October 19, 2020
Tyler’s far-fetched 11th Special Wolf Alpha Team romance (after Wolf Rebel) grafts the soapy romance trope in which a single mother meets a good man who helps her evade her unhinged ex onto a gonzo suspense plot. Dallas SWAT negotiator Diego Martinez meets teenage Brandon Harlow, a recently turned beta werewolf, and his mother, Bree, an insurance investigator, while rescuing them from a man who has taken them hostage and who seems to be under some kind of mind control. Diego grows close with the Harlows, and his colleagues on his all-werewolf SWAT team encourage him to take Brandon under his wing as his alpha and to realize that Bree is his fated mate. But Bree’s aggressive ex-husband, Dave Cowell, recently released from prison after serving time for murder, doesn’t appreciate Diego’s presence in Bree and Brandon’s life. Bree and Diego come off as competent and levelheaded in both work and love, and the Harlows’ welcome into Diego’s community is conflict free, but as mind-controlled criminals continue to plague the city, collateral carnage piles up. The eventual resolution strains credulity—even in a world with werewolves. This overstuffed installment will please die-hard series fans, as long as they’re willing to suspend disbelief.