Martha MacNamara, a violinist, comes to San Francisco because her daughter Elizabeth called her. However, Martha cannot find Elizabeth: her daughter, a talented computer programmer, has disappeared. Martha meets an Asian gentleman, Mayland Long, who offers to help her. It turns out that he is really useful, with his wisdom of a 2000 year old Chinese dragon. While searching for Elizabeth, a romance develops between the two.

Both Martha and Mayland are amazing in their own way. Martha is a person who doesn’t mind being rich or famous, she loves to play the violin and as long as she can do it, she doesn’t mind staying on the couch of a friend of hers. Another wonderful thing about Martha is the rare quality of accepting people as they are.

Martha doesn’t tell anyone how to lead her life; she doesn’t have “problems” (she’s never hysterical or demanding that everyone do what she wants them to do) or a chip on her shoulder. Martha is at peace with herself and with the way other people are (of course, if someone tries to hurt her daughter, she won’t be nice). That allows her to accept a man who tells her that he is actually a Chinese dragon.

Mayland (his real name is Oolong, after the tea) seems a little bewildered at times, because being in a human body is still new to him, but he accepts his fate with a calm demeanor. The only thing he insists on is that he is a black dragon, with five fingers, not a green one with three or four fingers. Mayland doesn’t have superpowers; while he appears very strong, it stems from his ability to utilize the full potential of the human body.

This ancient dragon in a human body does not really know what to do with himself, how to lead his new life. He is looking for someone stronger than him, someone who can teach him, and he thinks he has found that person in Martha. Mayland seems innocent as a child at times; While he is certainly not a child, he is quite inexperienced as a human.

While the idea of ​​a Chinese dragon in San Francisco in 1983 seems silly, it comes naturally in this novel. There are no special effects; when Mayland Long speaks, he does so in a poetic way, so hearing him say he’s a dragon sounds just like he sees himself.

Although this book is part urban fantasy, part romance, it contains no sex scenes. Yes, Mayland Long falls in love with Martha and she falls in love with him. The whole novel, despite the adventure and despite the romance, is too calm in tone for a hot scene between the sheets. And you don’t need such a scene; the real action, the emotional one, is there.

If I had to take a book to a desert island, tea with the black dragon it would probably be that book. His calm, his wisdom, his wonderful and easygoing character would be great company. Of course, you don’t have to go to a desert island to read this wonderful book; you can enjoy it in your own home (drinking tea while you read it is optional).