Dragon Bound: Elder Races #1    by Thea Harrison Order:  USA  Can Berkley, 2011 (2011) Paperback, e-Book      Reviewed by Martina Bexte May and June have offered up some great debut romance novels; Thea Harrison's Dragon Bound, the first instalment in her Elder Races series, is one of these books. It puts a delightful spin on everything we thought we knew about dragons. As the story opens, Pia Giovanni has just committed a crime that would very likely see her rendered into a million pieces by day's end - or sooner. Wasn't that what dragons did once they captured the thief stupid enough to steal from their hoard? Well, she'd done just that, poor stupid fool that she was. But she hadn't had a lot of choice. Blackmail was like that, it didn't give you any clear-cut choices but one - unless you killed the blackmailer. But Pia wasn't a cold-blooded murderess, as much as she hated her ex-boyfriend for threatening to reveal her true heritage. Dragos Cuelebre is the only dragon in existence, as old as the solar system and the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind. He cannot comprehend that anyone would be so brazen - or so stupid - as to steal from him. His immediate reaction is to dispatch one of his many minions to return the thief to his lair - and then rend the miscreant limb from limb. But when Dragos investigates further and discovers that the wily thief had stolen only a single penny, and left a note of apology in its place, he's bemused and decides to hunt down this thief himself. Once he tracks down Pia, Dragos is even more intrigued, and increasingly beguiled by this lovely creature who guards her secrets well - secrets that could destroy her if discovered by others among the Wyrkind. Harrison imbues Dragos with an über Alpha ego, yet still manages to make him an extremely likeable character, tempering his hair trigger fury and aggression with just enough naiveté about modern society - and today's modern woman - to fascinate rather than annoy. As for Pia, she somehow manages to figure him out and twist the fire-breathing beast around her little pinkie with the utmost ease and in ways that even she doesn't always understand. Ultimately, the pair makes one of the year's most fresh and dynamic paranormal romance couples. I can hardly wait to see what happens next in Storm's Heart, due out in August!! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews