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Colter #1
Fabulous Beast
SLUMBERING DRAGON
Tabitha Graham thought she had found a soulmate when she rescued Dev Colter from a dangerous situation on a remote Caribbean island. She thought he was a kindred spirit: gentle, shy and in need of love.
But Colter proved to be as dangerous as any of the fabulous, legendary beasts she had studied. When she fled from his sensual claim, his pursuit was relentless. Dev Colter had no intention o relinquishing his prey.
Too late Tabitha discovered she had aroused a slumbering dragon.
Tabitha Graham thought she had found a soulmate when she rescued Dev Colter from a dangerous situation on a remote Caribbean island. She thought he was a kindred spirit: gentle, shy and in need of love.
But Colter proved to be as dangerous as any of the fabulous, legendary beasts she had studied. When she fled from his sensual claim, his pursuit was relentless. Dev Colter had no intention o relinquishing his prey.
Too late Tabitha discovered she had aroused a slumbering dragon.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 28, 1984
3 people are currently reading
626 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie James
48 books150 followersJayne Ann Castle was born on 28 March 1948 in Borrego Springs, California. Her mother, Alberta Castle, raised her with her two brothers, Stephen and James. In 1970, she obtained a B.A in History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and later she obtained a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University, where she met Frank Krentz, an engineer. After her graduation, they married and moved to the Virgin Islands. She worked in the Duke University library system, where she began to write her first romance novels. The marriage moved to Seattle, Washington, where they continue living.
Now, Jayne Ann Castle Krentz with her seven pennames is considered a pillar in the contemporary romance genre. For some years, she only uses three pennames for each of three different periods from time: "Jayne Ann Krentz" (her married name) from the present, "Jayne Castle" (her birth name) from the future and her most famous penname: "Amanda Quick" from the past. She is famous for her work ethic, beginning her writing by 7 am six days a week. Her heroins never are damsels in hardships, they are often heroes. Her novels also contain mystery or paranormal elements.
Enthusiastic of the romantic genre, she has always defended its importance. To help educate the public about the romantic genre she became the editor and a contributor to Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, a non-fiction essay collection that won the prestigious Susan Koppelman Award for Feminist Studies. She established the Castle Humanities Fund at UCSC's University Library to allow the library to purchase additional books and has given money to 15 Seattle-area elementary schools to enhance their library budgets. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Writers Programs at the University of Washington extension program.
Psuedonyms:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Jayne Castle
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass
Now, Jayne Ann Castle Krentz with her seven pennames is considered a pillar in the contemporary romance genre. For some years, she only uses three pennames for each of three different periods from time: "Jayne Ann Krentz" (her married name) from the present, "Jayne Castle" (her birth name) from the future and her most famous penname: "Amanda Quick" from the past. She is famous for her work ethic, beginning her writing by 7 am six days a week. Her heroins never are damsels in hardships, they are often heroes. Her novels also contain mystery or paranormal elements.
Enthusiastic of the romantic genre, she has always defended its importance. To help educate the public about the romantic genre she became the editor and a contributor to Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, a non-fiction essay collection that won the prestigious Susan Koppelman Award for Feminist Studies. She established the Castle Humanities Fund at UCSC's University Library to allow the library to purchase additional books and has given money to 15 Seattle-area elementary schools to enhance their library budgets. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Writers Programs at the University of Washington extension program.
Psuedonyms:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Jayne Castle
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 6, 2020
“Animals! You told him about the mating habits of medieval animals? How did you dare? You’re only supposed to use that line on me! You have no right to go around discussing that sort of thing with every other male you come across!
LMAO!
"Fabulous Beast" is the story of Tabitha and Dev.
Meet Tabby, our h- the curvaceous bookshop owner, who is more fascinated by mythical beasts than humans. Having lived her life in the background, and with an unsuccessful marriage behind her, she decides to take a vacation. She soon rescues an injured man on a remote Caribbean island, and nurses him back to health. Believing him to be a kind, vulnerable, sensitive, gentle soul, Tabby slowly seduces her away into his heart, until the curtain is unveiled and out emerges the fiery dragon!
Very enjoyable read. A sweet, nerdy, bodacious h who relentlessly admired animals, dragons, phoenixes and basilisks and lived in the fictional world. She wants an nice, caring man, and the first half of the book has her believing the H to be a gentle lamb and gently "coercing" him. However, a chase and run exposes his truth and soon the h realizes she is trapped in the lion's den, and he has decided she would be his queen..I really enjoyed the chase-grovel sequence at the end, and the h's fight to keep him as hers.
Safe
4/5
LMAO!
"Fabulous Beast" is the story of Tabitha and Dev.
Meet Tabby, our h- the curvaceous bookshop owner, who is more fascinated by mythical beasts than humans. Having lived her life in the background, and with an unsuccessful marriage behind her, she decides to take a vacation. She soon rescues an injured man on a remote Caribbean island, and nurses him back to health. Believing him to be a kind, vulnerable, sensitive, gentle soul, Tabby slowly seduces her away into his heart, until the curtain is unveiled and out emerges the fiery dragon!
Very enjoyable read. A sweet, nerdy, bodacious h who relentlessly admired animals, dragons, phoenixes and basilisks and lived in the fictional world. She wants an nice, caring man, and the first half of the book has her believing the H to be a gentle lamb and gently "coercing" him. However, a chase and run exposes his truth and soon the h realizes she is trapped in the lion's den, and he has decided she would be his queen..I really enjoyed the chase-grovel sequence at the end, and the h's fight to keep him as hers.
Safe
4/5
August 14, 2018
God, such a short book and so annoying! I abandoned it at about 45% because I couldn't stand it anymore. I rolled my eyes too many times. I could probably force myself to finish it but I saw no point in doing so.
There are so many things I hate about this book. First, Tabitha - the heroine. She is sooo naive that it makes her stupid, it's frustrating. Her actions made me constantly roll my eyes. And I feel sorry for her because Dev, the hero, is using her for his secret agenda. And here is another thing - Dev is cheating on her, he gives an act of being a totally different person. Why? I have no idea because I haven't finished this book. And I admit that I'm slightly interested in his motives but unfortunately not enough to read this story. Anyway, I don't believe that this is a good base for romance. And, trust me, this is an instant one. As I mention I've only read 45% of the story but Tabitha is already convinced that she is in love, well... I hate insta-love stories.
There is a chance that I could force myself to finish this book, but really what for?
There are so many things I hate about this book. First, Tabitha - the heroine. She is sooo naive that it makes her stupid, it's frustrating. Her actions made me constantly roll my eyes. And I feel sorry for her because Dev, the hero, is using her for his secret agenda. And here is another thing - Dev is cheating on her, he gives an act of being a totally different person. Why? I have no idea because I haven't finished this book. And I admit that I'm slightly interested in his motives but unfortunately not enough to read this story. Anyway, I don't believe that this is a good base for romance. And, trust me, this is an instant one. As I mention I've only read 45% of the story but Tabitha is already convinced that she is in love, well... I hate insta-love stories.
There is a chance that I could force myself to finish this book, but really what for?
February 22, 2022
Tabitha Graham and Devlin Colter meet on a cruise. With a bit of spy intrigue thrown in (only a bit), they begin a relationship that ends up in Port Townsend, Washington. Published in 1984, the book gives a hint of Jayne Ann Krentz's later style, subject matter, and characterization. The action and characters are fun and interesting as you follow them through their different styles for getting to know each other. Tabitha is an observer with little self-confidence. Dev is an agent with a great deal of self-confidence but with no experience of someone like Tabitha. Neither knows quite how to get the relationship off the ground. I loved the references to the middle ages and bestiaries and fabled beasts and the suppositions as to what those beasts actually might have been.
May 1, 2015
The best part of this book was the heroine’s humorous attempts at seducing the hero by talking about the mating habits of medieval mythical creatures. Other than that and the hero’s deceptions at the beginning of their relationship, the book was a tad boring.
These Stephanie James series romances don’t seem to stand up well over time. The sex scenes are cheesy with roll-your-eyes writing. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of the author’s older work, but I’ll probably give her newer paranormal romances written under Jayne Castle and Jayne Ann Krentz a try
These Stephanie James series romances don’t seem to stand up well over time. The sex scenes are cheesy with roll-your-eyes writing. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of the author’s older work, but I’ll probably give her newer paranormal romances written under Jayne Castle and Jayne Ann Krentz a try
September 23, 2025
This one made me cringe. The heroine (29, turns 30) is sweet and kind, a little dumpy and quirky. Unfortunately the hero (late 30s) is a lying liar who lies. He also manipulates her into seducing him - by pretending to be vulnerable like her. I hated him. I also seriously dislike books where both main characters are divorced - so depressing.
The only part I liked was when she thinks about seducing her friend’s younger brother on her 30th birthday, and the hero turning up the next day - expecting her to fall in his arms - and she’s hungover and there’s a 25 year old man in her house.
Oh and he only realises on the last page that he is in love with his “tabby cat” (vomit).
The only part I liked was when she thinks about seducing her friend’s younger brother on her 30th birthday, and the hero turning up the next day - expecting her to fall in his arms - and she’s hungover and there’s a 25 year old man in her house.
Oh and he only realises on the last page that he is in love with his “tabby cat” (vomit).
January 21, 2012
Fun and entertaining, for the most part. The way the heroine seduced the hero was a nice example of JAK's talent for creating quirky characters and situations. The spy storyline was a little goofy in a way slightly reminiscent of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. And all of this is probably why I was so disappointed by the forced seduction (aka assault) scene at the end. It didn't seem authentic to the characters or the storyline (and it's really not my thing).
September 19, 2017
The book itself was ok until the end. A tad bit boring but quite ok.
I could overlook the fact that Tabitha Graham (so irritating to constantly read full names) was certain she loved (not was in love) Devlin Colter after two three days (seriously? Not just lust?).
But the abuse by Devlin? He threatened a man in a bar (it doesn`t matter he turned out to be the bad guy later) for talking to Tabby because she was Devlin`s. Wtf? Possessive much?
After Tabby found out who Devlin really is and ran, he went after her wanting her to be scared of him. He was possessive and abusive. Tabby clearly said "No" to sleeping with him and he replied "Yes" to that. "You know you want to." Omg. What was I reading??
I could overlook the fact that Tabitha Graham (so irritating to constantly read full names) was certain she loved (not was in love) Devlin Colter after two three days (seriously? Not just lust?).
But the abuse by Devlin? He threatened a man in a bar (it doesn`t matter he turned out to be the bad guy later) for talking to Tabby because she was Devlin`s. Wtf? Possessive much?
After Tabby found out who Devlin really is and ran, he went after her wanting her to be scared of him. He was possessive and abusive. Tabby clearly said "No" to sleeping with him and he replied "Yes" to that. "You know you want to." Omg. What was I reading??
April 30, 2020
Romance novels are almost impossible for me to review. I'm never quite sure what to say about them. These two stories were extremely fast reads that I enjoyed while reading, but quickly forgot the details of when they were finished. In Fabulous Beast, our main lady rescues a shy, sensitive man but he turns out to be a bit more than she expected. In Mystic, our lovers are reunited years after their one passionate night, and their (re)burgeoning romance takes place during our dashing hero's investigation of crime and corruption within the family. In both stories, the two meet, bicker, have great sex, bicker some more, think they'll never be together, have more great sex, and well, you know the ending.
dnf
October 3, 2024Dnf 80%
Honestly this wasn’t a bad book.
The h’s tactics to seduce the H was cute but it got boring. I thought she was a little stupid.
H was nice. Loved how possessive he became of her.
Loved how he came to her house and just acted like a caveman.
But the h was kinda boring and I lost interest.
Honestly this wasn’t a bad book.
The h’s tactics to seduce the H was cute but it got boring. I thought she was a little stupid.
H was nice. Loved how possessive he became of her.
Loved how he came to her house and just acted like a caveman.
But the h was kinda boring and I lost interest.
September 21, 2017
Ok ca ansamblu dar n-a fost deloc ce ma asteptam eu...
October 5, 2025
It didn't sweep me off my feet but it's really good.
I love masc-fem dynamic this author creates. She maintains the primal tension within modern settings/sensibilities.
I love masc-fem dynamic this author creates. She maintains the primal tension within modern settings/sensibilities.
May 1, 2019
A fun read about a woman on vacation that rescues someone and gets more than she bargained for. It had humor, romance with a little intrigue mixed in. It was fun reading about his character and knowing there was something else there but waiting for it to appear. You really hoped as you got into it that they would become a couple and stay together. Yet there was things happening that could cause that not to happen. It was interesting to see the journey of what happened.
August 25, 2019
2 1/2
November 12, 2016
If this had been the first Jayne Ann Krentz book I read, I probably would not have bothered to hunt down and collect more of her books (I think I have around 25 now that I've yet to read).
While on a Caribbean cruise, Tabitha is tourist shopping on one of the islands the ship visits, and stumbles across fellow passenger Dev in an alley, beaten and bleeding. She helps him back to the ship and takes care of him while he recovers. Thus the romance begins.
I struggled a little to like Dev. He is very calculating in his pursuit of Tabitha, letting her believe he is shy and unassuming. He decides right away that he wants her in his bed, but he deliberately pretends to be someone he is not, patiently waiting for her to make the first move, fearing that she'll be frightened away otherwise. But also, it seemed, so that when she does finally succumb to his charms, she can't accuse him of seducing her. Not if she thinks she is the one who did the seducing.
Tabitha is divorced, and yet she seems quite naive. I'm not sure if she's really written that way, or if I'm just too jaded...normally I love quaint older books with inexperienced heroines, but maybe since she's been married it just didn't ring true to me.
About halfway through the book Dev's big secret comes out, and along with the action my interest picked up quite a bit after that. And in the end I was pleased with the outcome.
Review first posted on my blog.
While on a Caribbean cruise, Tabitha is tourist shopping on one of the islands the ship visits, and stumbles across fellow passenger Dev in an alley, beaten and bleeding. She helps him back to the ship and takes care of him while he recovers. Thus the romance begins.
I struggled a little to like Dev. He is very calculating in his pursuit of Tabitha, letting her believe he is shy and unassuming. He decides right away that he wants her in his bed, but he deliberately pretends to be someone he is not, patiently waiting for her to make the first move, fearing that she'll be frightened away otherwise. But also, it seemed, so that when she does finally succumb to his charms, she can't accuse him of seducing her. Not if she thinks she is the one who did the seducing.
Tabitha is divorced, and yet she seems quite naive. I'm not sure if she's really written that way, or if I'm just too jaded...normally I love quaint older books with inexperienced heroines, but maybe since she's been married it just didn't ring true to me.
About halfway through the book Dev's big secret comes out, and along with the action my interest picked up quite a bit after that. And in the end I was pleased with the outcome.
Review first posted on my blog.
November 4, 2014
This book was so funny. Tabitha mets Devlin when she finds him in an alley bruised and bloodied. They were both from the same cruise ship and it seemed like her fellow passenger was attacked. Tabitha is a nice sweet person. She rescues Dev and continues to take care of him while he's recovering from his injuries.
The part that's so funny is Tabitha's interest in fantastical beast and her discussions with Dev. Also her assumptions that Dev is a nice sweet shy man. It was kind of embarrassing how she assumed those things and he is sooooo not sweet or shy.
The part that's so funny is Tabitha's interest in fantastical beast and her discussions with Dev. Also her assumptions that Dev is a nice sweet shy man. It was kind of embarrassing how she assumed those things and he is sooooo not sweet or shy.
May 16, 2015
Humorous seduction scenes and a manipulative hero, but otherwise boring. Read the review at Alpha Fangirl.
http://www.alphafangirl.com/contempor...
May 14, 2024
I enjoyed this book. You will note the slow changes in peoples characters if you start reading her first books and move forward.
Reread - Still an enjoyable book. Will be keeping and rereading again in a year or two
Read once more - one of my favorite of her old books
Reread - Still an enjoyable book. Will be keeping and rereading again in a year or two
Read once more - one of my favorite of her old books
December 27, 2008
hilarious.
September 25, 2013
This is an all around cute book, it just shows such a cuteness to the characters even a little action cant change. Cute!!
March 13, 2015
An enjoyable romance.
April 7, 2015
I really didn't like him fooling her.
November 5, 2013
3,5 stars
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews