Lady Dragon (Trattenbourgh Affair Book 1) by JJ Giles

The first thing to say about this book is that it is long. It's the length of three books. Honestly, if it had been cut by about 25% it would have been a much better book.

Even with that, it was a good book and an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the characters, the very twisty plot, the BDSM scenes, the premise. If Lady Dragon had been just 20 to 25 percent shorter, and if the cast of characters a bit less confusing, it would have easily gotten a rating of 8 of 10. Possibly 9 of 10.

But let us talk about the cast of characters a moment. Lady Dragon has a strong reincarnation theme, and the majority of the current cast of characters were other people 300 and 400 years ago. If the author had been able to do something to help us along with keeping everyone straight it would have been helpful.

With that being said, the book was an enjoyable read.

Let me talk a bit about the BDSM in this book. First, there are some very intense scenes. It's all consensual, but a few scenes get kind of rough. Not all of them, there are some sweet BDSM scenes as well. Still, if you are squicked by BDSM then this book may not be for you. But if you like for your BDSM to be inside of a plot, then you might enjoy Lady Dragon.

I don't enjoy non-consensual BDSM scenes, and yet I sometimes enjoy reading about the whole slave thing. The "slaves" in this book choose to be slaves, they sign a contract for a year at a time knowing what is in store for them, and they make $100,000 during their year of service. They are working for very rich men and women, and they even get investment help if they want it (not required, their money is their own, they just give up the right to say what happens to their bodies for that year). But, the slaves are all secondary characters, the main character in the book is kind of a recruiter - he signs the slaves up and walks them through the first few days and then is available to them by phone if they need someone to talk to. He's a therapist, has a doctorate, and has written a ton of books, so he's well qualified for the job. He's also the slave of the owner of the company.

Here's the blurb:

The first in the series of The Trattenbourgh Affair, Lady Dragon opens the dramatic narrative of events which have shaped the lives of the Von Tratten Family for some twelve centuries. Stretching into the past and the conquests of Charlemagne, the Family suffers his curse, scattered in new bodies, unrecognizable to all but the most preternatural of them. As the forces of the nether regions slowly gather, the Warlock has no other option than to search out the family and reunite them, brother to brother, Prince to Knight, and create a phalanx of impenetrable trust.

I can not find a website for the author, and the publisher's site does not list a release date, or a title, for the next book in the series. I will be looking for it.