LUCK OF THE DRAGON by Susannah Scott is a richly bejeweled dragon tale that will leave you wanting more (in a good way)--more action, more dragons, and more books from Susannah Scott. I give LUCK OF THE DRAGON 4 stars and recommend to all dragon lovers.
In the novel, Lucy is a world-renowned gemologist who is forced into stealing from Alec Gerald, the infamous Las Vegas casino owner, and unbeknownst to Lucy, the King of the Dragons. Lucy has some serious co-dependency problems with her brother, who has once again lost his shirt via bad luck at the horse races. Gino, a mob enforcer, is determined to get his hands on Alec Gerald's fortune by using Lucy to gain access to the priceless gem exhibit at the casino. Little does Lucy know that her getting between Alec and his gems is the worst way to save her brother. Add to that little drama a formidable foe from the past that has returned to challenge Alec's throne and an ancient mating/fertility ceremony that is necessary to ensure the continuation of the dragon shifter species, and the heat from the Strip just gets hotter.
I enjoyed LUCK OF THE DRAGON immensely. The action-packed plot was surprisingly believable. Given the variety of people and businesses in Las Vegas, it doesn't seem that much of a stretch to imagine that, if dragon shifters did exist, Las Vegas is where they'd be. I loved the characters; well-illustrated and sympathetic, even Joey, the screw-up brother. The novel glitters with fantastic descriptions of the casino and priceless gems and artifacts in the exhibit, and while the romance is hot, it isn't over the top. Still, the novel is appropriate for adults only.
I could have used a bit more illustration of the dragons themselves, as well as some expansion on the subplots pertaining to Vito, Gino's brother, Bruno, Gino's right-hand man, Joey, and the magic briefly introduced in two characters' plotlines. The gem heist plotline seemed a bit unresolved after Vito and Bruno are mentioned, but not addressed substantively. I get the sense that these issues might be dealt with in future novels, but I'm not quite sure. So a little more info would have been helpful there.
Also, there were enough typos and editing errors to warrant another round of revision. The issues weren't overly distracting, but enough that I would have given the novel three and a half stars, if that were an option.
Overall, though, I really liked LUCK OF THE DRAGON and can't wait to read the next in the series.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=11011.
