Review: I literally couldn't put it down! 4/5 Stars from The Romanceaholic
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 28, 2011
Ashera del Cid is known as the best demon hunter around, but when her best friend and boss-lady sends her on a "routine" mission that turns out to be anything but, Ashera's world is turned completely inside out.  Having the power to enter her clients dreams and deal with demons intent on draining them of their innate magic, Ashera is used to dealing will all sorts of creatures. However, her newest client wants her to put  her life on the line by helping him to deal with a Dragon Lord -- an almost mythical being of such immense power as to be almost invincible, and absolutely terrifying in their ruthlessness.When the mission goes horribly wrong, Ashera finds herself thrown into a world more incredible -- and dangerous -- than she's ever imagined.  When she finds unexpected assistance in Ramiel, a secretive man of power who offers Ashera his protection, she must quickly decide who to trust in this deadly game of dealing with the demi-gods.The sizzling sex and incredible chemistry between Ashera and Ramiel only confuses things, and when Ashera discovers that not only is she the daughter of the last slayer, but that she must destroy her incredibly powerful enemies who want nothing more than to see her dead, the entire game changes, and Ashera quickly learns that trust must be earned rather than given, and that she herself is more powerful than she could have ever imagined.What Worked For Me:* I really enjoyed the idea that there was a tangible source of magical power called Sex, named such because the act is how it is created. One doesn't need to participate in the act to get the benefits, however, as Sex is bottled and sold as a power booster to those with magical abilities.* Of course, I loved the fact that dragons played such a huge part in the story, and more than that, I loved the fact that most dragons weren't shapeshifters but were instead sentient beings in their own rights.* The sex was deliciously hot, and Ramiel is fond of going downtown if you know what I mean, which is always a plus in my book.* While I don't think I was supposed to be quite as fond of Toshi as I was, I adored him, and he was probably my favorite secondary character.* I rarely if ever say this, but I was thankful that the wordcount was so high. There was a lot going on in this book, and yet the pacing was absolutely perfect. It never felt bogged down with details, nor was it overwhelming with the amount of action. Instead, I kept glancing at the progress bar on my Kindle and being cheered by the knowledge that I wasn't at the end yet.What Didn't Work For Me:* I really wanted to pimp-slap Ashera for most of the story. She was both annoyingly naive and irritatingly mistrustful, which is actually a rather tall feat to pull off at the same time. She continuously talked herself out of what I felt was well-justified anger, while at the same time constantly allowing others to walk all over her. Granted, she was quite out of her league with the Dragon Lords and Ladies, but even so, most of her problems came from either blindly trusting the wrong person or from not pushing issues when they needed to be pushed.* I was so sad that Ashera shed her plain physical appearance halfway through. I love plain heroines, and while her new sexy appearance aded quite a bit of angst since she couldn't tell if folks were attracted to her or her looks, I still would've preferred her to be ugly.I quite literally couldn't put this book down.  While I wanted to shake the heroine on more than one occasion, I found myself utterly and completely immersed in the world Ms. Lee has created. I was so glad that the word count was relatively high so that I wouldn't miss out on a single thing as Ashera progressed towards becoming a Dragon Lady in her own right, and Ramiel continued to try to fulfill his mysterious vow.While I, like Ashera, was incredibly frustrated at the lack of details given about her mother, Ramiel's past, and the role that Ashera must play in the future, I am heartened by the fact that this is indeed the first book in a series, and I for one cannot wait for the sequel to be released.A very solid 4/5 Stars.(This book was provided to me at no cost by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, via Netgalley. Review originally appeared on The Romanceaholic)