A high-flying fantasy “packed with bold adventure and sizzling sensuality”—first in the series by the New York Times bestselling author (RT Book Reviews). It’s not always easy being a female warrior with a nickname like Annwyl the Bloody. Men tend to either cower in fear—a lot—or else salute. It’s true that Annwyl has a knack for decapitating legions of her ruthless brother’s soldiers without … ruthless brother’s soldiers without pausing for breath. But just once it would be nice to be able to really talk to a man, the way she can talk to Fearghus the Destroyer.
Too bad that Fearghus is a dragon, of the large, scaly, and deadly type. With him, Annwyl feels safe—a far cry from the feelings aroused by the hard-bodied, arrogant knight Fearghus has arranged to help train her for battle. With her days spent fighting a man who fills her with fierce, heady desire, and her nights spent in the company of a magical creature who could smite a village just by exhaling, Annwyl is sure life couldn’t get any stranger.
She’s wrong . . .
And just wait until you meet the rest of the family . . .
Praise for the Dragon Kin Series
“Aiken’s patented mix of bloodthirsty action, crazy scenarios and hilarious dialogue have made this series a truly unique pleasure.”—RT Book Reviews (4½ Stars)
“A chest thumping, mead-hall rocking, enemy slaying brawl of a good book.”—All Things Urban Fantasy
“Laugh-out-loud funny—I loved it!”—Thea Harrison, New York Times bestselling author
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When Annwyl the Bloody (human) meets Fearghus the Destroyer (dragon), it’s magic! Annwyl is trying to defeat her brother before he kills her. His army nearly does, but Fearghus, impressed by her bravery, comes to her rescue. She falls in love with her dragon savior, and can’t understand the desire she feels for the arrogant knight who trains her to control her anger and become a better fighter. It seems Fearghus is keeping a little secret…
Dragon Actually is a fun romp. I devoured it. It’s actually two books, containing Chains and Flames, a novella of how Fearghus’s mother, the dragon queen, met her consort. Chains and Flames delves into dragon BDSM. It was a fun read, too.
G.A. Aiken is one of my go-to authors for when I need a phenomenal story and a laugh!
This is Book 1 in one my favorite series. When I need laughter, wit, and a true escape I start with Dragon Actually and work my way through the series. I will never admit how many times I’ve re-read this series–lol. Aiken’s excellent writing style is second only to the amazing dragon world she’s created.
I picked this book up after reading The Princess Knight, as the ending hinted at a crossover of the two series. It’s a good paranormal romance, heavier on the romance and sex than the latest series, and with fewer point of view characters and without a longer plot arch. Annwyl was a great warrior finding her softer(ish) side with Fearghus, the dragon who saves her life, and he was more than a match for her fury. The secret identity narrative worked well. Several other dragons were introduced that seemed interesting and worth getting to know better in subsequent books. They’ll keep me entertained while I wait for the next Scarred Earth Saga book.
Fun read. Action packed. Great start to a series!
Very descriptive dragon world, violent yet tempered with romance and family interactions. Spicy scenes. Fun, quick read.
Laugh-out-loud! I loved the characters.
I will read any dragon book by GA Aiken. Love the series.
Overall rating 4.5 stars
Dragon Actually: 5 stars
Annwyl the Bloody is fighting her brother’s troops when she gets mortally wounded. Knowing that this is the end she decides to take a many as she can with her but some unexpected help arrives, a dragon. Fearghus the Destroyer enjoys the quiet life but when he steps in to help save Annwyl he realizes nothing will ever be the same again.
I loved these two. Annwyl is crazy and bloodthirsty. She is a perfect fit for the Fearghus the Destroyer. I love how when she isn’t fighting she just wants to read. Fearghus is the perfect person for Annwyl. He actually sees her and doesn’t ever try to change her. Her anger and strength turns him on.
These two were great and I can’t wait to see more of them in future books.
Chains & Flames: 4 stars
Rhiannon the White is ordered by her mother, the Queen, to mate with Bercelak the Great. Rhiannon knows that this is most likely a plot for her mother to get rid of her or kill her. A spell preventing her from changing means she spends more time with Bercelak than ever before and she actually doesn’t hate him. She quickly realizes there is more to Bercelak that everyone knows and she starts falling for him.
These two are an interesting couple. They started as enemies but Bercelak quickly changes her mind. There bickering and threats were quite amusing. I loved how strong Rhiannon was but also very fragile. She never had a supportive mother so she struggles with showing her emotions. Bercelak is a war machine but with Rhiannon he learns to laugh and be happy. They are a powerful couple who will rule the dragons for a long time.
This series is fun and funny and it’s an amazing world that’s gender neutral.
This is the second time I’m reading this book. I was in a hurry to read the next book that the review had to wait. That’s how much I love this book/series.
Anwyl the Bloody is critically injured outside the den of a dragon. Fergus the Dragon shifter admires Anwyls bravery and decides to save her. Little do they know what is to come.
The book is full of humor, passion and violent battles. What more can you ask for. I highly recommend the whole Dragon Kin series and all the other series by G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston.
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Chains & Flames
This is a prequel novella to the Dragon Kin series.
Rihannons mother is trying to get rid of her daughter by dropping her defenceless in front of Bercelaks den. Bercelak, who’s been in love with Rihannon since he first saw her at court, is very happy to do everything in his power to convince her they belong together.
This is the second time I have read this story and it won’t be the last time I do so. I love all the stories in the Dragon Kin series. I also recommend all the rest of the authors series. G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston
i have found that any book that I read by Shelly Laurenston/G.A. Aiken is always going to be a page turner and will leave me laughing any ready to get my hands on another of her books. She is amazing and an autobuy for me.
Will be getting book two
An absolute favorite.
I loved the characters. dragon is great. I mean straight-up love him. It’s easy to see why Annwyl feels such a deep emotional connection and his uncertainty as to why he is interested in a mere human female is wonderful. And poor Annwyl feeling the emotional connection to a dragon and physical attraction to a man. It leaves the reader laughing and sighing all at once. This is a love story and action and fantasy. It’s amazing.
This is a very different shifter romance with very different characters. Annwyn is proof that a woman does not have to be a delicate helpless little flower to find love; this berserker buff battlemaid is definitely not delicate in any thing except for her self-esteem. That’s good, because Fearghus is not made to want a delicate helpless little flower. The characters are direct, unsubtle, snarky, loud, tactless and surprisingly real. The situation is annoyingly ridiculously curiously romantically hilarious. The meeting where Annwyn meets the first in-law is not to be missed! I enjoyed this book so much!
I think every single female in this book is a little nuts. The leading lady is a blood thirsty menace with a toe rag of a brother who needs killing. She leads an army of rebels to take on her brother who’s new wizard is more than he seems. He chosen partner is a curmudgeonly loner with a crazy but endearing family. He’s also a dragon, but that is really immaterial in the face of the fact that he is one of the few characters who isn’t terrified or in total awe of her love of decapitating people. So many decapitations…this book is not at all what I was expecting! If you get queezy with graphic gore, this is not your book. Steamier than I was expecting too. But really so many decapitations! Happy Reading!
One of my favorite authors. I laugh every time I read Aiken.
Great for the beach!
Knowing her latest wound is most likely fatal, Annwyl aka Annwyl the Bloody, has never let her courage fail her and has no plans to now faced with a dragon hovering over her, that is until she passes out.
Humans have always bored Fearghus the Destroyer, there only purpose is to toy with before they become food, but the fearless woman before him bleeding to death has caught his interest.
For the first time, Fearghus has brought a human to his lair, the more he gets to know Annwyl the harder it is to let her go. In dragon form, Fearghus is her confident and close friend, when he shifts to his human form Fearghus is treated with hostility and heated passion that is stifled by Annwyl’s unwillingness to betray her dragon. Fearghus knows that he needs to tell Annwyl that he is one and the same, but as a new attack comes, she has to get back to the war her brother has launched and protect what is hers.
This book is actually two stories, the first Fearghus and Annwyl’story. The second is Fearghus mother and fathers story who is introduced in the first book, I wish I had read their story first. I think I would have enjoyed it more, it was a great story but I knew ahead of time how it would turn out. Fearghus and Annwyl though, wow. Why oh why did I not pick this up earlier? Loved it. 4.5