Genre: Paranormal Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Serena
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About The Book
A werewolf pack reels from the loss of five members, including the Alpha and Beta, at the teeth and claws of Canadian werewolves. Summoned by a frantic call from a young werewolf who survived the massacre, Anax Tobias Rogan, the highest-ranked wolf in the United States, heads to North Dakota to stabilize the pack.
But the trip takes a toll on Tobias’s relationship with his mate, vegan werewolf Kyle Slidell. Fate put them together, but Kyle has chosen to part. A request from the Canadian Anax, Silas Creighton, gives Tobias an opportunity to rebuild things with Kyle: A road trip to Nova Scotia. As eager as Tobias to restore their relationship, Kyle agrees.
With an international conflict to resolve, a traumatized young werewolf in tow, and multiple threats to his life, Tobias struggles to make time for his mate. And when unexpected enemies invade Silas’s island stronghold, Tobias and Kyle’s relationship isn’t the only thing that might come to an end.
This book includes discussions of past sexual assault and physical child abuse, homophobia including a French Canadian homophobic slur, a child character living with cancer, and depictions of grief and mourning.
The Review
Kyle and Tobias are back! In this sixth volume of the ‘Real Werewolves Don’t Eat Meat’ series, set two weeks after the end of book five, we begin to learn about more details behind the imminent war with some of the Canadian packs. Ever since the old US Anax seemed to be promoting the hostilities, there has been a question mark in my mind around what was really going on and why. Not everything is resolved, but there is a lot going on: from Kyle and Tobias’s relationship going through another crisis to death threats and assassination attempts against Tobias, from the death of almost an entire pack in what looks like a border squabble to international politics between the US and the Canadian Anax. Very exciting stuff, but the plight of a young werewolf named Quinn, and the emotional consequences of his suffering, touched me as deeply as what was next for Kyle and Tobias and some of their old friends from books one through five. It looks as though the next five books will be as suspenseful and tension filled as the first five!
Tobias tells the story, so I got to see and feel his reluctance to take power and his exhaustion from all the “management details” firsthand. For someone who never wanted to lead he certainly does a great job! He begins to feel the pull of the power as well, so there is clearly some “magic” behind all the werewolf rules and traditions in this world. He keeps making the same mistake – leaving Kyle to his own devices – and it looks as though it is going to cost Tobias more than he is willing to pay. It is certainly an uphill battle for him to decide his priorities and then stick to the plan.
Kyle still struggles with the lack of an “official” role. He may be the Anax’s mate, but in this world, that doesn’t mean much. He has been pulled away from the only pack and place he felt at home in (the Boston North pack). First to Pennsylvania when Tobias was Arkhon and then to California, now that Tobias is the US Anax. Kyle doesn’t want to leave Tobias, but he cannot live the way he has been. What a conundrum! At least everyone they visit now knows about him being a vegan, so he won’t starve.
The story starts with a bang (the murder of the majority of a pack at the US/Canadian border, in North Dakota) and doesn’t let up from there. As suspected, there is more going on behind the scenes, and these issues don’t stop just because Tobias killed the old, senile megalomaniac of an Anax. Tobias has to go on a diplomatic mission to meet the Canadian Anax, Silas, in Nova Scotia. Multiple threats to Tobias’s life get in the way, new enemies pop out of the woodwork, and old and new friends do their best to help Tobias through all the confusion.
The secondary characters in this story also deserve a mention. Some of them, like Arkhons Zane and Paul, we already know from earlier books. And then there is Quinn, the only survivor of the massacre in North Dakota. His story turns out to be complicated, emotionally laden, and his battle is very relatable. He has a lot of courage, and it sounds like he will continue to need to rely on this strength. I’ll keep my eye on him, especially since there is a spin-off series around him (‘Ebb and Flow’) that is now on my “read soon” list.
Complicated werewolf alliances and politics, a vegan werewolfand a suspenseful story with lots of twists and turns. You will love this novel.
Note: This review originally appeared on Rainbow Book Reviews here. Shared with permission.
The Reviewer
I am a writer and reviewer for Rainbow Book Reviews and other sites. I currently live in Ireland, sharing my house with a vast collection of books. I like reading, traveling, spending time with my nieces and listening to classical music. I have a passion for science and learning new languages.