How to Walk like a Man

Howl at the Moon #2

by Eli Easton

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?

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Military Fiction

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2015

About the author

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a game designer, an organic farmer, an avid hiker, and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.

As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.

Her website in www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com

COMING SOON:
See what's in the pipeline here: http://elieaston.com/work-in-progress/

Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread July 2021:

I loved this book just as much the second time around.

When I initially read this book in 2015, I fell in love with Roman the German shepherd and got it in my head that one day I'd adopt a male German shepherd and name him Roman. I'm 2019, I did just that.

Everyone, meet my Roman (who's as smart and stoic as his book counterpart, but, alas, is not a quickened):



~4.5~

Before I begin, let me just say:

1. I like dogs more than people.

2. I have four human children and four adopted four-legged children, and I love them all. I don't love MORE or LESS. There's enough love to go around.

3. If you have a friend who doesn't understand why you'd grieve for the death of your animal companion, that's not a friend you want to keep.

What I first noticed about this book is the engaging narrative style. Told from both Roman and Matt's POV, the story gives us insight into Matt's stoic nature and Roman's ... well, DOG nature.

Roman, a newly quickened (shifted) German Shepherd, thinks like a dog, you see. And this is both endearing and hilarious.



Roman discovers his (erect) penis, and it's the BEST THING EVER! He figures out that "straight" doesn't mean what he think it means, and that he's not it.

He calls up uptight Sheriff Lance and wants to discuss "mounting," and if he's the mountee vs. the mounted, does it mean he's the alpha?



The slow burn is intense. Matt and Roman spend a lot of time together ... talking, hiking, staring ... but not kissing, definitely not that.

The sex doesn't come until the 70 percent mark, but I honestly didn't mind. The sexual tension was all kinds of delicious. I was just waiting for things to explode. And, boy, did they ever! Roman is such an eager virgin and a VERY quick learner.

Have I mentioned I'm a goner for military men?



When Tim asks if Roman and Matt hooked up, Roman responds:

"If you mean have we had sex, then yes. Matt wanted me to mount him, so I did. But Lance says that doesn't mean I have to be in charge all the time. We also use just our hands or mouths sometimes. I like that a lot."

This book is so fucking funny. I was literally rolling with laughter. Roman has a very, um, dry sense of humor, and it's beyond adorable.

Matt is in the closet and scared of his overbearing, controlling father, whom he calls the "General." He is pretend-dating Luci, who is actually totally awesome and just wants to keep her conservative family off her back while she attends law school.

I usually dislike the "beard" storyline, but I liked Luci, who totally got Matt.

When Roman is injured, it's Matt he seeks out; it's Matt he wants. But human emotions are complicated and messy, and Roman realizes:

Maybe it was easier for humans to be true to a dog ... there were a lot less ways to fail when you were a dog. It was so much less complicated than being a man.

I didn't pay much attention to the suspense/crime plot (another group of good-for-nothings wants to grow marijuana in Mad Creek, yada, yada, yada). I loved the "dog army" and Matt's epiphany, but, seriously, POT? There aren't bigger problems in the world?

I loved this story though. It was charming and heartfelt. Roman is my favorite! He loves like a dog and Walks like a Man, and deserves the best HEA in the world.

He gets it too.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaahhhhh, I LOVED this!

From the first few pages, I knew I would love this and I DID! Thank you, Eli Easton, for giving me a book worth staying up all night for!!

I adore Eli Easton, so when I found the first book in her dog-shifter series, How to Howl at the Moon, lack-luster, I was terrified that I was in for an Eli Easton dry spell. Fear not, because this one was SO wonderful that it completely restored my faith.

I love reading the whole range of what M/M has to offer, but one particular sub-genre has a very special place in my heart. That's right, my friends, I'm talking about a sexuality discovery story. And this book featured a wonderful, glorious one, but it also had my second favorite thing...a virgin. And I don't just mean a technical virgin, but an inexperienced, sweetly innocent, huge, ex-military man figuring out his body for the FIRST TIME.



Pervy stuff aside, this book also had a sweet, believable romance between a closeted man, Matt, and Roman, the shifter. I love a good coming out story also, but the coming out part is a minor aspect of the storyline. Most of the storyline is about developing the lovely, slow-burn quality of Matt and Roman's relationship... with the background of a DEA investigation of a drug operation.

Though Matt was truly awesome, Roman has a special place in my heart. I adored how he was still trying to figure out how to act and behave because it showed his smart, innocent, trusting personality so well. He was perfectly clueless in a way that made me fall in love with him, but also authoritative and sexy in a way that made me want to bone him. Also, his emotions about his time in the military also felt real in an achingly honest way. Eli Easton did a great job with him.

I also loved seeing more of the townsfolk and getting more of a feel for the community. I've fallen in love with this glorious small-town setting, and I fear dog-shifter books might become an addiction for me.

A charming, very sweet, adorable, and SEXY addition to what is shaping up to be one hell of a series. Don't miss this one!!

**Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am happy to report the sequel to the uber-fabulous How to Howl at the Moon lived up to every one of my expectations, and more! If I had to choose between the two, How to Walk Like a Man actually wins! And that is because of our dear, sweet Roman.

Deputy Roman Charsguard is a dog shifter. (I know, weird, right? Well, it absolutely works in this series, 100%. When I started the first book, I was cautiously optimistic but pleasantly surprised. I am a crazy dog-person and I couldn't quite wrap my mind around my own dogs being in romantic situations. Gross! But believe me. It is glorious.) There are two types of dog shifters. Those born as human with dog-shifting abilities (like Lance is in book 1) and those born dogs without human-shifting abilities (Roman) that develop human-shifting abilities when they form a close bond with a human. When the bond happens, they become "quickened" and can shift into human form. When that happens, they need to learn everything a human infant has to learn. How to crawl, walk, talk, eat, sleep, pee and poop, etc.

Roman's inner dialogue: He'd walked and walked, falling down a lot as he stumbled on his over-long feet. He'd slept under bridges in the cold and wet. He'd drank water from a stream on all fours. The water was bad and it made his stomach explode. You had to find a place to hide when you pooped too. People got very mad if you did it where they could see.

Roman's human that fulfilled his strong bond was his K-9 handler in Afghanistan, James. When James died, Roman shifted for the first time. Since Roman was an adult when he first shifted into a human, he was extremely naive about what it actually meant to be human. He had only been human two years when he met Matt Barclay, a DEA agent who is assigned to Roman's office.

Matt is a former Marine who had big military shoes to fill because of his successful father, a general, and brother who also excelled in the military. Matt eventually decides he can't fill those shoes and takes a job in law enforcement. He is a gay man living in the closet with his beard girlfriend Luci. When he starts working with Roman, he finds Roman odd but endearing and sex-on-legs.

Roman's human sexually has not kicked in yet, which is completely normal for a quickened. Matt turns his crank and for the first time ever, Roman gets an erection. It scares and excites him and prompts him to explore a sexual relationship with Matt.

Roman's inner dialogue: He'd treated Roman as an equal and, more than that, had liked him and wanted him as a sex partner. The longer Roman was with Matt, the more he wanted to be with him, not as his dog, but as himself.

Sex partner! How flippin' cute is that? Roman and Matt's sexual journey is beautiful and I loved the way Matt was so patient with Roman's innocence. They were great together!

This was such a sweet, delightful read! It has military men, virgins, humor, sex, drama, excitement and passion. And dogs! DOGS! So many bonus points for the dogs.

Highly, highly recommended.

This can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading How to Howl at the Moon first to get a good feel of the dog shifters. It's a fantastic book, even if I liked How to Walk Like a Man better.

OK, time for me to fess-up. There is another reason this book touched my heart so much. My husband is a K9 handler and just as dog-crazy as I am. He is pictured below with his Belgian Malinois K9 Nikki who lived a long and healthy 16 years. In her illustrious 11 year career, she seized thousands of pounds of illegal drugs and over $1 million in cash. She will always be in our heart.



Now go read this book!



This review is also posted at Gay Book Reviews

Galley copy of How to Walk Like a Man provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.

[Nick Pageant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for German Shepherd gifs, Marine gifs, Army gifs, etc. None of them were nearly as good as this book's cover, so have a closer look.



I rated part one of this series at 5 stars and this is better, so I have a bit of a problem. I can't lower the rating for the first one because it was amazing so I'll have to rig the system. My solution is to award this one with six dreaming puppies. Enjoy -



If you haven't read book one, I highly recommend it. You'll have a good time and you'll be very intrigued by a supporting character named Roman. Then read this one and you will fall hopelessly in love with that same character. Roman is all loyalty and bravery mixed in with funny and sweet naiveté. Roman, Roman, Roman...

[Eli Easton]

The release date has been set for Nov 13th and the cover and blurb are now up. You can read the first and second parts of chapter one on "The Novel Approach" and "My Fiction Nook". Links here:
http://elieaston.com/how-to-walk-like...

[Dalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman Charsguard has been adopted and trained for military by James Pattson, his K-9 handler. They were in Afghanistan for two years until James died. After that Roman was put in a kennel once again and was supposed to have a new handler. However, the bond Roman and James had gave Roman a spark that turned him into a man. He ran away from the kennel and soon found himself in Mad Creek, a town where quickened (shifters) live and help each other out.

Matt Barclay was sent as DEA investigator to Mad Creek to keep a lookout for illegal drug farms. He's assigned to Deupty Roman who saved his life in the shooting not so long ago. Matt notices that there's something weird going on in Mad Creek, but he can't put his finger on it. Also, he knows that Roman tries to distract him from the town, what raises his suspicion even more, but at the same time he looks forward to spending a lot of time with attractive and sweetly naive Roman.

This book was so much fun. There's lots of humor, exciting moments, emotions and a lovely, slow burn. Roman still hasn't discovered everything about his body and he hasn't done some human things and it was delightful to see his first times. He's such a precious, sweet person. The sex starting instructions Lance and Tim gave him were hilarious. Plus, Roman and Matt were so great together, I couldn't get enough of them.

Highly recommended!

This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.

[Simone - on indefinite hiatus - · Rating 4 out of 5]

***4 - 4.5 Stars***

And the award for the most hysterical sex education goes to...

...Lance aaaaaand Roman!!!!!

#ROFLMAO #MyAdorationForRomanKnowsNoBoundz

[✦❋Arianna✦❋ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!!



Once again Eli Easton delivered a heart-warming, sweet, humorous and tender tale. “How to Walk Like a Man” is the second installment in her PNR series entitled “Howl at the Moon” and tells the story of Deputy Roman Charsguard, character we met in the previous installment in the series. This second book can be read as a standalone, but I truly recommend you to also read book1. You won’t regret it!

Roman works as a Deputy in Mad Creek, a special little town with friendly, yet a little strange residents. He is a dog-human shifter, called the quickened. Until two years ago, Roman was a…dog, a German Shepard, a military dog. He lost a part of himself when his K-9 handler, James died. A man just like him, a dog-shifter told him about Mad Creek and he found his purpose in life again when he moved in this small town and started working with Lance, the Mad Creek’s Sheriff. Roman still learns how to be a man, how to act like a man, how to feel like a human.

Matt Barclay is a DEA investigator who’s sent to Mad Creek to keep a lookout for illegal drug farms. Nobody wants him there for the obvious reasons and he’s pretty sure this strange town hides something. But what? It’s his first job as a full-fledget DEA investigator and he’s determined to do a stellar job. Roman is assigned to ensure that Matt does not discover their secret, so for the next twelve months he will be his babysitter. He’s not too happy with his task, but Roman likes Matt so the assignment is not too awful. Matt is a happy human to be around and that makes Roman feel happy too, so everything is good, at least for now. The two men start working together, hiking together, laughing together and eventually they became some sort of friends. The feelings for each other start to change as the days and weeks pass, but both of them know getting involved with the other would be a huge mistake. It doesn’t help their situation the fact that Matt is in the closet or that he has a fake fiancée.

I really enjoyed this one! Eli Easton always writes entertaining stories with endearing, adorable protagonists and this little gem was exactly like that. Like the previous book in the series, the story was…well, suspenseful you could say, but this aspect is not the most important here. However, the story flowed smoothly and was entertaining from start to finish. The angst is low and the steam was pretty low, but I adored this sweet story.

Both main characters were well developed, likeable and funny to read about. While I liked both men I have to admit Roman was my favorite. He was simply adorable at times. He’s sweet, kind-hearted, honest to a fault and his innocence was very endearing. He made me smile so hard at times. Matt was pretty great as well. He’s kind and at times even protective with Roman and I loved him for that. I enjoyed the slow burn romance between them, how their relationship gradually changed from friends to more and the sexual tension who was delish. I also loved the tenderness between these two men. They were so great together.

Overall, a fantastic story!

[BWT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hard-core adored this story!

Getting to see the characters we got to know and love from 'How to Howl at the Moon' again, ESPECIALLY Roman Charsguard, the newly quickened, German Shepard shifter, made me melt faster than a chocolate bar left in the sun. Roman made this book extra-special for me. Getting to be a part of his journey as he realizes his full humanity and falls in love with DEA investigator Matt Barclay was so awesome that I cannot gush enough.

One of my favorite things about this series is how there's a lot of humor, which adds just the right amount of juxtaposition to the deeper emotions.

I didn't think it could get better until I listened to Matthew Shaw's narration for the audio book. His character voices, pacing, and performance just made this so much better. I love listening to this series.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[.Lili. · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGsh! This book! This book was absolutely adorable and left me teary eyed with a sappy smile on my face. This story is about a closeted man, Matt, who has harbored a crush for Roman after he saved him months prior.


What I loved:

*Roman. He's an all time favorite of mine now. He was so sweet and innocent and trusting. I loved seeing the world through his eyes. He kind of took my breath away and at the end made me cry with his happiness.
*Matt. Although, Roman was the star of the book Matt was a wonderful character as well. He was strong and gentle- just perfect for Roman.
*The townspeople. It was so great to catch up with everyone again.
*The slow burn. It was soooo worth the wait. The sexual tension was filled with sweet and pervy moments that made me smile. It was written perfectly.
*The romance. It was all warm fuzzies.
*The story flow. It had a nice, easy flow.
*The epilogue. Sigh, perfection. ♥



As for this being book 2 in a series... can it be read alone? Technically, I guess. Do I recommend doing that- no. First off, the first book was great so it shouldn't be missed. Two, I think book one sets you up nicely for this one.

I don't have any negatives to report. This was a 5+ Star read for me. It's sweet, sexy, endearing and I CAN NOT RECOMMEND IT ENOUGH.



**ARC kindly provided by the author for an honest review.
**This review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read September 2023

I really like the audiobooks of this series.

---------------------------

These books are so adorable.



I wasn’t so sure I would like this when I started this. Roman seemed so naive and almost childlike in Howl at the Moon. And while that definitely still was the case here, I found myself not that bothered by it..

I loved how we got to know how Roman turned human. We finally got to read about his time in the military with his handler, James.



I also really liked the parts with Roman and Lance. The way Roman asked Lance for advice was so awesome.

"My… my penis is all swollen up and hard. Could it be a spider bite or… or…" Roman swallowed, pressing down the panic.
"I don't know. Cancer?"
He knew cancer killed a lot of humans and involved lumps and tumors.
There was silence from the other end of the line. A long silence.

Roman was such a wonderful character, I couldn’t get enough of him.

And I really loved how Roman and Matt became friends first and then lovers. They got to know each other and that's always a big plus in my books.

This is a series that's bound to make anyone feel good. The quickened are just so endearing.

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

This series is proving to be amazing and addictive.

[Ingie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review written January 27, 2016

4.2 Stars - Wow, such a cute "dog" story. My heart melted...

Eli Easton truly has the gift to entertain and write heartwarming cunningly humoristic stories about lovely men who prefer nice men. Easygoing and very tender romances that are so easy to love. I usually a big PNR lover, enjoyed but wasn't totally happydancing amazed (as many others) about #1-How to Howl at the Moon (3.5 stars).



...Anyway, I was curious about the lonely and sad German Shepherd, it was time to read this second installment (with a new love-couple). — My lucky day. A great book pick once again. Ahww... This was a super über adorable read. Loved it.

*********************************************

It felt so very good to once again visit the small isolated Mad Creek town up there in the north California mountains. A place with secrets as the quite odd fact that the town mostly consists of ‘quickened’ — dogs who have gained the ability to become human. A kind of dog shifters.

In the first book we briefly met the "German Shepherd", a former military dog still grieving his loss of his beloved K-9 handler James in the Afghanistan war, who since two years also is the two legged human Roman Charsguard.

‘Still, there were jokes Roman didn't get, lots of backslapping and, yes, coffee and donuts. The ones with the white icing and raisins were Roman's favorites! He ate six of them before a warning glare from Lance reminded him to slow down.’



‘...there were a lot less ways to fail when you were a dog. It was so much less complicated than being a man.’

By now is Roman a police Deputy working with the town Sheriff Lance Beaufort (the "Border Collie" main character from book #1 nowadays happily living with his human boyfriend Tim). Roman still has a lot to learn about being human, as human manners and feelings. The loveliest in this plot is maybe that Roman is pretty innocent. Like a child or teen. He still gets new human "abilities" as time goes. — As to blush, feel lust and desire, and that remarkable about who likes who. What does it mean to be straight or maybe even gay?

Arrives Matt Barclay a young goodlooking DEA investigator on a one year mission to look for drug dealers up in the Mad Creek surroundings. The Sheriff decides Roman will be Matt's local guide ...with the secret top mission to keep the town's secrets secret from this human stranger.

‘He'd been happy as a dog—being with J**, doing his work. But it didn't compare to being happy as a man. He was a man who was in love, had a home of his own, a job he loved, lots to eat, and a cool uniform too!’



“And I'm a selfish bastard. I've always wanted the best. Trust me to find the most extraordinary guy in the world”

Want to smile? Want to meet the sweetest ever character? Want to giggle and feel a urgent need to cuddle with a German Shepherd? — Pick up How to Walk Like a Man and just enjoy. Recommended for sweet reading moments.

*********************************************

I LIKE - to spend time with characters like these

[wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this as much as the first one. The build up was exasperating and some things didn't seem to add up for me. Like how Matt only noticed Roman's bad shoulder after they had sex. I mean, it was a fresh bullet wound right? It would have been very obvious and I would have been very concerned if I were Matt. Or how Matt got over Paco's disappearance very fast.

I also felt there were loose ends which were not addressed completely. Matt had a lot of baggage to carry, for one. The issue with his dad wasn't given any definite resolution. And I felt like Matt and Roman's romantic relationship wasn't explored in full.

I liked Roman a lot. His innocence and earnestness won me over. But the issues I had with this book bothered me so much and hindered fully enjoying this.

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Oh Easton, you do know how to twist my heart in knots and make me feel. Despite this being fiction, and dog shifter fiction at that, it in no way lessened the emotional impact elicited when it came to Roman.

Roman just wants to love, to be loved, have purpose and be useful. It's a tall task to achieve especially since he's fallen for a human, which brings many complications. However, his innate goodness, honesty, and integrity shine through, and in turn, Matt can hardly resist the temptation.

As their relationship evolves, what remains constant is Roman's continued essence of being "poignantly vulnerable". It is this very specific characteristic and situation that Easton does so expertly, and it will always inevitably have me coming back for more - its lure too hard to ignore and something I don't want to deprive myself of ever.

[Gustaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 "I'm smiling from ear to ear stars".
I read the first book in this series maybe two years ago and right now I can't remember why I waited so long to keep reading the series... Because it's just so sweet.

Especially this book. I think I haven't stopped smiling since I first picked it up. Roman and Matt were the sweetest characters. But Roman stole my heart. Seriously. I might be a little in love with him.

And!! Dog shifters. Do I have to say more?

[Elisa Glendenning (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I’ve always feared German Shepherds, having been bitten by one when I was two, but how could I not fall for Roman Charsguard - he really is the best dog in the world. 💕 New to the human race, socially naive Roman, falling in love with closeted Matt was a joy to read. Without a doubt, one of my favourite EE characters!

Highlights:
🥰 Two loveable MC’s
🥺 Roman’s backstory
🤣 Sex Ed with Lance
💘 A lovely slow burn relationship
😍 All of Roman’s firsts
💞 More Lance and Tim
🤭 The drama
💕 Paco

Lowlights:
🤨 Lack of resolution with Matt’s dad

Although this can be read as a stand-alone, I don’t recommend it. A well written and highly entertaining series. Not to be missed!

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ❤️ Roman!!!

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️ ❤️

He makes this book. He so cute and innocent and genuine.



I didn't really get the whole quickened thing in the first one but it's explained much better in this one and with Roman only being a human for 2 yrs... hilarity ensues. Being a human is tricky business.

Lance sighed. "it's not like that with humans, Roman. Someone can, er, take the bottom position in, um, sex, but not necessarily anywhere else. It doesn't mean you're the boss. You can even, um, switch around. It's just about what you feel like doing at the time."

That surprised Roman. "You can switch? Do you switch around? Does Tim sometimes mount you?"

"Hey, look at that! It's a pen. On my desk. For writing work things down. And numbers. I should really get back to work and write things down."

There were so many moments between he and Lance that had me barking out laughs. Easton did a great job blending the dog and the man with moments of fluffy cuteness and moments of poignancy. The usage of exclamation points was brilliant. I also loved that Roman's hungry ALWAYS.

The drug bust storyline is engaging and held my interest. I loved how the whole town gets involved in keeping Matt in the dark and, ultimately, in busting the ring. That movie theater scene was priceless.

What I didn't love so much was the connection between Roman and Matt. I didn't feel it. Not like I felt it with Lance and Tim. I actually kept thinking James was Roman's soul mate and Matt paled by comparison.

But everything else was so good that I can't justify rating it less. So 4 stars for Mad Creek!

I'm gonna go drink some bone broth and get ready for the next one.

[Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman!!! OMG: Roman! 4.5 Stars!

Delicious, adorable, bittersweet, cuddlelicious! These are words that describe this fantastical tale of a dog becoming a man and falling in love.

Roman! I want to take him home and cuddle him as a dog and love him as a man. He was so sincere, so honest, so funny in finding his way around becoming a man. And wait until you get to the part of him figuring out sex! IT’S TO DIE FOR!

Matt, the human, is good....BUT, ROMAN!

My rec? Howl yeah!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so hilarious, I was dying laughing out loud, it was such a fun and enjoyable read.

I read book 1 and didn't love it because I felt the romance was really lacking but the book itself was fun and funny- so I went into this book with zero expectations for romance and only reading it for the humor. And I'm glad I did because again I'd say the romance was a bit meh but the book itself was so funny, way more hilarious than book 1 and Roman was the best- all his povs were so funny, I would read more books just him discovering the world and trying to act human 😂

[Denise H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read June 19, 2020
**** This is GREAT ! **** It's so amazingly written;
so well done !
This shifter series is unlike any other. We see big hearts, strong characters, and an active story ! I LOVED it ! Roman was a German Shepard in the Army,

when his beloved trainer/partner, James, was killed and he was injured.
Roman was devastated. At the K-9 Military Kennel, Roman changed into a human and escaped. He found another like him, who led him to Mad Creek.

Now a Deputy, Roman loves his job and pack.

Flashbacks to James and his history, training and combat were fascinating from the dog's POV.

Fantastic Matt is a DEA Agent assigned to their area,

and they must work together and hide their secret from Matt.

*** Wonderful banter, funny conversations, terrific action, and super hot, erotic sex scenes, all make this an awesome book.
We get it all, and it's a refreshing shifter story ! It's a series but each can stand alone. There's no cheating, we get shifters, action, violence, M/M love, and an HEA.
Highly recommended ! ENJOY !

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Thanks darling Darlene for the rec !

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[Ele · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friends know that I'm not into shifter stories. At all. I can't seem to get into them although I 've tried. Not even from authors that I absolutely love.

So, me rating a shifter book with 4 stars, is very very good.

I admit, the romance didn't do much for me and I didn't really care for the mystery.

This story was ALL Roman. His naivety, his honest reactions, the sexual awakening and his hilarious efforts to get used to his human body.

And I loved the town. I'd really like to live in Mad Creek with all the dog shifters. Much better than people.

Thanks for the BR ladies;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~BR with Renee and Jewel. Because I'm clueless about shifters~

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so hard!

Roman was just the sweetest and I totally fell in love with him. He really made the story. The conversations that he had with Lance were so awesome for so many reasons. I would secretly hope that Roman would have questions just so he would call Lance as each of those discussions were so damn great.

There were so many times that I caught myself smiling just wondering what Matt was thinking. Especially the fire hydrant moment lol. Matt and Roman slowly built their relationship and I loved every minute of it. Awesome story!

[Tara♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So ummmm... I didn't love it.

I can't say for why exactly because I loved Roman and I liked Matt and it was nice getting to see everyone in Mad Creek but altogether it just didn't work for me. I has sadz!!



I think maybe it's because Roman, even though adorable, was so naive that I kind of looked at him as almost like a child and I just thought that Matt needed more information about him before they embarked on this grand love affair in which Roman didn't really understand the magnitude of what was happening. I also think that I was perhaps thinking about it a bit too much and I should have just let it go and enjoyed it for the wonderful fluff it probably was but I couldn't on this occasion.

The parts about Roman becoming a quickened were really very good and really very sad. I may have had a little cry even.

I'm way in the minority on this and it's not at all terrible. It just wasn't for me. I am totally going to read anything else that comes to us from Mad Creek. I predict the Doctor returning with his research and the newly turned arrival to be next but for now I'll just get back in my box and shut up.

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

Oh man, I really wanted to like this one! But I think I read it too close to the first book in the series. It felt like a repeat of that book....but with less romance.

Sadly I found myself bored and skimming parts!

More than likely this was more my fault then the books!

[Wendys Wycked Words · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one :)) Roman was so sweet and akward..lol. I laughed my ass off. This book was funny as shit, but it was also romantic, sexy and even sad at times.

It had everything I needed, I liked it even better than the first one, because Roman was so awesome :))

And yes there were some really funny akward moments, but the sex wasn't as weird as the first book (not that I minded the weirdness in book 1).

I'm a big fan of sexytimes, and this book doesn't really have a lot of those. But to me ...it was still perfect.

I hope there will be more books in this series, because so far, they really make me happy :))

5 stars from me

Not gonna write down what this book was all about....it's short and sweet and awesome, and you should just read it yourself ;)

[John The Cosmic Wanderer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be a angsty since Roman has a military past but I was a surprised how funny this was. Roman is such a sweetheart. His cluelessness is just so endearing & adorable. The LOVE making scene was incredibly off the charts hot! The scene was just perfectly written. The only really minor issue I have with this was that the bad guys' POV was included in the story. I really did not care so much for it. Probably one of the bad guys will be in the next book?!

This has been a very enjoyable series so far and Eli's writing is as usual excellent! Love this story! 4.5 stars

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was what I looked like while reading 'How to Walk Like a Man':


I've read my fair share of werewolf shifter MM. It's a staple in the genre, and I've got a thing for growly alphas. But I honestly can't say that I expected to read, and so thoroughly enjoy, a series about dog shifters. The Howl at the Moon series has been a great addition to my shifters shelf.

I developed a serious crush on Roman almost as soon as he popped up on page in How to Howl at the Moon. He was just so sweet and lonely. I wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and give him ear rubs. In this book, I fell for him completely. His inner strength and goodness in the face of so many hardships won me over.

If you're looking for a book with copious amounts of sex, this isn't it. Roman and Matt's relationship built very slowly. The two went from strangers, to accidental coworkers, to friends, and then finally became lovers. It was slow burn, and the payoff was worth it. Their romance was very believable, and developed naturally. I loved every second of it.

I think book 2 of this series deals with more serious topics than book 1. There's the drug trade, but there's also the death of Roman's handler and Matt's closeted status. It could have been a pretty angsty read. However Eli Easton incorporated some great comedic relief. I was snickering on my commute, which got me some looks on the train. Every time Roman called up Lance for sex advice, I had a case of the chuckles.

It was great to catch up with Tim and Lance from book 1, and a few other secondary characters. I liked getting to know more about Mad Creek, and the 'quickened' world. I've got my fingers-crossed that the author explores Mad Creek for another book or two.

If you're looking for a shifter romance with great relationship development, humour, and an interesting action plot, look no further. 'How to Walk Like a Man' was brilliantly done!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Roman so much. His characterization was so great, he used to be a dog and even as a man, he still sounds like a dog. His humor is very dry, he misses things, he's honest, loyal, sweet--so sweet, and when he doesn't understand something, he asks. Mostly he asks his alpha, Sheriff Lance Beaufort, who would really rather he not. The questions about sex, love, mates, were wonderful and seeing Lance and Tim again was a treat. Roman and Matt's story is not to be missed.

[Elsbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

BR, November 15th with Paul, Sonia and Momo.

*4,5 stars*

Cute.Cute.Cute.

So Paul found the perfect image for Roman in his human- as well as in his dogform!!!



I loved Roman. I loved reading his time spend with his hangler James and how he got "quickened"
It made so much sense and I can even see it happening. haha

Roman was so adorable. His innervoice had me laughing out loud so many times.

There was so much more he wanted to share. He felt an urge to tell Matt about where the bears liked to play in the streams and the boundaries of their territory by urine-scent and claw marks.

He wanted to tell Matt about the families of foxes and how much they'd spread even since he'd moved here.

He wanted to talk about the meadows where the hawks found the best rabbits and mice, and where he had too, when he had been without a job and had fed himself by hunting.

But none of that was related to the drug search, and maybe not something a human would care about anyway.

So he didn't tell Matt any of it.

Roman learning to be in his human form... It was so funny!! I especially loved Roman and Lance's sextalk.
Lance was so uncomfortable everytime, Tim having to save his ass.. It was hysterical.

Oh. Of course. The male member had to get hard to penetrate.
He'd seen animals mating in the woods, he'd just never looked that closely at the details.

"Sorry I called you, Sheriff," Roman mumbled, now mortified that he’d been so stupid.

"No, that's…." Lance huffed. "Fine. Just… take care of it."

"Take care of it?"

"Oh my God," Lance said. There was a muttered I can't and then Tim came on the line.

So many quotes...

I'll just add another Roman pic.



*HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*