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Charmed Away Temp Agency #2
The Dragon's Aide
Isaac went against his family when he refused to join the military. He had dreams and he wasn’t going to cave to family pressure to give them up. So when his boss offers him an opportunity to get some real experience in the job he’s working toward, he leaps at the chance. The only problem is that his new boss is a grumpy dragon with a short fuse known to terrorize the office. But that wasn’t anything Isaac couldn’t handle. Right?
Maverick always had a temper. Most dragons did. It wasn’t something that affected his work. Until it did. Overworked, consistently dealing with incompetence, Maverick was at his wit’s end and in a last bid to keep his temper in check, he agreed with a recommendation to hire a temporary assistant to help him. But when the stubborn pink haired mage shows up, his dragon takes notice and suddenly, Maverick’s limited control has gone up in smoke. Now his career is on the line, and the only person willing to help him was the one who drove him over the edge. Things couldn’t get any worse. Right?
Grumpy dragons are impossible, Isaac takes shit from no one, Maverick loses his temper, angry sex, knots, teamwork makes the dream work, flying is awesome and Isaac wants more, bjs settle dragons, who knew?, telepaths are creepy, or are they?, never talk shit about a dragon’s mate, Isaac’s ideas are reckless, accidental bonding…maybe, two stubborn men fall in love, what could go wrong?, guaranteed HEA
Maverick always had a temper. Most dragons did. It wasn’t something that affected his work. Until it did. Overworked, consistently dealing with incompetence, Maverick was at his wit’s end and in a last bid to keep his temper in check, he agreed with a recommendation to hire a temporary assistant to help him. But when the stubborn pink haired mage shows up, his dragon takes notice and suddenly, Maverick’s limited control has gone up in smoke. Now his career is on the line, and the only person willing to help him was the one who drove him over the edge. Things couldn’t get any worse. Right?
Grumpy dragons are impossible, Isaac takes shit from no one, Maverick loses his temper, angry sex, knots, teamwork makes the dream work, flying is awesome and Isaac wants more, bjs settle dragons, who knew?, telepaths are creepy, or are they?, never talk shit about a dragon’s mate, Isaac’s ideas are reckless, accidental bonding…maybe, two stubborn men fall in love, what could go wrong?, guaranteed HEA
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2025
230 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
April 9, 2025
I’m getting tired of important things just being left out or hastily glossed over. The final showdown with the shitty feeder in the first book was just given a sloppy couple of sentences, and we don’t get to see the shitty professor put in his place in this one.
All the ritual stuff dragged on forever. Forever. I don’t like to skip stuff in books but I was skipping all of that after a point.
Also speaking as an author it’s Grade A creepy that Avery is just turning his friends’ lives, sexy times and all near as I can tell, into books. Like if I went up to my best friend and said I was putting her life, sexual habits and tastes included, into a romance novel with so little subtlety people would know who I was talking about, they’d rightfully be angry and disgusted.
I had been excited for the third book but honestly I think I’m done now.
All the ritual stuff dragged on forever. Forever. I don’t like to skip stuff in books but I was skipping all of that after a point.
Also speaking as an author it’s Grade A creepy that Avery is just turning his friends’ lives, sexy times and all near as I can tell, into books. Like if I went up to my best friend and said I was putting her life, sexual habits and tastes included, into a romance novel with so little subtlety people would know who I was talking about, they’d rightfully be angry and disgusted.
I had been excited for the third book but honestly I think I’m done now.
February 12, 2025
I'm enjoying this series so much! This one's a little slower than the first, but still really fun, very fated-mates in feel, featuring a mage and a dragon shifter, one in law school, the other a lawyer, and a boss/employee, grumpy/sunshine situation. Fun times!
Maverick is the grumpy dragon boss who can stand no incompetence. Isaac is the mage and law school student and temp agency employee who leaps at the chance to temp for the well-known lawyer of Spellbound Corp, a high-profile company dealing with products that help supernaturals in the world.
Turns out Isaac is a great match as an assistant to the hard-nosed Maverick, unafraid to stand up to his temper and figuring out quickly what's needed to keep him calm and on task. Loved his competence (I think I have a competence kink...!), his respectful no-nonsense attitude as he realizes certain other employees are not up to their tasks and tries to keep things even keel in the face of challenging circumstances. As time goes on, Maverick becomes more and more volatile, until a confrontation leads to a potential HR issue leads to Maverick dropping by Isaac's to apologize...leads to a very explosive encounter that is highly inappropriate for a boss-employee relationship...
LOL it goes on from there. There's a good reason Maverick's temper is fraying so badly, a good reason Isaac becomes more and more in tune with him and loyal to making sure Maverick's temper doesn't cost him his job, and a lot of fun shifting, flying, steamy sex, and figuring out they're each other's Person. I ate it all up.
The MCs of book 1 are around as they own (Ozen the incubus) the company and work in the building (Maverick is a big fan of former MC Avery's romance novels...Avery is now writing in Ozen's extended office space to be near his mate...). Taron, the other company owner, continues to be kinda obnoxious and causing trouble sort of inadvertently, sort of on purpose. He's a handful! A little too pushy at times for me, but, he adds complications.
After more shenanigans ensue, we meet Isaac's family, who aren't too pleased that he's becoming a lawyer instead of the battle mage his unusually strong power would be suited for (he hates that idea and keeps refusing). Seeing Maverick support him in front of the entire family was 🥰.
Anyway, it's a lot of fun and wonderful possessiveness, and stays focused on the two MCs.
HEA, fated-mates feeling, dragon-mage, boss-employee, grumpy-sunshine, all the great things. Absolutely no others, no cheating, no OM stuff, just minor mentions of having had previous lovers but nothing specific or in your face. Safe for me. Highly recommended as is book 1. On to book 3!
Maverick is the grumpy dragon boss who can stand no incompetence. Isaac is the mage and law school student and temp agency employee who leaps at the chance to temp for the well-known lawyer of Spellbound Corp, a high-profile company dealing with products that help supernaturals in the world.
Turns out Isaac is a great match as an assistant to the hard-nosed Maverick, unafraid to stand up to his temper and figuring out quickly what's needed to keep him calm and on task. Loved his competence (I think I have a competence kink...!), his respectful no-nonsense attitude as he realizes certain other employees are not up to their tasks and tries to keep things even keel in the face of challenging circumstances. As time goes on, Maverick becomes more and more volatile, until a confrontation leads to a potential HR issue leads to Maverick dropping by Isaac's to apologize...leads to a very explosive encounter that is highly inappropriate for a boss-employee relationship...
LOL it goes on from there. There's a good reason Maverick's temper is fraying so badly, a good reason Isaac becomes more and more in tune with him and loyal to making sure Maverick's temper doesn't cost him his job, and a lot of fun shifting, flying, steamy sex, and figuring out they're each other's Person. I ate it all up.
The MCs of book 1 are around as they own (Ozen the incubus) the company and work in the building (Maverick is a big fan of former MC Avery's romance novels...Avery is now writing in Ozen's extended office space to be near his mate...). Taron, the other company owner, continues to be kinda obnoxious and causing trouble sort of inadvertently, sort of on purpose. He's a handful! A little too pushy at times for me, but, he adds complications.
After more shenanigans ensue, we meet Isaac's family, who aren't too pleased that he's becoming a lawyer instead of the battle mage his unusually strong power would be suited for (he hates that idea and keeps refusing). Seeing Maverick support him in front of the entire family was 🥰.
Anyway, it's a lot of fun and wonderful possessiveness, and stays focused on the two MCs.
HEA, fated-mates feeling, dragon-mage, boss-employee, grumpy-sunshine, all the great things. Absolutely no others, no cheating, no OM stuff, just minor mentions of having had previous lovers but nothing specific or in your face. Safe for me. Highly recommended as is book 1. On to book 3!
August 17, 2025
Grumpy bordering on insufferable dragon gets a no nonsense witch as a secretary (?). The amount of shenanigans that ensue are never-ending. And they fall in love and live HEA.
May 7, 2025
(2.5/5) As much as I love a moody and brooding dragon, I was kind of expecting this to turn out differently. I'm not entirely sure whether I liked the plot or not.
February 3, 2026
I loved this it was so good! Such a temptation to binge the whole series now lolol. But also- the whole professor thing just got dropped without ever having a conclusion which was weird.
May 18, 2025
Enjoyed this one just as much as book 1! I couldn’t put it down, I’m so happy I found this author. The stories are light hearted, spicy, sweet (even this one with the grumpy mc and the bossy mc Hehe). I liked that Maverick was grumpy without ever being an asshole to Isaac. I hate in books when the grumpy mc is mean to the other mc, it makes me weepy. This had none of that thankfully. So excited for the next one!
July 31, 2025
July 2025
Kindle edition
Took a long time to get into this one. Jade was awful, Maverick was awful and Isaac was getting battered on all sides. Didn't like the griffin, but I am curious about Elijah. I was looking forward to the professor getting his just deserts but that didn't happen on page and the ending was a bit abrupt, cutting off at meet the parents part two. Add Alder to the awful list. Curious about Fox, he seems fun and my attention poked up at Alistair. Here's hoping Taron's book is chaos.
Kindle edition
Took a long time to get into this one. Jade was awful, Maverick was awful and Isaac was getting battered on all sides. Didn't like the griffin, but I am curious about Elijah. I was looking forward to the professor getting his just deserts but that didn't happen on page and the ending was a bit abrupt, cutting off at meet the parents part two. Add Alder to the awful list. Curious about Fox, he seems fun and my attention poked up at Alistair. Here's hoping Taron's book is chaos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2025
I am really loving this series even if the author plays a little fast and loose with consent.
There is definitely some dubious consent stuff in here including their first time being when this guy's boss comes over to his house to apologize and then angrily kisses him and then they have sexy times.
It was still a lot of fun. I think why I can handle dubious consent sometimes is when the "junior" partner is able to stand up for themselves and doesn't let themselves get bullied.
There is definitely some dubious consent stuff in here including their first time being when this guy's boss comes over to his house to apologize and then angrily kisses him and then they have sexy times.
It was still a lot of fun. I think why I can handle dubious consent sometimes is when the "junior" partner is able to stand up for themselves and doesn't let themselves get bullied.
August 14, 2025
cute and funny
I loved Isaac and how dynamic he was portrayed, Maverick turned out to be more normal than I expected for a dragon and their chemistry was lovely and I couldn’t get enough the of their shenanigans. 7/10 definitely recommend.
I loved Isaac and how dynamic he was portrayed, Maverick turned out to be more normal than I expected for a dragon and their chemistry was lovely and I couldn’t get enough the of their shenanigans. 7/10 definitely recommend.
November 9, 2025
So I had a think and decided to change my rating from a 4 (rounded up from 3.5) to that of 3 stars.
I read this after book 5, I started on that one as the blurb intrigued me, and I wanted to read about Alistair’s brother. I like Isaac as an MC, he didn’t take any crap. Maverick was a concern as frankly, and people may disagree, but I feel that there wasn’t any consequences for him basically terrorising staff before Isaac popped up. For plot reasons the afterwards grumpy behaviour was explained, but yeah, making your staff scared is just not acceptable. The CEO just sort of waved off any consequences. Given this is an office romance series I would have thought office issues would have been actioned better.
We also have a side plot issue, that’s given repeated space on page, yet it’s not resolved, just left open as Maverick saying what he’d do, but we don’t know how it pans out.
Then the ending, like WTF?? We literally get the last chapter as Isaac being taken to visit the dragon realm and meet Maverick’s family, he’s shown this hidden city inside a mountain, in effect is like ‘wow’ and then the book ends! I was seriously like ‘huh’. It felt like the author just put her pen down and said ‘I’m done’ then never went back to it. How did her editor or beta readers let that happen, it was the worst ending to a book I’ve read in a long time, as it didn’t feel like an ending at all.
Like there’s good bits in the book, don’t get me wrong, but there were too many issues that caused me to view the book in a negative light overall.
I’m not too sure if I want to read more in this series, book 3 looks intriguing, so I might see if that’s any better, if not, then I’ll just leave it as a fluke for having enjoyed book 5!
I read this after book 5, I started on that one as the blurb intrigued me, and I wanted to read about Alistair’s brother. I like Isaac as an MC, he didn’t take any crap. Maverick was a concern as frankly, and people may disagree, but I feel that there wasn’t any consequences for him basically terrorising staff before Isaac popped up. For plot reasons the afterwards grumpy behaviour was explained, but yeah, making your staff scared is just not acceptable. The CEO just sort of waved off any consequences. Given this is an office romance series I would have thought office issues would have been actioned better.
We also have a side plot issue, that’s given repeated space on page, yet it’s not resolved, just left open as Maverick saying what he’d do, but we don’t know how it pans out.
Then the ending, like WTF?? We literally get the last chapter as Isaac being taken to visit the dragon realm and meet Maverick’s family, he’s shown this hidden city inside a mountain, in effect is like ‘wow’ and then the book ends! I was seriously like ‘huh’. It felt like the author just put her pen down and said ‘I’m done’ then never went back to it. How did her editor or beta readers let that happen, it was the worst ending to a book I’ve read in a long time, as it didn’t feel like an ending at all.
Like there’s good bits in the book, don’t get me wrong, but there were too many issues that caused me to view the book in a negative light overall.
I’m not too sure if I want to read more in this series, book 3 looks intriguing, so I might see if that’s any better, if not, then I’ll just leave it as a fluke for having enjoyed book 5!
April 5, 2025
Didn’t enjoy this one like the first book. The way they initially got together was dub con and too sudden to be believable. The ‘grump’ behavior wasn’t cute. It made one of the main characters unlikable and unprofessional. I don’t think a partner who communicates in grunts is adorable. The whole jumping off the building scene was insane. After breaking windows, breathing fire in the office, destroying the street, endangering and terrifying all the innocent people below who get knocked out of the way?! They face zero consequences??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2025
4 stars
The moody dragon’s book! Maverick has a temp PA, Isaac. Isaac learns pretty quickly how to deal with the temperamental dragon. I did enjoy their banter as well as their ‘hate sex’. Admittedly, the ritual stuff while in Isaac’s home realm was kind of boring and I was frustrated that we didn’t get to read about Maverick confronting Isaac’s teacher.
*****
POV … third person
Standalone or series… book 2 in series suggest reading in order but not necessary
Hangover… no
Recommend,.. sure
Reread… maybe
The moody dragon’s book! Maverick has a temp PA, Isaac. Isaac learns pretty quickly how to deal with the temperamental dragon. I did enjoy their banter as well as their ‘hate sex’. Admittedly, the ritual stuff while in Isaac’s home realm was kind of boring and I was frustrated that we didn’t get to read about Maverick confronting Isaac’s teacher.
*****
POV … third person
Standalone or series… book 2 in series suggest reading in order but not necessary
Hangover… no
Recommend,.. sure
Reread… maybe
February 4, 2025
Well, these two didn't take to mating easily. With a hot tempered dragon lawyer and strong willed mage in school to be a lawyer, thetmy were bound to butt heads. Their chemistry is off the charts, so it was no surprise they found the perfect partner in each other. It just took a not so safe or smart choice to get them to realize how they really feel. Loved to see how they balanced each other out once they accepted their fate to be the better mate in life and work proving to be an unstoppable force in the future. Another great addition to this series that holds a lot of promise for future stories.
October 28, 2025
Idk what Amy Padilla is putting in these books, but holllyyyy heck they are addictive and so so good!
This one follows grumpy dragon-shifter company lawyer Maverick Van Buren (Ozen’s best friend, who we met in book one!) He’s furious at the uselessness of all the people working in his office and hires law student and mage, Isaac Silverbreeze, to help his out.
Isaac is a powerful mage, strong and opinionated. He’s more than happy to keep his new boss in line. Even when said boss is put under surveillance at work for upsetting the other staff.
I loved the vibes between these two - they’re both powerful and grouchy and butt heads constantly, but they’re just perfect for each other! I also enjoyed the glimpse into the mage-world and a snippet of the dragon city!
Going straight onto book three, which is Taron’s book and I CANNOT WAIT Y’ALL.
This one follows grumpy dragon-shifter company lawyer Maverick Van Buren (Ozen’s best friend, who we met in book one!) He’s furious at the uselessness of all the people working in his office and hires law student and mage, Isaac Silverbreeze, to help his out.
Isaac is a powerful mage, strong and opinionated. He’s more than happy to keep his new boss in line. Even when said boss is put under surveillance at work for upsetting the other staff.
I loved the vibes between these two - they’re both powerful and grouchy and butt heads constantly, but they’re just perfect for each other! I also enjoyed the glimpse into the mage-world and a snippet of the dragon city!
Going straight onto book three, which is Taron’s book and I CANNOT WAIT Y’ALL.
January 28, 2025
The Dragon's Aide is the second book in the Charmed Away Temp Agency series. This could be read as a standalone but I feel this series is best read in order. This is the story of Isaac a mage and Maverick a dragon shifter. These two are so different, Maverick is beyond grumpy and Isaac is sweet but doesn't take crap from anyone. I love the steam between these two so much. I loved the characters even the ones the ones you want to punch. It was great seeing the characters from the first book in the series again. I can't wait for the next book in the series. I would definitely recommend this book and series as 5 star reads.
October 17, 2025
I really liked the first part of this book but the latter part started to drag a bit for me. I think it got a little bloated and took a little too long to wrap up BUT most of the book was a lot of fun!
February 6, 2025
Ugh, this series is SO GOOD!!! 😍 I loved this one as much as the first.
April 5, 2025
4.7 the ending was a bit abrupt but I love Maverick and Isaac!!
August 3, 2025
again, so cute, perfectly spicy... I loved it!
August 31, 2025
He de admitir que esta segunda parte está mejor escrita que otras de sus novelas. Los personajes están mejor estructurados. Sin embargo, no creo que haya sido lo mejor que he leído este año.
October 9, 2025
Where there’s smoke … there’s a dragon. I would have liked to see the confrontation with the professor.
April 13, 2025
More time is spent explaining the fae world than the world in which the main part of the book takes place. I'm confused about this urban setting where humans are the minority.
February 23, 2025
It was dragging at times, and the ending felt sudden. Some of the issues were not answered, which resulted, I felt the book was unfinished, and I have so many questions, which is a little frustrating and annoying, so overall, ok read.
March 17, 2025
Fine, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. I said of that one that it could have used a better development edit, and the same is true here--although there aren't as many dropped threads, it just felt structurally messy, like not everything was working in concert to tell the story. The growth of feelings in the relationship was particularly neglected (although that's often a thing in stories/worlds with instinctual mating bonds, which is part of the reason I'm picky about them). There's also a shallow quality to the prose that sometimes made it difficult to invest in scenes.
I did like that instead of being yet another grumpy/sunshine book it was more like grumpy/sharp, with both of them capable of being ornery, stubborn assholes. Also great was the rejection of the idea that Isaac's powerful magic had to be used for violence or even used to its full extent consistently. Loved that he got to pursue a completely non-magical career.
I did like that instead of being yet another grumpy/sunshine book it was more like grumpy/sharp, with both of them capable of being ornery, stubborn assholes. Also great was the rejection of the idea that Isaac's powerful magic had to be used for violence or even used to its full extent consistently. Loved that he got to pursue a completely non-magical career.
February 8, 2025
3.5 stars.
This was a fun read but didn’t have much more depth than the first one. The first book was a sprinkling of story with a lot of sex, which made sense since Ozen is an incubus. However, this second book is more of the same. There is definitely story here, but the answer to a lot of things seems to be to have sex first.
I’m missing more interpersonal connections. For being best friends for over a hundred years, Ozen and Maverick have no real relationship outside boss and employee. In fact, we didn’t really see Maverick have a personal life at all.
Isaac having a foil in every setting was a bit much. Jade, his professor, and his cousin. I wish they had a moment of peace outside a couple days in a cabin.
There’s so much potential with these stories that I’m just hoping for a bit more.
This was a fun read but didn’t have much more depth than the first one. The first book was a sprinkling of story with a lot of sex, which made sense since Ozen is an incubus. However, this second book is more of the same. There is definitely story here, but the answer to a lot of things seems to be to have sex first.
I’m missing more interpersonal connections. For being best friends for over a hundred years, Ozen and Maverick have no real relationship outside boss and employee. In fact, we didn’t really see Maverick have a personal life at all.
Isaac having a foil in every setting was a bit much. Jade, his professor, and his cousin. I wish they had a moment of peace outside a couple days in a cabin.
There’s so much potential with these stories that I’m just hoping for a bit more.
February 26, 2025
Grumpy dragon and his mage assistant, dislike to lovers, lots of smutty times. I feel like there was a missed opportunity to not include a scene with Maverick confronting the asshole professor.
August 27, 2025
DNF 32%. I can’t get into the grumpy boss type. He’s just being an ass.
January 31, 2025
My GOD. Amy Padilla utterly blew me away with her newest book. "The Dragon's Aide" is the second novel in her latest series, Charmed Away Temp Agency.
["Isaac went against his family when he refused to join the military. He had dreams and he wasn’t going to cave to family pressure to give them up. So when his boss offers him an opportunity to get some real experience in the job he’s working toward, he leaps at the chance. The only problem is that his new boss is a grumpy dragon with a short fuse known to terrorize the office. But that wasn’t anything Isaac couldn’t handle. Right?
Maverick always had a temper. Most dragons did. It wasn’t something that affected his work. Until it did. Overworked, consistently dealing with incompetence, Maverick was at his wit’s end and in a last bid to keep his temper in check, he agreed with a recommendation to hire a temporary assistant to help him. But when the stubborn pink haired mage shows up, his dragon takes notice and suddenly, Maverick’s limited control has gone up in smoke. Now his career is on the line, and the only person willing to help him was the one who drove him over the edge. Things couldn’t get any worse. Right?"]
And the bonus tags (because they're arguable better than the blurb itself): ["Grumpy dragons are impossible, Isaac takes shit from no one, Maverick loses his temper, angry sex, knots, teamwork makes the dream work, flying is awesome and Isaac wants more, bjs settle dragons, who knew?, telepaths are creepy, or are they?, never talk shit about a dragon’s mate, Isaac’s ideas are reckless, accidental bonding…maybe, two stubborn men fall in love, what could go wrong?, guaranteed HEA."]
Oh. My. Goddess.
I'm obsessed with these two. Maverick was a grumpy dragon who didn't take care of himself and was generally a glass-half-empty kinda guy. Isaac is a happy mage who doesn't take shit from anyone and was generally a glass-half-full kinda guy. And as we all know, grumpy and sunshine makes the PERFECT match....eventually.
There were quite a few bumps along the way until they reached their happily ever after. And they had quite a few people trying to derail it, BUT they had even more people on their side, cheering (silently, no one wanted to say it to Maverick's face...except Taron) them on.
Speaking of Taron, I cannot WAIT for his book. That little shit is adorable and trouble and sooooooo in for it when he finds his mate.
#theincubssassistant #thedragonsaide #charmedaway #charmedawayseries #charmedawaytempagency #charmedawaytempagencyseries #amypadilla #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["Isaac went against his family when he refused to join the military. He had dreams and he wasn’t going to cave to family pressure to give them up. So when his boss offers him an opportunity to get some real experience in the job he’s working toward, he leaps at the chance. The only problem is that his new boss is a grumpy dragon with a short fuse known to terrorize the office. But that wasn’t anything Isaac couldn’t handle. Right?
Maverick always had a temper. Most dragons did. It wasn’t something that affected his work. Until it did. Overworked, consistently dealing with incompetence, Maverick was at his wit’s end and in a last bid to keep his temper in check, he agreed with a recommendation to hire a temporary assistant to help him. But when the stubborn pink haired mage shows up, his dragon takes notice and suddenly, Maverick’s limited control has gone up in smoke. Now his career is on the line, and the only person willing to help him was the one who drove him over the edge. Things couldn’t get any worse. Right?"]
And the bonus tags (because they're arguable better than the blurb itself): ["Grumpy dragons are impossible, Isaac takes shit from no one, Maverick loses his temper, angry sex, knots, teamwork makes the dream work, flying is awesome and Isaac wants more, bjs settle dragons, who knew?, telepaths are creepy, or are they?, never talk shit about a dragon’s mate, Isaac’s ideas are reckless, accidental bonding…maybe, two stubborn men fall in love, what could go wrong?, guaranteed HEA."]
Oh. My. Goddess.
I'm obsessed with these two. Maverick was a grumpy dragon who didn't take care of himself and was generally a glass-half-empty kinda guy. Isaac is a happy mage who doesn't take shit from anyone and was generally a glass-half-full kinda guy. And as we all know, grumpy and sunshine makes the PERFECT match....eventually.
There were quite a few bumps along the way until they reached their happily ever after. And they had quite a few people trying to derail it, BUT they had even more people on their side, cheering (silently, no one wanted to say it to Maverick's face...except Taron) them on.
Speaking of Taron, I cannot WAIT for his book. That little shit is adorable and trouble and sooooooo in for it when he finds his mate.
#theincubssassistant #thedragonsaide #charmedaway #charmedawayseries #charmedawaytempagency #charmedawaytempagencyseries #amypadilla #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
August 1, 2025
Started off very interesting by having both Maverick and Isaac be both stubborn and grumpy (as opposed to the grumpy/sunshine pairing that the story was initially setting up)
The dialogue and characterization was pretty good, the sex was steamy and I absolutely loved how Isaac gave Maverick as much shit as he did.
Unfortunately, I did have a few things in this book that I want a big fan of.
1. How little the dynamic between Isaac and Maverick changed throughout the story. Things basically went from Isaac trying to be patient to Isaac deciding that Maverick needed to be challenged and stayed there until they mated. The progression was nice, but having both of them stay stubborn and frictional towards the other made the relationship feel stale.
2. The lack of communication about their sexual interactions. I didn't like how neither of them talked about the times they had sex and just went with it. Them talking would've been a nice vehicle to show their thoughts and perceptions about each other changing, so this heavily leads to my first criticism.
3. Isaac's personal story arc swaps from dealing with his professor to sudden family issues. It felt like most of the story was setting Isaac up to deal with his college professor but that's solved via Maverick off screen and we see that Isaac's actual conflict was his family. It felt like the author wrote two different scenarios for him and decided to change what Isaac's story was going to focus on too late after they'd written too much about the professor.
4. When the story suddenly changes the setting to , the pacing gets completely shot. felt like a climax, but the fact that it wasn't made the book feel weird pacing-wise. And not only did ithe change in setting make things feel like a completely different story, it also shoved all the relationship evolution into such a tiny portion that it felt like the author wrote themselves into a corner and realized they were running out of time so they moved dimensions and resolved all the relationship stuff there. Having both Isaac and Maverick escape without repercussions for the damage they caused was a copout.
I wasn't a fan of the story's resolution as a direct result of not liking where things went after the 70% mark.
TL;DR: Despite the good characterization, dialogue, and sex, the story ultimately suffers because of a lack of development between the dynamic of the MCs and the super weird setting shift (and everything that came with that) after what already felt like a climax.
The dialogue and characterization was pretty good, the sex was steamy and I absolutely loved how Isaac gave Maverick as much shit as he did.
Unfortunately, I did have a few things in this book that I want a big fan of.
1. How little the dynamic between Isaac and Maverick changed throughout the story. Things basically went from Isaac trying to be patient to Isaac deciding that Maverick needed to be challenged and stayed there until they mated. The progression was nice, but having both of them stay stubborn and frictional towards the other made the relationship feel stale.
2. The lack of communication about their sexual interactions. I didn't like how neither of them talked about the times they had sex and just went with it. Them talking would've been a nice vehicle to show their thoughts and perceptions about each other changing, so this heavily leads to my first criticism.
3. Isaac's personal story arc swaps from dealing with his professor to sudden family issues. It felt like most of the story was setting Isaac up to deal with his college professor but that's solved via Maverick off screen and we see that Isaac's actual conflict was his family. It felt like the author wrote two different scenarios for him and decided to change what Isaac's story was going to focus on too late after they'd written too much about the professor.
4. When the story suddenly changes the setting to , the pacing gets completely shot. felt like a climax, but the fact that it wasn't made the book feel weird pacing-wise. And not only did ithe change in setting make things feel like a completely different story, it also shoved all the relationship evolution into such a tiny portion that it felt like the author wrote themselves into a corner and realized they were running out of time so they moved dimensions and resolved all the relationship stuff there. Having both Isaac and Maverick escape without repercussions for the damage they caused was a copout.
I wasn't a fan of the story's resolution as a direct result of not liking where things went after the 70% mark.
TL;DR: Despite the good characterization, dialogue, and sex, the story ultimately suffers because of a lack of development between the dynamic of the MCs and the super weird setting shift (and everything that came with that) after what already felt like a climax.
January 26, 2026
Even better than the first book!!!
We were introduced to Maverick, the temperamental dragon-shifter and head lawyer at Spellbound Co in the first book and here he gets his own office romance.
What does a temperamental, fiery tempered dragon need in a mate? A mage who is just as fiery and temperamental and can give as good as he gets.
I love Isaac and Mav together. Their personalities and individual quirks mesh so wonderfully. Honestly as someone who works in an office and deals with absurd incompetence on a daily basis, I absolutely understood Mav’s short temper and tendency toward billowing clouds of smoke. And I’m not even a dragon. Isaac’s attempts to keep him calm were so sweet and honestly I was a little surprised that they fell into being f*ck buddies so quickly but it actually kinda worked.
Gripes: Isaac’s family. So obnoxious. Grandmother can stay. Our two MC’s fell into bed more than once and just…never discussed it? Not a fan. Also, there just wasn’t quite enough discussion of their actual relationship to satisfy me. They just kind of accepted that “oh, we’re mates and that explains everything so I guess we’re in love now” which is not my favorite. I sincerely hope that’s not how the whole series goes. Isaac’s intense dislike of the telepath from SR was also a little unfair but I’m pretty sure he eventually gets his own book.
Hypes: the pairing. These two are absolutely perfect for each other personality-wise. I also loved how so much was explained by the fact that it was a dragon bond. And Jade got what she had coming to her. Isaac as a law student getting to work with Mav, one of the top lawyers in the country, was also a fun dynamic. And the conflict of Mav keeping his job and Isaac’s determination to help was great. Also the Magic Forest in Isaac’s home realm was so fun, seeing him interact with the magic and commune with the trees.
Also, we got to see how Mav fits in the friendship dynamic with Ozen and Taron and Darian plus Isaac gets to be bffs with Avery, his favorite author.
Joel Leslie, 10/10 narration as always, no notes. Why do I have to wait a month for the next one!?!?
We were introduced to Maverick, the temperamental dragon-shifter and head lawyer at Spellbound Co in the first book and here he gets his own office romance.
What does a temperamental, fiery tempered dragon need in a mate? A mage who is just as fiery and temperamental and can give as good as he gets.
I love Isaac and Mav together. Their personalities and individual quirks mesh so wonderfully. Honestly as someone who works in an office and deals with absurd incompetence on a daily basis, I absolutely understood Mav’s short temper and tendency toward billowing clouds of smoke. And I’m not even a dragon. Isaac’s attempts to keep him calm were so sweet and honestly I was a little surprised that they fell into being f*ck buddies so quickly but it actually kinda worked.
Gripes: Isaac’s family. So obnoxious. Grandmother can stay. Our two MC’s fell into bed more than once and just…never discussed it? Not a fan. Also, there just wasn’t quite enough discussion of their actual relationship to satisfy me. They just kind of accepted that “oh, we’re mates and that explains everything so I guess we’re in love now” which is not my favorite. I sincerely hope that’s not how the whole series goes. Isaac’s intense dislike of the telepath from SR was also a little unfair but I’m pretty sure he eventually gets his own book.
Hypes: the pairing. These two are absolutely perfect for each other personality-wise. I also loved how so much was explained by the fact that it was a dragon bond. And Jade got what she had coming to her. Isaac as a law student getting to work with Mav, one of the top lawyers in the country, was also a fun dynamic. And the conflict of Mav keeping his job and Isaac’s determination to help was great. Also the Magic Forest in Isaac’s home realm was so fun, seeing him interact with the magic and commune with the trees.
Also, we got to see how Mav fits in the friendship dynamic with Ozen and Taron and Darian plus Isaac gets to be bffs with Avery, his favorite author.
Joel Leslie, 10/10 narration as always, no notes. Why do I have to wait a month for the next one!?!?
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