Review: Black Bears of Independence - K.R.Hall

Blurb: 

The ghost town of Independence, Colorado is beginning to thrive again. A clan of black bear shifters has settled in and opened the Independence Dude Ranch.
Alpha Corbin Hurst has dreamed of his fated mate ever since he and his clan began work in Independence. He longs for his mate and the future they will have.
Eloise Freimont has sworn off men since breaking up with her boyfriend. She has come to Independence Dude Ranch to get her mind focused on her life, not on the sex-on-a-stick Corbin Hurst.
Julius has followed Eloise to get her back one way or the other. He has decided if he can’t have her no one else can.
Someone is spying on the Black Bears of Independence Clan. He has his plans for the town and wants the shifters gone permanently. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
When Corbin explains about shifters and fated mates to Eloise will she think he is crazy and run away? What will Julius do when he discovers Eloise is interested in another man? Who is this mysterious man that wants the shifters gone? At what lengths will he go to get what he wants? What is so valuable in an old mining ghost town?

Amazon

I love a good paranormal, but Black Bears of Independence was a bit of a different read for me. I was torn in more ways than one. First I want to say how much I enjoyed this book. So much so that I am dying to read what happens to the Corbin's friends, Jase and Cade. I especially want to read Benjamin's story, which after checking out the author, I realized I have to wait until December for. There were however a few issues with the book that my OCD just will not let me overlook.

The author has our hero, Corbin, giving up being an alpha in his family clan, a role he was groomed for since he was born, in order to set off with his friends and start a completely new clan elsewhere because his view of how the clan should be run differs from the way his father wanted things run. I would think that as an Alpha, Corbin would be able to bring the clan into the current century as he would like to without his father's approval and the clan would have to follow. Instead, he just leaves. Who does that? Also, for someone groomed to be the next alpha, Corbin is surprisingly insecure about everything. If this were the only issue, I could probably overlook it and give the story the 5 stars it obviously would deserve just on plot and story line alone. I mean I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.

However, then we had the issue of aspects getting repetitive. The author needs to get her money back from whoever edited this book. There were no less than 3 parts in the book where entire paragraphs were repeated with the difference being a few words here and there. Yes, we know that the death of his mother was a severe blow, but we do not need the entire thing explained again almost verbatim in the next chapter. What happens to a shifter should he lose his life mate is tragic, but again... not something we need repeated again almost word for word in the next chapter. This is where an editor earns their keep and this one obviously did not.

CAUTION... Possible SPOILER ahead

My final issue with the book was Benjamin. Well, not really Benjamin, but Corbin's home clan as a whole. Although come to think of it, this may be part and parcel a part of Corbin's insecurity and solely located all in his head. It sounds as if Corbin's relationship with his brother and former clan is not the best. They supposedly hate him for not taking up the role of Alpha and leaving the clan to his younger brother who was never meant to be their leader. Yet when it comes down to it and we finally meet Benjamin, he is warm and cordial. Not at all how I would have thought someone who hates his brother would behave. This inconsistency bothered me the most.

Don't get me wrong, all these things aside, the author is a fantastic storyteller. I found myself so engrossed in the story and the building mystery that I could not put the book down. I literally read the entire thing in less than a day and found myself wishing I had the next book in the series so I didn't have to stop reading about the Black Bears of Independence. Sadly, I would have to give a 5-star story and plotline merely 3.5 stars rather than the 5 stars I am dying to give it. I also find myself hoping the author gets the issues with the story fixed because the errors do a disservice to her talent as a storyteller. I am so glad I decided to read this and am dying to read Cade's story next.