herseriallife
Written on Aug 6, 2021
The first book in Molly Harper's uproariously funny, sinfully sexy new Mystic Bayou series!
Anthropologist Jillian Ramsay's career has taken a turn south.
Concerned that technology is about to chase mythological creatures out into the open (how long can Sasquatch stay hidden from Google maps?), the League for Interspecies Cooperation is sending Jillian to Louisiana on a fact-finding mission. While the League hopes to hold on to secrecy for a little bit longer, they're preparing for the worst in terms of human reactions. They need a plan, so they look to Mystic Bayou, a tiny town hidden in the swamp where humans and supernatural residents have been living in harmony for generations. Mermaids and gator shifters swim in the bayou. Spirit bottles light the front porches after twilight. Dragons light the fires under crayfish pots.
Jillian's first assignment for the League could be her last. Mystic Bayou is wary of outsiders, and she has difficulty getting locals to talk to her. And she can't get the gruff town sheriff, Bael Boone, off of her back or out of her mind. Bael is the finest male specimen she's seen in a long time, even though he might not be human. Soon their flirtation is hotter than a dragon's breath, which Bael just might turn out to be...
- ISBN10 1641970499
- ISBN13 9781641970495
- Publish Date 24 July 2018 (first published 23 January 2018)
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Nancy Yost Literary Agency, Inc
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 214
- Language English
Reviews
MurderByDeath
Written on Oct 26, 2020
Molly Harper is always fun. How to Date a Dragon is no different; it is the first of a new series set in a new place (fictional Mystic Bayou in Louisiana), and new characters.
Mostly, this story is about the romance, but there's also a nominal mystery (I say nominal because the murderer was obvious to me from the start). There's also a much more obvious relevance to today's societal ... let's call them challenges. Mystic Bayou is a small community where supernaturals and humans live together peacefully and cooperatively, and Jillian is the anthropologist sent to do a study of how they make it work. Not a stretch, really, to apply this to our current climate, though Harper doesn't go out of her way to make a point out of it. Really, it's mostly about a romance. With a dragon.
I usually enjoy the audio for Molly Harper's books (though I skip the sex scenes, because eew... I don't need someone reading a sex scene to me). I enjoyed this one too, but Audible decided to not only use Amanda Ronconi, Harper's usual - and excellent - narrator, but Jonathan Davis; Harper wrote How to Date Your Dragon with alternating POVs, and Davis does Bael's chapters. He does a credible job, and I know this sounds like a good idea in concept, but the problem I had was that both narrators are narrating the same characters. Davis tries to keep the spirit of Ronconi's interpretation, but his voice is, of course, not hers, and I found the disparity between the same character's voice between chapters jarring. I'd have preferred Ronconi doing the whole thing. But that's just me.
There's a second book out, with the same setting but different MCs, and I'll definitely be checking it out sooner rather than later.
jesstheaudiobookworm
Written on May 6, 2020
I'm not sure what exactly drove me to take a shot with How to Date Your Dragon, other than the synopsis seemed interesting and I needed another book to round out my two-for-one selection. I guess I chose it more out of curiosity than anything, since I've never read a dragon novel. It may actually be the only supernatural creature I hadn't had a literary experience with yet. That curiosity also made me dive into it immediately after purchase.
Almost right away, I could tell that this was going to be a very different experience. The tone of the writing just seemed so different from what I remember in Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs. How to Date Your Dragon was funny in a simplistic way. Although a lot of reviewers rave over how funny Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs is, one of my main complaints about it was that the humor aspect felt too forced.
One unwelcome similarity did rear its ugly head in How to Date Your Dragon, so let's go ahead and get that out-of-the-way. Insta-love. I remember cringing at it in Nice Girls and although it's also present in How to Date Your Dragon, I was less annoyed with it this go around, probably because my overall enjoyment of the book was so much higher. Still, you have been warned. However, if it's something you think you can look past, I really do recommend forging on. The rest of the book is so worth it.
There's really great world building in this one. The atmospheric setting almost has a cozy feel to it. When coupled with the murder mystery our main character is adjacently involved with, one could probably even classify this as a cozy mystery, although the paranormal romance elements definitely stand out more. It takes place in a small town Louisiana setting. Thanks to Anne Rice, I'm a sucker for anything set in Louisiana and the French/Cajun words and sayings peppered throughout made the setting come alive. There was no way I could forget where this was set.
The other part of the world building that was done really well was the development of the magic system. Harper doesn't go into a ton of broad-spectrum detail regarding her supernaturals. Rather, we get little info snippets about certain creatures, almost as asides. She does go into a bit more detail about one or two species of supernaturals, since they are more at the center of the story and we learn more about dragon sex than I would have wondered on my own, but that's no complaint. I do wish this audiobook had been just a teensy bit longer to allow for extended world building. I'm not saying anything was lacking, per se, just that I wanted more. Luckily, this is a five book series. That discovery actually made me subscribe to the Audible Escape package just so I can hear the rest of the series. It looks like each additional book in the series will also take place in the town of Mystic Bayou, Louisiana, so I can't wait to return. I plan on starting the second installment tonight!
Narration review: The really cool thing about How to Date Your Dragon is that it was released on audiobook exclusively for six months before the release of the e-book. An audiobook releasing before its written counter part is almost unheard of but I love that the audio format is getting this sort of attention.
It was dual narrated by Amanda Ronconi and Jonathan Davis. I was already a fan of Amanda Ronconi but this was my first time hearing anything from Jonathan Davis. I'm normally a huge proponent of dual narration and I didn't mind it in this case, but I also didn't think that it added as much to the overall experience as previous audiobooks I've heard. Jonathan Davis did a fine job, but I did think that Amanda Ronconi outshined him a bit in this performance. Alternating between the two made it more obvious and I also had a slight problem with their different takes on how certain characters sounded. Obviously, some of that is only to be expected, but in this case, the differences in character interpretation actually changed my mental image of the character each time the narrator was switched.
But really though, this was such a well performed audiobook that I shouldn't dwell on such minor annoyances. It was an absolutely wonderful listening experience and I'm excited to continue with these two performers throughout the rest of the series. ♣︎
Rowena
Written on Jul 23, 2019
stacey_is_sassy
Written on Feb 1, 2019
Within five minutes of starting How to Date Your Dragon, I was wearing a big goofy grin on my face. Molly Harper is a very talented author and I absolutely love her sense of humour.
The characters were interesting, the storyline held a hint of intrigue which kept me entertained, and the connection between Jillian and Bael jumped off the pages. I was completely satisfied with this story and I will not hesitate to read or listen to more from this author.
Both narrators do an amazing job. Their voices were smooth and easy to listen to and I never struggled to tell when the characters changed. I would definitely listen to stories narrated by them in the future.
SUCCESS!! Can't wait to continue with the Mystic Bayou series.
EBookObsessed
Written on Dec 22, 2018
Berls
Written on Apr 28, 2018
Gah, am I ever NOT going to love a Harper? This was so much fun and I loved the unique concept. The characters were super fun and I'm very excited for the potential pairings in future books. I, as always, laughed my butt off.
It was different having Ronconi paired with a male narrator but I actually really liked it. A lot. Can't wait for a second book!
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Feb 20, 2018
As one would expect of a small southern town, the folks in Mystic Bayou aren't exactly happy to see Jillian. They don't take kindly to strangers especially ones who intend to study them. From the moment Jilian parks her van outside of city hall and meets the mayor, a bear-shifter named Zed I was hooked. City Hall houses everything, including the local sheriff's office. Bael Boone, whom Jillian describes as the finest specimen of a man she has seen in a long time, is not at all happy to see Jillian. If he had his way, she'd be leaving town. I loved their initial banter and couldn't wait for more!
The story, available first on Audio, is narrated by Amanda Ronconi and Jonathan Davis. Amanda was the perfect choice for Jillian. I was pleased they decided to add Jonathan Davis to the mix While he is a new to me narrator his accent and deep baritone voice lent itself perfectly to the male voices. He truly enhanced the humor, particularly for Zed and Bael.
Mystic Bayou is such a fascinating town. It consists of a tiny main street and then there are homes set along the bayou and deep in the woods. There are all sorts of creatures and some unusual anomalies which should prove to be very interesting. I loved the concept of Jillian being an anthropologist and interviewing residents. While she may not have field experience, her handling of the town and in particular Bael was well done and hilarious to witness. Groping shifters, pie, and Bael made for good times.
Harper threaded an exciting murder-mystery into the tale that added suspense and aided the romance. All resulted in a fun, entertaining and engaging listen. There are well-placed sex scenes that were delicious without being overly detailed making this a good fit for everyone. I loved how the story wrapped up and teased us with things to come. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Melanie
Written on Jan 25, 2018
So Audible has been doing some straight to audio books lately. I’ve listened to a few short stories from some favorite authors of books that went straight to audio in the past, including I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas. But, I had only listened to short stories. This is my first full-length novel that was audio only. Since I mostly just listen to books anyway, audio only isn’t a problem for me. If you’re not a fan of audiobooks, I would expect that this will be released as an ebook eventually, I just don’t know when. I would recommend you give this a try on audio though. I think it might surprise you.
As a HUGE fan of Molly Harper, I jumped on a chance to try a new series, especially in the paranormal worlds (I swear I will try her contemporary romances one day). The fact that Amanda Ronconi is the main narrator didn’t hurt either (Again, I’m a HUGE fan). So, this story takes anthropologist Jillian Ramsay to a small town in Louisiana called Mystic Bayou. There, she is to talk to and observe the people and how they live together. Mystic Bayou is a town full of supernaturals. They live out in the open and have learned to put their differences aside and become a community. There are bear shifters, thunderbirds, fae, witches, etc. And yes, even dragons.
In addition to Jillian, there is also Bael. He is the hero of the this story and also the sheriff in these parts. He is a gruff man, who doesn’t have a large number of friends. He is also looked down upon from his family because he isn’t dragon enough. He is also half human, which doesn’t do him any favors in his family’s eyes. The fact that he is down courting a human is just another black spot too, but he doesn’t care. He is good friends with the mayor, and bear shifter, Zed. Zed is very much a character that I would expect in a Molly Harper novel. He was funny, flirty and just a all around good guy. I really hope we will get a story with him one day.
So it isn’t long after Jillian shows up into town that people start dying. Of course, there are people looking in her direction. But Bael is trying his best to protect her. The suspense of the this story was a lot of fun, if you could say it was fun as people are dying. The romance is really sweet, though there is a lot of communication issues because Jillian doesn’t understand dragon culture. Dragons are very secretive, so she had no idea of the meaning of some of Bael’s moves, which he then sees as rejection. But they eventually work that all out.
This book has the humor you would expect from a Molly Harper novel. There were many chuckle-worthy moments and times that I was really glad I wasn’t drinking something, or I would’ve sprayed it everywhere. Let’s just say, don’t even try to force unwanted pony play on a unicorn. At this time, it does not appear that this story is set in the Half-Moon Hollow world. The supernatural creatures in this book are not out in the open. There is also no real mention of vampires. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if there wasn’t a tie-in later in the series, the same way she did with the Naked Werewolf series. Either way, this is a fun series. If you’re a fan of any of Harper’s paranormal works (I can’t speak for any of her contemporary romance, they are still on my TBR), I would highly recommend this story.
UPDATE: per author, ebook will be out in about 6 months.
Narration
As I said, I’m a huge fan of Amanda Ronconi. I think she is the perfect narrator for Molly Harper’s stories. She is great at bringing out the humor and snarkiness of the characters that Harper creates. I love her male and female voices and her pacing and tone are perfect. This is the first Molly Harper story where they’ve brought in a male narrator to do the male POV chapters. I know that the addition of a new narrator to a beloved series can be prickly with some. I’ve listened to a few where a new narrator was added similar to this one (Silver Silence by Patricia Briggs being the most recent). I am not completely adverse to the idea. I also didn’t mind Jonathan Davis as a narrator. I thought he did a good job with the gruff Bael. The issue that I had with him (I didn’t notice this issue with Amanda Ronconi at all), was that I could tell when he had to go back rerecord a sentence here and there. His tone would change or the volume was different for just a sentence or so and then go back to the original tone. When that happened, it was distracting and would pull me out of the story. If that was done smoother, I would’ve given this narration 5 stars. But because of this issue, I just can’t do it. I really hope that this issue is resolved before they start book two (I’m already eager for the next story in this series).
UPDATE: I’ve been told that the audio issues have been updated. Downloading an updated copy from Audible should fix this issue.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.