Mate Dance

Dragon Men #3

by Amber Kell

Intergalactically renowned dancer, Raven knew something was lacking in his life but it wasn't until he rescued a little girl did he learn it was a dragon shifter prince.

Heading to a bar after a dance performance, intergalactically famous dancer, Raven, ran into a little girl beside the dead body of her grandmother. His one good deed in helping out the little girl would lead him into the arms of a dragon prince. Raven soon learns that once a dragon spots its mate it will keep him closer than gold.

READER This title is an expanded, re-edited release.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Dragons, Fantasy, Gay

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.

When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.

During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.

Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.

She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..

She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase

Reviews

[Deeze · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5

Being book 3 in this series I knew not to expect much. But this one fell far below the other two.

I expect the dragon men in these books to be all about how sexy they find their mates, but having Kaemon completely ignore his just found daughter so he can drool and fantasize over Raven annoyed me no end.

As for the sub plot, it was laughable. A royal nanny that worked for them for years and yet no one noticed she was insane? A royal school that has a head master that gives off creepy vibes that apparently mean he is a pedophile?

I'm pushing it to a 2 star, but only because I feel its my own fault for expecting too much.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I had some problems with this installment of the series. The kid was a large part of the plot but her father seemed to only want to use her to help him keep his mate. He occasionally claimed otherwise but his actions did not demonstrate that he even loved his child. Also, when Raven discovers his mate status he is initially resistant. Then, when nothing has changed and almost nothing has been discussed all the sudden he is okay with it. I enjoyed the other books in the series as light paranormal fun but book 3 stretched my credulity and its poor treatment of the father daughter relationship as well as the unexplained leaps in the MC's relationship decreased my ability to enjoy it.

[Didi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read and . I liked those two stories ok. This one though, while following same plot of dragonkin men meeting and wooing their mates, felt like not-so-complete story to me. It's understandable that as MCs Raven's and Kaemon's story come up first. But I think it's too bad this didn't tell more about the father and his long-lost daughter.

Maybe, if I read the expanded and re-edited version, I'd be having different opinion.

[Wax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seemed to move too quickly for me. I did like the different storylines but felt like there were a lot of loose ends that were not tied up at the end.

[Sammy Goode · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mate Dance by Amber Kell continues the storyline about the small but mighty race of fire breathing dragons to inhabit the galaxy. In this installment a famous dancer, Raven, stumbles upon a little girl whose grandmother has just been murdered b thieves. s the story unravels we quickly find out that the little girls also happens to be the only heir to one, Prince Kaeman, whom apparently although gay had a moment's dalliance with a woman which resulted in offspring. The story follows that Kaemon meets Raven discovers he is his mate and convinces him to remain in the castle sharing the care of Trisha, the Prince's little girl. Throw in one obsessed fan, a attempted poisoning, an attempted kidnapping and lots of hot sex and you have the entire story in a nutshell. But don't look too closely because if you are searching for any depth, you will be sorely disappointed. When Amber Kell writes a fully fleshed out story, she writes well. Her characters are likeable, her story entertaining and her paranormal elements exciting. This novel however, felt rushed. There were too many loose ends and conveniently implausible solutions. I felt that the novel needed more time...the relationship more space and pages upon which to develop and blossom. It was, in short, too quick--in too much of a rush to get to it's inevitable end.

I have enjoyed other work by this author and will return to her stories in the future. But this little novel may be a caution to all writers that in their haste to publish they not overlook solid story telling.

[Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Hearts

First Published at MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...

Okay, I know what some of you will say, it’s a re-issue what a rip off. But I’d have to say you’d be wrong. I have read both versions of this book (well all three if you include the blog story before it was first published (God I’m really sad, I need my own padded room!!)) and I have to say Amber Kell’s writing improves each time around.

Raven is THE dance star of the known Galaxies, but at the moment he’s feeling like his spark has faded and he really needs a holiday. Crown Prince Kaemon has just discovered he has a daughter but when she arrives he finds it difficult to pull his attention away from the sexy man who found her.

As this relationship progresses we learn that Kaemon is a bit sneaky. Raven isn’t sure if he is ready to settle down. And Trisha (Kaemon’s daughter) takes after her father a lot and the nanny is a stark raving lunatic. I am sure some people will feel that Kaemon has little interest in his daughter but as I said he’s sneaky, the more Raven loves Trisha the less likely he is to leave.

This is a nice light sexy read with a sexy dragon shifter, a very bendy dancer, a cute princess and a slight bit of danger that will take you by surprise. So what are you waiting for, go help Ms Kell on her quest for World Domination and get this book.

[Carra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, even though for me the beginning of this third book in the Dragon Men series is a bit too much of an obvious setup, the execution of the rest of the story more than makes up for it.

Raven was fabulous. He's kind and compassionate, and I really liked how he fought for what Prince Kaemon's daughter wanted. Kaemon I was on the fence about for a lot of the book since it felt to me like he was a LOT more concentrated on Raven than on his own daughter. But then I can also see another side where since he never knew about his daughter and just met her that it would be hard for him to relate and warm up to her, whereas the pull of a fated mate is overwhelming.

But Raven actually smooths a lot of this disparity over for me thanks to his attentiveness to the young girl and his willingness to stand up to both the Prince and King for what he believes.

Mate Dance gets 3.75 stars from me, and is still for readers 18+ for adult language and M/M sexual content (mmm...yes, these stories do keep getting yummier...).

[Julesmarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Many things about this one annoyed me, which made me sad since the first two books were so much fun. There were parts of this book also that were still fun, but they were not enough to make up for the parts in between.

The prince's almost total lack of interest in his daughter. The prince thinking he can impress the man who shows up with his recently discovered daughter by packing her off with a nanny for the night so they can have the time to themselves. The devolution into political diatribe when Raven refuses to sign the girl up to attend a school that doesn't have an arts program. These sorts of things made this story less fun to read.

But, after all, it's still a story about dragon shifters, so there were parts of it I still totally enjoyed.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like this as much as the previous ones. It was mostly focused on Raven and Kaemon. I liked Trisha-Kaemon's daughter-but even though she is what brings these two together, she's mostly in the background. It would've been nice to see more of her interacting with her father or all three of them as a family, instead of just Raven or her grandfather. Kaemon was too busy screwing Raven and never even attempted to make a connection with her at all, always avoiding her to attend other matters that weren't as important as him trying to bond with his child.

[L-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raven is the galaxy's top ballet dancer and after a show, he finds a girl all alone in a dark alley, her nana the victim of a mugging. When he takes the girl to the police station, he discovers that her mother is dead, but her father is none other than Prince Kaemon. Raven escorts her to the prince's castle, but when Trisha is too traumatized to have Raven leave, he ends up staying to help get her situated. This was another cute addition to this series. The plot wasn't too complex and the length led to an "insta-love" type scenario, but it was overall a quick, fun read.

[Toofan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beyond dump and immature ! I doubt that the author even knows the meaning of royalty, let alone how things are handled by them!
The sheer stupidity of her idea about how a princes is enrolled in a school was hilarious!!
And I better keep silent about the rest. It isn't worth any body's time!

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story has the usual problems with Kell's work -- insta-love, obvious and cartoonish villains, too-easy resolution of problems. Nevertheless it was fairly enjoyable.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't stand needy children in my novels! I know that was the reason they got together in the end, but still not my thing.

On the plus side I like this couple.

[Love Africa Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read a book from this author so it was good to get to read this Dragon Men series back to back.



Mate Hunt is about Jory who has been sent to the Dragonkin planet for the mate hunt which is an annual event where Dragonkin seek and hopefully find their mate. Jory meets not one but two potential mates, Val and Rai, and is torn by his attraction to both men and finds it hard to choose. Perhaps he doesn't have to.



In Mate Test, Tor has been sent to negotiate mineral rights when he meets dragon king Naron. The two are attracted to each other. As it happens, Naron in the middle of the Mate test where he has to choose his consort from potential candidates. Tor is inadvertently entered into the contest and soon he becomes the obvious choice but not everyone is happy about that.



In Mate Dance, Raven is a famous dancer looking for a night of casual debauchery when he comes across a child whose grandmother has been killed. Soon it becomes clear that the child is the daughter of Prince Kaemon. Kaemon wants his daughter and he wants Raven even more and will do anything to keep them both.



In Mate Healer, Lian is an unbeliever and only interested in casual affairs but a night with holy man, Nevair, has him conflicted. When it becomes obvious that Lian is Nevair's chosen mate, not everyone wants to see that mating happen.



Every story in this series is easy to read. There are layers of suspense that make them intriguing as well as the romantic aspects. I enjoyed the fantasy/dragon lore aspects too.



However, I was a little disappointed that some characters were not as fleshed out as they could've been, especially the dragonkin characters which left them a little flat in places.



On the whole this is still a good series for fans of this author and those looking for easy, quick dragon reads.

[Ancora una pagina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sinceramente, questo terzo libro della serie è quello che mi è piaciuto di meno.
Al di là degli errori sintattici ed ortografici, che sono perennemente presenti anche se facilmente eliminabili, la trama è sì, lineare, ma è debole, come se l’autrice non sapesse come svilupparla o, addirittura, non fosse una sua idea.

Leggi la recensione completa di Loveless su https://ilmondodeglimmblog.wordpress....

[Jeanette Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Raven, a worlds famous dancer, comes across a crying little girl in an alley, he is unaware that his life is about to change. The daughter of the heir to one of the dragon kings, little Trisha conspires with her father Prince Kaemon to keep the pretty dancer on planet. Raven is Kaemon's mate. And the prince has every intention of keeping his man with him.
Some danger, but overall, a sweet book. A great series.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, MM Dragonshifter candy. The two lovebirds were quite delicious and not too sappy. The one thing that made me redact a star was that the background/resolution was too formulaic and convenient. Not that this isn't true for every book of the series, the Harlequin-Hero factor is huge, but this time it was too in your face to be shrugged off.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the relationship between Raven and Kaemon the prince. The characters were interesting and I really liked Trisha, the little girl that Raven saved. The story was vividly told and the plot was well done. Overall, a very delightful and enjoyable read.

[Overlady · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this one. Much more boring than the two previous ones. Dancer x Prince pairing. Can't find anything outstanding in this story, forgettable book. Felt like an absolute waste of time.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the other two, but still liked it. Suffers desperately from the 'random hookup had a baby' trope, though the romancing made up for it.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doppia Recensione
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1"
Non lo so… Non so se sono delusa a causa delle aspettative che avevo su questo nuovo libro o perché, dopo aver aspettato un po’ la nuova uscita, non l’ho trovata eccitante come le precedenti. Penso che abbiate già letto i primi due capitoli di questa serie, e quindi saprete di cosa sto parlando.

Amo il contesto, amo la “genialata” di usare i draghi come protagonisti, amo i suoi personaggi, ma ho ancora il groppo pensando ai personaggi del primo libro. Mi sembra che la Kell abbia lasciato come qualcosa d’incompiuto, e ogni volta che esce un libro nuovo spero sempre, ma senza soddisfazione, di leggere ancora di Jori.

Non posso dire che sia brutto o che i personaggi non siano interessanti, perché come dicevo anche nelle altre recensioni, mi piace parecchio il modo di scrivere dell’autrice e mi piacciono un sacco i suoi draghetti, ma sono solo un pochino delusa per la piega che ha preso la serie.

I personaggi di quest terzo episodio non sono mai stati nominati nei libri precedenti e ti ritrovi con dei volti nuovi quando invece vorresti più informazione sui vecchi.

Per carità, a chi ha amato i primi due racconti non consiglio assolutamente di smettere di leggere la serie ma, se posso, un consiglio all’autrice lo darei… qualche pagina in più non farebbe male. Tutto sembra troppo affrettato e prima di passare a nuovi personaggi, ci piacerebbe sapere qualcosa in più su quelli lasciati alle spalle.
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Samanta - per RFS
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2"
Anch’io, come molti altri lettori, non vedevo l’ora di leggere il terzo romanzo che ha per protagonisti i Draconici. I primi due romanzi sono stati davvero una piacevole lettura, con un mix perfetto di sensualità amore, ironia e leggerezza, condite da una fantasia davvero originale che hanno dato vita a trame vivaci e divertenti.

Peccato che invece quest’ultimo capitolo non sia stato all’altezza, non solo delle aspettative, ma nemmeno dei precedenti due romanzi.

L’inizio è intrigante: Raven, un bellissimo ballerino di fama intergalattica in crisi esistenziale, s’imbatte in una bambina, Trisha, alla quale hanno appena ucciso la nonna. Un principe draconico, Kaemon, ritrova una figlia e trova il suo “compagno”. E qualche intrigo di palazzo con tanto di attentati a rendere un po’ movimentata la vicenda.

Ma… la storia non solo non è decollata, ma addirittura è stata sviluppata in modo, a mio avviso, assurdamente incoerente.

Va bene che è un urban fantasy, ma anche in questo caso, non è fosse troppo che, complice un esame del DNA, un principe draconico si ritrovi con una figlia illegittima e la cosa renda tutti felici come se niente fosse? Senza contare che questo “legame” tra padre e figlia non viene per niente sviluppato, al contrario della storia tra Raven e Kaemon che in mezz’ora sono già belli e cotti! Gli intrighi poi sono ridicoli, con un colpevole che ha vissuto a stretto contatto con la famiglia reale senza che questa, con tutti i suoi sensi e abilità empatiche, se ne sia mai accorta. Il pretesto della gelosia di Kaemon con la conseguente indignazione di Raven è inconsistente e non è approfondito e lascia la sensazione che si sia dimenticato qualcosa. Non dico che ho trovato assurdo l’innamoramento subitaneo tra Kaemon e Raven, quello ci sta e non è nemmeno raro in questo tipo di lettura, ma quello che manca è proprio lo sviluppo della trama, che sembra quasi presa da appunti e sviluppata in fretta e in furia rendendo tutto quasi ridicolo.

Si salvano comunque lo stile dell’autrice, che è quello che ha reso meno ostico il mio procedere nella lettura, e le scene di sesso molto esplicite ma al tempo stesso divertenti e non volgari. Ah… un bellissimo cazzotto di Raven a Kaemon e questa citazione:

“Mi rifiuto di iscriverla a una scuola nel cui programma non è previsto l’insegnamento delle arti. È questo genere di discipline ad alimentare la crescita spirituale della società. […] Non c’è verso che Trisha frequenti una scuola che non solo sottovaluta l’importanza delle arti, ma le ha addirittura in odio. La futura classe dirigente deve essere composta da individui di mentalità aperta in grado di apprezzare tutte le sfumature dell’animo umano, e non da persone che si intendono solo di trattazioni e guerre. Comprendere una cultura vuol dire comprendere lo spirito dei suoi membri.”
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Annesa - per RFS

[Elisa Rolle]

Mate Dance had the feeling of an old fashioned romance or comedy, like The Prince and the Showgirl with Marilyn Monroe. And as in those old fashioned comedies, while it was clear that the relationship between prince charming and cinderfella is far from being innocent, it’s not that the sex is so imposing to eat the story.

Raven is a successful ballet dancer who is losing the “passion”; he is still good, and dance is still his favourite pleasure, but he has not more the thrill to perform. Right the night when he is thinking that he has to take a turn in his life he meets Trisha, a scared little girl whose grandmother was killed in the street and she has no one who can take care of her, at least at the moment. As soon as the police intervenes, they discover that Trisha is the love-child of Prince Kaemon, a dragon shifter, and that both the Prince than the King want Trisha with them, above all since Kaemon is gay and Trisha will probably the only heir he will ever have.

When Kaemon meets Raven, the Prince recognizes in him his mate, but he doesn’t want to scare him off; he decides to use the attachment Raven developed for his daughter Trisha to convince him to spend some time at the palace. Of course, being Raven and Kaemon both gays, and Raven far from being a shy virgin, he is sharing Kaemon’s bed from night one. But temporarily sharing a bed is way different from sharing your life and renouncing to your independency.

Actually this is apparently Raven’s only issue; that Kaemon is a prince, and that maybe Raven is not at the same level is apparently no problem at all, and this gives you an idea of the self-esteem Raven has of himself. That is quite a good thing, since I really don’t like so much the shy virgin damsel in distress. And by the way Prince Kaemon is not exactly a knight in shining armor, but more a spoiled princeling that is still depending from his father: most of Kaemon’s important decision are taken by his father, that luckily for Kaemon, is a good man and seems to have Kaemon’s interests at heart.

Nice and good novella, fast but with a care in details that I notice this author is gaining story after story.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BDP5FW/?...

[Jeanéva Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dancer willing to stand for his beliefs

One thing I like about each successive novella in this series is that a little more of the dragon world's culture is unfolded for the reader and builds on the novella before it. Each of them stands alone. However, the reader gets a better appreciation for the world that unfolds when they are read in order.

In Mate Dance, Raven is an intergalactic dance star who has just finished performing on the dragon world of Dragait when he finds a little girl weeping over her dead grandmother in an alley. When the authorities come to assist him with the little girl, Trisha proves very reluctant to go anywhere without him. When it's discovered that she in fact is the daughter of Prince Kaemon, Raven finds himself the reluctant guest of local royalty... that is until he meets the seductive Prince Kaemon.

With Prince Kaemon's dragon screaming mine, he'll do anything including using his newly discovered daughter's attachment to Raven to claim the mate he knows is his. Unfortunately, he'll have to deal with an ex-lover and rabid fan to keep his new mate. While a great addition to Dragon Men series I would recommend reversing the order of reading for books three and four to fit chronologically.
*****Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions*****

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mate Dance is book three in the Dragonmen series by Amber Kell.  Amber writes an excellent M/M erotica and I really enjoy this series.  This story is about Raven, Crown Prince Kaemon, and the royal child Trisha.  Raven is a ballet dancer and after a performance, he reflects on his life.  He’s a well known and accomplished dancer but something is missing in his life.  He heads downtown for some hot man action, but is side tracked by the sounds of a child crying.  He finds Trisha, a young child crying over her murdered grandmother.  He mother when she was young and she never met her father.  Raven escorts her to her biological father, the crown prince.  He recognizes Raven as his mate and encourages Raven to stay with them, to ease Trisha.  The Prince is new to fatherhood and Raven seems unsure he can handle the role. I really enjoyed the hot dragon love, but the story didn't have much depth.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series Review: Hot men, hotter dragons... what's not to love?
Dragon Men by Amber Kell is a series of thoroughly entertaining novellas. The characters are sexy, engaging and easy to love. With a nice mix of drama, erotic romance and adventure, Ms. Kell has mastered the art of short stories. I gobbled up this series one right after the other and am virtually tapping my fingers for more.

Mate Dance:
Raven's story is my favorite of the first four books in the series. Sweet and sensitive, he's the type of character the mother in me wants to take home and smother with love. Weary and alone, Raven quietly nurtures a nugget of hope deep within his heart well beyond the point where others would have become jaded by the world around him. Quite simply, the chance he has to find lasting love with Kaemon is long overdue.

My OFFICIAL REVIEW written for Carly’s Book Reviews.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Another great story in this series. This one felt more complete even though I would have liked something a bit longer.

However this one lacked the cute humour that the first two books had. Its not necessarily a bad thing that this is more serious. It just seems to lack a certain spark

I have adored this series and I would love for there to be more. I hope the author keeps writing more of them!!!!!!


Changed to 5 Stars when reread July 2013

Series was so much fun the second time I read it and whats even more impressive is that all 4 books are quite different, there was no repetitiveness.

[Jie Hao · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Amber Kell writes great books that I just can't stop loving. This third book of the series is interesting. I personally don't love dancing much unless watching others do so. That's why at first this part of the character is something I did not love till almost the end. If it's me, I would definitely try to escape right away just so I won't be hurt lol But It's amazing what love can be. The ending part is definitely the best part. I love how he was jealous the other. Somehow, it always amazes me reading about jealousy shifters to the point of fantasized by it all. Can't wait to read the fourth part of the series!

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raven helps a girl whose nana was killed and meets her father, Prince Kaemon. Kaemon recognizes Raven as his mate and courts him.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story seemed awfully familiar to me; I'm not sure if it's been previously released under a different name or if it was part of an anthology, but in any case it was a fun read. I've enjoyed all of this author's books that I've read.

I really enjoy the man/dragon characters. They seem to combine all the fun characteristics of both male/male and shifter stories.

[Carina Newworld · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I have grown familar with the created world, I have enjoyed reading this sequel.

The focus is less on a story than on the pure lovestory.

I had a nice time laughing about the actions of the characters and therefor this book has earned it´s three stars.