Looking For a Good Book

I honestly don’t remember requesting the ARC for this book, but I recognize the publisher, the anthology series, and one of the editors and stories of dragons seem like something I’d be interested in, so I have no doubt that I did request this. I just don’t remember it – which is a little unusual.

This is a collection of romance stories … featuring dragons in one way or another.  Sometimes as the object of romance, sometimes otherwise.  But let’s recognize that ‘romance’ here generally refers to erotica.

I was generally impressed with the quality of writing on these stories. I didn’t recognize any of the authors’ names but editors Cosmin Alexander and Cecilia Tan  did a really fine job of selecting some top-notch fiction. However …

While I like to think I’m fairly open-minded, I have no interest in reading M/M erotica and there definitely was a bit of that here. More, perhaps, than I would expect to find in a general anthology without it being identified as such. I can appreciate the writing – even the descriptions of someone in ecstasy – but the male on male descriptions would be a turn-off for me.  I know … it’s biased. But we like what we like.

The first story, “The Terms of Alliance” by KJ Kabza , was really very well written. It describes the first man to become one of the elite dragon riders.  What he didn’t know until the last moment was that the bond between dragon and rider was physical – the impaling of a dragon’s spike, which helps secure rider to animal. Surprise!

“The Last Whisper of Killitch” by Julian Oliver-Fenn might be the best story in the collection, in which the danger of dragon pleasure is part of the appeal.

“Demon Spawn” by Dominic Santi doesn’t look too kindly on humans and has a darker tone (in case the title didn’t make that clear) but I enjoyed the story. It wasn’t just erotica for the sake of sex and it had a bite to it that I found refreshing.

My least favorite story in the collection was “Outermost Claw, Right Front Foot”  by Steven Schwartz. For me, this was just a boring fantasy story with added sexual content. Nothing fresh, new, or exciting.

Those not mentioned were fine. Good writing, enjoyable short fiction, but not outstanding.

This book contains the following:

Looking for a good book? If you like to mix your erotica reading with a bit of fantasy, specifically with dragons, you might enjoy the short story collection Like a Breath of Flame, edited by Cosmin Alexander and Cecilia Tan.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Like a Breath of Flame: A Circlet Anthology of Dragon Romance

editors: Cosmin Alexander and Cecilia Tan

publisher:  Riverdale Avenue Books

ISBN:  9781626016996

paperback, 168 pages