Rating: 3 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Someone is out to get the bear shifters and Detective Dax Steel, an Alpha wolf shifter and homicide detective, wants to know why three of them have been murdered. The murder of a human suspected of having information shifts the investigation into overdrive.
Adin, Dax’s ex, is his first stop for information, and although they broke up years prior because of Dax’s overprotective Alpha behavior, the spark is still alive and well. As the investigation continues with no leads, Dax and Adin rekindle their tumultuous relationship. Dax, fearing for Adin’s safety, orders Adin to accept his protection and Adin refuses, just like he refused to be coddled and caged by domineering Dax before. When the cards are down, Dax admits he loves Adin, but immediately flees the argument, leaving a stunned Adin reeling.
I was extremely excited to find Broken Bridges, featuring not only wolf, but also bear shifters. I will admit that the mystery element was a bit of a surprise, if only because it dominated the story, while the lovers reunited trope was not explored in more depth. That the antagonist happens to meet someone, who happens to have witnessed his girlfriend shift in her living room for no discernible reason, who happens to blackmail said girlfriend to ensure silence, was just pushing the boundaries of coincidence too far.
I also can’t say that this is the most polished M/M story in terms of the sex, or rather the terminology used by the characters to describe the “parts” used during sex, alternating, for example between “manhood” and “cock.” There was also an odd mix of proper and colloquial terminology and unusual word choice. Other observations include “Wow! The forestry service is fast, like, lightning fast!” and “Where did all the money come from? That doesn’t make sense.”
These continuity gaps coupled with a cast of two-dimensional secondary characters and a cartoon-like antagonist made what could have been a cool shifter mystery into a so-so story. I’m not saying it is all bad, just not as good as I was hoping and expecting from Meadows.
