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Dragon's True Mate
by
Riley Storm
paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by High House Press on November 17, 2020 and has 231 pages.
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First in the Dragons of Mount Atrox paranormal romance series and revolving around the dragon clans of Five Peaks. The couple focus is on Lilly Vickers and Trevor Atrox.
My Take
Yeah, I know parents have had more experience of the world, but they also need to take into account their child’s passion. The Vickerses are so negative!
Lilly made some mistakes that were disastrous, but it also seems that she’s learned from it.
That third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Lilly’s and Trevor’s perspectives creates some fun moments with each of them wondering about their attraction to each other, if they should try and touch each other again, if they’re going too fast, if, if, if . . . Trevor wants so much to impress Lilly.
Then Lilly whines on about having sacrificed her principles, making it sound as if her ex was someone for whom she had done that sacrificing . . . but that’s not what she was saying earlier. I thinks she’s making some lame excuses.
Oh, man. Jacen lets Trevor have it, and I suspect he’s right.
Lilly certainly makes some good points about college, the economy, and the effect the Internet has on it. Trevor also makes a good point, attempting to see from Lilly’s parents’ perspective.
Oooh, bigotry . . . on BOTH sides.
Lilly cannot be thinking. She sure jumps on her own interpretation quickly, any interpretation that keeps her from committing. How is it charity that the man who destroyed her store is willing to spend his money to repair what he wrecked? Later events make me wonder how much of a coward she is.
Those religious idiots try my soul. Such unchristian people. The way that preacher is calling the dragons and Lilly evil when the religious nutjobs are the ones vandalizing her shop and attempting to intimidate her. What jerks!
It’s a story that’s action-packed but driven by its characters with a pace that varies.
A fun story, it needs smoothing out and more finesse with a love story that is too abrupt and awkward.
The Story
It was one invasion after another into Lilly’s life. Her parents, a saboteur, a dragon intruding into her meditation spot . . .
Then the vandal shows up and confesses.
He also rips a new one on the parents.
The Characters
Lilly Vickers has been divorced and forced to live with her parents for about a year now. She intends to open The Dragon’s Treasure, a curio shop of dragon items, with her savings. Her dad is an accountant. Randy is her ex-husband. Claire is her best friend.
Trent Atrox is a storm dragon (part of Clan Atrox) with a tempest of negativity swirling in his mind.
Five Peaks
Little Cerino’s is an Italian restaurant and mostly a takeout place. Patrick is the manager of Climbers, a nice restaurant and where Lilly works? worked? as a waitress. Rodney owns the convenience store next to The Dragon’s Treasure. Laura Fitzgerald is a real estate agent for the dragons.
Clan Atrox
Rann and Pietro go on a mission with Trent. Kladd is a team leader. Caladin is a captain in the Gate Guard. Damien. Jacen is quite the snarky dragon. Victor had been the last Atrox clan head.
Lothek is an ice dragon. The Shaft is a distillery and bar buried in the side of Mount Atrox.
Clan Aterna
Pace Aterna has been investing Trent’s treasure.
Clan Valen
Nico is a dragon there who found his mate, Stephanie. She has a house to sell.
Five Peaks Sheriff’s Department
Deputy Carla Frazer-Aterna is mated to a dragon.
The Church of the Anti-Wyrm (CAW) is . . .
. . . a hate group who hates dragons and anyone who supports them.
The Agency had been . . .
. . . a rogue branch of government based in Five Peaks and creating enhanced humans and weapons that could kill dragons. Wilson was once part of The Agency.
The Otherworld is a plane of existence where the enemies of humanity live: Fae, trolls, orcs, goblins, elves, vampires, and more. Gates are the only way for denizens of Otherworld to come to earth. The Gate Trevor’s clan is responsible for is on Mount Verdent. Fire dragons breath fire; as humans, they can conjure it. Frost dragons are the second most common with power over ice, snow, etc. Storm dragons control electromagnetic fields and the weather that comes with lightning and energy, wind, etc. Earth dragons are the rarest and control the earth’s elements.
The Cover and Title
The cover provides a brown mountainous background with a frontal close-up of Trevor’s amazing torso of muscles. Ooh, mama! Color comes from the orange and sparking yellow background for the title, a background that continues around Trevor’s waist. At the top left is the orange-to-yellow logo for the Five Peaks universe (text in white). Starting at Trevor’s waist is the title with the first word in white and the rest in a deep brown with a smidgeon of orange popping through on the final “t”. The series info is immediately below it in white with the author’s name (in white) at the bottom. Between the series info and the author’s name is a nasty looking beast in orange. I suspect it crawled out of the Gate!
The title is what Trevor discovers, the Dragon’s True Mate.
