Dragos Goes to Washington (Elder Races, #8.5)

by Thea Harrison

Dragos Cuelebre, Lord of the Wyr, needs to throw a party without maiming anyone. That isn’t exactly as easy as it might sound.

After the destructive events of the last eighteen months, the Elder Races are heading to Washington D.C. to foster peace with humankind. Not known for his diplomacy skills, Dragos must rely on his mate Pia to help navigate a battlefield of words and polite smiles rather than claws. With Dragos’s mating instinct riding close to the surface, his temper is more volatile than ever and the threat of violence hovers in the air.

Then the human spouse of a prominent politician winds up murdered and Dragos and Pia must race against time to hunt down those behind it before they are held responsible for the crime. (40,000 words)

For fans of DRAGON BOUND and LORD’S FALL, the latest novella in the Elder Races holds passion, peril, political intrigue, and revelations that will change Dragos and Pia’s lives forever.

DRAGOS GOES TO WASHINGTON is the first part of a three-story series about Dragos, Pia, and their son Liam. Each story stands alone, but fans might want to read all three in order as they will be released: DRAGOS GOES TO WASHINGTON, PIA DOES HOLLYWOOD, and LIAM TAKES MANHATTAN.

• ISBN10: 0990666166
• ISBN13: 9780990666165
• Publish Date: 31 March 2016 (first published 12 October 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Teddy Harrison LLC
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 186
• Language: English

Reviews

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

I’ve really enjoyed these novellas of the Cuelebre family. Dragos and Pia have always been my favorite couple in this series, so having these stories where we can go back and spend more time with them has been fun. This story actually takes place before the most recent Elder Races story. There was information from that book that you actually learn about in this story. I read the books out of order, but I don’t think that affected anything about either story.

In Dragos Goes to Washington, Dragos and Pia go to DC to meet with the other leaders of the Elder domains along with the leaders of the human government. The Elders want to work with the humans to try to solve some of the unrest between the two groups from some violence that took place earlier in the series that ended the lives of many humans.

Dragos finds himself in a place where he must be politically correct and hospitable, which is not something that the dragon wants to do. The dragon is well aware of the fact that he could fly over all of these humans that are protesting and burn them all to pieces. However, he must protect all of the Wyr. They have become used to their lives of luxury from living with technology that humans provide. That will be something that would be hard to take everyone away from, if they could even do it logistically.

One of the nights, Dragos and Pia host a dinner at their house in DC that is on Embassy Row. They have the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, Senate Majority and Minority leaders and all of their significant others. Plus all the Elder races domain leaders with their other halves, as well. While this is going on, someone is murdered in Dragos’ home and they tried to make it look like a Wyr did it. Not to mention that Pia isn’t feeling up to normal. Add all of these things together and you have a very grumpy Dragos.

Once again, fun look inside Cuelebre family. Not necessarily required reading for the series, but a fun one that most fans of the series I don’t think would want to miss. There is some of Liam too, at the beginning, but not very much. The scene is also set for the next story in the novella series, Pia Takes Hollywood. I’ll be listening to it soon.

Narration
Once again, Sophie Eastlake nails the narration. Her male and female voices are always spot on. I love her pace and tone. I did speed up the narration a little more than normal this time. I don’t know why it felt a little slower, but with the increased speed, it felt better for me on this one. I still loved it. If you haven’t tried Sophie Eastlake, I highly recommend her.

[EBookObsessed]

If you love the Elder Races series like I do, you know we can't get enough of the First Family of the Wyr Demesne, Dragos, Pia and Liam. These novellas are a special treat for fans of the series.[/box]

There have been some changes between Dragos and Pia's relationship since Dragos sustained a head injury several months ago, including the fact that Dragos has once again entered a mating frenzy, which has made him more overprotective, over-possessive and intensely aggressive to any males who get too close. In this novella, they add even more intensity when Drago and Pia decide to try for another baby. Most Elder Races have trouble conceiving but a Wyr attempting to impregnate his mate hops up another rung on the crazy ladder. Now add political drama to the already craziness in their lives and you have one interesting story.

The heads of each Elder Race have been called to a conference with the President, Vice President and major political leaders. There is concern over the recent aggression and deaths associated with the Elder Races including the recent murder of 97 people in the house of a Nightkind Councilor. Not everyone believes that the Elder Races can be trusted and several, including the Vice President and her husband, are part of a movement looking to control them.

The dragon isn't one to normally worry about playing nice, that's why he bought Pia with him since she has a way with people. Dragos is already stressed about all the males around his mate, and the fact that Pia hasn't been feeling quite herself this trip is putting him on edge. When a body is found in his Washington residence, he has had quite enough with playing by human rules. It's time to show the humans what happens when you pull the tail of a millenia old dragon.

THOUGHTS:
If you are a fan of Thea Harrison's Elder Races series and who isn't, these novellas are a must-read. Who can get enough of Dragos, Pia and Liam?

I loved it back in 2012 when she gave us Lord's Fall which once again focused on Dragos and Pia. It is unusual in a paranormal romance series to have characters from prior novels show up as more than a secondary character in any future novels. It was an usual decision in Book 4 of a series to go back to the original couple and given them a whole new novel.

In providing us with the second set of novellas which just focuses on our main family, Thea gives us the best of both worlds. She will continue the main plot on with a new hero and heroine in the December release, Shadow's End, and yet she still tosses us these little treats so we can still sit down with a little bonus time at home with the Cuelebres.

As the new mating frenzy continues, there is plenty of sexy, naked time which you would expect from Dragos and Pia and an entertaining story with a set up towards the next novella which comes out in November.

Received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.