Book three in Sparks’ Embraced series-Eight Simple Rules for Dating A Dragon- takes elven healer Gwennore on an adventure to meet her destiny when a rogue dragon breaches the island she lives on and kidnaps her niece, princess Eviana. Gwennore grabs hold the dragon and hangs on for dear life. Once landed, she learns she is in Norveshka, the land of dragons, and at the mercy of a mad queen whose madness demands her dragons find her replacements for her lost children.

General Gorgeous aka Silas Dravenko who is trying to save his country and queen from dying. When he learns of Gwen’s gifts, he offers her a deal. If she will use her skills to help break the supposed curse surrounding his people, he will make sure the princess is returned safely to her parents.

A somewhat controversial relationship begins between them as Gwen struggles with her attraction to Silas, her gift, and her own feelings of coming home while in Norveshka while Silas tries to understand how he could fall head over heels with his sworn enemy-an elf.

Though I have enjoyed book one of this series, I was rather underwhelmed with this story overall. The engaging characters, silly tongue in cheek humor, and an extremely slow burning romance came out strong but slowly faltered and dissolved into a juvenile whine as the story progressed. The narrative flips from funny to moronic in a heartbeat. One character constantly talks about jumping men’s bones while another hints at the heroine being a whore in order to save her life. The one-liners and character caricatures overreached at times and fell flat.

The story finds its groove early on, blending the romance and the main plotline perfectly. Gwennore is a young elf who is one of the Embraced. She was taken from her home and left on an island to be raised with other young women of various races. She has never left the island so all this is very strange and somewhat frightening for her. Her time in Norveshka deals with more than just a 500-year-old curse. She finds herself having to finally deal with her feelings concerning her abandonment by her people and her sexuality while stepping out of her comfort zone to make friends who aren’t part of the embraced legend. I liked that she stood firm in her beliefs through her constant hot and cold attitude over Silas grew tiresome.

Silas is a shapeshifting dragon whose people are dying due to what he believes is a plague rather than a curse. Considered one of the “three cursed clans,” his loyalty to the royal family is boundless and his relationship with his comrades is a delight. I admired his willingness to do almost anything to save the royal family though I did have a hard time dealing with how pushy he was concerning his attraction to Gwen and all the secrets he kept from her. I understood some of his rationale (his being a dragon and such) but the implications he made to everyone that he and Gwen were lovers and his repeated efforts to coerce her into a sexual relationship after she kept telling him no made me annoyed me.

The plotlines themselves had so much potential with the appearance of an old foe and his use of the curse but it is more talk than show and the addition of ridiculous scenarios and scenes in order to fluff out the story made no sense and only weighed the story down.

A cornucopia of interesting characters weave in and out of the story to help, hinder, or just plain annoy. I liked meeting Silas’ army buddies and seeing a secondary romance blossom. Gwen’s sisters remain a constant in her life and never let her forget she is loved. I will admit I had no idea what the trolls and trees were all about and frankly there had to be a better way to promote equality then running around telling people to ‘join the military-you can sleep with all the men you want.’ The coup de grace concerning the chameleon was rushed and anticlimactic.

While I’m sure die-hard fans of Sparks and this series will be thrilled with this couple and expansions to the world and arc, I’m going to bow out here.

Grade: C-

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks is book three of The Embraced series. Starting with the third book presented no issues for me, I was able to follow the plot without feeling I was missing things, even when the characters referred to what most likely occurred in past books. Gwennor is an Elf, a race which is the sworn enemy of the Norveshka people. Through happenstance, Gwen finds herself on Norveshka helping General Silas find a cure for the ancient curse afflicting his people.

This book was lighthearted, funny and sweet which was such fun for me. The banter between Silas and Gwen and the rest of the characters for that matter kept a smile on my face most of the novel. The couples were adorable. When events were more serious, it never became too dark which was appropriate for the setting.

The mystery alongside the love story was quite enjoyable and kept me guessing. What I most liked about it is in a world of mages and shifters, their problems were resolved in part by real-world applications. This approach helped ground the story to reality in unexpected and interesting ways.

Any issues I had, which were mainly due to Gwen being slightly too naive for my taste, was due to personal preferences. I was able to overlook it and have a good time reading Gwen and Silas's story. They were well paired and quite sexy. I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own and may not be identical to others. I urge all readers to come to their own conclusions.

I have read the earlier stories in the Embraced series and am familiar with the world of Aerthlan and its five kingdoms but this is a stand alone story of Gwennore, an elf and a healer, and her stay with the people of Norveshka and the very handsome General Silas. There's always some humor to go along with the very serious conditions at Draven Castle and the problems of the royal family. An explanation is found for Gwennore's ability to communicate telepathically with the dragons and a solution is found for the infertility of the people of Norveshka. More clues are given about the identity of the Chameleon and his ambitions. I really enjoyed this story!

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

I loved reading this book! We got another happy couple, and we got to check in with familiar faces, like it's the twins 3rd birthday at the beginning of this book, and the number 3 made an appearance at the end of the previous one!

So there were kinda 2 things that gave away the surprise-the title, and the synopsis. The whole, dating a dragon, that only works if Silas was the dragon, but Gwennore didn't know that. On the other hand, us knowing made the anticipation of how she'd find out even better! Loved that she figured it out instead of being told!

Mainly in this book, was the mystery of what was causing the Queen to go insane, instead of the curse that they all believe. But also investigating the curse and the history, that was pretty epic! Loved watching Gwennore solve something about 500 years old!

Each book, there's being the shifter dude. And in this book, we got a more broader look at the bad guys. That was really great because it's bigger than just the one kingdom. The threat is bigger, and yeah, hopefully it'll take about 2 more books to solve it, for the 2 more sisters!

Loved this book so much, and I really hope we get more books in this series!

Great Book!!!!!!!
Fast Read, couldn't put it down.

What a gem!  Take one sweet heroine, a charming flirtatious alpha hero, a unique paranormal world and a dash of intrigue (with some dragon dating rules on the side LOL) and you’ve got the fantastic Book 3 in The Embraced series!  I was a bit worried because it was apparent right away that there was quite a bit of back story with the first 2 books.  But Kerrelyn Sparks does an amazing job summing it up so you’re not left feeling lost.  So, this can definitely be read as a standalone and is from alternate POV.

Gwen is a self-conscious elf with low self esteem due to past prejudices. Even so, she has an inner strength that, as the story progresses, helps her build confidence.  Which definitely comes in handy because she has a lot on her plate.

Having medicinal skills and healing powers make Gwen uniquely suited to help a desperate Silas find answers to a family curse. On top of that, it’s apparent that the people are suffering from some ailment that could mean the demise of a people. Gwen can’t ignore the problems if she can help in any way.  So between navigating her new surroundings as the only elf in a foreign kingdom and striving to find answers to a mysterious curse, she’s a busy gal!  But she’s determined…and of course drooling all over the gorgeous general Silas doesn’t help. LOL

While Gwen is completely endearing, Silas, in my opinion, really makes the story shine.  He’s a protective mischievous alpha male who’s quick to playfully tease and smile.

But he’s not all games.  He’s strong, thoughtful and willing to put himself on the line to do the right thing for his family and the kingdom.  I was constantly looking forward to Silas’s POV.  His charisma drew me in and held me fast from start to finish!

Gwen and Silas were made for each other.  They had some serious chemistry and as time passed they slowly come to the realization that they can’t be apart. The two characters played off each other beautifully and kept me invested in them as a couple.

I was also impressed with the world building.  There is a romance but it doesn’t overshadow the plot either.  This balance left room for the secondary characters to thrive and gain depth. I adored the secondary characters! There were a couple of slightly cheesy scenes that seemed a bit out of place and random; but not terrible.  It’s the only reason I brought the rating down half a star.

Ultimately this was a truly fun read that I’d recommend to any and all paranormal romance junkies!  I for one have now added Books 1 and 2 to my leaning tower of TBR list.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press.

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

I would recommend this series to others. This was a book that brought a big smile to my face as I turned the pages. I loved that there was just a bit of humor mixed into the story at just the right times. I cannot wait to read more books in this fun series.

Delightul, fun read that has motivated me to reserve copies of first two books in the "embraced" series from my library.

While I enjoyed the characters and plot, my only major criticism of the book was that the pov(point of view) would switch abruptly mid chapter between the protagonists without any paragraph spacing. This was momentarily confusing and disruptive to this reader Having been provided courtesy of the publisher an eGalley of this title, I can only comment upon the galley proof. Perhaps this may have been fixed in finished product.
However, this problem does not refer me from recommending this title.

Full disclosure : This title was provided by publisher without any expectations or compensation for this review.
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I went into this one much like all my other books, blind. I wanted the story to formed as I read instead of anticipating something happening, plus its Kerrelyn I absolutely loved her vampire series and knew she was good at comedy. I was looking for a good romance featuring dragons so I dove right into this one.

I haven't read the other books in this series and perhaps that would have laid the groundwork of the world a bit more, however, this is the third book and it does read in a way that lets you jump right into the story. We meet Gwen who is trying to get away from the naysayers at court while she is hanging out with her niece and their decision to have fun leads to an adventure. Striving to not leave her niece behind, Gwen goes after the dragons and from there the story unfolds. I really loved how sassy she was even while being scared. She was determined to not let her family down.

I absolutely loved her interaction with the dragon and cracked up at the name she gave him. I had to laugh imagining a fearsome dragon looking back at the little woman who dared to call him that nickname and to take him to task. General Silas is trying his best to save his country which is fighting on the brink of extinction while fighting a bloody war and dealing with betrayals from within. For centuries his family has been cursed and now that curse has spread to his people and he's desperate to save them. When an Elf with the gift of healing lands in his court he can't help but convince her that she needs to stay and help him.

As the story unfolds I was hooked to the mystery of the curse and illness. And when that is unraveled I was so saddened, all for greed. How selfish, so many people suffered. I loved reading the story and realizing it was happening so quickly as Gwen was wont to note it has only been a few days, a week, man she was well aware of time in this book. Gwen's personality moved quickly between two and it felt like she wasn't sure who she was supposed to be, and because she was confused at times I felt confused as well. Her insistence on not thinking about things when she needed to made me look at her with a mean side eye. Silas at times also made me angry because he knew things he should be telling her and insisted on using it to his advantage for a while. It wasn't until someone else took him to task that he made moves to rectify it. So no bueno Siles, not cool.

I did enjoy the slow build of the relationship as Gwen had to come to terms with her place in this new kingdom and what she wanted for herself. Silas was more certain of himself but was lost when it came to ways to save his people and when it appeared Gwen could help him he bribed her into staying. I absolutely loved the friendships and familial relationships in this book. I loved how close Gwen was to her sisters, how much Silas loved his brother and his cousins. I really enjoyed the lore of the dragons, the family history and getting to know more about he world of this series.

While I really enjoyed the romance, the world and the story being told I kept wondering how comes in a world where the supernatural beings are at the top of the food chain they are not as preferred as humans are?? You're telling me even in a world where dragons and the Fae exist, humans are the standards of beauty?? Are you for real?? And even in this world black and brown people don't exist??

I'm not sure why Gwen was so down on herself, if you are raised in a loving family and you have self-esteem, how come a few people not liking you which is a recent event suddenly makes you doubt everything you learned before?? it's almost like she had nothing to fall back on. I really enjoyed reading several scenes where Gwen didn't see the irony in pushing someone she has recently become friends with into seeking their desired relationship while doing exactly what that persons intended was doing.

I will give a bit of warning, this is written like it's a historical romance with castles, caste systems, horse and the like but uses modern terminology and lingo. I'm not sure if it matters to anyone else but at times the description of scenes would through me when the characters would talk and I had to remind myself it's not a historical story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story despite a few hiccups within and found myself laughing at certain scenes, quickly reading to find out who the ultimate villain was and if the curse would be broken. If you're looking for a good adventure romance with dragons this is one of the good ones. I hope you enjoy!!

★★★★☆
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Happy Reading my loves,

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon is the third book in Kerrelyn Sparks' Embraced series. The Moon goddess has imparted special abilities to certain chosen people and they are called the 'embraced' but they are often treated with prejudice and disdain. Sparks has created a world that will draw the reader in. Mystery abounds, as well as, love. Readers looking for a series that is fantasy but doesn't require a glossary will love this one. And dragons and elves are really cool. *wink*



What I liked:



This is a book that I wouldn't consider a stand alone. There is so much to the mythology and world building of the series that readers will miss without the background from the previous books in the series. Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon is a wonderful continuation of that world. Sparks has a real knack for creating customs and beliefs that readers can relate to even in a paranormal fantasy series. The plot itself for this particular novel is very engrossing. The idea of a mad queen who steals children to replace those she has lost is intriguing to say the least. There is everything from political intrigue to curses and poison. This one makes the reader delve deep and 'embrace' the culture of the people.



Sparks also does something I consider difficult when it comes to writing. She is able to set a tone for the book that is both lighthearted and hopeful even though it centers around plague and infertility. It is often hard to strike the right balance that both excites readers but also convey's the seriousness of the situation. The right amount of humor is essential to pulling this off and I believe Sparks was able to do that with great success in this one.



This book is part mystery and part love story. The characters Sparks brings us in Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon, are charismatic and mysterious. Gwen is a woodlyn elf with the embraced ability to diagnose diseases with the touch of a hand. Silas is a dragon shifter with plenty of secrets. Readers can feel the tension between the two from their first meeting. I'm not one to fall for instant love in a book, but Silas makes it believable. He falls fast and hard but is not overbearing with it. Gwen was a bit naive and it took her awhile to realize that Silas and Puff the dragon were one and the same. I was glad that Sparks chose to build the relationship a bit before throwing them into a steamy scene. It was worth the wait and readers will find their relationship much more believable because of it.



What I didn't like:



First of all, I think this is a great series and I love Sparks' writing. This one continued the plot of the overall series, but it left a lot to the imagination. We don't know much about Gwen's past, she remains mostly mysterious throughout the novel. She is essential to solving the mystery of what is going on in the land of Norveshka, but the reader doesn't find out if her tonic works or not by the end. There is a short epilogue but it is not set far enough in the future to tie up any loose ends. I felt like Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon asked more questions than it answered. Part of that is because it is not a stand alone novel and i'm a sucker for having things tied up with a bow. Regardless, it was still an excellent novel.



My only other problem with this one is simply a pet peeve. Why in the world would you give your dragon shifter a very sexy intriguing name like Silas and then name his dragon Puff? Thoughts of Puff the Magic Dragon were strong in parts of this novel and I had to really concentrate on the plot to keep from humming the tune in my head lol... Not exactly what i think you are looking for in a romantic lead. Otherwise Silas was spectacular in every way.



Bottom Line:



If you've read the other books in the series, this one will only leave you wanting more. Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon has a strong plot, a very intriguing mystery component. It is a love story and Sparks' is never at a loss when it comes to that. Her world building here, is simply amazing and though I still had questions at the end of the novel, it definitely hit the spot. Just makes me anxious for the next one and if you think about it... that's the right idea isn't it?

EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING A DRAGON is the third book in Kerrelyn Sparks’ THE EMBRACED series, and it was just as much fun as the first two. With a heroine you can’t help but root for, a hero who is desperate to stop the curse consuming his countrymen, and a kingdom full of secrets both old and new, what’s not to love?

Gwendolyn, an orphaned elf, who has lived most of her life on an island convent, has a special power. By touching someone, she can tell which part of them is hurt, and often identify what is causing the injury. She has studied long and hard to learn how to heal the ailments she finds, and she’s grown to be a valuable healer. Her power doesn’t trump all the hard work she has done, and she isn’t afraid to ask for help from more experienced healers when she needs to. Many heroines in fantasy novels are overpowered; characters who can and do ask for help are refreshing.

I keep being impressed by the world-building in this series: Sparks’ previous series have been historical novels and vampire series set in the modern world. Neither of these require entire new continents with a mix of ethnic and magical background. Yet the countries feel distinct, the forests feel lush and the fantastical creatures feel real.

The novel was a bit predictable when it came to the big villain, and if you’ve read the previous books, you won’t be surprised. But I appreciated that the characters learned from the previous books and were much faster at catching on. There were also plenty of twists and surprises to keep me entertained along the way.

EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING A DRAGON has both funny and tragic moments, clever intrigue at court and solid fantasy chops. If it had a more serious cover and title, it would reach a wider audience. Why, Kerrelyn, why?

This book was very engaging to read. Gwennore was an elf that was raised in a convent with several other girls. While she was watching one a the small princess, the girl was kidnapped by a dragon. She chased after them and hung on to the dragons legs. When she was shaken off, another dragon caught her. She discovered she could talk to the dragon and hear his thoughts. This story had lots of moving parts, good guys, bad guys, mad kings and queens, poison, trolls, and a little romance which brought all the moving parts together. I truly enjoyed reading it. I look forward to more of her books. I got this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was another fun installment in this series. I get a kick out of Sparks' writing style. The humor is always fun and light. This story did drag just a bit in some places, and I felt a lot of events that had to do with the overall story arc of this series all happened near the end, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. I loved the new characters introduced (yes, dragons!) and seeing favorites from earlier books. Looking forward to the next one.

Wow once again the Author Kerrelyn Sparks enthralls the reader with a dynamic suspenseful entertaining read. Her intriguing presentation of the Norveshka and the dragons who protect them is described in brilliant detail that immediately draws the reader into the plot of the book. The humor of Puff and Silas, Lord General, add the chuckles to this story as they remind Gwennore about Eight Simple Steps for Dating A Dragon in slow steps.

Gwen starts out with no confidence and throughout the book she becomes fearless and most entertaining as she fights to resist her feelings for Silas. Her need to help others endures her to those close to her. But what I really admire about her character is her ability to continually help others who scorn and dislike her.

This book has a lesson for everyone. It doesn't matter what others think about you it only matters what you think about yourself. I am excited that this series keeps getting better and better and am anxiously waiting for the next books to this series about the other two sisters.

I give this 5 BIG STARS for being so brilliantly written.

I really enjoyed this story. Kerrelyn always has a way of creating worlds that draw you in. Every little detail is taken into account. I love that about these stories. Oh and have I mentioned I love dragons! This was perfect for me. It was tons of fun and action and creative storytelling and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can't wait to read more in this series.

I hope by now you’ve been listening to me and reading this new series by Kerrelyn Sparks. It’s quickly become one of my fave fantasy romances! The world building and imagination is captivating and then the characters just make you want to continue reading. One of the most well-rounded series I’ve found in years in the genre.

So in this book we are getting Gwennore’s HEA. She’s an Elf and one of The Embraced sisters we’ve been following in this series. She’s forced to travel to a land far away to protect someone dear to her, and she stumbles across a lot of secrets, intrigue and … dragons! The romance between Gwen and Silas is very much a slow burn, more so than the previous two books in the series. I really enjoyed that pacing for their story because it was a sweet and tentative development of their connection and I just wanted to continue reading and seeing their next interaction. Definitely, these two are adorable together!

But as much as the romance is awesome, these two as separate characters also stand out as well. Silas is so delicious and he has a lot he needs to hide to keep his people safe. Not only that, him and his family have lived with a curse their whole lives and have no way how to fix it.

I think this is also a book that moves the overall series arc forward a lot and opens up the world to so many more possibilities and connections that I’m excited to see developed further in the upcoming books.

If you like royal intrigue, ancient castles and sexy shifters then pick this up immediately. Such a fun read and I didn’t want it to end. Can we just have the next one now?

I can't believe we are three books into this new series of Sparks', where has the time gone? I seems like just yesterday that I was reading How To Tame a Beast in Seven Days out 3/7/17, see a long time ago. Ha!

If you follow my reviews then you know that I really enjoyed both books. I will say though that Eight Simple Rules For Dating a Dragon is by far my favorite book of the series so far. I just loved it!

I would love to say that the reason I loved it was because of Silas and Gwen only but that would be a lie. This book shows how much other characters matter in a book. There were so many that I really enjoyed. I never found myself wishing for the end of the story no matter how much I wanted to know how it ended.

The interaction between both Silas and Gwen is wonderful. They really worked. I likes how they teased each other. You could tell right away how much they cared about each other. It was so sweet. A true romance.

One thing I will tell you is that I would read this series in order. There is a main story thread that runs throughout each of the books along with characters. Reading them in order makes each story richer in a way. You really connect with the heroines in each story because you really get to know them.

If you really enjoy fantasy romance then this series is for you. It's historical without being overly historical. It's the perfect blend of fantasy and historical. I just loved it.

Awesome magical fantasy romance. This is the first book by this author I've had the pleasure of reading. I understand there are previous books in this series but throughout the story the author pieces together a lot of what I didn't know so I'd consider this a possible stand alone. The main secret of the curse wasn't resolved but the story gave a HEA. The story revolves around sisters of the heart not by blood. Each has a Destiny to fulfill and I enjoyed learning about the homes, people's and particulars of the location in this book. There are trolls, elves, shifters, dragons and more in this story. The author gives the readers mystery, intrigue and suspense in a magical world. The main characters are Gwenmore who is elfin and Silas who is a royal General but each have their own secrets. I received a complementary copy of this book via Net Galley and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by this author

A fun and entertaining read filled with a mix of genres. It was easy to get wrapped into the story. Enjoyable read! I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.