Shattered Past is exactly what I have come to expect from the imaginative mind of Lindsay Buroker. Buroker provides a new stand-alone story set in the fantastical Dragon Blood world which her fans have come to love during its seven-book long adventures. It is a world populated with ingenious, snarky, and brave soldiers and civilians alike. Reading one of Buroker’s stories is like sitting down with your globe trotting adventurous best friend and catching up on her exciting life.

Shattered Past may exist in the same world but it is not a continuation of the story per-se. Buroker takes an opportunity to explore previously minor characters more fully. The focus of Shattered Past is Colonel Vann Therrik. If you’ve read the Dragon Blood series you have been introduced to him and you may dislike him, at least a little bit. (Don’t worry if you haven’t read those books….all of his aspects are well scrutinized here). Therrik’s cranky, he’s full of muscle and pride, he has a tendency to pummel anyone that he can, he’s a rake, and he has serious anger management issues.

Buroker provides us with a foil to Therrik’s hard edges in a new character, a scientist. A Zirkander scientist at that. Lilah, the new Zirkander is a treat. She is a different brand of Zirkander but just as confident and capable. A less pompous female Zirkander (don’t get me wrong though…. I love the pompous male Zirkander). It is humorous to see her effect on Therrik.

There are also characters with fun names like Sleepy and Boxcar and we get to spend a bit a bit more time with returning explosives loving Kaika. On the downside, I am noting that the characters are starting to become quite monotonous. They all share the same sense of humor, ardor, and general disrespect for authority. Their exteriors are different but the core of the characters are merging together.

Shattered Past throws into the Buroker catalog new romance, definitely new tension, more intrigue, and of course more snarkiness. The major downside is the continual need to warn my fellow Christians that there is serious and continuous action and discussion of “bedroom activities “. The mention of a threesome with a dragon was nausea inducing. This is Buroker’s style. I can’t fault her for that. You just need to be aware.

I have consistently given Buroker’s books 4 stars but I have dropped Shattered Past down to 3 because of the threesome discussion and the increasingly monotonous characters.

I received a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. My thanks to the author Lindsay Buroker.

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