This is the first book in a new series by Brenda Novak and a light cute story it is. Talulah has come back to her hometown to clean out her great Aunts house after her death, and deal with the funeral for her. But, Talulah left town 14 years ago after leaving her bridegroom, Charlie, at the altar and although his family should have gotten over it, there are still bad feelings with many people in the small town. In fact, Talulah has left 2 other grooms at the altar too. She runs into Brant who is Charlie’s best friend and sparks fly. Talulah has some major issues though, that complicate the relationship that she and Brant have. She lives in Seattle where she has a thriving bake shop with a male partner who want more from that relationship than she wants to give. Although there are many issues within this story, it was a fairly light romance but in Brenda Novak’s capable hands, the story really flows. We see different sides of all the issues, and I was happy with the HEA. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Rating: 4.5 Stars

There is nothing better than losing oneself in a Brenda Novak novel and this fantastic storyteller kicks off a brilliant new series, Coyote Canyon, with an enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance that readers are going to swoon over: Talulah’s Back in Town.

The last time Talulah Barclay was in Coyote Canyon, Montana she had jilted her fiancé at the altar and although a last has changed in the last fourteen years, nobody has forgotten that day and her runaway bride reputation still follows her around even after all this time. Back in Coyote Canyon to settle her great-aunt’s estate, Talulah isn’t expecting a warm welcome – and just as well as her ex’s best friend Brant makes it clear from the off that he doesn’t want her hanging around town!

Brant has never forgiven Talulah for humiliating his best friend at at altar, so he is not exactly overjoyed to see her back in Coyote Canyon. However, Brant has other reasons for not wanting Talulah around – mainly the fact that he’s always been attracted to her! Brant hasn’t seen Talulah in fourteen years, but the second he claps eyes on her again all of his old feelings for her resurface with a vengeance.

Talulah will leave Coyote Canyon the second she fixes up her aunt’s Victorian farmhouse. She is definitely not going to stick around – not even when she finds herself in close proximity to Brant and begins to see him in a completely different light. As previous unfriendliness gives way to red-hot attraction, Talulah begins to wonder whether she should live up to her reputation and bail on her relationship with Brant – or whether she will find the courage to fight for the love of a lifetime…

The inimitable Brenda Novak has another surefire hit on her hands with her latest novel, Talulah’s Back in Town. Witty, heartwarming and dramatic, Brenda Novak deftly juggles humor, emotion, pathos and intensity in a terrific page-turner about coming home, second chances and finding somewhere to belong that will make readers laugh and cry.

Talulah and Brant are two wonderful characters who are complex, complicated, believable and so real they will feel like old friends by the time readers get to the last page.

I stayed up until the early hours of the morning finishing this uplifting, poignant and feel-good read and I cannot wait for my next visit to Brenda Novak’s Coyote Canyon, Montana – roll on Book 2!

Talulah's Back in Town by Brenda Novak is a fun contemporary romance and is the first book in the Coyote Canyon series.

Talulah has come back to her hometown after her great aunt's passing to help settle her estate. She hadn't been home in 14 years since she left her high school sweetheart at the altar. Her runaway bride reputation hasn't left her but when her ex's best friend Brant starts to help out and sparks fly how well the small town in Montana reacts.

This was a fun small-town romance and a quick read. I was in a little bit of a reading slump and I knew by reading a small-town contemporary romance I'd get myself out. I thought it was funny how much her ex and his family and the town were upset about fourteen years ago. Brenda Novak books are always fun and I enjoyed this one.

Thanks to the publishers or an advanced copy of Tululah's Back in Town. It comes out Tuesday, August 22nd.

There are a few authors that keep you coming back for more. Brenda Novak is certainly one of those. Her impressive and huge list of works is proof of that. Of course I have favorites – doesn’t everyone. But each time I get the chance to delve into the creative mind of Brenda Novak I take it. TALULAH’S BACK IN TOWN is the latest.
Getting married at eighteen is quite an enormous step. One that Talulah Barclay grappled with and ultimately ran from. In her hometown of Coyote Canyon she is known as the runaway bride. In doing so she seemed to have irreverently broken the heart of Charlie Gerhart and now fourteen years later Talulah is going to have to face her ex-almost-groom, his entire family and many in the community that harbor ill feelings.
Talulah had to return to Coyote Canyon to plan for her Aunt Phoebe’s funeral and the business of what to do with Phoebe’s house.
Talulah has had commitment issues since running from Charlie. She ran from two following proposed weddings. But in the meantime, she has opened a successful bake shop in Seattle and with the help of her partner Paul the business is thriving.
So Talulah is not really surprised by the cool almost angry reception. But she is pretty resolved to get the job done and then leave Canyon probably forever. After all why stay in a place where you are obviously not welcome.
Well that doesn’t really seem to be the truth. There are folk that have moved on and realize that everyone makes unpopular decisions. One of these is Brant Elway who happens to be best friends with Charlie. It surprised Talulah when Brant, who had his own reputation with ladies, seemed willing to get to know her a little better. Brant realized that they had much in common, both extremely reluctant to foster any relationship that needed a commitment.
Brenda Novak fills up the pages of TALULAH’S BACK IN TOWN with great dialog between some vastly different characters. The one commonality was their relationship with the Gerhart family. Talulah does an admirable job of keeping a safe distance from any of that family. No sense in making new friendships when you are leaving in a month. No sense at all. But life has a habit of handing out challenges. In the end Talulah is going to be facing some new choices and once again decide whether to face down her past or once again leave it in the dust.
Brenda Novak loves to write about complicated relationships. Absolutely her forte and she doesn’t miss a beat in TALULAH’S BACK IN TOWN. Her characters are well scripted and developed. Be prepared to fall in love with some intriguing folk.

Taluah’s Back in Town by Brenda Novak, book one in her Coyote Canyon series is a wonderful small town story of second change, accepting change and how the past can still be used to characterize someone. Talulah’s return to Coyote Canyon, small town in Montana, a place she never wanted to visit again. Her great aunt has passed away and she must to take care of the estate. If it wasn’t for her having to clean out and sell the old house, Talulah would have still been in Seattle baking at the Dessert Diner she owned with her business partner Paul. When she was young she made some mistakes. She left her fiancé, Charlie, at the altar fourteen years ago, and left. She knows that no one in this small town has forgotten and she wants to make things right, but as you can guess, it is not as easy as she expected. Of course, the first person she runs into is Brent, who had been best man at the first wedding she had walked away from. Talulah is forced to come to grips with her growing attraction to Brent, her fears of failing, her desire to find love, and her need to trust herself while dealing with her former fiancé’s resentful family. I highly recommend Taluah’s Back in Town to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Fourteen years ago Talulah Barclay left town with the intention of never returning, too many bad memories and a horrible reputation made certain of that. But unfortunately for her Coyote Canyon is calling for her return. Her aunt has passed away and the family needs someone to settle her estate. Which isn't really something she wants to do, but there's really no one else that can do it, so she must swallow her pride and face the town that she is certain still hates her. Well maybe all but one person anyway...

Talulah's Back in Town is wonderfully penned tale of second chances, forgiveness, personal growth, and falling in love. Talulah finds herself returning to a place she never wanted to see again and having to face all the people who formed their own opinions about her way back when. She's really hoping they all forgot about her leaving the town's golden boy at the altar, but after a few minutes in town she quickly learns that's not the case at all. But she also learns she might still have at least one friend in that old town, a very handsome one at that. But he comes with a few complications of his own...

As these two become friends again and share a few feisty barbs here and there it's easy to see that their could be more growing between them too. Just as Talulah starts to feel comfortable around her old friend Brant she starts to see the perks of sticking around, but as everyone knows that really isn't her thing. Or is it? She has always had trouble with relationships and love and anytime things get close to serious she runs... but maybe she has finally met a man worth sticking around for?

I loved what the pages here had to offer, it was a entertaining and heartfelt story that ended way to quickly, I just wasn't ready to let these characters go when the last page came. I look forward to more installments in this series and I cannot wait to see who finds their happily ever after next! Highly recommend this one, these characters will take you on a journey that'll make you smile and put a nice little squeeze on your heart!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

I loved this book!! Brenda Novak pulls her readers in with her stories. She not only makes her readers fall in love with her amazing storyline but also her fictional towns. I would love to visit Coyote Canyon! This is book 1 in this series and is set in Montana!

I love that my home town, Anaconda is mentioned along with several Montana Stalkers towns as well! It's fun to notice those things!!

Talulah is a loveable character! The Runaway Bride, will she ever be able to lose that title?
Things don't go smoothly, that is for sure. She has a lot of obstacles to overcome both personally and with her business. You can't help but root for her though!! Grab your copy today to see what twist and turns await you I'm this great story!

I’ve been a fan of this author’s writing for quite some time. As usual, this new release is solid, but the plot has a lot to unpack. It’s a small-town contemporary romance with themes of regret, forgiveness, redemption, and love. The reader has a front-row seat to Talulah’s desire to make amends, despite the challenges those bring. Her character growth is the story's main focus, and along the way, I found myself cheering each time she learned to stand up for herself. Talulah’s Back in Town is a must-read for those who love character-driven plots full of emotional ups and downs.

NICUnurse’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the first book in a new series and I am already looking forward to the second book!! I enjoyed the characters and the plot line in this book. I love the small town feel of this book. It was a great read at the beach.

Talulah Barclay was dreading having to go back to her hometown of Coyote Canyon, Montana, but she told her mother she would handle finalizing her great aunt Phoebe's estate since they were out of the country on a mission. Talulah hasn't been back home in 14 years after she left Charlie Gerhart at the alter on their wedding day when she was only eighteen years old. She lost everything that day including her best friend, Averil, Charlie's brother. Now Talulah lives in Seattle, WA and co-owns a restaurant with Paul Pacheco, who would love to be in a relationship with her. Of course who does Talulah run into her first day in Coyote Canyon.....Brant Elway, Charlie's best friend. Brant immediately knows who Talulah is, as he may have had a crush on her in the past but being loyal to Charlie, he quickly dismisses those thoughts. When he finds out why she is in town, he feels bad and decides to help. When an interesting time at Phoebe's house ends up with Brant in the ER, things between the two of them start to heat up. The two of them know it would be wrong if they hooked up, but controlling their sizzling chemistry ends up being a losing battle. Eventually these two secretly realize that what they have may be something worth fighting for. When trouble starts to come around, Brant gets even more protective of Talulah. When everything around her starts falling apart, Talulah needs to spend some time away to realize what she really wants. In the end all of her dreams fall into place and she gets her perfect ending with Brant. I really enjoyed this sweet, slow burning romance between two people who were so reluctant to love. They both understood each other's hesitancy and I think this brought them closer. I really loved Brant. He was just so yummy! I am glad he finally found Talulah who could give him what he had been missing from his life. Together these two could accomplish anything.

Fairly Standard Hallmarkie Type Romance - And There Is Absolutely Nothing Wrong With That. This is one of those fairly standard Hallmarkie type romances that meets up with a touch of Runaway Bride with real-world type complications, particularly in a small town. There is even a minor *hint* of danger (without ever really feeling too suspenseful, more as a touch of "spice" than anything). In other words, those - not even that arguably *millions* - who read romance books and/ or watch Hallmark movies as pure, mostly light, escapism... hey, this book is *exactly* in that vein and thus will be *exactly* what you're looking for. For those who don't like such tales... well, again, this *is* that type of tale. So don't leave a 1* review because it didn't exactly break any new ground or because it had some sex scenes and cursing and such. I've already told you pretty well *exactly* what to expect here, so the fact that you're reading this particular review means that you can't say *no one* warned you. I have! :D

But again, for the millions - *and millions!* (to channel a bit of The Rock) - who want some romantic type drama complete with all that this entails... welcome home. Very much recommended.

TALULAH’S BACK IN TOWN (Coyote Canyon Book #1) by Brenda Novak is an enchanting small-town contemporary romance set in Montana featuring a runaway bride returning home after fourteen years. This is the first book in this small-town romance series, and I am looking forward to returning to Coyote Canyon again and again.

Talulah is now a successful partner in a bakery/café in Seattle since leaving her hometown boyfriend at the alter fourteen years ago. She has returned to settle her great aunt’s estate and attend the birth of her new niece only to discover her reputation has not improved. Talulah works hard on her relationship issues and tries to be honest with any man she is involved with, but she also hates confrontation and disappointing people, so her relationships get out of her control, she panics and runs.

Brant is Talulah’s ex-fiancé’s best friend and while he should be the last person to get involved with Talulah, there is now some sort of attraction that was not there before. As Brant and Talulah’s relationship grows it causes problems with not only those who never forgave her for leaving, but also with her business partner back in Seattle.

There are plenty of obstacles, but has Talulah finally found the one?

This is an entertaining romance with a hero and heroine who communicate honestly with each other throughout the story. They discuss feelings, friendships, careers, and finances which you do not normally find in a romance. Since this is the first book in the series, there are many character introductions and connections, but they flowed effortlessly onto the page and became a part of the group without slowing the pace of the story. There are explicit sex scenes, but they are not gratuitous or long. I really enjoyed Brant and Talulah’s romance and I am looking forward to seeing who Ms. Novak will bring together next in Coyote Canyon.

I recommend this small-town contemporary romance.

I love it when there is a new series and community to lose myself within. Coyote Canyon in Montana is ripe with gossip and tension. Talulah is the black sheep, having fled from the altar three times.
First, I’d put a ring on Brant’s finger in a nanosecond.
I wasn’t crazy how he and Talulah got together, I knew it would be trouble. Novak has the best touch for creating the most awkward predicaments.
I did agree with Charlie on two things he did, otherwise I saw him as a petulant child, still mooning over someone for 14 years, spare me.
I didn’t like Averil and I thought the positions of her and Charlie at the very end were odd.
I didn’t like the deceit of Talulah and Brant. I thought it was wrong and they brought a lot of their troubles on themselves.
I’m looking forward to Jane’s story and I hope it includes Miles.

This is a lighthearted romp through the fields of romance, featuring a runaway bride who returns to town and is not exactly welcomed there. Talulah ran away from marrying Charlie fourteen years previously and now that she has returned to Coyote Canyon to settle her aunt’s estate, just about everyone is snarky to her. There are a few exceptions and that’s when the fun begins. This story includes realistically dynamic and lovable characters. I was particularly fond of Jane, a neighbor who lends Talulah assistance whenever possible and seems to be intuitive about when she is needed. There is a budding romance starting between Talulah and a former friend, too, but they may or may not make it as a couple since Talulah lives up to her reputation as one afraid to go down the aisle and take the vows. The humorous banter between the characters kept the story moving at a good pace as well as an underlying mystery about who would want to deliberately harm Talulah. I enjoyed the sparks flying, both from competitors and lovers, and really enjoyed the small-town feel that was present throughout the book. Coyote Canyon seemed realistically flawed, with people who like to meddle with their advice and others who just want to look on and take bets about the outcome. With dynamic and realistically portrayed characters and a charming setting, this book combines romance, a little mystery and a lot of life lessons in a well-written and intricate story about a young woman who has to find herself before she can let herself love.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Talulah’s great aunt has passed away. So, she must return to Coyote. This is not where she wants to be. She left her fiancé, Charlie, at the alter 14 years ago and ran away. And she knows, no one in this small town has forgotten. She also knows she must make amends.

Brenda Novak always has some of the best characters. I swear, I knew everyone in this book! And I loved Talulah! She is just struggling to survive and stay afloat. Then she has to go back to her home town. And BOY, did she make some mistakes there when she was young. She wants to make things right, but as you can guess, it is not as easy as she expected.

Enter Brant. Brant is Charlie’s best friend. Talulah and Brant have never really seen eye to eye. Now, after all these years, these two have a connection. You can just imagine what the town AND Charlie have to say about this!

Need a small town romance….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Talulah has not been back in her hometown since she left her fiancée Charlie at the altar. She has come home for her great aunt Phoebe's funeral and to clean out Phoebe's home. While having breakfast at a diner on her first week there, she runs into none other than Charlie best friend and best man at the wedding Brant who begins to taunt and tease her of what she has done.
This story has everything, a woman trying to fight her past demons of being known as the
"runaway bride" accepting past failures, growing, understanding and learning to be a better improve individual. I have to say Charlie and his sister Averil were quite annoying. How can a jilted groom be still mad after a decade has passed and Averil pining away for Brant knowing he has no interest at all in her. I always enjoy a small town story of the couple not allowing their community of family and friends to right their story. Thoroughly enjoyed this new series by Ms. Novak. Review now on goodreads and eventually on amazon.

A good small town story of second change, of accepting change and of how the past can still be seen as the only way to define someone.
A well plotted and compelling story that made me root for the characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a fantastic way to kick-off a new series! For all the romance novel fans, Talulah's Back in Town is the first installment in the Coyote Canyon series! Brenda Novak is so darn good at writing novels that immediately consume you. I found that entire cast of characters (main & supporting) completely endearing! The town was so charming that I wish I could go visit it in real life! I thought the storyline was well-paced and you know you’re reading a great book when you don’t want it to end! In saying that, I am so darn excited to get more installments centering around other characters because I am already chomping at the bit for their stories! Talulah's Back in Town is a complete 5 star novel that every romance fan will devour!

I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down at times and it really made me want some carrot cake. I was wishing the author had included the recipe at the end. I can’t wait to read the next one in this series.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Brenda Novak has been one of my top favorite authors for years. The new Coyote Canyon series is so good, and I’m so excited for the rest in the series.

Brenda has a way of creating fictional worlds that come to life. I love her power of weaving redemption and emotion in her characters and she’s not afraid to tear things up ugly. But don’t worry…with every good romance, she folds it all back together with a happily ever after. She’s one of the most powerful authors out there.