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Book Review: An Accident of Dragons, by Cheri Radke

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Welcome 2026! I read an ARC of An Accident of Dragons by Cheri Radke as my first book of the year. I won an ARC on Instagram.

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No one would have chosen a Lord Summer so wholly ill-suited for the role—no one except the Dragon of Summer herself, it would seem. An indolent and foppish peacock getting a bit old for his typical charms to play well, Teddy has no doubt that the nobles of Summer find him ridiculous. They all know that the only reason the dragon chose him was on account of his connection to the previous Lord Summer as his, uh, special companion.

Still, as long as Teddy can keep the dragon happy, and her blessings continue to bring peace and prosperity to the Isle of Summer, surely he’s doing well enough. Right?

When Summer lays a rare and highly valuable egg, Teddy’s care-free life threatens to fall apart as the egg’s unexpected appearance dredges up long-repressed memories, and outside forces turn avaricious eyes on the insular island. A mysterious, dragon-worshiping cult covets the egg, and when Teddy bungles a self-interested attempt to give it to them, they sail away with his young daughter instead.

If he hopes to save her, Teddy can no longer afford to ignore how his personal shortcomings are putting his country and the people he loves at risk. To match wits with an ambitious sorceress who presents an unflattering mirror of his own flaws, he must face the reality of just how, precisely, he became Lord Summer.

my review

Oh, I very much enjoyed this. I firmly suspect this book will not be everyone’s cup of tea. The hero is a sartorially flashy, effeminate, over forty, black, gay, ex-whore, who is now heterosexually married with children, has risen in station, and is self-deprecating to the point of unreliability. The Venn diagram of readers who will find something in him to disapprove of is disappointingly large. (Something to keep in mind when looking at ratings of this book, I’m sure.) I, however, am not one of those people. I adored Summer, his dry, acerbic wit, and his willingness to love if given half the chance. He also shows quite a lot of personal growth throughout the book, coming to better understand himself, his past, his current circumstances, and those around him.

an accident of dragons photoThe dragons, however, though essential to the world and story, are given surprisingly little page time. You don’t see a lot of them in the grand scheme of things, which I was sad about. But they serve their purpose well. Also, there were times I wished Radke had given the reader a bit more depth on certain things. Summer didn’t push for answers, so he doesn’t get them. Which means the reader doesn’t either.

All in all, I’m hoping there will be more Tales of Summer in the future, and I look forward to reading them.

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Book Review: The Alpha of Bleake Isle, by Kathryn Moon

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I received a copy of The Alpha of Bleake Isle by Kathryn Moon in a Renegade Romance book box.

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He’s waited half a century to choose an omega.

Lord Ronson Cadogan can stall no longer. He needs an omega and he needs an heir.

Settled on the obvious perfect choice, and determined to see his fate through, Ronson can’t afford to wait for the next ceremony to claim what he is owed. If only he was more excited about the match.

They call her the mouse.

Mairwen Posy knows precisely who the Alpha of Bleake Isle will choose, and it certainly isn’t her. In fact, it’s so predictable it’s almost boring.

Resigned to her fate of disappearing into the background, Mairwen takes the role of observer, distracting the ache of being left out with the entertainment of dragonkin society’s unfolding stories.

All is as expected, until the sudden twist in a familiar plot sends Mairwen in the least likely direction, right into the arms of the alpha.

my review

This is light porn-with-plot, I think. But it’s enjoyable PWP. Mairwen and Ronson meet and then spend the rest of the book being kind and wonderful to one another. It’s very low-angst and very sweet. What angst that does exist originates entirely outside their relationship (the community’s dismissal of her or challenge to his rule, etc). At the end of the day, I gave a happy sigh, having enjoyed my time with the book.

I had a couple of gripes, however. A significant component of the plot requires that specific knowledge be lost to dragonkin, and I had trouble suspending my disbelief enough to believe this would be possible. And, honestly, as lovely and complementary to one another as the two main characters were, I got bored with all the mush.

None of this put me off too much, though. There were several other interesting alphas I imagine could get their own books in the future (I think Torion is next), and I would happily read them.

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Amy Imogen Reads: The Alpha of Bleake Isle

 

 

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Book Review: Vigilance, by Etta Pierce

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I received a copy of Vigilance, by Etta Pierce, in a Renegade Romance Book Box. This is book two in the Intersolar Union series. I reviewed book one, Convergence, here.

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Still reeling from the upending of her life, Dr Amelia Ahlberg finds herself the sole physician of the new human colony on Yaspur. Luckily, a medical delegate was assigned to help her settle in after the trauma of the Paramour. When a young girl falls ill because of a common flower, Amelia begs him to take her on his research excursions into the jungle. She needs to learn how to care for her people first hand.

But Ezraji Zarabi is confusing. He’s erratic, distant, and increasingly hot-headed. He refuses, leaving her to fend for herself as the stress threatens to crack the good doctor’s reality. When she starts to hallucinate, she has to wonder…Is it her? Or is it him?

Amelia’s instincts are put to the test. Does she trust the one person that’s always there when she needs him, or does she question why he’s there in the first place?

my review

I like the characters in this book. The series is interesting because the aliens are truly alien, and I very much like that about them. I enjoyed seeing Ezraji’s alien instincts come to the fore. He’s lovely and sweet and trying his best to do the right thing. Amelia, too, is doing her best in a challenging situation, and I appreciate that she is clearly able to learn and grow with new information and experiences.

However, where is the actual romance? There is no romance here. Nor is there any significant spice. So, it’s not erotica where sex (rather than romance) might be the point. This is intended to be a slowish burn romance, but it isn’t. The reader never really gets to see any of it. The closest we come is an accidental chemical attachment that Ezraji tries to hide. We barely even see the two interacting with each other. Yes, Ezraji goes above and beyond to protect her. But she’s unaware of that. Yes, she decides to give a relationship a try, and he’s happy with that, and the reader is led to expect an HEA. But we see none of it. I felt very little attachment to the characters, even if I liked them, and had no investment in the relationship. And what good feelings I was left with at the end of the story were destroyed by the epilogue, which appears to be the hook for the next book in the series.

All in all, I didn’t hate it, and the series seems interesting. But I was only actually so-so on the actual story as told.

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Review: Vigilance by Etta Pierce