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Light Dragons #1
Love in the Time of Dragons
Tully Sullivan is just like any other suburban mom—unless you count the days every year that she zones out and turns base metals in to gold. Those are weird.
And now she’s woken up in a strange place surrounded by strange people who keep insisting they’re dragons—and that she’s one too. But not just any dragon. She’s Ysolde de Bouchier, a famed figure from dragon history.
Tully can’t shape-shift or breathe fire, and she’s definitely not happy being sentenced to death for the misdeeds of a dragon mate she can’t remember. All Tully knows is that she wants her son back. So she’ll have to find a way to solve the crimes of a past she has no memory of living…
And now she’s woken up in a strange place surrounded by strange people who keep insisting they’re dragons—and that she’s one too. But not just any dragon. She’s Ysolde de Bouchier, a famed figure from dragon history.
Tully can’t shape-shift or breathe fire, and she’s definitely not happy being sentenced to death for the misdeeds of a dragon mate she can’t remember. All Tully knows is that she wants her son back. So she’ll have to find a way to solve the crimes of a past she has no memory of living…
331 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 4, 2010
About the author
Katie MacAlister
102 books5,940 followersFor as long as she can remember, Katie MacAlister has loved reading. Growing up in a family where a weekly visit to the library was a given, Katie spent much of her time with her nose buried in a book. Despite her love for novels, she didn't think of writing them until she was contracted to write a non-fiction book about software. Since her editor refused to allow her to include either witty dialogue or love scenes in the software book, Katie swiftly resolved to switch to fiction, where she could indulge in world building, tormenting characters, and falling madly in love with all her heroes.
Two years after she started writing novels, Katie sold her first romance, Noble Intentions. More than thirty books followed during the years after Noble's publication. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and placed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell, and for the mystery world as Kate Marsh.
Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online.
Two years after she started writing novels, Katie sold her first romance, Noble Intentions. More than thirty books followed during the years after Noble's publication. Her novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and placed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell, and for the mystery world as Kate Marsh.
Katie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dogs, and can often be found lurking around online.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 405 reviews
May 13, 2010
Important: If you are planning to read this book, in my opinion it is very important to first read the four Aisling Grey books followed by the three Silver Dragons books. If you don't read these books, even though this book is listed as first in series, I believe you will be *Very* confused when reading this book. If you haven't read the background from those other two series, I feel like you won't get much enjoyment from this book as you will be left scratching your head a lot.
I enjoyed this book, and Katie MacAlister is one of my favorite authors. However, I did feel that there was a big flaw with this book. The scenes in the book would flip between dream-like-sequences and reality, from one time period to the next, without proper segue between them. Several times when reading this book I became confused and realized that the heroine had switched to a different scene. A couple of times it actually took me reading a couple paragraphs before I realized the switch had taken place. So, I really didn't like that.
However, as a big fan of the Aisling Grey series as well as the Silver Dragons series, I still really enjoyed the book to continue with the storyline of the wyverns and dragon septs.
I enjoyed this book, and Katie MacAlister is one of my favorite authors. However, I did feel that there was a big flaw with this book. The scenes in the book would flip between dream-like-sequences and reality, from one time period to the next, without proper segue between them. Several times when reading this book I became confused and realized that the heroine had switched to a different scene. A couple of times it actually took me reading a couple paragraphs before I realized the switch had taken place. So, I really didn't like that.
However, as a big fan of the Aisling Grey series as well as the Silver Dragons series, I still really enjoyed the book to continue with the storyline of the wyverns and dragon septs.
September 1, 2015
1.5 Stars
This is my first book by Katie MacAlister and I can't say I liked it. I am so disappointed as I'd heard that MacAlister's books are funny and very entertaining. Sadly, 'Love in the Time of Dragons' was neither. In fact I thought it was pretty terrible. It's not particularly well written and it's not well structured either - it's a mess.
'Love in the Time of Dragons' is very confusing, mainly due to the 'mind time travel' or 'dream sequences' and there are also numerous characters present as well as the two/three main protagonists. The first few chapters were sort of entertaining but it very quickly lost all appeal.
Tully Sullivan is a present day woman learning magic. She's also married to Gareth and a mother to nine year old Brom. A few times a year she goes into a 'fugue' like state and while she lays sleeping for a few weeks, her mind travels back in time to that of Ysolde, a seventeen year old girl.
Most of the time when Tully goes back to Ysolde it's mid page, sometimes mid sentence without warning and I'm left wondering what the hell is going on, who is who and who's saying what!
The only way I could differentiate between the two was the fact that seventeen year old Ysolde and twenty-something Tully are like chalk and cheese, with Ysolde being the more interesting of the two. She has spirit and she's feisty. Tully on the other hand let's her husband call her a "stupid bitch" without as much as a pause in the conversation to slap him one! Although, now I know that this was only added so I would dislike Gareth and therefore certain things could happen between Tully and her real love interest Baltic.
After a while Tully is told that she is the reincarnation of Ysolde and a few more chapters in Tully becomes Ysodle and there are no more 'fugue' episodes. Tully accepts this without question and no further explanation is given.
When Tully learns that Baltic (Ysolde's lover) has also been reincarnated she doesn't remember him, or have any feelings for him. But then things change literally over night. Tully suddenly loves Baltic! Passionately! Which of course means ripping each others clothes off (even though Tully is married I may add). Tully does try and stop all the shenanigans due to the fact she's married but doesn't quite manage it. They may not have sex but they do practically everything else. And because she didn't allow Baltic to have sex she offers to please him as compensation! Isn't that nice of her... although this is also cheating on your husband me thinks!
Baltic is the only character I remotely liked *and it was remote* - he is on the side of Neanderthal but he's quite funny in places, but sadly this is overused and becomes tiresome.
I also felt as though I was dumped mid series. Despite the fact that this is the first in a new spin off from the author's dragon series, I got the feeling that I needed to have read the other books to understand this one a little better. The mention of dragons and powers by the characters was as if they were talking about the weather. I didn't have a clue if their world was known to the world at large or a secret or if the magical world was the actual world. See - confusing! Although, to be honest, there wasn't much world-building at all which is probably why it was so ambiguous.
This book tries to be funny - it fails. The banter between Tully and Baltic is forced and irritating. The romance is non existent and the sexual content left me feeling uncomfortable rather than hot and bothered. Their banter is childish rather than humorous, which towards the end was mostly about Baltic being jealous of the fact that Tully might like to watch a bit of man on man action - it just went on and on...
Also, on a few occasions, Tully's son Brom kept looking at his mother's 'boobs' and then talks about her nipples... well, this just left a bad taste in my mouth. I realise this was during the incessant banter between characters and was meant to be comical, but it just didn't work for me.
VERDICT:
'Love in the Time of Dragons' is pretty awful in my opinion with not one really interesting character. The sexual content is cringe-worthy, rather than hot and romantic, and the plot is very confusing and weak. Because of these faults I can't really recommend it.
However, I have heard that some of the authors other books are great and very entertaining, which I hope is true as I already have a couple on my shelf - but I definitely won't be picking up the next book in this series.
This is my first book by Katie MacAlister and I can't say I liked it. I am so disappointed as I'd heard that MacAlister's books are funny and very entertaining. Sadly, 'Love in the Time of Dragons' was neither. In fact I thought it was pretty terrible. It's not particularly well written and it's not well structured either - it's a mess.
'Love in the Time of Dragons' is very confusing, mainly due to the 'mind time travel' or 'dream sequences' and there are also numerous characters present as well as the two/three main protagonists. The first few chapters were sort of entertaining but it very quickly lost all appeal.
Tully Sullivan is a present day woman learning magic. She's also married to Gareth and a mother to nine year old Brom. A few times a year she goes into a 'fugue' like state and while she lays sleeping for a few weeks, her mind travels back in time to that of Ysolde, a seventeen year old girl.
Most of the time when Tully goes back to Ysolde it's mid page, sometimes mid sentence without warning and I'm left wondering what the hell is going on, who is who and who's saying what!
The only way I could differentiate between the two was the fact that seventeen year old Ysolde and twenty-something Tully are like chalk and cheese, with Ysolde being the more interesting of the two. She has spirit and she's feisty. Tully on the other hand let's her husband call her a "stupid bitch" without as much as a pause in the conversation to slap him one! Although, now I know that this was only added so I would dislike Gareth and therefore certain things could happen between Tully and her real love interest Baltic.
After a while Tully is told that she is the reincarnation of Ysolde and a few more chapters in Tully becomes Ysodle and there are no more 'fugue' episodes. Tully accepts this without question and no further explanation is given.
When Tully learns that Baltic (Ysolde's lover) has also been reincarnated she doesn't remember him, or have any feelings for him. But then things change literally over night. Tully suddenly loves Baltic! Passionately! Which of course means ripping each others clothes off (even though Tully is married I may add). Tully does try and stop all the shenanigans due to the fact she's married but doesn't quite manage it. They may not have sex but they do practically everything else. And because she didn't allow Baltic to have sex she offers to please him as compensation! Isn't that nice of her... although this is also cheating on your husband me thinks!
Baltic is the only character I remotely liked *and it was remote* - he is on the side of Neanderthal but he's quite funny in places, but sadly this is overused and becomes tiresome.
I also felt as though I was dumped mid series. Despite the fact that this is the first in a new spin off from the author's dragon series, I got the feeling that I needed to have read the other books to understand this one a little better. The mention of dragons and powers by the characters was as if they were talking about the weather. I didn't have a clue if their world was known to the world at large or a secret or if the magical world was the actual world. See - confusing! Although, to be honest, there wasn't much world-building at all which is probably why it was so ambiguous.
This book tries to be funny - it fails. The banter between Tully and Baltic is forced and irritating. The romance is non existent and the sexual content left me feeling uncomfortable rather than hot and bothered. Their banter is childish rather than humorous, which towards the end was mostly about Baltic being jealous of the fact that Tully might like to watch a bit of man on man action - it just went on and on...
Also, on a few occasions, Tully's son Brom kept looking at his mother's 'boobs' and then talks about her nipples... well, this just left a bad taste in my mouth. I realise this was during the incessant banter between characters and was meant to be comical, but it just didn't work for me.
VERDICT:
'Love in the Time of Dragons' is pretty awful in my opinion with not one really interesting character. The sexual content is cringe-worthy, rather than hot and romantic, and the plot is very confusing and weak. Because of these faults I can't really recommend it.
However, I have heard that some of the authors other books are great and very entertaining, which I hope is true as I already have a couple on my shelf - but I definitely won't be picking up the next book in this series.
June 13, 2010
Since I first read 'You Slay Me' I have LOVED the Dragon Sept books, Aisling was hilarious, Drake was brooding and sexy and Jim had all the best lines. The series moved into the books of the Silver Dragons and I followed it, finding I liked the character of May, she brought something new to the books, particularly with her problems with her demon lord and Gabriel's inability to perform foreplay. (You have to read them, trust me, it works.) So when we moved into the novels of the Light Dragons, I moved with them. Whilst the original books are still my favourites I did enjoy Love in the Time of Dragons. I am not saying it is a perfect novel, because it isn't, but I frequently smiled and laughed out loud which is what I want out of a fun book! And trust me I laughed! Why? Various things but mainly because of Jim, why? Because as I said he gets all the best lines, "who do I have to crotch snuffle around here to get some food?"
I'll get to Jim in a little while, I'll start with our main protagonists now, they are Ysolde and Baltic. We have met Baltic before, he has been mentioned since the beginning but in the last novel we discovered he had been reincarnated. The tale is told from the view point of Ysolde, a woman with no memory of being a dragon and who believes she is Tully Sullivan, apprenticed to an Arch-mage with a vacant husband and a son called Brom. We soon discover she is Ysolde, Baltic's mate, resurrected, but she has no memory of this, in fact she has no memory of many things! That is a mystery to be resolved which the books sets off to do. Because of this the book dips in and out of the past as Ysolde relives key moments in her life. This can be confusing, but then Ysolde is confused and she is telling the story, so do what I did and go with it... it all works out!
Baltic is intense, moody, dogmatic or should that me dragonmatic? He is not my favourite of the male heroes in the books, but then he would have a LONG way to eclipse Drake! But I liked him well enough, a 14th century Warlord in the body of a 30 year old dragon certainly can be amusing reading, his ideas on somethings don't quite mesh with Ysolde's and he is obsessed with his belief that she is kinky. She admitted to him, after he told her that his lieutenant likes men, that a fantasy of hers was to watch a little m/m action, I am not saying any more. I know this has already got some of your attention!
The best thing about the book is that fact that all your favourite caharacters are there. Aisling, Drake, Jim, Gabriel, Kostya, May, Cyrene... the list goes on. This gives the book fuel and a familiarity. When Ysolde is having flashbacks we discover more about the septs and the dragons. (Drake and 3 french wenches, need I say more?)
The ending is open, this is not the last book and it is building to something big, whilst there is enough resolved for you to feel it is an ending there are still open questions to lead us into the next story. The main question for me is... what about those blood spots?
A fun, sexy, laugh out loud book, perfect for a summer read, has enough umpf for you do be able to ignore the kids upending someone off a lilo, but generally it is easy enough to follow so you can put it down and go for a swim (some bits I did have to reread after putting the book down, but they were not a huge amount). Just don't expect lost of sex, it has sexy scenes but the main sex scene is towards the end of the book and it has an interesting twist!
Sexy summer fun I give it 3.5 frilly bikini bottoms out of 5. A minxy summer read.
I'll get to Jim in a little while, I'll start with our main protagonists now, they are Ysolde and Baltic. We have met Baltic before, he has been mentioned since the beginning but in the last novel we discovered he had been reincarnated. The tale is told from the view point of Ysolde, a woman with no memory of being a dragon and who believes she is Tully Sullivan, apprenticed to an Arch-mage with a vacant husband and a son called Brom. We soon discover she is Ysolde, Baltic's mate, resurrected, but she has no memory of this, in fact she has no memory of many things! That is a mystery to be resolved which the books sets off to do. Because of this the book dips in and out of the past as Ysolde relives key moments in her life. This can be confusing, but then Ysolde is confused and she is telling the story, so do what I did and go with it... it all works out!
Baltic is intense, moody, dogmatic or should that me dragonmatic? He is not my favourite of the male heroes in the books, but then he would have a LONG way to eclipse Drake! But I liked him well enough, a 14th century Warlord in the body of a 30 year old dragon certainly can be amusing reading, his ideas on somethings don't quite mesh with Ysolde's and he is obsessed with his belief that she is kinky. She admitted to him, after he told her that his lieutenant likes men, that a fantasy of hers was to watch a little m/m action, I am not saying any more. I know this has already got some of your attention!
The best thing about the book is that fact that all your favourite caharacters are there. Aisling, Drake, Jim, Gabriel, Kostya, May, Cyrene... the list goes on. This gives the book fuel and a familiarity. When Ysolde is having flashbacks we discover more about the septs and the dragons. (Drake and 3 french wenches, need I say more?)
The ending is open, this is not the last book and it is building to something big, whilst there is enough resolved for you to feel it is an ending there are still open questions to lead us into the next story. The main question for me is... what about those blood spots?
A fun, sexy, laugh out loud book, perfect for a summer read, has enough umpf for you do be able to ignore the kids upending someone off a lilo, but generally it is easy enough to follow so you can put it down and go for a swim (some bits I did have to reread after putting the book down, but they were not a huge amount). Just don't expect lost of sex, it has sexy scenes but the main sex scene is towards the end of the book and it has an interesting twist!
Sexy summer fun I give it 3.5 frilly bikini bottoms out of 5. A minxy summer read.
February 20, 2015
Long time villain, Baltic, finds redemption and his mate
I really loved the beginning of Love in the Time of Dragons and even though I am not a fan of flashbacks I actually enjoyed them here. I thought that Tully's dreams were a very effective way of telling the story of Silver Dragon Ysolde and Black Dragon Baltic's love in their past life together, while also allowing the now human Tully to slowly regain her memories of her life as Ysolde and her love for Baltic.
At the start of the story I really liked Tully/Ysolde's character. She's in a somewhat strange situation, with all of our old favorite characters (Aishling, May, Gabriel, Drake) from the previous Dragon books telling her that she's actually a reincarnated dragon, but even though Tully was questioning her own sanity, I thought that Tully was incredibly sane for a McAllister heroine. However, somewhere along the way that all changes and Tully becomes the typically zany heroine of these Dragon books and begins to loose her own identity to the point where Tully ends up nearly interchangeable with Aishling or one of many of the author's past leading ladies.
Even so, I still really enjoyed the parts with Baltic past and present - I love it when a villain is redeemed and there wasn't any being in the dragon world more 'evil' or reviled than Black dragon Baltic, so turning Baltic into hero material is quite satisfying and Tully's Baltic is a wonderful dragon mate and their chemistry together is quite good.
On the whole with a slightly different ending I would have still really liked the book just because of the parts with Baltic. And quite honestly I'd have been happy if this story had been a standalone. However, since Love in the Time of Dragons begins a new Light Dragon series there was s not a happily ever after yet for Tully and Baltic. And the ending - which set up for the rest of the series - left me feeling a bit depressed.
I really loved the beginning of Love in the Time of Dragons and even though I am not a fan of flashbacks I actually enjoyed them here. I thought that Tully's dreams were a very effective way of telling the story of Silver Dragon Ysolde and Black Dragon Baltic's love in their past life together, while also allowing the now human Tully to slowly regain her memories of her life as Ysolde and her love for Baltic.
At the start of the story I really liked Tully/Ysolde's character. She's in a somewhat strange situation, with all of our old favorite characters (Aishling, May, Gabriel, Drake) from the previous Dragon books telling her that she's actually a reincarnated dragon, but even though Tully was questioning her own sanity, I thought that Tully was incredibly sane for a McAllister heroine. However, somewhere along the way that all changes and Tully becomes the typically zany heroine of these Dragon books and begins to loose her own identity to the point where Tully ends up nearly interchangeable with Aishling or one of many of the author's past leading ladies.
Even so, I still really enjoyed the parts with Baltic past and present - I love it when a villain is redeemed and there wasn't any being in the dragon world more 'evil' or reviled than Black dragon Baltic, so turning Baltic into hero material is quite satisfying and Tully's Baltic is a wonderful dragon mate and their chemistry together is quite good.
On the whole with a slightly different ending I would have still really liked the book just because of the parts with Baltic. And quite honestly I'd have been happy if this story had been a standalone. However, since Love in the Time of Dragons begins a new Light Dragon series there was s not a happily ever after yet for Tully and Baltic. And the ending - which set up for the rest of the series - left me feeling a bit depressed.
June 4, 2010
Very disappointing! I liked the overall story line and thought it had so much potential BUT it was confusing and irritating. She bounced between her past to her present without letting you know that was what was happening. I would be like three sentences into the past before I even realized that I wasn't in the present anymore. Her son seemed inconsequential. I don't see the purpose of having him in the story at all. He was also very weird and kind of disrespectful not to mention spoiled. The main character was a bit over the top with her 20 questions in 5 seconds. And the end she kept threatening with bananas and talking about her deserts... very aggravating. There was too much going on at any one time and it was beyond irritating. I will likely not read the next book even though the story line could have been awesome.
September 28, 2011
5+ stars
Love in the Time of Dragons is book one in the Urban Fantasy series The Light Dragons. The only reason I bought this book was because the cover drew me in from across the bookstore. And I'm happy to say I thought the story is absolutely fantastic!!! I can't even begin to write a review for this book. There was so much going on I can't seem to wrap my head around it all. Lots of twists and turns involved in the war, treachery and memory loss that spans hundreds of years. All of the characters are quirky and hilarious. And on top of it all, there is romance within this UF tale. Not a lot of description to the smexy scenes, but what you are given is enough to fuel your imagination.
I HIGHLY recommend this book and I'm moving on to the next installment The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons :)
Love in the Time of Dragons is book one in the Urban Fantasy series The Light Dragons. The only reason I bought this book was because the cover drew me in from across the bookstore. And I'm happy to say I thought the story is absolutely fantastic!!! I can't even begin to write a review for this book. There was so much going on I can't seem to wrap my head around it all. Lots of twists and turns involved in the war, treachery and memory loss that spans hundreds of years. All of the characters are quirky and hilarious. And on top of it all, there is romance within this UF tale. Not a lot of description to the smexy scenes, but what you are given is enough to fuel your imagination.
I HIGHLY recommend this book and I'm moving on to the next installment The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons :)
September 2, 2010
Two things really:
First, this book was HYSTERICAL -- the bits about her "kinks" had me rolling :)
Second, it was confusing as @#$%. Srsly. I didn't realize this was a spinoff of a well-established series until about three chapters in, when I was feeling overwhelmed with all the characters and obvious subtext.. The whole "Light Dragons, #1" thing threw me off. DEFINITELY read the other "dragon" novels first before even attempting this on or you'll be scratching your head half the time.
(and third, be prepared for the total WTF cliffhanger ending. I seriously thought for a second that I'd gotten a bad copy because it just.. well... stopped at the end, rather than have everything neatly tied up with just a hint at a sequel)
Even so, I say 4 Stars because it was so bloody amusing :)
First, this book was HYSTERICAL -- the bits about her "kinks" had me rolling :)
Second, it was confusing as @#$%. Srsly. I didn't realize this was a spinoff of a well-established series until about three chapters in, when I was feeling overwhelmed with all the characters and obvious subtext.. The whole "Light Dragons, #1" thing threw me off. DEFINITELY read the other "dragon" novels first before even attempting this on or you'll be scratching your head half the time.
(and third, be prepared for the total WTF cliffhanger ending. I seriously thought for a second that I'd gotten a bad copy because it just.. well... stopped at the end, rather than have everything neatly tied up with just a hint at a sequel)
Even so, I say 4 Stars because it was so bloody amusing :)
September 19, 2011
3.5 Stars
Tully Sullivan wakes up to find herself in a household somewhere in London with strangers. She has no memory as to how she got there and even her past is foggy but one thing she is sure of is that she is not the dragon these people claim her to be! But when she starts to have visions of a past life she can no longer deny that she has some kind of connection to this Baltic, who these strangers claim is the murderess dragon she is mated to.
After she finds out that these people are actually dragons themselves, silver dragons, and plan to sentence her for a crime her mate supposedly committed, she sets out to find Baltic. The man she sees’s in her visions, which are memories of a past life as Ysolde, can’t be responsible for murdering other dragons in cold blood. The truth might not help though when they have no proof and the other dragon septs are unwilling to keep the peace. Can Tully prevent another war from starting and will her and Baltic have a second chance at love or will he turn away when he finds out that she is married with a son?
I have to admit that the whole first half of Love in the Time of Dragons confused the heck out of me and I almost put it down. Though this is the first book in the Light Dragon series it is not the first book in the vast and complex world Katie MacAlister has put together with these characters. Unless you do some major research like I ended up doing when I hit the middle of this book then I would very much suggest reading K.M.’s Aisling Grey: Gaurdian and Silver Dragons series before starting on this one or you might end up as lost as I did.
The story transitioned from past to present, Tully to Ysolde, quite often and it was pretty choppy. You would finish one sentence and then in the next you were somewhere/someone else. Though after a while it wasn’t so much of a surprise, it did take me out of the story for a moment to find my bearings. I enjoyed the character of Ysolde and though the Tully of today doesn’t show a lot of her qualities I am hoping that she will slowly develop them in future installments as she ingrains herself more with her past life. Ysolde was brave and determined while Tully seems to be a bit flighty and lets others walk all over her. Though towards the end she does start to redeem herself in that quality by standing up for herself and those she loves. She was humorous however and a lot of her dialogue with Baltic was downright hilarious! I enjoyed Baltic as well. His character wasn't as developed as I felt it could be but I am hoping that that too will change in future installments and as we learn more about him. He is definitely a sexy man, er…dragon, who knows what he wants and goes after it.
The secondary characters of Tully’s son Brom and the demon dog Jim added another funny element to the overall story arc and helped push it along. There were a lot of introductions of characters though that again, if you aren’t familiar with this world already is hard to keep up with. All the characters were quirky and interesting and by the end I did finally started to get the hang of this unique world K.M. has created, in fact I plan on getting the next book in the this series, The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons, this week.
The plot was good with some interesting twists at the end and the suspense in the romance was well laid out. There were also a few sexy love scenes to keep lusty romance readers like myself happy and several drool worthy dragons to fantasize about, including the hero of the story. ;)
Tully Sullivan wakes up to find herself in a household somewhere in London with strangers. She has no memory as to how she got there and even her past is foggy but one thing she is sure of is that she is not the dragon these people claim her to be! But when she starts to have visions of a past life she can no longer deny that she has some kind of connection to this Baltic, who these strangers claim is the murderess dragon she is mated to.
After she finds out that these people are actually dragons themselves, silver dragons, and plan to sentence her for a crime her mate supposedly committed, she sets out to find Baltic. The man she sees’s in her visions, which are memories of a past life as Ysolde, can’t be responsible for murdering other dragons in cold blood. The truth might not help though when they have no proof and the other dragon septs are unwilling to keep the peace. Can Tully prevent another war from starting and will her and Baltic have a second chance at love or will he turn away when he finds out that she is married with a son?
I have to admit that the whole first half of Love in the Time of Dragons confused the heck out of me and I almost put it down. Though this is the first book in the Light Dragon series it is not the first book in the vast and complex world Katie MacAlister has put together with these characters. Unless you do some major research like I ended up doing when I hit the middle of this book then I would very much suggest reading K.M.’s Aisling Grey: Gaurdian and Silver Dragons series before starting on this one or you might end up as lost as I did.
The story transitioned from past to present, Tully to Ysolde, quite often and it was pretty choppy. You would finish one sentence and then in the next you were somewhere/someone else. Though after a while it wasn’t so much of a surprise, it did take me out of the story for a moment to find my bearings. I enjoyed the character of Ysolde and though the Tully of today doesn’t show a lot of her qualities I am hoping that she will slowly develop them in future installments as she ingrains herself more with her past life. Ysolde was brave and determined while Tully seems to be a bit flighty and lets others walk all over her. Though towards the end she does start to redeem herself in that quality by standing up for herself and those she loves. She was humorous however and a lot of her dialogue with Baltic was downright hilarious! I enjoyed Baltic as well. His character wasn't as developed as I felt it could be but I am hoping that that too will change in future installments and as we learn more about him. He is definitely a sexy man, er…dragon, who knows what he wants and goes after it.
The secondary characters of Tully’s son Brom and the demon dog Jim added another funny element to the overall story arc and helped push it along. There were a lot of introductions of characters though that again, if you aren’t familiar with this world already is hard to keep up with. All the characters were quirky and interesting and by the end I did finally started to get the hang of this unique world K.M. has created, in fact I plan on getting the next book in the this series, The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons, this week.
The plot was good with some interesting twists at the end and the suspense in the romance was well laid out. There were also a few sexy love scenes to keep lusty romance readers like myself happy and several drool worthy dragons to fantasize about, including the hero of the story. ;)
December 7, 2013
Woman with husband, child and career discovers that she really has amnesia, is not a woman but a dragon with a nasty ex dragon lover. All this is disclosed to her by perfect strangers who she then asks to bring her child to her and off the plot goes.
This book was a classic lite supernatural-romance, as such quite diverting if you are in the mood but with nothing to make it stand out from dozens of others. I quite enjoyed it because I was in the mood for light reading, but it is not an especially good book. The writing is indifferent, the plot is formulaic, the ‘twists’ in the plot are beyond obvious and the dozens of extra characters are one dimensional and un-enthralling.
Regarding the characters; this reads like one book in a series and a popular thing these days in fantasy romance seems to be to create on book for each romance, so for someone who has read all the previous books, the one dimensionality of most of the characters may not be a problem. Since the reader has already bonded with other couples by reading their stories in other books, they already identify with them. It is still not well written as a stand alone book however, and going online I find it is meant to be a "# 1" in a series which surprised me.
I personally did not much like the ‘leading lady’ I found her character quite inconsistent, she babbled foolishly for a lot of the book and she was quite dumb – a characteristic I do not find endearing. She worked well enough for the story line though, even if the intention to write her as a strong and resolute character failed, I didn't mind too much.
Up till now it was three stars, purely because I was enjoying it.
At the end we reach the great exposé, the finale. And all I could think is: Was the author on speed, a frantic deadline, or serious sleep deficiency?
The last chapter is idiotic, with characters behaving like stereotypes from a bad farce, the lead woman babbling constantly about sorbet (wtf?), a serious trial (could end in death serious) degenerating into a food porn chapter.... just...... wtf? Major war averted.... somehow, plot totally out the window.
And regarding the food farce – if the huge array of canapés described were really on the table, it would have taken more than two people working all morning to make that spread. Maybe the author was on a diet and fantasising about all the food she had ever eaten. Just saying.
This book was a classic lite supernatural-romance, as such quite diverting if you are in the mood but with nothing to make it stand out from dozens of others. I quite enjoyed it because I was in the mood for light reading, but it is not an especially good book. The writing is indifferent, the plot is formulaic, the ‘twists’ in the plot are beyond obvious and the dozens of extra characters are one dimensional and un-enthralling.
Regarding the characters; this reads like one book in a series and a popular thing these days in fantasy romance seems to be to create on book for each romance, so for someone who has read all the previous books, the one dimensionality of most of the characters may not be a problem. Since the reader has already bonded with other couples by reading their stories in other books, they already identify with them. It is still not well written as a stand alone book however, and going online I find it is meant to be a "# 1" in a series which surprised me.
I personally did not much like the ‘leading lady’ I found her character quite inconsistent, she babbled foolishly for a lot of the book and she was quite dumb – a characteristic I do not find endearing. She worked well enough for the story line though, even if the intention to write her as a strong and resolute character failed, I didn't mind too much.
Up till now it was three stars, purely because I was enjoying it.
At the end we reach the great exposé, the finale. And all I could think is: Was the author on speed, a frantic deadline, or serious sleep deficiency?
The last chapter is idiotic, with characters behaving like stereotypes from a bad farce, the lead woman babbling constantly about sorbet (wtf?), a serious trial (could end in death serious) degenerating into a food porn chapter.... just...... wtf? Major war averted.... somehow, plot totally out the window.
And regarding the food farce – if the huge array of canapés described were really on the table, it would have taken more than two people working all morning to make that spread. Maybe the author was on a diet and fantasising about all the food she had ever eaten. Just saying.
October 1, 2017
This book is a mess!!!!!! We the reader are dropped into the middle of a story with no background information. The POV changes between the past and now with no transition between the two. The world is a mix between medieval fantasy and modern with no explanation.
Tully/Ysolde wakes up kidnapped with a brain/memory of swiss cheese with people who claim that she is a dragon. Her 9 year old son acts like a late teen and calls her by her last name. The dragons who have kidnapped her tell her she is this dragon that she claims she is not. (In flashbacks we see this is the second time this has happened since when she was 17 eons ago some dragons kidnapped her and told her what she was and tried to teach her what she was supposed to be). Skip to now and she's an adult with the same thing happening again because she somehow doesn't remember her history. The dragons decide that they are going to hold her responsible for the murders her mate committed because he is insane. She begins to remember things about this but she didn't participate. The dragons can't get hold of her mate so plan to kill her despite her noninvolvement and not actually being Ysolde.
The female dragons are brainless doormats who follow their mate's leads and commands even when they sentence Tully to death for a life and crime she doesn't remember and claims that she didn't do (which she didn't). All the men are misogynistic a**holes, ALL OF THEM! Tully's current husband is an asshole who has been using her to make gold for himself and treats her like shit. It turns out that he trapped her in marriage to keep her from her true dragon mate (another asshole). He is actually married to who Tully thinks is her sister in law. He basically raped her to get her with child to keep her under his control and use the child as a pawn to get rich. This kid is fucked up by the way, he's supposed to be 9 but acts nothing like a kid, is disrespectful to his mom, believes what any old stranger will tell him and is obsessed with mummies and making mummies. Jim the demon dog acts like a 13-15 boy with potty jokes and sex on the brain, all he thinks and talks about is sex.
There is a sequel because this ends on a cliffhanger, I will not touch that book with a 10-foot pole.
Pissed my first review got erased!
Tully/Ysolde wakes up kidnapped with a brain/memory of swiss cheese with people who claim that she is a dragon. Her 9 year old son acts like a late teen and calls her by her last name. The dragons who have kidnapped her tell her she is this dragon that she claims she is not. (In flashbacks we see this is the second time this has happened since when she was 17 eons ago some dragons kidnapped her and told her what she was and tried to teach her what she was supposed to be). Skip to now and she's an adult with the same thing happening again because she somehow doesn't remember her history. The dragons decide that they are going to hold her responsible for the murders her mate committed because he is insane. She begins to remember things about this but she didn't participate. The dragons can't get hold of her mate so plan to kill her despite her noninvolvement and not actually being Ysolde.
The female dragons are brainless doormats who follow their mate's leads and commands even when they sentence Tully to death for a life and crime she doesn't remember and claims that she didn't do (which she didn't). All the men are misogynistic a**holes, ALL OF THEM! Tully's current husband is an asshole who has been using her to make gold for himself and treats her like shit. It turns out that he trapped her in marriage to keep her from her true dragon mate (another asshole). He is actually married to who Tully thinks is her sister in law. He basically raped her to get her with child to keep her under his control and use the child as a pawn to get rich. This kid is fucked up by the way, he's supposed to be 9 but acts nothing like a kid, is disrespectful to his mom, believes what any old stranger will tell him and is obsessed with mummies and making mummies. Jim the demon dog acts like a 13-15 boy with potty jokes and sex on the brain, all he thinks and talks about is sex.
There is a sequel because this ends on a cliffhanger, I will not touch that book with a 10-foot pole.
Pissed my first review got erased!
June 27, 2010
From Kindleliciousreads.com:
This was a pretty short read, so I will just do a quick review. If you have read all of Katie Macalister’s dragon books up until now, you will love this addition. We finally get to see what big bad Baltic is all about. If you haven’t, you will be pretty lost. I even had to go back to the previous books to make sure I had the plot correct. The most important thing to know is that Baltic and Ysolde were both killed a long time ago, and have been reincarnated to find each other again and serve some sort of purpose that we have not learned about yet. I thought this book was much better than the two silver dragon books, just much more entertaining…and to be honest, Gabriel just gets on my nerves. I loved the dynamic of Baltic and Ysolde/Tully. There was this one scene where they were looking back at their previous selves in bed and Ysolde started umm…comparing and contrasting old vs. new Baltic. I didn’t think I would ever stop laughing. And Ysolde’s son Brom was hilarious, especially when paired with my favorite demon dog Jim. Jim was at his best in this one, actually, everyone was pretty funny in this one. Baltic cracked me up more than once:
Ysolde: “You think so? Well maybe your precious Aisling just needs to watch out, because I’m not some pushover, you know. I’m a mage, and mated to the baddest ass in the dragon world.”
Brom looked speculatively at Baltic. “That’s you?”
Baltic: “Yes. If you were my son, as you should have been, you, too, would have a badass.”
My only complaint about this book was the ending. I know it’s setting us up for future books in the series, but it was very unsatisfying. There were also a few plot elements that were left unresolved, but hopefully we will get to those in the next one. I am also hoping to see more of sexy Italian blue dragon, Bastian.
Rating: 8.5
This was a pretty short read, so I will just do a quick review. If you have read all of Katie Macalister’s dragon books up until now, you will love this addition. We finally get to see what big bad Baltic is all about. If you haven’t, you will be pretty lost. I even had to go back to the previous books to make sure I had the plot correct. The most important thing to know is that Baltic and Ysolde were both killed a long time ago, and have been reincarnated to find each other again and serve some sort of purpose that we have not learned about yet. I thought this book was much better than the two silver dragon books, just much more entertaining…and to be honest, Gabriel just gets on my nerves. I loved the dynamic of Baltic and Ysolde/Tully. There was this one scene where they were looking back at their previous selves in bed and Ysolde started umm…comparing and contrasting old vs. new Baltic. I didn’t think I would ever stop laughing. And Ysolde’s son Brom was hilarious, especially when paired with my favorite demon dog Jim. Jim was at his best in this one, actually, everyone was pretty funny in this one. Baltic cracked me up more than once:
Ysolde: “You think so? Well maybe your precious Aisling just needs to watch out, because I’m not some pushover, you know. I’m a mage, and mated to the baddest ass in the dragon world.”
Brom looked speculatively at Baltic. “That’s you?”
Baltic: “Yes. If you were my son, as you should have been, you, too, would have a badass.”
My only complaint about this book was the ending. I know it’s setting us up for future books in the series, but it was very unsatisfying. There were also a few plot elements that were left unresolved, but hopefully we will get to those in the next one. I am also hoping to see more of sexy Italian blue dragon, Bastian.
Rating: 8.5
May 4, 2014
Before I review this book, I must caution all those who are about to read the book:
DO NOT READ THIS BEFORE READING THE AISLING GREY SERIES AND THEN THE SILVER DRAGON SERIES
I'm a huge fan of Aisling and her shenanigans. I picked up Love in the Time of Dragons thinking it's a separate series set in Aisling's world. To my dismay and delight, it turns out to be all interrelated, so while I was rejoined with Aisling and the lovely Jim, I had also missed out big chunks of the action by skipping the Silver Dragons novels. -_-. Not happy. Gonna pause this series and go back and read the Silver one first.
Well, going through all that effort means I liked the book. Yes I did. Hilarious and utterly ridiculous, this book is such an addictive guilty pleasure. Sure it's complete brain fluff. When reading a MacAlister book make sure you leave your brains at the door. Because her books defy all logic and common sense, but no one cares really. They're so much fun and so completely out there that I'm more than happy to switch off my brain and just enjoy the ride.
I can't wait to find out how the story pans out and how everything eventually gets resolved. However, I'll have to catch up on the Silver Dragon Series first, but I'm sure that will be as enjoyable as this.
One thing that I didn't appreciate about this book is Aisling and Jim's characters became flat. I know this is a single minded book with only 2 spots reserved for round-ish characters and those spots are taken by the mains but it's Aisling and Jim!!! They're the ones that started it all! And to be degraded to such one-dimensional characters is such an insult! For that I'm taking a star off!
If you loved the Aisling series then definitely pick up the spin-off series cause who can get enough of hunky, moody, arrogant dragons?!
DO NOT READ THIS BEFORE READING THE AISLING GREY SERIES AND THEN THE SILVER DRAGON SERIES
I'm a huge fan of Aisling and her shenanigans. I picked up Love in the Time of Dragons thinking it's a separate series set in Aisling's world. To my dismay and delight, it turns out to be all interrelated, so while I was rejoined with Aisling and the lovely Jim, I had also missed out big chunks of the action by skipping the Silver Dragons novels. -_-. Not happy. Gonna pause this series and go back and read the Silver one first.
Well, going through all that effort means I liked the book. Yes I did. Hilarious and utterly ridiculous, this book is such an addictive guilty pleasure. Sure it's complete brain fluff. When reading a MacAlister book make sure you leave your brains at the door. Because her books defy all logic and common sense, but no one cares really. They're so much fun and so completely out there that I'm more than happy to switch off my brain and just enjoy the ride.
I can't wait to find out how the story pans out and how everything eventually gets resolved. However, I'll have to catch up on the Silver Dragon Series first, but I'm sure that will be as enjoyable as this.
One thing that I didn't appreciate about this book is Aisling and Jim's characters became flat. I know this is a single minded book with only 2 spots reserved for round-ish characters and those spots are taken by the mains but it's Aisling and Jim!!! They're the ones that started it all! And to be degraded to such one-dimensional characters is such an insult! For that I'm taking a star off!
If you loved the Aisling series then definitely pick up the spin-off series cause who can get enough of hunky, moody, arrogant dragons?!
June 8, 2011
This is the first in the Light Dragons series. In true Katie MacAlister fashion, this is a laugh out loud paranormal romance.
Tully, or is it Ysolde(?), is the female lead. Everyone insists she is the silver dragon Ysolde resurrected. All Tully know is that her fugues are getting closer together and now she's having very vivid dreams and visions of what everyone is telling her is her dragon life from several hundred years ago.
The story bounces between the present and the past in Tully's dream and vision sequences. Some of the transitions from the present to the past can be confusing but I suspect this is to give the reader an idea of how disorienting the visions can be for Tully/Ysolde.
I was chuckling and giggling from almost page one. There is one scene after Tully/Ysolde and Baltic meet again where they get on the subject of Pavel being bisexual. Tully/Ysolde confesses that some times the thought of two men together is, well, "...it's just kind of ... er ... hot ... kind of ... titillating." Baltic is so perplexed by this and simply will not let it go. Not only does MacAlister hit this scene out of the ballpark but it had me snorting with laughter, tears running down my face and almost had me peeing in my britches. And even funnier, Baltic still hasn't let it go several chapters later.
I rate this story as a 2.5 on the sexy scale of 1-4. MacAlister is a master at creating characters that come alive, hiliarious dialogue and inventive, as well as sexy, situations. This is a must read for paranormal romance and dragon fans.
Tully, or is it Ysolde(?), is the female lead. Everyone insists she is the silver dragon Ysolde resurrected. All Tully know is that her fugues are getting closer together and now she's having very vivid dreams and visions of what everyone is telling her is her dragon life from several hundred years ago.
The story bounces between the present and the past in Tully's dream and vision sequences. Some of the transitions from the present to the past can be confusing but I suspect this is to give the reader an idea of how disorienting the visions can be for Tully/Ysolde.
I was chuckling and giggling from almost page one. There is one scene after Tully/Ysolde and Baltic meet again where they get on the subject of Pavel being bisexual. Tully/Ysolde confesses that some times the thought of two men together is, well, "...it's just kind of ... er ... hot ... kind of ... titillating." Baltic is so perplexed by this and simply will not let it go. Not only does MacAlister hit this scene out of the ballpark but it had me snorting with laughter, tears running down my face and almost had me peeing in my britches. And even funnier, Baltic still hasn't let it go several chapters later.
I rate this story as a 2.5 on the sexy scale of 1-4. MacAlister is a master at creating characters that come alive, hiliarious dialogue and inventive, as well as sexy, situations. This is a must read for paranormal romance and dragon fans.
July 12, 2010
I found this to be an amazingly frustrating book. I wanted to smack BOTH the main characters, well before the end of the story.
It's not enough for an author to say that a character is acting like a selfish, spoiled idiot because he or she is a powerful non-human entity. The author owes it to the reader to make the character into someone who would live past childhood in a realistic setting. Baltic just wasn't such a character. His own parents would have strangled him, and no jury would have convicted them.
The viewpoint character, Tully, could only be explained if the reader assumes that she is on the point of a nervous breakdown, and that her repeated bizarre behavior is just a fringe effect from the fact that she's going quite mad. Calling an imporant, life-or-death meeting, and then focusing entirely on the canapes?
Her son should be adopted by the Addams family, so that he would have folks around who understand him.
I honestly found the comic relief throughout the story to be funny, but so poorly timed that it was jarring. I kept getting pulled out of what should have been an interesting story by Tully having sexual fantasies or magically manifesting bananas. No, really, she did that...bananas...
It's not enough for an author to say that a character is acting like a selfish, spoiled idiot because he or she is a powerful non-human entity. The author owes it to the reader to make the character into someone who would live past childhood in a realistic setting. Baltic just wasn't such a character. His own parents would have strangled him, and no jury would have convicted them.
The viewpoint character, Tully, could only be explained if the reader assumes that she is on the point of a nervous breakdown, and that her repeated bizarre behavior is just a fringe effect from the fact that she's going quite mad. Calling an imporant, life-or-death meeting, and then focusing entirely on the canapes?
Her son should be adopted by the Addams family, so that he would have folks around who understand him.
I honestly found the comic relief throughout the story to be funny, but so poorly timed that it was jarring. I kept getting pulled out of what should have been an interesting story by Tully having sexual fantasies or magically manifesting bananas. No, really, she did that...bananas...
June 20, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. I forget how much I like MacAlisters writing and how funny I think she is. The story is wonderful, basically the guy everyone thought was bad actually isn't. My only issue is that the ending sort of sucked, it seemed rushed and wasn't that exciting. Oh, and these books come out really far apart from one another and I could barely remember what happened in the last one (which does concern this one, and people and events aren't always explained). You definitely need to read all of the previous guardian and silver dragon novels before this one!
January 12, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. Once I got my head around the flitting between different times and the fantasy language it was exciting and captivating. It's well written overall although it does contain quite a bit of repetition of certain phrases throughout, which is a shame. However, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and following the story, and am interested in reading the next two books in the series.
October 25, 2010
These dragon series of MacAlister's are becoming pretty complicated in the way they intertwine, and the plots aren't the straight-forward excursions the first dragon series was, so I might just have to provide a bit of context here rather than a summary of just this one book.
All sorts of other-worldly creatures exist alongside us in MacAlister's world, everything from witches to sprites to demons to dragons. Many look perfectly human when they wish, and all are temperamental to some degree. Some are human with gifts, but most are not.
The dragons are one such group. They have their own culture and ways of doing things, but mingle with humans in the business world and for the most part seem human. But they are drawn to gold, breathe fire even in human form, and get very possessive over their mates when they discover them - especially the wyverns, the male leaders of each wyvern. The wyverns are the groups of dragons, divided by colour and a particular trait. The first series, the Aisling Grey Guardian books, were about the Green Dragons. The second focused on the Silver Dragons, and that's where the overarching plot got more complex.
Long ago, the Black Dragons were at war with the Blue over a woman, Ysolde, who was claimed by the wyverns of both sects, Baltic and Constantine. The Black Dragons were decimated, Ysolde was murdered and the survivors formed the Silver Dragons. Members of the wyverns still argue over who caused the war, and who Ysolde rightly belonged to.
Now, we get her story, and with her, Baltic's. Baltic appears as a minor character in the Silver Dragons books, and not a nice one either. He seems, to all intents and purposes, a real enemy, able to use a mage sword that, as a dragon, he shouldn't be able to do, as well as enter the shadow world.
Ysolde turns up in the form of a woman called Tully Sullivan, who is married and has a boy, Brom. Except, she can't remember marrying Gareth, or anything. Perhaps it's due to the comas she falls into each year, during which she spins gold from straw - which Gareth makes sure she has a plentiful supply of. She ended up in the home of the wyvern to the Silver Dragons rather by accident, and is there confronted with a truth she has a hard time believing: that she is Ysolde, a dragon, once mate to Baltic (and once a mate, always a mate). Yet, she's also human. Still, her new dragon friends are convinced.
In her dreams and when she blacks out, Tully lives through her past life as Ysolde, and so we get the two parallel stories and learn the truth behind the old war, and whether she was true to Baltic or Constantine, and what happened. Yet this is just the beginning, for the First Dragon has plans for Ysolde, and she's already disappointed him once before. If only she knew what she was meant to do!
MacAlister writes with fun, flair and flippant humour, balancing darker themes with lighter scenes. I find her books - I can really only speak for the dragon books, because I haven't read any of her others - to be just the kind of frivolous fun and romance that I need at times. I don't like having to wait so long between books, though, because I tend to forget a lot of the details and flounder for a while, trying to dredge up memories that will help me understand a scene or a conversation - she doesn't do much recapping, which is actually great but I'd advise waiting till they're all out before starting, as I did with the Aisling Grey series.
Tully/Ysolde (I like the second name much better!) was an engaging narrater and heroine, and her innate love and loyalty for Baltic shows itself organically as the two meet again after hundreds of years. Baltic, that most misunderstood dragon (the classic boogey-monster used to frighten little dragon children into behaving), was very endearing. It's true that there's almost a mocking quality to the way MacAlister writes the male dragons, but then they do take themselves SO seriously, they set themselves up for looking slightly ridiculous. And childish - my they carry on like 2 year olds sometimes!
The parallel story lines worked very effectively, and it was interesting watching the personality of Tully mature into Ysolde until she really was Ysolde and began to think of herself that way again - except this time with a human son in tow! Previous central characters from the earlier books make their requisite reappearance, as does Jim, Aisling's minor demon (in the shape of a Newfoundland dog), who has a real potty mouth and makes inappropriate comments all the time.
I'm still waiting for the fourth and final book of the Silver Dragons, because as far as I remember the story of Mae was far from finished, and I really liked her.
All sorts of other-worldly creatures exist alongside us in MacAlister's world, everything from witches to sprites to demons to dragons. Many look perfectly human when they wish, and all are temperamental to some degree. Some are human with gifts, but most are not.
The dragons are one such group. They have their own culture and ways of doing things, but mingle with humans in the business world and for the most part seem human. But they are drawn to gold, breathe fire even in human form, and get very possessive over their mates when they discover them - especially the wyverns, the male leaders of each wyvern. The wyverns are the groups of dragons, divided by colour and a particular trait. The first series, the Aisling Grey Guardian books, were about the Green Dragons. The second focused on the Silver Dragons, and that's where the overarching plot got more complex.
Long ago, the Black Dragons were at war with the Blue over a woman, Ysolde, who was claimed by the wyverns of both sects, Baltic and Constantine. The Black Dragons were decimated, Ysolde was murdered and the survivors formed the Silver Dragons. Members of the wyverns still argue over who caused the war, and who Ysolde rightly belonged to.
Now, we get her story, and with her, Baltic's. Baltic appears as a minor character in the Silver Dragons books, and not a nice one either. He seems, to all intents and purposes, a real enemy, able to use a mage sword that, as a dragon, he shouldn't be able to do, as well as enter the shadow world.
Ysolde turns up in the form of a woman called Tully Sullivan, who is married and has a boy, Brom. Except, she can't remember marrying Gareth, or anything. Perhaps it's due to the comas she falls into each year, during which she spins gold from straw - which Gareth makes sure she has a plentiful supply of. She ended up in the home of the wyvern to the Silver Dragons rather by accident, and is there confronted with a truth she has a hard time believing: that she is Ysolde, a dragon, once mate to Baltic (and once a mate, always a mate). Yet, she's also human. Still, her new dragon friends are convinced.
In her dreams and when she blacks out, Tully lives through her past life as Ysolde, and so we get the two parallel stories and learn the truth behind the old war, and whether she was true to Baltic or Constantine, and what happened. Yet this is just the beginning, for the First Dragon has plans for Ysolde, and she's already disappointed him once before. If only she knew what she was meant to do!
MacAlister writes with fun, flair and flippant humour, balancing darker themes with lighter scenes. I find her books - I can really only speak for the dragon books, because I haven't read any of her others - to be just the kind of frivolous fun and romance that I need at times. I don't like having to wait so long between books, though, because I tend to forget a lot of the details and flounder for a while, trying to dredge up memories that will help me understand a scene or a conversation - she doesn't do much recapping, which is actually great but I'd advise waiting till they're all out before starting, as I did with the Aisling Grey series.
Tully/Ysolde (I like the second name much better!) was an engaging narrater and heroine, and her innate love and loyalty for Baltic shows itself organically as the two meet again after hundreds of years. Baltic, that most misunderstood dragon (the classic boogey-monster used to frighten little dragon children into behaving), was very endearing. It's true that there's almost a mocking quality to the way MacAlister writes the male dragons, but then they do take themselves SO seriously, they set themselves up for looking slightly ridiculous. And childish - my they carry on like 2 year olds sometimes!
The parallel story lines worked very effectively, and it was interesting watching the personality of Tully mature into Ysolde until she really was Ysolde and began to think of herself that way again - except this time with a human son in tow! Previous central characters from the earlier books make their requisite reappearance, as does Jim, Aisling's minor demon (in the shape of a Newfoundland dog), who has a real potty mouth and makes inappropriate comments all the time.
I'm still waiting for the fourth and final book of the Silver Dragons, because as far as I remember the story of Mae was far from finished, and I really liked her.
July 4, 2011
Grade: F
Underdeveloped plot and subplots. Confusing POV shifts. Pointless secondary characters. Childish hero. A heroine that won't cheat on a her husband but giving a bj is okay. Lack of meaningful dialogue and constant "comic" relief. Dragon laws that make the characters look like buffoons.
With only 35 pages remaining to read I didn't even want to skim to the end. It's like the author had a good idea then didn't put any further effort into writing this book.
FYI - This is a spin-off series. Characters from the Silver Dragon series are paraded throughout this book. I wish I would have tried a different book by her. Katie McCallister was highly recommended.
Underdeveloped plot and subplots. Confusing POV shifts. Pointless secondary characters. Childish hero. A heroine that won't cheat on a her husband but giving a bj is okay. Lack of meaningful dialogue and constant "comic" relief. Dragon laws that make the characters look like buffoons.
With only 35 pages remaining to read I didn't even want to skim to the end. It's like the author had a good idea then didn't put any further effort into writing this book.
FYI - This is a spin-off series. Characters from the Silver Dragon series are paraded throughout this book. I wish I would have tried a different book by her. Katie McCallister was highly recommended.
August 5, 2012
Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie MacAlister
First in the Light Dragons series
4 stars
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8
Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5
Villain Scale: 7
Character Scale: 8.5
Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. The coloring is so cool and the tattoo on Baltic is awesome. I think it’s a great cover.
First in the Light Dragons series
4 stars
Tully Sullivan has always thought she was normal. Well as normal as she could be until she gets blackouts for really long periods of time. This time during one of those blackouts she wakes up in a room full of dragons. The dragons claim that she is Ysolde de Bouchier who was once mated to Baltic, a villainous dragon, in her previous life. The thing is Tully doesn’t remember any of this, but as her memories start to gradually come back she starts to think they are telling the truth. I picked up Love in the Time of Dragons at my library not realizing it was a spin-off series to MacAlisters previous dragon series, Aisling Grey and Silver Dragons, which I haven’t read. I’ll admit I was a little lost once or twice, but not lost enough not to understand anything. I really enjoyed this book. My biggest problem was the fact that I was lost during some parts. I didn’t know who Baltic was, but apparently he’s the bad guy from the other two series. I plan on reading the other two dragon series, but I don’t think I’ll hate Baltic (I’ll explain why later).
The main female character is Tully and Ysolde. I’m calling the main character Ysolde since that’s who she really is and once you read the book you’ll understand what I’m talking about. I liked Ysolde. She was a good character. I didn’t enjoy her for the first part of the novel, but I loved the parts when she would have memories of her past. Towards the end I started to like her a lot more and even though she’s not like she was in her past life, I think she’s even more awesome.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8
The main male character is Baltic. Apparently Baltic is supposed to be this big bad dragon. I’m sorry, but he doesn’t seem very villainous to me. In fact I really like Baltic. I think he’s a great character and he’s like an onion. You have to pull back the layers one at a time (Yes I just quoted Shrek. 
I'm sorry I can't resist putting a Donkey gif. I just love him. Don’t hate). I’m sure when I read the other two series I mentioned earlier that I won’t be able to see Baltic as this hateful dragon out to get everyone and make everyone miserable. I like Baltic. Yeah there are times when he’s a jerk, but I still like him.
Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5
The Villain- Those other dragons that Baltic apparently messed with their lives in the previous series, they are out for revenge. IMO I think they look like a bunch of asses and they annoy me. I was rolling my eyes at the last chapter, but I’m looking forward to the next novel ‘because I know there will be drama. 
Villain Scale: 7
There’s this really funny talking demon dog named Jim. Jim is funny and he’s horny. Every time he would show up he would say something funny and make me laugh or giggle. Ysolde’s son, Brom is so adorable. I like his weird obsession with mummies and taxidermy.
Character Scale: 8.5
There were times when I felt like Ysolde and Baltic weren’t in love, but it’s still the first novel and she’s still gaining back her memories. MacAlister is a funny writer. She knows how to make people laugh and her writing is clever and entertaining. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel and sinking my claws (see what I did there? ;) into it.
Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. The coloring is so cool and the tattoo on Baltic is awesome. I think it’s a great cover.
June 12, 2010
Katie Macalister is an author I reach for when I'm in a bad mood because I always walk away from one her books with a chuckle. This book was no different. There were quite a few minutes when I was chuckling out loud on the subway.
This was the first novel of the Light Dragons. Now if you've never read one of her dragon sept books before it may be a little confusing at first-it's probably better to read You Slay Me and go on. I eagerly anticipated this book because I have long had a fascination with the dread wyvern Baltic and was curious about his mate. Here we learn that his mate Ysolde-called Tully in this carnation, has memory loss and doesn't even remember that she's a dragon, has yearly fugues in which she has the ability to transmute lead into gold. She is being held by the other Wyverns (dragon leaders) for crimes that Baltic committed because as a wyvern's mate she is considered equally accountable for them.
Overall I enjoyed this book, although many things were not expolored such as why Ysolde/Tully is able to wield arcane magic, and how Baltic came to be reincarnated to name a few-which was a little frustrating, although there will be a follow up so she is probably saving it for that as well as what exactly Baltic has been up to. The romance between the two seemed to fall together a little to patly although they love to argue and tease each other. I'd say this is a 3.5. Baltic has been the bad guy throughout the series-I'm eager to see him redeemed.
This was the first novel of the Light Dragons. Now if you've never read one of her dragon sept books before it may be a little confusing at first-it's probably better to read You Slay Me and go on. I eagerly anticipated this book because I have long had a fascination with the dread wyvern Baltic and was curious about his mate. Here we learn that his mate Ysolde-called Tully in this carnation, has memory loss and doesn't even remember that she's a dragon, has yearly fugues in which she has the ability to transmute lead into gold. She is being held by the other Wyverns (dragon leaders) for crimes that Baltic committed because as a wyvern's mate she is considered equally accountable for them.
Overall I enjoyed this book, although many things were not expolored such as why Ysolde/Tully is able to wield arcane magic, and how Baltic came to be reincarnated to name a few-which was a little frustrating, although there will be a follow up so she is probably saving it for that as well as what exactly Baltic has been up to. The romance between the two seemed to fall together a little to patly although they love to argue and tease each other. I'd say this is a 3.5. Baltic has been the bad guy throughout the series-I'm eager to see him redeemed.
November 11, 2015
This boo is awesome. It's funny, interesting, romantic, with lots of mystery and blabbering. Tully/Ysolda is hilarious, has a tendency to say and do whatever is in her mind and that leads to very interesting things.
Balic is all macho Alfa arrogant barbaric male, and he admits it. He has a do-not-need-anyone-except-my-mate attitude, doesn't answer to anyone or search for permission. But also is very sweet and can be romantic and lovey-dovey with Tully.
Brom is an eccentric kid. He likes to make his own mommies! Eww, I can't stand to see roadkills and he actually search for them. I didn't get the feeling of him as a nine year old child. He talks the way of a grown up, and refers to the adults by name, even his parents. Also, he didn't appear to feel very deeply about his father, and was almost indifferent toward his mother whereabouts and his new stepfather. But then there would be something very incongruent in his innocence while adults talk about sex. C'mon, this days children learn about it very young, and him not knowing the tiniest bit about it? Unrealistic. Being honest, I couldn't believe in this character.
I noticed that there has to be another books before this one. I wish I had read them so I could understand this better. The series is supposed to be a stand-alone, but in reality it is always better to read the previous book to understand better.
Balic is all macho Alfa arrogant barbaric male, and he admits it. He has a do-not-need-anyone-except-my-mate attitude, doesn't answer to anyone or search for permission. But also is very sweet and can be romantic and lovey-dovey with Tully.
Brom is an eccentric kid. He likes to make his own mommies! Eww, I can't stand to see roadkills and he actually search for them. I didn't get the feeling of him as a nine year old child. He talks the way of a grown up, and refers to the adults by name, even his parents. Also, he didn't appear to feel very deeply about his father, and was almost indifferent toward his mother whereabouts and his new stepfather. But then there would be something very incongruent in his innocence while adults talk about sex. C'mon, this days children learn about it very young, and him not knowing the tiniest bit about it? Unrealistic. Being honest, I couldn't believe in this character.
I noticed that there has to be another books before this one. I wish I had read them so I could understand this better. The series is supposed to be a stand-alone, but in reality it is always better to read the previous book to understand better.
January 8, 2011
From Goodreads:
When it comes to love, one woman is scaling back her expectations...
Tully Sullivan is just like any other suburban mom-except she's just woken up in a strange place surrounded by strange people who keep insisting that they're dragons-and that she's one too.
The Review:
I had just bought this book, and wasn't all that interested in reading it. But it was part of a challenge I'm doing so I figured why the heck not, so I picked it up and didn't put it down. Only reason it took two days to read was because I had to sleep sometime.
Sheesh, this book had me rolling. I can't even decide who I think my favorite character from the book was. There were soooo many.. All the mates has a twisted sense of humor, Brom was the quirky little boy with a passion for mummy's. And then there was Jim.. OMG I laughed so hard through out this book.
I can't wait till the next one, Of course I still do have to read all the books that came before this one.. Which I dont think will be a problem Since Aisling's character is one of the first books.. Woo-hoo more Jim..
Love love love Katie MacAlister..
When it comes to love, one woman is scaling back her expectations...
Tully Sullivan is just like any other suburban mom-except she's just woken up in a strange place surrounded by strange people who keep insisting that they're dragons-and that she's one too.
The Review:
I had just bought this book, and wasn't all that interested in reading it. But it was part of a challenge I'm doing so I figured why the heck not, so I picked it up and didn't put it down. Only reason it took two days to read was because I had to sleep sometime.
Sheesh, this book had me rolling. I can't even decide who I think my favorite character from the book was. There were soooo many.. All the mates has a twisted sense of humor, Brom was the quirky little boy with a passion for mummy's. And then there was Jim.. OMG I laughed so hard through out this book.
I can't wait till the next one, Of course I still do have to read all the books that came before this one.. Which I dont think will be a problem Since Aisling's character is one of the first books.. Woo-hoo more Jim..
Love love love Katie MacAlister..
August 25, 2010
3.9 stars. First on the Light Dragon series. This is a spin off of her Asiling Grey series. Several characters from that series makes an appearance, tying the story together. Jim the dog/demon is back, and he is as funny as ever. This book picks up were Me and My Shadow ends.
Tully has a somewhat normal life as an apprentice mage. She is married and has a son she loves dearly. She suffers from dreams that are incredibly realistic and frightening. She is dragged into the Dragon world where she is accused of being a wanted dragons mate (Baltic) and therefore charged with his crimes. The problem is she has black holes in her memory. They must have her confused with somebody else, but these dreams keep haunting her. She struggles to brings her life together while trying prevent further disastrous complications for the dragons.
It is a nice fast and entertaining read. I will continue with the series. It did end in a cliffhanger, be warned.
Tully has a somewhat normal life as an apprentice mage. She is married and has a son she loves dearly. She suffers from dreams that are incredibly realistic and frightening. She is dragged into the Dragon world where she is accused of being a wanted dragons mate (Baltic) and therefore charged with his crimes. The problem is she has black holes in her memory. They must have her confused with somebody else, but these dreams keep haunting her. She struggles to brings her life together while trying prevent further disastrous complications for the dragons.
It is a nice fast and entertaining read. I will continue with the series. It did end in a cliffhanger, be warned.
April 14, 2012
It was an easy read and absolutly hillarious, Effijim was at its best here, love the comments he gives. It was nice to get an insight to Baltic and know that he ain't that bad of a Dragon.
One of the funny Parts:
"Oh my god! you didn't! Oh! You did! I can see by that expression that you did! You told him about me and my fantasy about guy on guy action, didn't you ?"- Ysolde
"Yes. He said you could watch the next time he has a male lover over" - Baltic
""I can't believe you told him that! I am going to die of embarrassment! I will never be able to look him in the eye again! How could you do that to me!" - Ysolde
Baltic just looked at me, waiting.
"Do you think he is going to have a guy over soon ?"- Ysolde
The book continues on with a lot of funny conversations like that one and sometimes I had to stop reading to catch my breath because I was laughing so hard.
Everyone who enjoys a quick, funny read, should definately read this book.
One of the funny Parts:
"Oh my god! you didn't! Oh! You did! I can see by that expression that you did! You told him about me and my fantasy about guy on guy action, didn't you ?"- Ysolde
"Yes. He said you could watch the next time he has a male lover over" - Baltic
""I can't believe you told him that! I am going to die of embarrassment! I will never be able to look him in the eye again! How could you do that to me!" - Ysolde
Baltic just looked at me, waiting.
"Do you think he is going to have a guy over soon ?"- Ysolde
The book continues on with a lot of funny conversations like that one and sometimes I had to stop reading to catch my breath because I was laughing so hard.
Everyone who enjoys a quick, funny read, should definately read this book.
October 20, 2011
Okay, I really don't know what to make of this book. I found it hilarious, laughed so hard my belly hurts, but I can't decide if that was the writer intent. Half the characters are just stupid (see the narrator and protagonist of the novel), the other half are just wrong. I mean, a nine year old boy who tries to mummify a dead fox, and his mother let's him do it, in spite of any illness and bacteria a corpse could be carrying. Seriously? Come on.
A seriously badass ex-dragon-lord (wyvern), died, came back from the dead (who knows why), and in 40 years could not find the time to get a license, but manages a financial empire because, you know, in modern times, one had to have money. Yep. Got it. Not.
All that is not to say I didn't enjoy the novel, 'cause I did (TOTALLY hilarious), but if I had to take it seriously I wouldn't give it more than one star.
Kisses all around!
A seriously badass ex-dragon-lord (wyvern), died, came back from the dead (who knows why), and in 40 years could not find the time to get a license, but manages a financial empire because, you know, in modern times, one had to have money. Yep. Got it. Not.
All that is not to say I didn't enjoy the novel, 'cause I did (TOTALLY hilarious), but if I had to take it seriously I wouldn't give it more than one star.
Kisses all around!
September 1, 2012
The first few pages are very funny. Ysolde is sweetly sarcastic - very humorous especially when she is sparring with Baltic.
The writing is rather disconcerting as it seamlessly jumps from present to past. So seamless in fact, that you don't even realize it until 2-3 paragraphs have passed and you go wait a minute wasn't she Tully a second ago. I kept having to backtrack to figure out what was going on. And forget about the sarkany, it seemed like everyone had ADD. No one could keep their mind on the meeting with all the food and whatnot available. Very funny story and Baltic really isn't the bad guy like everyone thinks.
The writing is rather disconcerting as it seamlessly jumps from present to past. So seamless in fact, that you don't even realize it until 2-3 paragraphs have passed and you go wait a minute wasn't she Tully a second ago. I kept having to backtrack to figure out what was going on. And forget about the sarkany, it seemed like everyone had ADD. No one could keep their mind on the meeting with all the food and whatnot available. Very funny story and Baltic really isn't the bad guy like everyone thinks.
May 23, 2010
I was going to give this 2 stars, but it did make me laugh a little, so I upped it one. This is another spinoff from the Aisling series, which I enjoyed, but the further she gets from that, the less I like them. Mostly the first-person narrative of someone who has lost their memory but remembers some stuff, not others, has visions/memories, it's kind of a jerky stop/start flow that I didn't care for. Also, it wasn't explained why Baltic wasn't a bad guy, and leaves all kinds of stuff in the air at the end. Not a satisfying read.
August 1, 2012
Katie MacAlister's dragon series is so much fun and this is the start of the Light Dragons series. It is the story of Baltic which was started in a previous book and his mate Ysolde. Baltic is grumpy and hard to like but he loves Ysolde and alot is explained as to why he has done what he has in the past. But alot more is left hanging at the end. I enjoyed it alot but I do get tired of the strident humor after awhile and Ysolde is not my favorite heroine. But I do love all these dragons and I think this is some of the best world building I've read.
May 18, 2012
Weird book!
Very confusing in the beginning but the plot is a fresh subject for me in regards of Fantasy novels. Dragons.
This book has a little bit of everything, romance, myths, action and most and for all laughts! I laught a lot in this book, the characters are interesting and weird at the same time and some interaction are so ridiculous that make the book a comedy. Come on, a witty demon-dog?! Who could thought?! For me the best character in all the book.
Sometimes the archaic language annoyed me - but in the end this was a very entertaining book.
Very confusing in the beginning but the plot is a fresh subject for me in regards of Fantasy novels. Dragons.
This book has a little bit of everything, romance, myths, action and most and for all laughts! I laught a lot in this book, the characters are interesting and weird at the same time and some interaction are so ridiculous that make the book a comedy. Come on, a witty demon-dog?! Who could thought?! For me the best character in all the book.
Sometimes the archaic language annoyed me - but in the end this was a very entertaining book.
July 1, 2010
After hearing in all of the other books how awful and scary Baltic is, it was refreshing to get to hear his side of the story. At first I wasn't thrilled about the back and forth of the story, but I really grew to appreciate learning what really happened between Kostoya and Baltic and Drake.
It also cracked me up to see all of the mates and Cy being the reasonable ones while the wyrven were all being stubborn and crazy.
It also cracked me up to see all of the mates and Cy being the reasonable ones while the wyrven were all being stubborn and crazy.
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