A review by bookwormbunny
Legend of the Jade Dragon by Yasmine Galenorn

5.0

Legend of the Jade Dragon by Yasmine Galenorn is book 2 in her Chintz ‘N China series. In Legend of the Jade Dragon Emerald is busy keeping up with her flourishing business after solving a murder that has now garnered her renown and interest from many of the locals in town. Business is booming and life is going well overall. Then one day a man named Daniel comes in and asks her to read the cards for him. When she reads the cards she sees danger and trouble ahead for him but what she doesn’t know is how quickly it will come and that it will soon impact her as well. Daniel leaves behind a jade dragon and not long after acquiring it trouble comes in a big way. Emerald’s daughter Miranda loses her brand new $600 plus telescope to a freak accident, Emerald’s shop is broken into and destroyed and there’s more to come. Emerald now must figure out why she is having all of this madness happen to her and how to deal with it before things get to the point of no return.
Legend of the Jade Dragon is an engaging mystery novel with touches of the paranormal in it. Emerald is very adept at reading the cards and she tends to trust her intuition when it comes to the things going on around her. She’s in a relationship with a man named Andrew but you quickly get the sense that he’s not as engaged in the relationship as she is and in time we see exactly what his true colors are. Emerald has another love interest as well, Joe, but she’s unsure about him despite the fact that he shows himself to be more caring and considerate but she lets certain factors get in the way of her judgment.
I really like how Emerald is a strong character and how she also relies on her deceased Nanna as well. When she needs some guidance she meditates and focuses on her Nanna and she comes to comfort her when she needs it. Emerald also has a more than a couple good strong friendships that she is able to fall back on. She’s flawed but it adds to the realism of her character. Her friends Murray and Harlow are both dealing with their own issues but they still try to be there for her as best they can when she is dealing with the chaos of constantly dealing with one drama to the next to the next. But she also learns that she needs to be there for them in turn as well, especially Murray as she is dealing with a lot of mess at her job that has her questioning what she should do and whether it’s the right thing or not.
Despite the fact that Emerald tends to seem as the perceptive type I find it a bit off putting that she doesn’t start with things that have changed recently in her life that has brought about this stint of bad luck. That was probably the only thing that I honestly didn’t like because it seems like the most sensible course of action for anyone to take especially after more than one or two unexplainable incidents that just seem to be too farfetched to be just happen stance.
There is love, mystery, danger, betrayal and murder but it all weaves together to create a story that is hard to put down as you find yourself turning the page again and again eager to learn the history of the jade dragon, why it’s cursed and whether it can be stopped. I love the flashbacks, the history of both the dragon and the tragedy that it has brought over the years.
If you are looking for an engaging mystery with some paranormal in it then I recommend this book. It will engage you to the very end and leave you ready for another Chintz ‘N China novel by this dynamic author. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book will most emphatically be added to my collection.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a voluntary review.