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The Trouble with Magic
A trinity of stories about magic, and all the trouble that arises when magic and emotion collide.
The Dragon Slayer—Tane has been banished to a remote village and bound there by magic. With nowhere else to go and nothing better to do, he has taken the village under his care and protects it by killing the dragons that plague the area. Then he meets a dragon that refuses to die properly, and brings with him a whole new set of problems.
Striking A Balance—Nikkai is long used to suffering for and because of his brother’s actions. Getting arrested for Tane’s crimes, however, is a bit much. In prison, however, he unexpectedly encounters someone else acquainted with his brother—a foreign man of unusual magic, who agrees to help him because of a debt owed to Tane. Alongside his new, intriguing companion, Nikkai breaks out of prison and sets off to speak with his brother.
Family Business—At last free of his debt of honor, Ashei returns home with his new lover at his side, reluctant but braced to reunited with the family he has not seen for a long time—a family that is furious with him for turning away from their life of crime.
The Dragon Slayer—Tane has been banished to a remote village and bound there by magic. With nowhere else to go and nothing better to do, he has taken the village under his care and protects it by killing the dragons that plague the area. Then he meets a dragon that refuses to die properly, and brings with him a whole new set of problems.
Striking A Balance—Nikkai is long used to suffering for and because of his brother’s actions. Getting arrested for Tane’s crimes, however, is a bit much. In prison, however, he unexpectedly encounters someone else acquainted with his brother—a foreign man of unusual magic, who agrees to help him because of a debt owed to Tane. Alongside his new, intriguing companion, Nikkai breaks out of prison and sets off to speak with his brother.
Family Business—At last free of his debt of honor, Ashei returns home with his new lover at his side, reluctant but braced to reunited with the family he has not seen for a long time—a family that is furious with him for turning away from their life of crime.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 10, 2011
3 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Sasha L. Miller
59 books231 followersSasha L. Miller spends most of her time writing, reading, or playing with all things website design. She loves telling stories, especially romance, because there’s nothing better than giving people their happily ever afters. When not writing, she spends time cooking, harassing her roommates, and playing with her cats.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 29, 2016
There are three very un-likable and at the same time very meh MCs in this little trilogy.
There are also three very similar and very meh secondary characters. I had hard time distinguishing between the three and then the other three.
The book is surprisingly angst free, considering all murderous intentions, and irritatingly fluffy. Characters kept asking each other "are you OK?" pretty much on every single page and laughed most of confrontations off. Paraphrasing, of course: "He threw a knife at you? Are you OK? Oh, he's such a brat! That's my family, ha-ha!" "Yeah, he threw a knife at me, no biggie. I am OK. He is such a brat. Who is he? Oh, he's your family? He is a mobster? Cool." *puke*
Not enough background on anyone or anything, which annoyed me to no end.
I had strong urges to dnf the book, but I had to finish it for a challenge.
1.5 stars.
There are also three very similar and very meh secondary characters. I had hard time distinguishing between the three and then the other three.
The book is surprisingly angst free, considering all murderous intentions, and irritatingly fluffy. Characters kept asking each other "are you OK?" pretty much on every single page and laughed most of confrontations off. Paraphrasing, of course: "He threw a knife at you? Are you OK? Oh, he's such a brat! That's my family, ha-ha!" "Yeah, he threw a knife at me, no biggie. I am OK. He is such a brat. Who is he? Oh, he's your family? He is a mobster? Cool." *puke*
Not enough background on anyone or anything, which annoyed me to no end.
I had strong urges to dnf the book, but I had to finish it for a challenge.
1.5 stars.
November 3, 2011
Another fun anthology by Sasha Miller! I really enjoy these anthologies that she and Megan Derr seem to like to write that are collections of stories which are all intricately twined.
This story is the culmination of The Dragon Slayer and the beginning of Ashei Nikkai's story, which ends with Family Business.
The Dragon Slayer - 3.75 stars
Fun story with really great relationship dynamics and funny bickering between the main characters. Suffers a small bit from being the setup to the world of all three stories.
Striking a Balance - 4.25 stars
Capitalizes well on the first story's setup of the world while also continuing the story started in The Dragon Slayer, from the POV of Tane's brother Nikkai. This story was much more satisfying, as it is where all the elements of the first story came together.
Family Business - 4.25 stars
My favorite of the series, mostly because we finally get to see where Ashei comes from and meet his family, not to mention learn so much about them and his mysterious culture.
This story is the culmination of The Dragon Slayer and the beginning of Ashei Nikkai's story, which ends with Family Business.
The Dragon Slayer - 3.75 stars
Fun story with really great relationship dynamics and funny bickering between the main characters. Suffers a small bit from being the setup to the world of all three stories.
Striking a Balance - 4.25 stars
Capitalizes well on the first story's setup of the world while also continuing the story started in The Dragon Slayer, from the POV of Tane's brother Nikkai. This story was much more satisfying, as it is where all the elements of the first story came together.
Family Business - 4.25 stars
My favorite of the series, mostly because we finally get to see where Ashei comes from and meet his family, not to mention learn so much about them and his mysterious culture.
November 19, 2014
3.5
While this is exactly my type of story with magic and an adorable dragon, I found I couldn't quite love this as much as I wanted too.
The first story had Balron who I loved. Sweet adorable dragons falling in love is one of my favorite themes. Tane was interesting and grumpy so a perfect match for sweet Balron.
The story was interesting but I found my mind wandering at times.
The second story had Nikkai, Tanes brother and another character I loved. Nikkai has a clumsy appearance that had an interesting back story, but sadly it was also rather confusing. Even at the end I still just didn't understand how his magic and balance worked.
The last story introduced Cahlen and Rifke. A sweet story of unrequited love thats not so unrequited. But sadly this one was just far too short and had a far to quick conclusion to let me really enjoy it.
Overall a good read but just lacked a certain something to keep me totally absorbed.
While this is exactly my type of story with magic and an adorable dragon, I found I couldn't quite love this as much as I wanted too.
The first story had Balron who I loved. Sweet adorable dragons falling in love is one of my favorite themes. Tane was interesting and grumpy so a perfect match for sweet Balron.
The story was interesting but I found my mind wandering at times.
The second story had Nikkai, Tanes brother and another character I loved. Nikkai has a clumsy appearance that had an interesting back story, but sadly it was also rather confusing. Even at the end I still just didn't understand how his magic and balance worked.
The last story introduced Cahlen and Rifke. A sweet story of unrequited love thats not so unrequited. But sadly this one was just far too short and had a far to quick conclusion to let me really enjoy it.
Overall a good read but just lacked a certain something to keep me totally absorbed.
March 11, 2023
3.5 stars (rounded up the first two times, rounded down the third time) - though this is a colletion of three stories, they should be read as one book.
It starts with The Dragon Slayer (1h 19min), a story about Thane the grumpy mage and Balron the cheerful dragon. It doesn't really have a plot; Thane tries to kill Balron, then he saves him from other dragons and then they live together and are more or less a couple. Even without a real plot I liked it because I really liked the characters and their simple ways, though I would have really liked me some sexy time.
In Striking A Balance (1h 30min) Thane's brother Nikkai gets involved in Thane's mess and has to flee to Thane with Ashei helping him.
And in Family Business (0h 40min) we get to know more about Ashei, with the focus on his cousin Cahlen and his love interest Rifke.
All in all I liked it. It wasn't anything special, but Thane and Balron were charming and exacty what I like in such short stories.
It starts with The Dragon Slayer (1h 19min), a story about Thane the grumpy mage and Balron the cheerful dragon. It doesn't really have a plot; Thane tries to kill Balron, then he saves him from other dragons and then they live together and are more or less a couple. Even without a real plot I liked it because I really liked the characters and their simple ways, though I would have really liked me some sexy time.
In Striking A Balance (1h 30min) Thane's brother Nikkai gets involved in Thane's mess and has to flee to Thane with Ashei helping him.
And in Family Business (0h 40min) we get to know more about Ashei, with the focus on his cousin Cahlen and his love interest Rifke.
All in all I liked it. It wasn't anything special, but Thane and Balron were charming and exacty what I like in such short stories.
October 11, 2017
A very satisfying sequence of magic users finding that someone in their lives while also having everything become upended.
Everything starts with Tane, a talented magic user banished to a small mountain village. He is the classic curmudgeonly character, grumpy about everything from people to circumstance. As the story continues you get the sense he isn't a bad guy- after all he protects the town from dragons- but he is unhappy. He isn't one to be used but his intelligence and magical talent have always lead to that, bringing on the grump. This all gets bowled over when he meets a dragon who won't be killed by his methods, and whose spirits aren't dampened by his won. The acceptance Tane has is sweet and the fierce protectiveness of the sweet Balron makes them a very nice couple.
All of Tane's stubbornness and difficulty leads to his brother being kidnapped in the next story. Working to pay off a life debt and get out of an annoying situation, Ashei helps out Tane's brother Nikkei and the two set out together to find a way to get out the the mess. Nikkei has an interesting mix of seeming sheltered and studious while actually being very knowledgeable and not to mention a bit bad ass. Travelling with Ashei, Nikkei gets to see more that he wants, while also being cared for (which he doesn't want) without being smothered. It was a bit more build up and I enjoyed it.
When Ashei and Nikkei later decide to travel to Ashei's home country, we get to meet some of Ashei's family. Very quickly we meet the cheerful and irrepressible Cahlen, who has the biggest unrequited crush on Rifke. But as things move along we learn that it may not be so unrequited. This was likely my favourite story, both with the best interaction of couples and my favourite bits of action.
Overall a really fun and sweet interconnection of three couples meeting due to a spiraling out of problems from magic. Very fun!
Everything starts with Tane, a talented magic user banished to a small mountain village. He is the classic curmudgeonly character, grumpy about everything from people to circumstance. As the story continues you get the sense he isn't a bad guy- after all he protects the town from dragons- but he is unhappy. He isn't one to be used but his intelligence and magical talent have always lead to that, bringing on the grump. This all gets bowled over when he meets a dragon who won't be killed by his methods, and whose spirits aren't dampened by his won. The acceptance Tane has is sweet and the fierce protectiveness of the sweet Balron makes them a very nice couple.
All of Tane's stubbornness and difficulty leads to his brother being kidnapped in the next story. Working to pay off a life debt and get out of an annoying situation, Ashei helps out Tane's brother Nikkei and the two set out together to find a way to get out the the mess. Nikkei has an interesting mix of seeming sheltered and studious while actually being very knowledgeable and not to mention a bit bad ass. Travelling with Ashei, Nikkei gets to see more that he wants, while also being cared for (which he doesn't want) without being smothered. It was a bit more build up and I enjoyed it.
When Ashei and Nikkei later decide to travel to Ashei's home country, we get to meet some of Ashei's family. Very quickly we meet the cheerful and irrepressible Cahlen, who has the biggest unrequited crush on Rifke. But as things move along we learn that it may not be so unrequited. This was likely my favourite story, both with the best interaction of couples and my favourite bits of action.
Overall a really fun and sweet interconnection of three couples meeting due to a spiraling out of problems from magic. Very fun!
September 11, 2017
The Dragon Slayer: ★★★★
Striking a Balance: ★★★★
Family Business: ★★★★
Striking a Balance: ★★★★
Family Business: ★★★★
November 10, 2017
Barely ok because I have got a taste of unfinished for each story like it coul have been more
August 27, 2015
This book is a trio of interconnected stories centering on magic and love. The writing style reads a bit like a novelization of an anime or manga. Each story picks up right after the last, but with a focus on a new romance. For an overall average, I give this book a 4/5 stars.
The Dragon Slayer – 3/5 stars
It was cute and funny. The writing was at a fast clip pace, but kind of left me wishing it had been spaced a bit more, to spend a longer time on showing the couple’s developing relationship. Tane had been killing off dragons like flies and suddenly gets a dragon lover, Balron, overnight, with no qualms from either of them? It was a bit of a stretch for me. Where’s the UST? Like I said, it was pretty cute though.
Striking a Balance – 4/5 stars
This one has better pacing than the first romance – a lot more build up for the relationship. Nikkai, Tane’s brother and a new character for the book, gets thrown in jail with Ashei, a minor character from the first story, who owes a life-debt to Tane. Things devolve from there. It was a really good little story.
Family Business – 4/5 stars
Ashei takes Nikkai to meet his family and we learn a little bit more about the fire fox people of the east islands – they basically run a huge network of thieves’ guilds. This stories’ romance is between Ashei’s younger cousin, Cahlen, who is the heir to the guilds and a junior thief named Rifke. This one was my favorite of the stories. It had a lot of undercurrent emotion.
The Dragon Slayer – 3/5 stars
It was cute and funny. The writing was at a fast clip pace, but kind of left me wishing it had been spaced a bit more, to spend a longer time on showing the couple’s developing relationship. Tane had been killing off dragons like flies and suddenly gets a dragon lover, Balron, overnight, with no qualms from either of them? It was a bit of a stretch for me. Where’s the UST? Like I said, it was pretty cute though.
Striking a Balance – 4/5 stars
This one has better pacing than the first romance – a lot more build up for the relationship. Nikkai, Tane’s brother and a new character for the book, gets thrown in jail with Ashei, a minor character from the first story, who owes a life-debt to Tane. Things devolve from there. It was a really good little story.
Family Business – 4/5 stars
Ashei takes Nikkai to meet his family and we learn a little bit more about the fire fox people of the east islands – they basically run a huge network of thieves’ guilds. This stories’ romance is between Ashei’s younger cousin, Cahlen, who is the heir to the guilds and a junior thief named Rifke. This one was my favorite of the stories. It had a lot of undercurrent emotion.
April 22, 2012
There were three stories in this book, each of them interlinked with the others. The first story introduced Tane, a mage who protects a village from dragons. He was my favourite character from all the stories and he was grumpy and bad-tempered and liked to appear as if he would never do or say anthing nice. In the course of his duties he comes across Balron, a white dragon who refuses to die. I loved the relationship between Balron and Tane, especially Balron who spends a lot of his time being amused by Tane's supposed grumpiness.
In the next story we continue with Ashei, one of the characters from the first story and also we meet Nikkai, Tane's brother. This was the longest story and as well as being the story of Ashei and Nikkai, it returns to Tane and Balron to wrap up their story line.
The last story sees Ashei taking Nikkai back to his homeland where they meet his very unusual family.
The three stories were a nice introduction to a very interesting world. I appreciated the fact that you didn't have to learn a whole new vocabulary of terms just to understand the story and I would like to read more the inhabitants of this world.
In the next story we continue with Ashei, one of the characters from the first story and also we meet Nikkai, Tane's brother. This was the longest story and as well as being the story of Ashei and Nikkai, it returns to Tane and Balron to wrap up their story line.
The last story sees Ashei taking Nikkai back to his homeland where they meet his very unusual family.
The three stories were a nice introduction to a very interesting world. I appreciated the fact that you didn't have to learn a whole new vocabulary of terms just to understand the story and I would like to read more the inhabitants of this world.
July 25, 2014
Three interconnected short stories of mages, dragons and another creature that remains a mystery for the first half of the book :) Giving it 3.5 stars because that creature kind of remained a mystery even after we find out its name, family and place of birth.... :) I was totally curious about the abilities and nature of that kind of creature.
I liked the first couple most. They kind of were the most badass in my opinion. They were unusually powerful, but satisfied with little: both of them happy with a small but cozy house, and the dragon wanted to horde just a few precious stones because he believed in quality over quantity. They were also both fighting against "the system" in their own way and wanted to live life as they pleased, not like some king or religious leader decided for them.
I liked the first couple most. They kind of were the most badass in my opinion. They were unusually powerful, but satisfied with little: both of them happy with a small but cozy house, and the dragon wanted to horde just a few precious stones because he believed in quality over quantity. They were also both fighting against "the system" in their own way and wanted to live life as they pleased, not like some king or religious leader decided for them.
October 9, 2011
This is a nice three-related stories. Unfortunately, the choice of having a not-so-likable main character in the opening story kind of ruin the whole book for me. The second story is the best for me. The last story is also nice, although the way the conflict is solved feels a bit too easy.
Many of Ms. Miller's stories have similar tone as her colleague, Megan Derr. In fact, the world building in their fantasy stories are the same: a world where being gay is not an issue. However, I often feel something is missing from Ms. Miller's stories: a simple, romantic feeling that touches your heart. This book is not an exception, especially on the first story.
Overall, it's not a bad book. A nice reading, actually.
Many of Ms. Miller's stories have similar tone as her colleague, Megan Derr. In fact, the world building in their fantasy stories are the same: a world where being gay is not an issue. However, I often feel something is missing from Ms. Miller's stories: a simple, romantic feeling that touches your heart. This book is not an exception, especially on the first story.
Overall, it's not a bad book. A nice reading, actually.
November 23, 2011
I definitely enjoyed the read, it was the perfect cute warm, its-not-suppose-to-snow-in-Early-November Read. Despite others complaints I found Tane's grouchy personality quite enjoyable, and very realistic. He had some redeeming qualities, and I definitely enjoyed watching him get flabbergasted any time things didn't go the way he thought things should. The other stories were equally good, and quite funny (but no one complained so I don't feel like explaining why).
it gets a 4 instead of an 5, because to get a 5, it would need to be a book, I wanted to pick up and read again, within a week of my initial read, because it was just that good. While, enjoyable, it wasn't quite that absolutely amazing.
it gets a 4 instead of an 5, because to get a 5, it would need to be a book, I wanted to pick up and read again, within a week of my initial read, because it was just that good. While, enjoyable, it wasn't quite that absolutely amazing.
March 8, 2013
I liked the way the three stories are interlinked; I wasn't expecting it.
The stories are typical LT3 fare: magic, sweet relationships and a feel-good ending that should leave you smiling.
I do like Sasha's writing, so wasn't surprised to find I really liked this.
It's about 3.5 stars overall, with the first story by far my favourite, almost a 5, but the next two were a little less convincing, probably 3-star fare, so I've rounded up to 4 stars to be fair.
I love LT3's simple, clean=looking covers that you could read anywhere. This one was on my desktop for a while because it's very pretty :)
The stories are typical LT3 fare: magic, sweet relationships and a feel-good ending that should leave you smiling.
I do like Sasha's writing, so wasn't surprised to find I really liked this.
It's about 3.5 stars overall, with the first story by far my favourite, almost a 5, but the next two were a little less convincing, probably 3-star fare, so I've rounded up to 4 stars to be fair.
I love LT3's simple, clean=looking covers that you could read anywhere. This one was on my desktop for a while because it's very pretty :)
December 4, 2011
The last story was a bit short and we were thrown in the middle so that it was a bit confusing.
I liked the first story about a grouchy mage and a dragon shifter. Tane is not some perfect character with good looks and charming personality, he has his faults. It was entertaining to watch them interact.
Since this anthology did not have any threesome(phew)it's now my favorite from this author.
I liked the first story about a grouchy mage and a dragon shifter. Tane is not some perfect character with good looks and charming personality, he has his faults. It was entertaining to watch them interact.
Since this anthology did not have any threesome(phew)it's now my favorite from this author.
June 29, 2012
Liked the last two stories immensely, not the first one though. There are some editing errors but ignoring that a good read.
January 23, 2015
The trouble with mac=gic is... the magic is a funny thing. And dangerous. It depends who uses it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews