REVIEW - Hot Pink Dragon - D. de Carvalho
Click the image above to find D. de Carvaho at the Hot Pink Press. Image used with author permission.
Looking for a sweet and sexy dragon shifter read? Hot Pink Dragon may be suitable for someone who enjoys Celia Kyle’s lighthearted shifter series. This novella features Pinkie, an undersize and, you guessed it, fluffy pink dragon shifter. He’s gone on a quest to ‘find himself’ after becoming fed up with his overbearingly protective family. Well, he also hopes to find really great pie. This journey leads him to cross paths with the delectable Lola and a domineering town sheriff intent on driving this drifter from town. However, Pinkie has other plans in mind.
Picking up on the idea that everyone needs to be needed and the oft quoted phrase, size does matter, this novella gives the reader a quirky view into a love at first sight romance. Pinkie isn’t the standard romance hero. Big, buff, and brooding alphas can get pretty boring after the 100th novel and so the hero of this novella becomes memorable in a sea of similar archetypes. It was also refreshing to see a hero portrayed as vulnerable and even naïve, again in contravention of the genre stereotypes. Yet, for all his vulnerability, Pinkie does still come across as resilient, resourceful and determined, especially where his lady-love is concerned.
Hot Pink Dragon had a good flow of humour throughout and I particularly enjoyed the running gag of insult trading by the two old men in the story. Bert and Old Derrick trade the best and most imaginative insults (Flounder fart; Haddock breath) throughout the story but still come across as heartwarming in their protective actions towards Lola.
For all the quickness of the romance (this is an approximately 75-page novella – it’s got to be quick), I was touched by the interactions of Pinkie and Lola in their romance. My heart just about melted when Pinkie discusses his need to get a cell phone that day. Lola asks him:
“Yeah? How come?”
“So you can let me know whenever you need me.”
Happy sigh. 😊
In terms of the spiciness level, there are several sex scenes and these take place early in the story. If you want a slow build to sexy stuff, it’s going to arrive before you’re ready. Oh. And there’s lots of discussion of wet panties, at least on Lola’s part. That said, the sexiness is generally in keeping with the ‘gentle’ romance aspect of this novella.
As far as cons, the evil villain of the piece is quite obviously bad to the bone without much depth of reason why. He also uses a word repeatedly that might be off putting to some readers. I also found that I was less connected to Lola, the female love interest, than I was to Pinkie. I think his vulnerability really connected and that’s why I favour him over her.
For pros – this is a lighthearted, enjoyable and easy read to blast through. I really enjoyed Pinkie’s character and felt that he went against a fair amount of the romance genre stereotypes so that was refreshing. I really enjoyed the secondary characters of Bert and Old Derrick and the quibbling imaginative slurs they slung back and forth. The ending was literally satisfying.
All in all, I would love to read more about Pinkie and his family! It’s a good sign when readers want more.
Four stars.
Hot Pink Dragon can be found HERE for purchase! Happy reading. :)
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