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The Jaguar of the Backward Glance #1
The Awakening
A nonstop action-packed adventure, set in the hidden world of feline shifters.
For tens of centuries, dual soul magic has endured, harnessed by an ancient king who sacrificed himself to the jaguar god. But conquest and extermination have crippled werekind. Feline shifters live in hiding, mostly solitary, and some are quietly uniting to avenge the atrocities of the past. The wereshaman, who know the sacred ritual to awaken the feline soul, are few, as are suitable subjects. A human must have a blood link to one of the five feline-worshipping tribes that now exist only in archeological artifacts and colorful myths. Feline shifters are on the brink of extinction.
None of this is known to Jacks Dowd, a twenty-one-year-old college senior who has never been able to put his finger on the reason he's always felt so separate from other people. It's something deeper than his gayness, though that made him an outsider in his papermill hometown in Pennsylvania and aggravated the dysfunction of his Evangelical family.
When he joins his roommates for a wild weekend in Montréal, he meets Benoit, a handsome drifter with magnetic charm and red flags galore. Their chance meeting plunges Jacks into the secret world of feline shifters, where he realizes he's connected to ancestors who understood the power of cougar mysticism. But the world of dual soul creatures is fractured, violent, and constantly at risk of discovery by humans who would lock them up as freaks of nature. Jacks must learn how to survive, and as he's pulled deeper into the struggles of his kind, he embarks on a breakneck adventure that will determine the future of both his shapeshifting brethren and humankind itself.
For tens of centuries, dual soul magic has endured, harnessed by an ancient king who sacrificed himself to the jaguar god. But conquest and extermination have crippled werekind. Feline shifters live in hiding, mostly solitary, and some are quietly uniting to avenge the atrocities of the past. The wereshaman, who know the sacred ritual to awaken the feline soul, are few, as are suitable subjects. A human must have a blood link to one of the five feline-worshipping tribes that now exist only in archeological artifacts and colorful myths. Feline shifters are on the brink of extinction.
None of this is known to Jacks Dowd, a twenty-one-year-old college senior who has never been able to put his finger on the reason he's always felt so separate from other people. It's something deeper than his gayness, though that made him an outsider in his papermill hometown in Pennsylvania and aggravated the dysfunction of his Evangelical family.
When he joins his roommates for a wild weekend in Montréal, he meets Benoit, a handsome drifter with magnetic charm and red flags galore. Their chance meeting plunges Jacks into the secret world of feline shifters, where he realizes he's connected to ancestors who understood the power of cougar mysticism. But the world of dual soul creatures is fractured, violent, and constantly at risk of discovery by humans who would lock them up as freaks of nature. Jacks must learn how to survive, and as he's pulled deeper into the struggles of his kind, he embarks on a breakneck adventure that will determine the future of both his shapeshifting brethren and humankind itself.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2025
3 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Andrew J. Peters
19 books109 followersAndrew J. Peters is an author, an educator, and an activist. His books have won the Silver Falchion award and been a finalist at the Foreword INDIES (The City of Seven Gods), as well as a Readers' Choice pick at The Romance Reviews (the Werecat series). He has written two fantasy books for young adults (The Seventh Pleiade, Banished Sons of Poseidon), and he is the author of the adult novel Poseidon and Cleito.
His latest novel Irresistible is a gay rom-com based on the oldest extant romance novel in the world.
Andrew grew up in Amherst, New York, studied psychology at Cornell University, and has spent most of his career as a social worker and an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
Most of Andrew’s work takes inspiration from mythological themes, but as a young writer, he adored Agatha Christie. At Smallwood Elementary School, he was briefly a literary celebrity when his school principal invited him to read from his novel Murder at Moosewood Mansion over the P.A. system at lunch.
In the 90s, Andrew founded a ‘Coffeehouse’ in suburban Long Island to provide a safe place for LGBT teens to make friends, express themselves through the creative arts, and get help if they needed it. While he writes about fantasy worlds, his work tends to feature LGBT characters, and he is proud to write gay fiction for readers of all ages.
Andrew lives in New York City with his husband Genaro and their cat Chloë. Outside of writing, he is an administrator and an adjunct professor at Adelphi University School of Social Work.
Andrew is also on Patreon where you can climb aboard his ship on his journey across the rollicking sea of authorhood.
His latest novel Irresistible is a gay rom-com based on the oldest extant romance novel in the world.
Andrew grew up in Amherst, New York, studied psychology at Cornell University, and has spent most of his career as a social worker and an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
Most of Andrew’s work takes inspiration from mythological themes, but as a young writer, he adored Agatha Christie. At Smallwood Elementary School, he was briefly a literary celebrity when his school principal invited him to read from his novel Murder at Moosewood Mansion over the P.A. system at lunch.
In the 90s, Andrew founded a ‘Coffeehouse’ in suburban Long Island to provide a safe place for LGBT teens to make friends, express themselves through the creative arts, and get help if they needed it. While he writes about fantasy worlds, his work tends to feature LGBT characters, and he is proud to write gay fiction for readers of all ages.
Andrew lives in New York City with his husband Genaro and their cat Chloë. Outside of writing, he is an administrator and an adjunct professor at Adelphi University School of Social Work.
Andrew is also on Patreon where you can climb aboard his ship on his journey across the rollicking sea of authorhood.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Did not finish
June 1, 2025dnf @ 8%
normally i never dnf this early, but i just can't- 💀
you're telling me these 2 guys fell in love 5% into the book. you're telling me the mc is willing to drop college in his senior year and ditch his roommates for this guy he met a week ago. you're telling me they fell in love after just "fucking endlessly" for a week. wtf.
also, the love interest is kinda shitty cos he likes the mc, but doesn't want to be his boyfriend, and then insults him?????? right, yes, cos this is what you do to people you like 😀
finally, the book's biggest problem: everything is just described in one sentence and then the book moves on. the mc goes "confessional" to the love interest (they just met) and feels they have a "connection". all fine and dandy ig, but there's absolutely no details, so how would the reader be convinced of their connection? smh.
normally i never dnf this early, but i just can't- 💀
you're telling me these 2 guys fell in love 5% into the book. you're telling me the mc is willing to drop college in his senior year and ditch his roommates for this guy he met a week ago. you're telling me they fell in love after just "fucking endlessly" for a week. wtf.
also, the love interest is kinda shitty cos he likes the mc, but doesn't want to be his boyfriend, and then insults him?????? right, yes, cos this is what you do to people you like 😀
finally, the book's biggest problem: everything is just described in one sentence and then the book moves on. the mc goes "confessional" to the love interest (they just met) and feels they have a "connection". all fine and dandy ig, but there's absolutely no details, so how would the reader be convinced of their connection? smh.
June 19, 2025
I'm not sure how to feel about this book. It is the first book I have read by this author. It is supposed to have a fated mates storyline between Benoit and Jacks. I didn't always see that energy. It felt more like a rushed romance and I was hoping for more depth to their relationship. The world-building was cool. I'll see how book 2 goes.
June 29, 2025
There is a LOT of world building right from the start, which sometimes feels overwhelming but is well done. I struggled a bit with the main characters and the romance. It didn't always feel genuine, especially not for 'fated mates'. The writing also felt disjointed at times. A lot of telling and not showing. I did finish it, and I'm curious about the next book.
June 24, 2025
The Awakening is the first book in The Jaguar of the Backward Glance series. This book was action packed. There was a lot of world building that went into this first book of the series and sometimes it felt a little jumbled. I liked the characters but the romance seemed a little forced at times. I'm still interested to see where the next book in the series goes. I'm giving it 3 and a half stars but rounding up to 4.
July 4, 2025
Many years ago, feline shifters were plentiful but that is no longer true. They live in hiding, their numbers decimated by conquest and extermination. Very few are suitable for turning into one of the five tribes and only if the shifter has that knowledge of how to awaken the feline. Jackson Dowd did not know this. When he went to Montreal with his friends for the week, he met Benoit. It is not long before Benoit is taking over his life. The chemistry between them is amazing and Jacks spends his break hanging with Benoit. Jacks finds himself plunged into this new world where there is a faction of felines shifters who wish revenge for past treatment. They consider humans to be beneath them. Jacks is not sure what to think as the world becomes increasingly violent and precarious. Benoit had something this faction wants and Jacks knows, if he can figure out what it is, he must keep it from them if he and the world as he knows it are to survive.
In the beginning, I was not sure what to think. But the action picks up rapidly and you cannot help but feel for Jacks as he tries to navigate this new world with very little knowledge. He learns about his new life in dribs and drabs. Because of this, he makes more than his share of mistakes, some that are irreversible. There is some violence on page but it is part of the unfolding of the story. There are many questions yet to be answered and we can look forward to the answers in future books. A great world filled with a variety of individuals make this an incredible find for those of us who enjoy a gritty, paranormal story.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
In the beginning, I was not sure what to think. But the action picks up rapidly and you cannot help but feel for Jacks as he tries to navigate this new world with very little knowledge. He learns about his new life in dribs and drabs. Because of this, he makes more than his share of mistakes, some that are irreversible. There is some violence on page but it is part of the unfolding of the story. There are many questions yet to be answered and we can look forward to the answers in future books. A great world filled with a variety of individuals make this an incredible find for those of us who enjoy a gritty, paranormal story.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
June 19, 2025
Review for The Jaguar of the Backward Glance-2 The Awakening by Andrew J Peters
It all started when an ancient king sacrificed himself to the jaguar god to keep the dual soul magic alive. Through the years, things have been rough, with extermination having crushed the Werekind. It has come to where the feline shifters live in fear, mostly by themselves. But there is an uprising to avenge what has happened to them. It starts at the beginning of the uprising, where they will take their lives back. The pain they have gone through will be avenged. It starts where a human must be blood-linked to one of the five feline tribes that worship them. It started with Jack Dowd. He doesn't know that his life is about to change. Will it be good or tear his life apart?In walks Benoit, a drifter who brings Jack's body alive. Who is this man? As his body craves Benoit, Jack wonders if he will be safe in Benoit's hands. Or will it crush his life?
Wow, all I can say is WOW. I haven't read this author before, but boy, let me tell you, I will read more of Andrews books. The storytelling made me feel like I was there. I can't say enough about this wonderful story. Thanks for giving me the chance to review this fantastic book.
Nicole Harvey
It all started when an ancient king sacrificed himself to the jaguar god to keep the dual soul magic alive. Through the years, things have been rough, with extermination having crushed the Werekind. It has come to where the feline shifters live in fear, mostly by themselves. But there is an uprising to avenge what has happened to them. It starts at the beginning of the uprising, where they will take their lives back. The pain they have gone through will be avenged. It starts where a human must be blood-linked to one of the five feline tribes that worship them. It started with Jack Dowd. He doesn't know that his life is about to change. Will it be good or tear his life apart?In walks Benoit, a drifter who brings Jack's body alive. Who is this man? As his body craves Benoit, Jack wonders if he will be safe in Benoit's hands. Or will it crush his life?
Wow, all I can say is WOW. I haven't read this author before, but boy, let me tell you, I will read more of Andrews books. The storytelling made me feel like I was there. I can't say enough about this wonderful story. Thanks for giving me the chance to review this fantastic book.
Nicole Harvey
July 5, 2025
Expired hotdogs, primmies, Heathcliff, kitchen tongs, djinns, ketamine
At first, I thought this book was going to be bleak and an MMM romance. However, the plot takes many unexpected turns. Some things are predictable, but most aren't. It is very low steam, and very high violence. So many gory scenes. The writing is adept at making the visuals jump out of the book.
The story is mostly about Jackson, or just Jacks. And, there are seas of clowders of cats, especially stray ones. The terms cat shifter and werecat seem to be interchangeable. If it isn't, the difference is very subtle.
Human med student Farzan quickly shifts (pun not intended) to the fore. The difference between humans and cat shifters is a vast canyon.
I don't want to say more. Doing so might give the story and storyline away. Like I said, it's violent. It's also packed with action. The story ends abruptly and will continue in the next. Do I want to read it? Yes.
At first, I thought this book was going to be bleak and an MMM romance. However, the plot takes many unexpected turns. Some things are predictable, but most aren't. It is very low steam, and very high violence. So many gory scenes. The writing is adept at making the visuals jump out of the book.
The story is mostly about Jackson, or just Jacks. And, there are seas of clowders of cats, especially stray ones. The terms cat shifter and werecat seem to be interchangeable. If it isn't, the difference is very subtle.
Human med student Farzan quickly shifts (pun not intended) to the fore. The difference between humans and cat shifters is a vast canyon.
I don't want to say more. Doing so might give the story and storyline away. Like I said, it's violent. It's also packed with action. The story ends abruptly and will continue in the next. Do I want to read it? Yes.
July 1, 2025
I thought the overall premise of this sounded interesting. The execution was just a bit subpar in my opinion. From the jump, the relationship between Jacks and Benoit felt forced and happened way too quickly to make sense to me. The same goes for Jacks' and Farzan's relationship. I feel like we didn't get great character developments for anyone, so the romance felt very surface level. I think the best character background we got were two of the side characters, Annika and Maarten, and even then I felt like it could be more. I understand this is the first of a series, so I'm sure a lot more will be fleshed out, and the world building and plot premise definitely has great potential. I'm not sure I'll be continuing with it, but if you're into gay cat shifters this could be a good time for you.
Received a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Received a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!
July 10, 2025
Normally enjoy shifter stories and this one had an intriguing premise. There is a lot of world building up front, which is usually no problems....the thing was that the MC's are "fated mates" but from the get-go, they didn't really act it. And the way he'd talk to Jacks was annoying...... but more disbelieving is how Jacks reacts to it all .... story didn't flow as well either. I will follow through to see what happens.....
Currently reading
July 12, 2025The author takes us into a world built around the Werekind—unique, complex, and full of intrigue. Jacks goes on vacation with friends, but everything changes when she meets Benoit. There's an undeniable connection between them, a spark that neither can ignore. But will their growing bond come at a cost? As secrets begin to unravel, Benoit leads us on a suspenseful ride that could change everything.
July 20, 2025
Awakening
This book is good. I will give it a 4/5. I did not think I would want to finish it but I am glad I did. Jacks meet Benoit and is turned into a werecat. Of course Jacks has reservations but he stays with Benoit. He has to leave Benoit and the story gets interesting. It turns out that there is a group of werecats that want to destroy humans. Jacks has they to their plans. Soon Jacks is running for his life trying to figure out what to do and still survive.
This book is good. I will give it a 4/5. I did not think I would want to finish it but I am glad I did. Jacks meet Benoit and is turned into a werecat. Of course Jacks has reservations but he stays with Benoit. He has to leave Benoit and the story gets interesting. It turns out that there is a group of werecats that want to destroy humans. Jacks has they to their plans. Soon Jacks is running for his life trying to figure out what to do and still survive.
August 23, 2025
For centuries the feline shifters lives apart but now they are almost extinct. Some join together to try to save themselves and even revenge. He felt different to everyone around him besides being gay which sets him aside from everyone else. A chance meeting is going to change it all and his life is about to get very complicated and interesting. See hoe he gets on
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and wow what a read
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and wow what a read
June 1, 2025
DNF at the 26% mark. I just couldn't I disliked Benoit from the moment we met him. Jacks was just TSTL. He was willing to give up his entire life for someone he just met. And it really wasn't insta-love like you get in most shifter books, even though Benoit called him his mate.
I received a copy of this book from GRR.
I received a copy of this book from GRR.
Read
June 6, 2025DNF.
The writing was very jumpy and all over the place. It seemed like reading an outline instead. Jacks did this, Benoit did this. Jacks said this, Benoit said this. There was no flow, no chemistry, no emotions. It skips a lot of details and we're not immersed in the character's heads, so it was hard to get into the book because it was very choppy.
The writing was very jumpy and all over the place. It seemed like reading an outline instead. Jacks did this, Benoit did this. Jacks said this, Benoit said this. There was no flow, no chemistry, no emotions. It skips a lot of details and we're not immersed in the character's heads, so it was hard to get into the book because it was very choppy.
July 18, 2025
A great start to a new series.
The story keeps a pace where you never want to put the book down and add in characters that are intriguing and a different look at shifters and the magic it leads to the fact you better have a large chunk of time blocked out because you aren’t going to be putting this down
The story keeps a pace where you never want to put the book down and add in characters that are intriguing and a different look at shifters and the magic it leads to the fact you better have a large chunk of time blocked out because you aren’t going to be putting this down
July 20, 2025
When Jacks went to Canada with his friends, he didn’t plan on becoming a were cat, meeting his love Farzan, and saving the world from evil were cats. The book is full of excitement, danger, adventure, love, pain, feeling lost, and much more. It also has a lot of cats which I love because I love cats. It shows a lot about humanity and the personal experience. I can’t wait to read book 2.
June 11, 2025
A good read . Likeable lead character. Fast paced . A dash of romance. Builds nicely introduces new characters in a believable way I wanted more so will happily read further adventures.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 9, 2025
I loved all the world building in this one and the fact that Jacks knew nothing about his true nature made it easy to accept the necessity to fill him in on lots of things. I found both main characters interesting. I'm excited to see where this series goes.
July 4, 2025
It is a good book and a couple.
I received a free copy of this book via GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 25, 2025
A great book I enjoyed the set up I will read the next book
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews