Book Reviews

Cereus: Opening (Cereus 2) by Sean Michael, Julia Talbot, and BA Tortuga at TurtleHat Creatives

Genre Gay / Paranormal / Shifters / Vampires / Erotic Romance
Reviewed by Serena Yates on 30-September-2016

Book Blurb

Now that his paranormal resort is built, owner Jonny and manager Duke are ready to open Cereus’ doors to their exclusive clientele. Unfortunately, in these three stories, not everything runs as smoothly as Duke would like, and he’s a werewolf on the verge of tearing his hair out.

 

In Pack Rules, by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga, security experts Mik and Van have to learn to work together, even though they have a past, and one that didn’t end well. Werewolf Van wants his vampire back, but Mik is unwilling to be hurt again. Can they trust each other enough to solve their problems, and those of the club? In Downward Dog, Talbot and Tortuga tell the story of yoga instructor werewolf Rian, a city wolf with no way to cope with being courted by the native wildlife.

 

Finally, in The Bear Facts by Sean Michael, one of the first clients at Cereus, polar bear Nuk has special needs. He thinks IT guy Al is just the man to fulfill them, but will that leave Cereus, and Al, in the lurch?

 

 

Find out in this second installment of the Cereus series. The Cereus series started off with book one, Cereus: Building.

 

Book Review

The second book in this series of paranormal story collections is as much fun and as entertaining as the first. The combination of the setting in a "kinky little getaway" of a club and the unusual paranormal pairings had me laughing. The club is now ready to open and I got to witness the first guests come in and mix with the staff. Luckily some of the great characters from the first books are back as well, and that was a special bonus. Some of the ones who had only been mentioned come fully into their own here: Mik and Van finally have it out once and for all, Rian the yoga instructor (a werewolf teaching yoga? Really?) and Gilead try to figure things out, and then there are Al the IT man and Nuk, one of the guests. Plenty to keep me entertained.



Pack Rules by Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga hits the stage, so to speak, with a bang. Van, the werewolf security guy, and his ex-lover Mik, who is in charge of electronic security, suddenly have to work together. They were mentioned as a “volatile” situation in the first book, but this is their story, and the sparks start flying for real as they figure out what to do. Yes, their breakup was bad and there are some unresolved issues, but with two growly macho males all of that is a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Thankfully so, since that makes the story truly entertaining.

Downward Dog by BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot brings the solution to one of the security problems in book one. Rian is a city wolf, very civilized, who also teaches yoga. The whole idea made me smile from the very start, and when he appears matched up with one of the wildest, least civilized wolves around, there are bound to be problems. And there are – except they all solve far more issues than they create. And when Rian finally lets his inner wolf out and recognizes who he really is, I was as relieved as his mate.

The Bear Facts by Sean Michael is about one of the first guests. Nuk is a polar bear, comes "down south" once every other year, and wants his water ice-cold. He's looking for a hot little sub to play with, since his normal existence is rather lonely. When he falls for Al, the IT guy instead, I was expecting trouble. And there is – it's just not quite what I thought it might be. A story that is more about love and trust than it is about submission, it brought out what this series is all about really well: no matter how different you are, when you fall in love, those differences will sort themselves out somehow.



Another great collection of fun paranormal stories, this book can be read on its own. I have no idea who would want to miss the first book, since it is wonderful, so you might as well start there. If you like paranormal beings of different backgrounds, if you want to see what can happen when some of them mix, clash, and learn to love each other, and if you're looking for a fun, light read that will entertain you and make you smile, give this book a try. It's a worthy successor to the first volume, and I sure hope there will be many more in this series!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format ebook
Length Anthology/ 3 Short Stories, 239 pages/59335 words
Heat Level
Publication Date 08-June-2016
Price $5.99 ebook
Buy Link https://www.amazon.com/Cereus-Opening-BA-Tortuga-ebook/dp/B01GUBO9XQ