The Dragon's Woman by Shiloh Walker

Okay, so Ellora's Cave says The Dragon's Woman by Shiloh Walker is the third in a series, but can be read alone. uh huh. Perhaps so, but if you haven't read the first two (and I haven't), you'll be wondering just what's going on and why you should be caring about these characters.

Restless and hungry. That describes Eilrah right down to his red scales. Since forging a soul bond with his priestess years before, he's been plagued by the most annoying needs. Human needs. The kind a dragon shouldn't have.

Lonely and bitter. That is Rianne. Feared for a power many think is uncontrollable, she lives in solitude in the woods near the village where she grew up. She also has needs, and for a while it seems the great red dragon might be the one to satisfy them.

But the dragon shares a bond with another woman—not one of the heart, but one of the soul. Rianne can't possibly complete. Nor will she break her heart or shatter her pride by trying.

Eilrah doesn't understand why Rianne has pulled away, but it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters to him is his mate, the lovely witch, Rianne. He sees the need in her eyes, and the loneliness.

He will have her, his other half. He just has to convince her. (Blurb from EC's site)

All right...so we have this dragon who's supposedly bonded to this priestess and that bond made him shapeshift into human form. And this woman who's an outcast for having some wild magic. They meet. They have sex. They kill some nasty creatures who are trying to kill some other forest creatures. They have sex. More sex. Kill some more creatures. More sex. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Bah. There's just no conflict in the story. I suspect I would have liked it much better if things had been fleshed out more. Instead, I get bits and pieces that just make me frustrated when I don't know more. I mean, how are Rianne and Eilrah going to handle life when Eilrah is bonded to this priestess? It's mentioned a few times, but then the thread is dropped completely. So these two are compatible in bed (although I don't actually think they ever have sex in a bed), so what?

Well, suffice to say, I was disappointed in this one. The writing is decent, but the plot needs a lot of work.