DRAGON ON TOP (Dragon Kin 0.4) by G.A.Aiken-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 27, 2015

I am Ghleanna the Decimator. I am a warrior. A soldier. I know no fear. No pain. No mercy. I do, however, know acute embarrassment! How could I not after getting dumped by a bastard dragon in front of my own troops? So I tuck tail and return to my cave, drowning my sorrows in ale—as is my family’s way. But instead of leaving me to my misery, I’ve been summoned to the Dragon Queen’s court.

As if my life wasn’t pathetic enough, Her Majesty now has me escorting the highborn Bram the Merciful through dangerous territories—not exactly the best use of my military training. And just so he can negotiate with enemy dragons instead of battling them? Honestly, what has my world come to? Then again…Bram is quite easy on the eyes. And the perfect distraction for what ails me. Perhaps I’m looking at all this the wrong way. Maybe there is a place for a little “mercy” in my life…

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REVIEW: DRAGON ON TOP is a prequel storyline in G.A.Aiken’s adult Dragon Kin paranormal, fantasy series. This is Ghleanna the Decimator, and Bram the Merciful’s storyline. For fans of the series, Ghleanna is Bercelak’s sister DRAGON ON TOP was originally published in September 2011 in the SUPERNATURAL anthology. ( I thought the storyline looked familiar)

Told from dual third person perspectives (Ghleanna and Bram) DRAGON ON TOP follows our duo as they enter enemy territory. Bram is to negotiate a treaty with the Sand Dragons , on behalf of Queen Rhiannon ,while Ghleanna has been sent to protect and guard the Queen’s peacemaker. What ensues is an attack against our couple by traitors to the Queen; and the imprisonment of Ghleanna and Bram by Empress Helena and the Sea Dragons beneath the ocean’s waters. While Ghleanna heals from the mortal wounds inflicted by the traitors, Bram must begin a new round of treaty negotiations between the Empress and Queen Rhiannon.

Bram is a merciful dragon who prefers peace treaties to war, but our hero is also a male in love with a warrior who has barely acknowledged his existence for hundreds of years. Ghleanna’s brothers and Queen Rhiannon are well aware of Bram’s attraction to their sister and sister-in –law, but Ghleanna is oblivious to the male’s wants and needs. While under ‘house arrest’ at the bottom of the ocean, Bram and Ghleanna’s relationship becomes sexual wherein our couple soon realize that mating is not far behind.

DRAGON ON TOP is a story with all of G.A.Aiken’s humor and snark; witty banter and family dysfunction that only dragon shifters and their kin are capable of doing. Their love for one another, their fierce protective natures, their interactions with other dragons and humans, as well as their need to defend family and friend is equal to the antics and ability to kill anyone who betrays the Royal line. We get a glimpse at Ghleanna’s family dynamics including her relationship with her infamous father Aileen the Whore; and her embarrassment and humiliation with her father’s reputation and past.

If you are a fan of G.A.Aiken’s DRAGON KIN series, DRAGON ON TOP is an extra storyline that focuses on the previous generation of dragon shifters. If this is your first DRAGON KIN read, I would suggest going back and reading the series in order as so much family history builds throughout the storylines and each successive novel.

READING ORDER:

0.1. Everlasting Bad Boys (includes Can’t Get Enough .1)
0.2 A Tale of Two Dragons (novella)
0.4. Dragon On Top
1. Dragon Actually (includes Chains and Flames .3)
2. About a Dragon
3. What a Dragon Should Know
4. Last Dragon Standing
5. The Dragon Who Loved Me
6. How To Drive A Dragon Crazy
7. Light My Fire
8. Feel the Burn (November 2015)

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy