| Genre | Gay / Paranormal / Fantasy / Shifters / Magic / Erotic Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller / Action/Adventure |
| Reviewed by | Christy Duke on 20-August-2014 |
Ice dragon Sagenamadeen Zager has always been a loyal soldier, renowned for his cold demeanor. But his life changes when Sage meets and falls in love with Prince Camden Isaiat.
Camden is the only one who truly manages to melt the ice around his heart. But Camden is also a naga, a member of the second caste and a chimera. Their love is a taboo. And it isn’t only the draechen who are against it, but also Camden’s family.
When Sage agrees to join them in the naga capital, he becomes little more than a concubine. But just as Sage and Camden decide they’ve had enough, a vampire ploy targets the naga. Mysterious forces are at work, and Sage is the only one who can keep his mate safe from them. Can he prove the true power of his mate bond surpasses all labels, or will distrust, hatred, and darkness separate him from his lover?
NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest imprint, the Siren Epic Romance collection. This is Book 4 of 7 in the Chronicles of the Shifter Directive series. The series shares an overall story arc with many crossover characters playing major roles in each book. These books are not stand-alone and should be read in their numbered order.
I, literally, just finished 'Warriors' Dream', the third book in this series, and now I'm opening the pages of this fourth installment, 'Naga's Concubine'. This is Sage and Camden's story and I fully anticipate it being just as exciting, passionate, and adventure filled as the previous books. Naga, in case you don't know, are a chimera breed of shifter, meaning they don't fully shift into their animal, only half of their body does. Chimeras include naga, mermen, satyrs, sirens, harpies, centaurs, and minotaurs. Naga's lower half of their bodies shift into snakes and they have a forked tongue.
The chimera are members of the second caste of the Shifter Directive, placing them directly under the draechen. They received this honor because their forces helped to capture and restrain the remaining bats and wolves after the Great Sacrifice. But the chimera know they are scorned and looked down upon by other shifters so they've always kept to themselves and their royal family, the Isaiats, created their own underground city, Patala, and have spent centuries preparing themselves for the possibility of war. For, you see, they recognized long ago the weaknesses inherent within the Directive, and they want to be prepared for the day when the draechen attempt to take complete control, or their empire implodes. The naga hold a secret, also. Their blood can heal all wounds. If this became known their lives would become forfeit.
"But what Queen Anais Isaiat and her two mates didn't know was that chimeras could fall in love with draechen, and the other way around. That love—a love no one had anticipated—would change the destinies of all."
Camden's family, the royal family, are less than happy when he tells them that he and a draechen, Sage, are mates and they've completed the bond. Camden's parents are very close to declaring war on the draechen and they think this is the perfect time considering it's a new emperor. However, Sage agrees to return to Patala, basically as a prisoner, because he knows that Camden will go into the cold as the naga call it and die without the heat of his mate. Sage also knows that after everything that happened at the end of 'Warriors' Dream', Camden would not be safe around the draechen. Sage loves Camden and will do what he must and follow whatever rules to ensure that they can be together. Plus, Camden is firm in his belief that if it gets too bad, then they will simply run away together…although that's probably wishful thinking. Camden is horrified, though, by the despicable way his family humiliate and belittle Sage at every opportunity.
Of course, none of this matters, when the first time Camden and Sage leave Patala, they are attacked by vampires who want Camden and Talbot. Talbot being the naga Camden's parents are trying to get him to mate with as they don't really respect his bond with Sage. Somehow the vampires have discovered the secret to naga blood and they want Camden's more powerful, royal blood. Sage is taken by the vampires as he fights to allow Camden to get free. Of course, typical of the strong mate bond, Camden lets himself be taken by the bats so he can save Sage. And, as I'm discovering happens a lot in these books, someone else is pulling the vampires’ strings. Oh, the intrigue.
Fourth book down and I'm still just as hooked. I can't believe it, actually, because lately it seems as if I'm having a harder time staying interested in books. Shocking, right? But Scarlet Hyacinth surely knows her way around a story and I'm absolutely loving each book and the entire series so far. Now I'm off to jump into book five.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Siren Publishing for the purpose of a review.
| Format | ebook |
| Length | Novel, 75557 words |
| Heat Level | |
| Publication Date | 17-August-2013 |
| Price | $5.99 ebook |
| Buy Link | http://www.bookstrand.com/nagas-concubin |
