Title: How to Save A Life

Series: Howl to the Moon 04

Author: Eli Easton

Genre: Paranormal, Shape shifters

Length: Novel (249 pages)

ASIN: B0751ZW6XG

Publisher: Eli Easton

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 4 1/2 Hearts (Combined)

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: Rav Miller looked into the terrified, intelligent eyes of the chocolate Labrador on death row, and knew he’d do anything to save him. When the dog, Sammy, escapes and heads to Mad Creek, Rav follows. Mad Creek. The town had become legendary in Rav’s mind after he’d met that bizarre group last year. Rav dismissed his crazy suspicions back then, but when he arrives in Mad Creek, he knows it’s true. Dog shifters exist, and apparently they all live in the California mountains. It’s enough to blow a bad boy’s mind.

Sammy has something in common with Rav—neither one of them trusts people. After Sammy’s abuse as a dog, he particularly dislikes tough-looking men like Rav. But when Sammy gets a chance to work with rescued dogs at the new Mad Creek shelter, his deep compulsion to help others overcomes his fear. Rav and Sammy bond over saving strays. If they can each find the courage to let someone else in, they might find their way to love.

Sheriff Lance Beaufort doesn’t like humans moving into Mad Creek, especially not the tattooed and defiant Rav. When Rav starts a rescue shelter, the town thinks he’s wonderful! But Lance isn’t fooled. He doesn’t buy Rav’s innocent act for one second. How much does Rav know about the quickened? What is his game? And why did he have to show up now, when Lance and the other town leaders are overwhelmed by all the new quickened pouring in?

Rav knows how to save a life. But can he save an entire town? Can he rescue Mad Creek?

Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Prime’s Review 💖💖💖💖 4 Hearts:

How to Save A Life is the fourth book in series Howl to the Moon by Eli Easton. I adore this unique series. It is sweet and while there is plenty of drama and misunderstanding, which fits since there are characters who have not always been human and some only recently transformed. However, there is not a lot of angst, which is something that I liked a lot, and I felt it really fit the bubbly personalities of dogs that had been completely adored in their time before they transformed.

I read on Amazon that this book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone. And while I do agree with that, there are not plot arcs which tie this book to the previous books, I recommend reading this this series if you can just to get a feel for the world of Mad Creek as it was set up. But then again, if something is a series I can’t stand not reading it all.

Rav Miller is a man with a mysterious past. He had left his life behind to help dogs by opening and running a dog shelter. He has a deep passion for helping dogs, especially those in kill shelters. For the past year the strange encounter he had with a group of men – and a couple of their dogs – from Mad Creek had him intrigued with the town. The mystery deepens for him when a new dog that he rescued, Sammy, runs out of the shelter and makes it all the way to Mad Creek on foot. Rav follows Sammy chip and is intrigued by the town. He can tell that there is something different and when ideas and bizarre suspicions are formed in his head, he figures out what is going on all on his own.

Rav is very much an alpha male and when he sees the situation in Mad Creek (high unemployment), he wants to fix it, that the town is populated by people that can shape shift into dogs gives him the idea. Having decided to start another shelter, this one in Mad Creek, Rav also has to deal with disapproving and grumpy sheriff, while trying to get glimpses of the skittish man called Sammy. But the shelter isn’t going to help the town financially and he has to deal with sheriff who is extremely grumpy and overprotective of his people – it’s definitely a clash of the alphas!

Sammy is newly quickened, he has had two owners that loved him. One of them had died and the other is a victim of domestic violence. Sammy was in a kill shelter when another quick also at the shelter told him about Mad Creek. After he was saved from the kill shelter by Rav, Sammy escapes Rav’s shelter and heads to Mad Creek. He goes for the job advertised at the new shelter, the caring and loyal nature of his dog half helps him to overcome his fears. Now working with Rav side by side the two men have a lot to learn.

I will admit that this is not my most favourite book of the series, but it’s still pretty damn good. I don’t know why, I think that I found it a little difficult to connect to Rav, it’s the only thing that I can think of. I think I also found it a little odd how he randomly decided to pick up his entire life on what seemed to be a whim.

A final side note, because I was surprisingly slow about this realisation, but I just managed to link all the titles in this series to a song. Although not all the songs have the “how to” in the song title, that’s just minor details. This epiphany happened started because I got the song How to Save A Life by The Fray stuck in my head, I already have Wish Upon A Star from Pinocchio stuck in head. Then I remembered that song by The Script called Howling at the Moon and then it just snowballed from there. Done! I’m happy I got that out and I’m kind of ridiculously happy about it.

Shorty’s Review 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts:

I adored this story about Rav and Sammy. Sammy is so sweet and cute yet has been abused by a previous owner then taken to a pound. When it’s almost his time to be put to sleep Rav takes him in. From there Sammy escapes and heads to Mad Creek where Rav follows.

Things are not smooth for these two. Rav has to get Sammy to realize not everyone is out to hurt him. With Lance not trusting strangers Rav has a way to go in getting the town to trust that he will keep their secret. It helps when he figures out a way to bring in much needed revenue an jobs for the town.

Adorable, sweet and cute this story had me in tears at times. I loved the way the story progressed and ended.

Fantastic read.

Title: How to Wish Upon A Star

Series: Howl at the Moon 03

Author: Eli Easton

Genre: Paranormal, Shape shifters

Length: Novel (227 pages)

ASIN: B01FISHWJK

Publisher: Pinkerton Road (10 May 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Reviewers: Prime & Shorty

Blurb: Dr. Jason Kunik is working on the most earth-shattering genetics project ever, DNA mapping of a new species, the quickened—dogs who can shift into human form. The problem is, no one knows the quickened exist and Jason can’t betray them by publishing his studies. When he moves to Mad Creek to continue his research in a town full of quickened, all he wants is peace, quiet, and to be allowed to bury himself in his work. Perhaps if he figures how out the mutation is activated, he can silence his own inner dog forever.

Milo is a hospice comfort dog who has bonded with, and lost, many beloved patients in his life. He intuitively understands sickness and pain on a spiritual level most can’t see. When he gains the ability to become a man, he thinks he finally has everything he ever wanted. But being a man isn’t the same thing as being loved, and taking shelter in Mad Creek isn’t the same thing as finding a home.

When a mysterious illness hits Mad Creek and threatens all the quickened in town, it’s up to the scientist and the comfort dog to figure out what it is and how to stop it. Along the way they might discover that true love is possible—if you wish upon a star.

Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Prime’s Review 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts:

How to Wish Upon A Star is the third book in Eli Easton’s series Howl at the Moon. It is based around the town and people of Mad Creek in California. What makes them special is that they are quickened, which is dog shape shifters which received the spark of magic that gave seemingly ordinary dogs the ability to shape shift into human. Many of the inhabitants have passed on the ability for generations, but the newly quickened are those that started life as a dog before becoming quickened.

I adore this unique series. It is sweet and while there is plenty of drama and misunderstanding, which fits since there are characters who have not always been human and some only recently transformed. However, there is not a lot of angst, which is something that I liked a lot, and I felt it really fit the bubbly personalities of dogs that had been completely adored in their time before they transformed.

I read on Amazon that this book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone. And while I do agree with that, there are not plot arcs which tie this book to the previous books, I recommend reading this this series if you can just to get a feel for the world of Mad Creek as it was set up. But then again, if something is a series I can’t stand not reading it all.

The characters of this book are Milo and Jason Kunik. The former being a recently turned quickened and the latter being a third generation quickened who was also a scientist who studied the potential genetic side of things on the side.

Dr Jason Kunik has returned home to Mad Creek after being away for ten years. He’s done his studies, did his PhD and then went onto work for a major company in a lab, doing genetic research. On the side he has also looked into dog and human DNA, trying to begin to unravel the mystery of the quick. Unlike many quickened, he isn’t really in touch with his canine side and to some extent he resents his dog.

Back home in Mad Creek there isn’t a lot he can do without a lab, still he continues on with his research which includes interviewing the recently quickened residents of town. It’s not going well for him. Jason has a lot of problems being able to communicate with them, some still struggle with human speech, but he also is a stereotypical nerd and finds it difficult to communicate. I kind of don’t really like that, but I do know from personal experience that many scientists do struggle to pass down information to those that are not familiar with their area. In short, I’m of two minds when it comes to that part of Jason, but he otherwise a smart cookie.

Meeting Milo is something unexpected to Jason in many ways and he doesn’t know how to deal with his attraction, much the same as Milo isn’t too sure. Their situation changes when there is an illness affecting the quick of Mad Creek. The only doctor the quick have is the town vet, a human who had mated a quick lady and so the sheriff and the town doc enlist Jason’s help. The scientist/microbiologist in me wants to over analyse things when it comes to Jason’s work but I won’t because this is fiction and I need to realise that I should let people have their fun.

Milo is everything that is sweet and naïve in this book. I love his story when he eventually tells it to Jason. If anything I wanted to know more about that side of things, not necessarily from Jason but finding out how “real” that was. Milo was made quickened after living his life as a comfort dog in a hospice, he could sense illness and when a patient was going to pass on. He had become attached to a couple patients in particular and as he realised he was getting more smarter, he was sad when the people died of their assorted illnesses. I totally loved Milo, he has so much love to give and he can see that Jason needs a little bit of love in his life. Part of it because he was a comfort dog, but the rest is all chemistry between the characters.

Shorty’s Review 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts:

Jason and Milo have a town to save and a virus to destroy when the quickened in town become sick. It’s grueling process the quickened go through. It’s a race against time for Jason to find a cure before the unthinkable happens. All the while Jason starts having feelings for Milo and Vice versa.

I loved these two together. Milo was so sweet and innocent. His ability to comfort others and be able to tell when they’re sick was invaluable to Jason. The story was tense at times with the right amount of drama interspersed to make for an amazing story.

I loved everything about the book and found it quite entertaining to read.

Fantastic read and addition to the series.