3 winners & 3 losers from “Bring the Heat” by G.A. Aiken
The 9th book in the Dragon Kin series by G.A. Aiken (a.k.a. Shelly Laurenston), Bring the Heat, is finally here! It’s been 2 years since the previous instalment and I have to admit I’d forgotten some of the characters and events already. Nevertheless, I was happy to return to this story world. It’s set in a medieval time where there are vicious dragons (obviously), meddling gods, and ruthless humans. All in all, it’s funny, sexy, and so full of adventure.
As with the previous books, Bring the Heat is told in multiple perspectives. We catch up with our favourite characters from the last instalments quite often. I personally really enjoyed this, but I couldn’t help but be more invested in the side characters. While it was still an entertaining read and a fabulous continuation of the series, I wouldn’t call it one of my favourites.
Here are three winners and three losers who made Bring the Heat just a bit better than “good”.
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Winner: Annwyl The Bloody
Annywl is the main character in the first book, Dragon Actually, and Queen of Garbhan Isle, ruler of the Southlands. In Bring the Heat, she is leading the human army against the Zealots, followers of the eyeless god, Chramnesind. Annwyl was captured by demons at the beginning of the book. But instead of being a malleable prisoner, she kills every demon in her path and eventually slaughters their leader. She then becomes the queen. With her new demon army, she swoops into the final battle and wins the day.Loser: Branwen and Aidan
Although Branwen The Awful and Aidan The Divine are the main romance in the book, they are not central to the story. Their relationship is uncomplicated: they were good friends who decided to sleep together, then they realized they loved each other. The End. It was believable, realistic and nice, but it’s not remarkable. Unlike some other couples in this series, theirs was not a grand romance-- which is a shame as this book is supposedly about them.READ: 3 Nicest Guys in the "Dragon Kin series" by G.A. Aiken
Winner: Keita The Viper
Keita is the 5th offspring of Queen Rhiannon The White, Dragon Queen of the Southlands, and the main character in Last Dragon Standing. In Bring the Heat, she enlists the help of Branwen and Aidan to find her missing best friend, Ren of the Chosen. He’s the son of Empress Xinyi, the dragon ruler of the Eastlands. Keita single-handedly uncovers a plot against the empress and made it possible for Branwen to convince the dragon queen to join their war effort. Without the powerful empress, they wouldn’t have had enough magic to kill Chramnesind. |
| Illustration by Janson_G via Pixabay |
Loser: Lord Xing
Empress Xinyi’s brother, Lord Xing, made an alliance with the Zealots in the hopes of overthrowing his sister. He’s a loser by virtue of being a new character who was not at all developed, a stupid strategist who sided with the bad guys and was unable to assassinate Keita after multiple attempts, and for having imprisoned Ren in a castle that was so easy to break into. I mean, he’s made one bad decision after another. He didn’t stand a chance, poor guy.Winner: Brigida The Most Foul
We first met Brigida in Feel the Burn. She’s an ancient white dragon-witch and a Cadwaladr to boot. This means she’s old, powerful, and related to Branwen. While she seemed to be a dangerous old woman who’s probably done a lot of evil things in the past, I always knew she was on the side of the good guys because she’s family. But after reading Bring The Heat, it’s obvious that she has her own agenda. She regains her youth and acquires an unlikely apprentice. Now that Chramnesind is out of the picture, it looks like Brigida will be the next bad guy in the series.Loser: Vateria Flominia
Vateria is an iron-dragon from the Quintilian Provinces in the Western Territories. Her evil father was overthrown by Gaius Domitus, the Rebel King who is an ally of Queen Annwyl and Queen Rhiannon. Vateria has since been out for revenge and has become one of the key players in Chramnesind’s army. She’s cruel, brutal, and merciless. But, in Bring The Heat, she’s become a passive character. In the final battle, she doesn’t even go down fighting. Not a great way for such a formidable villain to go out.
Final Thoughts
Bring The Heat was a nice addition to the Dragon Kin series by G.A. Aiken. There were a lot of exciting scenes with side characters which eclipsed the main romance of the book. But, I’m glad we are finally done with the Charmnesind storyline. I’m so ready to see where the next story goes.I’d like to know more about the abominations (children of human-dragon couples), Brigida’s agenda, and the Eastland dragons. What are you most looking forward to in Dragon Kin #10?
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