The story starts out simple enough. Bobby and Chantelle are having an affair but work in the same department. A no-no. They are going to have to make some serious choices real soon. That would be bad enough but Chantelle is insistent that Bobby face facts. Their friend Sam, injured on duty and now behind a desk, is in love with him.

Ménage relationships are hard enough without adding two shifters into the mix. Miss Bidwell has written an enjoyable story about the complexities of love and relationships and how convoluted they can get. Chantelle first has to convince Bobby of the truth about Sam. Then they have to convince Sam that they really want to add him to their lives before he gives up on the police force, and Bobby, and moves away. And then, of course, there's that minor little detail that they aren't quite human. Sam's going to have a hard time with that one.

I loved the way Bidwell handled the shifter revelation. Very different and well done. The plot is interesting, the situation intriguing, and the puns are wonder. As a canine shifter, Bobby (the British "Bobbie" on the beat) Pooch is perfectly named. "Hounding the Beat" is part of the "Protect and Serve" series of books by different authors with paranormal law enforcement characters. This short story will give you grins and a few laughs along the way. Add this one to your summer reading fun list.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Kathy F.
May 29, 2011