This story is better written than #1 was, but I still see areas of repetition, and somewhat confusing transition sentences meant to cover time gone past. I liked the confusion for the most part, Arthur not understanding Bertie, and how Arthur's perfectionism trips him up, as well. It could use a loving edit, but I enjoyed it. ( )

"A dragon without a treasure was weaker than one with all the gold in the earth.”

"They (dragons) often have a “type” when it comes to human lovers (Bold of purpose, fair of face, pure of heart.)"

I enjoyed this novel, but I have to get used to the writing style. There is lots of internal monologuing during dialogue, which made me forget what they were talking about, frustratingly I had to go back a few pages to find out.

Also while I find the writing totally different from Anyta Sunday's, the MC's relationship development is similar: if you like slow burn romance, where the MCs are talking in codes to each other and feigning cluelessness, you'll like this one.

I liked the world-building too. Since Bertie, the dragon is a historian, who writes books, he does a lot of research. And Arthur is a student, interested in Beings. So the both of them bring a lot of Being history to the table, which makes for an interesting read.

Also I totally changed my mind about wishing for dual pov. Eeeek, no. Wouldn't have worked here.
3.5 rounded up. ( )

I absolutely loved this story. It made me smile, and laugh and cry - it was perfect. Arthur and Bertie are so wonderful, I wish this story didn't have to end. ( )

Contrary to what I believe dragons to be, fiery and quick and quite possibly a bit hotheaded, the dragon in this story may be fiery, but he has infinite patience and sees things from a long-term perspective that no human can easily understand. I liked this wonderful surprise, and it is a further piece of evidence to show that the supernatural world and its Beings in this series are delightfully different from many of the others that I have read about. With a dragon like Bertie (the name alone made me grin), his story has to be a slow-burn, and I loved every hesitant step Arthur took in trying to understand what Bertie is all about.

Arthur is a “mere human” but he wants the job as Bertie’s research assistant so badly that he gathers all his courage and boldly steps into the dragon’s lair. Arthur has lost his parents, his sister acted out, and while she got rid of her abusive boyfriend (with Arthur’s help) and no longer drinks, she still needs Arthur’s moral support. And there are bills to pay. All of this weighs Arthur down, but having one job doing what he loves, instead of three badly paid ones, means a lot to Arthur, so he is ready to put up with some strangeness. As a human who is not all that knowledgeable about Beings, there are many things for him to discover, and his learning became mine as I turned the pages.

Bertie remained a bit of an enigma to me because I only got to see him from Arthur’s point of view. But I think that worked really well in this case. Dragons are mysterious, and while I got to understand Bertie’s motivations and thinking (to a point), I liked that a bit of mystery remained. I understood him better by the end of the book, and I could see how he relates to Arthur, even some of the secrets around a dragon’s treasure are revealed. But there are things I still don’t know—and to be honest, I don’t want to. Suffice it to say that Bertie is a great guy, in human and in dragon form, and he is exactly whom Arthur needs as a sparring partner for his amazing brain, a lover, and a protector.

If you like unusual tales of supernatural beings in a world that has seen them come out into the open, if you enjoy a slow-burn romance with partners who enjoy the dance of seduction and retreat to the point both almost burn up for each other by the time they give in, and if you’re looking for a read full of angst, discovery, and some interesting insights into human history and human nature, then you will probably like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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Story: 7
First MC: 7
Second MC: 6
Secondary characters: 3
Mystery: 4
Sexual tension: 6
Humor: 3
Hotness: 6
Product placement: 3
Ridiculousness: 3
Annoying: 3
To re-read: 3
Suspence: 3 ( )