First 'Holy Shit' award

I'm not great with book reviews. Spoilers vs no spoilers, Positive vs negative, etc, I can't be bothered. I also know that taste is subjective. So what I think is fantastically awesome may not appeal to some folks. Other people rave about authors and I'm like "Meh." However, every now and then, I come across a book that makes me go, "Holy shit, everyone needs to read this now." I start to think of ways to sell it to non-romance readers. I debate whether or not I'm willing to lend my copy out long enough for someone else to read. There's a lot of flailing and tweeting. In any case, now that I've started this blog, I've decided to give out the Holy Shit award.

The first Holy Shit award goes to Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison. There's no summary up yet on Amazon and Ms. Harrison's website is practically non-existent, so I shall do my best:

Humanity and the Elder Races live in uneasy harmony in this world. Pia Giovanni, a member of the weyrkind race, has been blackmailed by an ex-boyfriend to steal from Dragos Cuelebre's hoarde. Reluctantly carrying out the task, she immediately goes on the run after turning over what she filched.  While Dragos has never outed himself, it is an open secret among the weyrkind that he is a dragon shifter. Dragos is enraged by the idea that someone has stolen from him, but he is intrigued by Pia's lingering scent. He immediately sets off in pursuit. When Dragos runs Pia to ground, sparks immediately fly.

Dragos is inclined to forgive her for her theft, but there are bigger problems to face: an Elven boycott, marauding Goblins, and a scheming Faerie king. Not to mention he's a carnivore, she's a vegan; he's autocratic and she doesn't take crap from anyone; he's a dragon and she refuses to tell him her parentage. Through it all, Dragos is simply certain that Pia now belongs to him and will not give her up, regardless of her wishes. Pia thinks he's a borderline stalker, but she's also having a hard time deciding how she feels since there's one near death experience after another.

Opposites attract and these two are no exception. However, they will both need to compromise if they are to have a real relationship that is worth all the gold in Dragos's hoard.

Oh, Lordy, see what I mean? I stink at this. It's better than I'm making it sound. Look, bottom line is that Pia is a fabulous heroine. She and Drago take turns saving each other. She calls him constantly on his shit and makes smart & sensible decisions. She thinks things through and doesn't make assumptions. Drago is marvelously alpha who is baffled and perplexed by how he feels by Pia. What makes him fabulously unique is that he asks what he did wrong and learns from his mistakes. He's right up there with Curran from Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels books.

I raced through this book and I immediately wanted to read it again. By the time I was three quarters done, I mourned the fact that getting ARCs is wonderful, but that also means I have to wait longer for the next book. The writing is so lyrical.  This is a description from the first time Dragos shows up:

"He had been born along with the solar system. Give or take.

He remembered a transcendent light and an immense wind. Modern science called it a solar wind. He recalled a sensation of endless flight, an eternal basking in light and magic so piercing and young and pure it rang like the trumpeting of thousands of angels."

I just tried to find a non-spoilery quote that illustrates the thread of humor that runs through the book and lost about twenty minutes as I re-read different sections. Never mind that I just finished it like an hour ago.

If I had to draw comparisons to previously published books, I'd have to draw from a couple of different sources. It has a similar world to Laura Gilman's Retrievers' series. As previously mentioned, Dragos is like Curran. Pia kinda reminds me of Amanda Quick's bluestocking heroines (especially Lavina Lake) with their ability to handle blustering aristocrats and take care of themselves. Toss in a dash of Wen Spencer's Tinker and garnish with Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series or Larissa Ione's Demonica series.

The book will be released in MM form & for $7.99 on 05/03/11. It can already be pre-ordered at your choice of sellers: Borders, B&N, or Amazon.