A Review - "Savage Dragon" Anna Hackett - Silhouette Nocturne Bites 2009

The wait is over.

Anna Hackett's debut novella is SELLING NOW.

I think I was the second person, like, IN THE WORLD to buy this eBook presale. *Famous*

I read it and I loved it. And not just because Anna is my writing friend. The idea of a critique partner/group is to let you know if your work is sucky. It's our job. We will also tell you which parts of your work, well...work.

This latter part applies to all of SAVAGE DRAGON. I didn't read it before buying it - I have read Anna's work since. She submitted this one before we 'met'.

Here's the blurb:

Description
They call him the Savage Dragon: Rordan Sarkany, knight of the Order of the Dragon, charged with tracking and destroying those who let their dragon blood turn them into beasts. In the wilds of Hungary, Rordan hunts one such creature—along with fellow warrior Kira Bethlen.
Both Rordan and his inner dragon desire Kira...and she can't resist Rordan's dangerous allure. But even if she succumbs to their attraction, can she ever forgive him for slaying her beloved brother?

They say this at eHQN:

If you like this book, then you'll love...
The Vision by Heather Graham
Raintree by Linda Howard
Enchantment & Bridge of Dreams by Christina Skye

Not a bad list, eh? I know that Howard is one of Anna's faves. Must be a great feeling to be compared to one of your must-reads.

My take:

Rordan and Kira are tracking the same wild - a person with dragon blood who has turned, and lost most of their humanity. They are both Knights of the Order of the Dragon , and have a history, but ever since Rordan killed Kira's wild brother, she won't forgive him. So - the fight's on. And not only the fight to take down this new wild - but they're both fighting their rekindled attraction...

She'd thought her brother could be saved - Rordan knows he was too far gone. They agree to find the wild together - so long as they stay out of each other's way.

When they are trapped by the rogue dragon inside it's rockface lair, they both come to realise that they might have been wrong. Rordan starts to wonder if perhaps wilds can be saved, and Kira, hurt in the fight, realises that the wilds are not going to return to their original form.

Rordan is crushed under a rockfall, and... I'm stopping there!

Suffice it to say, there is some VHS (Very Hot Sex), while they are trapped alone in a cave.

Anna has a beautifully consistent writing style and voice - the temperate, even flow of her stories makes for strong, kick-ass heroines and equally appealing, self-aware men. There are no low-points, she carries the movement of the piece right through to the end.

Her world building is complex and well-researched, and she thinks of everything. Conflict, background, emotion - it's all there. Not once are we left wondering about character motivation.

So. You need to go out and get yourself this book.

Start a collection, because there WILL be more Hackett to come...

The first novella (one I have read... yay, me! I loved her hero in it) of her WindKeepers Series - WIND KISSED, FIRE BOUND, comes out in September for Nocturne Bites. The second WindKeeper story will be released in October and is called TAKEN BY THE SOUTH WIND, (Again, great hero, and excellent story) has recently been given the go-ahead. And the winds come from the four corners of the earth, so you'd imagine there's windy weather ahead.... :)

Here are the links you'll need to start your Hackett online shrine (like mine - hee):

Anna's website
Anna's Blog, Midnight Confessions
The link to eHarlequin, where you can buy SAVAGE DRAGON

Go on, get at the forefront of the wave for this exciting new paranormal romance author. If I run my hands over my crystal ball - I can see great things in the future of Anna Hackett...

E x