Dragon Actually

Dragon Kin Series, Book 1

By: G. A. Aiken

Narrated by: Hollie Jackson

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

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 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.

©2013 G. A. Aiken (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Packed with bold adventure and sizzling sensuality" ( RT Book Reviews)

loved this story

So happy to find it in audio version. Distinctive voices and well read. nice inflection

Really good duo of stories :)

This book has 2 stories in it, #1 Dragon Actually (which is described in the blurb) and #2 Chains & Flames. Chains & Flames is the story of how princess Rhiannon got mated to Bercelak which really should be Dragon Kin 0.3 since Rhiannon and Bercelak are already together in Dragon Kin #0.4, Dragon on Top. The hero from this book's first story, Dragon Actually, is Fearghus, who is the oldest son of Rhiannon & Bercelak from Chains & Flames.


Dragon Actually
Audio start time: 0:00 - 6:34:41

4 stars

This story is about a dragon named Fearghus, who mostly just wants to be left alone in his cave. he's rather grumpy so most dragons leave him be. Fearghus gets pulled out of his cave when he hears fighting and he finds a warrior woman that's been gravely injured but still faces death bravely.

Annwyl the bloody is the illegitimate sister to the King...a very bad King. Her father didn't treat her well but he did bring her to live in the palace which caused her brother to hate her. When their father died, her brother tried to force her into a political marriage but she escaped and became the leader of a revolution. Now he's determined to kill her.

Annwyl is badly injured and would have died if not for Fearghus saving her. He allows her to stay with him while she's recovering and quickly discovers that she has no fear of him and she intrigues him. As she recovers, he offers to get her more training but dragons aren't supposed to show human they can shift so he when he turned human to train her further in swordplay, he didn't tell her it was him. This causes some problems because Annwyl finds her self extremely attracted to the Knight that's training her but falling in love intellectually with the dragon. So this causes some drama that obviously comes to a head but does get worked past. Annwyl is able to deal with her brother and win the Kingdom and after a bit more angst, Annwyl and Fearghus are together and starting a HEA.

Overall, this was a pretty good story. I really liked both Annwyl and Fearghus and liked seeing them get together. My only complaint it that there was some use of the "I'm leaving you for your own protection" plot tool...it annoyed me a bit but thankfully it was gotten past. Overall, I liked the story and characters very much.


Chains & Flames
Audio start time: 6:34:41 - 10:23:28

4-4,5 stars

This is the story of Rhiannon and Bercelak's mating. Bercelak has a high position in the Queen's army and has always had a thing for Rhiannon, the princess. When the Queen offers Bercelak Rhiannon as a mate, he accepts because it's what he's wanted and worked for for years. Unfortunately, Rhiannon isn't an easy dragoness to woo and Bercelak really has his work cut out for him. He makes good progress and Rhiannon does end up realizing that maybe they'd be good together. Unfortunately, the Queen is a bitch and tries to use Bercelak as a tool to control/break her daughter, not realizing that he's always wanted Rhiannon and would never follow that command. Action has to be taken and in the end, things are nicely settled and Rhiannon and Bercelak are starting and HEA together.

I really liked this one and almost gave it 5 stars. Rhiannon is a real bitch at times but I really loved seeing her soften little by little. I really loved the fact that she allowed herself to realize that Bercelak could be a good mate for her and not fight him just to be contrary or on principle. Bercelak was tough but he just knew what he wanted and was willing to do whatever was necessary to get it. Overall, I really liked the characters and thought the story was really good and engaging.

My favorite Dragon's

I love G A Aiken's sense of humor. Her characters are very well written. Great series. A favorite.

Annwyl the Bloody!

Dragon Actually
Great start to the series, really like Annwyl's character and her readiness to roll some heads! Lots of complaints about the narrator's nonchalance in the reviews, but I didn't mind it to be honest, I felt it brought a lightness to the story. Looking forward to the rest of the series!

Chains & Flames
I just listened to this because it was there, but didn't really enjoy the story. Just not into the whole Alphahole domineering way of showing affection, it was all a bit too melodramatic and antagonistic for me.

Decently Good Performance

Firstly, I have always read all of the books in this series with accents from the UK in my head. So, it was jarring to me to hear a very American voice using very British exclamations. That's not in the narrator's control though. My biggest critique of her actual performance was how verrrryyyy slowly she made Fearghus speak. I think she was going for haughty, but instead it came out like he was just slow. I am afraid for some of the future books in the series, because there are scenes where the characters are rapidly arguing back and forth and this drawling voice will be awful.

Still very much worth a listen as this series of books is my favorite of all time, and being able to listen to it during my commute back and forth to work, and during the day while at work, is making me happy.

Love it!

I love this series. It is snarky and twisted and absolutely wonderful. This is my second time listening to the series and is just as enjoyable the second time around.

BACKWARDS!

It would have made more sense and flowed better if the second story was first.

Loved it!

Loved it! My only complaint is that with a new narrator pronounced mamy of the characters names differently. After having listened to the previously released books multiple times its a bit irritating. however I'm still enjoyed it immensely and can not wait for the second book to be released.

The Stories of the Mad Queens

Told by the Queen of Story-Tellers. These two stories are the tales of the queens of the humans and the dragons who inhabit the world created by G. A. Aiken. Filled with humor and romance, treachery and passion, this is the beginning of the series that leaves me howling with laughter and delight as the lives and loves of dragons, humans unfold in all their glory and insanity. This world is also full of magic, centaurs, plotting and scheming, with the occasional god or goddess popping in and out to keep things challenging. When the human world we live in is too dreadful to deal with, remember that things could be worse -- your mother-in-law could be a dragon who thinks of humans as snack-sized morsels who occasionally talk too much.

One of my favorites!

I’ve read the Dragon Kin series five or six times by now and am going through it again. This time I downloaded the audio to listen to at work. I very much enjoyed the storytelling and the characterization and pacing was excellent!