Review: Dragos Goes to Washington by Thea Harrison

Posted October 13, 2015 by Holly in Reviews | 8 Comments

Review: Dragos Goes to Washington by Thea HarrisonReviewer: Holly
Dragos Goes to Washington by Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races #8.5
Also in this series: Dragon Bound (Elder Races, #1), Storm's Heart (Elder Races, #2), Serpent's Kiss (Elder Races, #3), Oracle's Moon (Elder Races, #4), Oracle's Moon (Elder Races, #4), True Colors (Elder Races, #3.5), Lord's Fall (Elder Races, #5), Kinked, Lord's Fall, Kinked (Elder Races, #6), Pia Saves the Day & Peanut Goes to School, Dragos Takes a Holiday, Night's Honor, Night's Honor, Dragon Bound, Midnight's Kiss, Midnight's Kiss, Shadow's End, Pia Does Hollywood, Liam Takes Manhattan, Pia Does Hollywood, The Chosen: A Novella of the Elder Races, Planet Dragos (Elder Races, #9.8), Planet Dragos (Elder Races, #9.8), Lionheart (Moonshadow, #3), Spellbinder

Publication Date: October 12th 2015
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 124
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Dragos Cuelebre, Lord of the Wyr, needs to throw a party without maiming anyone. That isn’t exactly as easy as it might sound.
After the destructive events of the last eighteen months, the Elder Races are heading to Washington D.C. to foster peace with humankind. Not known for his diplomacy skills, Dragos must rely on his mate Pia to help navigate a battlefield of words and polite smiles rather than claws. With Dragos’s mating instinct riding close to the surface, his temper is more volatile than ever and the threat of violence hovers in the air.
Then the human spouse of a prominent politician winds up murdered and Dragos and Pia must race against time to hunt down those behind it before they are held responsible for the crime. (40,000 words; 174 pages)
The latest novella in the Elder Races holds passion, peril, political intrigue, and revelations that will change Dragos and Pia’s lives forever.
DRAGOS GOES TO WASHINGTON is the first part of a three-story series about Dragos, Pia, and their son Liam. Each story stands alone, but fans might want to read all three in order as they will be released: DRAGOS GOES TO WASHINGTON, PIA DOES HOLLYWOOD, and LIAM TAKES MANHATTAN. 

I love these novella series’ from Harrison. They’re like little outtakes from Pia and Dragos’ life together. As the leader of the Wyr, Dragos has immense responsibility politically and professionally. Bringing a mate and child into his world is tricky and requires constant juggling. I love revisiting these characters and seeing where they are in their lives and with the current political climate. Some of the novellas are more personal and focus strictly on Dragos, Pia and Liam (the Peanut!), while others focus more on external plots with personal situations sprinkled throughout. This novella falls more into the latter category.

While I don’t think you need to read the entire series to enjoy this novella, I do think you should – at the very least – read Dragon Bound, book 1. Pia and Dragos are introduced there, and so is the world of the Elder Races. For those who are current in the series, Dragos Goes to Washington takes place between the events of Midnight’s Kiss and Shadow’s End (books 8 and 9, respectively).

It’s only been 18 months since Pia and Dragos met, but already so much has happened it feels much longer. As a dragon-shifter, their son Liam is growing at an alarming rate. Though he’s technically less than a year old, he’s already the size of a middle schooler, and has an intellect more advanced than kids even older than that.  Pia and Draogs are happy with each other, but despite their closeness and commitment, still feel some uncertainty with each other (as all new couples do).

Now that Liam is nearly a grown up, Pia talks to Dragos about possibly having another. It’s notoriously hard for the Elder Races to conceive, so they start trying right away, thinking it may take years before she becomes pregnant. They travel to Washington, DC to try to foster peace with humankind. There’s been a lot of violence in the last 18 months, and the humans are nervous. Dragos is short on patience at the best of times, but with Pia feeling unwell and the mating instinct riding him hard, he’s barely holding on. So when the vice president’s husband is killed in their home, and the Wyr are framed for it, he becomes hyper-alert.

I love how real Dragos and Pia’s relationship is. It’s not all hearts and flowers all the time. It’s messy, because life – and love – is messy. Pia still struggles with flashes of uncertainty about Dragos’ feelings for her. They’re short-lived and easily put to rest, but seeing those lend a dose of realism to the story.

Harrison never fails to draw me into her world. This novella is filled with political intrigue, passion and a surprising revelation that will deeply affect both Pia and Dragos.

3.75 out of 5

four-stars


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