Well, the conflict didn't make that much sense to me, but I enjoyed the characters and the world, was just as glad to skip through bad guy catching, and at 86%, here I am looking at a bonus short after an appropriate but not terrific ending. ... And done. It was fine.

In summary, I don't regret reading this, but it did need another edit pass by the author and editor to lift it above average. Ah well. ( )

There were things I totally loved but also things that totally annoyed me...

That's not very helpful but it would take too long for me to from my thoughts right now. ( )

A dragon and a necromancer walk into a bar...

After a slew of sweet reads from Megan Derr this takes a more raunchy tone right from the start. Rochus is old and grumpy and I never really understood quite why Tilo wanted him so badly especially since he cut him down every time he tried to speak about feelings but Tilo was a sweetheart and I wanted things to work out for him.

Interesting world building (as usual) I certainly read more about this universe.

Enjoyed. ( )

A dragon and a necromancer walk into a bar...

After a slew of sweet reads from Megan Derr this takes a more raunchy tone right from the start. Rochus is old and grumpy and I never really understood quite why Tilo wanted him so badly especially since he cut him down every time he tried to speak about feelings but Tilo was a sweetheart and I wanted things to work out for him.

Interesting world building (as usual) I certainly read more about this universe.

Enjoyed. ( )

Unwanted marriages are one thing, considering a lot of arranged unions are not necessarily to the participants’ liking. But when they are also unexpected and unavoidable, things have probably gone a bit too far. That is the situation Rochus, a respected necromancer in the queen’s service, faces when he is told in no uncertain terms that he is going to marry some dragon lord he has never met. The queen herself has decided this, so there isn’t much Rochus can do. What happens next is an adventure, some dangerous magic, and a romance that almost gets ignored because both Rochus and Tilo, the dragon in dire need of help, are too stubborn and too busy misunderstanding each other.

Rochus is a necromancer, misunderstood and feared by most, and he likes his life the way it is. His home is in a deserted tower, his work takes him wherever they need his services, and he hasn’t had a lover in years. He thinks it’s because of the way he looks: “his teeth were more like those of a wolf—teeth he did not use thus because he was a civilized, capable necromancer of forty-three, not some ravening monster” – and that may be part of it. Personally I think his less than sparkling personality and general grumpiness may have something to do with it. Because even when Tilo, a gorgeous young dragon practically throws himself at Rochus before he even knows they are getting married, Rochus refuses the possibility of that interest being genuine. His self-esteem definitely needs work!

Tilo desperately needs help from a necromancer, and since all his petitions have gone unanswered, he decides to force the queen’s hand by calling in a favor she owes his family. Tilo thinks by marrying said necromancer, the man will be “forced” to help him. He did not consider the implications of trying to force an experienced magus to do anything! Tilo is adorably helpless in some respects, but determined to find out who has been attacking his territory. And since he has his heart in the right place, Rochus does decide to help – which gets both of them into more trouble than either had expected.

If you like adventures with dangerous opponents and magic used as a weapon, if two men who are hot for each other but fail to accept they are not the only one who feels the attraction, and if you’re looking for a read about a forced marriage that turns out to be so much more, then you will probably like this novella. It’s entertaining, suspenseful, and very sweet.


NOTE: This book was provided by Omnilit / All Romance eBooks for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )