I went into this little novella blind. Juliette's writing never disappoints me, so I knew I would like the story no matter what... but I wanted[image]
I went into this little novella blind. Juliette's writing never disappoints me, so I knew I would like the story no matter what... but I wanted to be surprised on the main characters and romantic pairing. And I was!
If you have read the Nightwing Security series and/or Waking the Dragon, you will recall the powerful Cade family. As I read these series out of order, my memories of Jessen Cade and her family were still somewhat fresh from Soulfire, where the Cade patriarch and his his son, Demetrius, were heavily prejudiced against the Morgons, a race of human-dragon hybrids. So I was blindsided that the hero of this book was Demetrius Cade, the workaholic corporate mogul who went to great lengths to prevent his sister from marrying a Morgon male. While I am used to Juliette's yummy alpha male dragons, Demetrius proved that you don't have to breathe fire to be a tough guy. Demetrius has grown a lot since Soulfire. While he is not bosom buddies with the Nightwings (yet), he has at least accepted Jessen's marriage and spends time with her son on a semi-regular basis. He had the protective aspect of alpha maleness down pat, and he wasn't going to allow anyone to hurt his family or our heroine.
Shakara Icewing has always fascinated me. As a healer for Morgons and humans alike, she seems to be more delicate than the sassy heroines we have seen to date. I love that Juliette has added the detail of the shimmering dragon-scale-scar that is left behind after a Morgon healing... that is such a neat addition and I can see it clearly in my head. (Tattoo idea maybe? Hmmm...) While Shakara may not be a combative heroine, she does have an inner strength and was willing to stand up in protest of the Volt guns which were designed to kill the Morgon race. Her willingness to speak out in the face of danger was admirable, but I also liked that she was not afraid to lean on Demetrius for protection as needed.
This was a novella so the romance starts off fairly quickly, but I liked this couple together. Shakara's softness and fragility was a nice complement to Demetrius' stoic and serious demeanor. There was good chemistry and the perfect amount of steam and suspense to advance the story at a good pace. If there was one thing I would have liked more of, it would be back story for the couple. I would have loved to see more of Demetrius' turmoil and conflict of feelings when it came to his previously-held prejudice against the Morgons. I was also interested in the history of the Icewing clan as it seems like they have some intriguing secrets and characters. But the detail that we got fit well within the confines of a novella, and I understand that this is a prequel to the series. I'm just glad to know there is more to come!
Juliette is adept at drawing parallels in her paranormal universe that resonate with social issues in the real world. And she does it in a way that doesn't sound preachy or uppity, but shines a light on bigotry and social injustice that are still hot topics in the media today.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the author.
Merged review:
[image]
I went into this little novella blind. Juliette's writing never disappoints me, so I knew I would like the story no matter what... but I wanted to be surprised on the main characters and romantic pairing. And I was!
If you have read the Nightwing Security series and/or Waking the Dragon, you will recall the powerful Cade family. As I read these series out of order, my memories of Jessen Cade and her family were still somewhat fresh from Soulfire, where the Cade patriarch and his his son, Demetrius, were heavily prejudiced against the Morgons, a race of human-dragon hybrids. So I was blindsided that the hero of this book was Demetrius Cade, the workaholic corporate mogul who went to great lengths to prevent his sister from marrying a Morgon male. While I am used to Juliette's yummy alpha male dragons, Demetrius proved that you don't have to breathe fire to be a tough guy. Demetrius has grown a lot since Soulfire. While he is not bosom buddies with the Nightwings (yet), he has at least accepted Jessen's marriage and spends time with her son on a semi-regular basis. He had the protective aspect of alpha maleness down pat, and he wasn't going to allow anyone to hurt his family or our heroine.
Shakara Icewing has always fascinated me. As a healer for Morgons and humans alike, she seems to be more delicate than the sassy heroines we have seen to date. I love that Juliette has added the detail of the shimmering dragon-scale-scar that is left behind after a Morgon healing... that is such a neat addition and I can see it clearly in my head. (Tattoo idea maybe? Hmmm...) While Shakara may not be a combative heroine, she does have an inner strength and was willing to stand up in protest of the Volt guns which were designed to kill the Morgon race. Her willingness to speak out in the face of danger was admirable, but I also liked that she was not afraid to lean on Demetrius for protection as needed.
This was a novella so the romance starts off fairly quickly, but I liked this couple together. Shakara's softness and fragility was a nice complement to Demetrius' stoic and serious demeanor. There was good chemistry and the perfect amount of steam and suspense to advance the story at a good pace. If there was one thing I would have liked more of, it would be back story for the couple. I would have loved to see more of Demetrius' turmoil and conflict of feelings when it came to his previously-held prejudice against the Morgons. I was also interested in the history of the Icewing clan as it seems like they have some intriguing secrets and characters. But the detail that we got fit well within the confines of a novella, and I understand that this is a prequel to the series. I'm just glad to know there is more to come!
Juliette is adept at drawing parallels in her paranormal universe that resonate with social issues in the real world. And she does it in a way that doesn't sound preachy or uppity, but shines a light on bigotry and social injustice that are still hot topics in the media today.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the author....more
Oh Man, I just love the way Juliette Cross does a growly dragony alpha male. I got interrupted reading this one due to things going crazy at work... sOh Man, I just love the way Juliette Cross does a growly dragony alpha male. I got interrupted reading this one due to things going crazy at work... so I actually restarted it this morning on my flight to New Orleans so I would get the full effect of Kieran Moonring from start to finish. It totally made my early morning flight go by in a blink.
So our fated mate heroine in this installment is actually somewhat like a nun, Liana Lexington, or Sister Liana, of the Order of Saint Portia. Liana's reasons for being at the cloister are mysterious, but she seems to have dedicated herself to the religious purpose quite well... until she meets a Morgon male, who has appeared at Primus shrouded in his own mystery. Liana was drawn to Kieran from the start, and they often sought out each other's company as he convalesced. I thought Liana made a good heroine - she was sweet and reserved, but she also had a backbone when she needed it. I can't say too much about her character as I was too focused on our hero to pay very close attention, but it says a lot that I didn't want to scratch her eyes out. :P
So now, the most important part, our dragon hybrid hero, Kieran Moonring. You may recall Kieran from the earlier books... he's a senator, brother to Kol Moonring, and killed Baron Coalglass in order to save Kol's mate, Moira. I don't think Kieran would have been content to stay in Primus as he healed were it not for his attraction to Liana, but he was undeniably drawn to her and couldn't help seeking her out in both the waking and dream worlds. So Kieran is torn between his duty and need to mete out justice to the Larkosians, and his desire to stay with Liana. But when danger finds them in Primus, Kieran's beast won't allow him to leave Liana in danger. I loved Kieran, just as I have loved all of Juliette's Morgon males. They are the perfect mix of alpha possessiveness and tenderness, treat their women like they hung the moon, and take care of business in every aspect you can imagine.
So you will want to read the Nightwing Security and Vale of Stars series in order, as there is a continuing storyline. I have enjoyed watching this Morgon vs. Morgon battle - our good guys vs. the Larkosian cult, who think that humans should be subjugated as lesser beings. Things have continued to heat up through each installment, but things really come to an undeniable head in this book and have me on tenterhooks for what's coming next!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the author... but I also purchased my own copy because well, it's Juliette Cross!...more
Let me start out by saying that I am a big fan of Katie MacAlister - I absolutely loved her Dragon Septs series/world. So this book is a bit o[image]
Let me start out by saying that I am a big fan of Katie MacAlister - I absolutely loved her Dragon Septs series/world. So this book is a bit of an anomaly for me in that I could not bring myself to like it, no matter how hard I tried. And try I did, I would not let myself DNF this one. But not every book works for me, and this one was a miss in several areas.
Our hero is Ian Iskander, a half-demon, half-dragon, hot hunk of man meat, who also happens to be a dragon hunter. Don't let the name fool you... the dragon hunters don't actually hunt dragons. They hunt demons. (Confusing, I know.) So Ian is a tortured soul forced into demon servitude, but still grasping his goodness by the tips of his fingers. For the most part, I liked Ian's character. I got his broody conflict and admired his compassion for animals, espirit, and lost souls like Sasha. I thought Ian would be similar to MacAlister's dragony goodness in her earlier books... alpha male with a touch of humor. But Ian needed more spine, more maturity, and didn't have enough flavor for my taste.
Our heroine, Veronica (a/k/a Ronnie) is a strange bird. From the outset, we are confronted with Ronnie's OCD and neuroses. But while this could have been a cute and unique heroine, she came off as over-the-top and downright ridiculous (and not in a good way). Her behavior was so beyond extreme and silly that it threw me out of the story and nearly caused me to abandon the book on several occasions. Ronnie is a total spaz, hot and cold with her afflictions and her emotions, and a drama queen to no end. She just really worked on my last nerve.
Now, I'm not expecting a story about dragon hunters to be plausible. That being said... sometimes the implausibility of the story went so far out there to have me shaking my head in bewilderment. The plot lacked a cohesive quality and seemed to jump around at times, leaving plot holes or unanswered questions. I wasn't able to connect to any one character, nor do I feel like the world building was sufficiently developed. It was a bit shocking given what I know of MacAlister's fun and fiery dragons in the Dragon Septs world. I almost feel like I need to go back and read those books quickly to cleanse my palette.
Despite not caring for this initial installment, I am not giving up on the Dragon Hunter series quite yet. I want to see if we get back to classic MacAlister in the next book, Day of the Dragon. Hopefully I see that old dragony spark with our next dragon hunting pair, as I have been excited for a new series by this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Forever Romance....more
Grigori is the first book in Lauren Smith's Brothers of Ash and Fire series. It was my first time reading this author, and I was pleasantly sur[image]
Grigori is the first book in Lauren Smith's Brothers of Ash and Fire series. It was my first time reading this author, and I was pleasantly surprised. This series follows three brothers who are centuries old... dragon shifters!!! Woo Hoo! You know how I feel about dragons.
The hero of this first installment is, you guessed it, Grigori! He is the eldest Barinov brother, the one who takes all the responsibility on his shoulders. Doing what was best for his family was not always the easiest choice for Grigori, especially when rival dragons liked to stick their nose in his territory and rile things up. I liked Grigori, I felt like he was a "still waters run deep" kind of guy. He didn't get overly excited, but you could tell that he felt things on a deeper level and wasn't as stoic as his outward demeanor always suggested.
Our heroine is Madelyn Haynes, an academic sort who has always been obsessed with the myth of dragons. She never would have expected that her research would have placed her squarely in the clutches of real life dragon shifters. I liked that Madelyn took things in stride and didn't have over-the-top freak out moments. Things were also happening below the surface with Madelyn, but you should discover that secret for yourself. I absolutely loved this aspect of the story.
This is a fated mates story, so our couple is instantly drawn to one another. Grigori seemed more invested than Madelyn initially, but she had a lot to deal with given that she had no idea dragons existed. I liked the progression of their relationship and felt like it unfolded at a good pace within the confines of the story.
There is a secondary suspense storyline involving the rival dragon clan that was well-integrated and gave an alternate focus to help advance the plot alongside the romance. I think the final conflict could have been drawn out longer as it seemed a tad anti-climactic.
The narrator did a fabulous job. She did great Russian accents for our dragons, and had no problem affecting both female and male characters. I will definitely look for more of her narrations in the future.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio....more
Pirates and dragons and mermaids, oh my! How could I resist such a fantastic tale? This was my first read by K.N. Lee, and I like where she is [image]
Pirates and dragons and mermaids, oh my! How could I resist such a fantastic tale? This was my first read by K.N. Lee, and I like where she is going with the premise of this series.
Our heroine, Rowan, is a half-blood dragon. Not enough dragon blood to have scales or transform, but enough to have some strength and magical ability. Though I was confused on whether the magical ability came from her human side or her dragon side - that was a bit murky. As a half-blood, our heroine feels the sting of prejudice from everyone around her, and people easily believe the worst when she is accused of killing the crown prince.
This is a short story, about novella length (200 pgs, 3.5 hours) and while I really liked the premise and features of the fantastical world, I was left wanting when it came to detail. Our story moved along at a fast clip only hitting plot highlights without the rich detail that really brings a fantasy to life. I wanted more character development and more world building. I wanted to understand people's motivations and know some of their inner thoughts. I did like the major points of the story that we hit, I just wanted more.
The story is still being told, almost like this is a serial. So expect to feel like we stopped in the middle, and we will pick up in the next book to see what happens next with Rowan, the pirate, and the royal family.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio....more
I'm a huge fan of fantasy romance, and there doesn't seem to be many traditionally published adult fantasy romances being published these days.[image]
I'm a huge fan of fantasy romance, and there doesn't seem to be many traditionally published adult fantasy romances being published these days. So I'm always very excited when a new book comes out in this genre. This third book takes place about 3 years after the previous book, So I Married a Sorcerer.
To recap for the series: In the fantastical realm of Aerthlan, the Embraced are born on the night of the two moons eclipse. This special birth gives them special powers which, in the past, was seen as dangerous by the kings of the land. The Embraced were executed if found, so they must live in secret, and are sometimes sent to the Isle of Moon as infants to be raised in hiding. This is where we met our five heroines, girls who were raised in a convent on the Isle of Moon - Luciana, Brigitta, Gwennore, Sorcha, and Maeve. Having grown up together, these girls share a special bond and consider themselves sisters who will be together forever. Luciana and Brigitta met their fate, married and are each queens in their own right. As a result, things have been changing across Aerthlan and the Embraced are coming out of hiding.
The heroine of this third installment is Gwennore, our elfin embraced healer. Gwennore is very distinctly an elf with her white blonde hair, pointed ears, and lavender eyes. Unfortunately, elves do not have a good reputation (not that she has ever met another elf), and Gwennore experiences a lot of prejudice and scorn. I really felt bad for Gwennie. I hated how she was treated, and I got wrapped up in her emotions and longing. Once Gwen gets to Norveshka, we really start to see her come into her own. Her spirited side comes out when dealing with our hero, and for the first time Gwen is feeling needed and important. Given that Norveshka is still at war with the elves of Woodwyn, she still faces prejudice and wariness from those around her, but she is also making new friends and helping people.
Interestingly our hero is not another elf, but a dragon shifter! We met General Silas Dravenko in So I Married a Sorcerer, and I'm glad we got him as a hero in his own book. Due to plague and curses that abound in Norveshka, there are very few children and Silas is heir to the throne. When his queen begins deteriorating more rapidly, and the king is willing to do anything to appease her, Silas knows that he needs help to solve the kingdom's problems. I loved his personality and interaction with Gwen. While the issues they faced were serious, Silas still managed to be flirty and fun and honest when it came to his feelings for Gwen.
While the plague and curse were the main plot conflict for this story, we are still following the overarching series conflict dealing with the Chameleon. The plot conflict and series arc are fairly intertwined as we see the Chameleon take advantage of strife in each kingdom in his bid for power. I like that with each marriage and ensuing coronation, our sisters from the Isle of Moon are helping to unite the kingdoms of Aerthlan.
Sometimes this story felt superficial when I would have liked deeper character development or more emotional meat to the dialogue. But I still enjoyed the story and read it in one sitting. For a relatively long book, it was a quick read. The pacing was done well and the characters were engaging and kept me focused on the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, St. Martin's Press....more
I thought this story was just as cute and fun as all get out, but that is kinda what I expect from Molly Harper. I can't wait for the next book[image]
I thought this story was just as cute and fun as all get out, but that is kinda what I expect from Molly Harper. I can't wait for the next books in the Mystic Bayou series to see what the magi are getting up to down in the Lousiana swamp.
This book is an Audible Original - so the print copy has yet to be released. But I encourage you to listen to the audiobook if you are able. The narrators did a great job... but I really really liked the female narrator Amanda Ronconi. She did a great (and believable) Cajun accent, probably the best I have heard in an audiobook. I wish she had narrated the whole book just to have continuity, but Jonathan Davis didn't do a bad job either.
Jillian Ramsay is a scientist and researcher working for a big organization that studies supernatural communities. In this story, supernaturals are still living under the radar and mostly without humans being aware, except for the League for Interspecies Cooperation. When Jillian's boss gets handsy with a unicorn, she gets stuck taking his place to conduct an anthropological and societal study down in the swamp known as Mystic Bay. Jillian's introduction to Southern Louisiana was about like my own, and I totally empathized with her drive into the muggy humidity, weird smells and large bugs. (Is it weird that now I miss it a little bit?) As this is Jillian's first assignment, she takes on everything with a wide-eyed wonder that was somewhat contagious. I liked her immensely.
But Bael Boone, sheriff and dragon shifter, doesn't like unknown quantities in his small town. There are things happening that they want to keep off the radar of the League and the populous as a whole, and he just knows that Jillian is trouble with a capital T. But Bael also couldn't deny his immediate attraction to the frazzled blonde, and something about her gets him blowing smoke rings at every turn. He was a great growly and grumpy dragon hero, and I loved him.
This story is on the shorter side, I imagine it will be around novella length when the print version comes out. But I felt like the plot packed a punch for the length that we got. Not only do we get Jillian's introduction to society, the emerging and building of romance, but also we get a suspense plot when people around Mystic Bayou start turning up dead. The story moved along at a nice clip and kept me captivated the entire time. There are a couple twists in there that made things interesting as well. I hope we get additional books in this series soon....more
This is another book from my blogger shame pile... another one that got caught up in my moving transition between New Orleans and Tucson. But I[image]
This is another book from my blogger shame pile... another one that got caught up in my moving transition between New Orleans and Tucson. But I'm kinda glad that I waited on it now because it really helped lighten my mood this week while I've been trying to read and not die of the plague (thanks to all those germ harbingers of doom that you pick up on an airplane).
It seems like its been a long time since I've read a Dragon Kin book. I had no problem remembering our heroine, Branwen the Awful, but I couldn't seem to place our hero, Aidan the Divine. That didn't really matter in the long run as Aidan is the typical egotistical dragon, he thinks he's the GOAT (greatest of all time) and its up to our heroine to bring him back down to earth. I like it when the pretty boy and/or intelligent dragons have been paired with the Cadwaladr females, who are big tough fighting machines. Branwen definitely takes after her mother, Ghleanna, and is a renowned warrior known in all the realms. I like the mix of ridiculous and relatable and felt like Branwen hit both of those marks. She and Aiden definitely kept me entertained.
There was less focus on the romance in this installment and more focus on the continuing story arc, i.e. the dragons battling the evil god Chramnesind and his Zealot followers. I do not recommend reading this series out of order as the storyline is advanced with each installment. As with previous stories, we aren't always following our main characters, but will have diversions to follow Annwyl the Bloody, Keita the Viper, Dagmar the Beast, and the abominations, Talan, Talwyn and Unvarr.
The story arc does seem to conclude with this installment, so I hope this is not the end of the series. I really enjoy all the banter and sass in these books, and I absolutely love all the over-the-top dragons.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher....more
You guys all know that I am a sucker for dragon stories, so this book (title and blurb) intrigued me. When I saw that the hero would be the Pri[image]
You guys all know that I am a sucker for dragon stories, so this book (title and blurb) intrigued me. When I saw that the hero would be the Prince of Dragons, I thought dragon shapeshifters. But this story involves dragon riders... and the dragons are sentient and communicative with the humans. I loved that aspect.
Unfortunately the story and writing style did not work for me. It seemed like the author hit all the plot highlights, but ignored all the details that would have drawn me into the story. I wanted more character development and less skipping ahead. You would be reading about one day, then it would be a month later, then 3 weeks later, then 2 weeks later... it was just going in fast forward and I didn't have time to connect with any of the characters. As this continued happening toward the end, I felt like I missed some big plot points. Almost to the extent that it seemed like some of the book was missing. I debated rewinding to see if my attention wandered and I just missed something... but I couldn't find it in me to care enough to rewind and relisten.
There were some good aspects, and I am in the minority with this review. Like I said above, I loved the dragons. There were also some humorous moments, like the heroine's panties catching fire (literally) any time she had a dirty thought. But overall, it just didn't work for me. As these are short reads/listens, I might give the series another shot when I have the time, but it's not something I am eager to continue right this moment.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio.
I think Dragon Unbound is the final installment of the combined Dragon Septs series, and that makes me super sad. I just love Katie MacAlister'[image]
I think Dragon Unbound is the final installment of the combined Dragon Septs series, and that makes me super sad. I just love Katie MacAlister's dragons!
This installment features the First Dragon, that mysterious and haughty demi-god who popped up here and there in previous books. You may recall that he is Baltic's father, but he seems to seek a special relationship with all of our characters. I love that the First Dragon visits all new dragons and welcomes them to world, and it shows a sweet side to his arrogant nature. The First Dragon is somewhat separated from reality, so his trying to understand modern vernacular, amenities and foods was quite humorous. But Katie's dragon books have all been humorous and just a great good time.
Charity Doe was a unique supernatural character. I liked her paired with the First Dragon and thought they fit well together. It was great that he got to be her savior and she kind of brought him back to life, or helped cure his ennui.
This story was super short so there wasn't a lot of character development, but I had fun anyway. I do wish the story had been longer because I just have such a good time with the series. I was listening during a road trip and was tempted to go back and listen to the whole series all over again. If I only had the time!!!
If you enjoy paranormal romance or dragons, I highly recommend Katie's Dragon Septs world. I urge you to read them in order as there is quite a bit of character crossover, and you don't want to miss any of the backstory....more
I got behind on this series and as I tried to get caught up, I realized that I didn't remember the world building sufficiently, so I'm doing a [image]
I got behind on this series and as I tried to get caught up, I realized that I didn't remember the world building sufficiently, so I'm doing a quick re-read of the earlier books. I'm so glad that I did because I realized very quickly how much I had forgotten! And how much I loved the growly Dragos and luminous Pia. Because I'm re-reading the series and short on time, the reviews will be short and sweet.
Pia Giovanni is a lonely young woman, living alone in the city and finding herself in a bind after trusting the wrong guy. That is Pia finds herself on the run after stealing from the hoarde of Dragos, the biggest baddest scary dude/dragon around. I really liked Pia. She is a unique half-breed (human and wyr)... so unique that she has spent her whole life learning how to hide and not really realizing what her wyrkind self is. I liked that she was quietly a kickass heroine without hanging it all out there. I like the strong and capable heroines, but I like some diversity in how they present themselves to others. Pia's quiet strength was a nice change.
Dragos Cuelebre is a very old dragon who has grown bored with life. When a beautiful blonde dares to steal from him and has the audacity to leave behind a note, Dragos is not bored for the first time in millenia. He hunts down Pia with a single-minded determination and is caught up in an instant attraction that brings all his protective instincts to the forefront. Dragos is a great growly hero, and everything you would expect in a dragon. He is an arrogant alpha with an army of dangerous wyrkind at his beck and call.
This is a fated mates story, so the relationship was hot and heavy early on - and that was just fine wiht me. I like the fated mates trope and the instant lust and love is so much easier to understand when you are dealing with animal instincts. Pia and Dragos are perfect together. She stands up to him like no one else dares, and he treats like his precious hoarde.
The world building in this series is partially urban and partially fantasy. Dragos and Pia live in New York, but the world has pockets of the Other World, which is similar to Faery. This story has awesome secondary characters which make up our heroes and heroines of later installments, and I love all the different breeds of wyr. Dragons and griffons and thunderbirds, oh my!
This book was available via the Audible Romance Package as of the date of this review....more
I went into this book expecting it to be the last of the series with our golden Dragon Foretold. However, Eve Langlais has gotten good at surp [image]
I went into this book expecting it to be the last of the series with our golden Dragon Foretold. However, Eve Langlais has gotten good at surprising twists that extend the series past the anticipated series arc. If you like these kinds of twists, I urge you to try her Space Gypsy Chronicles.
We met Sue-Ellen in previous books, and I remembered her as Brandon's bratty sister. The one who rebuffed him cruelly when he came to rescue Sue-Ellen from her sadistic Uncle Parker. But now that Parker is dead, Sue-Ellen is still hanging around, staying for the sake of young love, but starting to chafe at the bit of the situation to which she obligated herself. Of course just when Sue-Ellen is ready to return to the bosom of her reptilian family, things go awry, as they tend to do. For the most part, I liked Sue-Ellen as a heroine. There were a couple of times where she ran or turned away from our hero, which I'm not a fan of... but those instances were kept to a minimum and didn't set the tone for the romance.
Our hero is a golden dragon, with all the dragony traits that we have seen in the previous books of the series. Being the dragon foretold has certainly boosted our guy's ego into the stratosphere, not that other dragons are really any better. So we have some diverging interest with the dragons... world domination on one hand and his all important hoard (i.e. Sue-Ellen), on the other. While our dragons are not warm and fuzzy, they are possessive and steamy when it comes to their mates. I did like our hero, but I don't want to say too much about his character and give away the twisty turns in this plot.
The silver sect of dragons from the previous stories do come back into play in Dragon Foretold, so you can expect all of the entertaining antics from the previous book. Then add in Brandon and his protective side over his little sister, and you have mucho testosterone flying around.
The romance moved along at a steady clip as well, but this one seemed a bit less steamy than the earlier books. That could be because we had a virginal heroine and a hero who was dealing with being the dragon king. So for my smutty followers, know that this one is only offering up one major instance of sexytime, and the rest is left to your imagination. That didn't bother me and I think I liked this story the best so far of the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio....more
Ruby Dixon is a new-to-me author but one that I have been hearing about quite often, usually in reference to her Ice Planet Barbarians series. [image]
Ruby Dixon is a new-to-me author but one that I have been hearing about quite often, usually in reference to her Ice Planet Barbarians series. So I was looking forward to a little dragony alpha action, and this hero did not disappoint.
I liked the world-building for this series. We are operating in a post-apocalyptic Dallas, but not too far past the catastrophic event. About seven years ago, a big whole ripped in the sky and dragons came through. Most of them went crazy and started scorching the earth and killing off humanity. So now those who are left are eking out a meager existenchttps://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kydKQH0GG9... behind makeshift forts with militia men and dictatorial mayors. The populace either has to obey the rules, or risk their safety on the outside. Neither is a good option.
Our heroine, Claudia, is living in Fort Dallas and trying to support her younger sister (Amy) with the help of a tragic friend (Sasha). Claudia is not afraid to break a few rules to feed their small family, but when she gets caught scavenging, her choices are to be exiled or dragon bait. I thought there was good potential for Claudia, but mostly she squandered it and got on my nerves really bad. I found her to be wishy washy and somewhat mean to our hero, and I just couldn't connect to her as a heroine.
However, as much as I disliked Claudia, I just loved the hero. Kyle is a big gold dragon, more than half-mad and in search of a mate. When he comes across Claudia staked out like a juicy morsel, he couldn't resist the temptation to claim her. However, Kyle was not a cruel or overbearing alpha. His entire focus was on making his mate happy and satisfied... with a heavy emphasis on the satisfaction. For all that he was somewhat alpha in his actions and behavior, I thought he exercised quite a bit of restraint with our wishy washy heroine. I often felt bad for how she treated him or her thoughts for getting away. I guess that makes me have dragon Stockholm Syndrome. ;) It didn't hurt that Kyle's "human" form was seven foot tall and bulletproof!
One thing that did confuse me somewhat was the language and language barrier. Kyle cannot understand English... but then once they have a mind link, the language barrier seems to have went away. I mean, their mind to mind speak was in English, and sometimes the heroine spoke English. But then later on in the story, Kyle doesn't understand English when spoken by other people. So that didn't make sense to me and my curiosity and confusion threw me out of the story at times.
The heat factor was dialed up in this one and our dragon knew how to satisfy his lady, so I think all the smutty girls at heart will enjoy this story. My love for the hero and dislike for the heroine about balanced things out, so I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
The narrators did a great job. The majority of the story was from Claudia's POV, so Noelle Bridges was the lead narrator. I found her to do well with both male and female characters, and she kept my attention throughout the story. Jeremy York chimed in with Kyle's POV on occasion, and his low raspy voice translated well for a dragon character.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio....more
I gave this audiobook 2 hours of my road trip and it didn't hold my interest at all. The pace is very slow, and there has yet to be any hints of romanI gave this audiobook 2 hours of my road trip and it didn't hold my interest at all. The pace is very slow, and there has yet to be any hints of romance or focus on the dragons....more
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