How to Walk Like a Man

Howl at the Moon, Book 2

By: Eli Easton

Narrated by: Matthew Shaw

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 this job doesn't kill Matt, 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?

©2015 Jane Jensen Holmes (P)2016 Jane Jensen Holmes

Brilliant, funny, sexy, and heartwarming!

Any additional comments?

In my review book review for How To Walk Like a Man I wrote the only thing that will make this better is when Matthew Shaw does the narration for the audio book.

And I was absolutely right.

Matthew Shaw’s sophomore effort proves he wasn’t a flash in the pan, one time rock star. He gives a performance like a virtuoso, playing the characters brilliantly and bringing this story to life! I absolutely LOVED how he made each dog breed “sound” like you would expect their breed to sound – it was awesome!

Timing, sound quality, character voices, cadence – it was all fantastic. It doesn’t hurt that this series gets better with each story.

This is brilliant, funny, sexy, and heartwarming. Coupled with Matthew Shaw’s narration How to Walk Like a Man has it all!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

(Book Review below)

I absolutely, unequivocally, hard-core LOVE and ADORE this story! Eli Easton – THANK YOU!! Because this? This was PHENOMENAL!

Getting to see the characters I 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, and it's just as sweet and savory! Roman made this book so extra-special for me. Getting to be a part of his journey as he realizes his full humanity and fall in love with DEA investigator Matt Barclay was so awesome I cannot gush enough.

Matt's struggle and fear with coming out, particularly because of his father the General, and his attraction and chemistry with Roman was beautifully done.

There's also a lot of humor in this, which is spectacular and adds just the right amount of juxtaposition to the deeper emotions.

Hell, it was all beautifully done! Bravo, Eli Easton! Bravo!

The only thing that will make this better is when Matthew Shaw does the narration for the audio book.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

such a great sequel!

Such an amazing sequel!

We met Roman (and fell head over heels in love with him!) in book one. He’s a newly quickened German Shepherd who lost his master, James, in the war in Afghanistan.

He’s adapting, slowly, to life on two legs with the help of Lance and Tim and of course, Lily.

Near the end of book one, Roman saves a DEA agent (who reminds him of James) from drug dealers. That DEA agent is Matt Barclay. Matt got injured in that drug raid, and is still recovering and though he’s grateful to the man who risked his life for him that day, but perplexed by his actions, as well.

When he meets Roman again at a joint DEA/Mad Creek task force meeting, he realizes that Roman is a unique guy. He’s at once innocent and sweet, but with a will of steel and a heart as big as the sky.

Lance tasks Roman with keeping Matt occupied and out of town so as not to give away the secrets of the quickened. Roman diligently drags Matt all over the mountains both in search of the drug dealers who might be praying on the town and because he’s fascinated with him.

It doesn’t take long before Roman’s affections turn from friend to more and he struggles with understanding these new emotions and desires. Luckily *smirk, he has Lance to go to when he’s got questions.

When Roman gets shot and Matt is faced with some questionable actions from both Roman and the rest of the town, will Roman have to give up his new love? Or will Matt be able to accept Roman for who he really is?

**

OMG this was even better than book one and I absolutely LOVED book one. I’ve already rhapsodized on how amazing I think the “quickened” concept is in my review of How to Howl at the Moon .

Roman grabbed me by the heartstrings in book one and he continues to tug at them throughout this entire story.

Gawd. When Roman “tells” the story of James and his training days and the day he turned into a man I was seriously sobbing. It’s such a touching story and so obviously in tune with that relationship between man and dog. There’s no question that the love Roman had for James was deep and abiding and Roman’s pain and loss is so deep and heartbreaking.

The parts where Roman is discovering his sexuality had me howling with laughter. Lance and Tim’s “help” is hysterical.

The slowly developing relationship between Matt and Roman is so sweet, my only regret is that we didn’t get to see them as a couple for more than a few pages. I loved how easy going Matt was and how tender and gentle he was when he figured out Roman was a virgin.

The rest of the townspeople continue to entertain me endlessly with their “dogisms” and the drinking of broth instead of coffee was another inspired detail.

Watching Lance nearly screw up everything with his overprotectiveness also made me laugh out loud. In the movie theatre:

Then, Beaufort compounded the weirdness. Because, you know, this wasn't already strange enough. He stood up, faced the people sitting behind them, and loudly said. "We're just going to quietly enjoy the films.Quietly. Without comments, talking, or noises of any kind." Then he sat back down.

So funny! I must have underlined a dozen passages that cracked me up.

I can’t express just how entertaining this book is. The dogisms are hysterical, Roman is an absolute sweetheart and the love story is so very sweet.

I can’t recommend this and the entire series enough.


Audio

Matthew Shaw did the first book in the series and he did another amazing job. He does well with some of the “accents” and he really does a great job of giving Roman this sort of halting, reserved but deep tone. I loved the emotions in this audiobook and I know this will be one of the ones I listen to over and over!

6 of 5 stars

Roman-ce in a weird small town.

While not totally lighthearted because one character starts with a traumatic loss before, which is revisited throughout, and ACAB, it is a goodhearted book. The pointless waste of drug enforcement doesn’t overshadow the nice little romance of Roman & Matt.

I was worried about Roman actually being about 12 in the body of a grown man, but he thought of himself as an adult. Not all of my questions were answered wrt shapeshifting from animal to human worldbuilding but enough questions were answered that I could relax & enjoy it.

Extra love to having a scenario where Matt thinks Roman tells him “no” and Matt gets sad, starts to get over it, & gets on with things. Showing people taking no for an answer is so important, especially when there’s someone like Roman who is naive about a lot of things. It’s reassuring to know Matt is safe for him to say no to.

Steam: Med Low. We get some on page details yet it’s mostly cute, honestly, since Roman is new to ~everything~. How Roman just asks for what he wants to know is refreshing.

Narration: well done, a value add.

Interesting...a whole new world

This book is the second in this series and I did enjoy it. Definitely not your typical paranormal/shifter romance. mm "shifter" Not only do you see more of this unique town in this story, but Roman is even extra special. He is oblivious to how people are supposed to act and talk, so everything with him is taken as a literal meaning, which was quite funny at times throughout the book. While I am enjoying this series and will continue to listen to it, I wouldn't say it's a book that I just "couldn't put down/stop listening to." I don't say that trying to discourage anyone from listening--I would really recommend giving this series a try. You don't get a whole lot of steamy scenes, but it's still worth it.

Please!!!!

Talk about being left with a horrible feeling……….until I finished the book and realized there were 3 more!!!!!:-) I can’t say enough about how much I love these stories, the hot versus heart factor is through the FRIKIN roof!!!! The twist on the werewolf trope is totally unexpected and absolutely LOVED man’s best friend becomes man….or woman…. Please keep making more of these stories, I don’t care how sappy that makes me, I honestly can’t explain how much I have enjoyed them!:-)

Narrator and author both,
I thank you from the bottom, and top, of my heart ❤️

Wonderful book🥰🥰🥰

As a fan of Sherlock Holmes I love how you use his quote perfectly in the book.

Fun, adorable, sweet, sexy

As of summer 2021, I’ve read or listened to every readily available Eli Easton book, and this is one of my favorites.

Roman is such a sweet, kind, compassionate, innocent MC not understanding where he fits in. Matt has a lot of the same qualities minus Roman’s innocence. If I had to pick a theme for this book, it would be, “what’s my contribution?” Both Matt and Roman seem to struggle with this question, and it’s what keeps them apart at first but ultimately brings them together as they discard ideas and beliefs that have outlived their usefulness.

Eli does a great job at making such an unbelievable story feel very real and present. There isn’t extra material and all of the story moves the characters along. There’s a lot of laugh out loud funny moments, and some tear jerkers too. Like many Easton books the characters have trauma and find their way out with each other’s help.

Matthew Shaw does an excellent job with the narration bringing out the humor in the story. And ugh, his voice is really sexy too. Sigh… doesn’t hurt.

High recommended.

Secrets are so exciting! 😉🐕

Mad Creek has many secrets. The dog shifters kind. And Raman and Matt are about to find out if a human can truly fall in love with each other, when one of them has the ability to change into a dog. It's so exciting finding out if the possibilities are truly possible. Wonderful read. Great narration! Enjoy!🐕💙

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!

And the narrator got Ronan’s speech pattern perfectly!

My rec? Howl yeah!

Best of the series!

I’ve read the whole series and love all the books but this one is my favorite. Roman is just so sweet and good and listening to his doggy memories and experiences becoming a man is sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious.

The narrator is fantastic too. Highly recommend this series.

Wonderfully funny story....with some really touching scenes too.

Didn't enjoy book 1 of the series very much, so was a little wary of this one, but I needn't have been worried. Matthew's narration was outstanding, some parts of the story were laugh out loud funny, especially Lance's excruciating awkwardness at giving Roman advice on sexual matters **snort**, dogs peeing (in human form) on lampposts and Matt wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into, the dog films at the fleapit of a cinema in town and the inhabitants all trying to keep Matt in view, but without looking suspicious...and failing miserably. I really loved Matthew's warm interpretation of Roman, and the struggles he'd had with suddenly becoming a 'Quickened' and human after the death of his Army K-9 human partner James in Afghanistan, and Roman's own injury in the same incident. I also loved that he struggled with himself when he knew he was falling in love with Matt but couldn't risk explaining what he was for fear of exposing everyone else in Mad Creek and did the honourable thing...said nothing, and buried his pain and anguish. I absolutely <3 Roman to bits!!

Doggy Style

Have enjoyed this writer and narrator so didn't over think the scenario of dog shifters too much. This is my first "shifters" book. The story was funny as the hound characteristics were played down by the town residents so they could live in the modern normal world without conflict or exposure, however I stopped this book after the MCs have their mm interaction straight after the dog shifts to be a man. I couldn't get past the imagery and implication of it. It left a strange taste in my mouth and made me uncomfortable. I did not finish the book.

Cheesy

I enjoyed the first book in this series but this second book will be my last. The writing came across as very childish and I cringed at dodgy dialogue too many times for comfort. I wondered who this book was aimed at. Its like YA with MM mixed in... with graphic sex descriptions. It was an uncomfortable mix.
The narrator was very good though.

If you don't love this you must be a dog hater....or a cat person

Title should be enough i think.....I LOVE this series!!!! Now i'm off to book 3.

I laughed.

I cried.

I wanted to hit/kill some of the characters *ahum the military dad*. That was a bit of a cliff hanger but i have no good feelings for him so screw him.

The ending is just too sweet. I LOVE ROMAN SO MUCH!!! I need a Roman in my life ;.;

unexpected!

I didn't thought this book was good, but after listening I love this book. I would recommend this book a lot. time to get more books from this author.

Another GREAT story.

What did you like most about How to Walk Like a Man?

Gay Shifter romance story.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the slowly kindled relationship between Roman and Matt,

Great narration.

Which character – as performed by Matthew Shaw – was your favourite?

Roman was adorable, trusting and sexy.

excellent !

brilliant. l loved the book. this was even better. lovely story and characters. highly recommended.