Bear with Me Now
-
-
3.5 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
Love makes life a little wilder in this romantic comedy by debut author Katie Shepard.
After a panic attack puts him in the hospital, charity executive Teagan Van Zijl is dragged by his sister to a wilderness therapy retreat in Montana. Lost in the woods while absconding from midafternoon meditation, Teagan is nearly eaten by a bear before his rescue by a furious angel in muddy hiking boots: the program’s handywoman, Darcy Albano, who was mostly worried for the bear.
Darcy thought she was going to work as a trail guide when she was hired onto the camp staff but ended up cleaning and hauling instead—merely the latest screwing-over she’s endured since her ex stole her car and her parents ruined her credit score. Teagan becomes the silver lining she didn’t expect, a man clearly going through something yet willing to commit to Darcy’s unique brand of wilderness education as the cure for what ails him.
After weeks in the mountains with Darcy, Teagan doesn’t want to return to New York without her. He hires Darcy as his sober companion—a position he doesn’t actually need filled and for which Darcy is completely unqualified—hoping she can help him figure out a way to move forward. But once they get to the city, all Teagan can think of is how to confess the truth without losing her. Together, they begin to imagine what their lives might look like if they could depend on each other for help—even in outrunning a bear.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Shepard's flawed but enjoyable debut explores the unexpected romance between an aspiring park ranger and a big-city workaholic. The last thing clinically depressed Teagan wants to do after a weeklong hospital stay is attend rehab at a Montana wellness retreat, but his sister insists that a month away from his stressful job will improve his mental health. Retreat employee Darcy is frustrated to be doing maintenance work instead of wildlife education. When Teagan goes missing from the premises, she uses her wildlife knowledge to track him and save him from a bear attack, instantly bonding the pair. Teagan's more interested in hard work than the new age healing offered by the resort, so Darcy, who falsely believes him to be an alcoholic, takes him under her wing. But just when things might heat up between the two, Teagan is called back to New York for work. He doesn't want to leave Darcy behind, so when his sister offers to hire her as his "sober companion," he lets the lie slide. This deception is hard to get past, and though the couple do work well together, the ending leaves Teagan with lots of room to grow. It's not perfect, but anyone looking for romance in the great outdoors will find some charm here.
