Book Reviews

Book Blurb

As Alpha Tobias Rogan and his mate Kyle Slidell prepare to travel to the regional Alpha gathering, Tobias receives a threatening phone call: If he brings his mate to the gathering, Kyle will not return to Boston. But stubborn Kyle, believing the threat is actually against Tobias, refuses to stay home.

Tobias’s foreboding is proven correct when a visiting stranger challenges Zane Wolfskin, Arkhon of the Northeast Region, to a fight for rank–and wins. Tobias and his allies learn that the challenge was part of a larger plan to destroy their region, something Tobias will not allow. To prevent disaster, Tobias must challenge the new Arkhon himself. But can he survive the attempt?

 

 

Warning: It includes conflict between mates and reference to a past physical fight between those mates; mention of past murder, abduction, and child abduction; violence between werewolves; references to past abuse and sexual assault; and depictions of PTSD.

 

First edition published at MLR Press, August 2013. This version has been revised, re-edited, and updated from the original.

 

Book Review

Starting off this fourth book in the 'Real Werewolves Don't Eat Meat' series, I was happy to discover that, apparently, nasty old Saul who caused so many problems had been killed. Yay! Now I thought Kyle and Tobias could relax a little bit, head to the semi-annual alpha meeting, and have some downtime together. So much for me thinking. *grins*

The first thing I noticed in 'Try the Tofu' is the author switched the story from Kyle's to Tobias's point of view, which threw me a little. I've gotten very used to Kyle's mind, which, at times, can be quite the circus. Still, I had been wanting to get a better handle on Tobias, so I hoped this would give me that opportunity. Trey, the newest member of their pack, and his son, Mikey, stop in to visit Tobias and Kyle before they leave for the Arkhon's home and their meeting. Mikey has prophetic dreams and this time he dreams that a big black wolf gets attacked and hurt by a gray wolf. Tobias and Kyle can only assume that the black wolf is Zane, their Arkhon, and Tobias calls him to give the warning, but Tobias and Kyle both feel there is significant danger on the horizon.

With everything that has happened in the last months, Kyle and Tobias are on shaky ground, both personally and as a couple. Something seems to be broken between them, but neither knows how to fix it. Part of the problem, in my opinion, seems to be that Tobias, as an alpha werewolf in a society which shuns weakness, holds his emotions very close to the vest and doesn't share for fear of being seen as weak. Tobias recognizes that he has a tendency to hold on to things until he implodes, but he gets annoyed and feels stifled by Kyle's worry. Kyle hasn't been a werewolf for very long, so a lot of the ideas regarding behavior, he pretty much tosses out the window. Kyle's psychic abilities which present themselves in very strong instincts cause him to react in ways unheard of and can create tension between this mated pair. I have to admit though, hearing what is running through Tobias's mind, particularly about Kyle, isn't endearing him to me. At. All. I'm hoping there's something else at work here causing Tobias's negative thoughts.

Very exciting addition filled with a lot of intrigue, backstabbing, and violence. It just killed me to watch Zane get defeated as Arkhon, although I was thrilled he was left alive. Once Tobias and Kyle realize the Anax, the head of all werewolves in the United States, is behind Zane losing, and, in fact, is behind everything that's happened to them in the past six months, Tobias has no choice but to challenge for Arkhon. He wants to win and then figure out how to reinstate Zane, since, currently, Tobias accepted Zane into his pack before the new Arkhon could declare him packless. And Tobias has to decide how he's going to deal with the Anax before the annual meeting of all alphas, Arkhons, and the Anax, which will be held in a few months.

I enjoyed this book, however, I struggled with a number of inconsistencies which I found. And, even though I've been wanting to get a better handle on Tobias, his point of view was difficult for me to acclimate to, considering how used to Kyle's I am. Although to be fair, the author was correct in changing it since this entire book revolves around the alphas, the Arkhon, and Tobias's role as both. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 269 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	13-July-2023
Price	$4.99 ebook, $11.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Try-Tofu-Real-Werewolves-Dont-ebook/dp/B0C8ZBSQPF