Lydia and Amber are late closing the restaurant.  They are busy dreaming about Lydia opening her own restaurant and hiring Amber to bake desserts. Their daydreams are cut short by robbers bursting in with guns and herding the girls into the walk-in freezer.  Worried about what comes next, they are alarmed to hear an explosion and then Ian, a regular customer they dislike because he is so picky about food and never tips.  Ian explains that the robbers were demons and he grabs the two of them and throws them in his car explaining that they aren’t safe unless they are under his protection.  That includes living with him indefinitely.

Ian is a dragon shifter–the last of his kind– and he is charged with making sure demons stay in hell. Frankly he hasn’t been doing a very good job lately (say, the last 300 years) because he is bitter that humans killed his family.  Lydia’s family was also killed when she was young and it turns out that she is a paladin.  Paladins are humans who hide the gates to hell.

Ian also decides now is the time to think about having an heir (or several) and to propose a loveless mating with one of the women.  Given that he has zero social skills, this doesn’t go well at all. Fortunately for him, Lydia stays around to be trained as a Paladin and help find the gate.  If she can manage not to kill him first, maybe with time attraction can bloom between them?

The Shifter’s Hostage starts off quick with action and then switches to humorous culture-shock sequences between Ian and Lydia due to Ian’s complete lack of social niceties.  Lydia is not afraid to call him on his rudeness, even if he is a dragon. Their by-play is amusing as they work together to train Lydia to use her powers and to find the gate so they can seal it.

I enjoyed the book.  I must say that the ending seemed a little abrupt as the story bogs down a bit when the action and banter stops.  Still, an enjoyable read. Currently comes with a variety of bonus stories.