Aiken plunges us back into the fantastic world she created with another great installment in the Dragon Kin series. Princess Keita of the House of Gwalchmai fab Gwyar plays the role of spoiled royal well; spending her life drifting from one sexual entanglement to the next, kicking the enthralled males aside if they dare try impede her progress toward the next great adventure. In the process she's earned a new name for herself-- Keita the Red Viper Dragon of Despair and Death (Keita the Viper for short).

Ragnar the Cunning of the Olgeirsson Horde has a simple goal in life, to better the lot of his people no matter the personal cost. Someone did him the favor of killing the former leader, his father. One of the first cruel social dictums Ragnar abolished was the mutilation of females taken to wife, the removal of a wing to keep them from escape. His own scarred mother raised him to be his own man and to value the power of magic that lay within him no matter the public perception of it being less than masculine. After the long years of his father's warmongering ways, it is up to him to create diplomatic ties with the enemies his father created, even if it means playing courier to Keita the Viper and returning her to her queen for the first time in years.

LAST DRAGON STANDING is the fourth in the Dragon Kin series and at least as entertaining as the previous books. Aiken has a strong gift for crafting a compelling story line that includes characters from the earlier books without just a quick genuflect to readers who expect an update. Each of the previously-met characters has an integral part to play in the overall arc of the series, one that flows naturally and vitally through this book as well. The events in book four center around the romance between Keita and Ragnar, but it is more than a simple romance novel. It and the other books in the series have their feet firmly planted in the fantasy adventure genre and give full measure to fans of both.

Book Summary

I know what they see when they look at me. The charming, soft-spoken dragoness bred from the most powerful of royal bloodlines. A disguise stronger than any battle shield that allows me to keep all suitors at tail's length. A technique that's worked until him. Until Ragnar the Cunning, handsome barbarian warlord and warrior mage from the desolate Northlands. Unlike those who've come before him, he does not simply submit to my astounding charm and devastating smile. Instead, he dismisses me as vapid, useless and, to my great annoyance, rather stupid!

Yet I'll allow no male to dismiss me. Soon he'll learn my worth, my many skills, and the strength of my will. For this one challenges me enough to make me want to ruthlessly taunt him, tease him and, finally, when the trap is set, bring him to his knees.

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