate crime
endemictoearth's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was so cuuuuuuute. They don't even kiss until about 50%, but the progression of their relationship is very sweet. (Also, maybe tied with In This Iron Ground by Marina Vivancos for most casual shifter community I've read?) The writing is very evocative, as well. I don't like it when reviews say things like, "The writing was better than it had to be" but the writing here did have something extra that elevated what is a fairly straightforward story. Misha’s characterization as a bit of a hibernating bear even in his human form was both funny and endearing. It's also a very smooth ride, despite the
Spoiler
accusation of murder that forced Misha into hiding.elliebelle_'s review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
Wonderfully domestic character-study between a hockey player and a bear shifter.
JT is a pro hockey player, living in his lakeside home in Sault Ste Marie during the off-season. Plagued by a feral bear-shifter who won't stop eating his trash, and soaking in his hot-tub, JT decides to try to coax the bear to shift back and offers him a place to stay while he gets back on his feet.
If you're not a fan of slow, slice-of-life style books, this one probably won't be for you. There's some excitement later in the book, but mostly this is about the relationship that blossoms gradually between JT and Misha.
Both MCs are great characters; they have their flaws but are very endearing. Misha's manipulative, but in a fairly innocent & playful way, mostly making sure that JT feeds him junk food, and forcing him to watch his shows on TV. He's deeply closeted and struggles with internalised homophobia. He's secretive about his past, though it's clear that something traumatic has made him leave Toronto in a hurry and go on the run.
JT has been obsessed with his career to the detriment of his relationships, he has a bit of a saviour complex and dives into things without thinking them through. JT's friends and family know he's gay, though he's not out to the public.
As a couple, they're sweet, and they seem to fit together really nicely. Though they have different interests, they seem to want the same lifestyle and they fall into an easy rhythm. Oh, and they have chemistry, a lot of it. I really appreciated that there's a reversal of the expected top/bottom role-stereotyping too.
The climax managed to be dramatic without being OTT or melodramatic. It wasn't completely out of the blue, but made for a good reveal when the time came.
The epilogue was just…wonderful, and I usually think epilogues are cheesy and unnecessary. Prior to the epilogue, JT and Misha also manage to have an absolutely perfect grown-up conversation about their needs as individuals and as a couple. Yes!!!
A few things I thought were strangely left hanging. JT getting therapy, what were his nightmares about? We don’t learn anything about the worldbuilding, just that there are shifters and that everyone knows about them.
Wonderfully domestic character-study between a hockey player and a bear shifter.
JT is a pro hockey player, living in his lakeside home in Sault Ste Marie during the off-season. Plagued by a feral bear-shifter who won't stop eating his trash, and soaking in his hot-tub, JT decides to try to coax the bear to shift back and offers him a place to stay while he gets back on his feet.
If you're not a fan of slow, slice-of-life style books, this one probably won't be for you. There's some excitement later in the book, but mostly this is about the relationship that blossoms gradually between JT and Misha.
Both MCs are great characters; they have their flaws but are very endearing. Misha's manipulative, but in a fairly innocent & playful way, mostly making sure that JT feeds him junk food, and forcing him to watch his shows on TV. He's deeply closeted and struggles with internalised homophobia. He's secretive about his past, though it's clear that something traumatic has made him leave Toronto in a hurry and go on the run.
JT has been obsessed with his career to the detriment of his relationships, he has a bit of a saviour complex and dives into things without thinking them through. JT's friends and family know he's gay, though he's not out to the public.
As a couple, they're sweet, and they seem to fit together really nicely. Though they have different interests, they seem to want the same lifestyle and they fall into an easy rhythm. Oh, and they have chemistry, a lot of it. I really appreciated that there's a reversal of the expected top/bottom role-stereotyping too.
The climax managed to be dramatic without being OTT or melodramatic. It wasn't completely out of the blue, but made for a good reveal when the time came.
The epilogue was just…wonderful, and I usually think epilogues are cheesy and unnecessary. Prior to the epilogue, JT and Misha also manage to have an absolutely perfect grown-up conversation about their needs as individuals and as a couple. Yes!!!
A few things I thought were strangely left hanging. JT getting therapy, what were his nightmares about? We don’t learn anything about the worldbuilding, just that there are shifters and that everyone knows about them.
amanisky's review against another edition
5.0
review
This really brought a smile to my face. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and I was definitely surprised by the climax of the story. I wouldn’t call this is a slow burn but I definitely appreciated the build up and how you could see their budding relationship grow.
This really brought a smile to my face. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and I was definitely surprised by the climax of the story. I wouldn’t call this is a slow burn but I definitely appreciated the build up and how you could see their budding relationship grow.
llpantz's review against another edition
3.0
Slow moving but sweet
The love story was sweet and I love both characters. But the pacing of the story was too slow too keep me hooked through the middle. Overall it was solid, if a little slow.
The love story was sweet and I love both characters. But the pacing of the story was too slow too keep me hooked through the middle. Overall it was solid, if a little slow.