Dragon Lovers: Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, Karen Harbaugh, Barbara Samuel

Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! Well, not really, but there are creatures galore in this collection of four novellas surrounding romance, adventure, and, of course, the lore of mythical dragons.

In The Dragon and the Virgin Princess, Rozlinda is the SVP (Sacrificial Virgin Princess) of her people, a title that carries great responsibility and honor as it is her duty to give a small amount of her life's blood to the dragons to maintain peace between the lands. However, due to her older sister's selfishness, things don't go as planned for the upcoming ritual and Rozlinda finds herself spirited away by an unwanted husband who plans on sacrificing her life to save the dragons.

This story, while slightly entertaining, was a bit too hokey for my taste. The whole Sacrificial Virgin Princess thing just didn't sit well with me. I get the fact that this is pure fantasy, but it just struck me as more childish fairy tale than a good, original story.

The Dragon and the Dark Knight tells the tale of Sir Kenrick of Rathbourne who is commissioned to slay a dragon that is rumored to be holding a maiden hostage and is tormenting area villages. Upon his arrival on Dragon Island, Sir Kenrick finds that things are not what they seem. The beautiful Ariane is not being held captive, but is part dragon herself, and living on the island with her grandfather, a full-blooded dragon. Instead of another in a long line of misguided knights intent on slaying her grandfather, Ariane finds that Sir Kenrick is to be their greatest ally in fighting the powers that have been plotting against them.

This story was a step-up from the previous. The fantasy element of the dragons was much more elaborate, with the dragons being portrayed as shape-shifters with intelligence and a thirst for wisdom and knowledge. The down side to this story? The relationship between Ariane and Sir Kenrick was poorly developed and entirely missed the mark when it came to romance aspect.

In Anna and the King of Dragons, Anna Vanderzee has recently been left in a spot after her parents were killed in a carriage accident in Japan, far away from their home in the Netherlands. With no money and no way to get home, she must now forge her way in this mystical land. After stumbling across a dragon who seems more intent on Anna's books and knowledge than harming her, she meets Nakagawa Torisho, a samurai that has made it his personal duty to see to Anna's safety until she makes her journey back home. As their futile relationship develops, Anna is torn between her need to return home and her wishes to stay in Japan.

While the title is a bit vapid, this is the best of the four novellas in this book. The descriptive writing of the land and culture of Japan makes the perfect setting for this fantasy. With the addition of a suitably written romance, a bit of danger, adventure, and an interesting take on the magic of the dragon, I was easily drawn into the clutches of this tale.

Dragon Feathers is set in modern times with the legend of the dragon surrounding Mayan lore. Penny Freeman, recently widowed, is looking to make a new life for herself in Santa Fe. When the perfect house comes across her path she knows she must have it, despite the strange feathers that seem to keep popping up and the differing smells that accompany them. She finds herself pulled towards her instructor's son, Joaquin, who holds his own mysteries and has the answers to the enigma surrounding the feathers. As the mystery unravels, Penny is faced with a life-altering decision that holds both her and Joaquin's fate and happiness in its hands.

With a touch of freshness and twists that set this story apart from the others, there was nothing spectacular that pushed this story above and beyond the norm. The plot is passable but is missing that flair that makes you want to keep turning the pages.

With the exception of the Anna and the King of Dragons, this book is trite with very little to offer the reader in the departments of originality and enthusiasm. If you're looking for the fairy tale aspect of dragons and romance, you may want to give this book a shot but if you're looking for more creativity and ingenuity in the fantasy department, I recommend you look to another title.

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Publisher: NAL Trade (March 6, 2007)
ISBN: 0451220390
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