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Slaying Dragons

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Dani Powell’s life had been a series of extreme highs and the devastating lows. Medications and the therapy sessions keep her centered on her art, music, and painting. All a reflection of where her mind is at that moment in time. As she struggles to keep the chaos at bay her partner Andrea Fenwick is her safe port in a stormy ocean

Andrea Fenwick juggles a busy accounting job while trying to keep her partner Dani grounded. Their lives together have had their ups and downs, but Andrea never expect the downs to be rock bottom. She’d determined to keep Dani afloat even if it means her best may not be good enough this time.

Tommie Andrews, a computer whiz and occasional dog trainer, discovers she’s developing a crush on her friend and co-worker Andrea. The more she tries to be supportive of Andrea,
the more apparent it becomes that friendship may be the most she can hope for. The timing couldn’t be worse. Or could it?

When will things get better for the three women? First, they must define “better.”

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2022

12 people are currently reading
36 people want to read

About the author

McGee Mathews

11 books20 followers
Originally from Michigan, McGee Mathews uses her obsession with genealogy to create memorable romance characters.

Her latest novel, You Can't Outrun Your Roots, is a second chance romance with older women set in SC,

The historical novel Keeping Secrets set during the American civil war is available through Sapphire Publishing.

Still a fan of the eighties, she loves the character Robbie in her indie Ladies of Diamond Lake series. Featuring minor characters from these stories, the book Slaying Dragons is a dramatic look into mental illness and how it affects those around them.

McGee and her wife of 29 years raised three children on a farm in South Carolina. Her wife is retired and they are officially RV nomads.

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Karin A.
153 reviews19 followers
November 29, 2020
*This review may contain very small spoilers (not enough to hide the entire review)*

Five stars! This book touched me deeply. It made me feel very emotional and cry, it is relatable, horrifying and beautiful.

This is my second Mathews book and again I am not disappointed. Where the first (Keeping Secrets) gave me a thorough history lesson, this book was mostly lots of recognition. Mental health issues hit close to home and although I don't have them to the extend like Dani in this novel it still is relatable. In my young 20's I was hit hard by depression, anxiety and all. Luckily nowadays all that is left is a funky feeling in wintertime, come spring my world brightens again. One in four people suffer from mental health problems at least at one point in their life and yet you almost never hear anyone talk about it. This book gives you an insight into the struggle of Dani and Andrea in the '90s. A day and age where being gay alone was hard enough, let alone suffer from mental health problems ...

About the story: there is nothing rushed, the tempo is just right for the topics. Characters all have their flaws and I loved them for it: Andrea is mostly thinking she's coming up short for her life-partner Dani. Dani thinks Andrea deserves better than someone like her. And we've got Andrea's colleague Tommy who secretly crushes on her. At about 30-40% in the book, you will hit a rough stretch which made me cry my eyes out. At first, it made me feel confused, I seemed to be in the same level of denial as Andrea appeared to be in. Looking back on it that part is very well written by Mathews. I don't want to give away to much...

The way Dani "works" her mental health expert is spot on how I've seen it happen in real life. Mathews does a great job in letting you see all those layers of someone with mental health issues. Also, she does a great job showing you all the layers of grief.

The ending of the book wasn't rushed, but it did feel abrupt. It is a happy and romance is found (again). All in all it is worth the five stars for me because of the very respectfully, gracious and beautiful way Mathews wrote about this very difficult topic.

Read the blurb before you start this book, although not all is said in the blurb, if you can count, you can count on an emotional rollercoaster.
When you feel you need to talk to someone while reading or after reading this book, know that you
can find all the contact information you'll need in the back. Don't hesitate to use it.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Check out this and other reviews on https://lesfic.home.blog/
Profile Image for Char Dafoe.
Author 28 books193 followers
May 5, 2021
Where do I begin? How do I write about something that hits home for me? How do I begin to explain my feelings toward Dani and her fateful decision and why I understood her thought process without telling the world I've been in her shoes many times over?

This review will be more personal than any other review I've written in the past. I finished this book a couple days ago, but there was no way I could write anything about it without weeping all over my keyboard. I tried writing a book that way, it didn't work.

I have bipolar disorder, and just like Dani, I too have suicidal thoughts. I think how I would do it, just like her. I think about who would find my body afterward, just like Dani. I try to reason with myself and come up with a plan so my death wouldn't be too messy or complicated for any of my loved ones, just like Dani. The only thing I have not done just like Dani is to actually follow through on my dark thoughts. I've always pulled back and every time it's something different that stops me from stepping over that ledge, pushing that blade harder against my skin, slicing through, downing those pills, or whatever way of killing myself is staring at me in that moment. I've visited the shrinks and councilors, and just Dani, I've said all the right things without giving the true nature of my feelings away to placate them enough to let me go and not send me off to the pasture to die slowly.

Mathews wrote a beautiful story. She not only shed light on what Andrea endured after Dani's death, but she let us in Dani's mind and life leading up to her suicide. A lot of books that deal with suicide, they don't generally focus on the actual killing of one self, it's more of a fade-to-black or a memory. We got to experience Dani's departure of this world right before our very eyes, and I think that is so incredibly important, because it shows us what someone like Dani, a woman who appeared to have her life together, was actually feeling. She didn't want to be a burden anymore. She was tired of not feeling. She was done with the carousel of shrinks and pills, to elation toward her art and love of Andrea to desolation and defeat, only to do it all over again. I get that. I am her.

Mathews wrote Dani's death in a classy way. No drama, no mess, simply beautiful. However, she did play with me. After Dani left, I went on thinking everything was all right in the world, just how Andrea felt, and just like Andrea, we were both blissfully unaware of how awful things really were. Mathews did something so true, so brilliant, so relatable, that I think she deserves every fucking award out there. Denial is a huge part of grief. Andrea was in such denial she thought Dani was still with her, and so did I. When Andrea's world finally crumbled around her and the light turned on, it did for me too. I had to flip back a few chapters and reread Dani's mindset again and try to decipher what made her jump. You can't do that in real life, rewind someone's moments before they kill themselves. That was a gift. Suicide will turn anyone into a detective days, months, years, after. You will scrutinize every little word spoken, every little shrug, every moment of silence, every path taken by the person who killed themselves. You will replay every conversation, you will look for clues that could possibly reveal why they did it, when they did it, where they did it. I became a detective, just like Andrea. I mourned Dani's death, still am, but I'm also happy for her because she's not suffering anymore. I understand Andrea's pain, too, because I've been there, feeling utterly lost and alone, and so angry at everything and everyone.

Suicide aside, this was a love story. It started as a shadow of a love story between Andrea and Dani, but after, it morphed slowly into a friends-to-lovers story. Tommie was a saint, and she was utterly in love with Andrea. It was hard to stay mad at Andrea whenever she lashed out at Tommie, because she was still mourning over Dani, but I couldn't help but feel terrible for Tommie at times because she was the perfect butch-in-shining-armour. Patience, time, and unwavering devotion, eventually got the butch her beautiful princess.

Mathews, thank you for writing this book, it broke me to pieces, it resurfaced old feelings that I've been struggling with, it reminded me what it's like to be on the receiving end of a suicide. It also made me feel less alone.

To anyone feeling lost about suicide and why people do it, read this book.
Profile Image for Píaras Cíonnaoíth.
Author 143 books204 followers
December 11, 2020
Understanding and exploring mental health issues...

Award-winning author McGee Mathews weaves an exceptional romantic drama that will captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a heartrending but memorable love story in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a very absorbing read containing messages at a deeper level that will challenge your mind. The story unfurls in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. Into the spaces between the words, the author breathes a pulsating intensity that rolls like a motion picture camera.

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. McGee Mathews pays as much attention to her sentences as she does to her plots, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. Her writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create an emotional atmosphere that will leave you spellbound. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Kim.
280 reviews10 followers
January 3, 2021
Dani has been fighting her dragons for a very long time. Her girlfriend, Andrea, has been her page, fighting along Dani’s side every step of the way. As they close in this time, Dani’s resolve weakens and she makes a decision that will turn Andrea’s world upside down.
Tommie, one of Andrea’s coworkers, steps in to help during this tumultuous time. She’s had a crush on Andrea for a long time and now she’s just trying to be supportive, a shoulder to cry on.
Mcgee has done an amazing job, writing about the unthinkable in a way that helps shine a light without it becoming a blinding glare. I think everyone has been touched in one way or another by the subject she’s written about. It takes guts to write a story that most writers avoid like the plague. Yes, there are very emotional parts in this book, but it’s got so many uplifting parts, too. The way she wrote about the aftermath is a look into how some people react to loss.
The information that is shared at the end of the book is some that everyone should remember. I’ve lost people in my life to the dreadful disease of depression. I’ve talked people out of that final act and I wish I could’ve had the chance to help others that I didn’t know were suffering. If you’re looking for a book that touches on emotion and is a HEA, you should read this one. McGee has written a thought provoking, smile through your tears story that will possibly help someone save a loved one!
Profile Image for Jimmy Jefferson.
1,043 reviews9 followers
December 18, 2020
Finding love again

This is a story of the search to find peace in the grief of losing your love. When Andrea lost her love Dani, she was consumed with grief and desire to continue. She found a reason in the creation of a youth group for the LBGT community. There she meets Tommie and the relationship starts to build. Tommie finds herself falling for Andrea but is unsure if the feelings are the same. This story is an exploration into life after loss and the ability to find love again. The characters are well developed and relatable. I found the story entertaining and was drawn into the adventure from the first page. A must read for sure. Take some time and follow the journey and see where it is.
Profile Image for Pegboard.
1,819 reviews9 followers
December 16, 2020
Slaying Dragons by McGee Mathews takes you on an emotional roller coaster as her characters work through mental disorders, added to a relationship that has hit rocky ground. Dealing with a mental illness is not longer something to be ashamed of because people are talking about it. The characters in this novel open up about their lives and an ugly emotional state that threatens it all. The drama and sentiment between the characters keep this moving. The author graciously adds contact information in the back so readers who need to reach out have a life line and answer when they need help and it gets to be too much.
Profile Image for Lynn Lawler.
Author 3 books18 followers
Read
March 1, 2021
Stay tuned for my review - coming soon!
Profile Image for Michael Wells.
1,078 reviews6 followers
February 6, 2024
Slaying your dragons

Danielle and Andrea were together for five years. Danielle has suffered for many mental problems and just couldn’t get her life together. She was an artist and a musician. Andrea was her support, but she was not enough. Trigger warning for this book. It contains deaf, loneliness, despair, grief, and hatred. Without giving away a l The plot. This is a very emotional book and I really tugged at my heart. I recommend this book while who, like a different kind of love story that begins one way and another.
Profile Image for S Tyty.
1,276 reviews29 followers
December 18, 2020
Slaying Dragons is a great romance and love drama of redemption and out of the ordinary novel written by Mathews. Andrea, the main character here turned her sadness, after losing her partner, into something positive by setting up a youth center to address issues related to the LGBT community and mental health. It is then when she meets someone, but will that someone be able to occupy Dani’s place?
The plot is captivating since it has kept me wondering whether she would be able to open her heart’s door to someone new. Besides, it touches the sensitive topic of depression and how the minds get inside dark and complex paths that become difficult to get out of.
I have enjoyed this tale till the last minute since I liked the fact that the theme of depression gets associated with that of hope and a future, though not foreseeable. I loved the unexpected ingredient present in this narrative. Great piece of literature!
Profile Image for Pearl.
534 reviews7 followers
December 16, 2020
At first I thought this book is all about, literally... dragons and everything fantasy that I could ever imagine. But I was wrong, yet I am not disappointed because Slaying Dragons by McGee Mathews is so much better than I've expected. This book talks about characters Danie Powell and her girlfriend Andrea Fenwick. I loved the uniqueness of the story as it deals with plenty of emotional aspects.

It specifically centers on the difficult topic of depression. For me this is such a challenging read but the author was able to pull it off without making me struggle to connect with it. The book not only explores the mundane happenings of the characters but it also gives us a better understanding and perspective about depression. Deep, profound, and very emotional, this book deserves an applause.
Profile Image for Rachel Kester.
487 reviews8 followers
January 13, 2021
This book by McGee Mathews will take you on a romantic adventure as Andrea Fenwick tries to move on from a tragic loss.

Fenwick is trying to move past her partner’s death but finds it hard to do. She has tried everything possible, like therapy and grief groups, but discovers they aren’t the best options for her. Eventually, Fenwick joins an LGBT youth center. As she starts to find a new purpose in her life, she comes across Tommie, a co-worker. While they start out on friendly terms, Fenwick starts to have stronger feelings. Can she move on or will she live forever in grief?

If you’re looking for a unique and interesting story, definitely consider this one. Mathews writes with a captivating style that encourages you to quickly flip through the pages to find out what happens next. Overall, if you’re on the search for something romantic to read, this just might be the one.
Profile Image for Ivana S..
535 reviews9 followers
December 18, 2020
I really like when I get so hooked on a story that while I'm not reading it, I'm thinking about it. “Slaying Dragons” is an example of this. This book deals with overcoming. It is a short but intense read about finding love after a tragic loss. It is about Andrea Fenwick, who has lost her love, and Tommie Andrews, her friend and co-worker. Both characters are well-portrayed and it is really easy to empathize with both of them, due to how the author developed them.

What I liked the most is that this book leaves a lesson: it is possible to find love when you least expect it. I recommend reading it.

Profile Image for Mia C..
1,088 reviews25 followers
December 19, 2020
This is a story of love but also of recovery after losing somebody very closed. Does love after love exist? That is a question that I have been asking myself since I started reading this novel. The main character in this story loses her partner and after starting a center to cope with issues related to the LGBT community and mental health, starts finding love again.
The central idea for the plot is very interesting and I believed the author did a very good job portraying it. Characters are strong and believable and I could empathize with them from the very beginning.
I would recommend this novel, it took me on a journey of emotions.
Profile Image for Santiago Flores.
1,029 reviews11 followers
January 25, 2021
This was not a very good read for me, because of the story, but I must say that regarding writing style and narrative it was quite good.
I believe that every reader would feel something different because it touches delicate topics such as loss and how can we love again.
There are some parts that I found a bit heavy to read; some maybe because they touch a very deep memory. Reading this roller coaster of emotions brings back many that I had kept in the past.
All in all, I was caught by the book and read it from beginning to end.
Profile Image for Kat.
666 reviews12 followers
January 5, 2021
Surviving isn't easy..

This book has so many elements of grief, moving on and surviving that best is to read it and experience all feelings that are happening in this story.
It's also uplifting to think that one end, doesn't mean end of everything.
This is story that makes you think.
1,149 reviews15 followers
May 11, 2021
Very moving.

I found Slaying Dragons very moving. None of us talk about mental health enough. Feeling low, depressed or suicidal is something most people keep to themselves. But for the surviving partners, family and friends it is hard going.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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