Last Dragon Standing (Dragon Kin)

This was my least favorite of all the Dragon Kin books. I admit, I wasn't looking forward to reading about Keita in the first place. The appearances she made in the previous books didn't really endear her to me. She came off more like the female characters in the Mangus Pack books - extremely bitchy. Also, that girl got around a lot. Gwenvael got around a lot too, but he came off as sweeter and funnier, and less crass. That made all the difference for me.

But, I was still extremely excited to read this book. I love this author's blend of hilarity, action, romance, and sex. She is the only author I've read with a style like this, and I love her campy books that don't take themselves seriously. Her characters are always over the top and you can't help but love them for those qualities.

This book was considerably longer than the previous books in the series, and there was a lot less focus on the relationship in it. I think that was the problem with the book. This one spent so much time on other events that we never really got any alone time with Keita and Ragnar. Their relationship and interactions seemed to be sprinkled in between interactions with the other characters. We also spent a lot more time in other people's pov's. That's not usually a problem, but it felt intrusive because the main romance was so underdeveloped.

When the book ended it felt like their relationship wasn't complete. I wonder if the author has plans to continue their relationship in another book. It really felt more "happy for now" as opposed to "happily ever after." There was no claiming or relationship resolution like in the other books. Keita's resistance to any sort of permanence precluded that. I just felt unsatisfied with it. I can't help but fear she'll one day dump him because everything got too heavy for her.

But, if you ignore the relationship this is still classic Aiken/Laurenston. That's why I gave it three stars instead of a lower grade. The humor still pops and the family antics are hilarious. I loved getting to see more of the previous characters. I was very amused by Gwenvael's jealousy over Ragnar. It was cute! I also loved how touchy Briec was about his daughter smiling. Little things like that made this whole book worth it!

There was a lot of new developments on the Izzy/Eibhear front. I loved all those scenes! I can't wait until we get to see them in their own book. I was really glad the whole thing developed like that. He needed a reality check that she's not a little girl and she's not waiting around forever. I also hope we get to see more of Ren in the future. I find him very interesting.

I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

The only bad thing about this book is that it ended and I have to wait for the next book to be written - I can only hope that Aiken can write fast! It is a story in a series about a family of royal dragons who can walk and interact as human, with fast packed action - totally recommend it to dragon book fans

A HOT MESS. I didn't get to know Keita nor Ragar so I really didn't give a darn about their relationship. I didn't quite make the connection of Keita being some secret spy for the kingdom. It was confusing to read. I guess I will wait for the E's story.

Where did GA go? And Shelley because I didn't care for Beast Behaving Badly either.

I have truly enjoyed all of the Dragon Kin series, and while this story wasn't my favorite (Gwenvael is my favorite and I can't imagine any story beating What a Dragon Should Know ;P) it was still an exceptional tale. It does differ from the traditional romance model, but it worked for me. It was actually refresthing to have a tale that wasn't predictable. The Dragon Kin series is as much fantasy as romance and I thoroughly am enjoying the complicated plot line behind the romances. The characters are very much individuals and I enjoy getting to know each one as they are introduced. I highly recommend this book and eagerly await the next in the series.

I admit I was influenced by some of the reviews complaining about too many characters and a less than sympathetic heroine and I almost didn't buy this book. But I have the other 3 AND since the series is still in paperback, I thought why not? So I started reading it about 10:15pm, just a couple of chapters before bedtime. Well, when I finished the darn thing at 1:30am, I was surprised. and annoyed. and TIRED! But I did really enjoy the book and the way the earlier characters had evolved and gotten on with their lives since the last book. Yes- there are a lot of new characters and some small divergent story lines. But they all still weave back into the story at the end. So what if there is not a HEA for Keita and Ragnar? You know there's one coming in the next book. So grab a cup of tea or hot chocolate or toddy, get comfy and read!

Warning: You will probably be totally lost with this book if you haven't read the others in the series.

I LOVE this series and think Aiken is incredibly talented. Her combination of humor, hot romance and fantasy is very unique. That said, this was not my favorite story in the series. I agree with one of the other reviewers that said the best romance came from the side characters. I really didn't feel connected or all that interested in keita and ragnar's story and found myself wanting to hurry through the bits and pieces about them to find out about my favorite characters from other books. because there was so much of this, the book seemed like a bunch of sub plots rather than one main story that took the starring role. it left you feeling a little disastisfied.

since all the main characters from her previous books in the series were involved, i would think it would also be difficult and boring for anyone that hadn't read the series. For people that have read the series, it was fun to revisit old favorites and I would buy the book again ...but I still would have liked more depth.

I am the first to disagree with all the naysayers. This story is entertaining and one uproarious, sidesplitting laughter after another...couldn't get enough of the family antics. It was absolutely delightful the way all of the family was captured. The Anwyl saga was suspenseful and totally surprising...right down to her training partner. I simply do not know what I will do once Eibhear's story is finished...who would be next, I can't imagine. These dragons are so enjoyable, enchanting and funny; I miss them as soon as the book is finished!!!!!!

If you follow the dragon series, you will NOT be disappointed!! I truly appreciate her work and her writing techniques. I am a pretty serious reader so if I can read lines of a story that can have me smiling or laughing out loud, then I know I'm reading great work (and I just brought it a few hours ago!). Thanks G.A. Aiken for writing this great series and I truly hope it never ends!!!!

The thing I love about this series is the arrogance of the dragons and the extreme attitudes the humans in their lives must have in order to deal with them. They are all vindictive, cruel and fierce but it's so entertaining to watch them go at it. The sarcasm alone had me laughing out loud more than once.

In this book we get to know Keita a little bit better. Up until this point she has been described as the slutty absent sister. That's true but there is a lot more to her than meets the eye. She is probably my favorite dragon so far.

Ragnar is the dragon that lied about his true identity to Dagmar throughout her life. He's also the one that saved Keita from his father and she later stabbed him in the chest for his trouble. They have a history together and it's not a good one. They are once again forced together by circumstances out of their control. Ragnar is known for being rational and reserved. Keita brings out his irrational and emotional dragon. It's fun watching them go at it.

Once again we get to visit and explore this crazy dragon family. They attempt to kill each other on a daily basis, they insult each other constantly and they are all fiercely protective of the ones they love. Watching them interact is half the fun of this series.

This is the 4th book of the Dragon Kin series, it isn't one of her best books, however, I love all G A Aikens/Shelley Laurenston books so this book is still a keeper!! It is definitely NOT a standalone novel. Without reading the previous book in this series, a reader will get totally lost as to who the characters are (and there are a lot of them in this book) and how they are related/connected to each other. This story is about Keita and Ragnar and their turbulent attraction to each other. Secondary couple, Izzy and Eibhear plays a large % of the book (don't know how I feel about these two after this book...didn't like their interaction with each other very much) as well as the immenent war brewing between multiple factions. This book moves the series along really well since it brought back all the previous couples and characters from other books. The slap-stick comedy is as sharp and funny as ever, and the writing draws you in and keeps you turning the pages well into the night. Contrary to some of the other readers who hated the cliff-hanger ending, I didn't mind it too much. I thought it was done/written well so as not to seem like a ploy to get you to buy the next book. It's a series, folks, you have to expect that there will be an overarching theme connecting some if not all these books to one another. Just so the main romance isn't a cliff-hanger, it is A-OK.