
First in the Stonefire Dragon series by Jessie Donovan, Sacrificed to the Dragon is a new twist for me when it comes to dragon shifters.
I’m used to reading Sherrilyn Kenyon’s works where all these shape shifters are running around right under the noses of the very humans they often try to protect, but this one actually brings the shifters out into the open in present day.
So in this cosmology, the dragons of our mythology exist and can actually shift into human form like werewolves. They were hunted to near extinction before declaring their existence to the world and bargaining a truce with humanity by offering their blood (a cure all for 99% of diseases science is unable to take care of) in exchange for peace. Five dragon clans carved out their territories and negotiated where they could and could not go among the human lands, and for the most part the two races have lived in peace.
Of course there are still dragon hunters around who capture, torture, and kill them to sell their parts on the black market, but there is peace for the most part.
Existing only in the UK (as far as I know from this one book) there is even a whole department of government dedicated to continuing and nurturing ties between dragons and humans, including the sacrifices.
No, not the ‘om nom virgin’ sacrifices, but rather human females willing to sacrifice some of their time along with their bodies to help the dragon shifters continued existence.
Being hunted almost to extinction is never a good thing, and the dragon shifters find themselves in need of females and young to continue their line. So women volunteer to live among the dragons for six month, and sleep with an assigned male in an attempt to be impregnated by him. Only women with a certain genome can breed with the dragon shifters, and there is rigorous physical and mental tests to ensure the health and safety of the female while she lives with the dragons, but if all checks out away she goes. If she gets pregnant, she stays to give birth, after which she can leave and resume her normal life.
Melanie Hall is one such sacrifice. With her younger brother dying of an otherwise incurable infection, she offers herself up and is found acceptable. Paired with a dragon male who is such an ass at first, albeit with good reason, Melanie tries to make sense of her temporary new world and after seeing the disparity between humans and dragons first hand, is determined to change it.
The only thing is, there is no real Big Bad to focus on for this installment. It’s all focused on the main characters, with world building backstory which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s hard to put a finger on what the overall series plot it. Aside from hot dragonman sex.
There is mention near the end of a particularly cruel and vicious group of dragon hunters with some fancy new weapon to take dragons down on the wing so I assume that’s them, but they literally come in like two chapters before the end of the books so I’m not wholly sure.
Either way this series is now on my wish list so it’s only a matter of time till I find out.
Up next, Digging the Wolf by Steffanie Holmes.
Anna: It’s been five months since my boyfriend was tragically killed in a climbing accident. I didn’t think I was over him … until Luke walked on to the archaeological site. Tall, dark, sexy, tattooed, funny, dangerous. Everything I want in a man. But he’s hiding something. He acts strangely in the moonlight. He won’t tell me anything about his life. And I caught him trying to destroy an important find. My body aches for him, but my heart tells me I’m not ready to make myself vulnerable again, especially not for a guy who isn’t being straight with me. If only …
Luke: Anna Sinclair – archaeologist, geek girl, totally and utterly delectable. I knew from the moment her intoxicating scent wafted across my wolf senses, she’s meant to be mine. And that knowledge is terrifying. The last thing I expected was to find my fated mate on an archaeological site. Whenever I’m near her, all I want to do is claim her. But she’s broken. The last thing she needs in her life is a werewolf out for revenge. I’m here to destroy the site, to keep my family’s past buried forever. If Anna finds out the truth, she’d never speak to me again. But I can’t deny the bond between us. I’ll do anything to make her mine.