Title: The Dragon and the Wolf
Series: Things in the Night, #1.5
Author: Mandy Rosko
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Novella (68 pages)
Publisher: Amanda Rosko (October 29th, 2013
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts
Reviewer: Eli/Mandingo
Blurb: Just go for it…
Westley Stone didn’t expect to survive being kidnapped and tortured by hunters, but he did, and only because a dragon literally dropped out of the sky to save him, and after waking up in the man’s house, he can’t help but feel grateful and very attracted to his rescuer.
Chris Knucker has a thing against werewolves ever since his family was killed, but he’s willing to put old fears aside for the handsome man he’s just saved. The problem is that Westley seems a little shy to his advances, which makes sense when Chris discovers that Westley has to get married and produce a litter of wolf pups for his pack.
That’s fine. Chris knows the other man won’t go through with it, so it’s just a matter of waiting him out, and since Chris is the pack hero for saving Westley’s life, he has all the access he needs to slowly wear down Westley’s defenses. When Westley does finally come to him, he reveals another reason why he held back, something that could make them both very happy if only Westley can put his trust in Chris.
Author’s Note: This is the story of how Chris and Westley from The Legend of the Werewolf, meet and fall in love. While there is a resolution to their immediate problem of will he/won’t he? or should I/shouldn’t I? The remainder is still concluded in another book which is M/F dominant. I’ve included the word Prequel in the title to avoid confusion.
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G8UF35S/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dpd_s.D0sb0FQB080
Review: The book blurb essentially tells the story and there really isn’t much left to explore with the plot. It’s always nice to see diversity in books even when it involves shifters. The basic theme behind m/m romance is always about overcoming adversity and the general prejudice that can be found within mainstream society towards minorities and sub groups. So paranormal books often take that theme to another level by mirroring the world using paranormals to illustrate how disruptive and harmful prejudice is in any form.
As such, the pairing of a dragon and a were is an interesting extension of this theme. The concept of a soul mate, life partner, or one’s forever person is rife in paranormal stories. It takes romance to a whole new level. In this story, because they are of differing species they must handle not only species difference but also Westley’s fundamental belief that this inter-species mating cannot lead to a lasting love. This is where the story ends because this is the prequel to explain how these two men got together in a later book.
The cliffhanger left of if Chris and Westley will become soul mates and how the events, which led to the men meeting, will play out and if the men will get their HEA should compel the reader to continue reading the book that follows.