A Taste of Something Else

By: Lukas Kawika

Narrated by: Sam Wells

Daniel has been with his boyfriend William since high school, but with this relationship already on shaky ground, his sudden blossoming friendship with Harley sets into motion something that he had hardly dared to dream about. First Daniel has trouble with looking away, and then with keeping his pants on, and then finally with keeping that coyote out of his bed. Things like this are never easy, but will this newfound love be enough for them to come through and heal from the things they have done?

©2022 Lukas Kawika (P)2025 Lukas Kawika

couldn't stop listening

great story of standing up for how you feel, and dealing with an emotionally manipulative relationship. hoping to see more from this writer and more of this story continued. as for these furry/anthro books go, I'm not into dragons and other non mammal characters, but luckily that was only mentioned in passing. I'm also really happy that it didn't fall into the formula of having the jilted ex go too far and cause strife and separation of the new lovers. THAT, was a breathe of fresh air.

Engaging story

A good story about finding love and happiness with just the right amount of intimacy. Very good descriptions of depression and anxiety and how it feels living with them.

Great Performance and a Refreshing Take on M/M Fan

I really enjoyed this one, primarily because it delivers on a front that a lot of fantasy books miss: a protagonist with an actual personality. The story feels fresh, and the relationship dynamics are engaging without falling into the "fluff" trap. It has that perfect blend of world-building and character-driven plot that keeps you listening.

Sam Wells does a fantastic job with the narration. He has a great male voice that fits the tone of the book perfectly, and he manages to give the characters enough distinction that you’re never confused about who is speaking. It’s exactly the kind of narration I look for—steady, professional, and emotive without being over the top.

The "something else" in the title definitely delivers on the more unique, non-human elements of the romance. The chemistry is there, the spice is handled well, and it doesn't feel like a typical "chick flick" disguised as a fantasy. It’s got enough teeth to keep things interesting. If you want a solid M/M fantasy with a great narrator and characters you actually care about, this is a great choice.

All of the people in this book are terrible people.

I kid you not, after all the hundreds of hours of listening to furry romance novels, this is the worst one I have ever read. I'm not trying to say this to put the author down, please continue writing and improve but I have zero empathy for any character in this book.

The two who end up together deserve each other. Daniel uses emotional abuse himself and guilt as a tool to justify why his cheating was essentially alright and ended up with a guy who purposely misinterpreted a majorly clinically depressed person's request so he could cheat and get some Medicare poon tang. He then makes someone who is struggling in a relationship also cheat and uses his cheap sob story and anxiety as a tool to give himself leverage. honestly? It was indeed his fault that the otter died.

While Will is no angel and does use emotional manipulation as a tool, the things that Daniel was complaining about the most sounded like Will had an awful home life and unmedicated ADHD. Daniel wanted to leave but instead of just leaving, he acted like a coward and played victim just like his new partner.

I would like to Also add that it's really weird that Daniel's mom treats him like a high schooler even though he is in college? it just did not feel realistic or like Dan had very unattractive and severe mommy issues.

one final gripe: If a furry cuts their wrists... how does one simply SHOW someone scars on their arms without shaving or a whole bunch of effort?

The narrator did the best he could with the material in front of them. This book was (and I don't say this lightly) worse then a hundred nine-elevens. I could not stop frowning the entire book and it was a trudge to get through.