the-wolfs-man-fridayRating: 4.25 stars
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Length: Novel


When Sebastian Zeller’s uncle Ron, the pack alpha, is attacked, Sebastian is determined to find out who is behind it. Especially as Sebastian is now taking on some of the pack duties as Ron’s presumptive heir. But Sebastian is taking risks and living dangerously, trying to lure out the attackers, and Ron is worried. So he hires fox shifter Jaxon Reedis to be a bodyguard, posing as a new personal assistant for Sebastian.

Jaxon is great at his job and he is able to not only help protect Sebastian, but also ease some of his work and emotional burdens. Despite being his uncle’s heir, Sebastian actually has no desire to be alpha. Not to mention being stuck in Dallas trying to draw out the attackers, rather than at home in the mountains, is beginning to wear on him. And Jaxon is there to help ease the way and take care of the wolf. Along the way, Jaxon and Sebastian begin to fall for one another. It is clear that the two are mates, despite being different species, and things turn intense between them quickly.

However, Ron’s attackers are still out there, and now they are setting their sights on Sebastian. It will take everything Jaxon has, along with some help from Sebastian’s pack, to find out who is behind the attacks before it is too late.

The Wolf’s Man Friday is the second book in Julia Talbot’s entertaining Nose to Tail, Inc series. The books stand alone perfectly, linked by a shared world and the fact that each features an employee from the Nose to Tail, Inc staffing agency. But other than that and a brief mention in passing of one of the MCs from Wolfmanny, the books are totally independent of one another.

I have to say I am really enjoying this series and was glad to pick this one up for pnr weekParanormal Week. The books are charming and fun, and there is a playfulness to the tone that I really enjoyed here. The book doesn’t take itself too seriously, with a lot of light humor and some silliness. But at the same time, there is enough depth to the story that the intense and emotional moments work well. I particularly liked the way that we can read Sebastian and Jaxon’s telepathic thoughts to one another due to their mate bond. It adds a bit of fun as we get to know what they are thinking along the way.

Plotwise, this one starts out pretty focused on the relationship between the men and then once they are solid, more attention shifts to the light suspense plot as the attacks escalate and things grow more dire. Jaxon and Sebastian are mushy and lovey and once they are committed to one another, pretty saccharine sweet, but somehow it totally worked for me. There is just something charming about them. On the suspense end, things come together nicely, though this part of the plot isn’t as tight early on. There is also a secondary plot with regards to Sebastian not wanting to become alpha that is an interesting twist, but I do wish got a little more resolution.

I also enjoy this world Talbot has built, mostly because I think the variety of shifters she incorporates is a lot of fun (I am always a sucker for nontraditional shifters). Talbot does a nice job playing with these different creatures and fitting their animal personalities and traits into their human ones. I still find myself confused about humans in this world; I’m not entirely clear about whether they exist or if this is a solely shifter world. But either way, I find the world here entertaining.

So overall I enjoyed this one quite a lot. Like I said, the tone here is playful and fun, with enough depth to make the more serious moments work. I definitely will be looking forward to more installments (and maybe a story for Alan?).

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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