Alpha Dragon: Taran

Treasured Ink #1

by Kaz Crowley, Kellan Larkin

Tattooing is Taran’s passion, and opening a shop with his four best friends is a dream come true. But when his fated mate walks right in the door on day one, he realizes life is gonna get crazy.

And then a rival tattoo shop opens right across the street. This alpha dragon’s got too much to handle, and if he’s not careful, he’s going to lose his passion, his friends, and his fated omega.

All Nosko wanted was a tattoo to remember his grandmother by. He didn’t think he’d meet the man he’d been waiting his whole life for. Is it the right time, though? His art gallery’s sales are dropping, and he needs to focus.

Just when he thinks he has it all under control, he gets mugged by someone who has a bone to pick with dragon shifters. How can he raise a family if he doesn’t feel safe in his own home?

With a rogue criminal targeting dragons and a flagging business, he needs to get his head on straight. And on top of that, Taran gets him pregnant.

What’s a guy to do?

Alpha Dragon: Taran is the first in a steamy new mpreg romance series centered around alpha dragons who love ink and getting inked. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a bona fide HEA. Warning: this book is so hot it’ll scorch your socks off!

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

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 16, 2018

Reviews

[Fatimama · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started fine then absolutely went to shit.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars for me. The writing was a bit...simple? Just nothing elaborate and definitely felt more like telling me than showing me what is going on. I love the idea of the tattoo artists and the shifters and, of course, the alpha/omega aspects, but some things were just never explained, some things were too easy, and some just didn't make sense.

Still, I got this for free and have the next 2 books, too, so I will at least give the second one a try!

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally read book 2 first, so obviously that gave away a bit of what happened in this book. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book... I really liked the whole cast of characters, especially Annika. She was only mentioned in book 2 and I am hoping to see more of her in book 3. This book set up the continuing mystery of the mystical muggings very well and I can't wait to see how things all play out in the upcoming books. Four stars for this installment because while it was not a "Wow" read I still really liked reading it and will definitely be completing the series!

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this had potential but in the end everything went too smooth for me

[caroline wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There be dragons here🐲💜🐲

I received this book from the sweet and spicy arc programme for an honest opinion.
This book is about Taran a crushskull Dragon, Alpha and tattoo extraordinaire who's taking on his own tattoo parlour with his 4 best friends. Business is slow so when a man walks in toating a flyer that announces there shifter friendly he's a little bit hesitant as he can't identify his beast.
Nosko an omega is looking for a tattoo to honour his grandma and knows he has to go to the best tattoo place. He's at ease but at the innocent touch of hands with Taran the dragon comes to the forefront announcing its mate. It's instant attraction. This is there journey through the ups and downs of instant love and its misunderstandings. Running in the background is a mugger but who's not a mugger? So we can only guess at the ulterior motive behind these muggings.
I enjoyed this book it was a short sweet read and I enjoyed the main and secondary characters and hope we are going to get each of Tarans buddies happy ever afters. I was a bit miffed that we didn't get the conclusion on who was behind the muggings but I suppose that will be a running theme plot through the series. I also enjoyed the nice almost poetic little quotes through the book
Two souls, separated at the beginning of our time on earth, looking to join each other again.
A good read by these authors and am looking forward to the next in the series. Also pretty book cover.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alpha Dragon: Taran is a great start to a new series by Kellan Larkin and Kaz Crowley. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. I did think that the story ended abruptly and had more of an HFN vs. HEA ending. So I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. I hope to find out more about Taran and Nosko's relationship and who and what Annika is and who is mugging the paranormals. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.25 stars

Different shifter novel. Fated mates but Dragons. Kellan Larkin has a thing for mystical Dragons. No hording gold and jewels just average Dragons doing Tattoos in a shifter friendly city.

Alpha, omega, lite BDSM dynamics all things that I like in a short quick little read. I wondering where the plot of attacking mystical shifters is going? On to the next book.

[LaShonta · Rating 3 out of 5]

WTF??? This book just ends. One character says "I'm gonna take a nap". Boom, end of book. Nothing is resolved. I hate when authors do this. You get into a book and bam, over. There wasn't an "The End" either. Bummer.

[Courtney Borgfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

[John-Torleif Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I felt that both Taran & Nosko weren’t fully settled in the authors’ minds at the beginning of this book. I didn’t get any hint of Taran choosing his business over his fated mate until it happened, and Nosko seemed all about being mated and starting a family until it happened to him, and suddenly he wasn’t happy about it at all. Once the story got flowing, things settled out, but I would have liked to have had the characters’ reactions feel natural, and not coming out of left field.

Other than that, I found this story to be interesting and I’m very curious to find out about whoever is targeting the mythological shifters in this city. I do have to question how Nosko is planning on hiding his pregnancy from Cassandra though. If she doesn’t already know about shifters in a city that seems to be full of them, how will they explain everything?

[Violet Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in Treasured Ink Series. A delightful book the writing was great. This book leaves you wanting more. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters intriguing. The characters were developed and thought out. Taran and Nosko are the MC’s of this book and fated mates. There was humor, pregnancy, dragons, tattoo shops, art, muggings, a wedding, sex, knotting and so much more in this book.

Here is a quote from the book, “The speed that this occurred should probably worry me. It’s not within my sphere of experience and I have nothing to compare it to. To go from meeting and recognizing my fated mate to wanting to pick out china patterns is startling. This should bother me, right?”. There is more but you will need to read the book which I can recommend. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

[Sarita Chapdelaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It is well-written and I could not put it down. I liked the twists and turns in the story and how being fated mates does not mean everything is easy and perfect. Taran and Nosko are both trying to make their businesses successful but Nosko is ready and willing to settle down with his mate. It takes Taran a little longer but the pull he feels towards his mate cannot be ignored. Once they settle into their relationship they try to solve the mystery of why someone is targeting dragon shifters. I loved everything about this book until the ending, I was expecting a HEA not a HFN. The abrupt ending left me hanging and I was disappointed. I hope the next book in the series will have the rest of Nosko and Taran's story.
I was given an ARC to review by the authors.

[Julianne Macneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of an arc program. This is the first book in this series about a group of dragon shifters. In this book, Taran finds his fated mate Nosko when he come into the recently opened tattoo parlor looking to get a tattoo of his late grandmother. Taran and a group of friends have recently opened a tattoo parlor who specializes in tattoos for shifters. Taran knows Nosko is his mate, but he feels it is not the right time to commit because of trying to build the business. Nosko is kind of a loner and owns an art gallery, but has always dreamed of having his own family. There have been a rash of muggings targeting the shifters and the guys at the tattoo parlor try to find who is responsible. I really liked this book and am enjoying the continuing storyline about the muggings. I am looking forward to the next book.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tarran has always had a love for tattooing and is opening a shop with his best-friends. Nosko has a love for art and now owns his own gallery. One tattoo brings them together. Will Tarran finally realize that he is ready for it all? Will Nosko be ready for the family they are forming?

Loved the chemistry between these two. I didn't blame either for being scared, but I was happy that Nosko took the chance and went to Tarran when he couldn't resist anymore. I didn't blame Tarran for being scared, but loved that he admitted he was wrong. Great read!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a 3.5 than a 4 star review. The plot seems to jump around. Who is the mugger? Why is this important? The humans don't know about the shifters around them? Or do they just not know about dragon shifters? I'm still a bit confused on this bit. They seem to portray this city/region as a haven for shifters, but to keep referencing humans that are clueless and need to remain that way seems a bit odd. Maybe the secret is the mythical shifters rather than the natural shifters... I'm still a bit confused.

[Sharonl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow moving

Decent start, but story line drags thru the pages with not much new to move the plot. 50% in two MCs met, split in a dull way, and then decided to mate. Last 50% introduced mugging mystery and mugging just doesn't have the thrill factor of murder, kidnapping or conspiracy. The characters were nicely done, but without a possible antagonist even hinted at among characters in story, something was missing. No tension in this book.

[Simera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Taran and Nosko. Nosko walks into Taran's tattoo shop and he gets more than he wanted. Fated Mates could that come at a worse time for Taran. He just opened his tattoo shop and now this.
This is a sweet, low angst read with a little mystery involved. This ends on a cliffhanger.
I received a copy for an honest review.

[Alex Haber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t figure that the two main characters are magical because they have very normal lives in my eyes, so the magical aspect of the story was a nice surprise to me I wanted to know more about all the characters of the book which means I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's written in first person POV, present tense. My absolutely least favorite type to read. But even though I took twice as long to get thru it than I do other books this length, I liked the characters, story. and world enough that I did finish. and I will eventually get thru the rest of the series too. Just not all in a row like I normally like to read a series.

[Mim Crenshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really Good Read

I loved how this was kinda an Insta love/Insta chemistry type of fated mate pairing. I was great that the Alpha was scared and admitted it. I love the intrigue of the specific muggings. This book, to me, kinda ends on a sorta cliff hanger with the muggings. Definitely left me wanting to read the next book.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sweet love story!

This story has two lines to follow which makes this a great read. A love story on the one side and a bunch of criminal acts on the other. A great mix that will keep you interested throughout.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I didn’t like that it just ended. I would have liked to see the pregnancy and the birth. Also, the mugger is just weird. Why take his wallet but not take the money or anything. Hopefully we will get some answers in the next book.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Alpha Dragon was great, while I’m not to thrilled with the whole cliffhanger thing the story itself is awesome. The characters Nosko and Taran are adorable and fun the storyline kept me invested until the end

[Nancy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light read!

Romantic, but drama very underplayed. Absolutely a great evening read that keep you there throughout the story, but wanting more.

[Shelley Chastagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent start to the series. The writing is a bit rough in spots but overall an enjoyable book. I'd like to read the rest of the books.
Adult read

[Diana Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

This was a well-written story. I enjoyed it. I would have given it a four or a five-star but the ending just stopped. Too many Loose Ends. I'm not very fond of Cliffhangers.

[Barbara Lampron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start!

I can tell it's going to be a great series. I like it already. There's enough suspense, love, and intrigue. Good start!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Enjoyable. Great start to the series.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Good read. Not bad, not gripping either, or maybe it was just me, who knows, sounded good, wa good but just felt lacking

[misszaria22 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

This book was just okay. I enjoyed some of it,but I think I wouldn't want to read more anymore in the series.