This is such a fun series. While it is a paranormal romance, I would still recommend reading the series in order, as the overall story arc is very much needed. I’m not sure that you would be completely lost, but I think you would better understand everything that is going on with the war, the children, the blood queen and the Cadwaladr family.
This book takes place several years after the previous book. The dragons have been at war for years. Many haven’t seen their mates that entire time. Others have seen them, but not as often as they would like. The war is taking place on many sides. First the Southland and Northland dragons are fighting the Iron Dragons and then there are the people who are trying to take out the children.
It starts off with Rhona the Fearless, aka the Babysitter, being sent back home to guard her royal cousin, Keita the Viper and Ren the Chosen and the Foreigner, back to Dark Plains to help save the children. Rhona always follows orders, but she is very concerned that her mother will think she is abandoning the war, since this is a secret mission. Rhona has never wanted to Dragonwarrior like the rest of her family, which really shames her mother. She likes just being who she is, a soldier.
Vigholf the Abhorrent, who has had a thing for Rhona since he first saw her, can’t let her go back on her own. He feels he must protect her. Coming from the Northlands, he just has a hard time with women fighting in battle. He still lives with the fact that his people, including his own father, would still female dragons from the south, cut off a wing so that they couldn’t left and force them to be their mates. Even though this is no longer practiced, it is still something that the Northland dragons still have hanging over them. Add that to the fact that they think women are lesser in battle and the Southland dragon women are not fans, especially the Cadwaladrs.
After they get the cousin back to help the children, who are very scary at this point, they are then off another mission, because the Annywl the Bloody has left her troops and taken her young squire Izzy and another young dragon with her. Vigholf and Rhona must go find the crazy queen, who lives up to her name of both crazy and bloody.
Once again, this is a series that is filled with humor, action, fantasy and DRAGONS. Rhona is one of the tamer of the Cadwaladrs, actually she might be the tamest one I’ve read about. Maybe because she isn’t one of the royals, but a cousin that is part of the royal family. It was still a great story. There was some sadness in this story.
Vigholf stood “All right. I will. But at least make it worth it for me, Rhona.”
“Make it worth it?”
“Don’t tease, female. Tell me you love me.”
“I’ll do better than that. I told me mum I love you. My mother. Bradana the Mutilator who has the horse of several Lightnings decorating her armor.”
He grinned and they headed toward the troops to help those leaving with them in the next few hours to get ready. “And what did she say to you?” Because he already knew what Bradana had to say to him.
“I don’t really know”
“So you ran away.”
“Not at all. I walked away…with a purpose.”
“Oh, well…that makes all the difference.”