RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:
The first thing I have to say about DRAEGON'S LAIR and what stood out for me the most, is the wonderful medieval feel this story has. Thankfully, the dialogue is written more in tune with that time period than having them all speak today's English (i.e., "Pray, I know not your name," as opposed to "Pray, I don't know your name.") It really set the atmosphere of the book and kept me right smack in the middle of the time period I was supposed to be in. As to a quick summary, DRAEGON'S LAIR is about two physically and emotionally wounded souls, who, through a series of trials and tribulations, come to love and heal each other for their happily-ever-after.
Draegon has secluded himself away since the age of 10, kept his face covered and shown to no one, believing his veins flow with the blood of demons. He comes out only at night in the dark so that no one can uncover his secret, and during the day stays within the confines of his shadowy castle wearing a hood and cape. He's never known the touch of love or unconditional acceptance. Alys is wounded too, by a father who betrothed her to a villainous lord, Bastion, who then proceeds to whip, rape, and torture her both physically and emotionally, basically because he's not a nice guy and simply wants to. I have to say that as far as cruel, evil villains go, this guy takes the cake!
Okay, so this book is pretty standard fare in both plot and storyline. Nothing new to report on that front. But I enjoyed the two love stories it held between Draegon and Alys, and Alan and Leena, Bastion's right hand and Aly's maid servant. The confrontational scenes were good, especially in those involving Bastion, the secondary characters were all likeable, and speaking of Bastion, his character was evil enough to give me downright chills. My only criticism comes in the form of Alys, a woman who gets whipped, beaten, torn by thorns, falls down stairs, hits her head more than once, nearly dies from fever, slides down a cave and nearly drowns... Oy, I'm tired just writing all that—and there's more. It was all a little too much of that "damsel in distress mode" for me, and it had to be for her. Seriously, I would have enjoyed her character so much more if she hadn't been subjected to all that turmoil.
Other than that, DRAEGON'S LAIR was a book that I did enjoy, read fast, and that had a wonderfully tender love scene between Draegon and Alys near the end. Linda Ciletti shows she has a wonderful medieval writing voice, just perfect for telling tales of knights in shining armor coming to the aid of damsels in distress.
Nancy Davis
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