Review: Dragon Blood
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2010
Special Agent Marlee Madison stumbles in to a situation that can't be explained.  While doing her field training, she recalls being severely injured and rescued.  Later, she can't recount the details of the incident.  When she meets Gabriel and his brothers, she knows that something is familiar and unnatural about them.  While she is committed to seeking the truth, she can't resist them.Gabriel and his brothers are the last of their kind: dragons.  As far as they know, all female dragons are extinct.  Yet, they are drawn to and compelled to mate with a human woman.Dragon Blood took me completely by surprise.  This story is not what I expected. And what was I expecting you ask?  For one, I wasn't prepared for an urban fantasy filled with all the angst, violence, and threat of government waiting in the shadows.  I think I thought this would be some otherworldly setting or post-apocalyptic story. Another excellent aspect is the way dragon mythos is handled.  There are other surprises that threw me, which shows how this author is more than up to the challenge whenever it involves writing a good, believable tale.The characters are all superbly written and vividly detailed.  I appreciated how Gabriel, Eli, and John are carefully outlined and filled in.  You get to know them, and they are not interchangeable.  One is the bad boy with the big heart, another is the mysterious gentle introvert, and last, there's the strong rational leader.  Marlee is tough and sensible, yet she becomes increasingly vulnerable the more her emotions become involved.  Despite the fact she is a Special Agent, this independent woman is forced to rely on men she barely knows.  Add to the mix that they're concealing the truth and it makes it harder for them to trust her, yet they keep their code of honor.  It's obvious why nothing can be explained.  Who would believe them?  And worse, if someone did they would turn them away or over to the authorities.  There's so much at stake and Ms. Montague makes the most of all the conflict until it's resolved.This is a very hot story where the heroine spends a lot of time getting to know the dragon brothers on an extremely intimate level.  The writing is solid, the dialogue is interesting, and the setting was unusual and downright clever.  My biggest issue was the conclusion.  As much as I liked all the characters, I didn't feel they were given their due.  Some members of the group were left out and there needed to more.  I'd like to see this story expanded (if it is possible) because it left me feeling ambivalent which means I wasn't satisfied with the landing after the take off.  Still this didn't take anything away from the journey.  Overall, despite my complaint this story is good enough to horde and share.PatriceReviewed for Joyfully Reviewed