Slaying Dragons

In this adventurous, romantic sword-and-sorcery novella, Miller (Axbridge) partners warriors with mages to dispatch mystical beasts. Gruff and gritty combatant Devi Bissette is about to be sacked due to her abrasive personality and her difficulty working with the boastful mages she’s been paired with. Given a final chance to prove herself, Devi is paired with affable and sensible novice mage Noeme Lavoie and sent on an uncharacteristically vague assignment. On the journey, Devi finds herself becoming attracted to Noeme, and a lusty kiss in the heat of battle signals a new turn in their relationship. Devi can’t shake a gnawing suspicion that Noeme is not the innocent angel she seems to be, but she knows they must work as a team to destroy a fire-breathing dragon, the same beast that wrecked Devi’s village a decade before. Miller’s sometimes predictable but solid story is populated by strong, capable women who grow into well-developed characters. A fun but too-brief dragon battle suggests that Miller’s traditional fantasy world has much more to offer readers. (Sept.)