Review and Bonus Scene: Slaying Isidore’s Dragons by Cody Kennedy

Blurb:
5 Best friends
4 Vicious brothers
3 STD tests
2 Guys in love
1 Car bombing
&
Nowhere to run

Follow the burgeoning love of two teens during the worst year of their lives. Irish-born Declan David de Quirke II is the son of two ambassadors, one Irish and one American. He is ‘out’ to his parents but to no one else. French-born Jean Isidore de Sauveterre is also the son of two ambassadors, one Catalan and one Parisian. His four half brothers have been told to cure him of his homosexuality. Both teens have lost a parent in a London car bombing.

5 Weeks of hell
4 Attempts on their lives
3 Law enforcement agencies
2 Dead high school seniors
1 Jealous friend
&
A love that won’t be denied

Declan and Isidore meet at the beginning of their senior year at a private academy in the United States. Declan is immediately smitten with Isidore and becomes his knight in shining armor. Isidore wants to keep what is left of his sanity and needs Declan’s love to do it. One is beaten, one is drugged, one is nearly raped, one has been raped. They are harassed by professors and police, and have fights at school, but none of it compares to running for their lives. When the headmaster’s popular son attempts suicide and someone tries to assassinate Declan’s mother, they are thrown headlong into chaos, betrayal, conspiracy, allegations of sexual coercion, even murder. And one of them carries a secret that may get them killed.

5 New family members
4 BFF’s
3 Countries
2 Extraordinary Psychologists
1 Courageous Mother
&
A new beginning for two young men in love

Review:
I loved this book. It broke my heart, it made me smile, and kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time. The relationship between Declan and his mother is beautiful. They have an easy way of talking to each other and completely open lines of communication that most parents and teens can envy. It reminds me of my relationship with my mom. The way Declan and Isidore fumble together to find their way is adorable to watch, and also sweet to see how they handle the missteps. The stories of Alexander and Hephaestion were an interesting addition to the story. I like that it was constantly referenced and that Declan and Isidore made it their own. I was amazed at how naive Ambassador de Sauveterre was in his thinking at the end of the story. I truly think he was repentant of his actions but the damage done couldn’t be undone. I would love to see another story with all of these characters in the future to see Declan and Isidore’s wedding, and hopefully Caleb and Jordan’s as well.
Stars:
Five

Guest Post:
Today Cody joins me with a bonus scene that was deleted from the book. Plus you won’t find it anywhere else. Take it away Cody! Read and enjoy!
Thanks for hosting me today, Molly! It’s great to be here with my new book, Slaying Isidore’s Dragons!

In my blog post on Love Bytes Reviews, I spoke about editing a character from Slaying Isidore’s Dragons. Editing a character out of a story is always heartbreaking, particularly when it’s someone who a main character loves. Marie, Isidore’s sister, was edited from the book and below is an omitted scene. It’s a continuation of the scene on Dianne Hartsock’s Stories from the Heart and it’s when Isidore learns that he had a sister he never knew about.

The room flashed bright for a split second and Bobby said, “got it,” as he studied the image in the digital camera.

“Over to you, Bobby,” Jack said with a small smile.

“I brought you a present, Isidore,” Bobby announced as he pulled an eight-by-ten, color photograph from his files and slid it across the table to Isidore. “This is a copy of a publicity photograph taken of your mother at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The reason her eyes are wide and her hand is over her mouth is because she is watching the horse she bet on win the race by a hair’s breadth. She was a beautiful woman, Isidore.”

“She was. I can keep this picture?”

“It’s all yours. I’ll also blow this one up and you can frame it and put it next to that one.” Bobby held the digital camera up showing the picture he’d just snapped of Isidore with his hand over his mouth and his eyes wide.

“Dear God, they could be twins,” Sorcha said.

Bobby continued. “We inherit gesticulation from our family. Please note that the same hand, the left hand, is used to cover the mouth and the mouth is open behind the hand as denoted by the lowered chin.”

Isidore was incredulous. “I did not know I learned this from my mother.”

“Among other things. Jack, back to you for the findings in Marie’s room.”

“Isidore, for whatever reasons, your mother chose to share your life with Marie. Her room at the girls’ home was nothing short of a shrine to you.” Jack nodded and Bobby produced three more photographs and slid them over to Isidore.

“Mon Dieu!”

“Your entire life is chronicled on her bedroom walls. Though mentally slow, Marie functions at a very bright twelve years of age. She kept a regular diary and stored every letter your mother wrote to her in binders.” Jack spun one of the pictures and pointed out the bookcase with the volumes of binders containing letters and diaries. “It would be fair to say that Marie knows nearly everything about you. Back to you, Bobby.”

“This is a picture of Marie.” Bobby slid the picture across the table to Isidore. It showed Marie with her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with surprise. “It was taken on her twenty-first birthday when your mother surprised her with a visit. Please note that, in this picture, she has long, curly hair just like you do.”

Isidore held the picture in trembling hands. Declan leaned into him. “You okay, mo chroí?”

He nodded. “Oui.”

“Do you have a current picture of Marie? What do you want to bet she has a tattoo of a fleur-de-lis on her cheek?” Declan challenged.

Bobby smiled. “Smart aleck.”

Isidore gasped when Bobby slid the picture to him. “That was taken two days before she left the home in London. The personnel at the group home were quite upset because, on her own, she made her way into the city, got a haircut and the tattoo. Please show it to Caleb, Isidore.”

“That’s him!” Caleb blurted.

“Her,” Bobby corrected.

“How did you figure it out?” Declan asked.

“Do you remember when Isidore was surprised by his arrogance last night?”

Declan smirked. “His eyes went wide and he put his hand over his mouth just like the person in the surveillance photographs from school.”

“Bingo.”

“How did Marie get here if she’s only functioning at twelve years of age?” Declan queried.

“Isadora arranged to take Marie with her when she left the ambassador. She obtained a passport and purchased a plane ticket to the U.S. and gave these items to Marie for safekeeping.”

“She certainly can’t be functioning at twelve,” Sorcha said.

“A twelve-year-old would have little trouble making it to the airport and getting on a plane. It happens more often than you might think,” Detective Bowman said.

Enjoy Slaying Isidore’s Dragons!

Excerpt:
Read Chapter One on Cody’s blog.

About Cody:
Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, Cody doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward, and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Cody contemplates such weighty questions as If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Cody can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary.

Author Contact:
Stop by Cody’s Blog with questions or comments, or simply share what’s on your mind.
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Where To Buy:
Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press
Amazon Barnes & Noble OmniLit/ARe
Ingram Books for Libraries and Schools