Reviewed by Stephen K.

TITLE: Heart of the Dragon

AUTHOR: Jamie Sullivan

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 161 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 15, 2020

BLURB:

Madfall is the greatest thief in the kingdom, stealing crowns off the very heads of kings. His hoard is legendary. Simply put, he’s a dragon through and through. So, when he steals a basket of “gold” from the king’s castle but finds a baby inside, he’s at a loss. What’s a dragon to do?

Seventeen years later, inexperienced knight Richard of Benfro sets out to slay the dragon, expecting death or glory. Not the most awkward meet-cute in history when he’s captured by the dragon’s human—and handsome—son.

Oenyn has been content living with Madfall, enjoying the fierce and protective love of his adopted father. But he’s always been curious about humanity. When Richard blunders into the home he shares with Madfall, Oenyn grabs the chance to learn all he can about people, castle life, sex . . . and maybe love. At least until Richard makes a startling discovery.

Caught between a potential future in the human world and his old life, Oenyn is faced with an impossible choice. Luckily, being raised by a dragon has left him plenty stubborn. He won’t give up his father, or his human family, without a fight.

REVIEW:

I’ve always loved stories from “the other guy’s” point of view. Whether it’s Salieri confessing to his part of the downfall of Mozart, or Lestat,  refuting “all that swill that that drunk Bram Stoker” spewed all those years ago.  Here we have a dragon’s eye view on the whole chivalrous slaying of dragon’s bit. Though in this case, the dragon in question is a 17 year-old, two-footed dragon. Oenyn was raised by Madfall, a dragon of the flying, four-footed variety, who accidentally stole him from the castle years ago when he mistook his bassinet for a treasure basket.

As with any story of this type it’s great fun to have one’s preconceptions twisted. And it’s often laugh-out loud funny.

Oenyn, our 17 year old dragon, has come to love Madfall, his adoptive father, and though they disagree about how well done they like their meat, they are a happy family. Oenyn’s even talked Madfall into giving up most of his thieving ways. But to be honest Oenyn is a bit curious about the other two-leggers in the kingdom, and at times a bit lonely.

Enter Richard (well more like breaking and entering, but you get the point) Richard is a youngster out to prove himself but a family of dragons is more than he’s prepared for as  Oenyn quickly captures him. While I fully expected a “Dad, look what followed me home, can we keep him” scene, what we get is a bit different and perhaps a bit more satisfying. Turns out, that while Oenyn clearly captures Richard, Richard does a little captivating of his own.

More a fable than an M/M romance, it’s a funny, charming look at what makes a family and what makes one human. Unexpectedly there’s a sweet understated message about what it means when your child becomes an adult too. This is probably NOT a children’s book, but it is for those that are still young at heart. This book is probably too short to say much more without giving too much away, but if you need a fun, light-hearted read, check this one out.

While the book contains NO graphic depictions of sex, there are two young guys that find each other attractive. Who knew you could embarrass a Dragon?

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

 Riptide Publishing

Amazon