Rating: 4⭐️
Written by Dragon Actually contains two complete stories. Dragon Actually and then one that’s a bit of a prequel, Chains & Flames. But the order here is actually better imo.
The first story is the violent journey of Annwyl the Bloody to remove her heinous brother from the throne and save her people. During a heated battle, Fearghus the Destroyer, a dragon of immense power and fearsome legend, comes into her path in an unexpected twist.
Annwyl is battle hardened , often violent, and physically powerful. Shes also with rage and prone to battle madness. We get little of her background except that it was extremely abusive, physically damaging. Her father, the dead King being even worse than the brother who succeeded him, the brother being an obsessive horror.
The dragons, yes, a huge group of excessive personalities, a ruling family of them, are well defined. Each with a specific character and definitely non-human traits. Hair color as an element of dragon color, while not new, is nicely done here and matches a type of personality as well it seems.
There’s some hilarious scenes as Annwyl and Fearghus get acquainted with each other. Arrogance and rage are well matched within their relationship dynamics.
Fearghus’ sister is another favorite character along with Annwyl’s general. I could wish that her brother and that history was better explored here. We don’t get a full picture of him, his upbringing, or what drives him here. Nor those around him. So the battle is one-sided. And that leaves the narrative a bit unbalanced.
The relationships between dragons, dragon and human are all very different. So you don’t really feel like the dragons are “human coded” which is great.
The dragon queen and consort are intriguing. Which makes it great that the second story included here is their origin romance and the Queen’s journey into her role. It’s appropriately titled Chains & Flames.
Both are very sexual creatures, kinky, and the story is full of their sexual encounters as she fights her mother for the Crown and control over her life. Think collars and chains and Claiming.
Which brings me to the covers.
Oh that cover. It does read total dragon fantasy but for what age group? Both are very spicy, kinky violent stories. Heads rolls, lots of sex scenes, some with chains and collars but in a different definitely non-villainous aspect. Does that cover read that? Hmm don’t think so. It’s so cute.
The author, G. A. Aiken , turns out to be a pen name for author Shelly Laurenston, an author I recently discovered (and love) and am now working on her backlog of books. So is that two writers in one? Looks like!
Anyway, here’s another older series about dragons, dragon shifters, women warriors, and roads to romance. I enjoyed it! A lot. But if you want a sweet fantasy novel, this isn’t it. Bloody swords, battles, and raging women? Yes. Read this.
Dragon Kin:
Dragon Actually #1
About A Dragon #2
What a Dragon Should Know #3
Last Dragon Standing #4
The Dragon Who Loved Me #5
How to Drive a Dragon Crazy #6
Light My Fire #7
Feel The Burn #8
Bring The Heat #9
Buy link
Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin Book 1)
Blurb
It’s not always easy being a female warrior with a nickname like Annwyl the Bloody. Men tend to either cower in fear—a lot—or else salute. It’s true that Annwyl has a knack for decapitating legions of her ruthless brother’s soldiers without pausing for breath. But just once it would be nice to be able to really talk to a man, the way she can talk to Fearghus the Destroyer.
Too bad that Fearghus is a dragon, of the large, scaly, and deadly type. With him, Annwyl feels safe—a far cry from the feelings aroused by the hard-bodied, arrogant knight Fearghus has arranged to help train her for battle. With her days spent fighting a man who fills her with fierce, heady desire, and her nights spent in the company of a magical creature who could smite a village just by exhaling, Annwyl is sure life couldn’t get any stranger.
She’s wrong . . .
And just wait until you meet the rest of the family . . .
- Publisher: Zebra Books
- Publication date: August 26, 2008
- Edition: Reprint
- Language: English
- Print length: 353 pages
- Book 1 of 9: Dragon Kin
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 