Cynful (Halle Shifters)

Cynful is the long awaited sequel to Bear Necessities, and is book 2 in the Halle Shifters series by Dana Marie Bell, which is a spinoff of her Halle-Pumas series and related to her Poconos Pack series. Julian is spirit bear shifter with extraordinary healing powers and a shamanistic outlook on life. He has known the identity of his fated mate for some time, however due to a vision that warned of his possible death which would result in her death as well if they were mated, Julian did not claim her from the beginning. Cyn is a human, who is adamant about maintaining her independence and not letting a man control her life, an attitude that was solidified when her mother was left completely useless after the death of her very controlling father. Cyn finds out about the mating and Julian's reasons for not mating her, and resents the fact that he made the decision on his own without consulting her about her own future. All of this happened in the previous book. In Cynful, we get the story of how Julian sets out to win his mate. Now that the circumstances surrounding the vision have passed, Julian is desperate to claim his mate, but Cyn is not in the same frame of mind. Cyn makes Julian jump through hoops to prove to her that he is not a controlling man, intent on running her life, and that he is her perfect match. While all of this is happening there is also a psychotic killer with a mysterious agenda on the loose. When Cyn finds out that Julian's life may be in danger, her warrior nature asserts itself. Cynful is a very different book from the rest of the books in this series and any of the spin-offs in that Julian is a very different type of hero. He is not a beta hero, but he is not exactly an alpha either. While he has unusual powers that allow him to assert his dominance over others if he wants to, Julian is a healer and compelled to sacrifice himself for those who are in need of him. Because of that he is often unwilling to put his wishes first, as was the case of his delaying his mating with Cyn. Cyn, on the other hand, is a warrior pure and simple. She is a protector and unwilling to allow others to hurt or take advantage of those she loves. They are a perfect match, and they both need each other, but it takes them a bit to figure out how exactly they will fit in each other's lives. As most of the related series to this book, it features cameo appearances by many characters from the related books. A nice surprise was in store for the Puma alpha couple, and of course we get to see a lot of Bunny and Tabby. Chloe is still in the picture, something that I never enjoy much since she is not my favorite character, but hopefully she will get he story told soon and that will be it for her. I am very interested in Bunny's brother and a possible story for him in the future. A tragic event for Marie and Jamie will not be a welcomed surprise for readers who have liked this couple in the past. That being said, it seems to me that Ms. Bell is trying to give us an opening for another possible story through the tragic events in this one. I will keep an eye out for that one as well. This book was not what I was expecting. Personally, I preferred Bunny (from Bear Necessities) as a hero to Julian. However, Julian wins over the audience despite his unusual hero status. He is charming, stubborn, funny, self-sacrificing, and alpha enough to make readers swoon. Cyn is a strong and fun female lead. They carry the story well, and while it may not be what readers are expecting it is still an entertaining read. I am looking forward to the third book in the series, which is tentatively titled Glorious and will be the story of Glory and Ryan.

I read this book fairly fast. I'm going to have to re-read it just to savour it a little. I enjoyed the book. I liked that the banter and sexiness that was present in the first book was present in this one. I liked that this book pretty much picked up where Bear Necessities finished and that Julian and Cyn' got the full focus of the book regardless of all the drama happening around them. SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD What annoyed me was that at the end of the book the damned riddle still hadn't been explained or expanded on. This pops up multiple times (I could probably recite it by heart and I've only read the book once!) and is obviously significant but we don't get the big reveal! It is also unclear if the riddle relates to what happens to Julian in this book or the larger story arc over the course of the books (not sure how many are planned). I'm going to have to assume the latter as it didn't get explained in this one. For me, if the riddle wasn't going to be "solved" in this book, it needed a little more explanation or detail or something so that it wasn't just hanging there! I was also surprised at Cyn's age. Not that I thought she was ancient I just put her in her late 20s, early 30s at the most, not early 20s. It didn't detract for me but when her age got mentioned it didn't match with my mental image. Overall, this was a fun read and a great entry in the series. I just wish DMB didn't write so many series so that I could have more of this one NOW and not when it becomes more than a "gleam in her eye" as per her website. Waiting on Glorious...

I've been working my way through the Halle Shifters/Puma stories and I've developed a great interest in Julian. He was in the first book I read but I tried to read them in order so I pushed him back. Julian DuCharme is an enigma, he's a bear healer, considered a myth by most shifters because they've never seen one before. Julian is in Halle because he's found his mate, Cynthia "Cyn" Reyes, owner of a Tatto shop and one hot human. She knows he's a bear but not what kind and she realizes that he can heal others. She has really fallen for him but isn't sure she wants to be "furry". This is a delightful story, all the other shifter stories are, funny and irreverent but totally engaging. Join Julian and the other shifters as they look out for Cyn and her co-workers. Great story!!!

This book follows on soon after Bear Necessities and is the story of Kermode bear Julian and his human mate-to-be Cyn. There was a strong plot to this story and it was great to see the relationship develop between these two characters. I really enjoyed that the main characters from the first book were carried over and played such major roles in this book too. The writing flows well and it is hard not to fall further in love (or lust ;) with these characters. Julian and Cyn are tough, but not completely bulletproof and this makes them even more likable. I loved the added spiritual aspects in this story - especially Cyn's spirit journey. This book had me laughing and crying and I throughly enjoyed it.

not a bad story, but had trouble losing myself in the world the author creates. I'm really not into girls with candy color dyed hair and dressing up as anime characters. but the shifter aspects and romance of the story are really good. if you can get past the unique social aspects of the girls that are the main characters, it is good.

This is a great story. Loved Julian the Spirit Bear but most of all I love Cyn. So sassy, so funny and full of one line quips. I really do enjoy all of Dana Marie Bell's books. They are very sexy, very funny. It is not often you get a sexy romance which also makes you smile. My idea of a good book.

Fun and sexy shifters. I love this series!! Can't wait for the next book!! Got to know who hurt Chloe (the little fox girl). This author always leaves you wanting more. Each new book carries on with your old favorites from previous books, but is a good standing alone too. I read an earlier one and bought the whole series (so far). Nice to get a new series and just waiting for the next book I read them all over again (Ok, here's my secret. I like the books enough that I read them over when a new one comes out. They just make me happy) It's fun that a book can take you so many places, and you end up happy you read it. Enjoy!!

I've been methodically working my way through the different series, and I just love them to pieces. The characters are individuals that stand out, they aren't just submissive female/alpha male like most shifter books are. Have recommended to several friends already who enjoy romance novels with humor, descriptive sex scenes, and well developed characters/plots to check out all of this authors works.

Another great read loved it Dana marie bell knows how to write them, loved all the characters how they all worked into the story , would recommend all of Dana s shifter novels.

I only just discovered this author recently and ever since I finished reading the first book in the Halle Shifters series I have eagerly devoured every book by Dana Marie Bell I can get my hands on! I love this book, the characters make me laugh out loud and root for their HEA. I would absolutely recommend this series, as well as ANY book written by Dana Marie Bell. I eagerly look forward to any new release from this fabulous author!! Happy reading everyone!

Have to admit that I like shifter books. So they are not the stuff for nobel prizes or the highly intellegent, but hot and sexy and a nice way to escape all day and every day stress. But this.. lets stay positive and say that I am glad I bought it on Kindle, that way at least no trees had to be sacrificed for this useless waste of my time.

This wasn't as good as the book before it (Bear Necessities) but it was still worth a read. The humor is the same and made me laugh out loud (earning me some funny looks).

I chose this rating because I really liked this book; it was better than the previous one and had romance and action and drama. I didn't like how she (Cyn) was so stubborn in not giving in and then abruptly just gave in. But I loved how he was sweet and funny. I recommend this book to women who like a small indulgence every now and then, just to relax.