Title: Vampire Dragon
Author: Annette Blair
Series: Works Like Magick #3
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Magic, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 22nd – 24th May 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: That is how I learned ‘trick dick’.

In Salem, Massachusetts, the Works Like Magick employment agency matches clients in need with magical temps. This time it brings two heart mates together, but when neither is who they appear to be, true danger could be even closer than true love…

Darkwyn, a former Roman warrior turned dragon, has landed in the 21sst century – in stark-naked human form – needing the help of Works Like Magick to build a new life. His first job is as a bouncer in Drak’s Place, a club for local wannabe vampires. But that’s just a cover – his real assignment could kill him.

Bronte McBride is on the run from the mob with her twelve-year-old nephew, Zachary. They both know too much, and a place like Drak’s offers the kind of anonymous protection they’re seeking. Darkwyn has what it takes to protect – and serve – even when he begins to suspect that his vulnerable charge, a woman he recognizes as his heart mate, isn’t everything she claims to be. Then again, Darkwyn has his own secrets. And now, as the past catches up with both of them, nothing less than ultimate chaos will be the next thing these guarded new lovers are destined to share.

I didn’t love this as much as the first two books in Works Like Magick. I think because I was still hanging out for a story featuring Vivica. And I found this a bit of a sad conclusion to the ending of this trilogy – normally the final book rounds out the battles that are being faced. But this is still very open ended with more dragon brothers due to come in and Killian still on the run… it’s a great story, but everything just felt a little unfinished.

Although I didn’t necessarily love this story as much as the first two tales, I did absolutely adore Darkwyn. He is difficult, contrary and not the most stable of characters. I love that he’s a little ADD with his approach to learning about how to acclimate to the rest of the world. I also love that he begins his romantic relationship with Bronte within the first few chapters where the other couples took a little longer to get there…

The setting for Vampire Dragon, whilst not my favourite, was one of the more humorous settings. It was one which felt beautifully ironic and kitschy… I did spend a lot of the time trying to figure out if the vampires in this story were actually real or just people posers. Then the masks just made it more and more kitschy as time went on. Not a bad setting and backdrop – but definitely not one that I completely adored and wanted more of.

Whilst I had a few concerns about this story, mostly in that it didn’t quite make my expectations, I did also seriously enjoy it. Puck the parrot is just adorable and hilarious. Bronte and Zack are the perfect beginnings to a family when Darkwyn joins. And the moments of bliss and relationship that develop throughout the story are just fun. Mostly, I loved Darkwyn – he was scattered, jumpy, and yet single-minded right the way through. A good little ending to a trilogy, I just need to get over my obsession with Jayden and Vivica…

Image source: Fantastic Fiction

Title: Bedeviled Angel
Author: Annette Blair
Series: Works Like Magick #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Magic, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 20th – 22nd May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I’m glad you’re here.

At the Works Like Magick employment agency in Salem, Massachusetts, matching clients in need with magical temps is a piece of cake, especially when the temp happens to be heaven-sent…

When Queisha Saint-Denis agreed to be a surrogate mother for a jet-setting – but childless – couple, she never dreamed she’d see a return on her fit. Literally. But now she’s looking at two adorable orphans, who come with a lot of baggage: there’s a battle brewing over who “inherits” them and their huge fortune, plus an unwanted (and alarmingly attractive) guardian, whom she’s sure has been hired by the duelling family members to keep an eye on her more than the children.

Chance Godricson is keeping an eye on Queisha. In fact, he’s her guardian angel. Ever since he gave his life to save hers, Chance has felt an undeniable connection to Queisha. And now that he’s back on Earth, in her house, surrounded by two scene-stealing moppets and a woman he finds irresistible, Chance is about to discover that helping Queisha and still staying angelic is not going to be easy…

I had honestly expected the second book in this series to be about Jayden and Vivica. After all, he’s the second dragon brother to rock up in Naked Dragon. Instead, it is about a character that I didn’t even know was likely to show up. And I wasn’t in the slightest bit disappointed. After all, Queisha and Chance turn out to be a lovely couple and you just can’t but fall for them. Over and over and over again.

There is nothing like a flawed heroine to make you fall in love. And, normally, these flaws seem to come in the shape of some tragic past that makes the characters prickly and somewhat difficult. Untrusting. Something like that. Queisha has had a tragic past, and there’s a fair bit of mystery that gets unravelled throughout this story. But what I really loved is that her flaw is so unlike that of any other character so far – she’s an agoraphobe. Dealing with a mental illness amongst the rest of the storyline was a brilliant way to create a new character. I feel like I need more stories with mental health being the flaw, rather than trust or some form of more aggressive response.

Amongst a fallen angel and an agoraphobe with some skeletons in the closet, Blair managed to throw in two gorgeous little girls. The fact that one carries the same name as me of course just made them all the more loveable. Amongst some more serious, seductive moments throughout this story, there are these gorgeous sparks of humour and fun that the twins bring to life. It also makes a fun, ready-made family story that doesn’t have all the messiness of pregnancy, hormones and new borns…

Bedeviled Angel is a sweet and easy read. It’s one that has this constant threat of destruction to the happiness of everyone hanging over their heads. A threat implicit in the removal of the twins to a new guardian, the loss of Chance when he gets his wings back… everything in this story, every happiness is under threat. Which, of course just makes you rip through it all the quicker. Just so you can be sure that there is actually a happily ever after at the end…

Image source: Amazon

Title: Naked Dragon
Author: Annette Blair
Series: Works Like Magick #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Magic, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 19th – 20th May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “American food is new to me.”

As owner of the Works Like Magick Employment Agency in Salem, Massachusetts, Vivica Quinlan has a gift for perfectly matching clients with magical temps that works like a charm every time…

McKenna Greylock contacts Vivica in desperate need of a jack-of-all-trades handyman to help repair her Victorian bed-and-breakfast. She has a shoestring budget and ninety days to meet the building inspector’s approval – or the house will be repossessed and purchased by a duplicitous developer.

To McKenna’s surprise, Vivica sends the gorgeous Bastian Dragonelli, who not only possesses the speed, strength, and agility to get the job done, but also sets her soul abalze with a fiery passion she’s never experienced before. And if McKenna can accept Bastian’s true nature – as a dragon warrior – she’ll find her life heating up in more ways than one…

There is something so simple and easy about Blair’s writing that hooks me every damn time. It’s not quite a guilty pleasure, because you just feel so at peace when you’re reading her works. But it’s also not exactly the kind of book that I rave about. After all, the very simplicity and joy that her writing brings isn’t the kind of earth-shattering, life altering storyline that my loved ones really care about. That, and the fact that the overarching synopsis of this story – dragon falls to earth, works as a handyman at a future B&B, falls for the owner, they battle an evil developer… it’s not the kind of synopsis that is going to make people say “tell me more”.

I really like that Blair tends to feature women who aren’t necessarily what you would consider typical – whatever their deal. In the case of MacKenna, she is curvy, a bit of a farm girl and definitely of the nurturing type. In fact, you can tell in every action that she yearns to nurture and love others. Even if others haven’t returned that favour. Blair is able to deal with and highlight issues that we all have about our own feelings of worth and self-image in a way that makes you reflect on your own issues and perceptions of self. Yet, it is done in such a gorgeously gentle way that left me with a huge smile on my face.

No matter how many books I read, I will always love stories that feature a dragon. Although this is a dragon stuck in man form, he still has a small dragon that flies around and assists him in his adventures. I love the cuteness of Jock, especially since he seems to just backup whatever it is that Bastian wants done. I would love to have a handy little dragon assisting me in all of my many endeavours. That, and an annoying little fairy that likes to nest in hair… the optimum sidekicks in this gorgeous little romance.

I absolutely adored this novel. And the moment that I finished it, I picked up Bedeviled Angel. In fact, as I’m writing this review (24 hours after finishing Naked Dragon), I am already halfway through the next novel. Blair’s work may be somewhat simple and calm, but it is also a great read. One that you can pick up and put down whenever you want that great feeling, a pick me up, or just something to occupy yourself when your going for a nice, long walk…

Image source: Amazon