Ruff Trouble

by Sharon Maria Bidwell

Shapeshifting police officer Bobby Pooch wants to build a stable life with the woman he loves, but working in the same department with Chantelle and his underlying feelings for Sam makes for a complicated situation, further marred by the inherent threats of their occupation.

The job has already left its mark on the human officer, Sam Sanders, his injuries affecting not only his ability to walk but putting him behind a desk and damaging his self-esteem. Little does he know his love for Bobby isn’t as requited as he believes and may turn Sam more than husky.

Chantelle Shepherd, also a shifter, wants both men to be happy, but that means convincing them of their love for each other and her willingness for the three to form the happy, secure family unit, for which they all yearn.

From “Hounding the Beat,” they move on to celebrating Christmas with plastic “Mistletoe and Whine,” their lives dogged by outside influences which threaten not only the relationships they’ve fought so hard to form but their very lives, providing them with plenty of “Paws for Thought.” These three stories leave no doubt Bobby, Chantelle, and Sam are in for Ruff Trouble.

322 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2019

About the author

During Sharon’s writing career she’s lived in a house with a Harry Potter cupboard under the stairs, shared a publisher with the creator of Roger Rabbit, and has taken a trip to Jupiter. Only one of these has been in her imagination.

The first short story she submitted — Silver Apples of the Moon — was accepted by Roadworks Magazine. The editor announced her as “a writer who is going places” and described the story as having “both a Sci-fi and horror element,” and being “strong on characterisation, and quite literary, in terms of style.” Subsequently, she was approached to write all reports and publicity material, including a piece for translation into Braille for The Really Wild Nursery and Arthritis Care Breaking Down the Barriers garden project, which took place at the Malvern Spring Show.

Since then, her work has appeared steadily in both print and electronic publications, such as Midnight Street, Aoife’s Kiss (Sam’s Dot Publishing), Night To Dawn, and Radgepacket (Byker Books). Her short story — Bitter and Intoxicating — was snapped up for inclusion in the anthology Red Velvet and Absinthe. This compilation, edited by Mitzi Szereto with a foreword by Kelly Armstrong, was designed to evoke the romantic ethos of classic Gothic fiction with a serving of eroticism. With a repertoire of twisted tales and a love of cross-genre writing, it surprised everyone (including herself) when she branched out into erotic romance. These works have been critically acclaimed and often described as ‘deeply passionate’.

Sharon’s worlds are vivid, unexpected and sometimes intensely magical. Sharon writes whatever her warped mind can come up with and is quite capable of writing something darker, grittier, and even outright twisted. Though her love for all things Myth and Legend has led her to write under more than one name, from 2019 she's using S.M.Bidwell for her Dark Fiction.

She was propelled into the Steampunk universe of Space, 1899 and beyond, winning approval of series creator and award-winning game designer, Frank Chadwick, with three books, one of which was co-authored with editor (and writer) Andy Frankham-Allen, and subsequently led to her writing for the Lethbridge-Stewart series, and a short audio story for Doctor Who, performed by Katy Manning.

She's also on Goodreads under the name Sharon Bidwell.

Reviews

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.75 stars

There are three vignettes of stories that center around building an unbreakable bond for this triad. Initially, it’s about inviting Sam into Chantelle and Bobby’s relationship and their world. Sam didn’t know Bobby or Chantelle were dog shifters, at first, and it’s with both desperation and a lot of trust that they share their secrets. Sam is hooked, and Bobby and Chantelle each make big changes to keep Sam with them. The second act is a transformation of Sam, from unsure about his place in this ménage to rock solid with his equal partners. The third vignette relies on Sam as a strong individual to prop up Bobby as they rescue Chantelle from an unknown foe.

The span of the stories is just under a year, and they are both sexy and sweet. There is a lot of love and soul searching going on here.

Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.