A.K. Michaels

Supernatural Enforcement Bureau #1-3

Nicola Sarah Brooks

Dragon and Vampire
I do not give 5 stars easily - I am a tough old cookie. I would easily give this little gem more if I could!!! I've read a fair few of Ava's books now and I think I may love this one the best (SSSSHHHHHH don't let Gabe and Josef from WWV hear that!!!!!)

Ronan is the director of the SEB. He joined shortly after its inception and rose quickly. Although now mostly a desk jockey, which he hates, he still likes to get out of the office and kick ass on occasion. He has some moves for a 400 year old plus Vampire!!! He is tasked with searching for and protecting a dragon, long thought extinct, by his sire,Josef.

Starr, said dragon, has been on the run for so long, she no longer trusts anyone and is forever on the watch for hunters. When she first encounters Ronan and his team she doesn't smell the stench of black magic on them but that doesn't mean she's going to trust the "bloodsucking leech". Their second encounter sows the seeds of trusts and when they finally meet face to face she feels a natural pull towards him.

No spoilers here but I loved the interplay and building relationship between them. There was no real insta-love but the slow burn of attraction. Ronans attitude, macho over a soft gooey centre is so sweet. I love that he swears in Irish Gaelic as it sets him apart from the umpteen other vampires floating around. Starr, is fiercely independent and used to taking care of herself. I don't know why but I hear her in my head with a New York or New Jersey accent, no idea why!!!! The sparks between Fang and Puff are ridiculously hot

Dragon and the Witch
Star and Ronan are hunting for the lost dragon and they call in the big guns (Gabe, Peri and Josef from WWV) to assist. They are up against Dark magic and they need all the reinforcements they can get. Star has settled into the role of Ronans asistant quite nicely and it sure makes "naptime" fun!!! Whilst the book centres around the search for the dragon, we also get to meet more of the peripheral characters from the first book and meet lots of new characters.

I loved Sam from the first book. He is such a cheeky chappy and irreverent. We see him grow up essentially from being "Wham bam thank you ma'am Sam" to respectful and caring mate. 

Charmaine, a witch, has been abused the same people holding the dragon. She tried to help him as much as she could but when caught she was punished. She is immediately taken under Sams wing and everyone but Sam can see they belong together!!! Charmaine is so sweet but also strong as she has endured the "punishments" doled out but is still a kind and caring person. I wanted to rip the throats out of the bad guys myself when found out what she had been through. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried a bit. A genuinely good book does that to you, it grabs you by the heart and takes you along for the ride.

We also get to meet Serge, who had been on the recon mission looking for the dragon for almost a year. He met his mate nearby and he returns to the fold with her.

Creed, the big, scary dude also makes another appearance. He still appears as this unapproachable, unreachable persona so I'm hoping to get to know him more in book 3. There is a little teaser at the end of book 2 as a segue into what might be happening in book 3.

Bureau under siege
Creed is one of Ronan's elite guards. He's a bit of a mystery, wrapped in an enigma and put in a puzzle box. He is the epitome of the mysterious stranger. He just turned up at SEB out of the blue and worked his way up the ladder. He occasionally fights in under the radar fights, which he thinks Ronan doesn't know about. He has always been the cold, calculating and untouchable character in the previous books but we finally learn what made him so. We find out that out badass vampire has lost more than we knew.

I don't want to give away too much (I hate spoilers!!) but there is a mating or two, a hatching and a death of a much loved secondary character that I did not see coming (Bad Ava!!!!)

There is love, loss and action and adventure galore. We usually have just the hero/ine POV but this was really amped by having several POV including Ronan and Starr (Fang and Puff). It was nice to see their story continuing through this boo, without it interfering with the telling of Creeds story. I loved the epilogue as it let us see what happened to all the major and some of the minor characters that we have only really just met.