How to Howl at the Moon by Eli Easton – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Rating 4.5 stars out of 5

Deputy Roman Charsguard survived Afghanistan where he lost his best friend—his K-9 handler James. Roman was a military dog until two years ago when he developed the ability to shift into a human. It’s not easy to learn how to be a man. He found a place to live in Mad Creek, a haven for the secret world of dog shifters. Finding a reason to live has been harder. That is, until a certain human walks into the Mad Creek Sheriff’s office and starts making trouble.

Matt Barclay has the worst luck. First he was shot in a SWAT drug raid, then he was sent as DEA investigator to Mad Creek, a little town in the California mountains. Matt’s job is to keep a lookout for illegal drug farms, but nobody in the town wants him there. And then there’s Roman, Matt’s erstwhile baby-sitter. He’s the hottest guy Matt’s ever seen, even if he is a bit peculiar. If the town doesn’t kill him, sexual frustration just might.

The town is counting on Roman to prevent Matt from learning about dog shifters, Matt’s counting on Roman to be his work partner and tell him the truth, and Roman’s trying to navigate love, sex, and a whole lot of messy human emotions. Who knew it was so complicated to walk like a man?

I was anxious to read Roman story since I first met him in How to Howl at the Moon , the first book in the Howl at the Moon series by Eli Easton. I was intrigued by this character cause I could feel he would be different and I wasn’t disappointed. I learnt to love him a little more with each page I read in How to Walk Like a Man.

His story was a little strange because Roman, as the title says, needs to start his human life, to learn how to walk like a man and not only as a dog. He lost his human James in Afghanistan, the one who saved a hurt Roman from a sure death.The flashbacks that showed the relationship between them, were all very emotional especially in the clear connection with James and in Roman sense of loneliness when he woke up for the first time in his doggie cage as a human and had no idea what was happening.

It was surely not the usual m/m book and Roman is not our usual character. That’s the reason why in this case I loved the slow burn story with Matt, it couldn’t have been different, since Roman has no clue about human life at all. And it didn’t bored me for a minute cause Matt and Roman were together from the first page, becoming friends little by little and starting to trust each other.

Moreover How to Walk Like a Man not just Roman and Matt’s story. There is so much more going on and I can assure you won’t have enough. It was sweet, simple and beautifully different as Roman is, with some emotional parts and some light and funny, like when Roman discovered for the first time his penis and the related sexual maneuver. I laughed so much at Lance’s embarrassment when Roman called his friend in the middle of his first erection asking for help with his problem.

How To Walk Like a Man and the whole series is highly recommended. I’d love to know if there will be more about these great characters in a near future.

Cover art by Reese Dante. There really is nothing to say about this cover, I can see Roman in the dog eyes, so it’s perfect to me.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 241 pages
Published November 13th 2015 by Pinkerton Road
ASIN B0176KQPH8
Edition Language English

Howl at the Moon series

How to Howl at the Moon #1
How to Walk Like a Man #2

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Sheriff Lance Beaufort is not going to let trouble into his town, no sir. Tucked away in the California mountains, Mad Creek has secrets to keep, like the fact that half the town consists of ‘quickened’—dogs who have the ability to become human. Descended on both sides from Border Collies, Lance is as alert a guardian as they come.  Tim Weston is looking for a safe haven. After learning that his boss patented all of Tim’s work on vegetable hybrids in his own name, Tim quit his old job. A client offers him use of her cabin in Mad Creek, and Tim sees a chance for a new start. But the shy gardener has a way of fumbling and sounding like a liar around strangers, particularly gorgeous alpha men like Sheriff Beaufort.  Lance’s hackles are definitely raised by the lanky young stranger. He’s concerned about marijuana growers moving into Mad Creek, and he’s not satisfied with the guy’s story.

Lance decides a bit of undercover work is called for. When Tim hits a beautiful black collie with his car and adopts the dog, its love at first sight for both Tim and Lance’s inner dog. Pretending to be a pet is about to get Sheriff Beaufort in very hot water.

I simply love this author, everything she writes is perfect. This book is no exception. How to howl at the moon is the first book in a new shifters series, but not the usual shifters I’m used to. It was definitely something new to me and so interesting I can’t wait for the next one. If you are familiar with Eli’s writing you already know you’re going to read something special, well written, fun and entertaining.

How to howl at the Moon is the story of Lance, the Sheriff of Mad Creek, a city full of secrets to hide from the world. He’s a quickened dog, a border collie that has never bounded with a human. Quickened dogs are dogs that don’t born with the ability to take the human form but the love of their human owners gave them the ability to shift. Lance is investigating in a drug growers setting up in the neighboring counties, which are causing lot of violence. So when at the diner he meets a stranger who smell of pot and with no money, he soon becomes suspicious about the newcomer. He will do everything he can to expose him, even using his dog form.

Tim is a young man who just moved to Mad Creek after leaving Santa Barbara in hurry. He owned a gardening service since he was twelve. The man who though was his business partner deceived him. He stole all Tim’s hard work, the copyright of all the wonderful and rare varieties of roses, and confined him as an employee. He’s in this new town living in a friend’s cabin for free for six months and hoping to use this time to set up a new business. After a bad childhood and the betrayal of his old boss, Tim is ready for a new beginning. One night while coming home from a trip to buy more gardening supplies he hit a black dog with his car. It’s love at first sight.

Tim leaned down to look into Lance’s eyes with warm concern and stroked his head. “I’ll be right back, buddy. Okay?”

Lance narrowed his eyes. Well, duh.

“He seems really… I dunno… intelligent for a dog,” Tim said with admiration.

“You think so?” Bill(the vet) said dryly. “I’d have thought it was unaccountably stupid to run out in front of a truck, and way out here of all places.”

Eli Easton is a great writer, she explained the quickened world really well and the relationship between MCs and second one are magnificent. I especially enjoyed Lila, Lance’s mom. She’s hilarious but most of all truly a troublemaker. I loved the dialogue, I found myself laughing so much and was never bored. Tim was so cute when his nervousness around Lance brings him to some funny attacks of verbal diarrhea.

I’m waiting for the next one in this new amazing series, hoping the wary Roman will get his HEA. I can totally recommend How to Howl at the Moon to all of you, you wouldn’t regret it. Really well done!

Cover art by AngstyG. Considering border collie is my fave dog breed I couldn’t be not in love with this cover as soon as I saw it. I didn’t even read the blurb, once I knew it was a eli easton’s book ans saw the cover, I was so ready to read it. This artist never disappoint me.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) Amazon Buy It Here