Dragonswan by Sherrilyn Kenyon

[meganbmoore]

Dragonswan isn't a book, but an 85 page novella from an anthology, republished on its lonesome.  This was...amazingly condensed.  Not exactly in the good way.

I have a feeling the development went like this:

*SK turns in novel*

Editor:  "We need a novella, can you change it?"

*SK rips out 99% of plot and turns it back in*

E:  "Still too long."

*SK rips out 80% of character and relationship development and turns it back in.*

E: "Just a bit more..."

*SK rips out 98% of cheese and turns it back in.*

E: "Just right."

Result:  *ogle ogle-boink boink-emo angst-hero steals life's work from heroine-emo angst-hero kidnaps heroine to a thousand years in the past-emo angs-ogle ogle-boink boink-token romantic rescue-ogle ogle-boink boink-mushy ending*

It's a werehunter book in the Dark Hunters series.  Hero turns into a dragon.  Travels to present to get Special Tapestry heroine has devoted life to deciphering, seduces her, steals teapesty, emo angsts a lot so we'll feel sorry for him(as I'm a fan of the The Saint movie, I cannot complain about the plot at this point, except that it was allowed there because Simon Templar was a cool thief and this guy was just...there, so I'm less forgiving) realizes they're mated, agnsts about that, kidnaps her to the past, emo angsts so we and she will forgive him(it works on her) then does a token dramatic rescue, followed by more emo angsting, and then suddenly they're mushy and happy and evenly dividing their time between the two time periods.

I left nothing out save dialogue, sex scenes and cause of emo angsting.  

Seriously, what's with these last 2 Kenyon's I've read having the heroes making me want to kick them in sensitive places.  Ok, the hero here(Sebastian) is several hundred steps up from Mr. Wannabe Rapist who thinks murdering his girl is a way to express his true love, and if the story and characters are good enough, the I'll allow for the theft/kidnapping sometimes(they weren't remotely good enough to slide by with it here, though) but really, I don't recall her other heroes regularly engaging in extreme acts of bastradry...or mild ones, really...

Why can't she make more like Ash, Zarek and Valerius?  

On the other hand, at least the heroine managed to do some damage to the bad guys before needing rescueing, and she ripped into the hero over the kidnapping...except she was more upset about the loss of modern conveniences like hygeine, running water, antibiotics and such than the actual kidnapping...if there'd been running water, deodorant and neosporin, she probably wouldn't have objected, sadly...ah well.

Meanwhile...

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Caramel: Yummy,, but the caramel is so rich, it should come with a warning.