Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin Book 1)

Annwyl the Bloody had one goal in life..... to take her brother's head. Unfortunately, he had the same goal, and he had the upper hand since he was king. Mortally wounded by a group of her brother's warriors, Annwyl is determined to go out in a blaze of glory, but when the seemingly victorious warriors turn and run, it seems Annwyl's last moments will be as a dragon's lunch. Fearghus the Destroyer is a black dragon with a fierce desire to be left alone, and when he hears a battle taking place outside his cave, he figures lunch is served. Something about the female warrior captures his interest and he takes her into his care, and figures he'll save her for a midnight snack. Amazingly enough she shows no fear of him and is entertaining to say the least. I just recently learned that G.A. Aiken is the fabulous Shelly Laurenston (or vice versa). Anyway, when I found this out, I immediately ordered all the books because I love Shelly's hilariously sexy shifter books, so why wouldn't I like the Dragon Kin series. Not only did I like them, I looooved them. These characters are so over the top, violent, sarcastic and raunchy as all get out. Even the characters I don't particularly like are fascinating and funny. The heroines, in this case Annwyl, are always top notch. She is just shy of being psychotic, but fiercely loyal, and a legendary warrior who terrifies men of all species. Fearghus is just a big ol' gorgeous grump, wanting to get his freak on. Dragons are very sexual beings, and yes, they shift to human, so it's not gross. Dragon Actually was a very quick read, just a little over 200 pages, so I devoured it extremely fast, But it does give us insight of the much longer books to come. It introduces the reader to many of the characters they will learn more about. Fearghus's siblings and extended family are full of diverse craziness, and it was my divine pleasure to get to know them. This went directly to my "Must Read" series list, and Annwyl is on my Fiercest heroine list. The women in this book are fabulously kick ass, and there is not one word that I would change.There is also a bonus novella at the end of Dragon Actually, called Chains and Flames, which is the story of Fearghus's parents, Bercelak the Great and Rhiannon the White. It tells of their mating on less than optimal terms and Rhiannon's ascension to the throne. It also gives Bercelak and Rhiannon a more sympathetic cast, because they were not loveable in Dragon Actually. It might be advisable to read this first, I truly wish I had, maybe I would have wished them dead a little less.

4 stars for DRAGON ACTUALLY.Story Brief:This was fun watching a fierce female warrior called Annwyl the Bloody. With her swords and knifes she could take on groups of men at the same time, beheading them and cutting off their arms. But this time, there were too many of them. Fearghus a dragon was nearby watching. When she was wounded and close to dying, he kills the soldiers with fire and takes her back to his cave to heal. They become close. He tells her he has a human friend who can train her to be a better fighter so she can kill her evil brother. She spends her days with the human training for battle and her evenings with the dragon. She doesn't know that the dragon is the one shifting to human form. She loves the dragon and wants to be loyal to him, but she is strangely drawn to the human in a lustful way. The dragon doesn't tell her that he is also the human, because dragons don't want humans to know that they can shape shift. Annwyl's brother Lorcan is an evil ruler and wants her dead. She is leading the rebellion against him. Lorcan has an evil wizard helping him.Reviewer's Opinion With Mild Spoilers.This was fun for a change, pleasantly enjoyable. The plot was simple. The characters were fun. Fearghus left her at one point, and I didn't like the reason he used. It didn't make sense to me, but I did like watching Annwyl. She was a sulky ruler, bored with thinking about grain, lumber and the state of the lands. She wanted action, fighting and blood. Fearghus the Destroyer was puppy-like as he fell in love with her. The sex scenes had more of an entertainment quality than passion. For example, a lot of verbal challenging and battling with him telling her to do something and her saying "make me."Data:Story length: 215 pages. Swearing language: moderate. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 6. Total number of sex scene pages 24. Setting: a time of sword fighting on a planet with two suns. Copyright: epublished in 2004 as "To Challenge a Dragon." This book was published in 2008. Genre: paranormal romance.3 stars for CHAINS & FLAMES.Story Brief:This is the story of Fearghus' dragon parents. Rhiannon is a dragon princess. Her mother the queen hates her and wants her dead. The queen put a spell on Rhiannon making her weak and gives her to Bercelak for mating. Bercelak is a trusted warrior serving the queen. The queen doesn't know that Bercelak has been secretly in love with Rhiannon for years. Rhiannon calls Bercelak "low born" because his father was a commoner. Throughout the story there is a lot of verbal battling between Rhiannon and Bercelak. She insults him and pretends to fight him. He ignores the insults and seduces her.Reviewer's Opinion.This was ok but not as fun as the first story. The characters were not as unusual. Bercelak likes to keep Rhiannon in chains during some of their sex scenes, which include bondage and spanking. She acts like she hates him, but she really doesn't.Data:Story length: 116 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 8. Total number of sex scene pages 18. Setting: a time of sword fighting on a planet with two suns. Copyright: 2008. Genre: paranormal romance.OTHER BOOKS:I've read one other book by G.A. Aiken (aka Shelly Laurenston). My 2 star review of About A Dragon (book 2) Copyright 2006 was posted 11-23-09.

Gosto muito de ler livros ambientados no mundo dos shifters e fazia um bom tempo que não lia nada do gênero, por isso procurei listas dos top livros para encontrar algo novo. Em várias listas encontrei menções da série onde o livro dragon actually faz parte onde as avaliações o indicavam como um dos melhores livros de shifters já escritos.Não acho que o meu problema foi com os personagens em si, mas com o conjunto da história. Essas paixões arrebatadoras que acontecem do nada não me convencem.(A partir daqui pode conter spoilers)Achei a atração da personagem principal pelo dragão antes dela saber a verdade meio esquisita e a incapacidade dela de reconhecer a verdade um grande atestado de burrice. Respeito sua força e independência mas seus ataques de raiva soavam infantis e desnecessários.Não sei se o problema foi a expectativa ou se achei o livro mal escrito mas não fiquei com vontade de ler os outros livros da série (de fato no final tem o livro dos pais do interesse amoroso da personagem mas eu já estava tão de saco cheio da narrativa que decide não ler).Eu sei que alguns autores as vezes demoram um pouco para desenvolver a escrita e que os trabalhos mais recentes dela podem me agradar mais, porém não sei se vou tentar ler algo dela de novo tão cedo.Se você leu os outros livros e acha que vale muito a pena por favor avise.

I just repurchased this book so I could have it on the kindle. It is in my re-read pile. It is funny, witty and the entire series is a must read. This book is #1 and while you can read the series out of order, it is more enjoyable in order as the characters return. Strong female lead to match the strong male lead. If you like strong female characters and dragon shifters, I highly recommend. Most shifter series are contemporary, this series is historical fantasy. And the twist to #1, the 'Knight' is the female lead.

Gorgeously written story packed with twisted familial relationships, crazy humans, violent loving dragons, belly rolling laughter, saucy adult scenes and fantastic magic.What more could a reader want?PS - this is a re-read for me, actually my 3rd time since buying this series. That's how much I enjoy the Dragons from Devenalt Mountain.

Dragon Actually hatte ich gelesen, ohne etwas über das Pseudonym(G.A. AIken=Shelly Laurenston) zu wissen, eventuell hätte mich das abgeschreckt, weil ich mit den anderen Büchern wenig anfangen konnte.Fearghus the Destroyer(der Zerstörer)ist ein Einzelgänger und bleibt lieber alleine, da er weder mit seinen Drachenverwandten noch mit Menschen- die für ihn höchstens ein Snack sind- zurecht kommt.Annwyl the Bloody(die Blutige)kämpft im Widerstand gegen einen grausamen Herrscher- der blöderweise auch ihr Bruder ist. Aufgrund ihres Nicknamens, der ja schon alles sagt, halten sich die Leute, und vor allem die Männer, lieber von ihr fern. Eines Tages jedoch trifft sie auf Fearghus, der eines der wenigen Geschöpfe ist, das sich nicht vor ihr fürchtet, aber leider ein Drache ist. Er soll ihr helfen, ihre Kampfkünste zu verbessern, sodass sie erfolgreich sein wird.Eines jedoch hat er ihr nicht verraten- wer denn dieser gutaussehende Krieger ist, der sie trainiert und warum ihm ihre Unbefangenheit manchmal unangenehm ist.Das Buch ist unglaublich amüsant und witzig, die Unerschrockenheit von Annwyl und ihre Art, selbst dem bösartigsten Drachen eine aufs Maul zu hauen, bevor dieser auch nur blinken kann, sorgen für laute Lacher beim Lesen. Gleichzeitig ist es auch immer wieder lustig, wenn Annwyl zum Beispiel nackt in Fearghus See badet(weil sie denkt, er sei nur ein Drache, er hat aber- wie alle Drachen- die Fähigkeit sich in einen Menschen zu verwandeln)und er innerlich die Augen verdreht weil er dabei dasselbe denkt wie alle Männer.Der Schwerpunkt des Buches liegt eher auf der Beziehung zwischen Annwyl und Fearghus, und den Konflikten, die sich aus der Kombination Mensch/Drache ergeben als auf der Hintergrundgeschichte.Als Zusatz gibt es im Anhang noch eine Novella über Rhiannon&Bercelak, Fearghus'Eltern.Als erster Band hat er 4-5 Sterne verdient, aufgrund der Liebesszenen ist es aber auf jeden Fall erst ab 18 empfehlenswert!(c)paranormale Liebesromane

Quirky , Surprising, and a great read !! Surely going to be reading the sequels !!! Magical adventures await !!