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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating, Spellbinding And Completely Romantic Tales By Four Outstanding Authors!, March 6, 2007
This review is from: Dragon Lovers (Signet Eclipse) (Mass Market Paperback)
Look around, there may be a dragon amongst you. In the deepest recesses of the mind lurks the heart of magic, the desire of the DRAGON LOVERS has begun...
Princess Rozlinda has been groomed for eight long years to be the sacrificial virgin for the coming of the dragon. After he comes, oh...joy, she no longer has to be a virgin. She can then experience the wonders of womanhood. Why do things never quite work out the way a young woman want them to? Dragon farts!
THE DRAGON AND THE VIRGIN PRINCESS is by Jo Beverley. The tone of the wondrous historical/paranormal tale is light, humorous and completely enchanting. Ms. Beverley tickles this story with magic, dragons and the blunders of life.
Individual rating: 4 hearts
Sir Kenrick of Rathbourne, a freelance knight, is looking for a place to winter with his faithful squire. When he learns of a Lord that is in need of a knight to slay a dragon, he will find out there is much more to his task than meets the eye.
THE DRAGON AND THE DARK KNIGHT is by Mary Jo Putney. A sweet pen touched this tale of a knight and the dragons he encounters. This story is reminiscent of the books we read as a young adult--gentle and straightforward in premise. At times though, the urge to thumb ahead a few pages when the story slowed got to this reader, but she did not skip one word.
Individual rating: 3 hearts
Anna Vanderzee has recently lost her parents in a country where she is a foreigner. In her sadness, she accidentally slips and falls into a pool of water, the only problem is Anna cannot swim. She is rescued by a fabled dragon, but that is only were this story begins to unfold...
ANNA AND THE KING OF DRAGONS is by Karen Harbaugh. Ms. Harbaugh penned a delightful tale flavored with the Orient. The cultural endeavors seasoned it with originality and unforgettable romance between two different yet completely connectable characters. Wonderful!
Individual rating: 4 hearts
Penny Freeman gets the chance of a lifetime studying under Senora Libelula, a famous weaver. Since the recent death of her husband, this offer is the perfect change she is looking for. Once there, floating into her life are gorgeous pink feathers. Now this story really gets good!
DRAGON FEATHERS is by Barbara Samuel. This contemporary tale of a dragon was the standout story in this entire anthology. With the freshness of morning air, it captured this reader's heart from beginning to end. Ms. Samuel's writing is the cumulative of a genius with DRAGON FEATHERS!
Individual rating: 5 hearts
What a wonderfully written anthology that is a perfect fit for the general audience of readers of romance. If you love historical, paranormal, or romantic love stories, you will want to pick up a copy of DRAGON LOVERS by award-winning and highly acclaimed authoress', Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, Karen Harbaugh, and Barbara Samuel.
Courtesy of Love Romances and More
Reviewed by Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2007
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
okay, but not great, July 28, 2007
This review is from: Dragon Lovers (Signet Eclipse) (Mass Market Paperback)
There are four stories in this anthology and I liked two of them and didn't care for the other two. Out of the the two I liked only 1 of them was really that enjoyable a read.
The first story is by Jo Beverly and frankly it was really, really disturbing. Basically the heroine is a virgin sacrifice for a dragon that comes once every 8 years (the sacrifice isn't actually killed, just a cup full of there blood is taken on top of this special rock and give to the dragon to drink. Then, they go off and live regular lives). Not too bad. But, when the dragon shows up this time-early-the dragon rider takes her instead of the blood intending to bring her back to his land and, as we find out, slice her open from top to bottom and let the dragon drink her dry. Yes, that's about how it was described. Apparantly, in order for a dragon to have an egg, they have to eat this special blood the princess' family has and because the last dragon didn't get any blood apparantly there's been some crisis and there won't be any dragons. Now, the reasons for this aren't really answered and it's a little confusing so I won't get into it. what I found really disturbing was the dragon constantly talking about the princess' blood as 'yummy', how dragon drool was considered an aphrodisiac, how they ate food chewed up in the dragon's mouth (it was just one gross thing after another,frankly), but the most disturbing part was when the princess is laying on the dragon rock, on some weird drug. The dragon has slit open her thighs and the princess is rolling around laughing giddily and begging the dragon to 'take more! take more!" . I can't even describe how disturbing the scene was to me. If you're the slightest bit squeamish, skip this one.
The second story is more your traditional english dragon story. A knight is hired to kill a dragon that's supposedly been torching local villages. He saves a young woman, discovers she part dragon and the main dragon is her grandfather. They fall love while fighting a local evil Lord. It was a sweet story and very reminiscent of a vintage romance. The author also had a unique take on what a dragons 'hoard' was. I liked this one.
The third story took us to Japan where the hero is a dragon that shapeshifts into a samuri. This one should have been better. The main problem was the heroine, who acted in an absurd way, especially given this is supposed to take place in the 1600's. For instance, at the opening of the book she is contemplating having to go to work as a low class prostitute becuase she has no friends, no money, etc(she's been in the country for at least 4 years with her now dead parents with the blessing of the emperor and yet she doesn't have 1 friend in the country???). The next chapter up, she's traveling by herself (despite a couple who tried to get her a guard and warned her that they'd been set up by ruffians frequently in the area)when, of course, she's attacked. When the dragon/samuri kills them (after she prays for someone to save her) she chides him for killing them and then just planning to leave them there and then becomes offended when he tries to pick her up and carry her to her pony since she's sprained her ankle. Now, if it were me and I'd just been attacked by men who said they were going to rape and then sell me to the whoremonger, I wouldn't be that upset if they died. but, that's just me. She continues to act in a similar stupid way through-out the book. I was sad, because the author could have had a truly unique story if she'd just written the heroine's character differently.
The last story takes place in the southwest. This was a contemporary story and while it wasn't bad...it wasn't good either. I kept expecting something different to what happened and honestly, it was a disapointment. And, the explaination was a bit of a confusing stretch. They're supposed to protect and hide a bright pink dragon living under her house and yet, everyone knows where she is???
Over all, I was disapointed by this anthology. For a book titled 'dragon lovers' there weren't too many lovers that were dragons-just people around dragons. They did try to put together stories with different types of dragons, which I applaud, but there just weren't enough good romances to make the book worth keeping. And, I have to admit, I felt slightly sick after finishing that first one and it tainted the others a bit. I problably should have waited a day or two before going on to the other stories. I'd get this one from the libarary if you can.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Romantic fantasy fun, April 3, 2007
This review is from: Dragon Lovers (Signet Eclipse) (Mass Market Paperback)
Dragon Lovers is a very nice combination of romance and fantasy and although I enjoyed all the stories, I was most impress with Anna and the King of Dragons and Dragon Feather.
Anna and the King of Dragons steps outside of the normal historical/European dragon mode; it takes on the myth of Asian dragons and culture. I was very impressed with this one, and would love to see a sequel or this story expanded into a full-lenght novel. It was very well written and had a very captivating plot. I liked the mixing of cultures, which you don't find very often in romance novels, especially in historicals. The added fantasy was a bonus.
Dragon Feather was an unusual and serious romance placed in modern times. I didn't care for it the first time I read it, but after re-reading it, because I realized I rushed through it, I found it touching, with characters that weren't your typical ones.
The other two stories were well written and very fascinating, and I enjoyed them too, but I can't help but pick my favorites. If you like dragons and romance ( this is not for serious fantasy fans ) you will enjoy this book. Also, I gave it 5 stars, just for the last two, and best, stories in the anthology.
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