I enjoyed Sparks' Love at Stake series though I haven't read the last 4 or 5, so I was looking forward to reading this new series. I had no problem starting with book 3 despite characters and situations introduced in the two preceding books pop up.

I was surprised that this was had a fantasy setting and historical feel to it. I reread the blurb to see if I missed anything, nope. I've read plenty of contemporary dragon stories. The story loses it's fantasy aspect at times. Gwennore starts off using "ye" and drops it (thankfully). Certain contemporary elements pop in and out like the concept of dating and certain verbiage.

I found the romance element weak. Gwennore and Silas didn't interact enough to develop their relationship and the lack of heat (in more ways than one) didn't make "instalove" work either.

There wasn't anything new or exciting to this romance, the story line or world building.

The only plus for me was the curse and what was happening to the royal family. I appreciated how Silas and Gwennore together and separately were searching for answers.

I was left with such a blah feeling after finishing 8 Rules, I have no interest in getting caught up with the first two books.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Eight Rules huh? More like one rule and a whole bunch of ancillary actions required to support that rule.

I mentioned before that this gave me the same vibe as GA Aiken's Dragon Kin books and I stand by it. Heroine who isn't a pushover, hero who is at pains to prove he is reliable and worthy of the heroine, a lot of banter, friendships and a ludicrous plot designed to fail...

I loved it all.

Some was repetitive - Gwen was a little to over fond of talking herself into circles and dear sweet stars if one more person mentioned how afeared folk were of those born into the Cursed Dragon Clans I'd offer myself up as a sacrifice.

Having not read the other two books I was a little lost when it came to details important to Gwen's sisters Luciana and Brigitte various romantic struggles as well as who the holy hell "The Chameleon" was, but overall this book stood well on it's own.

The various side characters rounded out the cast - Dimitri, Aleksi, Annika, Margosha and my personal favorite Olenka (she's unrepentantedly delightful and loyal) as well as Nissa and Karlan. The villains were....ok in their way. Romak was hardly worth noticing and Fafnir turned out to have such pedestrian aspirations.

I did side eye some things - Sparks did some truly acrobatic things with the plot to keep Gwen for guessing Silas' secret too quickly and some of the story elements didn't add up (the War with the elves for instance) though I'm fairly sure the next book will focus on the elves so it might make sense once I have both sides of the War.

In all I greatly enjoyed this book and while I won't go backwards to read the two I missed (not yet anyhow) I do look forward to the next ones.

Love Kerrelyn Sparks her combination of humour, sarcastic wit and easy reading story telling makes each of her novels a fun ride. This "Rules" series is a great romp. Love the world and like how she combines the innocence of her females with the worldliness of the alphas who smack their foreheads in frustration over the antics of these women. I can't wait to read the rest of the tales of the "Sisters of the Moon" ....the ongoing who dunnit feel of the secondary story is wonderful and keeps me coming back just to find out how it all unravels. Can't wait for the next book!
Thanks Netgalley for giving me this novel in exchange for a honest review! 4 stars and a recommendation!

Loved it! It’s funny and a bit of fighting does take place. You will get lost in this world of paranormal that the author has created. I was intrigued from the beginning to end. This is a must read with the series. You won’t be disappointed. I fell in love with the characters Silas and gwennore and everyone else that was introduced in this book. Silas is someone important with lots of secrets and they to protect his loved ones and his country. Gwennore was kidnapped with Lucianas daughter. But was later given an opportunity to help a whole country due to her gift. Secrets become unraveled and lives are at stake and unfortunately a couple die from the mystery that they brought to light. I definitely and honestly recommend this book if you enjoy paranormal and romance with a hint humor here and there with some action as well. I loved getting lost in this world and I can’t wait if the next installment.

ARC received for review

This series is amazing. I'm loving every book. This one starts several years after book two. You won't be lost if you haven't read the first two, but they will make this one more enjoyable.

Silas and Gwennore are great together. Lots of drama, passion, angst, action, adventure, and dragons. Oh, and trolls, yes they do exist. The side romance with his cousin, Dimitri, and Annika was a nice bonus. That stupid Chameleon is back and causing more trouble.

Looking forward to the next book with Sorcha and....

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks
Book Three of The Embraced series
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: March 27, 2018
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

From the brilliant imagination of Kerrelyn Sparks comes a bold new fantasy romance series in which passion and magic collide. Behold the Embraced…

Gwennore has a talent. An Elf able to track down the cause of an illness and heal it, she’s a valuable asset to her people. But when the kidnapping of a young girl thrusts Gwennore into the very heart of the realm of the dragons, she discovers not only a place of power and magic, but also a haunted land, plagued by an ancient curse that all but ensures extinction to the royal family. But when she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, they strike a bargain—save the country from its cursed illness, and he will return the kidnapped girl. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon, but never did making a deal with the devil feel so good…

Silas has no way of curing the family he’s loyally served for years. But when a beautiful elf, long considered the enemy of the dragons, comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to passion and desire in a way he’s never felt before. But can he trust a sworn enemy to save the very existence he holds dear? And can their love survive those that threaten to tear them apart?

What I Liked:

This is one of those cases in which I'm like, I enjoyed this book buuuuuuuut... I also didn't really care for it. It was an okay read and not terrible but definitely not a new favorite or anything like that. I'm sure others will find this a great addition to the series. But I had a hard time really caring about the female protagonist, Gwenmore, and that can kill enjoyment pretty quickly.

But I didn't totally dislike her. Gwenmore is one of the five adopted sisters raised in a convent on a lonely island, and she is the third to leave and face her destiny. One afternoon when she is playing with her little niece, she is captured by a dragon - only to be rescued by another dragon. The dragon takes her to the royal family of Norveshka, where she is taken in by Silas Dravenko, general of the royal army. When he realizes that she is a healer, he asks for her help in getting rid of a curse that has stricken his country for generations. Gwenmore never intended to stay in Norveshka, but how can she leave when she has fallen in love with the charming, smoldering general?

Overall I thought Gwenmore was an okay protagonist, though she really got on my nerves at times (see below). I liked that she began to trust in herself as the story went on - and she began to trust Silas (something she doesn't do easily). It was good to see her grow into her gift and herself. She is an innocent girl, with a great deal of power.

I loooooooooved Silas. He is flirtatious and roguish, with a very strong sense of honor and selflessness. He never hesitates to save Gwenmore or anyone else, and always puts everyone else first. He may seem confident and full of swagger, but deep inside, he is lonely. I loved his charming self, but I also loved his more vulnerable self. He is persistent but respectful of boundaries. Silas is a good guy, and for the life of me, I wanted to strangle Gwenmore for being so poor to him sometimes.

I love all things dragons, and there is a nice amount of dragons in this story. I was curious to see how the author would work them in, and I was very happy about how she did it. Like you expect it, but it's still nice to see how it is worked in. The kingdom of Norveshka has a long and heartbreaking history, very much centered around its dragons. All of which is revealed in this book!

I adore Silas's officers, the male secondary characters! Dimitri and Aleksi are hilarious - honestly, the brotherhood in this book is awesome. They have such a great camaraderie, something I always like to see among males in any type of novel. I hope all of them get their own happily ever after!

The conflict of this book centers mostly around getting rid of the curse that plagues Norveshka - something sinister has been at work for centuries. Gwenmore is an extraordinary healer (she has interesting elvish gifts!), and she is confident that she can find the source of the curse. But there is a familiar evil standing in the way.

The other part of the story is the romance, which was sweet and frustrating. I'll talk about the "frustrating" part in the next section. But for the most part, it was a sweet and sometimes spicy romance. I think I wanted more from the romance, but I also appreciated the progression of the romance and the tension. Mostly sparked by Silas, which was part of my frustration.

Theoretically I liked this book, but I finished it feeling rather dissatisfied, like something was missing. Or maybe I just wasn't that into it, like I was the other books. This wasn't a bad book, and I'm sure others will love it.

What I Did Not Like:

I got so fed up with Gwenmore around halfway through the book. You know the phrase "the lady doth protest too much"? Yeah. Gwenmore was seriously annoying. She rejected Silas over and over, despite the fact that internally she was telling herself to go for it, and physically she really wanted to in addition to mentally/emotionally, but she kept shutting doors in his face (literally) or running away (literally). This was not cute. This was not part of a merry chase. This was absolutely annoying, and also heartbreaking to see (on Silas's end).

You know what would have redeemed this crap? Silas, walking away from Gwenmore (rather than being the persistent guy that he is). And Gwenmore having to chase after him. That would have made her realize that a good man wanted her and he had no bad intentions when it came to her - and she was in the wrong by turning him down (knowing that she wanted to be with him, physically and emotionally). Gwenmore is kind of an idiot? I really wanted the ending of the book to have Silas leaving her after she rejects him one more time, and Gwenmore realizing that she's a complete dumba** and runs to him.

Does this happen? No. Of course not. Because Silas keeps trying to win her over - which is cool of him, but seriously? I don't love this. It's romantic but also kind of icky - men shouldn't be putting in all of the effort. The woman should be too (in this case we're dealing with a male/female couple), and Gwenmore didn't do any of this. She didn't fight for the relationship, she put no effort into it. Instead, it was all "omg Gwenmore is hot, I want her so much, I want to kiss her, I'm not going to stop trying to get her to admit she wants me, even though she keeps rejecting me", and then Gwenmore keeps rejecting him, until finally her hormones take over her common sense. Seriously? This is stupid. Gwenmore needed to put in some actual effort into the chemistry, and eventually the relationship. The chase wasn't fun because Gwenmore was so annoying with her constant rejections. She saw each one hurt his feelings and THAT made her sad, but she never did anything about it.

Authors. Do better. Let the girl chase. Get rid of this notion that a man should be the one doing all of the chasing. I like it sometimes, it works with some books, but really, let's not keep this up all the time. (I'm referring to M/F couples specifically, as is the case with this book.)

Would I Recommend It:

I recommend the series in general - the first two books are excellent. This one was okay for me but not super great, but I suppose I'd still recommend it to those who have read the previous books in the series. If you've read none of the series, definitely do not start with this one. Start with book one and go in order, even though they are standalone companion novels. The series will make more sense that way, and also I personally think this third book is the weakest of the three. But in general, this fantasy romance series is really good. The romances are sweet and passionate, the men are sweet, charming alphas, and the women are strong, innocent women. I like these match-ups!

Rating:

3 stars. I wish I'd liked this one more, especially since we're dealing with a dragon (mmm, fiery), and an elf (magical!). I was frustrated with Gwenmore and the romance. But I adored so many of the other characters, and the story in general was pretty good. I'm definitely going to be reading book four (and book five). I hope we'll see cameos of Silas and Gwenmore, as we saw a lot of Leo and Luciana (and heard about Rupert and Brigitta) in this book!

One of my favorite reads this year!

Once again Kerrelyn Sparks has succeeded in producing an outstanding tale full of adventure, bravery, courage, deceit, love, and loyalty. All dished out with a whimsical sense of humor, in a world that comes to life full of intriguing characters you can't help but want to know.

A page-turner from beginning to end. I love this series, and I'm happy that each book keeps getting better.

Gwennore, one of five sisters (by choice, not blood) is an Elf, indicated by her pointy ears. She's never actually met another elf and has no idea who her parents might be. She does, however, meet a dragon, up close and personal. What a ride!

General Silas Dravenko is divided between his attraction to the courageous elf who has landed in his care and his need to protect his country. Can she save them, or will she destroy them? And can he keep her alive long enough to find out?

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal adventure romance, or any combination thereof. Fantasy lovers will enjoy this book as well.

NOTE: I received an ARC via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

If I were planning to date a dragon these would be rules to live by. This was an entertaining well written fantasy. Feel like you know all of the characters.

Since August I've been waiting for this next part in the Embraced series. After So I Married a Sorcerer I was really curious what would happen to Gwennore. Since Luciana had her Leo in How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days and Brigitta her Rupert in So I Married a Sorcerer, I really wanted to know what yummie treat would there be for Gwen.

As an Elf, Gwennore has always been an outsider. Feared by a lot of people and avoided like the plague, with the exception of her adoptive sisters. This has not done a lot of good for her self esteem. That's why she feels most comfortable around children. When she is playing with Luciana and Leo's daughter, they are both kidnapped by dragons.

Puff, as she calls the dragon, however, promises to bring her and Luciana's daughter safely back home, in exchange of Gwen's help. Gwen's gift is to track down the illness in a person and the Kings and Queens of the country are dying from a strange disease. Gwen agrees and is teamed up with general Silas Dravenko.

The banter between Gwen and Silas is hilarious and of course Puff makes several appearances, saving Gwen from several disastrous situations. Meanwhile, Puff learns Gwen the Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon, much to the dismay of Silas. Can Silas and Gwen overcome their natural distrust of another and find the answers to the dying members of the crown?

There is tension, there is fun, there is romance. A fast paced, yet another fabulous read! The only downside is that we have to wait for the next part of the Embraced Series...

Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I loved this next book in this series. Sparks can really put together a story. I love how all the characters continue on in each book. The humor, the mystery , the romance, it has something for all.

Amazing paranormal romance with a great deal of humor, passion and drive.

This is the third volume in The Embraced series taking place in a universe where children born during the two moons eclipse have diverse powers. In 4 of the 5 kingdoms theses children are often killed at birth or sent to the 5th kingdom to be hidden. In the first two volumes, How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days (review here), et So I Married a Sorcerer (review here), we followed two of the five young women who were raised together in a convent in the fifth kingdom when they found love and each became queen of another kingdom. Here it’s time for a third “sister” to have an adventure. I recommend reading the series in the order because the characters of the previous volumes are quite present and there’re a lot of allusions to what happened previously.

Gwennore is an elf and because of her physical traits she’s snubbed in the kingdoms of her married “sisters”. When she tries to save one of her sisters’ daughter who’s kidnapped by a dragon she finds herself in the neighboring kingdom where her elfic origin is as much suspected as they’re at war with the elves. But her power is to recognize illness in the people she touches and she promises to the general who saved her she will help him understand what’s happening with the king and the queen. Of course she and the general will fast be attracted to each other but Gwennore somehow resists while he wants to make her his, never mind what the people will say. So there’s a lot of “I want him/her but I mustn’t”. We see them growing nearer little by little and I liked how Silas lifts Gwennore’s spirits and self-respect with his compliments and behavior.

On the mystery side there’s a secret concerning the dragons that’s very quickly quite evident, even if the heroine takes a bit longer to understand it. There’s also the link with the bad guy in the previous volumes that I guessed from the first time one character is mentioned. Then there’s the search of the source of king and the queen’s illness and the curse of the royal line, which is slower but finally very logical. I just regret that in each volume <spoiler> the king in place ends up killed and the couple rises to power. For one tome could they not be happy without become the reigning couple? Especially here where the hero loved deeply his brother and sister in law.</spoiler>

All in all this is a pleasant opus with some humor at times in spite of a somber story. We could reproach a tone a bit too contemporary in the hero’s reactions and speeches concerning hi desire for the heroine.

I loved this book. Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon is the first book by Kerrelyn Sparks that I have read. It is the 3rd in the series and I am looking forward to reading the first two.

This book has a little bit of everything from Elves, Trolls, Dragons, sentient trees, romance, all that and more. If you like fantasy and romance, this book is for you too.

Thank you NetGalley for advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series and so I was really happy when I got a copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review, which I am happy to provide. This book is not exactly stand alone, but you won't be completely lost if you pick it up mid series. I loved the characters and the storyline, it had good pacing and I had a hard time putting it down. Can't wait to see what will happen next. If you love the paranormal genre than you should really check out this series. Very entertaining read.

I received a copy of Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the summary and wanted to like this novel, but it was a chore to keep reading at times. The characters were rather bland and lacking in chemistry/believability and threads of plot could have been pulled together better (less rambling). There were flashes of real goodness, but then the story would get bogged down.

Also, the ending seemed anticlimactic. Lots of pages went into some big plot threads and the ending just sort of fizzled out in terms of a big finish.

I would try reading another book by Kerrelyn Sparks to see if a future novel would improve in pacing and character development, but I wouldn't recommend this book.

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon is the third novel in the Embraced series. As we continue to move through the series, each of the embraced women that grew up on the Isles of Moon and Mist are finding love and are learning more about who they are. All of these embraced women were left on the Isle of Moon as infants and none know where they come from and who their family is. But each of them has a special ability given to them by the two embraced moons. Powers that are helping them with their journey in life and bringing together the kingdoms.

From the very start of the series I’ve been captivated and in love. While this is definitely a flowery romance novel, in my book at least, I think a little lovey dovey and flowery romance is good. I’ve been looking forward to this novel for so long. Since book one, I’ve wanted to know more about the elves and dragons. While I won’t say this is the top book in the series (I’m waiting for the series to end to crown the winner) it was still a fantastic read. I couldn’t put the book down and I stayed up all night (didn’t go to bed until 7am, that’s what I get for starting a book by Kerrelyn Sparks before bed) to finish reading it and then couldn’t sleep because...wow.

In this novel we focus on Gwennore, unlike her adopted sisters Gwennore is an elf. Which I think is wicked cool but not everyone else thinks so. For the last couple years that Gwennore has been on the mainland she’s had to deal with the disdain and prejudice of people around her. If it wasn’t for her sisters and loved one she would have gone back to the Isle of Moon. During a birthday celebration Gwen takes Luciana’s young daughter, Eviana, in a field to play in an attempt to escape the whispers that follow her. But Eviana gets kidnapped by a DRAGON! Gwen knowing that she can’t leave Eviana and jumps on the dragon before it can get away. Gwen finds herself swept away from her loved ones and in Norveshka, the land with dragons. It’s also the place where the monarchy is going mad and kidnapping children. According the whispers and rumors the madness that has plagued the royal family is caused by a curse and this curse is now affecting the entire kingdom with plague and infertility. But Gwennore’s special ability is actually healing. She can touch a person and know what’s wrong with them, and with all her years of training at the convent, she may know how to help them. After an encounter with the queen Gwen knows that it is no curse that’s causing the queen to go mad, but poison and Gwen believes that she can help. With the help of the heir and general, Silas Dranvenko, they start to unveil the mystery behind the supposed “curse.”

But they soon realize they may have bigger problems when the Chameleon shows up. A shifter that has appeared since book one, that’s been causing trouble but they have yet to defeat. As Gwen and Silas continue their search for the poison and poisoner, they start to uncover a secret group that wants to rule Aerthlan and has spies throughout the castle. I’m fascinated by this new discovery of a secret group and we’re now seeing more of a series plot unfold. I can’t wait to see what happens with this mystery group and who’s a part of it.

We also get to find out more about Gwen’s heritage, while some of it still remains a mystery, I think in the next books everything will come to light. And of course during all this craziness unfolding, Gwen and Silas start falling for each other. The tension building between the couple is both fast and slow and very hot. While it’s instant attraction, they had hurdles to overcome before they’d admit to more between each other.

My favorite part has to be the characters. I loved seeing how they interacted and the jokes between Silas and his friends. It felt very homey and full of love. I also loved how modernesque Norveshka was. They had female soldiers, granted it was only because they were at war and had population issues, but still. Then there was that whole thing with women wearing pants, which was actually really funny. But the real cherry on top of it all was how the eight rules were slipped into the story. Now that was brilliant.

While I loved the novel, it did take me a little longer to be really drawn into the story. I’m not 100% sure why at this point but I have some theories. I’ll just have to reread and see if I can pick anything out that I may not have liked. The only other thing that bugged me was how confusing some things were because Sparks was trying to keep an air of mystery. By constantly not naming things or by going around certain parts it made it harder to piece the simple things together.

A dazzling read with a breath-taking world. I can’t wait for book four!!!

Sexy and laugh out load funny at the same time, a very enjoyable read!!

Okay so, I made a mistake. I did not read the first two books in this series before I got this one (Thank you, Netgalley!) I definitely should’ve read the first two first. The story was excellent. And even though I had missed the first book, which is when most of the world building is done by any author, I absolutely fell in love with this world. It was a bit confusing to keep the various countries right at times, but I genuinely think that was my fault for not reading the first two first. I am going back to read them though, because I met their main characters in this book and I am intrigued.

The story was, as I said, excellent. The plot was interesting. There was a bit of a mystery involved. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, speed reading to find out what would happen. It seemed also as though the individual character’s problem (I’m trying hard to not leave any spoilers) were resolved at the end of the book, but the world still has some major battles to come. The main villain, as it were, is still at large. Obviously now I have to read the rest of the books. I have to know what happens!

The heroine is adorable. She was a little insecure but also courageous. I loved her. I loved how quickly she sorted through the facts and came up with solutions to problems. She was very practical. I love that in a heroine.Her hero was strong and brave and self sacrificing and everything a hero ought to be. He was charming and witty and just lovely.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a great read. Now I have to start at the beginning and read the series through.

This fantasy romance is lighthearted even in tense situations. If you are looking for sweet and corny with stupefying attraction, you will enjoy this story.
The heroine is the smart one and snorts a lot at the vain, self-serving, superstitious people in the next country.

I was irritated at how often the heroine smacks the hero. I also thought she should have tended to the injuries on the little princess before the heroine took her own bath...

The characters are fun with some serious bad dudes. I look forward to the next in this series.

Maybe because I was so excited for this one I had set it up too high. The world is so interesting and I really love the support group of strong young women that are able to use their minds and speak them as well. So I was VERY much looking forward to this book, because dragons (!), you know. I had a difficult time being invested in the characters. I didn’t feel the romance between Gwen and Silas. It was there, it was just muted. Another thing that bothered me is the conclusion. There are big plot points that take a lot of page time that seem to be messily wrapped up. The ending left me unsatisfied.