Dragon Soul

March 7, 2016
MacAlister’s third Black Dragons supernatural contemporary (after Dragon Storm) starts out looking like an endearing and quirky entry in a well-established universe, but it quickly becomes an irritating recitation of paranormal romance clichés. Tour guide Sophea Long’s husband was killed in an accident just after they spoke their vows. She’s hired by his cousin to escort a hilariously scandal-prone old woman from her home in California to a Nile River cruise that’s leaving from Cairo. Flames of the literal and metaphorical varieties get started when Rowan Dakar, an alchemist turned sociologist, rescues Sophea from the demons who want to rob the elderly woman and informs her that the man Sophea married was a dragon, meaning that she has the powers of a dragon’s mate. The amusing and quirky whirlwind tour of the Amazon bogs down into a tedious and often obnoxious slog as Sophea’s oblivious ignorance breaks its comic limit. The plot consistently answers her brash assertions of competent badassery by turning her into a damsel in distress whose only consistent achievement is managing Rowan’s unhinged masculine lusts. Agent: Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary.

Tavia Gilbert narrates the third book in MacAlister's Dragon Fall series with vim, verve, and vigor. Sophea Long is escorting her elderly client across Europe to Egypt, where she'll cruise down the Nile. At the same time, Rowan Dakar has been hired to break the object of power that still holds sway over the Dragonkin. This installment has a slightly more sober tone than the previous volumes, dealing as it does with Sophea's grief over her husband's death and Rowan's guilt at his part in the death of the Red Dragon Sept. Nonetheless, Gilbert perfectly captures the plentiful humor in the plot and skillfully gives voice to a large cast of characters with a multitude of accents. Highly recommended for fans of humorous paranormal romance. K.M.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine