| Title | : | The Dragon and His Prince (The Monster's Pet #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 232 |
| Publication | : | First published October 25, 2022 |
Only problem? It's not a wyvern. It's a dragon.
A naked dragon in human form, who possesses two very large... Anyway. Larkin is definitely, absolutely, very not interested in trying them out, but Jade is very, very persuasive. It helps that Jade's fluids make Larkin tingle all over in the best of ways.
If only Larkin didn't have duties. If only he could stay with Jade forever.
But his kingdom has to come first, even if that means losing the only person who ever made him feel valued.
This is a standalone dragon/human xeno romance with some angst, dark moments, and an HEA.
Warning: This book contains scenes of graphic sexual assault (not between main characters). Please proceed with caution. More detailed content notes are available at the authors' websites
The Dragon and His Prince (The Monster's Pet #1) Reviews
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Where to start? This was a wild ride from start to finish. The Dragon and his Prince is about the Second Prince Larkin, who sets out to slay a wyvern to show his bravery to his Mother - the Queen and His older brother - the heir to the crown. However, he ends up getting 'separated from his men' and ends up walking into the lair of a Dragon. He is very naive and innocent and views the world through rose-coloured glasses.
Jade is a over 300-year-old dragon lured to the mouth of his cave by an alluring sent. Instead of disposing of or chasing out the human he encounters, Larkin becomes his possession.
The initial relationship between Jade and Larkin is VERY much dub-con leaning towards non-con. While Larkin tries to resist, it is hard as Jade's fluids work like an addictive aphrodisiac. So it does not start out as consensual at all. Many of the actions Jade does in order to control and keep Larkin are questionable, so fair warning.
However, Jade comes to adore Larkin. He becomes the most important person/thing to him, to the point of being willing to kill for him and involve himself in human affairs. Larkin also comes to love Jade. He's always been seen as secondary his whole life, and now someone who is powerful/beautiful finds him not only desirable but also puts him first - as his treasure, his love. (Stockholm syndrome-esque situation helps as well).
There is graphic on page gang rape of So there are two violent sexual assault scenes and violence towards one of the MCs. However, the perpetrators do get their just desserts.
Larkin is honestly too good-hearted for his own good. I wanted to smack him a couple of times.
Overall I enjoyed the story and honestly couldn't put it down. After all the things that happen I am happy that Larkin and Jade get their HEA.
This is not for everyone; please make sure to read the trigger warnings - there are scenes that are very difficult to read. You know what to expect if you are familiar with Adara Wolf and R.Phoenix's works. And if you are into Dub/Non-con, Stockholm syndrome, and Dragons shifters with dual appendages with aphrodisiac fluids, look no further.
*I received a complimentary copy for my honest review* -
Mhmmm... This was... INTENSE!
What I loved: ALLLLL of the sex scenes. Mind control is my jam, so the way these scenes make me feel, it was priceless. On the other hand though, avoid this book if non-con isn't your thing.
What I didn't love: The unintelligence of Larkin (one of the male leads). I hate TSTL-type characters so this didn't work for me at all. Larkin seemed to exhibit the same IQ as his favorite sex position (tbh, that'd be a generous rating for his mental prowess). In fact he kinda ruined the plot for me, everyone seemed so silly for indulging in his wishes just because he's royalty.
Anyway, I don't know what I was going on about. I came for the smut and I stayed for the smut. And said smut was scrumptious. ššš -
What an incredibly marvelous surprise! Iāll admit, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from a collaboration between R. Phoenix and Adara Wolf. I was expecting sexy and dirty and creative, probably a scootch on the darker side? And I definitely got all those things. But The Dragon and the Prince is also uniquely sweet and funny, thoroughly peppered with witty dialogue, and thereās a continual sensation of lightness. Plus, of course, the whole thing is absolutely beautifully written.
Prince Larkin has led a very sheltered life, right up until he stumbles into a dragonās lair and finds himself taken captive. An ancient dragon called Jade who promptly adds Larkin to his cache of treasure.
Our dragon is a naughty little devil, and seduces Larkin straight away! Using his sneaky magic body, poor Larkin is powerless to resist Jadeās advances (the lucky princeling!). R. Phoenix and Adara Wolf do a marvelous job exploring how the relationship between captor and captive turns into a love story. Both these characters are just so open and straightforward, and the alternating points of view gives us a front row seat as these two figure everything out.
As the story progresses all sorts of challenges present themselves, and Larkin (with Jadeās help) digs deep to find the courage and self-confidence he needs to save the day.
Iāve got every one of my fingers and toes crossed that this is the beginning of a new series. Iād love more stories based in this world, hopefully centered around Larkin and Jade. That intriguing epilogue does hint that thereās more to come!
thank you to the authors for providing an arc of The Dragon and the Prince for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own -
This was a fun ride! It's more light-hearted and... tame? than what I'm used to from these authors. Which is saying a lot, since it's about an obsessive dragon with aphrodisiac saliva/sperm and the naive human prince he decides to keep against his will. With that being said, there's still some dark content, and of course, the content warnings are to be taken seriously (most notably for violent, on-page sexual assault NOT between the MCs - the complete list is on
Adara Wolf's website). The relationship between both MCs starts with heavy dubcon (again, aphrodisiac and addictive saliva) and the power imbalance stays present throughout the book. Jade, the dragon, sees Larkin as his possession and takes some questionable actions to keep him with him. But Jade, though clearly unhealthily obsessed, is never mean or sadistic in his desires for Larkin, unlike many other books by those authors. Both characters truly fall in love with each other, there's a very clear HEA, and it's not angsty at all. I even thought the romance was sweet! So, even though it plays with similar themes, it's a whole different vibe than something like
Under His Heel, less shocking and thought-provoking, but still very fun. It's definitely on the mushier side of Adara Wolf's catalogue (I'm not as familiar with R. Phoenix's works), but even then, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn with her darker stories, if you're a fan!
For some reasons, I thought this would be closer to a pure erotica than a romance, but I was wrong. The sex scenes were creative and fun (I mentioned the aphrodisiac saliva, but wait, there are also double dicks and special dildos) but hey, there's a whole plot and character arc in there! The fast-paced story and the witty dialogue made this a treat to read.
Read this review and more on my blog:Ā
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/ -
This was unfortunately a let down for me. I was very excited for the sex pollen/aphrodisiac body fluids and double dicked dragon!! How fun! Alas.
Having read both these authors individually before, I skipped the content warnings for a more fun surprise (this is very fun). I still suggest everyone else read them first, in the book and on the authors website.
Now, to book:
I was told by a friend to expect more of a fluffy dubcon fantasy book, relative to the authorsā individual works, and that was pretty spot on. Very not dark, cute dubcon via sex pollen. Wellā¦yeah okay, that was about it for the book.
I really liked Jade being super possessive of Larkin though, and calling him his treasure and gem all the time. So cute!
I was settling in to have fun guessing who wrote which character, and then it was immediately obvious due to ellipses abuse in Larkinās POV. So that was short-lived, but still kind of amusing.
As a whole: I felt like this book didnāt know what it wanted to be. It started off very focused on the sex, then a random sexual assault that had zero import to the story or impact on the characters, then suddenly emotions between the two I donāt buy, then more random sexual assault, and then curtains close after a dramaqtique duel. Or something. It didnāt hit a good ground of being unapologetically plotless or having a distinct plot, so it just felt kind of lost in itself.
Larkin was a serious failure point for me. He started off as endearingly naive, but he never grew out of this. The whole way through heās just bumbling into trouble because heās such an unrelenting idiot. Sure, having him be sweet and earnest as contrast to Elric is fine, and therefore heās supposed to be a good ruler or whatever, but I have Serious Doubts about his being fit to do anything but get fucked by a dragon. No growth at all, very helpless character. This lack of change in him and repeated exactly the same failure points just made him grating by the end.
The emotions between the two came out of nowhere. I get and liked Jade being very possessive and Larkin being sex pollened into it, but actual emotions didnāt work for me. No base to work from, and it kind of undermined the fun slightly-unhealthy vibe it started with. Jadeās motivations changing like that made it a bit snooze worthy. It would still work (and be more fun!) if he stayed possessive and selfish the whole way through. Love a possessive one note MC.
The sexual assaults added nothing to the book. They didnāt really fit in with the rest, tonally or for the plot such as it was, and they had no impact at all on the characters. Why were they there? Iām fine with reading noncon/rape/making the MCs suffer, but I want it to have a purpose. Otherwise it feels gratuitous, or like it was added as an afterthought to titillate or attempt to reach some ādarkā quota when the rest of this is very fluffy. (for the record, i prefer my noncon/sexual assaults to be between the MCs anyway smh)
I almost hate to add this last bit onā¦.but I was actually kind of bored of the sex by the end. Glad they made it to DP at the very end, I was actually a little worried for a moment there. Maybe Iāve been reading too much weird fic stuff? It felt very repetitive.
Overall, even with my adjusted expectations, this was a stinker for me. I made it through with a lot of skimming. A real bummer. I havenāt been persuaded to continue on in the series, so Iāll probably just wait for solo works again.
Read more reviews on my blog:Ā
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/ -
This whole book is chemically induced Non-con between MCs and 2 actual on page graphic gang rape scenes. Not to mention the Rapey MC killing and eating people.
Why it has so many positive reviews is beyond me. -
This is a rant, not a review. FYI.
One is vapid and the other one is narcissistic. I wanted so much to like it. The warnings contained all my favorite types of carrying-on, but it was just so. badly. done. I almost quit at 40% but I needed to see if they would redeem themselves. (Spoiler: No.)
Larkin was the worst. Ain't that much naivitƩ in the world, honey. It was truly too much. There was no point at which the book gave him some kind of self preservation to show more development. Instead, he was just allowed to continue beingstupidvaliant to his detriment until things worked themselves out. Hubris, thy name is Larkin.
It really just felt like piecemeal in order to get out this first book. Y'all have fun reading the rest if there are any. -
The blurb about this book makes it seem like it's going to be a sort of... cute, funny romance. It's really, really not. I checked to see whether there were warnings I'd missed and there wasn't. One does exist, and it says the book contains things that might "trigger" readers, then suggests checking the author's website for more details. I didn't check the author's website because the blurb didn't seem to indicate that anything horribly dark would be happening and interspecies relationships (or m/m relationships) could trigger people.
I'll just go ahead and list the things that I had to outright skip:
1. Serious, SERIOUS noncon/dubcon (involving drugs, basically, between the MCs)
2. Rape (twice, once in a cave by three men, then in public by multiple men)
3. Humiliation (throughout, both private and public, but especially during the rape scenes)
4. Gore (I mean, the dragon eats people and the human MC gets beaten/whipped)
There also don't seem to be any consequences for the human MC's absurdly massive trauma. The dragon's magic cock + bodily fluids just help him get through everything that happens to him. There are some hints that he's just repressing things, but it's always because the dragon gives him the strength to do it.
Also, the MC went from not wanting to be with the dragon to suddenly being in love with him and look, I know it's a fantasy romance. I'm perfectly happy to suspend my disbelief, but the dragon's basically drugging and raping the human for the first two thirds of the book and the human's able to recognize that... but the dragon's ~magic cock(s)~ fix(es) everything.
Author, if you're reading this, your writing style is great and you have a wonderful grasp of the characters you're writing. I think your descriptions of scenes/places/characters are solid and I could picture everything quite well. I think it might be helpful to warn readers about the types of triggering content your works contain. I also think, if you're going to go that dark, playing out the consequences of the events in your writing might be advantageous. Or at least don't allow the non-human's bodily fluids to miraculously help the human to (seemingly) get over all that trauma. -
Paranormal Monster Romance
Series
Format: digital - ku
Whatā¦ and I say this with all the smut love I possessā¦ the heck did I just read? This wasā¦ a lot. I thought I was prepared. I wasnāt. This one was just too much for me.
Tags (may contain spoilers)
pnr, monsters, smut, bordering on pwp, royalty, murder plots, explicit content, shifter, dragon shifter, violence, hurt/comfort, magic, mind control
Trigger Warnings:
non-con, dub-con, noncon free use, torture, monster cocks, 2 of them, kidnapping?, manipulation, gang rape
Spice: š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø -
That's a dnf for me. I got about 25% in before chosing to not continue.
Main problem for me is the non-con (dub-con if you squint). The prince, who clearly doesn't want to have relations with the dragon is fed a highly addictive aphrodisiac drug, subsequently raped (he might have had fun in the moment but how do you call it when he's doing it while drugged?), tries to flee but is captured and brought back by force.
That was the moment when I stopped. At first, I thought it would turn out well after all and there might be an explanation to save it but can't suspend my disbelief that well to go with it. -
Nope.
My expectations were low going in and this story didnāt even come close. It was promising at the start and then quickly deteriorated. It felt like a rough draft of an idea someone hurriedly put down on paper.
My biggest issue was the gratuitous RAPE. One MC is constantly raped by the other MC and then ganged raped multiple times forā¦reasons? It was so badly done and absolutely pointless. It would have made more sense to imprison the MC or even a variety of other choices. Iāve read and enjoyed some dark shit, but this just wasnāt it and did not fit with the tone of the story at all. -
I really liked the naive prince/sly, possessive dragon pairing and how Larkin was always three steps behind Jade at the start. For a while, it seemed Jadeās only feelings for Larkin were wanting to possess him, and I was disappointed when that changed overnight without any real explanation as to why. Making Jadeās interests unclear, or entirely self-serving, seemed to fit better with the dark tone the authors took at the beginning of the story. But the book changed to a more traditional fantasy adventure story about halfway through, which made some of the dark elements feel out of place.
I read the CWs and was prepared for the horrible things that happened to Larkin in the story, so my complaint isnāt that they happenedābut I donāt know that they fit with the story the authors ended up with. It was as though they couldnāt decide whether to apply porn logic or real-world logic to these events, and they were treated as both serious and trivial by the main characters. So while I enjoyed the story overall, I think it would have been better if the authors had chosen one tone for it and stuck with it throughout.
I received an ARC in exchange for my review. -
!!!READ THE CONTENT INFORMATION!!!
THE REST OF MY REVIEW CAN CONTAIN SPOILER
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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was amazing!
I love the independent work of both authors as well as their collaborations so far.
I am also a kink-enthusiast and my love for kink is almost limitless.
I had so much fun with Jade and Larkin!
And since this is a !!Dark!!Romance, not always all is lighthearted and beautiful
not between the MCs, not in the world they live in!
I have the need to mention this, because "Dark Romance" is a huuuuge genre and comes with multiple variations and understandings of "what's dark" ...so I send my thanks & kudos to the authors who took their time and wrote an extensive list of Content information as well as explanations in their Foreword!
Both characters were so lovable. I loved Jades wittiness and Larkins innocence as well as the classic possessive dragon traits and Larkins need to do 'what's right'
(yes, I know there is noncon (nonconsensual) and dub con (dubious consent) between both MCs)
Soooo Larkin was sent to slay a dragon, little did this sweet sweet innocent prince know, he had no chance!
Jade is not only persuasive (it didn't took long) he also has the magnificent capability to produce aphrodisiac fluids (yes, all his fluids) and a physique which comes with a double blessing, and with blessing I mean peens !! So enter: A lot of (non/dubcon) sexy time that turns consensual!!
It's a (dark) Romance with HEA
Both characters aren't flawless and with flaws comes stupid (or other things)...Like leaving your treasure alone and unprotected (here a TW for graphic sexual assault/gangrape) or don't believe the traitorous bunch of twats that your brother might try to assassinate you. So poor, poor Larkin learned the hard way, what actually happened in his hometown (kingdom) during his quest to slay the dragon (here the a TW for free use and extensive graphic sexual assault /gangrape)
Lucky Larkin that Jade is hell bent on protecting his treasure.
I binged this in one go
I recommend this for all the ppl who read content-informations and know their dos and don'ts
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Sooo... Please don't judge me for liking this
Look, if you are unfamiliar with either one of these authors this probably isn't the book to start with. Although, real talk I don't know which one of their books you should start with because everything they write is a little messed up. For the rest of us monster loving freaks, here's a review.
There have been a lot of monster romance coming out lately and most of them have stayed in the realm of cute and fluffy. That was never going to happen here. There is a satisfying HEA and there are some sweet moments if only because Jade is pretty endearing but it's not the focus of the book. I'm not even fully sure what the focus of the book is but I can tell they had a lot of fun writing it and I had fun reading it.
There are some pretty general high fantasy things going on such as this taking place in what I think is supposed to be mesopotamian times but it's unique enough that it still feels imaginative. I like the fact that Jade's hoard was essentially history text. That was adorable. I think the action scenes were well done and engaging. And I know people are going to say Larkin is dumb but he's not. I wouldn't even fully call him naive so much as kind to his core and dutiful. That's not a bad thing. In fact I kind of like the contrast between Larkin being sweet and Jade quite literally ready to set buildings on fire.
Final note is please read the trigger warning. I know that goes without say but seriously, read the trigger warning. I did and I still allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security. Don't be like me. All in all, I did enjoy this book and if you like your monster books to be on the darker side of things you'll enjoy this too. My only complaint is I would have liked more on page smut between Larkin and Jade and less on page non-con with other people (not a spoiler, it's in the trigger warning). It's only two scenes and I wouldn't expect anything less from either one of these authors but still. Larkin is with Jade for quite some time in the cave and I would have liked to see more of it on page as opposed to read about it. Does that make sense? I hope that makes sense. Anyways four stars because I have a problem and I'm really looking forward to the second book. Don't judge me. -
The Dragon and His Prince was definitely a wild but fun ride. Despite some darker and disturbing content, overall the story was rather sweet, almost light-hearted and romantic.
The characters are interesting and quite likeable. Jade's an over 300 year old dragon with aphrodisiac saliva/sperm and quite possessive of those he deem as his treasure. So when he first met Prince Larkin, the dragon decided that he must own the prince at all cost.
Larkin's a bit of an idealist, naĆÆve, sometimes a bit clueless and definitely inexperienced. He loved his brother a lot and this love blinded him to the true nature of his brother. There were definitely moments where I wanted to strangle him for his actions and decisions but overall, I did like him.
The initial relationship between these two was very much dubcon - bordering on non-con (hello aphrodisiac saliva/semen!). As much as Larkin tried to resist in the beginning, it was definitely a struggle due to the addictive properties of the bodily fluids of Jade. Furthermore, some of Jade's actions later on in order to keep Larkin were a bit questionable.
Larkin and Jade in the course of the story do truly fall in love and learn to cherish and be important to each other. The book was quite fast paced, had a decent amount of action, a couple of nice twists and turns and some really creative and hot sex scenes. There are two graphic on page sexual assault scenes but not between the main characters so please be warned.
Overall, this was a fun read and definitely won't be for everyone. The trigger warnings are there for a reason so do heed them.
I do recommend giving this book a try. This would be 4.25 stars out of 5 stars for me.
I received an ARC of this book and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review. -
In which a sweet but naive prince gets double-dicked-down by a dragon.
There were quite a few little surprises in this book that I wasn't expecting. What I did expect was lots of dragon smut; the authors definitely delivered on that front. It was hot. What I didn't expect were some surprisingly sweet scenes and a couple of really dark scenes.
As far as the dark scenes go (please read the TWs if that's your jam), they caught me off guard just a bit. I didn't mind them all that much because I actually like some darkness but the abruptness of them had me literally saying "well damn" out loud to myself. And it nearly made the story feel disjointed because none of the really bad stuff had to happen, it was just darkness for darkness' sake. Again, I personally don't mind it, but other people might. You've been warned.
Still, I enjoyed the plot a lot more than I anticipated! Probably because there was just more plot than I expected, period. I thought this was going to be PWP but there's a decent amount actual storyline. The only thing that I didn't particularly like was how the entire plot relied so heavily on Larkin being adorably/annoyingly naive. This poor sweet idiot gets himself into so much trouble.
I loved Jade. He's the silliest most ridiculous dragon that there ever was. I loved how he didn't give a fuck about anything and then suddenly all he gave a fuck about was Larkin. Even though it's super non/dub-con in the beginning, they're stinkin' adorable together by the end.
Overall? A good time. -
Thank you GRR for this wonderful arc!
Whhoooooo get ready for your Kindle to melt! š„š„š„
This a high level steam Paranormal dark romance about a prince who intends to slay a wyvernā¦and ends up with much more than he bargained for.
Prince Larkin is sent by his brother to slay a wyvern. As the second son, Larkin very much wants Fj prove himself. Everything on the journey goes wrong, even the end. When he arrives at the wyvernās cave, itās not a wyvern at all, but a dragon.
Jade is powerful, charismatic, and surprisingly sexy. As a dragon, of course heās strong and intimidating, but he has another side. With Larkin, heās also romantic and caring, and excited to take care of his human in every way possible. Jade does have a dark side, and anyone who tries to touch his treasure better watch out.
This is a romance with a swirl of dark and sweet, lots of steam, and some very interesting dragon anatomy š¤£
Thereās also a very interesting political plot going on! -
Disgusting Rape porn disguised as a Romance.
If like you like rape then this book is for you. Jade the dragon repeatedly drugs and rapes Larkin. And then the author has the audacity to turn it into romance and love. āItās not rape if you like itā I was hoping for some redeeming qualities in Jade, like maybe he realizes what he did was wrong. But alas I didnāt get very far in the book. I skipped ahead and it didnāt get any better. Jade is a villain and Larkin develops Stockholm and becomes a sex slave. Thereās even other dragons who have humans in their ācollectionā. These two authors are on my blacklist and they should be on yours. If you enjoy this kind of story then there is something sincerely wrong. Rape is never okay. This is an insult to the LGBT community and to rape victims. -
DNF @ 42%. Yāall tried to tell me. I didnāt listen. Iām sorry.
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Prince Larkin is not the brightest but certainly dutiful, and empathetic towards his citizens. He always sees the best in people. Heās not the crown prince, his brother is. That same brother sends him on a strange dangerous quest.
Larkin ends up, alone, in a cave and gets seduced by a dragon.
Dragon Jade is mesmerized by the oblivious prince, the man is cute, and heāll keep him.
Larkin doesnāt want anything to do with the dragon but when he got a taste of the dragonās aphrodisiac fluid, all his walls are crumbling down. You understand this isnāt quite with consent. A regular dose will be enough to keep him. Hmmm.
Jade is so smitten by this silly human, he wants to give him everything, except his freedom, of course!
While Larkin has feelings for Jade, he has to find his way back home, to his kingdom.
Thereās more story but letās keep it at this point.
While there are some super sweet, even endearing moments, there are also disturbing things happening.
There are enough warnings to find, at different places, for you to understand some heavy things are going on. Donāt read it if itās not your thing, I didnāt mind reading about these events.
Altogether, a captivating fantasy story with magic and dark power.
I loved the main characters, Larkinās naivety and gullibility were endearing, and Jadeās dedication to Larkin was adorable. The whole plot was well thought out. The writing was enthralling, and absolutely wonderfully done. -
I think I am officially done trying to read Adaraās books. I know there were trigger warnings for multiple sexual assault scenes, but they just felt so gratuitous and left me not enjoying the book whatsoever. I can read a book with assault if itās done correctly but I think I just donāt jive with how this author writes their books. Definitely not going to read the next one because I cannot get over what was done to Larkin by his brother and I do not care to see him redeemed.
-
I really enjoyed the first 75%-ish of this. Honestly, just give a dragon making their partner their treasure and Iām hooked. For me, this really lost steam at the climax. I honestly would have been happy to have them live out their days up in the cave, none of this āsave the kingdomā nonsense.
I also donāt like epilogues, and I especially donāt like them introducing a new POV and using it to set up the next book. -
Cute
I liked it, but just liked it. The writing was great and the plot was interesting. I wasn't a fan of Larkin the prince, but I adored Jade the dragon. The steam was great and I was warned about the possible triggers I just wasn't...wowed. -
A
Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
Before I go too much further, let me clarify that this is not a typical modern romance. Harkening back to the old school ābodice rippersā of the 70s and 80s, this is a book where Larkin ā the wide eyed, virginal, innocent hero ā is unwillingly seduced by a dragon, and in two rather graphic scenes, gang raped by brutal thugs, and then taken to bed by the dragon, where he is cuddled and comforted and brought to climax. Somewhere along the line, whether due to the aphrodisiacs or fate, the two fall in love. This is a fictional story, a fantasy of nobility and dragons, and it feels meant to shock, titillate, and entertain, not to be taken for reality or to be endorsing rape or drugging or a lack of consent in real life. That said, please be aware that this is not a book that will be to everyoneās taste.
Read Elizabethās review in its entirety
here. -
Unnecessary Assault Took Me Out of the Story
I want to start by saying I was very aware of the trigger and content warnings for the book. When authors include these scenes, I typically donāt have an issue as long as they are pivotal to the story.
However, the repeated assault of Larkin provided absolutely nothing to the plot. His torture and Jadeās anger would have been just as impactful without including these scenes. Not only did they not contribute to the plot, but two SERIAL SEXUAL ASSAULTS were essentially brushed over once he was rescued.
I also had a difficult time believing Jade and Larkin were in love. For a majority of their ārelationshipā, the only time Larkin willingly participates is when heās drugged by Jade. If the story was longer and there was more development of Larkinās feelings, it would have been more compelling to believe them as a couple.
Overall, the concept of the story and the world building kept me interested enough to finish the book. However, the unnecessary r*ape and lack of sober relationship development left a lot to be desired. -
The naive Larkin and the self assured Jade tumble together, seemingly by accident, but at the end of it all the only treasure Jade wants is Larkin.
Who is far too sweet and forgiving for his own good but makes Jade care for the humans he have simply moved amongst, as long as they don't harm his gem.
The characters grows as the story progresses, and I loved to see Larkin become more confident, knowing he could do things better than his brother.
When I started this book, I didn't expect the sweetness in it, mostly because of the authors that gave it to us.
With the sweetness there is also a darker side, such as non-con, dub-con and on page rape.
If you have read stories of either author in the past, you know what you get. -
There are some parts of this book I really enjoyed and parts I really disliked. I felt that Larkin was, I don't want to say stupid, so let's go with super naive, which was part of his charm, but it was taken too far, in my opinion. The townspeople are also so awful. I dont think I would want to rule them after certain parts in this book. Jade was an interesting character. It was a quick read, I don't want anything to do with Larkins' brother, though, so I probably won't continue the series.
