Review: Never Deal with Dragons by Lorenda Christensen

This is the first book in the DRACIM series by Lorenda Christensen.  I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I chose this book because I am a lover of dragons, especially shapeshifter dragons.  For some reason I thought that this is what this book would be about.  Similar to G.A. Aiken's Dragon Kin series.  Boy was I wrong.

This story starts with Myrna Banks dealing with the consequences of a pregnant dragon eating the beloved dairy cow of a local farmer.  She is tasked with mediating a fair settlement between the two and making sure that everyone is happy.  This is no small feat, especially with a dragon suffering from pregnancy hormones and nausea has just thrown up said beloved dairy cow all over her office and the farmer is present to see his favorite cow in undigested pieces on the floor right in front of him.

Okay, so you probably need a little background right?  Basically, some doctor while looking for the cure for cancer, mixed a little of this and a little of that with reptile DNA and did some experimentation.  When he found his cure, his lab assistant took all his experiments and threw them into an incinerator.  As it turns out, this was a perfect recipe for dragons to evolve.  The incinerator birthed 7 dragons.  These dragons bred in secret and grew and prospered.  Soon after World War III, a dragon was pictured flying above a city. It was at that point that humans united and tried to take out the dragons.  Big mistake, since dragons have the ability to regenerate and are extremely hard to kill. When it became obvious that they couldn't be eliminated, especially due to their current numbers and invincibility, someone came forward to try a diplomatic solution. It was found that only a very few rare individuals were able to understand the snorts, huffs and smoke streams and actually communicate with the dragons. They were called Dragonspeakers.  Most dragonspeakers work for DRACIM, or Dragon Relations, Arbitration and Cooperative Interspecies Mediation, like Myrna.  They work with the dragons, especially the Dragon Lords who rule over all the other dragons and most of humanity.

Basically, this was a book about Myrna and her ex-boyfriend Trian, who she will have to work with on a highly sensitive assignment.  But there is also plenty of action and adventure as Myrna travels from Tulsa to China to Budapest, fighting with dragons and tracking down a device.  We can't forget the urban fantasy of the alternate future and the dystopian aspects of the dragons ruling in the future. All topped with a mystery of what is going on with the device, who commissioned it and why.  What we end up with is an Urban Fantasy Romantic Action/Adventure Mystery with Dsytopian undertones.  Or in other words, a book that just about anyone could find something they enjoy in.  And right up my alley.  I especially liked the humor and the originality of this book.  I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads and hope the author is hard at work on book 2.

Consoling a sobbing dragon and serving pig buffets are just part of the job for Myrna Banks. Working for a mediation firm, it’s her job to get humans compensated for damages caused by the dragons who now rule. But her “typical” day is interrupted by Trian Chobardan, an old flame who sneaked out of her bed two years ago, taking her heart and a handful of classified documents with him.

Myrna would love to show Trian the door, but he’s been sent by North America’s reigning dragon lord for help negotiating a truce with a powerful rival to avert war. Myrna agrees to help, even though she’ll be stuck with Trian as a partner.

As the two work together, Myrna finds Trian to be surprisingly supportive—and still irresistibly attractive. Though her brain tells her not to forget his betrayal, her body feels differently. When they learn the enemy dragon lord is planning something no one could have imagined, Myrna has to learn who she can trust before she loses not only her heart, but her life.