Fangs and Catnip (Dreamspun Beyond)

By: Julia Talbot

Narrated by: Dorian Bane

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.

©2017 Julia Talbot (P)2020 Turtlehat Creatives

A fun combination

Fallon is a vampire and is the silent partner of the Dead and Breakfast a B & B for paranormal beings. His partner Tanner is a bear shifter and with winter coming on he is feeling sluggish and wants help. Fallon likes being left alone to write his books.

Carter is a Mountain Lion shifter and happy to get an interview for the famous dead and Breakfast as day manager. Tanner likes him and hires him. He is a boon to business as he is a very outgoing and enthusiastic.
But as soon as he meets Fallon he realizes they are mates and begins wooing him. Fallon isn't as quick to accept that they could possibly be mates. And then things really start going wrong.

I thought this as a fun book to read. There are so many kinds of paranormal beings, each one fun in itself. I especially liked Tom the werewolf. There is a lot of worldbuilding and it really works for this story. I liked the authenticity. I had one issue. Carter is introduced as a Moutain lion shifter, then Fallon calls him a puma a few times and cougar once then back to Moutain Lion. I got very confused and had to keep going back. Other than that, the story is sweet and fun with a bit of spice.

I listened to this in Audio and the narration by DorianBane really made the story pop. He gives each character a unique voice, I enjoyed the audio version much more than the book.

If you like Vampires, Cat shifters, werewolves, other paranormal beings, and an allover fun romance this is for you.

Excellent Narration

The narrator really makes this book. The story is certainly fluffy and sweet. I do enjoy these kind of stories because they are low impact and easy to read.

fated mates trope, good narrator

This is a different take on supernatural interspecies mating.
I liked the quirky characters at the B&B - from Fallon, the moody writer (vampire); Tanner co-owner (Bear) and Glenda (Gorgon). Tanner needs a day manager to help take on some of the day to day managerial duties, (since Fallon, co-owner has little interest in helping). Carter, a werecat, applies and gets the job. Carter is friendly, chatty, with a sunny disposition – all the things Fallon is not. But Carter ‘weres’ Fallon down (I couldn’t resist☺) and they fall in love.
It was interesting the way Fallon and Carter’s relationship progressed; especially the way they took on each other’s traits – Carter developing photosensitivity, while Fallon had a vague craving for meat. However, the two men have to find a way to adjust to their mating changes or they will slowly die. With the help of a B&B staff, a few guests and a local doctor, the two men figure out a way to adjust to each other and live happily together.
There is a bit of heartache when Fallon thinks he’s helping by pushing Carter away. As a result, Carter becomes feral and Fallon has to find a way to bring him back.
I enjoyed the story, especially the twist on the fated mates trope.
I hope there will be stories for some of the other characters, like Tanner or Dan (wolf, guest).

3.75 stars out of 5

Audio

Dorian Bane does a terrific job of giving every “unique” character in this funny story an equally “unique” voice. He’s definitely got the “tongue in cheek” vibe down and he mirrors the light hearted nature of the story perfectly.

He excels at his dialog and is solid on the non-dialog parts. This is definitely the way to appreciate this story and is a great way to spend a weekend!

4.5 of 5 stars

Overall 4 of 5 stars

5 stars = I freaking LOVED this audiobook!!!

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

Having enjoyed Julia Talbot’s Nose to Tail, Inc. series, I was excited for the opportunity to listen to Fangs and Catnip to find out how she’d help a grumpy vampire find happiness with a cat shifter. I’ll admit that when I first started listening, I got a tad confused as to who the players were and had to restart the book because I wasn’t sure where Tanner fit once I realized he wasn’t the love interest. That’s on me because I rarely re-read a book’s blurb right before I start it as I enjoy going in blind, with few expectations beyond those I have for authors whose writing I’m familiar with. After that little hiccup, I was good to go and quickly found myself immersed in life at the Dead and Breakfast Inn.

In addition to the actual romance and mating between Fallon and Carter, there are several things I enjoyed about Fangs and Catnip. The first being the sense of family that Tanner works to instill among his staff and for his guests. Tanner not only wants the guests to enjoy themselves, but he wants them to feel at home while staying at the D&B – going so far as to ask guests about not just their needs, but also their food and beverage preferences and stocking them before the guests arrive. He also goes above and beyond for at least one of his guests when he arranges for a doctor who specializes in supernatural creatures to consult with Tom, a bitten werewolf who was turned late in life. It’s Tanner’s need to help other supernaturals that makes it easy to understand why Fallon calls him friend and serves as a semi-silent partner in the D&B. Additionally, I loved the two different courtships that play out in the novel. Not only was it cute to watch Fallon fight against succumbing to Carter’s thoughtful gifts, the second courtship (I won’t say who was wooing who) was both delightful and heart bruising. Finally, I really, really liked that while there was a bit of possessiveness between Carter and Fallon due to their mating bond, it wasn’t so strong that either man felt the need for violence when another male was near their mate. That allowed Carter and Tom’s friendship to form and strengthen to the point that Tom played a pivotal role later in the book. It also meant there was no negative impact on the friendship and brotherly bond between Fallon and Tanner. In fact, Fallon’s yearning for bear cuddles with Tanner and having Carter join the pile was an “Awwww” and grin inducing moment.

As for the narration, I was a tad hesitant at first at the idea of Dorian Bane as a bouncy, cat shifter. This is because I’ve only had the opportunity to listen to Bane perform rough and tumble cowboys, which he does exceedingly well. As I’d listened to the audio sample, I knew at the very least, I would enjoy him as Fallon and Tanner. I shouldn’t have worried because Bane not only created a believable voice for the werekitty, but he also created enjoyable and entertaining voices for the rest of the cast – I particularly enjoyed the gravelly tone he gave the gargoyle shifter’s voice. I really loved how Bane made subtle changes in Fallon’s voice over the course of the story to show how our grumpy vamp found happiness, even if he had to take a detour down Heartbreak Lane first. I absolutely loved Talbot’s story and Bane’s narrative performance, and I'm looking forward to finding out who’ll be the next to find love at the Dead and Breakfast Inn.

Great narration and a fun story

I have never listened to Dorian Bane before but his performance in this book is excellent. This story is fun and cute. Lots of silly romantic moments between a shifter and vampire. Worth a credit ;)