TEST
Lorenda Christensen is back with the second entry in her DRACIM series, and I found Dancing With Dragons even stronger than its predecessor. Picking up right where Never Deal With Dragons left off, this installment follows Carol Jenski, a secondary character from the first book, on a snarky and romantic adventure of her own.
In the first novel, Carol fell in love with Richard, a leader at DRACIM and man believed to be a true pioneer in dragon-human relations in North America. As readers of the first book will recall, he is really working to destroy dragons and as his plot was partially discovered, he has framed Carol. Now with a price on her head, she’s on the run to escape trial and possible execution while trying to prove her innocence.
While on the run, she crosses paths with reporter Daniel Wallent, who helps her out. Sure, he’s also trying to get a story and so his help originally comes at a price, but Carol ends up being more than just a means to an end for him. The quest to clear her name takes both of them to Bangalore, where Carol is able to put her dragonspeaking abilities to work as a translator for the local dragon lord. Not only does she discover that the dragons she fears have more to them than meets the eye, she also uncovers some intrigues in the Bangalore dragon lord’s court. And of course, Daniel starts to see her as more than just a source. Thankfully, he also starts evolving into less of a jerk and more of a hero as well.
As with its predecessor, Dancing With Dragons is told in first person – and clears one big hurdle right away. The first book in this series had a narrator with a clever, snarky voice. Carol’s voice also has a humorous and snarky touch to it, but manages to be different from the first, and I was glad that Christensen convinced me as a reader that someone different was telling this story.
The action in this book tends to be pretty far-fetched, but if you’re the sort of reader who finds that appealing, you’ll likely find it as fun and enjoyable as I do. And if you’re a reader who insists upon strict realism, I doubt you’d be reading books about a world run by dragons anyway.
I thought Carol’s predicament with the dragon lord in North America got resolved a little too easily, but other than that, I very much enjoyed the story. Even though I knew I was suspending a lot of disbelief, I found myself completely sucked into her adventures in India. And while Daniel starts off as a bit of a jerk (he is, after all, very up front about the fact that he’s basically using Carol to get a good story), he redeemed himself quite nicely and I could believe in his and Carol’s growing relationship.
If you like your urban fantasy somewhat on the lighter side, this is definitely a series to check out. I’d recommend reading the books in order, however. Dancing with Dragons was a treat, and I look forward to the next installment.
Grade: B
Book Type: Urban Fantasy
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 28/04/14
Publication Date: 2014/03
I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.