Dragons and magic in one story, with the added feature of a sex-shifting dragon and the promise of some enemy-to-lover sparkles, had me wanting to read this book from the moment I spied the blurb. And let me tell you, this tale is definitely imaginative, different, and not your average romance. While Garyn is a dragon shifter, who also happens to be able to shift between the male and female gender, Youltan starts out thinking he is straight, only to learn that not all is as it seems with him either. If you’re up for an adventure not just of the magical and fighting-the-evil-enemy kind, but also of the explore-the-characters’-sexual-orientation kind, then you should give this book a go.

Youltan is a young Ice Mage, the last of his kind, and not much liked by the ordinary people he helps. There is a mystery around why they need to be protected, and it’s definitely an interesting one when it gets revealed toward the end of the story. As usual with the best stories, at least for me, not all is as it seems, and the final solution is neither easy nor does it even seem possible. Youltan has fought prejudice all his life, and yet he has always selflessly done what was asked of him. But when he almost dies and is brought to Garyn in a last-ditch effort to save him, he ends up in a situation he likes less than his “normal” life.

Garyn is a dragon shifter, but an enslaved one. He is determined to free himself –sooner or later – no matter the cost. Only when he discovers that Youltan is not at all who he expected an Ice Mage to be, Garyn’s determination is put to the test. So are his morals and his honor. Both his and Youltan’s idea of who the enemy is and what they are after are severely put to the test, and what follows once they figure out the details is a battle of wills and wits that had me wondering if either of them would survive.

If you like mysteries and secrets, if the idea of a sex shifter who also happens to be a dragon sounds interesting, and if you’re looking for a different read that is as suspenseful as it is fun, then you will probably like this short novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Changeling Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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