Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs
Published by Penguin
Age Group: Adult
Format: Novella
Genres and Categories: Mental Health Representation, Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Characters, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Witches, Urban Fantasy
Series: Alpha & Omega 6.5
My Rating:
Published on: 21st October 2025
Pages: 288
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When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous “friends,” his reclusive life will never be the same, in this enthralling novel in stories from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series.


Includes two all-new stories as well as three previously published stories.

Dear Asil:

We are worried about you. A werewolf alone is a sad thing, especially at Christmastime. So we have a challenge for you: five dates in three weeks. We have taken the work out of it and connected you with five people from online dating sites. You should also know that we have informed the whole pack and instigated a betting pool. Have fun!

Sincerely,
Your Concerned Friends

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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Asil is one of my favourite characters in Patricia Briggs’ Alpha & Omega series, so when I heard there was going to be a novella about him, I had to read it! Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs is everything I hoped for and more. Introduced in previous books, Asil is a recurring character in the series. He is an old wolf who lives in the Marrok’s pack because he struggles to keep his wolf side under control, and the Marrok is the only one powerful enough to do that.

Worried about their friend, an anonymous group of friends decides to set Asil up on a series of blind dates. “It’s a sad thing” for a werewolf to be alone, especially at Christmas, an email reads. The same email explains that some of them thought that guilting him into doing it, explaining that his dates are innocent. Others decided that a better incentive was the pack-wide betting pool and letting Asil know that so far no one expected him to go on any of the dates.

Concluding that whoever was setting him up knew him very well, and approving of the faked correspondence between him and his first date, Asil sees the whole setup as an invite to a game. To him, it is a new adventure, and while they can be uncomfortable, he considers adventures never to be boring. He soon realises that there’s a reason why he’s being sent on each date, beyond the betting pool. Is he a useful tool, or are they trying to help an old wolf understand something about himself that he thought lost?

Each of Asil’s dates is a wonderful snapshot of the wider universe Briggs has created for her Mercy Thompson/Alpha & Omega series. This is a love letter for fans of Briggs’ books, combining humour and world-building for an unforgettable treat. These stories will have you laughing out loud and reaching for the tissues. This is Briggs at her best!

It was wonderful to learn more about Asil and fill in some gaps about his past. He’s been quite the mysterious figure up until now, and this is the first time readers have been able to see things from his perspective. The narrative voice Briggs adopts for Asil is nuanced and full of flavour. Asil is centuries old, and it was great seeing how Briggs weaves his history in with each date. 

That being said, if you’ve never read anything in this universe, then Blind Date with a Werewolf isn’t a good starting place. To get the most out of this novella, I highly recommend reading the main series first. Everything begins in the Mercy Thompson series with Moon Called, and Alpha & Omega spins out from that. The first book in that series is Cry Wolf, and this is the series Asil features in predominantly. 

I loved every minute of Blind Date with a Werewolf and highly recommend it if you’re a fan of Briggs’ other work! The novella format with an episodic formula is the perfect way to shine a spotlight on this character, with each date being its own mini-adventure. Everything fits together at the end, and for those curious, yes, we do find out who the mysterious friends are.

About Patricia Briggs

Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.

Photo credit: Allen Johnson fiphoto.net

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