KING OF DRAGONS, KING OF MEN
AUTHOR:  Emily Veinglory
PUBLISHER:  Samhain Books PUB DATE: 
GENRE:  Spec Fiction with Romantic Elements ISBN:  1599983303
REVIEWED BY:  Joyce Ellen Armond on 03/01/07 EISBN: 

A non-traditional romance that actually focuses on?the characters, their emotions and not their body parts! Oh, my! And a delightfully complex relationship it is, too.

Sayeth the blurb at the Samhain Website:

"How do you choose between two lovers, when you deserve neither?
Two knights, William and his foster brother Allen, are summoned to fight for their baron. William leaves behind his wife by an arranged marriage and enters a political game where the baron, the king and maybe the devil himself, each have their plans for him.

On the eve of battle, William meets a being called Ahriman and is offered a chance to save Allen?s life?but only at a great price. Although it tears him apart, William agrees to save Allen from his fate and begins a chain of events that offers him great treasures?the crown of the nation, a magical device that opens a door to a world of dragons and, rarest of all, the love of two good people?which he knows he does not deserve.

Can the aid of the dragons put right the damage done?"

The yummy parts:

Allen and William, Margaret and Ahriman all come to life in three dimensions, expressing individual outlooks, chasing individual goals and wading through multi-layered conflicts. Especially Margaret. She's a memorable heroine who doesn't need roundhouse kicks to be strong.
William's conflict -- his devil's bargain -- will wrench your heart out. The happy resolution of that, and the relationships in general, satisfied deeply.

The fantasy is centered in European-type court intrigue, and I can't get enough of that. Plus, the world-building is internally consistent. Veinglory focuses on details that are specific to the engine of her plot and doesn't toss in a bunch of stock fantasy wallpaper to set the mood.

The very faint aftertaste:

Veinglory pulls me into the characters, their emotions and their conflicts so well, I actually would have appreciated more explicit sexual action in the story. (Let this be an example -- sexy springs from the heart of the characters and their conflicts. You want me to be enthusiastic about your description of what tab goes in whose slot, give me the emotions and the conflict early and often.)

While the world-building is internally consistent with the plot, the picture of the overall fantasy world stayed fuzzy. The level of detail was satisfyingly consistent, but could have been layered more richly.

Final Results of Taste Test:

You won't be sending this one back to the kitchen. For those who have shied away from trying non-traditional romantic pairings because of explicit sexual content, here's a great way to increase the range of your reading palate. The bedroom door stays firmly closed, but the windows into the characters' hearts stay wide open. What's next on Veinglory's menu? I'm hungry already.

I'M HUNGRY TOO LET ME AT IT