How Not to Date a Dragon

Cautionary Tails #2

by Lana Kole

Milo is no stranger to the fine things, so why in the world would he deny himself the finest thing he’s ever seen across the small bar in his even smaller home town?
Spoiler alert: he doesn’t, and his curiosity leaves him cuffed to one of the Hunters of Obscure Artifacts.
The HOA’s magic cuffs leave him unable to don his scales and his dragon itches for freedom.
Trapped hand in hand with his supposed mortal enemy, that’s not the only itch Milo would mind scratching.
Xander, however, has other plans. They need this dragon’s treasure, because that’s what hunters do.
But ever since the Big Reveal, torturing dragons for their treasure is outlawed. A minor complication, and one that requires the kinds of creative solutions Xander excels at.
They’ll do almost anything to secure this treasure, and get unchained from the all too charming dragon it belongs to.
Is there any line a desperate treasure hunter won’t cross?
~~~
Join them on their journey to freedom and discover if X really does mark the spot in this delightful rom com.

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

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2023

About the author

With a southern twang that's all charm, Lana hails from Tennessee with her four feline roommates. If one of them isn't demanding her attention, she's most likely writing. Her stories bring life to characters who don't fit the mold, romance as sweet as it is sexy, and worlds better than this one.
Author of paranormal, sweet omegaverse, monster romance, and queer love stories with a happily ever after.

Reviews

[rae ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is more of my version of fourth wing

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The real treasure was the love we found along the way, right ?”

Mis expectativas con esta novela frente a lo que me encontré han sido totalmente diferentes. Me explico, tenía ganas después del primer libro y quería que me gustase tanto, sin embargo, al final una vez que terminé la historia y me encuentro haciendo la reseña me he dado cuenta que no me ha gustado per sé.

Por un lado, los personajes sí me han gustado, pero por separado. Admito ser fan del insta-love y todo lo que conlleva. Sin embargo, aquí pasan de “enemigos” a “amantes” de repente y no le he visto sentido porque siento que se podría haber desarrollado de otra manera y ser más creíble.

Por otro lado, el argumento no es de mis favoritos, sí es cliché y siento que la autora quiere jugar un poco con ello, pero, igual me pillo en mal momento, pero igualmente no ha sido lo que se considera “mi taza de té”. Igualmente está bien escrito por ello le pongo la tercera estrella.

Otra lectura será.

[Wicked Fox ✨️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book so much 🥹🥹 If I can die from cuteness overload it would be from this book. Milo and Xander's banter is just perfection right from the start. This book is just so cute! The puns, baking, velvet shirts. It made my heart feel all kinds of cosy 🥹 Be sure to pick How Not to Date a Dragon up if you love sweet and funny stories!

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

very babygirl i approve<3

[dodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

y’all these books are seriously so magical and beautiful and perfect. i’m obsessed with the way the author writes and especially the way they write their characters. they’re so complex and lovely! milo is the cutest & sweetest dragon and xander is quite literally my best friend for life.

please pick this series up!

[amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

read June 7, 2023 - June 7, 2023: 4 stars

[Riz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not what I expected, but in a good way.

I went into this thinking I had regular trashy ku smut on my hands, but instead, I got a genuinely wholesome romance.
The writing was, overall, somewhat mediocre, but not egregious enough that the characters and their dynamic weren't able to make up for it.

The biggest writing issues concern a) the use of pronouns vs. their antecedents and b) some slip-ups in tense, as well as small general grammar issues. These are issues that could all be solved with the help of an editor, though.

I was super happy to, for once, read a monster romance that did not feature issues with consent or romantic interests that were in any way, shape, or form abusive with each other, but whose relationship was grounded in mutual care and respect.
Milo wanting to take care of Xander and Xander also reciprocating that desire to care for each other just warmed by heart.

I'm always a sucker for trans smut and for vers characters, so this was right up my alley (I'm so so tired of only reading about transmascs bottoming or subbing, gimme more trans tops/doms please).
Black cat x Golden retriever is always a fun dynamic, and when both of them are then are also switches? I'm in.
Basically, what I'm saying is, I want us to dismantle our ideas of what tops and bottoms are like in fiction, and in queer smut especially (which can be so disheartening if it just reproduces existing narratives and ideas of "power" and/or roles in sexual relationships and basically just re-uses heteronormative ideas; only making the characters queer without actually QUEERING sex itself is not what I want from queer fiction).

Rant aside, I very much enjoyed this story and am excited to see Lana Kole's writing progress and grow!

[tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Xander, however, would take the secret to their grave. No one had to know that they cuddled a dragon.

oh my gosh I loved thisss
it was so freaking funny and I LOVED Xander and Milo. Milo is the freaking cutest thing and when he compared himself to a puppy I was like yup. sounds right. AND XANDER. omg I loved them so much. they were so broody and tried to be so serious all the time while internally freaking out and I loved their POVs so much. I 10000% recommend. it was cute and sweet and funny and had dragons (if you couldn't tell from the title), solid ten out of ten.

and for fun, here are some of my favorite lines :)
“Are you not taking me seriously, dude? What’s your problem?” The dragon blinked back at them. “What’s my problem? You’re the one who’s got a problem! You handcuffed me!”

“So… are we getting a rideshare, or what?” “Yes! Yes we’re getting a fucking rideshare, Jesus!”

Yes. This was all a stupid ploy. Slutty fucking dragons. Milo was trying to seduce them! Get them to lower their inhibitions. Hmph. They’d show him. Xander was infallible. Unseducable.

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Milo was just the sweetest soft boi puppy dog baker and I love him. He brought so much perspective to Xander, and helped them see that their upbringing wasn’t normal. Xander was such a grumpy enby and Milo was great at pushing their buttons. Like nonstop button pushing. I was a little unsure about Xander after first meeting them, but they grew on me pretty quick. Their love story was a very fast burn and had a good ending.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: transphobia and misgendering, violence, torture, mild gore, stalking, discussion of murders, mentions child being kicked out, kidnapping

[ila · Rating 5 out of 5]

rating: 5 stars
i loved this so bad screaming crying throwing up. i had high hopes bc i liked the first book in this series but this blew my expectations out the water!!! the characters are so well written and so adorable i love them so dearly. the non-binary representation was SOO lovely to me. the characters relationship and story developed so well i can’t explain how much i adore them!!! highly recommend this book!

[˗ˏˋ mckenna ˎˊ˗ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I'm in the minority when I say this book was not for me 😬🐉

I so badly wanted to love this dragon x hunter romance but it was simply too fluffy and cozy for me. It's been a while since I read straight-up fluff and I just don't think it's for me anymore, sadly. This one read too much wattpad and it was starting to take years off my life the more sickeningly sweet it got 🤢

(But the cover is so damn cute I love it so much)

[Mezzzmerizerrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tldr: Adorable, 3/5 spice, dragons, good gender identity rep. The dragon was a hot bisexual golden retriever type service top with a hard on for fingerless gloved twinks who like to ride him (what’s not to like?), non-binary “villain” with cult family trauma & a packer turned romantic lead. We love a frienemies to lovers handcuffed quest for a Baba Yaga like character — and convenient crossover to book 1 of the series. His hoard was the love they found along the way. Very cute would recommend especially to those who want more ftm/enby characters in their fantasy romance. 🐉

[Brittany (BritReadsBooks)]

CWs on storygraph.

What do you get when you handcuff a high maintenance dragon with golden retriever energy to a badass nonbinary treasure hunter and throw away the key? Absolute chaos. Also just a ton of bickering with a side of domestic bliss and obviously a slice of adventure (someone needs to uncuff them, duh).

“God, we are so fucking domestic.”

“It’s kinda hot.”

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast ;feisty; adorbs. 4.5 stars only b/c I was trying to finish this book on a work break and the ending was a bit like the Clue movie in that it just kept going to another chapter. Loved it though :)

[Holly M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean 😍 the story was fun, their relationship was incredibly sweet and overall, I’m a big fan of this series!

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of fun

[Kelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that it had a trans character and it was pretty average for the genre. I enjoyed it.

[jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two sappy idiots, I absolutely loved them

[DB]

Very cool! I’ve never read a fantasy book like this with a non-binary character like Xander. They were really well written!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one probably deserves more than 3 stars. It was really good. But still something didn't work for me.

[Abbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read.

Close proximity and enemies to lovers.

A Dragon and a Non Binary Person that starts off as a mission but becomes love.

[Alejandra Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. The banter was fun, and Xander’s character arc was very realistic. The non-binary representation was very respectful, though the book didn’t go very deep, since that wasn’t its purpose. There’s angst, there’s action, but ultimately it’s a feel-good, light story, and I liked it. Milo is super sweet, and definitely gives a golden retriever puppy energy, which contrasts nicely with Xander’s grump, and they complemented each other.

[Sofie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a "laughed out loud on the quiet floor of the library" type book (oops)

[Meagan (FranticVampireReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good! The snark and the banter and the softness got me right in the feels. I loved that Xander and Milo were such dumbasses around each other and that Milo fell first (but Xander was right behind him)! These two were just so much fun and I would happily read more of their adventures.

Another thing that I really loved about this book was the care that went into crafting these characters. Especially Xander! It’s not often that you come across a trans-nonbinary main character in an urban fantasy book. I loved that they had this super tough exterior when facing the rest of the world and a soft mushy interior when it came to Milo. And I loved that Milo completely respected Xanders pronouns and their body and let them take the lead when it came to sex. It was just lovely all around. How Not To Date A Dragon is getting four out of five stars! I can’t wait to dive into the rest of this series. 😊

PS: this book does have a misgendering scene with Xander’s parental figure/mentor. So please be careful when you read this one.

[✨bethany✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS THE COSIEST OF ALL THINGS COSY! I feel so content after reading this.

Milo gave me such Howl vibes with his trinket-filled house, and his sunshine to Xander’s grumpy was simply perfect. Their dialogue was quick-witted and hilarious, which is exactly what you want from an enemies-to-lovers story.

The plot was fantastic and well-balanced with the romance, and I was impressed by the amount of world-building that’s been packed into this series so far. I particularly enjoyed the character cross-over from How Not to Date a Demon (although these can both be read as stand-alones) so I’m hoping there will be more cross-over in future instalments.

I hope Lana writes a whole ton of books for this AU because I will eat that shit up like nobody’s business.

[Katie Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, easy read with lots of fun banter, adorable romance, and creative spicy scenes. I also appreciated the non-binary rep and how it was handled in the romantic scenes. I'm giving it 4 stars for the banter and romance, but if i was basing it on the plot it'd be a 3. The plot was given short shrift and a lot of stuff was glossed over. The magic system was explained as "he didn't know and didn't care". The main conflict was also resolved with a very convenient, out of nowhere solution that felt like a cop out unless it comes up again in later books.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the cover, thought the characters were super cute, and the spicy scenes were on point. It was a fun cozy fantasy romance with a dash of danger. I loved the ending, super cute. Also, hilarious when we find out that all of the knickknacks in the house are Milo's hoard because he converted all of his gold into actual money.

[Raven9308 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going through this author’s backlist and loving these cute stories! I think I liked book 2 better than book 1 in terms of the chemistry between the characters but I thought book 1 was funnier and had more lighthearted moments for me so I think they were pretty neck and neck.

I loved seeing representation (I go by her/she so I can’t speak to how it was done, but I can say that I love seeing it talked about, issues brought up in this book that weren’t the overarching storyline in a preachy way if that made sense, and I loved seeing the acceptance from Milo - so many swoonworthy moments). To get a glimpse into the dynamics with a nonbinary individual and seeing how Milo and navigated their relationship was adorable and heartwarming. No matter what happened Milo never judged Xander for how they identify and make sure to do check-ins and make sure they knew he wasnt trying to pressure them with revealing things about themselves. OH and the label at the end with how he asked...butterflies in my tummy in a good way 😍.

I thought Milo was fabulous, his affinity for clothes was amazing and how he wanted to dress Xander up despite their rough exterior facade they would put up for everyone. I loved seeing Xander embrace it and do what they wanted/feel even more comfortable in their own skin. I thought Milo had no self preservation and could have gotten out of all the situations easily but the way Cupid’s arrow struck him (figuratively) had me aww-ing a lot haha. Xander was a tough nut to crack but seeing them blossom was fabulous and something I didnt know I needed to read until I did. Thank you to this author for bringing us that and giving me a new perspective that I have never read about before. This will live rent free in my head for a long while!

The story was good in this one, it was more intricate than book 1 with the quest and then the layers with Xander’s coworkers and boss and their “family” status. I enjoyed the ending with how Xander left things, I wonder if we will see anyone from here in a future book. I loved getting a little tie-in with book 1 with the 7th level and Lucifer. I hope we get more in book 3 (which I am giving myself a break to read about a yummy snow monster) and I see book 4 is coming out soon so that will be fun to add to my collection later this year ❤️

If you are looking for a palette cleanser, have some laughs, swoon and lust over characters (the steam in this one was done so well!!), then you will love book 2 of this series!

[☾⋆⁺ Nurse After Dark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xander rattled the single foot of chain between them. "Recognize the runes on these bad boys? You're not going anywhere until I get what I want, dragon."
Fine, maybe diplomacy wasn't Xander's best virtue.
Milo's gaze suddenly dipped, scanning over their body before flicking back to their gaze. "All that seems more of a problem for you than it does for me, hunter."

After enjoying How Not to Date a Demon, I was excited to return to this universe and discover how not to date a dragon! Maybe my expectations were too high, because I just wanted more than what we got.

"It doesn't bother me," Xander promised before their lips quirked. "As you've probably gathered, I'm also-"
"Different," Milo echoed, with a smile. "I know."

I really enjoyed Xander and Milo as individual characters. Milo and his scales he could choose to wear where he wanted, guarding his hoard of silk robes and trinkets and Xander, raised by the hunters to slay dragons like medieval knights, were a fun combination with great potential!

That being said, what I didn't enjoy as much as book 1 was the spice. *cue horrified gasp from the audience* I understand the mountain this author was trying to climb with accurately and supportively representing a non-binary character, but I felt like the lack of descriptors during some of the early intimacy took what the author created in the fun, spicy book 1 and dulled it down into a fade-to-black - with orgasms. <-- probably an exaggeration.

Towards the end, we did get more substance, which was appreciated but at that point I was sick of climbing the mountain waiting for it to happen. The HEA was capped with whipped cream and sprinkles, and while I'm happy for them, I do hope that future books in this series go back to the fun, racy feel of book 1!

[Ashley Dang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dragon who just wants to spend his days baking but is suddenly stuck (literally) with a hunter who wants his hoard... but the real treasure might be right in front of them. Milo is a dragon who is living a peaceful life, protecting the small town he lives in and running his own bakery. One day a new stranger, or rather hunter appears in town and suddenly before Milo knows it he is handcuffed to said stranger. Xander is a hunter, Xander wants and needs this dragon’s treasure because its what hunters do and what their family expects them to do. Xander needs to secure the treasure but the charming dragon accidentally makes them lose the key and now Xander and Milo are handcuffed together and things are about to get complicated. Xander has only ever wanted to fit in and their family is the only one that has accepted that they are a nonbinary individual, but then there comes Milo, who instantly accepts them, who is sweet, and pretty, and kind... and now Xander doesn’t know what to do with their feelings. Milo has always loved collecting treasures... but now he can’t help himself with wanting this very hot hunter despite everything. Both Milo and Xander were never really meant to fall for each other but the more time they spend together the more they are beginning to realize that the only treasure there is, is each other. This was seriously such a cute story!!! I absolutely adored the couple and how sweet Milo and Xander were for each other. I have adored this series and I can’t wait to see what couple Lana does next!!

**Arc was received from Lana Kole and all my opinions are my own**