Crucify my Love: Gay Book Reviews: [62-ENG] Review: First Strike

Series: Dragon War Chronicles

Volume: 3/?
Publisher: A.G. Carothers

Genre/s: LGBT Urban Fantasy

Length: 58 000

Pages: 230

Read in: English
Review copy format: epub

Rate:✮✮✮✮✰✰

Danica and her numerous allies make preparations to attack their enemy. But at the same time, the female dragon must cope with all the changes that affect her emotions and body. She must rediscover herself. To some extent, the men around her help her, especially Kollin, who is slowly getting closer to her. But there's no time for romance when the hormones are buzzing and the war is in the air.

"First Strike" is the third installment of "Dragon War Chronicles" and in my opinion the best one so far. It's not without flaws, but let's leave this topic for later. At the moment, I would like to focus on things that make "First Strike" a novel slightly better than the previous two parts. First of all, it is worth noting that this book has very good dynamics. The events follow one another in the order that sustains the interest of the reader, and all revelations of this volume are disclosed to us bit by bit. Some of them we can simply guess, as we get all the necessary "jigsaw puzzle" hints. It is also worth mentioning that the plot presented in this book is quite interesting, sometimes rich in action and certainly worth our attention. The readers are not bored, and at the end of this part it is not easy for them to take a break from reading as the story is gaining momentum. This is undoubtedly a big plus.

Unfortunately, what makes my rate of this novel somewhat lower is the fact that we return to the broad subject of Danica's life. To tell the truth, this volume so strongly focuses on her that all other characters make just a poorly visible background to her story, her worries, her sexual needs, her uniqueness. It is a great pity, because the side characters of this series are its strong point and the greater emphasis on their creation, evolution, and psyche could really be interesting. Of course, when reading this story, we once again look at Danica's sexual activities with her harem. I admit, therefore, that I missed a certain breath of fresh air in the form of sexual intercourse between women. Although "missing" is not quite a strong enough word because it was a rather undying need. The more so because we really need a sensible woman with balls in "Dragon War Chronicles".

Nevertheless, I must admit that "First Strike" also combines some quite interesting matters with Danica's character, which made me wonder about few things. They were present in the previous books already, but in this volume they are shown in a really clear way, as if they were almost asking us to pay attention to them. What I have in mind is Danica's attitude towards SLIPs. If we take into account the events of this volume and SLIPs' history that we already know, we notice a certain connection. For dragons created shapeshifters because they needed them, and then abandoned them when they became superfluous. So the question is, whether Danica's attitude is really so different from the attitude of other dragons? In the end, she's largely dependent on SLIPs and uses them for her purposes, including sexual ones. Some of the shifters seem to be closer to her than others, but the question still remains. Just how important to her the shifters are as normal people, not useful "objects"? This is best illustrated by Tyler's case. However, I admit that in order to get to know his story you have to read "First Strike", as I can't reveal all the secrets of this volume to you, and undoubtedly they are largely associated with this particular character.

Another interesting part of this series is the way in which the relationship between Danica and Kollin is presented. Let's start with the fact that these two match each other in terms of the dragons' magic, like two halves of an apple. Their magics complement, attract and try to connect with each other. And they both know it. What's more, Danica knows exactly what Kollin feels for her and, to some extent, she herself, more or less consciously, tries to lure him into her spiderweb. I have the impression that her femininity is a witch who tries to offer Kollin a poisoned apple in the form of the female dragon. To be honest, in this volume, even more than in the previous ones, Danica seems to be like a sundew that attracts insects to feed on them, or a mermaid luring the sailors with her voice. Sometimes, I was wondering whether the way she effects the men is not part of the experiment that Danica is the result of.

To sum up, "First Strike" is a quite well-constructed and thoughtful novel, which is a big plus. I admit that there are some parts of the story presented in this volume that may surprise us and make us ask ourselves some questions concerning the characters and the motives of their behavior. It also affects the way we see this book. However, Danica remains an annoying hag who receives much more from others than she is able to give them back in return.

Headcanon: Among the SLIP packs devoted to Danica, there are some individuals who think that their brothers' death was her fault.

Fanfiction idea: A sex scene between Danica and another woman (SLIP) who doesn't like the female dragon, but wants to use her for a change just to satisfy her needs.

AU idea: Danica is a mermaid who lures the sailors with her singing and devours them. Kollin, a captain of the Dragon, and his crew take up the task of getting rid of her.

MOODBOARD IN PROGRESS

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Here's some more about:

Book Title: First Strike: Dragon War Chronicles Book Three

Author: A.G. Carothers

Cover Artist: Angsty G

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Release Date: March 8, 2018

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This series is about dragons who want nothing more than to live in peace, but refuse to be subjugated. In war there's also love, and love is blind. Love doesn't care about gender, race, species (in this case), or sexuality.

Blurb

Previously on Dragon War Chronicles, our heroes recovered and were preparing to take the fight to a still unknown enemy. Meanwhile, startling breeding experiments were revealed.

Three sites are discovered in Russia that could hold all the answers they’ve been looking for. Three strike teams are assembled led by Xander, Kollin, and Tyler. Three simultaneous attacks are combined to make one devastating first strike against their hidden enemies.
What horrors will they discover? What plans will be revealed? Why is a member of the Dragon Council showing up on Danica’s doorstep with ultimatums?

Find out in the next exciting installment of Dragon War Chronicles.

Warning: This book contains explicit sexual contact between consenting adults. There are romantic, BDSM, and purely sexual relations shown that are MM and MF. There is also high sexual tension and alpha male posturing that will make you laugh and roll your eyes along with plenty of snark and definite teasing of dwarf-like dragons.

Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited

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Excerpt

Aiden and Lukas were able to leave Danica's flat right after dinner. She told everyone to go and have fun before she curled up on her couch with Bastien to watch movies. Aiden led Lukas out the office door and down to the river. He'd never been out with his Master like this, and all he wanted was to take a walk holding hands. So, they did.
As they came closer to the bridge, Aiden stopped. He pointed to some bushes that were growing against the wall. “This is where I found Bastien. He was such a small pup. His fur was matted, and he was so skinny. I knew right away he was one of us.” Lukas squeezed his hand gently. “It took me forever to coax him out and let me touch him. He was so scared. You know we still don't know what happened to his pack or where he came from? He says he doesn't remember, but we think he just really doesn't want to talk about it.”
Lukas listened to Aiden ramble patiently as always. “You've raised him well, Aiden. He's a fine young praeses. He's smart and has learned a lot from everyone around him.” Lukas pulled him close and wrapped an arm around his waist.
Aiden wrapped his arms around Lukas' neck. He was only slightly taller than Aiden, and he was slimmer, but they fit together perfectly. “That first year with Bastien was the hardest. He had nightmares almost every night. Danica would sit with him and read him stories until he fell back asleep. He'd curl up on her lap refusing to shift out of his wolf form.”
“I remember when you brought him for the first time to the pack lands for a run. That was the first time I really saw you. You were so patient with him. We only had a few pups around his age at the time, and he didn't want to go near them, but you finally got him to play with them. That was the first time I saw you as a wolf too, and you stole my breath away.” Aiden blushed at Lukas' praise. Lukas leaned down and nipped at Aiden's ear. “I wanted you so much starting that day. You know you've been my pup for almost ten years now?”
Lukas' deep, low voice sent shivers down Aiden's spine as he nodded. “Yes, Master.”
“I have many plans for us, now that we don't have to hide anymore.” One of Lukas' hands traveled lower and cupped Aiden's ass. Aiden whimpered softly.

About the Author

A.G. Carothers is actually a dragon very cleverly disguised as a human. They are a non-binary author of LGBTQIA Romance and Urban Fantasy, who enjoys writing original and entertaining stories. They are very excited to share the worlds they've created with you.

A.G. currently lives in Tennessee with their platonic life partner, who is not a dragon. They yearn to live back in Europe and will some day. In their spare time they are addicted to losing themselves in the lovely worlds created by other authors

A.G. is committed to writing the stories they see in their head without restrictions. Love is blind and doesn't see gender, race, or sexuality.