Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin, Book 1) [Paperback]

G. A. Aiken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

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 fill 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...

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420103733
• ISBN-13: 978-1420103731
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars - Great dragon shifter tale - plus bonus short, September 7, 2008

By 

melindeeloo (sb,ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin, Book 1) (Paperback)

I loved the main story Dragon Actually (which started out as a short story originally epublished as To Challenge a Dragon). This dragonshifter tale had all of the trademark brashness, humor and steamy intensity you would expect from Aiken a Shelley Laurenston alto ego.

If you're a fan of any of the author's other books you'll be pleased to see how well Aiken's trademark uber-alpha female lead translates to the medieval time frame of the book. Annwyl the Bloody is fatally wounded and outnumbered but still fighting to take as many of her vile brother's warriors along with her through death's door. Just about the time the Annwyl is about to lose her head, literally, her foes' smug satisfaction at their looming victory turns to terror and flaming death courtesy of the horned black dragon on whose doorstep Annwyl is dying. Much to the dragon Fearghus' the surprise, the bloody woman meets his fierce dragon's gaze without fear and her bravery intrigues him enough than instead of making her a tasty snack, he brings her into his lair and sees to her healing. As time goes by the dour dragon hermit, who preferred a quiet solitary life, is amused and captivated by the bold, fearless woman. When Annwyl begins to heal, Fearghus provides an irritating but powerful Knight to help Annwyl hone the battle skills which will allow her to defeat her odious abusive sibling. Annwyl spends her days in bruising training with her helpful but annoying `adversary' and her nights talking with Fearghus, torn between the powerful lust she feels for the Knight and the comfort and friendship she feels for the dragon.

Annwyl's `two' relationships are what really make this story. Her relationship with the despised but oh so attractive Knight was combustible, laden with sexual tension and with verbal sparring (along with some physical sparring too), but where her relationship with the Knight burned hot and fast, with Fearghus it was a slowly building deeper connection, as the two let down their guards and shared themselves in a way that neither had allowed before. Adding even more fun to the story, Dragon Actually is chockfull of supporting dragon characters, many of Fearghus' fabulous siblings turn up to help or to stir up mischief, most all of them deserve stories of their own.

The second story Flames in Chains, also previously epublished, was the story of Fearghus' parents `courtship'. Fearghus' father Bercelek, a fearsome battle dragon, has always had a soft spot for the dragon Princess Rhiannon who loathes him. Fearghus was great, in his unrelenting campaign to win the mate who is now within his grasp and the advantage is finally his since she's stuck in human form and can't shift to dragon in order to flee him. This story had some great moments and Bercelek's odd ball dragon parents and siblings, like his children in the previous story, were a kick. But I didn't like Flames and Chains as well as the first story. If you are an erotic reader my nits with the story won't bother you, but an increase in the frequency and coarsenss of the language used, along with the chains and spanking, though both of these were very mild by erotica standards, knocked this one down a notch for me where Dragon Actually managed to toe, but not cross, the line for me.

Overall though I still will be checking out Aiken's next book About A Dragon (Dragon Kin, Book 2) (turns out this is a reissue of Laurenston's The Distressing Damsel: Book 2 of the Dragon Kin) in which the first - of hopefully many - of Fearghus' siblings get their turn in the spot light. If you like Dragon Actually be sure to check out Aiken's pride and pack stories written as Shelley Laurenston, they are also full of pushy alpha shifter males (lion/wolf) claiming their oh so dangerous mates and though not as violent, the stories share the same fast paced humorous tone as these two stories.

Here are a couple of her more recent books to check out:
The Mane Event (Pride, Book 1)
The Beast in Him (Pride, Book 2)

Laurenston's Dragon Kin
Dragon Actually ("To Challenge A Dragon" Ferghus & Annywl, plus "Flames and Chains" Ferghus' parents Rhiannon and Bercelek)
About A Dragon (Dragon Kin, Book 2) (Ferghus' brother Briec this is a reissue of The Distressing Damsel: Book 2 of the Dragon Kin)
Everlasting Bad Boys (Bercelek's parents Aidean and Shalin)

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Witty, April 19, 2009

By 

Amy C (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin, Book 1) (Paperback)

Annwyl, a tough, no-nonsense warrior, leader of the rebellion against her brother who rules the kingdom, finds herself gravely wounded. But she just so happens to be outside the lair or a dragon--Fearghus, a recluse. Bringing Annwyn into his lair to save her, he senses something about her, he's drawn to her as he's never been drawn to another human or dragon before.

Fearing that Annwyl is not strong enough to beat her evil brother, Fearghus offers a mysterious knight to train her. Annwyl agrees. Little does Annwyl know the knight is none other than Fearghus the Dragon!

Annwyl is tormented by the brutish knight training her. Hating him, yet wanting him. The bantering between the two was highly engaging and very well done! Annwyl is in lust with the the knight by day, yet falling in love with the dragon by night.

It's a hopeless battle of wills between Annwyl and Fearghus and one that was very entertaining to read.

Even though she is known as Annwyl the Bloody, and he as Fearghus the Destroyer, the romance was actually very sweet and fun. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the two, sometimes very comical.

I enjoyed Dragon Actually immensely. There's action, head-lopping, a bastard brother who deserves all the anger and rage Annwyl feels toward him. And of course some really great dragon petting :). And human petting!

Dragon Actually, is actually only 217 pages. The remaining 116 pages is a short story, Chains and Flames, which is Feargus's parents.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good dragon romping story. It was fun, exciting and did not drag anywhere. The characters were extremely likable. And Fearghus's siblings added a delightful touch to this story. Just imagine sibling rivalry between a bunch of very large, very strong dragons! I loved reading this book and hope the second one, About a Dragon has the same witty humor as this one.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I WANT MY VERY OWN FERGHUS!!!!, December 16, 2008

By 

M. Hebdige "Nanette Hebdige" (California - Las Vegas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin, Book 1) (Paperback)

First let's inform the reader that G.A. Aiken is Shelly Laurenston. For those who are familiar with Shelly's work, her writing is touching, with hilarious repartee, solid female heroines and very alpha male heroes. Her sex scenes are very graphic (both descriptive and in terminology) and her stories are a rare treat for paranormal fans. She is in my instant buy category!

DRAGON ACTUALLY consists of two stories.
TO CHALLENGE A DRAGON is the story of Ferghus and Annywl and set in a mythical/medieval world of creatures living among humans.

Ferghus is an ancient dragon. He has lived alone for centuries and wants nothing more than peace and quiet in his lair without interference. Annywl The Bloody is mortally wounded outside his cave and the ruckus she has created polishing off her enemies has woken Ferghus. As he steps put of the cave he finds Annywl dying. Her fierce bravado takes him aback, so instead of making her an appetizer he takes her into his lair cave and saves her life.

Ferghus is fascinated with Annywl. He's not been interested in anything in centuries and her honest and stalwart persona intrigues him. She as is fierce as she is angry. Annywl has earned her name well - all Annywl the Bloody knows is how to kill defending herself from her brother's armies who seek her death. As Ferghus learns more about Annywl, he realizes that for her to succeed and kill her evil brother and claim her kingdom, she will need to control her anger.

Dragons are able to shift into human form (something that has been a sacred secret for centuries). Ferghus becomes a human knight by day, instructing Annywl with her fighting skills as well as mastering her temper and her dragon by night.

Annywl strikes an amazing kinship and relationship with her dragon, and Ferghus is more that startled to realize he is coming to care too much for this fierce slip of a girl, as he desires her human body more than he has desired anyone in his long existence.

In TO CHALLENGE A DRAGON, we are introduced to many of Ferghus's family and siblings - who bring hilarious banter to the dialogue. Aiken (Laurenston) has created a marvelous, mythical dragon world, where you actually believe these creatures exist. There is brutality and graphic violence in the bloody battle scenes and the sex is raw and uninhibited. This is a magnificent story - not for the faint hearted - but for those who like "meat" in their books!


FLAMES AND CHAINS - is the story of Ferghus's parents Bercerek and Princess Rhiannon - who becomes queen of the Dragon world. Their tale is short but entertaining and funny. Just as good as TO CHALLENGE A DRAGON, with the sexual scenes even hotter, juicier and more graphic! (You will need to fan yourself to cool the flames!!! LOL!)

Aiken's (Laurenston) storytelling has the ability to create amazingly gripping stories with unforgettable characters. She paints a vivid, surreal world, incorporating the right amount of Magik, awesome creatures, great action and terrific sex.

ABOUT A DRAGON is the next book in the Dragon Kin series.

These are some other books by Shelly Laurenston:
The Mane Event (Pride, Book 1)
The Beast in Him (Pride, Book 2)
When He Was Bad
Everlasting Bad Boys