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Review: Full Moon Dating Series: Books 1-3 by Julia Talbot


BOOK #1:  Aiden and Ben

When Aiden goes to Wyoming on the dime of the Full Moon Dating service, he doesn’t really think he and country wolf Ben will be right for each other. He just wants some time off from city life.

Ben knows better right away. He and Aiden are meant to be together, despite Aiden’s city ways and cluelessness about being a werewolf. Can he convince Aiden to stay with him, or will Ben, and Full Moon Dating have to write this one off as a mistake?


There is a lot to like in this short. It's hot. It has a couple of wolf shifters that are hot for each other. It's a nice introduction to a cute, cheeky series about a paranormal dating service with a kooky admin (Adelia) who pretty much runs roughshod over her bosses, Stone and Harve. In this installment Aiden and Ben get put together on Adelia's gut instinct rather than relying on the computer.

It works out. Good on her.

Talbot really shows her strength in portraying the difference between shifters in their human form versus their predator form in both their actions as well as their thought processes. What I found distracting was the writing style which is very unpolished and, at times, a bit juvenile and the speed with which Ben and Aiden start in with the "mate" and "mine" business. I wasn't ready for it. Also, there was sort of an undercurrent of "Little Red Riding Hood" which could've been fleshed out more. All told, I enjoyed the hotness and the cuteness of the wolfy stuff, but these characters and their story was too short for me to fully invest in it.

There is some mild BDSM discovery, nothing too harsh.

Find out more on Goodreads.




BOOK #2:  Coy and Denver

Coy is a big city werewolf who heads to mountain Colorado on the word of the team at Full Moon Dating, a paranormal dating service. He’s not sure Denver Allen is the vamp for him, but it can’t hurt to take a vacation and get a little hot loving in the process.

Denver knows Coy is the one for him when they meet, but there’s the whole issue of who the ultimate predator is between them. There’s also the problem of all that biting. Can Denver and Coy work out their troubles before it’s too late for both of them?







MUUUUUUUUCCCCCHHHHHHH better effort. The writing is more composed. The characters are better developed. The storyline is more engaging. The story as a whole is better constructed. In short, I invested in this one. I don't think Coy's attraction is as well articulated as Denver's, but I just went with it. I could possibly even go up to 4 Hearts on a different day.

Coy is a wolf shifter who gets paired by Full Moon Dating's computer. In keeping with the running theme of one of the Full Moon people choosing the coupling, at Harve's insistence that they will be a love match. Coy is paired with Denver, a vampire. I will say this vamp reminds me a whole lot of... 




The image didn't hurt I'll tell you that. 

Denver is isolated in some sort of gothic manor in Colorado with his butler, Addison, who signed him up with Full Moon. Denver is posh. The poshest of the posh. Coy is COUN-TRY! Country as country can be and a wolf shifter at that. Sounds like a match made in hell. Neither of them have expectations beyond sex, but they hit it off.  Their connection happens really quickly like in the first book, but I bought into it more than with Ben and Aiden. Them enjoying each other's company outside of the bedroom and the ordeal they go through strengthened their bond and drew me in.

Talbot again excelled at showing the differences in shifted states and how animalistic their predator sides can be. They are very rough with one another with tons of biting, as you can imagine, in their fight to establish dominance. I really REALLY loved how Coy eats. He adores eating especially meat and he kind of goes into a meat trance. Totes adorbs. And he's awfully cute and playful in his wolf state I couldn't help but smile. I also really loved how accepting Denver was of Coy being in his shifted state and their telepathic communication. 

There were times that I felt the writing was clipped and it occasionally struck me as juvenile, but it's terribly cute and fluffy. Like Coy's tail.

Find out more on Goodreads.



BOOK #3:  Evgeny and Feng 


Tiger shifter Evgeny worries that he’ll never find a lover who can stand up to his sheer size and strength. He’s scared off more than one man, which is why he turns to Harve and Stone at Full Moon Dating. He wants someone who can deal with his tiger self and not run away.

Acrobat and snow leopard Feng is all over Ev’s physicality. He’s used to working without a net, so he’s not afraid of anything Ev can dish out. Especially since Feng finds Ev far gentler than anyone would expect. They’re determined to make a two-city love affair work, so when Feng disappears, Ev will move heaven and earth to find him.


I've neglected to mention the growing UST between Harve and Stone up until now because we only get snippets of the two, but they are getting closer to closing the deal, if you catch my meaning. I'm intrigued as to what sort of shifters they are. Quite frankly, I was more interested in them than in Ev and Feng, who are the stars of this installment. It's Stone who puts these two together and there's a bet on the line between he and Harve if he wins. *eyebrow waggle*


Ev and Feng's relationship is constructed around the yin/yang philosophy. It's a thoughtful touch considering the heritage of the characters. 

Feng is a snow leopard and... exhausting. He's always bouncing around, jabbering, playing, exuberant which Ev seems to relish but I found frentic. Ev is a Siberian tiger and another shifter who loves his meat and is kind of lumbering and mellow. They are very cute together what with Ev constantly worrying that he's going to overpower and accidentally hurt Feng, but Feng assures him that his day job as an acrobat gives him an advantage coupled with his speed. 

They nuzzle and chuff and clean it other with loads of petting and the fuck like... well, like rabbits actually. The cat shifter aspects were more cutesy here. They like to nap and play with one another's tails and they talk about curling up in the sun. It's maybe too cute for me. I think I missed the edge of danger. Surprising since Ev's a tiger. I expected more danger.

Ev is an artist living in Santa Fe. I get sort of giddy when stories happen in places I've been. I love love LOVE Santa Fe! Both times I've been there have been repeated efforts to get into The Shed with zero success. These two knuckleheads just waltz right in without a reservation and immediately get a table! Then leave to go fuck in Ev's SUV!

*raises hand*

Uh, can I have your table then? 

This third installment follows almost exactly the same format as the previous one, but I enjoyed the characters of book 2 and their relationship more than I did this one.

Still enjoyable fluffery. 

Find out more on Goodreads.





Review copies provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

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