Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Tobias Rogan never wanted to be a leader. But here he is, the Anax of the United States, ruler of all werewolves in the country. Only two weeks after winning the rank, Tobias and his mate Kyle are still adjusting to their new reality when a frantic call alerts Tobias to the massacre of nearly half the wolves in a pack in North Dakota–including the pack’s Alpha and Beta.

An investigation reveals that the wolves responsible are from Canada. Tobias reaches out to Silas Creighton, Anax of Canada, and finds someone like-minded in wanting peace between the wolves of the two countries. At Silas’s invitation, Tobias and his mate Kyle, along with their new guard Quinn Boucher, sole survivor of the North Dakota massacre, travel to Nova Scotia to put an end to the conflict. But not all wolves are interested in peace–and not all want Tobias to survive the trip.

 

 

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.

 

Book 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.

 

If you like complicated werewolf alliances and politics, if a vegan werewolf arouses your curiosity, and if you’re looking for a suspenseful story with lots of twists and turns, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

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

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 358 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	11-July-2024
Price	$4.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Take-Some-Tahini-Real-Werewolves-ebook/dp/B0D81GBJDN