#Review: Bearing It All by Vonnie Davis - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: BEARING IT ALL
Series: Highlander's Beloved #3
Author: Vonnie Davis
Format: Kindle
Published : Published October 27th 2015 by Loveswept
ISBN: ASIN: B00TCI2A5E
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4 Wine Glasses!

A Scottish hunter and a French secret agent find themselves on a collision course with danger—and irresistible desire—in Vonnie Davis’s new bear-shifting Highlander novel, perfect for fans of Jennifer Ashley and Shelly Laurenston.

In the pine-dense mountains of the Scottish Highlands, shape-shifter Ronan Matheson is running free when a desperate woman parachutes out of the sky, directly onto his furry, powerful chest. Instead of clawing her to death, Ronan’s inner bear longs to keep her safe. Once he’s back in human form, Ronan is amused by the mysterious beauty’s fearless attitude—and tempted by her expertly toned physique. But what could she possibly be doing in this isolated stretch of the Highlands?

French intelligence agent Anisa Brosseau never imagined she’d be on the CIA’s bad side—until she’s framed for treason and forced to flee in a stolen drone. Hiding out in a remote cabin, Anisa just needs some time to clear her name. What she doesn’t need is a brooding, muscle-bound Scot in a skimpy kilt to drive her crazy with lust. But when Anisa’s enemies come knocking on his door, Ronan calls on a secret weapon to protect his turf and the bonny lass he’s come to love.

Linda's Thoughts
“A bear! I've landed on a wild and wicked bear!”...
“She placed her fingertips on her forehead as if trying to gather her thoughts on how to handle this unexpected scenario. "Do not run from a bear. Make yourself a large target and yell to scare the bear away. Bears are easily frightened unless it's mating season."
"Oh, wouldn't it be just my horrible luck to fall on a horny bear?”

BEARING IT ALL by Vonnie Davis is a well-paced paranormal romance infused with a plethora of humor. I first discovered Vonnie's books with this series and, while waiting for the sequel, found that she'd written another series, Wild Heat, featuring sexy firemen. I can't get enough of either series now. Vonnie's books never fail to entertain. To say that they grab the reader's attention from the very beginning is putting it mildly. You'll have to pick up one of Vonnie's books to experience it for yourself.

BEARING IT ALL is the third book in the author's Highlander's Beloved series, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone if that is your preference. This is the story of Scottish bear-shifter Ronan Matheson and French secret agent Anisa Brosseau. I've been dying to read Ronan's HEA story ever since he seemed to challenge Effie to come up with perfect mate in a previous book. (Stupid, stupid man!) It sounded like an impossible task - but this tale is proof that Effie was more than up to the contest.

As the story opens, Ronan has escaped to his isolated cabin in the Scottish Highlands mountains to enjoy some peace and quiet away from his clan. Not that he doesn't love his clan... but he's a loner at heart. He has settled in, stripped down and is finally freely running as a bear when a drone plane buzzes overhead and a woman parachutes from it, landing right on top of his bear. LOL! What a novel way to start a story and a relationship! That's Vonnie for you!

As crazy as it sounds, both the hero and the heroine came across as being genuine, likable and relatable. They're both endearing, kick ass characters and actually totally perfect for each other - though it naturally takes them a while to catch that drift. I loved the reference to the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale when Ronan named Anisa his "Beauty" and called himself the "Beast." They had a love/hate relationship at first as evidenced by this humorous little exchange which gave a new meaning to PMS:

“What the feckin' hell is PMS, I'd like to ken?"
"Petty Male Shit," she yelled."
Effie is not only mentioned in this story, but she returns in her full glory and totally rocks it as she plays an integral part! Effie has been one of my favorite characters - if not my favorite - in these books. She's beyond quirky, but always right on and I can't get enough of her witchy ways. In case you don't know about Effie, you might appreciate Anisa's short description of Effie when she first met her:
“The little woman, wearing a pink and black zigzag-striped pantsuit over a black turtleneck, resembled a skinny zebra who'd OD'd on Pepto-Bismol.”
One of my favorite scenes was a performance by Effie at the hospital - I could not stop laughing. I literally had to put down my book to catch my breath. You will have to read the book to read that scene.

Other favorite characters from the previous books make appearances, too, so fans of the series will certainly enjoy catching up with them.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this read:

  “Months ago, he'd told Effie, grandmother to his eldest brother's wife, that he was too busy to find a woman. He went on to brag he was quite happy being alone. That the only way he'd even consider a woman was if she dropped from the feckin' sky. He groaned and downed his first cup of coffee. Him and his big whisky loosened tongue.”
---

“He held his crotch, his knees bent and his kilt showing he wore nothing beneath it.
She shuffled from one foot to the other as she stared at his Scottish bagpipe. Bet he could hit a lot of high notes with that thing. "You...you startled me when you grabbed me like that."
"Well, ye needna be afraid now. I couldna molest ya, even if I wanted to, which I dinna. I'm betting foreplay with ye would be like grabbing hold of an electrical wire while sitting in a tub of water." He groaned and cussed some more. "Hell, I bet yer vagina is lined with shark's teeth.”
---

“Ye have taught me something I never understood."
"What? How to get rid of Parisian Pink Pecker Disease?”

This book had TWO epilogues that I absolutely inhaled. Yep! You read that right. There's not just one, but TWO! AND they are both perfect. BEARING IT ALL is a must-read for fans of the series. If you enjoy steamy, fun paranormal romances with sexy Scots, I highly recommend that you check out Vonnie's Highlander's Beloved series.


 Suggested Reading Order:
A HIGHLANDER'S OBSESSION (Book #1)
A HIGHLANDER'S PASSION (Book #2)
BEARING IT ALL (Book #3)