Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Huli is a nine-tailed fox shifter, or yaomo, beings who are considered demons and hated by many. As a yaomo, Huli’s qi, or life force, is dependent on sex. It’s not easy to stay safe, as Huli’s powers of seduction make it easier to find partners, but often lead to grumpy bedfellows when they learn the truth about him. Huli doesn’t know much about his past, other than having vague memories of living in the palace with his mother, who died when he was young. Huli was mostly raised by Shushu, who helped train him in his magic, but since the man died, Huli has been mostly on his own other than his best friend, Ling Ling.

When Huli goes too long without replenishing his qi, he becomes so weak that Ling Ling is worried and calls for a healer. It turns out that the man who comes to help, Xiao Ying, is the same man who helped Huli out when he was fleeing some dogs after seducing the wrong man. While Xiao Ying is able to help Huli regain his strength, it comes at the expense of his own, and Xiao Ying needs to recuperate with Huli until he can travel again. It gives the men time to get to know one another, and an attraction forms between them.

Xiao Ying has a similar story to Huli in that he too has lost all his family. In his case, they were all murdered and he is determined to get justice for them. When Xiao Ying’s quest takes him out of town in search of more information about his family, Huli and Ling Ling go along. Along the way, the men begin to learn more about each other, as well as about each of their pasts. What they discover surprises both men and helps them learn more about some unexpected connections between them, some political intrigue involving both their families, and a destiny that will shape their lives to come.

The best way I can describe Foxy Tails is as a cross between fantasy and fairy tale, mixed with the mythology of the nine-tailed fox. Based on a quick online search, it appears that the names and other key terms in the story are Chinese in origin, so I am assume that culture is the inspiration for this story (this also syncs with some author notes from the end of the book). While we are in the characters’ POVs (mostly Huli’s, but occasionally Xiao Ying’s as well), the tone here very much evokes being told a story or legend from a narrator, rather than being immersed in the characters’ viewpoints. I think in some ways this works, in that it really develops the tone of this fantasy world, but it also left me feeling a little removed from the story. I also think the way the book uses not just the characters’ names, but also refers to Huli as “Fox” and Xiao Ying as “Healer” also had me feeling a little separated from them. These titles are used in place of their actual names; it’s not just in the narrative portion, but they also use these titles when they speak to one another (as in “Healer, how are you today?). So I think this style is either going to work for you, in terms of sinking you into the vibe of the story, or feel a little jarring, which unfortunately it did in my case.

The other piece where I felt some dissonance is with regard to some of the language. The book’s genre very much feels like historical fantasy, as there appear to be no modern elements. The story also feels firmly set in its Asian roots, in terms of names, places, food, use of Chinese words, etc. So I found it strange then when the story sprinkles in modern and anachronistic terms that felt out of place. Just as a few examples:

“Thank you for covering my butt out there.”

What kind of cockamamie excuse was he going to give them now?

“So there’s no danger of us getting hot and heavy in this bed.[…]”

“Don’t get your undies all in a twist, woman.[…]”

In one case, we even get British slang: “Do you really think I want to witness you shagging Healer?”

This happens throughout the book and it just felt weirdly dissonant with what is a very strongly established tone and setting to the book.

The story begins by bringing Huli and Xiao Ying into each other’s orbits and the men spend some time getting to know one another before embarking on their journey together. I wished I could have felt the connection between them developing more clearly, as the declarations of love felt a little unsupported by the story. But I did appreciate giving the characters time to get to know one another before Huli just follows Xiao Ying off on his quest. I enjoyed the way the backstory unfolds for both men and I think the pacing is good in that regard. We slowly learn not only both of their histories, but how things intertwine, as well as some revelations that neither man expects. However, overall the story pacing felt off to me, in that we spend a lot of time with the men before they start traveling, then a good deal of time on the road as they try to learn more about Xiao Ying’s family. Then, the ending just comes up super fast and major conflicts and storylines are left unresolved. The short, non-spoilerly version is that over the course of the story, the book sets up this conflict surrounding the current emperor and national politics. The men learn about their pasts and about a prophesy that affects them and what actions they are supposed to take — but then we don’t actually see them do any of it and the book just ends with no resolution. I am trying not to give away details here, but it feels like this book is telling the first 25% of the story and then we are supposed to get the rest where we see them actually DO all the things prophesied. But the story ends without that happening and, from everything I can tell (including this book indicating in the back matter that it is a standalone), this is not a continuing series.

I have a few other random notes here. First, I did enjoy Huli’s best friend, Ling Ling, and having a strong female character (one of the only women in the book). However, I wish there had been more development to this prominent side character beyond being told she is beautiful and strong. Also, Ling Ling is constantly referred to as the “female warrior,” which makes me feel like the story is making a distinction between a “warrior” and a “female warrior.” Not to mention that she is referred to as the “female warrior” so often (26 times by my Kindle’s count), it became distracting to me. Also, some things in the world building didn’t feel clear or consistent to me. We learn early on that both Huli and Xiao Ying have the same mentor, and in fact that Xiao Ying was specifically trained to train Huli. So then, what has he been doing all this time since their mentor died? Why hasn’t he ever come to meet Huli, to train him, to introduce himself? The only reason they really meet is because Xiao Ying happens to be the healer that Ling Ling calls. Even when Huli runs into Xiao Ying’s hut at the start of the story, Xiao Ying never identifies himself or makes the connection. I was also confused on this whole replenishing qi element. We see Xiao Ying help give Huli more qi through a non-sexual means early on. It drains him for weeks, so we know that he is susceptible to getting weak through the qi transfer. We are also told that when Huli has sex with other people, it weakens them as well, and they are “a shadow of themselves for a while, too weak to work, too feeble to even defend themselves should the occasion arise.” But then when these guys have sex, we never see Xiao Ying get weakened, and it just felt confusing as to why.

Overall, I think this is an interesting story that could appeal to readers who like fantasy, particularly with an Asian mythology bent. There are some elements here that worked well for me, particularly the reveal as to both the men’s pasts and how little information we have learned along the way interconnects. But the quest itself didn’t have the energy I expected, given how much of the book it covers. There is just a lot of telling us what is happening, and it didn’t give me the immersive feeling I wanted for the story.

Note: Many of the names and terms used in the story appear to be of Chinese origin and often use accents or other symbols in the English-alphabet spellings that I couldn’t figure out how to reproduce into text on the web site. I absolutely mean no offense for their omission and acknowledge that these are non-English names and terms and I have used short cut spellings here in this review.

This is a new to me author, and I can't wait to read more. My only issue is that there are some words that I didn't understand as they were not in English and sometimes that would pull me out of the story. Huli is a 9 tails fox shifter & is hated as everyone thinks they are a demon. Xiao is a healer who has been living a solitary life. Turns out both of their families were killed leaving both of them orphans. Huli wants revenge and Xiao wants justice. I loved Huli's BFF Ye Ying, she is awesome. I would have liked more on the romance side.

I received an eARC through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book just wasn't it for me and there are multiple things I have some issues with. But above all this is the first book I ever considered giving a DNF. Were this not an eARC I would've done that because at about 2/3 of the book I didn't enjoy it at all anymore. However since it is an eARC I figured I'd continue to give an opinion on the thing as a whole and not miss out on anything I might want to say.

To start Fox has a friend named Ling Ling and the friendship between them was expressed in a way I found quite frustrating. Instead of the book showing and explaining all the platonic love they have for eachother, it kept expressing their friendship as a potential of a romantic relationship.
He often thought that if his preferences didn't steer completely to other males, he would also be in love with her. Smart, pretty, skilled, and fun. What more could anyone ask from another human being?
And those last two sentences are very valid for a friendship. But to express their friendship in a missed potential of romantic love just irked me bad. This didn't happen once but I have multiple quotes saved where this was done again.
I also felt this fed into the stereotype of straight people telling queer people how sad it is that they're queer else they could've had so many lovely partners. I am not sad I am queer nor do I want to be straight just so I can date women. I can can get, and currently have an amazing partner with my sexuality too. And I would not change that just to gain more potential partners. To see this however in a book I did not enjoy.

Sometimes the book would also contradict what a character would do as reaction.
If Fox hadn't been laying down already, he would have been floored. healer was suggesting they shared a bed? Húlí sprang upright, every bone in his body complaining about the sudden move.
I was confused with this passage. Because being floored and jumping upright are both valid reactions with shock. But being floored and at the same time also sprining upright just doesn't really work. It's contradicting.

A lot of times the book would also tell instead of show. And to a certain degree this is fine for me, but it often felt like a paragraph would talk about a character trait of someone, but then that character trait never came to show in the book. So does Húlí say he talks a lot when he's tired at one point. However I did not feel like that in that moment he was actually talking a lot, or in any other moments that he was tired. Because of this I couldn't really get a grasp on their characters well as it was often contradicting.

Then when the couple confessed their love was the point I put the book down and did consider that DNF. It felt extremely hollow to me. And I said to myself "When the couple finally comes together and I don't feel a single bit of warmth and happiness, the book just isn't working for me." It felt like the confession came out of nowhere and they barely knew each other. At that point they did work as a couple for me, but a big romantic love confession felt miles off.

I did like the battle scenes however, they were fun. And the fade to black sexy moments were nice too. I can definitely imagine this book being fun for someone, that someone is just not me.

All together I don't think I'll be reading more of this author.

2.75 stars rounded up

3,75/5

A shapeshifter who becomes a nine-tailed fox, kind of kitsune, a healer who is a demigod, and a very badass mercenary, whose destinies seem to be intertwined. This, added to an atmosphere with oriental tints, and a romance between two men so cute, have managed to create a story that I will always remember.
I like that one of the protagonists, who at the beginning of the book appears as a kind of hero who has saved Húlí several times, suddenly paralyzed by a dangerous situation. The fact that he shows himself to be perfect, that he is not afraid, that he does nothing wrong, and a few pages later show that he has fears and feelings that are not 100% positive makes him seem more human. And it’s something I appreciate, honestly.
Another point I like is that the three protagonists are adults and, in most cases, behave as such.
However, I would have liked to have seen more the evolution of romance because it looks like insta love, and I don’t like it. They meet, in the book it says that two months pass, and they are soul mates. Once past this I love their relationship, but I would have liked to see how it was gradually forging.
Is a great reading, with a great atmosphere, with the cliché of found family and that has left me with more questions than answers. I want to follow the author closely to not miss anything.

Like it,was nice and entertaining the characters were fun, interesting and kept me interested throughout the book.

I really liked this book. I don't know what I was expecting but this beat those exprctations. Huli was been through enough and he didn't see value in himself when in reality he was so important. Xiao Ying was quiet and kind of lonely, like Huli, but he spoke when mattered. They dancer around each other at the beggining and I loved it. But when they finally confessed what they felt and gave in to those feelings, it was beautiful. I loved Ling Ling, that woman is a riot, I hope she finds love too. This is not a standalone and I'm grateful for that because I wanted more of them. Their love was beautiful and magical and I loved them

*1.75 stars*
This book was in desperate need of editing.

Foxy Tails follows our main character, Fox aka Húlí aka Old Fox aka his other bazillion names. This begins the first complaint of many. Why the names? Our main character is referred to by FIVE different names throughout the book. With Old Fox, Fox and Húlí all meaning the same thing it’s mainly three but my point still stands. Additionally, why would you use both Húlí and Fox? Húlí quite literally means fox in Chinese so it seems pointless to use both as if they have different meanings. This, however is not the only gripe I have with names. Our love interest is referred too by his name Xiâo Ling, Healer and his other “love name” (I’m aware it’s a cultural thing however I don’t remember what it’s formally called, apologies). This is completely unnecessary. After we learn a characters name you no longer need to refer to them as their job title (ex. Healer, doctor, teacher). My last gripe with the names is with our main female character Ling Ling. Really? Fucking Ling Ling? If anyone is unaware, Ling Ling is a derogatory term used again Asian people to make fun of them. As far as I’m aware this author is white so using that term as a name is disrespectful and offensive. This book is clearly based off of Chinese fantasy/folklore therefore the author could have used any traditional Chinese name but instead went for a derogatory term. This could have been fixed with editing and/or a sensitivity reader. This is not the only section of the book that needed editing.
Throughout this book I kept thinking to myself “Why is the writing so awkward?” And I continued to question it until around the 80% mark where it finally hit me. This author relies on telling you instead of showing you. Consistently throughout the book we have Húlí telling us about Ling and how she is like this or that (ex. “The female warrior talked tough, but she’d do just about anything to protect her friend.”) The author fails to ever actually show you these character traits and relies on the main character repeating how a character acts with no proof.
Seeing as the writing was awkward, it was obvious the book needed more editing. Often we would repeat phrases and conversations that were not necessary. Especially concerning Ling, who Húlí consistently reminds us that she’s so fearless and brave and amazing and holy shit does she have any flaws? The sentences often are redundant and unnecessary. An example being that two chapters in a row we being with “Healer” saying he’s not really an eater. Not only is this a strange claim but it is completely unneeded to be repeated TWICE two chapters in a row.
While I could continue to rant, it is best to cut this review short. This book was in major need of editing. The characterization is weak and the writing is lack luster. There’s potential but it’s covered in unnecessary sentences and derogatory names (still and will never be over naming your character fucking Ling Ling).

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

While I did find this book interesting to read, it took me quite a bit of time to get into it. I had to put it down a few times. Also, I'm not quite sure if this is a standalone or part of a series with who it ended.

I was first drawn in by the title of the novel and the description furthered my intrigue. My first impression of the book was how interesting the cover was. It looks like the cover for a video game and the text placement is a bit odd, but it was enough to draw me in.
The book immediately grabs your attention with an action scene at the beginning and wastes no time introducing the two main characters, Húlí and Xiăo Ying, not only to each other but to the audience. The book, unfortunately, fell off from there.
In the beginning it frequently mentions how females are not his type and Ling Ling is not his type to the point that I thought I was reading a straight romance novel. I thought I was reading a story about a gay character falling in love with his friend of the opposite sex. The story was relentless with mentioning how he could sleep with her, but he won’t. This tidbit of information would have been fine one or twice, but it seems to mention it every few pages. I also could not tell how close they were because Húlí often calls Ling Ling “the female warrior” which makes their relationship seem as one that’s not a close friendship.
The pacing felt very rushed and it added unnecessary details while also omitting necessary information especially about Húlí. It’s understandable to not discuss his childhood, but the author has also omitted his more recent past causing some confusion. It is mentioned that Ling Ling is his only friend after the incident with the prince, but this leaves room for questions. Did they leave because the prince is after him? Did they leave because they found out his true identity? Did they not already know? Why did Ling Ling know? It just seems a rather quick turn of events that somehow the reader missed. When did this all occur?
The author tends to add random sentences that are irrelevant to the rest of the paragraph. For example, at the beginning of the paragraph the sentence mentions that Ling Ling is strong and can take Húlí in a fight, but the rest of the paragraph talks about why Húlí pretends to be drunk. These two things were not connected nor related and should’ve been separated.
The reader has access to Húlí’s thoughts because of the POV, however, it seems as if you never truly know what this character is about. You can’t ever tell what he is thinking. He feels as untrustworthy when you are following him as when you are following Xiăo Ying.
Húlí going by four names was a bit much. The author should have narrowed it down to at least two names. Having to rotate between Húlí, Fox, A-Xin, and Ming Xin was too much.
“Húlí played the role of the carefree, aloof, and self-assured bohemian to perfection after so many years of practice” I would have liked to have more of this in the book. Show me this behavior not just tell me.
Speaking of which, a lot of telling and not showing the readers things. It was to the point of annoyance.
When it comes to Xiăo Ying’s fear of spiders the author chooses to repeat the story twice. First Xiăo Ying explains his fear to the audience and tells us the reason why then, not even five pages later, he tells Húlí his fear. It was unnecessary to inform the audience of his childhood horror story if a character was going to be told the exact same story a few pages later. The audience could’ve gathered the same information with only the conversation between Xiăo Ying and Húlí.
Chapter 12 was the first chapter that I enjoyed reading as well as the first chapter from Xiăo Ying’s perspective. It actually managed to capture my attention and had good pacing. The writing was more smooth and less clunky. Unfortunately, it was the last chapter I enjoyed reading.
The confession between these two main characters felt so undeserved. These characters barely met and don’t really know each other. I have hard time placing when they could’ve fallen in love. One second they aren’t and the next they are.
As for the last main character, Ling Ling. The name’s bad. Ling Ling is about as annoying as her name sounds. She’s more flat and two dimensional than the other characters. Boiled down to two simple words “female warrior”. The story sputtered like a dying car whenever she’s in it.
The big plot twist with the murders of both Xiăo Ying’s and Húlí’s families being connected wasn’t much of a plot twist. I didn’t realize this was supposed to be unknown information. I had guessed that the second that we learned Xiăo Ying’s family had been murdered too. It seemed to be an obvious conclusion that the reader was intended to make. It’s to the point that I still can’t quite tell if it was intended to be shocking information.
NOTHING has happened but the author flies from one scene to the next with no downtime in between. This results in the bigger moments feeling undeserved
There’s no depth to this book
Not once was I concerned for a character’s safety or excited when they were. It failed to draw me in and immerse me. This is all to say that this book—and pardon my French—gives me the ick.

Xiao Ying, a powerful healer, looking for the reason his family was murdered. Húlí was a “demon” fox shifter with nine tails. An orphan after his mother was also murdered. Scrabbling to stay alive while being hunted. Saved by Xiao Ying and his dearest friend Ling Ling, both taking care of him. Yè Ying was one lucky, rescued dog, who helped protect them all. The dog and the three humans set out on an epic quest to find the truth.

This was a sweet story I really enjoyed. I liked Húlī’s fragility, Xiao’s unbreakable faith in Húlí’s goodness, Ling Ling’s snarky demeanor, and Yè’s devotion to his humans. The dog was a very enjoyable character, maybe my favorite.

I like this author and their books are always delightful. Translations are at the back of the book which was helpful.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. There was action and adventure, but also some romance. Fox and Healer have both been through terrible losses. Losses they are both still grieving from, but as they grow closer and begin to care for one another, they begin to start healing from the wounds of their past. Foxy Tails had lots of exciting moments, serious moments, troubling pasts, sweet romance (plus a little bit of smut, albeit not a lot), and enjoyable characters (particularly Ling Ling, she is a badass). My biggest complaint is that I am unsure whether this is a stand-alone or is going to be part of a series. My initial impression when I first heard of the book was that it was a standalone, but I would say that the ending left off on a bit of a cliff hanger (more like a happy-for-now ending rather than a true ending). I guess only time will tell if Fox's adventures will continue in a sequel or not. I look forward to reading it if that's the case.