Sometimes it’s harder to teach a young dog new tricks.That’s why werewolves embark on a Howling: a three-year rite of passage in which they’re sent to a group residence to wrestle with their wolfy instincts and assimilate into the Wider World. But Tanner Araya’s Howling is almost over, and he could be called back to his remote pack at any moment. His twenty-first birthday might be his last chance … last chance to act on his strongest instinct and finally kiss Chase Denney.
Chase is RA at the Howling residence affectionately dubbed “the Doghouse,” and he takes his job seriously. So seriously that when he realized he was developing feelings for a resident, he forced himself to keep Tanner at a distance. But now that Tanner’s twenty-one, he’s not Chase’s charge any longer. They could be friends or—if Chase is lucky—something more. At least until they both return to their home packs for good, as tradition demands.
It would take a miracle for them to get together—especially when the other Doghouse werewolves insist on “helping.”
Warning: Many Frisbees are harmed in this story, forgiveness is not always easier than permission, and the five-second rule does not apply.
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What happens in the dog house doesn’t stay there (an audio review)
Chase’s job as an RA at the dog house is to oversee the teenagers into their maturation during their howling. Simple enough, right? And he’s good at his job. He takes it seriously. He monitors Hector’s pizza intake. He scolds Jordan’s propensity for destroying frisbees. And he’s watched Tanner mature into a bright and beautiful young man who is fascinated with werewolf lore. Who wants to be more than just a manual laborer back in his family’s compound. Tanner yearns to study, yet his familial obligation weighs heavy.
The night of his 21st, things come to a head. Tanner and Chase are separated, and it looks pretty grim for the romance that never got started. Have no fear, they do reunite and fight against malevolent forces – with the help of many of the characters from the author’s Fae out of Water series – including Mal, Alan, and Hamish the kangaroo shifter. Throw in a vampire, a bear shifter and…well, you get the picture. An epic battle. And, of course, the other members of the dog house are along for the ride of chaos and mayhem.
I truly enjoyed this book. As much as I rooted for Tanner and Chase, Jordan stole the show. I’m waiting for him to get his own book. I can’t wait to see who can tame and at the same time nurture that enthusiasm.
Kudos to Greg Boudreaux who did a lovely job narrating the book. Can’t wait for the next one.
What a quirky read! Loved the different spin in werewolves and hehe the frisbees! I haven’t read anything from this author before but really enjoyed this story!
Howling on Hold is the first book in the Mythmatched series, but in the Mythmatched World, it’s the seventh book. However, it can easily be read as a standalone, even though I highly suggest reading all the previous books in this series because they are so good. Tanner is a young werewolf who’s dreading his transition into adulthood. He’s grown up with the expectation that he will one day become the alpha for his pack – a job he is not excited about. He’d much rather spend his time with Chase, the older, handsome RA who Tanner has been crushing on. Much to his surprise, his affections for Chase are not so onesided as he once believed. Mix in some danger and mystery as well as the wonderful worldbuilding of the Mythmatched universe, and this is a fantastic book. I really enjoyed it and had a blast reading it.
This is another installment in EJ Russel’s super adorable, super fun Mythmatched universe. This time we get a closer look at werewolf society, and what some supes do to fit in. Tanner was just the kind of adorkable hero I love best, and their love story gave me all the warm fuzzies I expect from this quirky paranormal mash-up series. I’m glad I’ve read enough previous books to get a sense of the characters because there were a lot of fun cameos, that could be confusing to a new reader.
I just wanted to dive from my audio system right into this world. E. J. Russell added a very special spin to the shifter genre with this wonderful story. We have so many wonderful elements going on that worked together synergistically. We have a tradition of wolf shifters sending young adult wolves off from their 18th to 21st birthdays to gain experience and learn control in mostly human society. We have inherited positions within a pack and expectations that are being tested on all sides and in many ways. And, most importantly, other shifters types as well as other supernatural beings vampires, witches, demons) that exist in the writer’s universe making it beautifully complex and richly imaginative.
In the story, we encounter Tanner Araya who’s three-year Howling stint is coming to a close as his 21st birthday approaches. He doesn’t look forward to ascending to the position of leader to a dying pack composed of eight adult males and no females! He is hoping he could have a more intimate relationship with Chase Denney, the resident assistant at “The Doghouse”, but a botched kiss leaves him embarrassed and wanting to hide. Making his way back to the residence to dread both Chase and the imminent return to his pack, he is nearly run down by a car occupied by his cousin who has mistreated him for years. Certain his life is in jeopardy and determined to leave his old pack behind, Tanner goes wolf and runs off. When Chase discovers he’s been missing since his birthday, he launches a search for him all the while realizing he feels so much more than a mere sensual desire for Tanner.
There was so very much to love about this story especially the characters sharing the “Doghouse” residence with Tanner and Chase. My absolute favorite is Jordan who’s the youngest and still delighted by frisbees, hole-digging, butt-sniffing, and urine marking! The bad guy in the book is sufficiently disturbing and thoroughly plausible for the narrative. Incredible world-building, believable characters of a fantasy universe, and a sufficiently sophisticated story arc make this book one of the most enjoyable. And with an audiobook version splendidly narrated by awesome Greg Boudreaux–one of the best readers of M/M romance in the business, this novel is a complete winner! Well done, EJ Russell! Very well done!
4.25 Stars!
So, first thing first, while Howling on Hold is book 1 in the series, it can’t be read as a standalone. There are a lot of recurring characters from E.J. Russell’s Fae out of Water and Supernatural Selection series and you’ll be lost and/or confused over who is who if you haven’t read those before. I’ve read all the books in both series and even I found it difficult to keep up a couple of times, and frankly, they’re so good, that you don’t want to miss out on them.
I really liked Tanner and even if I wasn’t sure about Chase at first, he grew on me as the book progressed. They were sweet and had tons of chemistry.
However, the romance portion of the story fell a bit to the background with everything that was happening with Tanner’s cousin and uncle and his reticence to become his pack’s Alpha and all the problems Chase had as their Doghouse pack’s RA. Still, there’s action, some angst, a few twists and turns I frankly didn’t see coming —especially one regarding Tanner— and it gave me the chance to catch up with some of my favorite E.J. Russell characters and meet a few new ones. I adored the juniors, especially Jordan, who was too adorbs for words, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them better in the next book(s).
Regarding the narration, you simply can’t go wrong with Greg Boudreaux, he’s amazing and his performance is top-notch as always, especially considering there are a lot of characters in the story, so it’s easy to get confused. However, Greg gave them all a distinctive voice and brought them to life for me. Very recommendable!
This is amazing and I can’t wait for me. Tanner and Chase have the worst misunderstanding at the worst possible time. Then, they have to face a twisted path while they try to figure out what is happening and which way they should go.
These characters are simply incredibly well developed, interesting, and full of life. I can’t wait for each of the juniors to get their stories. We also get to see some familiar faces.
I loved to read, but sometimes the book you are reading is so good that you know that rereading it is compulsory. This story is about choices, about falling in love and about consequences of greed. But also includes many of the couples of other series written by the author and we can have a glimpse of their lives after their HEAs in their respective book and series. It is a glimpse of how the amazing world built by EJ Russell is interconnected. Simply brilliant!!
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
I enjoyed reading this quirky MM shifter romance & it can be read as a standalone. It has a interesting, suspenseful plot with a “coming of age” undertone. The characters are quite well-developed with complex personalities & display realistic emotional feelings when they are placed in unexpected situations. There is good support from the secondary characters.
There is: a RA (Chase) has always been attracted to a young wolf shifter (Tanner) who is almost at the end of his 3yr howling & no longer has to keep his distance from Chase but the situation changes when he rejects Tanner, twists & turns, various kinds of shifters, fae, vampires, golems, humans, pack politics, family issues, friendship, expectations, mystery, adventure, action, drama, some humor, magic, distrust, deceit, betrayal, villains, danger, threats, jealousy, devious plans, attractions, misunderstandings, regrets, anguish, insecurities, conflict, decisions, discovery, contentment & a delightful conclusion.
Tanner has a huge crush on Chase, the RA of his Howling Residency named the Doghouse.
Chase has a huge crush on Tanner, but because he’s his responsibility, Chase refuses to act on his attraction.
When Tanner hits 21 yrs, all his mates at the Doghouse, decides to go in a supe bar to celebrate.
That night will change everything for Tanner and Chase.
I adored Howling on Hold by E.J Russel.
Tanner is a sweet shy wolf; He didn’t want to return to his pack at the end of his residency. A super conservative pack. He only wants to be himself, lives his life freely and maybe with Chase. I liked him, even if he can make stupid decision, he has a good heart. I liked him.
Chase is the RA of the Howling Residency, he’s their Alpha…kind of. Chase wants Tanner but he can’t make a move on him, not while he’s his charge. But when Chase understands that Tanner is in trouble, the alpha in him has one goal… protecting what belong to him. I adored Chase, even if he can be a little bit too hard on himself and too serious sometimes, I really like him.
It was a good read, I adored the secondary characters, especially Jordan who’s at 18 yrs is a real puppy, immature and hilarious.
Some characters of E.J Russel’s two previous series “Fae out of Water” and Supernatural Selection” were present in this book, but it didn’t bother me, and I didn’t feel lost. Quite the contrary, it gave me the urge to read those series (that I add on my TBR list).
This book can be read as a standalone, it was well written, funny with good action. The angst wasn’t too much (it was just perfect for my taste).
I don’t if the author has plan to write a sequel, but between you and me… I won’t say no to read another one.
Howling on Hold by E.J. Russell is an enjoyable m/m werewolf romp. Chase has lusted after tanner since they first met but Chase is a responsible RA at the Howling residence affectionately dubbed “the Doghouse” but now Tanner is a legal adult and any restrictions have fallen by the wayside. Tanner is a quiet, studious guy who really doesn’t want to go back to his pack and become Alpha. Tanner has lusted after Chase but he is afraid of being rebuffed. When they finally do get together it is sweet as can be.
This story is at times laugh out loud funny and at others very serious. I really enjoyed catching up with characters from the authors other stories but this book can totally be read stand-alone.
Howling on Hold by EJ Russell is a paranormal shifter romance (no mpreg) that delivers an entertaining and fascinating story with fantastic characters. I was drawn into the shifter universe created here and would love it if more books come out involving this world. I am so intrigued by all the paranormal beings and their interaction. As for this story, it had me smiling, laughing and loving every moment. This is sweet, sexy, suspenseful… a wonderful read.
Tanner and Chase were so cute. They had it sooo bad for each other, all starry eyes and simmering attraction. But their circumstances were kind of dire, considering they both had planned paths in life, which unfortunately were supposed to take them apart.
Oh,but they’re in for the surprise of their lifetime! And me along with them,because in the blink of an eye EJ Russell changed all the cards on the table. All of a sudden I was no longer worried about their future together, and actually afraid they might not get to have a future at all. It was awesome: scheming and an unknown villain revealed, unexpected allies and all kinds of fantastic beings fighting. And maybe, just maybe, Tanner and Chase can actually foresee a happily ever after for themselves.
Howling on Hold is a delightful read, sweet and intriguing. And while Tanner and Chase are wonderful characters, there’s also a vast array of amazingly depicted secondary ones, that I absolutely adored. Thanks to them, the story is full of color, emotions and so much fun.
Loved it.
I have totally enjoyed Howling on Hold. I loved this take on shifters and paranormal world. I loved the fast pace and it kept me interested the entire time. Tanner and Chase are an adorable couple and I loved how their story played out. I found the secondary characters and rules and structures and what might happen to be fascinating and I can’t wait to read more of the story. Even the vampires. I absolutely recommend this book.
4.5 stars
I love this author’s ability to meld paranormal elements with real-world situations and this is another stellar example of her facility. The contrast of immature frat house inhabitants and the challenges of dealing with the urges of being a wolf shifter was portrayed with entertaining elements such as the propensity for hiding chewed-up frisbees. I thought the additional complication of the mystery as well as the cameos by characters from some of the other series was a perfect bonus and I really hope those fascinating women show up again in future tales.
A copy was provided for review
This is a MM paranormal romance. This book was set in the world as the authors Fae out of Water and Supernatural Selection series. It was great to see all the characters from those series interact with the new characters in this book. The characters in the story were well developed and the pace was great. This was a great story!