Genre: Fantasy, Shifter
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Sherry, PRG
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About The Book
Prince Valerian Tallis has always been forbidden from searching for his soulmate.
Once, the Tallis royal line was strongly bonded with the dragon shapeshifters of the land. However, when Valerian’s ancestors grew too greedy, the dragon shapeshifters went into hiding.
Dragon shapeshifter Kaenor Alreny has never known anything but total isolation and to keep clear of the royal family.
But when the kingdom is invaded and the Tallis family taken captive, Valerian has no choice but to seek out Kaenor and beg for his dragon soulmate’s help. Kaenor’s price is simple: to break their soul bond. Which means that for Valerian to stand a chance at saving the world he’s always known, he’ll have to give up the person he’s always dreamed about.
The Sacrificial Soulmate is an m/m dragon shapeshifter novella in a fantasy setting that includes: ritual sex, loss of virginity, and sex with shapeshifting elements. It contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers.
The Review
“But maybe they could have forged something. Even now, Valerian’s blood is rushing with adrenaline in his veins. He’s never worked magic with someone else before. And even though it was simply an oath-swearing, it was a heady experience. He wishes that there was just time to delight in what wonders they could make together. Instead, their brief time will be spent honing battle magic.”—The Sacrificial Soulmate
Third person, present tense can be jarring to read if you’re not used to it. What is often appealing about it, though, is that it is both economical and direct. Very direct. Therefore it lends itself nicely to the novella format and erotica.
“The Sacrificial Soulmate,” is a quick read, and fairly easy to follow. There are parts of the story that I would have enjoyed had there been more exposition or some expansiveness. But it’s not pretending to be a full-length novel, so it works well as it is, which is a dragon shifter, fated mate tale.
Dragon shifter Valerian Tallin has hidden his ability to transform for years. It was necessary, a self-protective act. Prince Kaenor Alreny has been hiding something else—all due to the unfortunate but logical consequence from centuries of their respective clans abusing their ancestral bonds. These bonds were forged, once upon a time, between the dragon shifters and the royals because their individual magics, when combined through ritual sex, were enhanced and virtually undefeatable.
Bonds such as those also make them soulmates. Although the soulmate bonding eventually draws them closer and to the necessity of sexual magic, neither is looking for, as Kennedy writes, “love or destiny.” Well, we all know where that is headed…
Kennedy has written an interesting plot, characters who must overcome their preconceptions and prejudices, tossed in the requisite dragon flight and obligatory sex then wrapped it up in a tidy package—not to mention the cover with its subtle but scaly nod to dragon sifters.
“A four-star rating for a novella about soulmates finding one another, forming a tentative lifelong and powerful bond, all while struggling to save their ancestral home, people and way of life from the devastation of war.”
The Reviewer
Sherry Perkins has worked as a licensed practical nurse for more than thirty-five years and has experience in psychiatric/addictions nursing, nursing-care coordination, and risk management. She earned a BS in health sciences from Campbell University and has spoken at public health functions on topics such as addiction prevention and treatment, prevention of teenage opioid deaths, and connecting patients who are resistant to treatment with appropriate services.
A mother of four, Perkins lives with extended family on the Delmarva Peninsula, where she enjoys collecting shells and sea glass; reading and writing mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy; doing organic gardening; and following the Dave Matthews Band around the East Coast