Dragon Bound (Elder Races Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Pia Giovanni has just stolen a treasured item from the horde of an ancient and powerful dragon. A feat that has never been accomplished before. The worst part was she had not wanted to do it in the first place. An ex-boyfriend blackmailed her a few months after their break-up with the threat of revealing secrets she had entrusted him with while they were still together. So for her, she had no choice but to use her unique talents to obtain the item he wanted. Now she is on the run and fearing for her life.

Dragos, the ancient dragon Pia stole from is furious that anyone could gain access to his horde and steal something. His outraged reaction can be felt thoughout New York. He becomes focused on the identity of thief and has every intention of exacting retribution for the crime. Yet once he discovers who the person is, everything doesn't go quite as planned. Pia is like no other woman he has met in his long existence. Soon they are working together to find who orchestrated the theft. They have realized both their lives are on the line as part of a play for power. Before it is all over, neither of them will be the same.

The story line and plot for this novel are great. The book is entertaining and can keep the reader engrossed in what will happen next. The real problems come with the dialog. In most cases, when an author has a character who is thousands of years old, that person tends to speak more formally without a lot of slang. This was not the case with Dragos. He cursed often and generally used modern terminology that is heard from young people. I'm not saying this isn't possible for him to have adapted, but it caused him to lose his own voice. He and Pia spoke nearly the same way. I really couldn't differentiate between the two character's dialog which made the story not quite as good as it could have been. In fact, most of the characters in the book tended to talk this way, including the other older ones. It seemed contradictory to how they should have been.

Despite this being a bit frustrating while reading, I did finish the book. It had a great tale to keep the reader in suspense. Also, the romantic scenes were very well written. Some of the best I have seen. This helped to keep me going even when the dialog became annoying. For those who are a stickler for characters appearing as their nature dictates, this book may be a bit rough to get through. On the other hand, if you enjoy the ancient guys speaking in a modern fashion, this may not bother you at all. Everyone has their own preferences.

I had a friend suggest this story to me. She knows I have a thing for bada** alpha heroes, and who better to read than one deadly dragon with an attitude? A serious attitude, the kind that demands, that doesn't take No for an answer, and roars when things don't go according to plan. You gotta love this man.

Dragos is totally over the top, and I love heroes like this. He is domineering and calculating; he is also dangerous, menacing, and stubborn. I loved every facet of his personality. I loved when he sniffed Pia like the top animal he is, when he bit her in passion, when he was jealous and protective of her. Man, he was so hot!

Pia is also a great character. She's tough in her own way. One of my favorite scenes is when Pia kicks Dragos' crew in the gym. I was so hoping that was going to happen. And she stands up to Dragos too. She is more than a match for him. She is rare and special, in more than just one way.

As a dragon, Dragos loves his pretty, shiny things. By nature, he is curious and acquisitive. No one steals what is his, not even one little penny. Nobody touches or takes what is his, and I loved how Pia becomes his treasure, his most prized and valuable possession. And if anyone touches his woman? Well, look out.

There are so many great scenes in the book, so many great lines, but one line that sticks out for me is when Pia tells Dragos, 'You're like a stalker on steroids.' And that is Dragos, so obsessive, so commanding, so take charge. He is single-minded in his pursuit of Pia. He does learn to temper his steam-roll responses to a degree. For Pia, he will learn to say Please. For Pia, he will learn to do just about anything.

This is a wonderful story, the hero, the fantasy, the romance, all the characters-- I can't wait for the next book!

This author was a guest blogger on Nalini Singhs website and after reading her teasers about this book, I decided to check out her website, and there she had 3 excerpts and even before I finished reading the 1st I knew I would be downloading this book (thank god for Kindle, which meant no waiting around 24 hours for a delivery)and could start to read it straight away.

I LOVE THIS début of this series. The book begins with our heroine Pia, whose slimy ex boyfriend has blackmailed her into stealing something precious from the Boss of all Boss the New York Wyrkind Dragos, who is a Dragon shape shifter (now usually at this point I may lose some of you who aren't into these shapeshifter fantasy paranormal books, but I urge you to stay with me) who has lived for thousands of years and in turn over those thousands of years has collected quite a hoard.

Pia's mother at all times,(whilst alive) advised her to protect her true self from others, but in a maudlin moment thinking she might be in love reveals a long held secret to said Slimy boyfriend (before she realises what a moron he is and dumps him,)and he uses this knowledge to get her to steal something so he can pay of his gambling debt and get in with some shady shadowy underworld figures who may or may not be trying to kill Dragos.

Suffice it to say that Dragos soon unearths the loss and goes after her, initially with vengeance in mind, and he can't help slowly becoming amused and then intrigued by this thief who leaves an apology note behind.

Pia isn't all she seems and despite Dragos, after listening to her side of things decides to forgive her, wants her to reveal all her secrets to him, and is less then happy when she declines to do so. Pia is a lovely 3 dimensional character, showing equal sides of her Scared/Feisty and vulnerable personality, but above all doesn't allow Dragos to dominate her to the extend that she loses herself. Dragos character had so many layer, part Lord of the manner, part petulant child when he doesn't get his own way, part cold blooded killer. but throughout you can see how he tries to reign in his more dominating side as he falls for Pia. Their banter is so sarcastic and funny that I had to smile and laugh throughout the book, not to mention that Dragos when allowing his temper to get the better of him, demolishes nearly everything including a perfectly good bedroom lol!

The background characters all come alive and have a part to play in this story, and I can't wait to read their stories too. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series of the Elder races, which will focus of Tiago one of Dragos Sentinel and Tricks who is an Elven Queen.

Some people may suggest the Nalini did it better with Raphael and Elena in the Guild hunter series, but the only parallels to draw to that book is that New York is ruled by 2 ruthless cold blooded gorgeous creature from another dimension and leave it at that.

Try the book, and I bet you'll be pleased,I was!