Stones of Dracontias

Starred review from October 1, 2018
Spanning 21 years, this delectable paranormal romance novella from Jones (the Death and Destiny trilogy) puts an unusual spin on dragon shapeshifters while mixing romantic connection with high-stakes intrigue. Kya, a young dragon whose skull cradles a magical healing gem, is sent to explore Washington, D.C., in order to learn about human culture. She sees Armstrong Knight, a Secret Service agent, rescue a woman from would-be rapists and decides he’s worth getting to know. As they form a friendship, Kya and Armstrong are attacked by the Circle of Drayke, a human organization interested in capturing dragons in an attempt to gain power. Jones’s innovations include humans knowing scraps about dragon culture—the powerful, long-lived dragons guard their privacy well, but often intervene in human affairs and even appear on TV—and all the dragons having dark skin in their human form. This is a fascinating, enticing beginning to a very promising series.