Abe, Shana - The Dream Thief
Wow, it's been a while since I've read a romance.
Anyhow, this is the second book of a trilogy starting with The Smoke Thief, but thankfully, it stands just fine on its own, since I haven't read the first one.
Abe has created a fantasy race of drakons, human-dragon shapeshifters, who live side-by-side with humans, although the humans don't really know about this. I gather that the hero and heroine of the first book are the parents of Lia Langford, but thankfully, there's not much backstory you have to know and only one scene with the previous couple.
Lia Langford cannot make the Turn and shapeshift into smoke or dragon-form, as her mother and sisters can. But she dreams the future, and in her dreams, she helps the human thief Zane steal the draumr diamond that can control the drakon.
Depending on what you think of the drakon, the whole thing with the diamond and the mystical dreams and telling the future really doesn't have all that much to do with the relationship. Also, thankfully, though apparently the drakon mate for life, there doesn't seem to be the stupid "ROAR! We mate! I revert to caveman stereotypes and attempt to beat you over the head and drag you home!" Of course, that may only be because Lia is the drakon and Zane is the human.
This is a fairly pleasant read; I liked both Lia and Zane, Zane was nicely edgy but not too alpha male, and most of all, they actually talk to each other and make snide comments and have a sense of humor about things. I also like how Lia is portrayed as different because she's a drakon, but how Zane takes it in stride.
I sort of wish that there were more about the alternate future that Lia dreams about, but that would probably make this story much darker than it actually was.
All in all, fun and sexy, and I put the first one on hold at the library.
Anyhow, this is the second book of a trilogy starting with The Smoke Thief, but thankfully, it stands just fine on its own, since I haven't read the first one.
Abe has created a fantasy race of drakons, human-dragon shapeshifters, who live side-by-side with humans, although the humans don't really know about this. I gather that the hero and heroine of the first book are the parents of Lia Langford, but thankfully, there's not much backstory you have to know and only one scene with the previous couple.
Lia Langford cannot make the Turn and shapeshift into smoke or dragon-form, as her mother and sisters can. But she dreams the future, and in her dreams, she helps the human thief Zane steal the draumr diamond that can control the drakon.
Depending on what you think of the drakon, the whole thing with the diamond and the mystical dreams and telling the future really doesn't have all that much to do with the relationship. Also, thankfully, though apparently the drakon mate for life, there doesn't seem to be the stupid "ROAR! We mate! I revert to caveman stereotypes and attempt to beat you over the head and drag you home!" Of course, that may only be because Lia is the drakon and Zane is the human.
This is a fairly pleasant read; I liked both Lia and Zane, Zane was nicely edgy but not too alpha male, and most of all, they actually talk to each other and make snide comments and have a sense of humor about things. I also like how Lia is portrayed as different because she's a drakon, but how Zane takes it in stride.
I sort of wish that there were more about the alternate future that Lia dreams about, but that would probably make this story much darker than it actually was.
All in all, fun and sexy, and I put the first one on hold at the library.