Review: sweet
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 30, 2013
I admit I was not expecting much from this novella, an M/M werewolf romance written by a lady: they usually make a fuss about dominance and submission, hierarchy and mates; they end by concocting entirely predictable stories and they usually cannot write to save their lives.First, this is well written.True, there are several typos, the random grammar mistake and some missing words, especially in the second half, and a star had to go for this lack of editorial care, but this story is well written, with a neat, colloquial style that suits the characters perfectly.It is also well paced, the plot and the love developing gradually towards their final climax.In my opinion the final adventure on the snow (I cannot spoil it for you by saying what actually happens) is not entirely realistic in that Leander would not be able to be that energetic after such a night, but this is not a major worry.Second, while the author actually gives Axton an uncomfortable submissive streak, the same streak is partly balanced by his being aware of it and unwilling to submit to just anybody. He has had to learn to depend on himself and is not ready to forfeit his hard-won indipendence on a whim.In a story with only two characters, depth of characterization is essential.Axton -to whom belongs the POV for most of the first half, while in the second half it switches- is well rounded and adorable. He is painfully shy, undersocialised but sensitive and clever. The interaction between his human and lupine halves is perfectly portrayed, totally funny and while reading I really felt like scratching his ears all the time.Leander is not as well rounded. This is probably the price to be payed for never having given him the POV in the first part of the novella. While we feel with Axton as he falls in love for the beautiful stranger, Leander himself remains a nice but distant figure so that his feelings for Axton appear to have no background.Perhaps a second star should have gone for this second problem but perhaps the author will be willing to revise her nice work a bit and thus give us the small romantic jewel that is potentially there.If so, I would revise a bit the sex scenes after the snow adventure as well. While the first one is tense for a reason (the lack of trust between the two), the second one should be more joyous instead while the atmosphere remains sombre and unforgiving.This novella is self contained and has a nice HFN but there are openings for a sequel.