Series Name: Elder Races, # 1
Review By Veronica
Dragon Bound is a thrilling and swoony romantasy read.
Favourite Quote:
Pia was blackmailed into committing a crime more suicidal than she could possibly have imagined, and she had no one to blamed but herself.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Half-human and half-Wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the Wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful—and passionate—of the Elder Races.
As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in each other.
Pia knows she must repay Dragos for her trespass, but refuses to become his slave—although she cannot deny wanting him, body and soul.
Thea Harrison has rekindled my love for urban fantasy. I stepped back from urban fantasy ten years ago; nothing sparked my interest in this sub-genre anymore. I stumbled on Dragon Bound while listening to the romance book podcast called Fated Mates. Jen and Sarah, who run the podcast, did a deep dive into Dragon Bound, and I was instantly intrigued by the plot and its characters. I have to say that this was one addictive read. I could not put it down. Thea has created a world that is vast and interesting. She has thoughtfully blended all these fantasy elements within our urban world. I loved seeing how the magical world functions within, shall I say, our muggle world. It was so fascinating, and I know that I’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to exploring the world Thea has created.
A lot is going on in this book. Thea starts this series with one hell of a bang. Usually, with fantasy series, the most powerful character gets their story at the end of the series. There usually is this build-up to something big, but in this case, Thea has started the series with Dragos, the king of the shifters. Talk about a very clever way to hook your readers in. I loved how this story progressed; it has so many fun and wild twists and turns that there is no way you can get bored. There is also a surprising amount of humour in this book. Drago’s character is this big, broody alpha male who is to be feared by all. But his character also brings a lot of humour to the story. He is old; he was born when the world was created, so he has difficulty keeping up with modern changes. There are a few humorous and quirky moments when Dragos struggles to understand modern-day things, like the word for a Ziploc bag. Those moments were a delightful surprise. Dragon Bound really has it all. There is plenty of action, romance, and even a bit of mystery. Thea brings everything together beautifully. She ensures that her readers have everything they need to understand the world she has created while not giving too much away.
I loved all the characters. Dragos is fabulous in so many ways. I love a good alpha male character, especially one whose carefully constructed world is about to be destroyed by a heroine. Dragos thinks he’s seen and done it all. There is a part of him that is bored with life. That is until a mysterious thief breaks into one of his vaults and leaves him an apology letter. This woman instantly intrigues Dragos, and her scent enchants him. He needs to find this woman, and when he does, he knows he has found something that must be treasured. The relationship between himself and Pia does not go smoothly, not only because they find themselves running from goblins and dark fae for a good part of the book, but also because Dragos has never been in a romantic relationship. The poor guy doesn’t know how to act like a boyfriend and doesn’t understand the feelings he has for Pia. It’s adorable and funny. He doesn’t realize that he is mating with Pia. I loved watching this all-powerful being floundering a bit.
Pia is a great character. She is sassy, smart, and also very mysterious. She is a great and capable heroine for a fantasy novel. For the majority of the story, Pia alludes to hiding her true self from the world because her mother told her that if the world knows who she really is, she’ll be in danger. I loved trying to figure out this mystery surrounding Pia. Clues kept on being dropped throughout the story that there was something special about her, and when I finally got to the big reveal, it was not something I was expecting. My heart kind of went out to Pia in this book; she found herself in this dangerous situation because she trusted the wrong guy. It’s not like she is naïve about men, and she beats herself up for trusting her ex-boyfriend. The thing is that Pia is lonely, and the loneliness that she feels has made her desperate for any kind of human/shifter connection.
This is a romantasy, which is a term that is becoming more popular in the book world. Romantasy is a book that is a combination of romance and fantasy. There is a wonderful balance in this book. Thea brings to the table all those things that make a fantasy novel great and then injects romance into the story. This is an epic love story between Dragos and Pia. There are plenty of high-tension moments because they are running for their lives in this book, which often heightens those lusty feelings they have for each other, leading to some pretty steamy scenes. We also get to watch two people learn how to be in a relationship with each other and see all those ups and downs that often come with a new romantic relationship. Thea brings together a lot of fabulous tropes. There is forced proximity, road trip, alpha male, fated mates, and a few others that I don’t want to mention because it will give spoilers away. I loved everything about these two.
Dragon Bound is a book that I will read again and again.
