Rating: 3.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Larkin’s eldest brother, who knows everything there is to know about wyverns, sends Larkin off up the mountain and into a dark cave to kill the one that’s been harassing nearby villages and stealing sheep. However, it’s not a wyvern at all — which is fortunate, as they are never seen alone, and no one man can take on a whole flock of them. Instead, it’s a dragon named Jade. A dragon with two dicks, a wicked smile, and — now — Larkin.
Jade’s essence, his spit, sweat, and seed, are aphrodisiacal, which means that Larkin, no matter how much he resists, is going to find himself having the night of his life as Jade brings him to his first orgasm. And then his second, and his third. Between one blowjob and another, Larkin is found by his brother’s guards, who he assumes are there to rescue him. Instead, they take advantage of his drugged state, brutally assaulting him and incurring the wrath of a protective dragon. Is it possible these men were sent by Larkin’s brother, or is there something more nefarious at foot? Larkin has to say farewell to the dragon and return home to his family, to his people, and try to get to the truth of the matter, even as his heart is breaking.
Before I go too much further, let me clarify that this is not a typical modern romance. Harkening back to the old school “bodice rippers” of the 70s and 80s, this is a book where Larkin — the wide eyed, virginal, innocent hero — 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 everyone’s taste.
Larkin is sweet, naive, and as dense as lead. To put it less politely, he’s stupid. Somehow, despite being a prince, raised by a politically astute queen, despite all the tutors in the world, he has no understanding of either people or politics. When he is raped by three men, who go on and on about how much they’re enjoying ruining a royal prince, talking about how it’s a pity they’re going to have to kill him, he still thinks they’re going to rescue him from the dragon and let him go because he … won’t tell on them? Larkin does, however, manage to learn one thing through the course of his adventures, and that’s the fact that the common people don’t like paying taxes. Technically, he also learns how to give a blowjob, so that’s two whole things Larkin learns from the beginning of the book to the end. Look, Jade didn’t keep him around because he was smart; Jade keeps him because he’s pretty.
However, Larkin is sweet and well meaning. Even after suffering another brutal assault at the hands of his brother’s guards, this one in the town square where he’s left out for public use, Larkin still tries to think the best of people. He wants justice, not vengeance, he wants to punish his brother, not kill him. It speaks well of his character if not his understanding of the world. Leaving a rival prince in the dungeons — who tried to kill him, who has a quantity of loyal guards — is just not a smart choice.
Personally — and this is just my opinion on this fictional fantasy book — I didn’t see the point of the two violent gang rapes Larkin is subjected to. Perhaps they’re there to show how Jade’s pushy overtures are more about dubious consent than rape? Or maybe they’re there to just to show the rather banal evil of Larkin’s brother? Either way, I would have preferred either a little more time in the aftermath to see how they impacted Larkin’s character, or a little less focus on the rapes and more time spent on the story itself.
Jade, on the other hand, makes it clear from the beginning what he thinks of Larkin, his gem, his little bird, his precious human. To Jade, Larkin feels somewhere between a possession and a pet, one he gets to fuck whenever he wants — and this is heavily underscored when his sister visits with her own precious cats — but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. For some reason, Jade finds himself growing to care for Larkin more than as a sex toy. As his first actual human, the first human he’s ever slept with, or kept in his cave, or bought cheese for. When Jade realizes his actions led to Larkin’s rape, he’s peeved at himself.
Jade isn’t human, and doesn’t react the way a human would, which I did enjoy. He’s selfish, vain, cocksure (in every respect), and doesn’t care what anyone else says. He knows his essences will keep Larkin passive and sexually aroused, and he uses that to his benefit. When he hears Larkin’s tale about wyverns and his brother, Jade is obviously aware of exactly what Larkin’s brother is up to … but sees no need to tell Larkin because, well, he simply doesn’t care. Kingdoms rise and fall, dynasties live and die, and all he wants is to fuck Larkin. Right now.
The writing was fluid and easy to read; sometimes with two authors you can see where one picked up a thread left by the other, but here it was absolutely seamless. The pacing was a little fast for my taste; I would have enjoyed a little more time establishing the world, the characters beyond their sex filled romps in the cave, and a little more focus on Larkin developing beyond his status as damsel in distress.
Do I recommend this book? Strangely, yes, for the right audience. If you enjoy suspending your disbelief at the door and simply sitting back to enjoy a somewhat farcical, somewhat silly romp with old school damsels and asshole heroes, dubious consent leading to brain melting orgasms, love interests who have no problem using aphrodisiacs to unleash the passion of a reluctant partner — and can handle violence and on page rape by groups of men — then this book could be an entertaining read.
That said, if any of the subjects mentioned cause you any distress or discomfort, then please, there are so many books out there for you to try and enjoy.
