Struggled with this one a lot. And it's mostly my fault. I think I need more than a few weeks break from this series. I'm into more fast-paced books lately. This series however is leisurely: the story, the writing... it's all so slow. The author is taking the time to write down every detail, discuss every topic not once, but circles around each problem or question, studies it from every angle until all parties are satisfied with the resulting answer or outcome.

The story itself wasn't as satisfying to me as the ones before it. But overall the low rating is my fault.

I wanted to rush through the remaining 2 books I haven't read yet to finally get to the long-awaited Sweet Clematis. I guess I will have to wait a little longer.

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Loved this one so much, it was so sweet and romantic and lovely. This is exactly the book I needed right now. Zarrin and Joe made me cry a little and smile a lot, I can't imagine anything better than to be loved by a dragon. ( )

Each of the books set in the magical, supernatural world of R. Cooper’s ‘Being(s) In Love’ series is special in its own way. Whether it is fairies or werewolves or dragons or the humans some of them get involved with, I love all of their special rules with unforeseen consequences. Whether their mates are of the same species or whether they have to cope with cross-species rules on top of their personal issues and hang-ups, none of their relationships have been easy. Dragons, however, still hold a somewhat more special place in my heart than any other beings, so I was delighted to find out that ‘Treasure for Treasure’ has a dragon as one of the main characters, and a very unusual one at that.

Zarrin is the youngest dragon of his generation, and the only one left of his family. All the others have wandered off, unable or unwilling to live in the shadow of Dìzhèn the Great, their ancestor who put the small town of Everlasting under her protection. Zarrin doesn’t feel up to the task either, being softhearted, weak, small, and a disgrace. But what Zarrin lacks in stature, he makes up for with determination – he believes that the humans deserve to know they have not been forgotten. One human in particular has attracted his attention, but they are not even talking. Zarrin’s attempts at changing that are heartwarming, and I felt for him.

Joe is the human Zarrin is interested in, and he has a ton of issues as well. He does not trust easily, and considering his past, I can’t blame him. But, different from the other humans in Everlasting, Joe does not believe that dragons are all-powerful, good, and worthy of admiration. Above all, he can’t believe Zarrin will stay – after all, the rest of his family is already gone. But the attraction Joe feels is undeniable and Zarrin is rather persistent, so how is he supposed to resist?

Joe and Zarrin’s courtship is one of the most difficult, obstacle-ridden ones in the series. I could see both sides and understood their problems, but it was also much easier for me to see the solution than it was for them. Zarrin has to overcome his lack of self-confidence, and Joe has to learn to understand how dragons see the world. He thinks he knows all about them, but he could not be more wrong about some of the finer aspects of dragon etiquette. As in previous books, the characters’ emotional heartache was so real and things seemed so hopeless that I suffered right along with them. But the emotional roller coaster was well worth hanging on to – the ending was worth all the agony the author put them (and me!) through.

If you like stories about supernatural beings with particular hang-ups and a fascinating set of “rules” of behavior, if you enjoy watching two men redefine the way they see the world, themselves, and each other, and if you’re looking for a love story that is riddled with obstacles, heartbreaking, and sweet all at the same time, then you will probably love this novel as much as I do. It made me cry as well as laugh, had me turning the pages as fast as I could, and had me cheering for both characters as much as any others in this series.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )