Spirit Bear Conspiracy by Anne Kane

 

 

My mission: Save my woman, guard the secret of the Spirit Bear, and take down the poachers.

Spirit Bear Conspiracy

Brotherhood of the Wild #1

by Anne Kane

Genre: MC Romantic Suspense

My mission: Save my woman, guard the secret of the rare spirit bear, and take down the poachers.

 

Ryland -- I was tailing a gang of poachers, certain they’d lead me straight to their kingpin, when a stray arrow from a crossbow slammed into me. Pain lanced through me and everything faded to black. In that blur of unconsciousness, I could have sworn a pure white bear stood over me, calm as can be. When I opened my eyes again, a woman -- curvy and impossibly beautiful -- was watching me with the cutest look of mixed concern and distrust on her face.

 

Kimberly -- I thought I was alone on a tiny island off the coast of British Columbia until an arrow from a crossbow barely missed skewering me. With my dog Diego at my heels, I ran to hide in a maze of caves, my heart pounding. Crouched down in the dark, I listened in terror as voices and footsteps floated to me from outside. I prayed the shooters wouldn’t find the spirit bear that inhabited this place. When I finally crept back out into the daylight, I found I wasn’t the only target -- but the unconscious man lying in a pool of his own blood wasn’t talking. Victim or one of them?

 

WARNING: This Riptide action-adventure romance includes violence, abuse, coarse language, vigilante justice, and adult situations. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Enjoy!

  

What readers are saying:

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆5 out of 5 stars.

Diego Rules Poachers Drool !

Loved the start of The Brotherhood series !! It has loose ties to the Author’s other series called Riptide MC ! The characters Kimberly and Ryland are well written and a lot of fun to read. The storyline has real world implications in the animal poaching and for animals living in shelters, so please be careful if such stories cause you any emotional distress. The book has a lot of action both in and out of the “bedroom”. I can’t wait to read book 2. 5’s for an action packed read !. · Dianna Rule TX

 

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Spirit Bears 

Spirit bears (aka Kermode bears -- Ursus americanus kermodei) are a subspecies of the North American black bear with a rare recessive gene that makes their fur white or cream. Spirit bears are found only in the Great Bear Rainforest, the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest. Estimated spirit bear population numbers no more than 400 individuals. The First Nations communities who have lived in the region for thousands of years call the spirit bear moskgm’ol, or “white bear,” and view the animal as sacred.

Many thanks to BBC Wildlife for their Spirit Bear Guide.

 Ryland 

I watched the woman looming above me through slitted eyes. So far, she thought I was still out cold, and I intended to use that to my advantage. I hadn’t seen a female with the poachers, but why else would she be here? There was nothing on this island to attract a beautiful woman like her.

She pulled her shirt off, and then her undergarment. What the hell did they call those things? It didn’t matter because now I had an unobstructed view of her naked chest. Wow. Her breasts were small, a mere handful each, but they were firm and pert, the nipples pointing upward with a decidedly cheeky tilt to them. All in all, she had to be the cutest poacher I’d ever seen.

The dog whined softly. Darn thing probably knew I was faking it. Unfortunately, animals tended to be a lot smarter than the people they kept company with.

He didn’t appear to be aggressive but looks could be deceiving. He certainly wasn’t a small pup. Maybe part shepherd? Or Rottweiler, given the coloring. I could only hope he wasn’t a trained attack dog.

Why on earth would the gang have brought a dog with them? Poachers didn’t tend to be animal lovers. Maybe they used him to alert them to people approaching. Hell, maybe the dog was the reason I’d got shot.

Suddenly he didn’t look so harmless.

The woman leaned toward me, that underwear thing in her hand and I turned my full attention to her. Time to turn the tables on the cute little thing.

I waited until she was leaning directly over top of me to strike. Reaching out with my good arm, I grasped her wrist and twisted it, neatly flipping her over on her back and landing myself straddling her hips.

Damn, that hurt.

I barely managed to school my face into a fierce grimace.

The dog rose to his feet, growling a warning. I turned my head and growled back.

“Seriously? You’re sitting on top of me and growling at my dog instead of letting me bandage your arm so it doesn’t get infected? What kind of idiot are you?” The woman glared up at me with one eyebrow raised in question. Apparently, I didn’t look as intimidating as I’d thought.

Ignoring her remarks about my IQ, I scowled down at her. “Who are you, and what are you doing on this island?” I tried to sound as menacing as possible, but I had the sinking feeling it was going to take a lot more than a growly male to scare this woman.

“I could ask you the same question. I’ve never seen you here before and I come here a lot.” She looked kind of cute, glaring up at me. Under different circumstances I might even consider asking her out.

I gave my head a mental shake. Wow. Loss of blood was starting to affect my decision making.

The dog let out a low whimper, settling back down on his haunches. Cocking his head on an angle, he regarded me calmly. Apparently, he had decided to give me the benefit of the doubt… at least for now.

“I’m the one on top here so I get to ask the questions.” I felt the need to point out the obvious. “Who are you?”

She raised both brows, looking decidedly pissed. “Well, right now I’m a prisoner of an idiot who will probably pass out from lack of blood shortly. Unless, of course, he comes to his senses and hauls his carcass off me so I can bandage his bloody arm.”

This was not going the way I intended at all. “That’s not what I meant. What’s your name? Why are you here?” Maybe it would help my concentration if I stopped staring at her luscious stream of silky dark hair.

“I don’t think I want to answer that. How about you tell me your name and why you think it’s okay to manhandle a woman who was just trying to help you.”

The dog let out an approving woof.

“I’m the victim. I’m bleeding. Remember?” I was starting to feel like I was somehow at fault.

“Yes, and if you’d get off me, I’d be able to do something about that. You might want to consider that I’m not the one who injured you.”

“I’m not so sure about that. How do I know you’re not going to finish me off if I let go of you?”

The woman rolled her eyes. “I just told you I wasn’t the one who shot you. If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it while you were lying unconscious at my feet.”

She did have a point. I let go of her arms and clambered awkwardly off her, favoring my injured arm.

“Okay, I get it. You’re probably not the one who attacked me. Damn arm’s starting to bleed again, and it definitely needs a new bandage. The last thing I need is to let it get infected.” I held my arm out for her inspection.

The woman got to her feet, her body language stiff and angry. She ignored me as she brushed herself off. Finally, she glanced at my arm. “No thanks. I don’t think I want to help you anymore.”

Award winning author Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue mutt(Merlin the Wonder Dog), a slightly larger rescue dog (Lexi the Aussie Shepherd) a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many fish to count. She has two handsome sons and seven adorable grandchildren. She’s always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy so of course when she writes, she lets her imagination take over. The one thing the reader can always count on is that the main characters will live happily ever after, even if they have to defeat a few nasty aliens first.

When she's not busy writing the next great novel, she likes to kayak, hike, ride motorcycles, swim, skate, practice karate, play her guitar, sing and of course, read.

 

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Ten Western Romance Moments Readers Never Get Tired Of by Caroline Clemmons

 Ten specific Western romance moments come up again and again because they deliver tension, tenderness, and that deeply satisfying “this is why I read these books” feeling. Readers know what’s coming, but they are happy to experience these scenes one more time in a new story.

1. The reluctant rescue 

There is a special thrill when the hero or heroine does not want to get involved—but does anyway. Maybe it is escorting a stubborn schoolteacher through dangerous country, or pulling a stranger out of a flash flood when they would rather ride on.  

What readers love here is the clash between gruff reluctance and strong moral backbone, especially in Westerns where reputation and survival are always on the line.  

 2. Forced proximity on the trail 

Blizzards, broken wagons, or washed‑out bridges are perfect excuses to trap two people together in one line shack, one cabin, or one tent. In historical romance, this “stuck together” setup shows up across subgenres, and Westerns adapt it beautifully with storms, outlaws, and rough terrain.  

Readers never tire of watching two characters share firewood, coffee, and long, wary nights until forced proximity becomes emotional intimacy.  

3. The saloon confrontation 

The saloon is a classic Western stage: piano music, spilled whiskey, and sharp words. Whether it is a poker game that turns dangerous or a heroine marching in to drag someone out, the saloon confrontation crystallizes who these people really are when everyone in town is watching.  

Readers enjoy the layered tension—danger from the crowd, danger from the villain, and danger to the couple’s hearts when one risks reputation for the other.  

 4. The “I’ll marry you to save you” moment 

Marriage of convenience is one of historical romance’s most enduring tropes, and Westerns lean on it in uniquely frontier ways. A hastily proposed wedding can protect a ranch, a child, a reputation, or even a mail‑order bride who has been betrayed.  

Readers love watching strangers—or near‑strangers—step into a marriage for practical reasons, then slowly discover loyalty, tenderness, and real love inside that bargain.  

 5. The first real smile 

In many Western romances, the hero is stoic and guarded, shaped by loss, war, or hard years on the trail. That first genuine, unguarded smile—often over something small, like a clumsy colt or a kitchen disaster—lands with surprising power.  

Readers return to this moment because it proves the heroine (or hero) is getting through the armor, and because it signals hope in a story built on dust, danger, and scars.  

 6. Tending wounds after the shootout 

A favorite scene in both Westerns and romance generally is the private aftermath of public danger, when one character tends the other’s injuries. In Western settings, this might mean cleaning a bullet graze at the kitchen table or binding skinned knuckles after a bar fight.  

Readers never tire of this combination of vulnerability and care: the strong hero flinching under the heroine’s gentle hands, or the heroine leaning on the hero while he wraps a sprain.  

 7. Dancing under the stars 

Barn dances and town socials are staples of Western fiction, but some of the most beloved scenes happen after the crowd goes home. Two people find themselves alone outside the barn or on a dark porch; the fiddle music fades, but one last, quiet dance begins. 

Readers love this moment because it merges public courtship and private emotion—a step closer to love framed by lantern light, crickets, and a sky full of stars.  

 8. The unexpected softness of the “rough” one 

Cowboys, sheriffs, and ranch hands can appear gruff, blunt, or even intimidating at first glance. Western romance often delights in revealing their softer side with a small but vivid gesture: mending a child’s toy, rescuing a stray dog, or reading aloud to someone who struggles with print.  

Readers do not get tired of this, because it confirms what the genre promises—beneath the dust and bravado is a fiercely loyal, deeply tender heart.  

 9. Choosing love over land, pride, or revenge 

The West is full of high stakes: land disputes, feuds, financial ruin, and old grudges. A powerful recurring moment comes when a character consciously lays down revenge, pride, or even a coveted piece of land rather than lose the person they love.  

Readers keep coming back to this scene because it gives emotional weight to the happily‑ever‑after; love is not an accident of circumstance but a choice that costs something real.  

 10. Riding into a shared future 

Western romance often ends the way it began—on horseback or in a wagon—but with everything changed. Maybe they ride away from the old town together or simply look over the ranch they have decided to build into a shared home.  

Readers never tire of that final image of movement and possibility: two people who have earned their peace, riding side by side toward whatever comes next. 

What Western romance moment is your favorite?