Shannon C.’s review of Wings of Change by Bianca D’Arc
Fantasy erotic romance eBook released by Samhain 11 Sep 07

I recently glommed the first four books in Bianca D’Arc’s Dragon Knights series. You can read my thoughts on that set of books here. Originally, I’d started the fifth book during that initial glom, but reader fatigue set in so I didn’t pick it up until later. While it was not as compelling as the original four books in the series, I will definitely keep going.

This entry features Reynar, a dragon who has been wounded in battle. His rider, Kaden, thinks this is his fault, and both he and the dragon are carrying around some heavy guilt. Rey goes to hang out at a tavern where Lucia, former princess turned wandering nomad, is working as a servant. Lucy is drawn to Rey, and then to his rider, as well as his rider’s best friend, Marcus, whose dragon is mated to Rey. But can she give up the life she has lived in order to be with the dragons?

In more cynical moments, I have a tendency to turn up my nose at this sort of book. Lucy is a pretty flagrant Mary Sue. She can hear dragons, she commands powerful magics, and of course she has a tragic past. But then, I do have a soft spot for this sort of fantasy, and I remember that I always wanted to fly on a dragon, and who can fault a girl for wanting two hot men to fall at her feet? So this story was a great comfort read, with all the soppy dramatics and wish fulfillment I could want.

I liked the slightly longer word count of this book as compared to some of the other books I’ve read by Ms. D’Arc. I felt the characters were a bit more fleshed out because of it, and I thought the conflict was interesting and emotional, at least between Kaden, who I adored, and Reynar. Where I thought the book faltered somewhat was the romantic tension between the three protagonists. I felt that their coming together was pretty much a foregone conclusion, and Lucy was mostly being stubborn about the whole thing for no good reason. I do still find menage stories where the two men willingly share one woman hard to swallow most of the time. And this is the rare series I’ve read that convinces me that a M/F/M menage would not only be possible, but fun and exactly what everyone wanted.

I liked the glimpses of past happy couples, and was pleased that their presence only enhanced the action of the story. And the overarching plot about the dangers to the land of Draconia keeps developing in interesting ways that compel me to keep reading.

Overall, I found this story quite satisfying. It’s light and fluffy, but sometimes a bit of brain candy is a good thing.

Grade: B

Summary:

One young woman could be the miracle that heals a dying dragon—and unites a family with her love.

I Dream of Dragons I

Lucia, born a lady in a foreign land, now waits tables for her keep. When she sees Sir Reynor wasting away, she storms the Castle Lair seeking help for the dying dragon. What she finds is a dashing rogue, a mighty dragoness, and a contrite knight who blames himself for his dragon partner’s injury.

Marcus is enchanted by the foreign beauty and intrigued by her mission. Few women will go near dragons and fewer still can communicate with them. Marcus recognizes Lucia for the treasure she is and knows she is meant for him…and for Kaden.

Kaden is wracked with guilt over the injury that has grounded the dragon—possibly forever. He knows Lucia is special, and he wants her. Lucia just might be the missing piece they all need to form a family. But with Reynor unable to fly, how can any of them be happy?

To make this family whole, they need a miracle. And love—the greatest miracle of all.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex and ménage a trois.

Read an excerpt.

Shannon C‘s Duckies Do Series reviews of Dragon Knights (Books 1-4) by Bianca D’Arc
Erotic fantasy romance eBooks released by Samhain Feb 2006 – Feb 2007

A friend of mine actually recommended this series to me quite some time ago. She says it was at least a year ago, but I think she’s lying. In any event, I loved Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels, and figured that the adult version, where everyone’s grown-up and there’s lots of consensual sex would be fun. And these books really are amazingly fun. 

Maiden Flight (Book 1)
Released 14 Feb 06

I didn’t really expect to be so charmed by this start of the series. One of the heroes and the heroine pretty much fall into instant lust, and the rest of the story is basically about integrating Belora, the heroine, into life as the mate of a bonded Dragon Knight. In this opening installment of the series, Ms. D’Arc gives us just enough of the world of her books to explain what’s going on. It never felt infodumpy, and it all made sense. And while this book does spend a lot of time setting up the sequel, I thought it did so in a way that added to, rather than detracted from, the main story at hand. Plus, I was really impressed that Ms. D’Arc could sell me on the kind of triad where the two guys in question aren’t actually interested in each other. All I ask is a little bit of an explanation, even if it is “just call it dragon magic, honey.”

I didn’t entirely buy the romance in this book, because while it was hot, it seemed to have come about through author fiat rather than any true feelings from the characters involved. Normally, this would bother me a lot, but I liked the other aspects to the story, and if the characters weren’t as realized as I’d like, it still didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

Grade: B

Summary:

First in the Dragon Knights series.

War is coming for the knights, dragons, and a damsel who is not quite in distress, but finds her heart’s desire in the strong men of the Border Lair.

A chance meeting with a young male dragon seals the fate of one adventurous female poacher. The dragon’s partner, a ruggedly handsome knight named Gareth, takes one look at the shapely woman and decides to do a little poaching of his own.

Sir Gareth not only seduces her, but falls deeply in love with the girl who is not only unafraid of dragons but also possesses the rare gift to hear their silent speech. He wants her for his mate, but mating with a knight is no simple thing. To accept a knight, a woman must also accept the dragon, the dragon’s mate … and her knight too.

She is at first shocked, then enticed by the lusty life in the Lair. War is in the making and only the knights and dragons have a chance at ending it before it destroys their land and their lives. But there’s nothing a knight enjoys more than a noble quest and winning the heart and trust of a maiden is the noblest quest of all.

Warning, this title contains explicit sex and ménage a trois.

Read an excerpt.

Border Lair (Book 2)
Released 23 May 06

This story picks up directly after where Maiden Flight left off. It features Adora, the mother of the heroine in the first book. Adora is kind of a cheesy name, but if that’s really all I have to complain about, we’re doing pretty good.

In this installment, Adora finds love with Jared, the knight bonded to Kelzy, a dragon she has always thought of as a mother figure. Jared wants Adora. Adora wants Jared. But Jared has been carrying lots of guilt over the loss of his first wife and his young son. It will take the presence of a handsome ambassador from a neighboring kingdom with whom the dragons are at war to convince them both to act on their feelings.

I really loved this book. All three of our human protagonists go through a lot in their own rights. I loved the little dance Adora and Jared did around each other, both wanting and afraid to ask. It made the sexual tension positively sizzle. And the third member of their triad is an awesome hero in his own right, not as scarred emotionally as the other two, but a generally good-hearted person.

In fact, I have to say that Ms. D’Arc writes some amazing beta heroes. In all of the books, someone says that they would rather die than hurt their heroine, and in the case of all these men, I absolutely believe it.

The plot is just as interesting, and the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, as it is discovered that the twin daughters Adora had taken away from her are still alive.

Grade: A-

Summary:

War has come to the Border Lair, but as enemies become allies — and lovers — hope springs anew for the dragons and their knights.

A young widow, Adora raised her daughter by herself, but her girl is married now. Can Adora find a love of her own in the crowded Border Lair? Dare she even try?

Lord Darian Vordekrais is about to turn traitor, giving up his title, his lands, and his home in order to warn the dragons and knights of his treacherous king’s evil plan. Will his life be forfeit or is there some way he can make a new life in a foreign land?

Sir Jared lost his wife and child to treachery, but he knows Lord Darian and trusts him. Both men admire the lovely Adora, but Jared’s broken heart is frozen in solid ice. Or is it?

As war comes to the border, the knights and dragons of the Border Lair rise to the occasion. New allies rally to their side. Love blossoms and grows even as evil invades the land. The knights and dragons must stand fast against the onslaught, the beautiful woman of royal blood bringing them hope, healing and love.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, ménage a trois.

Read an excerpt.

The Ice Dragon (Book 3)
Released 29 Aug 06

One of the things I love most about these books is that they each lead seamlessly into the next, and are so compulsively readable that I kept going from one book to the next. This is something I almost never do.

Alania, one of Adora’s missing twins, has been a slave of the evil king Salomar in the north. Salomar at one point stole a dragon egg and made Lana tend it, hoping to watch the always fun sport of baby dragon dining on human flesh. Unfortunately for Salomar, Lana finds that she can talk to the dragonet, who calls himself Tor, and the two develop an immediate rapport. Eventually, they escape, and, a couple of years later, end up rescuing a black dragon as it falls from the sky. The black dragon is badly wounded, but Lana uses her innate dragon healing abilities. Of course, the rare black dragon is Roland, whom we learn in the first books in the series is the king of Draconia, and he wants Lana.

It was the dragons that made this book for me. I loved Tor, who is so obviously a precocious child. I imagine if he’d been human he would have irritated me because he is just too cute for words, but he wasn’t and he didn’t. And yet again, we have an absolutely awesome hero in the form of Roland, who is fiercely devoted to Lana and wants the best for her. I totally bought their romance, and loved watching Lana come into her own. Other revelations are made at the end of this book that move the overall story arc further, and the epilogue ends on the right note to segue into the fourth book.

Grade: B+

Summary:

A wild Northern Ice Dragon and the girl who raised him save the life of a fierce, shapeshifting royal black dragon, only to have him save them in return…with his love.

Third book in the Dragon Knights series.

When a royal black dragon falls under enemy fire, only the wild Northern Ice Dragon and his unlikely female rider can save him. Half wild, like the baby Ice Dragon she calls friend, Lana is a rare and powerful dragon healer. She saves the life of the royal black, only to learn this most sacred of dragons is half-man, able to shift from one form to the other at will.

Roland is king of all dragons and humans in his land but he’s far from home, mortally wounded, and his only refuge is the incredible woman who has saved his life and her young wild dragon friend. Lana is the purest form of magic to him, heaven to his senses in both dragon and human form. He knows almost from the first moment that he wants her for his very own.

But a warlord plots in the north, seeking to kill the dragons, who protect the northern border, and overrun Roland’s peaceful kingdom. Lana and her incredibly skilled Ice Dragon friend are the only ray of hope for the knights and fighting dragons of the Northern Lair. Just as Lana is the only love Roland will ever know. He can reunite her with her lost family, but can he win her heart and make her his queen?

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex explained in graphic terms.

Read an excerpt.

Prince of Spies (Book 4)
Released 6 Feb 07

There was a lot going on in this fourth book. We meet up again with Nico, known in his kingdom as the Prince of Spies, as he lets himself be captured by the evil king of Skithdron. He is intrigued by the poor starving waif of a healer that the king has tied to his bed. It turns out she is Arikia, Adora’s other lost daughter. They make their escape and begin a long journey home.

I loved these two characters. Riki is a pretty damaged woman, and I loved Nico’s devotion to her. Nico is just an awesome hero, and I really could buy that he was a spy. Unfortunately, at one point the plot takes center stage and veers into “Oh, for Pete’s sake” territory as Nico and Riki find themselves embroiled in a mysterious prophecy. But while I was reading, I very much enjoyed the book, so I’ll forgive the author for taking the plot in a direction I didn’t personally like.

Grade: B

Summary:

Prince Nico is a cunning master of stealth, but can he master a maiden’s fragile heart?

Fourth book in the Dragon Knights series, but can be read on its own.

Prince Nico is known as the Prince of Spies for a reason. Not only is he the Spymaster of Draconia, but he’s a cunning shapeshifter able to take the form of a dragon at will. The gift of his royal heritage comes in handy as Spymaster for the king, but it’s a great secret known only to a few.

Riki lives in misery, chained up to serve a mad king’s perverted magic. Forced to use her draining healing skills to keep King Lucan of Skithdron alive, Riki is a shadow of the woman she should be.

Nico knows Riki is the woman he’s been searching for and wastes no time breaking them both out of the enemy palace. Thus starts an adventure that will take them across two countries, through peril and danger, and the discovery of an undeniable love and mutual respect. Will Nico have the courage to let her fly free, trusting she’ll return to him, or will his love smother the fledgling beauty who is breathing free air for the first time in her tragic life?

Warning, this title contains explicit sex explained in graphic terms and scenes of ménage a trois.

Read an excerpt.

There are two other books in this series, but since the first four revolve around related heroines, I’ll be reviewing the next two individually.

Overall Grade: B