Book Review: Dragon Actually by G. A. Aiken

Dragon Actually
Author: G. A. Aiken
Series: Dragon Kin, Book 1
Publication: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (November 7, 2008)

Description: 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 fills 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…

And just wait until you meet the rest of the family…

My Thoughts: Annwyl the Bloody has been fighting to overthrow her tyrant brother for some time. One day she is battling his men in the Dark Glen when a mortal blow is struck and Annwyl believes that she is dying. She is saved by the dragon who lives in the glen and who has a terrible reputation. Fearghus the Destroyer nurses her back to health and gradually becomes her friend. He agrees to teach her what she needs to know to defeat her brother.

Annwyl doesn't know that dragons can shift to human form and is confused about her feelings when Fearghus imports a knight to teach her. She is physically attracted to the knight but she longs to spend time with the dragon because she can feel safe with him. Fearghus doesn't know how to tell her that he is both man and dragon.

This book was funny and romantic. I mean, characters named Annwyl the Bloody and Fearghus the Destroyer are not your typical romantic hero and heroine. I loved Annwyl who was afraid of nothing except her brother and who treated really fearsome dragons as though they were kittens. I also really enjoyed Fearghus's relationship with his various brothers and sisters.

This was a fun story and a nice romance. It is also the first book in a series of six.

Favorite Quote:

But it was when he covered her up with the fur and she sighed his name in her sleep, that he lost his heart.

I bought this one for my Kindle on Nov. 18, 2010. You can buy your copy here.