The Surly Dragon

Synopsis (Amazon):

  Clay started his day as normal, on the wide river in the fascinating city of New Orleans. By the time the owner of the paddle wheeler, Annie Belle, had returned the morning tour passengers to shore, it was apparent that something was very wrong. What disaster could have caused such chaos on the shore? His instinct sends him right back to the safety of the river he loves.

  The captain's long time friend and assistant, Louis, leaves on a desperate mission to gather his wife and son, with a promise to catch the big paddle wheeler up river. Clay's newest crew member, the tour hostess, Angel and her small daughter have no option but to remain on-board.

  In the days after, as the new and changed world is revealed, the four new friends and the two children will travel a perilous journey. Up two mighty rivers and nearly a thousand miles, they will work together to reach the haven of Clay's brother's farm. Will the river defeat them or be their savior?

Publisher: self-published through ADS, Inc.

Author's Website: J. Richardson's Amazon page

Devourer's Assessment:

This was an enjoyable read.  That said, there was a glaring issue that I wish the author had addressed in the narrative.  There were whole areas that were just abandoned with tons of supplies that the people seemed to have left... leaving everything behind.  I feel like the author was trying to indicate something supernatural or religious in nature, but never came right out and said so.  

The element of romance between Clay and Angela seemed a bit pushed.  I think the book would have been better without that, but that is a personal opinion.  This was a decent story for the price, one that didn't scrimp on the plot to hook readers into the next in the series.  This fact bumped it up from two stars to three stars.