THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE
UNREAD
Grade: A+
Sandy M’s review of
Naked Dragon
(Works Like Magick, Book
1) by
Annette Blair
Paranormal Romance
published by Berkley 5
Jan 10
I’ve been a fan of
Annette Blair’s since
her first witch trilogy,
and I loved every one of
those books through two
series. Her humor is her
mainstay, something you
know will be in every
story and will keep you
entertained throughout
the read, as well as her
imagination that gives
you charming characters
in various storylines,
all of which are wrapped
in magic. You cannot go
wrong with an Annette
Blair book.
What I love most about
this book is not only
Bastian himself, sexy,
naked dragon that he is,
but when we first meet
him, he’s just come back
to the human realm, once
again a man after being
a dragon for so many
years. He has to
reabsorb things that he
knew as a Roman
warrior. So it’s his
innocence, or, as
McKenna is told, his
literal-ness, that makes
him so endearing. Ms.
Blair’s humor helps him
along; I found myself
laughing out loud a
number of times at his
responses to
situations. Bastian’s
the first of his
brothers to make it back
via the magic of the
Goddess of Hope, so all
are relying on him to
defeat the Sorceress of
Chaos and to pave the
way for the others to
follow. If he fails, all
is lost.
McKenna is a direct
descendant of Ciarra, a
Salem witch who survived
the witch trials. Alas,
McKenna has no magic and
that’s why she’s in need
of a handyman, pronto.
She’s running against
the clock to turn her
rundown familial
Victorian home into a
bed and breakfast. She
refuses to be the one to
lose it after so many
centuries. She has a
developer who’s hot for
the land and won’t leave
her be, constantly
making her offers. So
she turns to her cousin,
Vivica Quinlann, who
does possess magic and
owns the Works Like
Magic Employment Agency.
Vivica has taken Bastian
in when he arrives and
now has the perfect
place for him –
McKenna’s
jack-of-all-trades.
When these two come
together, the fun starts
and never lets up.
Bastian loves the
internet. He looks up
every little thing he
doesn’t understand
anymore, and that’s a
lot. He also speed
reads, so his learning
curve is quite high.
Some things are still
the same that he
remembers from before,
like the attraction to a
beautiful woman. But
then there are other
things that confound him
a little, his man lance
being one. And that’s
where most of my
laughter came from.
Bastian and his man
lance are something
else, first humorous and
then sexy and erotic as
all get-out.
Of course, there are
serious moments to be
had. McKenna has just
lost her mother. Bastian
is able to see all of
McKenna’s past ancestors
on the Greylock
property, something
McKenna has to learn to
believe in on her own.
The evil coming at them
from both the human and
the magic side is very
real and they have to
work together to conquer
all. We don’t get to see
Bastian’s dragon until
the very end of the book
when he can no longer
control his inner beast
as McKenna physically
has to fight her rotten
developer. Those scenes
that come after when
McKenna learns Bastian
still lives are the best
in the book. Ms. Blair
can pull at the heart
strings as well as she
can hit the funny bone.
Secondary characters are
just as wonderfully
written as the hero and
heroine. I especially
love Dewcup, a miniature
fairy who gets into
trouble every time she
turns around, and also
Steve and Lizzie,
McKenna’s friends, and
their children. Scenes
with these characters go
from hilarious to heart
wrenching.
This is a terrific start
for Ms. Blair’s new
series. Her writing is
still invitingly fresh,
especially the banter
between characters no
matter who they are. Her
take on magic is just as
fresh and very different
from most of what’s out
there to read nowadays.
As her fans have learned
from her previous
series, each coming book
will be a delight, will
stand on its own, but
will remain true and
consistent to the
essence of the series.
Isn’t it time you
learned that too?
Grade: A+
BOOKLIST
"McKenna Greylock, still mourning the
deaths of her mother and grandmother, is trying to fulfill her
mother’s dream of turning the old, rundown family home into a
bed-and-breakfast. When she hires Bastian Dragonelli, a handyman
whose rudimentary grasp of English is hilariously literal but who
has rare qualities and abilities, she does not suspect that he is a
dragon warrior on a mission to save his brothers. When told to paint
a room, he creates a vivid, colorful mural featuring dragons,
inadvertently establishing the theme for the B&B. Despite wanting to
keep her distance, McKenna is curiously drawn to Bastian, who has a
strange physical attribute. Blair’s unusual paranormal features
charming characters, rich relationships, an inviting community, and
sensuous lovemaking, all rolled up in a rollicking good read.
Readers will look forward to more fun with tales of Bastian’s
brothers in future installments in Blair’s Works Like Magick
series." Diana Tixier Herald,
Booklist
Naked Dragon
By Annette Blair
Berkley Sensation
Paranormal Romance
Pages 302
Pub. Date: Jan. 15,
2010
McKenna Greylock has
a hell of a
challenge to face.
She’s got to save
the foundation of
her family’s
Victorian home and
pay the mortgage or
it will fall victim
of a wrecking ball.
She has to do this
with limited funds,
cheap help and right
away.
Bastian Dragonelli
is a shapeshifter.
Once trapped in a
world far from his
own, his challenge
is to make a
difference in his
soul mate’s life.
But more than her
heart and future are
at stake. The very
lives of everyone he
cares about are
hanging by a thread.
Matching these two
in a mutual
agreement is
Works Like Magick
Employment Agency
boss Vivica Quinlan.
It takes a whole lot
of juggling for
Vivica to do her job
because she has to
give a crash course
on merging with
people from Earth.
I’ve always loved
Annette’s books
because of her
characters’
personalities. What
I loved about Naked
Dragon was that
McKenna’s and
Bastian’s
weaknesses; fears
and love were
revealed in natural
form. That others
watched out for them
added even more
appreciation for
what they were going
through. You can
relate to their
difficult challenges
and feel for them
every step of the
way. I was satisfied
with the outcome of
this book and would
love to learn more
about The Island of
Stars.
41/2 dragons out of
5
Denise Fleischer
October 17, 2010
Naked Dragon - Review by Doni
5/5 Screams from the
Backseat
“On the Island of Stars, on a plane beyond
ours, A Roman legion exists.
Cursed for performing their duty with spirit
and might… One Dragon per phase might be
turned and sent
back.”
And so begins the story of the Naked
Dragon, the first in the Works Like Magick
series. I hope there are many more to
come. Annette Blair is an awesome writer.
When I read her books, I get lost in the
magick. I can put myself in the world(s)
that she creates. The writing is crisp and
concise without being too formal or stuffy.
On the down side, it is over too soon. Ms.
Blair is often an author that I can read in
one sitting, and then I am left wanting
more. Unfortunately that means waiting for
the next book which never comes out soon
enough for me.
Even though this is a paranormal
romance, the characters are believable. I
find myself cheering for the hero and
heroine. The heroine is a woman named
McKenna who owns land that the evil
developer named Elliot Huntley wants to
“steal” from her. I liken Elliot to the
character in the cartoons who ties the
heroine to the railroad tracks. McKenna is
great. She is just like the average girl
with issues and problems to solve. She is
very likable and believable. Bastian is the
dragon turned hottie handyman who McKenna
hires to help her around the place to turn
the house into a B&B. Bastian is a
handful. He is a dragon, and has his own
issues, but you just got to love him and his
“man lance”. I do.
There is not much negative that I can
say about this book, except that it was too
short. Even the ARC that I received I had
no trouble reading. The editing was already
done, there was not the tripping over words
that I have found with other ARC’s.
If you love paranormal romance, if you
love good conquering evil, if you love
dragons, goofy faeries, and the like you
will love this book, and you should buy it.
Annette Blair never fails to make me want
more. BUY THE BOOK!
I rate this one a 5 out of 5, even
though I wanted it longer. When can I get
the next one Ms. Blair? Tomorrow is not too
soon.
HUNTRESS REVIEWS
5 STARS!
Set in part of Salem, Massachusetts. McKenna Greylock needs to
make a mortgage payment in time to beat a greedy developer, Elliott
Huntley, at this own game. Problem is that McKenna has less than ninety
days to do so. McKenna must get her Victorian bed-and-breakfast up to
code before she can even have paying guests, which is all but impossible
since her contractor fell off a roof and is now disabled. In dire need
of a jack-of-all-trades handyman, McKenna contacts Vivica Quinlan who
owns the Works Like Magick employment agency.
Vivica sends Bastian Draonelli, but does not tell
McKenna how "different" he really is. Bastian is a dragon warrior from
the Island of Stars within a parallel plane of existence. Once a Roman
Warrior before being changed into a dragon, Bastian has been morphed
into a man once more in hopes of freeing his dragon brothers. To do so,
Bastian must seek out his heart mate and make her quest his own. When
Bastian breached the veil to our plane, two others slipped through with
him. Jock is a small, blue guardian dragon. Dewcup is a mischievous
teacup faery. But Killian, an evil sorceress, is determined Bastian will
fail.
***** FIVE STARS! Forget the vampires and
demons, give me the dragons! Full of suspense, humor, and romance, this
novel is sure to please any paranormal or fantasy fan. The pixie,
Dewcup, is not the only bit of comedy relief. McKenna has a cat that
insists on wearing a tissue box as a hat. Dewcup enjoys riding on the
feline as if the poor thing were a horse. For anyone that has read the
author's novel title "The Kitchen Witch", you will be treated to a cameo
or two by Melody Seabright! I really enjoy how the author sometimes
gives a cameo to one or more characters from another novel. This is just
one more way the author makes her stories special for her readers.
~Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews
Naked Dragon-Annette Blair
5 STARS!
The Roman soldiers were fighting
when Killian the crone of Chaos
cursed them; changing them into
dragons and propelling them into an
alternate reality on the Island of
Stars. They have waited for
centuries to come home as humans.
Now they have a chance due to
Killian’s enemy Andra who enables
one of them Bastian to return to
Earth two millennia after the
banishment spell as a human in
search of his soulmate.
In Salem’s End, the firm Works Like
Magick hires magical temps for their
clients. Viveca Quinlan hooks up
Bastian as a handyman for McKenna
Greylock, who must turn her bed and
breakfast into a profit making
venture or lose an estate that has
been part of her family for
centuries. .The land developer has
other thoughts for the property and
will do anything to obtain it. Only
Bastian Dragonelli stands in the
way, but his employer wants him to
leave as she fears her attraction to
her temp.
The first Works Like Magick urban
romantic fantasy is a fun
lighthearted entertaining tale that
is filled with magic mostly because
of the hero’s struggles to adapt to
modern society. Amusing yet with a
serious subplot as no one escapes
the wrath of Killian, fans will
enjoy the naked Dragon who learns
what a lance truly is and its true
purpose from his beloved employer.
Harriet Klausner
5 STARS!
Title: /Naked Dragon /
Author: Annette Blair
Release Date: 2010
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Bastian, the dragon turned man, has a mission: to help his as-yet
unknown soulmate and by doing so, save his brother dragons. McKenna
Greylock also has a mission: to save her land from the greedy
developers
and make her grandmother’s dream of a bed-and-breakfast come true.
Such is the premise of /Naked Dragon/. If Annette Blair weren’t so
skilled and humorous, this book would have been as trite and clichéd
as
the endless retellings of the Lord of the Rings series. But it’s not
trite or clichéd, and you’re guaranteed a laugh a chapter. And the
chapters are short, making this ideal for a pick-up-and-go sort of
book.
I can’t say much about the plot without giving it away, though it is
fairly predictable. It is, after all, a romance—and we know the hero
gets the heroine (or vice versa) by the end. In this book, it’s not
so
much the end as the journey, and this is one voyage you’ll enjoy all
the
way through. It is in her characters that Blair’s talent shines.
Their
dialogue sparkles so much you’ll need sunglasses.
So grab this book when you need a pick-me-up, grab your favorite
beverage, and settle in for a cuddly, comfortable, laugh-out-loud
read.
You won’t be sorry. Ann, formerly of Scribesworld
ParaNormalRomance
A long, long time ago, a legion of Roman soldiers
tried to take Britain from the Celts. Unfortunately for the Romans, the
Celts had a powerful sorceress working for them. In order to safeguard
her home, Killian cursed the legion and banished them to the Island of
Stars. Now is the time when Andra—the good sorceress—has managed to save
enough of her power to send one of the dragons back to Earth as a human
male. She can only manage to send one, so she sends Bastian, the alpha
among the dragons. Before she does, Andra tells Bastian that he his
heart mate will lead him to the crowned dragon and he must make her
quest his own. If Bastian fails in this quest, not only will Andra lose
even more power, but his dragon brothers will all perish. Andra also
warns Bastian not to let his inner dragon out, or Killian will win.
When Bastian lands naked in a grove, he is met by a
woman—well, witch really—and is surrounded by spirits. Not only Bastian
made it through the veil, but he has a guardian dragon with him, Jock,
and a pesky little fairy also accompanied him. The woman, Viveca, takes
Bastian home with her in order to help him adjust. Turns out Viveca runs
an employment agency and a very successful one at that.
McKenna Graylock only has ninety days to bring her
home up to code. When her grandmother died, McKenna’s mother promised
the place would be turned into a bed and breakfast. Of course, McKenna
didn’t realize her mother had mortgaged the place in order to pay the
medical expenses when her mother became ill. So now, McKenna has to
manage to get everything done and B & B open in ninety days, or she will
end up defaulting on the mortgage and there’s a developer who really
wants her land. And that’s not all. McKenna’s contractor—a close
friend—was injured and can no longer work. Since he has all the permits
in his name, he will be able to supervise thankfully. Desperate, McKenna
goes to her relative Viveca to find a handyman. When Bastian Dragonelli
shows up, McKenna just knows he’s going to be trouble. Just look at the
man, he’s absolutely gorgeous and playing all kinds of havoc with her
hormones.
Will they be able to get the B & B up and running
in time? Will McKenna be able to pay the mortgage, or will the greedy
developer take everything away from McKenna? And what’s up with all the
weird magickal abilities Bastian has? Exactly what is Bastian? Will
Bastian be able to keep his inner dragon at bay? Will he succeed in his
quest and save his brothers and Andra?
NAKED DRAGON A WORKS LIKE MAGICK NOVEL is a highly
entertaining magickal read. Annette Blair once again proves why she’s on
my auto buy list. Everything I have ever read by this author has a place
on my keeper shelf and this is one series I can’t wait to see where
Annette Blair takes it next. We have a bit of everything in this story,
from the magick of true love between a modern woman who has issues with
her weight and her dragon warrior trying to fit into the modern world,
to the greedy developer who will do whatever it takes to get McKenna’s
land, including murder. And, I have to admit, I cried at the end. A
truly heartfelt sigh worthy ending. I highly recommend this book to all
lovers of magick and true love.
FALLEN ANGEL REVIEWS
Naked Dragon
When McKenna Greylock finds herself in a bind finishing
the work on her B&B she turns to Vivica Quinlan, her
cousin and owner of the Works Like Magick Employment
Agency. Vivica has a knack for hitting the perfect
balance of employee and employer together. Luckily for
McKenna, Vivica has just the right ...man for this job.
Bastian Dragonelli is a Roman Warrior who has been
turned, along with the other warriors of his legion,
into a dragon. He crosses the veil between worlds
seeking a way to transform his legion back into the men
they once were. But Killian, Sorceress of Chaos, who
changed the legion into dragons in the first place, is
bound and determined to stop him.
Naked Dragon is the first book in an all new
series, Works Like Magick, from Annette Blair.
A series that is off to a great start, in this
reviewer's humble opinion. I found myself completely
hooked within the first thirty pages and could not put
it down until the very last word had been savored. If
you are a fan of Ms. Blair's delightful previous
series you will be happy to note that Melody Seabright
drops in to say howdy! Bastian is a lovely specimen of
alpha maleness. He is also the source of many jokes due
to his rather severe case of culture shock. Something
that lead to many hilarious misunderstandings that left
me giggling. McKenna is great fun as well, a woman who
is at her wits end and desperately in need of a handyman
to fix her up...er...her B&B up. I loved the Works Like
Magick temp agency and can't wait to see who or what is
hired next!
Reviewed by: Hayley
|
|
Bastian
Dragonelli has been many things in his life--a Roman
Warrior, a dragon and he just landed on Earth as a
human again. Bastian, his brother dragons and
friends are fighting a sorceress who would destroy
them all. Bastian has landed on Earth with a
mission, he has to defeat the test set up for him by
the evil sorceress. His success will allow the next
of his brother dragons to arrive and do the same.
Basitian’s only help here on Earth are two creatures
that came through the veil with him and a magical
human, Vivica Quinlan, who was waiting for him.
McKenna Greylock is trying her
hardest to save the family property from a developer
who wants the property at any price. McKenna’s
family is old and magical, however, she is the
non-magical member at this point. Being able to
keep the property from foreclosure might prove
impossible if McKenna doesn’t get some good luck on
her side. The days are counting down quickly and
the only luck she’s had so far is bad as she tries
to turn the place into a bed and breakfast. McKenna
decides to visit her magical cousin, Vivica to see
about hiring a handyman who can work hard, cheaply
and perform miracles. After all, Vivica does own
Works Like Magick, a placement agency and has a
wondrous reputation.
Bastian knows McKenna is his
mission as soon as he sees her at the agency. Now
he just has to figure out how to help her and
complete his mission. McKenna is attracted to
Bastian but she has a terrible track record with men
and has decided to keep the line between them as
employer/employee. Too bad everything inside her
wants to explore what could be between them.
Accidents happen all around and Bastian recognizes
it’s from his enemy, but McKenna’s success or
failure at her bed and breakfast is a mystery to
him. With danger coming from various directions and
the attraction heating to the melting point, Bastian
and McKenna will need every ounce of inner strength
to win the day and discover their happy ever after.
When you hire a dragon, even
unknowingly, expect sparks to fly. Naked
Dragon begins the tale of dragons coming to
Earth with Bastian and McKenna. McKenna is the last
of her family line and tries with everything she has
to hold on to her legacy. Bastian only knows about
fighting to win, but when he finds himself on Earth
he discovers an even better reason to fight – for
love. When I first met McKenna I thought the blip
was wrong and she might have been the dragon as she
used sarcasm and a rough exterior to hide her tender
heart. Bastian soon discovered as I did just how
loving and determined McKenna was. Sparks and
humorous quips became flames and heated encounters
pretty fast while Bastian learned how to help
McKenna. They both discovered who their friends and
enemies were, which led to an ending that had me
holding my breath. The final outcome was one that
made me cheer for Bastian and McKenna. Naked
Dragon has humor, danger, magic and a
wondrous love woven into the threads of time into
the present. I can’t wait for the next Works
Like Magick novel. |
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BOOK BINGE:
Naked Dragon (Works Like Magick, Book 1) by
Annette Blair
As owner of the Works Like Magick employment agency in Salem,
Massachussetts, Vivica Quinlan has a gift for perfectly matching
clients with magical temps that works every time.
McKenna Greylock contacts Vivica in desperate need of a
jack-of-all-trades handyman to help repair her Victorian
bed-and-breakfast. She has a shoestring budget and ninety days to
meet the building inspector's approval—or the house will be
repossessed and purchased by her duplicitous cousin.
To McKenna's surprise, Vivica sends the gorgeous Bastian Dragonelli
who not only possesses the speed, strength, and agility to get the
job done, but also sets her soul ablaze with a fiery passion she's
never experienced before. And if McKenna can accept Bastian's true
nature—as a dragon warrior—she'll find her life heating up in more
ways than one.
This is the first Annette Blair novel in the “Works Like Magick”
series from Berkely Sensations. As I had not read any of Blair'’s
previous work, I was excited about discovering an author that was
new to me. As I am also new to paranormal fiction, it was another
opportunity to expand my exposure to what is becoming a favorite
genre of mine in romantic fiction.
Bastian Dragonelli is a Roman warrior who lived almost 2,000 years
ago and who was changed suddenly into a dragon and taken from earth
to the Island of Stars in an alternate reality. Assisted by the
Goddess of Hope to return to the earth as a man, Bastian is drawn to
McKenna from the first time he spots her at Vivica's employment
agency where he is being educated by Vivica (a powerful witch) so
that he can learn English, understand human ways, and learn to live
among 21st century humanity.
McKenna Greylock is the last of a long line of Celtic witches who
have survived over the centuries. As the last of her line she is
trying to retain the property that is her only legacy. Obsessed with
wresting the land away from McKenna, an unjust and unscrupulous
developer is doing all he can to upend her efforts to meet the
deadline for paying the mortgage arrears as well as the delinquent
taxes, including injury to her contractor. Bastian comes into her
life with his strange language and his strange ways, but she is
drawn to him in spite of herself.
Blair has written a truly delightful romance that seems to have many
of the qualities of a fairy tale. Yet the characters are real, the
circumstances are all too contemporary in today's economy, and
McKenna is a woman who has learned that there are few people in whom
she can safely put her trust. The extended illnesses of her
grandmother and her mother have exhausted her resources – another
situation that is all too familiar. Bastian's gentle spirit, his
winsome ways, his desire for her, his kindnesses and his evident and
extraordinary abilities begin to melt McKenna's resistance and
challenge her determination not to let any man into her life. Yet
her inner spirit is hungry for authentic relationship. Bastian
recognizes her as his heartmate but is wise enough to bide his time,
not only to eventually be able to woo her into a physical
relationship but to also hope that she can accept his alternate
existence as a dragon.
We meet good people here as well as some who are pure evil. I was
delighted by the children who could see Bastian's guardian dragon
and a tiny fairy that had accompanied him “through the veil” onto
earth. There was joy reclaimed when Bastian made it possible for
McKenna to see and converse with her parents and her grandparents,
to experience the love and protection that was all around her with
her family spirits who were remaining until she found true love, and
her meeting with Ciarra, the original witch in her ancestry. There's
a lot to like here. The humor was wonderful and I have to confess to
some hearty laughing while reading. There is hope and renewal as
Bastian makes McKenna's quest his own. Yet it is a joy to witness
McKenna's discovery about her own skills and strengths. When she
encounters Bastian true dragon self, the exchange is beautiful and
heartwarming.
I think this is a delightful book and I hope all of you take the
time to read it. It is not overly long but is well-written and
display's the author's skill in telling a very good story.
I give this book a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at
Dr J's Book Place
e-Harlequin
Series: Works Like Magick (Book 1)
The Works like Magick Employment
Agency has a reputation for perfectly
matching clients with magical temps. So
when McKenna Greylock requests a
handyman, the gorgeous Bastian
Dragonelli arrives to repair her B&B-
and fire up her bedroom.
For centuries, in the The Witch City,
human magick has thinned the veil
between the planes to a permeable mist,
forming a portal into Salem, allowing
more and more magickal supernatural
ancients--time travelers and chameleons
of the universe--to enter there. Bastian
Dragonelli, once a Roman warrior turned
dragon, is the first of his legion to be
returned to earth, a man. There, so his
brothers can also be saved and sent
back, he must recover the magick of the
sorceress Andra, Goddess of Hope, who
gave her powers to transform him. To do
so, Bastian must seek his heart mate at
the sign of the crowned dragon and make
her quest his own.
But the dark and powerful Killian,
Sorceress of Chaos, who turned his
legion into dragons and skewed his
transition back into a man, is
lightning-hot and hailstone-swift on his
heels. McKenna Greylock, the last
non-magical descendant of Ciarra
McKenna, a witch who survived the
hanging times, needs a
jack-of-all-trades to help turn her
dilapidated Victorian into a bed and
breakfast in time to pay her mortgage
and meet the building inspector's
approval, or she will lose her home and
her family's centuries-old legacy. Enter
McKenna's cousin, Vivica Quinlan--a
highly evolved witch with the power of
centuries behind her. Owner of the Works
Like Magick Employment Agency, Vivica
has a gift for matching human employers
with magickal employees. Like her
High-Priestess ancestors before her,
Vivica knows when the magickal
supernatural ancients are about to
arrive, so she greets and acclimates
them to life, and to making a living, in
Salem.
This book was so much fun. I've been
hooked on her books since I read
"Kitchen Witch", and this was just as
good. There were lots of laugh out loud
moments, and seeing Bastian as he
adjusts to his new shape and time was
hilarious and moving at the same time. I
am really looking forward to the next
one.
Susan F.
Fredericksburg, VA
December 2009 Member of the Month!
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Pearl's World of Romance
Ingredients:
- A dragon sent to Earth to find
his heart mate in order to
fulfill his destiny and save his
brothers
- A cranky but loving
house-owner in desperate need of
a handyman and love
- A pesky and creepy property
developer who has nothing but
evil in mind
- Magical creatures that are
colorful in more ways than just
to the eye: a Goddess of Hope, A
Crone of Chaos, a faery pixie, a
guardian dragon
- A wonderful and sensuous
romance filled with
laugh-out-loud, pee-your-pants
humor
Hero: Bastian Dragonelli,
was turned from Roman warrior to
Dragon to human handy man. He’s
a true alpha dragon. He’s bold,
protective and fearless. But
he’s also caring, impetuous and
endeared me with his
unfamiliarity with earthly
things.
Heroine: McKenna Greylock
is a descendant of a famous
witch in Salem but she has not
inherited any magick. She is
obstinate, tenacious, a little
bit bossy and difficult and
sometimes short-tempered and
challenging. But she has a heart
of gold.
Plot: There were a few
plots and they flowed into one,
connecting together in a
fast-paced and thrilling ending.
There’s the story line of
McKenna needing to open her B&B
as soon as possible so she won’t
loose the house and land to an
evil property developer, there’s
the task of finding his heart
mate for Bastian, in order to
save his brothers from eternal
destruction by an evil sorceress
and of course there’s the
romance between Bastian and
McKenna. The plots were all
clear and well written and fit
into each other seamlessly.
Writing: What caught my
attention throughout the book
was the humor. I laughed so hard
and so many times I lost count.
It was everywhere: in the
dialogues, in the plot, in the
characters. The most funny parts
were those where Bastian’s
unfamiliarity with earthly
things were displayed, the way
he described everyday things
like cars (“colorful noisemaking
machines with stink powder
coming out of their hind ends”),
thin women (“bony females who
needed feeding and badly”),
breasts (“dragon-hardening
globes”) or fried eggs (“food
with big yellow eyes”).
After first 100 pages humor was
toned down a bit as Bastian got
more knowledgeable and familiar
with the earthly terms and
things and the story and pace
seemed to fizzle out a bit but
luckily the last 100+ pages were
up to par again.
Likes:
- The humor which I found
refreshing as with paranormal
the norm seems to be dark and
gritty at the moment
- The romance that was touching
and hot
Dislikes:
- Very, very short chapters,
average chapters: 5 pages and
sometimes there were chapter
breaks in the middle of scenes.
- Like other people's reading
pet peeves can be babies or
children, mine is ghosts. I
dislike them in stories and
there are plenty if them in
NAKED DRAGON.
Verdict:
I thoroughly enjoyed NAKED
DRAGON. The book caught me by
surprise with its great humor
that made it laugh-out-loud
funny without going over the
top. It’s also a lovely and
touching romance that was
fast-paced but never felt
rushed. I don’t know why I left
this treasure of a book on the
shelves for so long and I can’t
wait for Bastian’s brothers to
get their books as this one has
really left me wanting more.
Favorite Quotes:
“Your eyes are violet,” she
said.
They’re dragon-elli eyes.
Dragonelli. All my brothers
have eyes this color.”
It’s in the genes, then?”
No, that is my man lance in
my jeans. I am sorry if it
distracts you. It is a bit
out of control today.”
“McKenna?” her friend said.
“You’re not answering me. I
repeat. Have you seen him
naked?”
“Little bit.”
“Yes!” Lizzie screamed.
”I’ll bet he’s hung.”
“LizBeth!”
“Well, he wasn’t hiding a
cocktail frank under that
blanket.”
"I could get used to playing
the royal in the bedroom.”
“I will adore you, my queen,
with every inch of my body,
and I have many inches.” His
rough voice promised heaven
while his look turned her
into a useless puddle of
need.
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