3.5 stars
The story continues (directly after the ending of book 1, [b:The Lost Son|7496552|The Lost Son (Secrets of Socendor, #1)|Mychael Black|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365987592s/7496552.jpg|9652670]) with deepening concerns about the infiltration by the mysterious lithings into Akuron. We get more of Braen’s quest to raise his dead father’s (Breasal) spirit using magic. It seems this magic can only be had with the help of “Dragonblade” a mythical sword entrapped in stone (of course) and hidden away in the mountains. Kalen and Micheil’s mission is now to find and claim the sword in order to thwart Braen’s plans. The race is on. Along the way, it becomes clear that Kalen has his own hidden depths… and his dreams of dragons grow stronger.
Dragonblade moves along at a better pace than its prequel and with more story building. Kalen and Micheil are still wild-for-each-other randy-lads but major developments occur more in balance with the love-making. Adding to the interest are some nice action and fight sequences, some fierce dragons, and Braen, in particular, gets more character development. Kalen and Micheil are fine as lovers but I wish we had a chance to get to know them as people outside their relationship and see their bond tested more. The plot does thicken, however, and my reading enjoyment increased accordingly.
Readers who love sword and sorcery-type fantasy stories may want to give this series a try. Be warned, though, that Dragonblade has an HFN ending as our two heros and Akuron are left in dire straights. For this review and more visit: The Blog of Sid Love