Book Beginnings, First Line Friday, & Friday 56: Black Dragon (The Nightmare Saga Book 2) by Katie Hanna

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. I'm also linking up with Carrie at Reading is My Superpower for First Line Friday. Friday 56 asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and share a non-spoilery sentence or two. It was started by Freda at Freda's Voice, but Anne over at My Head is Full of Books has taken over for the time being.

This week I'm featuring Black Dragon (The Nightmare Saga Book 2) by Katie Hanna. The first book in the series, Water Horse, was one of my favorite books last year, so I've been really looking forward to this sequel. 

About the Book
A desperate gambler. A masked assassin. A dragon who could burn them both alive.

Jack Landry just wanted to be the responsible one for once. When he offered to take George Calhoun’s money to the bank in Denver so George could stay with his pregnant wife, Jack never dreamed his gambling habit would get the better of his good intentions. Now Jack haunts the Denver underworld like a ghost, determined not to go home again without winning back what he lost.

A night of gambling in Chinatown takes an unexpected turn when Jack finds himself the target of a shadowy criminal syndicate. A mysterious assassin in a dragon mask rescues him from their clutches… moments before the real, live dragon in the basement burns the whole place to ashes.

Behind the mask is a woman named Shufen. She carries twin swords and a double-bladed attitude to match. She’s bent on getting revenge on the gang that exploited and killed her sister. When Shufen breaks into their headquarters to save a little girl named Jinjing from her sister’s fate, she isn’t particularly pleased to find a hapless, clueless cowboy tagging along—a man with a price on his head. She’s even less pleased to see a giant scaly monster who should only exist in ancient legends.

With homicidal crime lords and fire-breathing dragons on their tail, the odds of Jack, Shufen, and Jinjing making it safely home to the Calhoun ranch are looking mighty slim…

If you love mythic Chinese beasts and rip-roaring Western adventures, you won’t want to miss Black Dragon.

Book Beginnings / First Line Friday

"I am your enemy." I whisper as I swipe a speck of dust from my sword's glassy blade.

Friday 56

I can hear the dragon's hiss down there by my boots. Steam leaks between his teeth. Spikes rattle whenever he moves his giant head.

What have you been reading lately?