Dragon Bound: Elder Races Series #1

I listen to a TON of paranormal romance audiobooks, and I have to tell you that with few exceptions, I'm left cold. Either the story is too dry and plodding, or the narrator left much to be desired.

This is not the case with this series. I was immediately drawn into the story, and fell in love with the characters. I laughed a lot, teared up a little, and immediately moved on to book 2. Sophie Eastlake did a wonderful job on the narration, and they were a few times I forgot I was listening to just one person reading. I highly recommend this series, and I hope others find it as enjoyable as I!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audio book. I found the leads, Dragos and Pia to have witty interchanges while each tries to figure out and understand the bonding that is happening between them. Both leads are not human, Dragos is a full blooded dragon and Pia is a half blood (I won???t spoil it by telling you what she is half of ??? but watch the clues, those will have you guessing correctly in no time IF you know your magical animals well enough) ??? The subtle way in which each char???s animal natures is carried out is wonderfully done and I think the author did a great job of showing how these ???people??? are not human, but magical creatures with different mind sets, different instincts that still drive them even when they logically shouldn???t (if they were human).

Another reviewer apparently was disappointed in the story because of the rough sexual interaction; I suppose that person has never seen animals mating before to understand that it???s not all roses and soft caresses. Heck, a good many of us poor humans rather enjoy a rough tumble. There is nothing wrong with rough sex between consenting adults, and these adults are very consenting. There is nothing in the book that is ???rape??? but there is some intense sexual dialog (also a mention of a torture/killing that was short but brutal) I would not recommend this to anyone that might be offended by the use of crude language.

There is no ???abuse??? in this book either, there is violence (plot driving) but no outright abuse from the lead male towards the lead female. In fact there is a clear message that Dragos is going out of his way to try and be nice, kind, thoughtful to Pia mixed in with his primal usages to have, take and keep what he believes is his.

The narrator, Sophie Eastlake did a lovely job ??? She did very well with relating the characters in a believable and well defined manner. I will certainly enjoying hearing more of her voice in other audio books.

I read a lot of paranormal fiction, and was recently thinking that I'd really like for the heroine to not be so awfully tough and gritty. The female heroine in this book was, surprisingly and refreshingly, a real girl. It's not that she wasn't brave when she needed to be. She fought when it was necessary. She was girly enough though to paint her toenails, love good shoes, and be squeamish about the whole idea of killing. Most women aren't Xena Warrior Princess types, and thank goodness, neither was Pia. I found this refreshing in a genre chock full of fearless weapon toting warrior women.

The relationship between Pia and Dragos was well written, as was the book as a whole. The narrator did an excellent job. All in all a great listen.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me entertain from beginning to end. I am a huge para freak and I have read or listen to every paranoral romance I can get my hands on. So let tell me tell you something...it made want a dragon of my own. I like my men a bit grumpy;p. Anyways its not the best written book but the narrator did a great job with the voices. The main female character was a little whinny but not to much to take away from the sorry. The author will give you a whole new look on the paranormal. It was fresh and cute...ohhh and let's not forget steamy. Oh how wish I had a dragon of my own.... any ways again. The dialoge is not shakespear but hey I understood and could relate to how the author spoke for her characters. If you are young at heart and can get down with a little slang here and there then you should look into the book. This is the first of a probably long series. So if u don't want to invest...this would probably not work out for you. Hot shapeshifting men (sigh). Some action. Sexy romance. A little main character whinny. Great character voices. Entertaining all togather.....hope you likey:)

This book was excellent! I didn’t realize how popular it was until after I read it and was read to gush to the world.

This book revolves around two main characters; the first is Pia Giovanni, who is blackmailed into stealing something from the dragon’s lair. The second is Dragos Cuelebre, who is a shape-shifting dragon that was born along with the solar system. He is very powerful and has lived long enough to have experienced everything, or so he thought until he finds that someone has broken into his magically guarded lair and stolen something from him.

Dragos is so angry over the theft, his roar almost causes an earthquake and all of his wyr guards and minions are immediately put on alert and start trying to hunt down the thief. Pia knows that the dragon has discovered her theft and quickly tries to cover her tracks and disappear out of New York where the dragon rules.

Dragos decides to try some magic to hunt down Pia, but he doesn’t know that she has a bit of magic herself. Instead of luring her to him, he is lured to her! Dragos has no idea about love and romance; it is the one thing he has never experienced. He orders people around and demands everything he wants. But you can’t demand love and you cannot order romance from a menu. Let the sizzling romance begin!

You will get blisters on your fingers from turning pages quickly enough to keep up with this story. If you are listening on audiobook while you drive, you might just find you have to take a long road trip just so you can keep listening to this compelling story. I highly recommend this book to all paranormal romance or fantasy fans!

The Narration Review:

This audiobook was narrated by Sophie Eastlake and she did a great job. Her voice was easy to listen to and her characters were well defined. Sophie’s pacing and diction are excellent. A joy to listen to!

I loved the quirky humor in the story and could not stop listening to the story. I literally stayed up and listened to it all the way through. I am so glad the second book comes out on 8/2/11. If you like Christine Feehan and Kim Harisson you will love this author

I was thouroughly impressed with this audio book. The writing is great and the author has the characters reacting to situations in believable ways. The story is interesting, if a bit predictable. However, I found I couldn't stop listening. The narrator is just perfect. I highly recommend giving it a listen.

I listen to a lot of books. This is one of the best I've listened to in quite awhile. It grabbed me right from the start and didn't disappoint.

Let me preface my review by stating that I understand romance novels should not, generally, be expected to be written with a stellar level of quality. I know that they are supposed to be light-reads that appeal to various fantasies of the readers. That said, I would strongly recommend that any person with any amount of common sense forego this book. It will only aggravate you.

Performance: The reader who performed this audio book really distracted me from the story itself. The main female character is supposed to be a 25 year old woman who has lived on her own in New York for 6 years, but the reader voices her in such a way that I can only think of her as a whiny 17-19 year old girl still in throws of adolescent rebellion. And ALL of the male characters sound like surfers. Let me repeat that: All the male characters (who all live in New York City), including the elf, dragon (who was born at the dawn of time), and gryphon, sound like 20-something-year-old surfers from California. Furthermore, it seems that the only emotions the performer is able to give voice to are petulance, ignorance, confusion, and giddy. If you MUST try this book, I do NOT recommend listening to this version. You’d be better off just buying the book and reading it yourself.

Book: The story is what you’d expect from a poorly written romance novel. The main female character is somehow able to accomplish an “impossible” feat that no one else has ever been able to do since the beginning of time - despite the fact that she can’t even properly protect herself since she has absolutely no common sense. Within the first chapter you already know who will be the “surprise traitor” against the powerful main male character. The main male character is supposed to be, literally, as old as Earth; and yet, he comes across as being nearly as dumb as a rock. Oh, yes, and of course, despite being as old as Earth, instead of being a mature character who would want a mature mate, he chooses a 25 year old with a mommy-complex who was stupid enough to allow her (surfer) ex-boyfriend to blackmail her.

I would have never tried this book based on the summary, but there were so many good reviews of it that I thought it must be better than it sounded. Clearly, I was misled.

This is a well done adventure story. Dragos & Pia, as the romantic leads, are interesting, intelligent & courageous. Their characters & relationships develop as they are carried from one adventure to the next. The interest continues as things settle down for a bit while Pia finds her place in Dragos' world. The sex is steamy although there isn't a whole lot of down-time for that.

The supporting characters are fun too. So much so that I have listened to & enjoyed the entire series! However, this one is my favorite, and one I turn to when I can't sleep at night - just because it makes me feel good.