Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Styxx (Dark-Hunter, #23)
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level- Moderate Kink
Series- Dark-Hunter #23
Genre-Paranormal Romance
Reviewed by Kay
836 pages

Back many months ago when I read the blurb for this book, my heart raced. I’ll admit I was a little tentative about a book featuring Styxx, but the blurb says that we only know half of the story. If you don’t want to read a review with spoilers stop now.
Here’s a little refresher on this very long series. Styxx is the identical twin to Acheron except for the eyes. They shared a womb even though they were not blood related. I’m not going to summarize all the details to Ash’s (Acheron) conception and subsequent birth. Just know that Ash was put in a queen’s womb who was already pregnant as a way to protect Ash from those who were hunting him. See, Ash is the son of the Destroyer and he can bring an end to the world.
In Ash’s book, we learn of his birth and life up until this point. He and his twin, Styxx hated each other. Ash was made to suffer atrocities that no one should suffer, especially a small child. We all developed a hatred so intense for the golden child, Styxx. But in this book, we realize that we only knew Ash’s story. Styxx’s story was in my opinion even worse. Not only was it over one hundred pages longer but it was almost double the size of Ash’s back story. A back story that had me either too stunned to cry or sobbing uncontrollably. I won’t say anything more about the back story other than you have to read it to truly know the story and the ultimate betrayals that take place.
The most beautiful part of this book is the love story between Styxx and Bethany. It was so precious and innocent. Styxx is the future king of his country and became a true war hero and a master strategist. His one and only true love was a blind girl who he met when she was fishing.
He didn’t realize that his love was really the Goddess of Misery as she didn’t realize he was Prince Styxx.
I don’t want to give away too much about the book. Just read it even though it is 836 pages long. It moves quickly and I devoured it in less than 48 hours. I’ll end this review with my favorite quotes from the book.
“Never once in my life did I feel the sunshine on my skin until the day you touched me.”
“And without my Bethany, I dwell in total darkness.”
“It’s not fair that we’re forced to live without them while the world goes on, oblivious to the fact that it’s missing the most vital part of it.”
“I let go of your hand eleven thousand, five hundred thirty nine years, one hundred and eighty three days and roughly ten hours give or take a few mintues ago.”
“You really did count the heartbeats.”
“Oh Beth, you have no idea.”
This time Styxx knew that nothing would ever separate them again. And if anyone or anything was dumb enough to try they were going to learn the lesson he had given both Archon and Apollo. Styxx of Didymos fought for what he wanted. He didn’t back down. He didn’t give up. He didn’t lose. Even if it meant coming back from the dead, he wouldn’t be stopped and he would never again live without his most vital part. Bethany.

Dead Sexy Dragon by Lolita Lopez

Dead Sexy Dragon (Dragon Heat, #1)
Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Paranormal, shifter, dragon

Series: Dragon Heat #1
Published: 8/6/13
Reviewed by Kate
97 pages 
 

Cora is on the run from some loan sharks and runs to the only person she can think of — her dead brother’s best friend Stig.  Unknown to Cora, Stig is a dragon.  A dragon who’s about to enter his breeding cycle.  But Cora doesn’t have any other place to go, and Stig can’t kick her out.

 

For a novella, I found the characters to be surprisingly complete.  The world of dragons was well explained, not leaving the reader with tons of unanswered questions.  The author has done a wonderful job of giving us enough information without becoming too blah, blah, blah about it.

 

My biggest complaint is that there wasn’t enough of this book.  I wanted to know more about Stig and Cora and their life together.  Another chapter, an epilogue, just give me more!  Lolita Lopez has created a world that I look forward to visiting again and again.

 

Do you like shifters?  With feathers or fur or scales?


Never Deal with Dragons by Lorenda Christianson

Never Deal with Dragons

 
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Paranormal, Dragons
Reviewed by Anne
235pages
 
“It’s amazing how often my day starts with a three-legged dragon and an enraged dairy farmer.” p.11  So starts Never Deal with Dragons.  Myrna Banks is a rarity in her time – she can speak dragon language.  Ever since the dragons were accidentally created during World War III, humans have needed dragonspeakers and negotiators.  Myrna is good at both, though she is underappreciated in her current position.  This is due, mainly to some bad choices she made regarding her ex-boyfriend, Trian.  So she is much less than happy when he waltzes into the middle of her negotiations between the 3 legged dragon (pregnant with twins and very hungry!) and a dairy farmer less one cow and beloved pet.  Unfortunately it looks like Myrna and Trian will be seeing a lot more of each other as he works for a dragon who needs her help.
 
From the very first line to the end of this story, I didn’t want to put this book down.  It’s an interesting world with interesting characters!  Just the concept of dragons being created and then turning out to be dominate over humans…  really fun to read how this has played out and changed the world.
Myrna was a strong woman who seemed to get into a lot of situations, but they weren’t humiliating for the sake of humiliating her character, and she was very good at handling them.  This is good, because the whole story is told from her point of view.  That was a drawback for me, as I enjoy seeing the hero’s point of view, but it worked in this book.  
 
Myrna was frustrating at times.  She had a tendency to cut Trian off when he was trying to explain himself, and this created most of the conflict in the book.  If she’d listened to him, or asked a few more questions instead of assuming, the whole thing would have played out much more smoothly, and it still would have been a good story, in my opinion.
 
Trian wasn’t quite sorry enough for the wrong he did to Myrna, but she kept cutting him off before he could really say sorry, so I’ll cut him some slack, and his actions certainly made up for the past. 
 
The first half of the book was better than the second, but both were still good.  It was pretty funny throughout, though.  The situations with the dragons were real for the world created, but still really funny.  It was a wonderful world and I hope there will be more stories in it!