Blog Tour: Fangs for the Memories (Dead and Breakfast #2) by Julia Talbot

Celebrate the release of Fangs for the Memories with author Julia Talbot today and learn a few housekeeping tips along the way!

Hey y’all!

I’m Julia Talbot, and I’m here to talk about my November 6 release with Dreamspinner Press, Fangs for the Memories, book 2 of the Dead and Breakfast series.

I love this series so much! It’s about a bed and breakfast for the paranormal, and they welcome everything from werewolves and vampire to gorgons and yetis.

Ed the magpie shifter is the new assistant manager, and instant good friend to Nathan and Tom, the featured couple in Fangs for the Memories. Here are a few of his management tips for dealing with their very unusual types of guests:

10. Always have the vacuum cleaner cleaned and the filters washed out. Shedding hair, skin, and sometimes wrappings and grave dirt happens. A lot.

9. Never surprise a gorgon. Never, ever, ever.

8. Turtlenecks are a must when a vampire is on the guest list.

7. Werewolves and were cats eat a lot of meat. Like, bunches. Not all of it needs to be cooked. Don’t accidentally put yourself between them and the meat. Ow.

6. Yetis on the guest list require lots of ice. Bathtubs full. Even in fourteener Colorado winter.

5. Always find out when your vampire guests were born. A “Good morning, dude!” doesn’t work well for a seventeenth century lady.

4. The boss is a werebear. Let him nap. When he’s grumpy, give him warm milk and send him to bed.

3. The co-owner is a vampire, and a writer. Never ask him if he wants help mapping out a murder for his thrillers. Nope. Uh-uh.

2. Love is love. Even a gorgon can find a gargoyle who’s already made of stone!

1. Diversity rocks. The best job is the kind of job where stuff is different every day. I love my job.

I hope y’all will like Ed, as well as all his friends, their amnesia story, and a whole ton of adventure.

XXOO

Julia Talbot

Blurb:

A Dead and Breakfast Novel

One wolf lost his memory, but they’ll both lose their hearts.

Bitten werewolf Tom owes the folks at the Dead and Breakfast big for saving his life. So when they ask for help with a rogue wolf on the premises, he’s happy to do his part….

Though he isn’t quite prepared for what he’ll find.

Werewolf Nathan lost everything to a sadistic kidnapper—his freedom, his memories, and maybe even his ability to be human. But as soon as he meets Tom, he knows he might be able to reclaim his life. And even a turned wolf like Tom feels the mating call. The trouble is, Tom isn’t the only one who wants Nathan, and they’ll need help from all their supernatural friends at the D & B to defeat a powerful enemy and keep their love—and themselves—alive.



Buy Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/fangs-for-the-memories-by-julia-talbot-9965-b

Bio: 

Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia has been published by Samhain Publishing, Dreamspinner Press, and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor
https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotwriterpage/
https://twitter.com/juliatalbot
https://www.instagram.com/juliatalbotwrites/

Review: Fangs for the Memories (Dead and Breakfast #2) by Julia Talbot

One wolf lost his memory, but they’ll both lose their hearts.

Bitten werewolf Tom owes the folks at the Dead and Breakfast big for saving his life. So when they ask for help with a rogue wolf on the premises, he’s happy to do his part….

Though he isn’t quite prepared for what he’ll find.

Werewolf Nathan lost everything to a sadistic kidnapper—his freedom, his memories, and maybe even his ability to be human. But as soon as he meets Tom, he knows he might be able to reclaim his life. And even a turned wolf like Tom feels the mating call. The trouble is, Tom isn’t the only one who wants Nathan, and they’ll need help from all their supernatural friends at the D & B to defeat a powerful enemy and keep their love—and themselves—alive.

Oh how this pains me to give such a rating but for some reason, unlike the first book Fangs and Catnip, I just wasn’t feeling it with this sequel.

Don’t get me wrong. I still find the entire premise charming - a B&B that caters to the supernaturals, portraying plenty of fun characters that now boasts the addition of a magpie, a raven, a fox, and an imp! This go around focuses on Tom, who we saw in book one and is now a successful werewolf who’s made it his life’s calling to help other shifters in need. When he gets a call from his old friends Tanner and Connor, Tom doesn't hesitate to help them with a rogue wolf prowling the Dead & Breakfast’s property. Tom for sure never expects to find his perfect match in the process who unfortunately, is caught up in some very awful evil.

Having originally listened to Fangs and Catnip, I think this sequel would totally benefit from another audio by Dorian Bane, as he lent an authenticity and dramatic flair to the quirky humor and endearing qualities of each shifter character. It seems though, that DSP has stalled on producing more audios for their Beyond line which is terribly terribly disappointing and thus, we might not get an audio for this book. By actually reading this, the over the top silliness was made all the more blatant, and the constant “mate, lover, mate, honey, mate, love, mate” (can you tell that mate was used here no less than 100 times in conversation??) drove me a bit wonky.

For those of you who fancied the first book, I have no doubt you’ll like this sequel for similar reasons, especially as this continues mostly in the same vein as a cute and sexy romantic romp. Alas for me, the different “reading” experience was just too stark, and my enjoyment just couldn’t be stoked to previous levels.

Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: Night of the Living Manny by Julia Talbot

Celebrate the release of Night of the Living Manny with author Julia Talbot and Dreamspinner Press. Learn more about the paranormal romance below! See our review HERE!

Hey y’all!

I’m Julia Talbot, and I’m here to chat today about Night of the Living Manny, my new paranormal category romance from Dreamspinner Press!

When I set out to write Night of the Living Manny, I decided to go back and have a zombie fest of movies. I’m not a Walking Dead fan, so I needed an infusion of inspiration.

Here are the top five movies I love for getting in the Z space…

5. Resident Evil. I like the first one, really. I mean, what’s not to love. Mila Jojovich. Michelle Rodriguez. James Purefoy… Yeah. I’m equal opportunity when it comes to the pretty, just like Lian from Night of the Living Manny. Corporate greed. Scientists. Love this one so much.

4. Night of the Living Dead. Oh, yes. Romero. The shamblers. We’re coming to get you, Barbara! This one is such a classic, and it still makes me avert my eyes on a few scenes.

3. 28 Days Later. Love that the contagion comes from animals. Love that the zombies are fast instead of slow, although if there is a zombie apocalypse, please make them slow. For lo, I am iceberg-ish when I have to run.

2. Reanimator. OMG this one is so underrated. Scientist bringing back the dead? Check. Telepathy? Check. Bad 80s stuff? Yes, please. And it’s based on a Lovecraft story. Sighs happily.

1. Shaun of the Dead. Was there any question about thjs one? Nah. If y’all know me at all, you know I’m goofy, snarky, a bit oblivious and a bit bitchy. In short, I identify with both Shaun and Ed, the main characters of Shaun of the Dead, as well as girlfriend Liz, who’s the voice of reason. Funny, smart, and totally a send up of all zombie movies to come before it.

There you go. Those were my warm ups to writing my zombie opus!

I hope y;all will give Night of the Living Manny a chance!

XXOO

Julia

Blurb:

Something besides love is growing…

Manny Brenden Torrance is good at his job. He's dealt with all sorts of children and parents, but he's never met anyone as intriguing as Liam Whitehouse. Liam is a scientist with three kids, whose job is keeping him away from home more and more. That's where Brenden steps in to help.

Liam has secrets, though. He's working on a project for a pharmaceutical lab that could change disease management. Or destroy it. While he and Brenden start a romance they both want to continue, things at Liam's job come to a head, and suddenly the whole family of Dad, manny, three kids, and a big drooly dog is on the run from the one thing that might keep Brenden and Liam apart. And infect the world.

Buy Link 

Connect with the author:

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Review: The Wolf's Man Friday (Nose to Tail Inc. #2) by Julia Talbot

The last thing Sebastian Zeller wants is to be pack Alpha. But when the pack leader, his uncle Ron, is attacked, he has no choice but to leave his beloved Colorado mountains and fulfill his duty as Ron’s heir—at least until his uncle recovers. In the meantime, he intends to lure the attacker out… and make them pay.

When Ron gets wind of Sebastian’s plan to catch the attacker, he doesn’t like the idea of risking his heir. That’s where Jaxon Reedis comes in—he’ll balance protecting the dark and sexy werewolf with pretending to be his personal assistant. He’s walking a fine line that requires all his foxy wit and craftiness… and that’s on top of the inescapable feeling that he and Sebastian are meant for each other. When the attacker returns, will they be able to maintain their deepening bond when danger threatens to tear down everything they’re building?

Julia Talbot can always be counted on to deliver an entertaining shifter tale. There’s always lots of fluffy love with just enough edge to keep it interesting and keep the reader engaged. While this is the second in the Nose to Tail series it can be read as a stand alone as there is plenty of backstory and character development to get the reader acquainted with the Nose to Tail dynamics.

I always appreciate a shifter tale with a unique take and The Wolf’s Man Friday definitely has the uniqueness down. The shifter world wasn’t confined to the ever popular wolf shifter population; one MC, Sebastian is a wolf, but the other, Jax is a fox and the two of them made a perfect pairing. Sebastian is being groomed by his uncle to become the pack’s next alpha, but while Sebastian is all about loyalty, he has no interest in becoming alpha. The current alpha is Sebastian’s Uncle Ron and he was attacked by unknown shifter assailants, he is in hiding while recovering, but he also has some secrets.

Uncle Ron hires Jax to be Sebastian’s assistant on the surface, but he’s also there on the sly to be his protector. I loved the idea of a smaller fox shifter being a total badass and protecting the big potential alpha wolf. Jax is a scrappy, snarky ginger who organizes Sebastian to no end. So, Jax is not just a protector, he actually is an amazing assistant.

Sebastian isn’t a fighter, I mean, he can definitely hold his own in a battle but he’s an artist at heart. He wants to hole up in his mountain cabin and create, he has no interest in pack politics, but he is torn between loyalty and the desire for a life of his own with the man he has come to love. Sebastian and Jax moved past a professional relationship to boning buddies to lifelong loves relatively early on. It wasn’t necessarily too quick to be believable, these two guys were both on the same page early on and they came together in a pretty angst free way. I liked that aspect a lot, I like when I get page time with the MC’s after they become a couple and I totally bought into an HEA for them.

There is the obligatory pack drama, Uncle Ron’s past mysteries come to the forefront and there are all manners of mysteries and battles for family and pack. The endgame was equal parts sad and relieving. The mystery gets solved but there are just enough new characters introduced and open ended pack questions to leave the door open for another books in the series.

If you’ve read any of this author’s shifter stories previously you’ll be pretty familiar with the writing style and speech patterns of the MC’s. The dialog can be over the top with the romantic cheesiness, but just lean into it and let it wash over you and roll around in the sugary goodness just like the MC’s do. It really wouldn’t work for anyone else in any other setting but we are talking about a world of shifters whose characters are all about the orgasms and the HEA’s. Every one of these characters wants a mate and it’s fun to get lost in that world, even if it is just for the time it takes to read their story. We should all be so pleasantly focused.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: To Hell You Ride by Julia Talbot

Second Edition

Big Roy is a hard-rock miner with a not-so-secret love for the theater, so when he hears a new troupe of actors are coming to the Telluride Opera House to put on a Shakespeare play, he saddles his mule and makes the trek into town to see it. The play doesn’t disappoint, but the beautiful lead actor, Edward Clancy, certainly does. Clancy is rude and arrogant, and Roy figures he’d never have a chance with such a man. He’s wrong, because Clancy needs some entertainment himself, being stuck in a hellish mining town for the long, snowy winter. Come spring, though, Clancy knows he’s going to want to move on, and he thinks Roy will be easy to forget. Then tragedy hits, and Clancy has to rethink his entire life. Can these two strike gold?

First Edition Published by SCREWDRIVER An imprint of Torquere Press, January 2007.

Roy is a huge fan of the theatre and attends as often as his meagre earnings as a miner will allow. One evening he attends a Shakespeare play and is instantly lustful over the lead actor, Sir Edward Clancy, until he has a poor encounter the next morning while meeting the local journalist to share his review of the play.

Clancy has no time for anyone but those he chooses as bedpartners, but a bad review from Roy makes Clancy livid and determined to get a retraction, at any cost. Even if he has to trudge up a mountain on a mule and demand it from the unsightly oaf who uttered the fateful words against him.

This is fun, witty, and light. Roy and Clancy manage to make their time together work, even when they fight. They have good chemistry and strong personalities. Clancy being stuck for the winter in a small town makes for entertainment on its own. Roy has to squash hopes for a future as Clancy continues to insist that once the snow melts he is off to sunnier places. Clancy is in denial and even though he has some *feelings* his plans will not change.

“Nonsense. I will not run after the man.” Clancy sat on the bed ticking, hand on the post. “Really, what good would it do? We’re not at all suited.”
“No. He love you. You love you. Only thing you have in common.”
Clancy glared. “That is quite enough out of you. Don’t you have a new job to attend?” “Tomorrow.”
“Well, I think you should go now.” He bounced up again and began filling his trunk.

I loved the way this story evolved. Clancy was endearing in his self-obsession. Roy was just the man to match his stubbornness and while not educated, he is a force with the witty banter and retorts. Clancy thought he had Roy pegged, and could outwit him, but no sir, Roy could match him with an equally sharp tongue and quick mind.

I like this style of writing, and found the setting and plot engaging. Even though Clancy is vein and self-involved he was a really enjoyable character to read. Roy was loveable, and didn’t allow Clancy to stomp on him. He was a mix between firm about his place and giving enough to enjoy his time with Clancy.

Their chemistry was steamy, and their relationship building was wild and at times conflict ridden. I loved them both equally, for very different reasons.

If I’m in the mood for something from the past, Julia Talbot is a sure bet for me. Even if you’re not a fan of historical romance, this is worth it for the sass.

a review copy was provided for an honest opinion.

Audiobook Review: Fangs and Catnip (Dead and Breakfast #1) by Julia Talbot

A romance worth fighting for—tooth and claw.

Solitary vampire Fallon Underwood gets all the social interaction he needs being the silent partner at the Dead and Breakfast B and B high in the Colorado mountains. Change is hard for Fallon, so when his business partner, Tanner, suggests hiring a new manager for the inn, he’s adamant that they don’t need help, especially not in the form of bouncy werecat Carter Hughes.

Carter is a happy-go-lucky kitty, and he loves the hospitality industry, so the D and B ought to be a great place for him. He falls for Fallon as soon as he picks up one of Fallon’s novels and begins to woo the vamp with gifts. When Fallon finally succumbs to Carter’s feline charms, the results are unexpected, to say the least. Their mating will have irreversible consequences—for their bodies and their hearts.

Listening Length: 6 hours and 41 minutes
Narrator: Dorian Bane

With a series name of “Dead and Breakfast”, I was charmed by the premise of 2 best friends (a bear and a vampire) being proprietors of said B&B, a quaint little haven that specializes in catering to the supernatural community and all their quirky quirks.


This first installment belongs to Fallon the vampire, who's also the silent partner in this business venture. He's content with his curmudgeony hermit life, fronting up the necessary funds when needed but basically, partaking only in the perks that allow him to hole up comfortably to write his horror novels and not being bothered by much of anything. When his beary business partner Tanner, needs to hire a manger to help handle the increased workload, Fallon’s a lot disgruntled about letting a stranger encroach on his routine and is none too happy about this unwanted necessity.


Enter Carter. He’s a cat shifter and is all sorts of eager to prove himself worthy. The Dead and Breakfast is the perfect place to work at with its laid back atmosphere and casual approach, appealing towards Carter’s need to care for others but also being in a fantastic location surrounded by nature. It’s definitely the icing on the cake that one of his bosses is the attractive vamp, and Carter just can’t help himself from trying to win over the grumpy Fallon.


So basically, this entire book is about how Carter and Fallon fall in love and merge their lives but with one big ginormous snag in the middle. Vampires and shifters are not natural mates, and the ensuing problems and weirdness that develop, make things very difficult for them to achieve their happy ending.


What this story excels at is the narration by Dorian Bane. Talbot’s writing definitely has a certain flair to it where Bane, with his unmistakable raspy voice, certainly took advantage of how these characters were written and gave them distinct nuances that fit perfectly with who they were. Tanner the bear has a great tenor, Connor’s catty enthusiasm made me smile more than once, British Fallon sounds a lot like a stuffy Jude Law, and there’s even a gargoyle with an apropos tone and cadence that's exactly just right.


Admittedly, I’ve not read a lot of Talbot, but I think she does shifters and supernaturals in her own unique way where they’re always pretty darn endearing as she plays up their unique species characteristics while melding them nicely into their personalities. I’m happy that this is going to be a series, and I’m keeping fingers crossed that Tanner is up next. Bears being gentle or not so gentle giants are my jam, and I have a feeling Talbot (and most likely Bane) will have no problem making that an equally interesting, sexy, and fun read/listen!



Thank you to the author/publisher for the audio in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: Fangs and Catnip by Julia Talbot

Julia Talbot is here today with an exclusive excerpt of her new shifter story, Fangs and Catnip, part of the new paranormal Cracky Fluff line from Dreamspinner Press!

Hey y’all!

I’m here today with an exclusive excerpt from Fangs and Catnip, my very first Dreamspun Beyond, from Dreamspinner Press! It’s also the first book in a new series about the Dead and Breakfast Inn, which is owned by werebear Tanner and vampire Fallon. In book one, Tanner hires were-kitty Carter as a manager to help during the winter hibernation. Fallon doesn’t think they need a manager, but Carter might convince him otherwise.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll take a chance on Fangs and Catnip!

XXOO

Julia Talbot

***

Fallon Underwood stared at the screen where Tanner’s email glared back at him. Three résumés attached, and none of them was remotely suitable for the inn.

They had a night auditor who was perfectly trained, so the vamp was out. The mummy wouldn’t work in the least because no one wanted random crypt dust on the floor—Glenda would hex his undead ass out of existence—and unattached fingers in the tea? Right out.

He pursed his lips when he looked at the werecat. Mountain lion. Very young. Just out of college. No. That would never do. Too bouncy. Too Tigger.

He called down to Tanner on the house phone. “Seriously? A river rafter? Seriously?”

“He has a degree in hospitality. He worked at a large B and B in Fort Collins.”

“He’s a kitty adrenaline junkie.” They didn’t need that kind of energy.

“Yeah? Well, that will serve him well. I notice you don’t comment on the other two.”

“Because I just deleted those. You weren’t serious. No way you were.”

“No? Well, I have a few more to send you. They’ll come for interviews next week.”

“Are you sure you can’t just have Glenda do it?”

“Glenda? Our Glenda?” Tanner laughed, the sound merry as fuck. “She would smother the guests in their sleep. Possibly awake.”

“Either that or make them statues. Less work that way.”

“One of the ones I still need to send you is an elf.”

“Seriously, Tanner? A house elf?”

“I know! Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

“No. No, elves are not helpful and you know it.” They were vain and much preferred others to work for them.

He just wanted to bite them.

“You’re profiling.”

“Tanner, I will bite your beary butt.”

“Alas, you never follow through.” Tanner sighed dramatically.

“It’s all that muscle,” he teased. “My fangs ache just thinking about it.”

Tanner laughed. “Come down and have supper/breakfast with me. It’s dark.”

“I suppose I can do that, bear. Give me ten.” He stood up and stretched, feeling his back pop.

“You got it. I’ll warm something for you.”

“I’ll be right there. No mummies.”

Tanner chuckled and rang off, leaving him even more worried than before. He had a feeling he was going to end up having to veto the mummy in person.

That smell, and the sneezing….

The sneezing was the worst.

He changed out of his sweats into a pair of dark jeans and a button-down shirt in midnight blue. Fallon hated to let anyone, even Tanner, know what a slob he could be.

Sure, he could spend night after night in front of his computer, head down, not even breathing, but that was his secret.

Tanner deserved for him to look good, just in case there were guests. He shot his cuffs before making his way downstairs, admiring as he always did Tanner’s understated, old-world decorating style.

He’d loved this place from the first time Tanner’d brought him here, decades ago. There was something magical about this space.

Maybe it was the land. Maybe it was Tanner. Either way, he didn’t want to lose the balance they had, and he feared it would happen if someone new came on board.

He worried about it with every new person. Every single one. Most of them he admitted he never saw. Glenda kicked him out of his rooms once a week to clean. Jami brought him blood at 4:00 a.m. most nights.

It wasn’t like they were a big estate. They weren’t a hotel, for goodness’ sake.

Tanner was just being dramatic. Bears hibernated, but humans did not.

Oh, that was the tack to take. Bears hibernated, but so did a lot of their clientele. In the winter, most of their guests were low-maintenance.

Like him. He was totally easy.

***

Blurb:

A Dead and Breakfast Novel

A romance worth fighting for—tooth and claw.

Solitary vampire Fallon Underwood gets all the social interaction he needs being the silent partner at the Dead and Breakfast B and B high in the Colorado mountains. Change is hard for Fallon, so when his business partner, Tanner, suggests hiring a new manager for the inn, he’s adamant that they don’t need help, especially not in the form of bouncy werecat Carter Hughes.

Carter is a happy-go-lucky kitty, and he loves the hospitality industry, so the D and B ought to be a great place for him. He falls for Fallon as soon as he picks up one of Fallon’s novels, and begins to woo the vamp with gifts. When Fallon finally succumbs to Carter’s feline charms, the results are unexpected, to say the least. Their mating will have irreversible consequences—for their bodies and their hearts.

Buy Link:

DSP 

Author Bio:

Stories that leave a mark. Julia Talbot loves romance across all the genders and genres, and loves to write about people working to see past the skin they're in to love what lies beneath. Julia Talbot lives in the great mountain and high desert Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia has been published by Dreamspinner and Changeling Press among many others. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. She also writes BDSM and erotic romance as Minerva Howe. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at www.juliatalbot.com "The mountains are calling, and I must go"

www.juliatalbot.com

https://twitter.com/juliatalbot

https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor

ICYMI see our review of Fangs and Catnip HERE!

Review: Fangs and Catnip (Dead and Breakfast #1) by Julia Talbot

A romance worth fighting for—tooth and claw.

Solitary vampire Fallon Underwood gets all the social interaction he needs being the silent partner at the Dead and Breakfast B and B high in the Colorado mountains. Change is hard for Fallon, so when his business partner, Tanner, suggests hiring a new manager for the inn, he’s adamant that they don’t need help, especially not in the form of bouncy werecat Carter Hughes.

Carter is a happy-go-lucky kitty, and he loves the hospitality industry, so the D and B ought to be a great place for him. He falls for Fallon as soon as he picks up one of Fallon’s novels and begins to woo the vamp with gifts. When Fallon finally succumbs to Carter’s feline charms, the results are unexpected, to say the least. Their mating will have irreversible consequences—for their bodies and their hearts.

“Tell me a story?”

“What kind of story, sweet? A fairy tale?”

“Once upon a time,” he started, amused to the core.

“Oh, I’m good at those. Once upon a time, there was a werekitty. He came to save a vampire from himself.”

That quote really does sum up this sweet and supernaturally packed book.

Told through dual POV’s, this story begins as we meet werebear Tanner who runs the Dead and Breakfast B and B with his silent vampy partner Fallon. Though Tanner has help with a night manager and a cook for the guests, Tanner is exhausted and his bear would love to get some additional sleep during the winter. When Tanner gets Fallon to agree to hire help, he picks the best candidate to interview and ends up hiring him.

Fallon Underwood is one grumpy and gloomy vamp who is also one hell of a horror author. Housed in the top floor of the B and B, Fallon is a silent and stoic partner of the business, allowing Tanner to handle the day to day giving their menagerie of supernatural guests the best treatment the Colorado mountains can offer. When his best friend comes to him begging for help, Fallon gives in though he can’t quite agree with Tanners choice of a werekitty, but at least it’s not a mummy right?

Carter Hughes is the equivalent to Tigger with his kitty bounce and his sometimes very juvenile way of talking and thinking. Though his speech sometimes drove me nuts, Carter is a smart and caring man who just happens to think Fallon is stunning. Not only does he admire the vamps looks but when Carter gets his puma paws on Fallon’s books, he devours all of them in a matter of days and is head over heels for the author.

This was really sweet. I like that Fallon is all “I’m too old. Too set in my ways. I can’t be with a young cat that bounces” and all that denial he has going for him. When in truth, Fallon is drawn to Carter in ways he can’t quite understand. When Carter starts to woo Fallon with thoughtful gifts, Fallon tries to put a stop to it and let Carter down easy even though that’s not what he real wants to do. But with one whispered apology through a closed door and an overhead fanatic review of Fallon’s work by Carter has the vamp finally deciding that denial really is just a river in Egypt he doesn’t want to go down anymore.

These two were as cute as a vamp and a cat can be. I liked the take on Mates between different beings and how each of them handled it. I adored Carter in his shift and how Fallon saw him as well. Though there is trouble with their mating and all the biting (there is A LOT of biting!) that’s going on, neither man knew it what was going on and it does cause a bit of angst in the book. The angst, for me was unnecessary as it made the story drag on when it could have been dealt with sooner with the doctor but, whatever.

The guests at the B and B are so much fun to read about they really added depth to the story. I loved how many different creatures show up and how they B and B caters to their special needs. It really is a fun place to visit while reading this romance and I truly hope that with this being listed as the Dead and Breakfast series that a certain wolf gets a book possible with a certain doctor? Maybe?

Blog Tour: To Hell You Ride by Julia Talbot

Julia Talbot is here today promoting the rerelease of To Hell You Ride from Dreamspinner Press & she's spreading the love for Colorado!

Hey y’all!

I’m Julia Talbot, and I’m here to talk about To Hell You Ride, which is historical western I wrote a while back. Dreamspinner has been kind enough to put it out for me, and I couldn’t be more tickled. I love this story so much. It’s about hard rock miner named Roy and an actor named Clancy.

The story is set in Telluride, which is a ski town now, but it was a mining town at the beginning. I love Colorado, and I have some favorite spaces there!

Here are my top 5.

5. Boulder. I like Boulder for its downtown, its quirky shops, its old hotel, and its food scene. It’s a lovely place, with lots of nature trails and great views. We spent an amazing weekend there, eating and hiking. Great place to visit.

4. Denver. Yeah, yeah, I know Denver is another big town with lots of traffic. It also has a great zoo, the National Western Stock Show and rodeo, a bunch of amazing people we know who make our lives happier.

3. Durango. Durango! Another mining town that has turned ski town. I love the Strater Hotel, the Sizzling Siam, which is the tiniest Thai restaurant, and did I mention the train? They have the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge train. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, they run the Polar Express and serve hot chocolate.

2 Ouray. The Switzerland of the US, Ouray sits at just above 8000 feet. It has a cute public hot springs pool, a bunch of old buildings, shops in the summer season, and ice field climbing in the winter.

1. Glenwood Springs. The biggest hot springs pool in the US. Tons of weird and wonderful people living on and off the grid. The best elk burger I’ve ever had. Gluten free options aplenty. Hanging Lake, which is a hike, but so worth it. Yampah Vapor Caves. Spas. Craftsman architecture. Glenwood Canyon, which is breathtaking and a modern engineering highway marvel. I could so live there. I can’t afford it, but damn. I love it.

Thanks for listening to me ramble, and I hope you’ll look up To Hell You Ride.

XXOO

Julia

Blurb:

Big Roy is a hard-rock miner with a not-so-secret love for the theater, so when he hears a new troupe of actors are coming to the Telluride Opera House to put on a Shakespeare play, he saddles his mule and makes the trek into town to see it. The play doesn’t disappoint, but the beautiful lead actor, Edward Clancy, certainly does. Clancy is rude and arrogant, and Roy figures he’d never have a chance with such a man. He’s wrong, because Clancy needs some entertainment himself, being stuck in a hellish mining town for the long, snowy winter. Come spring, though, Clancy knows he’s going to want to move on, and he thinks Roy will be easy to forget. Then tragedy hits, and Clancy has to rethink his entire life. Can these two strike gold?

Second Edition

First Edition Published by SCREWDRIVER An imprint of Torquere Press, January 2007.

Buy Link:

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/to-hell-you-ride-by-julia-talbot-8976-b

Author Bio: 

Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia has been published by Dreamspinner Press and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. 

Find her on the web at

www.juliatalbot.com

https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor

https://twitter.com/juliatalbot

Review: Club Raven series (#1-3) by Julia Talbot, Kiernan Kelly and BA Tortuga

Fantasy Living reviews the entire Club Raven series! American historical psychics here she comes!

Happy Medium (Club Raven #1) by Julia Talbot

Andrew is out to debunk Max as a medium, not make love to him...

A Club Raven Novel

Max Bellame is working his way through 1870s Baltimore as a medium, even if he knows nothing about spirits. He uses the power of his mind to move objects, convincing his clients he's the real thing.

Andrew Meechum works for Club Raven, a gentleman's club that doubles as a paranormal research facility. He sets out to debunk Max, only to be fascinated by the man. Can Andrew convince Max to take a chance on love, and to find his true calling as a medium, or will their personal demons force them apart?

Set in 1870’s Baltimore, the first book in the Club Raven series follows Max Bellame as his business as a Medium is intercepted by Andrew Meechum, who works for Club Raven.

Club Raven is a gentlemen’s club that caters to men with paranormal gifts. Andrew is sort of a psychic ability debunker. His own talent is knowing when someone is using a paranormal gift. This is why he has been following Max, but instead of simply calling Max out on his lack of Medium ability and trickery, he is intrigued by the perceived gift Max has, and brings him to Club Raven to find out more about it.

I liked these two men together. I found Max to be a pretty gentle character. While he wasn’t exactly honest about his ability, he still had a moral code of honor. They fit well together, and had lots and lots of sex. (Lots!).

The mystery surrounding Max’s gift, and the passion Andrew and he share opens up a whole new world, and life for Max. Club Raven seems to have an endless supply of weirdly gifted men to be in the company of, and I have to mention Giles, because I heart him so hard.

While only a secondary character, Giles was pretty fascinating, and someone I would love to get a story. He was one of those weirdo’s I absolutely needed to know more about. Completely outrageous, and apparently a reclusive scatterbrain, the interactions with him were a joy for me.

This isn’t overly heavy on the historical detail or language. It is easy enough to read if you’re someone like me who isn’t particularly excited about historical romance. It was enough to read as authentic in a way that isn’t pinned down by stuffy details. I don’t really care about those, as long as it feels real enough to me. For someone who is more of a history buff, well, I don’t know how they would feel about it, because like I said, details aren’t really important to me (unless they are wildly inaccurate and I know it).

Maybe I’m not the best person to recommend this story to die hard fans of historical romance, so I’ll just say, for people like me, this was fun with the seance, pompous rich folk, and erotic content (there was a lot - did I say that already?).

I would recommend this to people who enjoy paranormal in their historical romance.

Find Book #1 on Goodreads!

Wishful Thinking (Club Raven #2) by Kiernan Kelly

Sometimes doing the right thing requires otherworldly help.

A Club Raven Novel

Tony Brazzio, part-owner of Club Raven in Baltimore, is gifted with a psychic talent that allows him to influence the behavior of others. His first project, to rehabilitate hoodlums Bull and Dandy, fails when the lure of fat wallets ripe for the picking is too great for them to ignore. After Bull and Dandy fall into serious trouble beyond simple petty theft, Tony takes it upon himself to bail them out.

Charged with making a pair of blackmailing pickpockets “disappear,” Detective Thomas Arthur Clare is determined to get the job done. He doesn’t count on Tony’s interference, or his attraction to the mysterious, handsome man, to sway him.

This is book two in the Club Raven Trilogy and I would in no way call this a romance. It is definitely filled with erotic content though, so if this is okay with you, then go ahead and enjoy.

Told from multiple points of view, and sometimes what appeared to be omniscient POV this story jumps around a fair bit.

In the beginning we meet Tony who is a part-owner of Club Raven, but was once from a poor family. Tony wants to prove that bloodline does not make a gentleman, and that anyone, no matter how poor, can become someone if given the opportunity. He travels to Five Point, Manhattan, where his humble beginnings began, and finds a pair of thieves and compels them to come back to Baltimore with him to start his experiment of turning them into gentlemen.

Of course, Dandy and Bull don’t particularly want to be controlled by some rich snot, so they go out of their way to sabotage the situation by stealing wherever they can. Tony may have compelled them to join him using his gift, but once they are there, they are unwilling to continue to do his bidding.

There was a lot of problematic content, and it just didn’t seem to have a solid plot line. I spend more time reading about Dandy and Bull, and their mischief than Tony. While the basics of each personality was provided, I didn’t feel connected with any of them.

I think if it hadn’t have deviated so far from the original story line, by introducing what appeared to be an endless cast of side characters who got their own POV, and more focus and attention was given to Tony, the club, and the supernatural, this would have been a tighter story.

I wasn’t particularly engaged with the story, and the supernatural element of Club Raven, which made it a fascinating club in the first book, was sort of lost.

There is some light BDSM content, so if you’re looking for historical BDSM erotica then this would be something that may suit your tastes.

Find Book #2 on Goodreads!

Calling His Bluff (Club Raven #3) by BA Tortuga

Patrick's loss is Remy's gain.

A Club Raven Novel

After his twin dies in battle, it’s Patrick Daniels’ duty to marry his brother’s fiancée. Too bad he can’t make himself do it, and in his distress, he manifests a psychic talent that’s stronger than the tornadoes in his native East Texas. Then a mysterious man from a place called Club Raven steps in and sweeps Patrick off to the booming East Coast city of Baltimore.

Club Raven veteran Remy Blanchard sees Patrick and knows, even though Patrick is very ill, that this is the challenge he’s been waiting for. He nurses Patrick back to health, and begins to teach Patrick to control his talent. His methods might be unconventional, and Patrick might be new to the kinds of sexual games Remy knows best, but the two of them find something in each other that might be just as magical as the gentleman’s club where they meet.

Patrick is an anomaly. After a head injury caused by a bullet on the battlefield, he seems to have developed telekinetic abilities that he is unwilling to connect to and which are wildly untamed. Finding himself at Club Raven, in the clutches of Remy, whom is anything but shy about his desire, is causing feelings Patrick has been taught is a sin, but the comfort he gets is something he longs for.

This was the sweetest. I really loved Patrick and the way he connected with Remy. Remy is equally charming, and exactly what Patrick needs to help him harness his powers. This story really brought together the mystery of the club, and familiar characters from book one, and dove into a deep, equally gratifying relationship between these two men.

This story appears to be set before Happy Medium. Max doesn’t appear in this book, but Andrew makes a small appearance. Other characters are present and accounted for. A small cameo of Giles (Giles!!!) and Samuel and Joseph, who have a brief appearance in the first book get more time in this one. I found that they are all richly unique, and well developed for the small amount of time they have on the page.

The feeling I got from the beginning of this story was a sense of magic and wonder. Patrick is, of course, in a pretty fragile state when he is brought to Club Raven for care, so from his point of view things are fuzzy and time disappears. This is really well portrayed by the author. There wasn’t any real time jump, as we switch to Remy’s POV to fill in the blanks, but the feeling came across in those moments strongly.

This is a D/s story, focused on sexual service from the submissive. Patrick is also a virgin, and was raised in a strictly religious household, so Remy has to take more care to introduce these elements. I thought the pace worked really well. Remy used submission as a focus to help Patrick control his telekinesis. He did things slowly, and allowed Patrick the room to get used to his own needs and wants before taking it up a notch. There is no real punishment in this story. It is mostly about praise and positive reinforcement, which is needed for Patrick, who is recovering from trauma and needs a solid foundation.

As always, this author makes me happy with her writing. I’m usually all over the contemporary western stories B.A. Tortuga writes, and this was a nice opportunity to see this author’s talent in other genres.

The erotica in this story is delicious, prevocative, and engaging. There is a fair bit of it, so readers who prefer there sexy stories on the sex-lite side may find this to be too much.

I would have liked a little more with discovering what Patrick can do, and I’m disappointed we weren’t given more background on Remy, and his talent, but since this is a romance, and is heavy on the sex, I’ll have to make do. There are still a lot of mysteries surrounding Club Raven, and I think it definitely has room for continuation with more authors or the current author trio to expand and fill in.

Recommended to readers of Historical Paranormal and fans of BDSM D/s and erotica.

Find Book #3 on Goodreads!

All copies provided for an honest review via IndiGo Marketing