ARC Review: Dragon Fire by Juliette Cross

Series:	Vale of Stars #3
Pub. Date:	April 30, 2019
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	289 pgs
Source:	Author

 

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... 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.

ARC Review: Memoirs of a Dragon Hunter by Katie MacAlister

Series:	Dragon Hunter #1
Pub. Date:	Aug. 28, 2018
Publisher:	Forever
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

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.

Audiobook Review: Grigori by Lauren Smith

Series:	Ash and Fire #1
Pub. Date:	April 24, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Lucy Rivers
Length:	7 hrs 42 min
Source:	NetGalley

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. 

Audiobook Review: Half-Blood Dragon by K.N. Lee

Series:	Dragon Born #1
Pub. Date:	April 24, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Mary Sarah
Length:	3 hrs 35 min
Source:	Publisher

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.   

Audiobook Review: How to Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper

Series:	Mystic Bayou #1
Pub. Date:	Jan. 23, 2018
Publisher:	Audible Studios
Narrators:	Amanda Ronconi Jonathan Davis
Length:	6 hrs 33 min
Source:	Audible Romance

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.

ARC Review: Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks

Series:	The Embraced #3
Pub. Date:	March 27, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	435 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

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.

ARC Review: Bring the Heat by G.A. Aiken

Series:	Dragon Kin #9
Pub. Date:	Aug. 29, 2017
Publisher:	Kensington/Zebra
Length:	416 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

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.

Audiobook Review: I Like Big Dragons and I Cannot Lie by Lani Lynn Vale

Series:	I Like Big Dragons #1
Pub. Date:	Jan. 18, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Mason Lloyd Kendall Taylor
Length:	5 hrs 44 min
Source:	Publisher

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.

Audiobook Review: Dragon Unbound by Katie MacAlister

Series:	Dragon Falls #4
Pub. Date:	Sept. 20, 2017
Publisher:	Audible Studios
Narrator:	Tavia Gilbert
Length:	3hrs 37min

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. 

Audiobook Review: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Series:	Elder Races #1
Pub. Date:	July 18, 2011
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Sophie Eastlake
Length:	12 hrs 59 min
Source:	Audible Romance Pkg

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 with 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 her 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.

Purchase Links

Elder Races

Audiobook Review: Dragon Foretold by Eve Langlais

Series:	Dragon Point #4
Pub. Date:	Sept. 12, 2017
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Chandra Skyye
Length:	6 hrs 37 min
Source:	Publisher

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.

Audiobook Review: Fire in His Blood by Ruby Dixon

Series:	Fireblood Dragon #1
Pub. Date:	June 20, 2017
Publisher:	Forever Romance
Narrators:	Noelle Bridges Jeremy York
Length:	11 hrs 27 min
Source:	Publisher

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 existence 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.

Audiobook Review: Dragon Squeeze by Eve Langlais

Series:	Dragon Point #2
Pub. Date:	April 4, 2017
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Chandra Skyye
Length:	6 hrs 14 min
Source:	Publisher

Eve Langlais' audiobooks are perfect for me to pick up on a Saturday when I'm cleaning the house and running errands. The 6 hour length is the perfect amount of time to keep me busy and distracted from the mundane tasks and unpleasant chores. And... dragons! Langlais' dragons are arrogant, self-absorbed, obsessive, matriarchal and funny!

Series Saturday Review: Dragon Heartstring by Juliette Cross

Series:	Vale of Stars #0.5
Pub. Date:	Oct 25, 2016
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	161 pages
Source:	Author

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. 

ARC Review: Dragon in the Blood by Juliette Cross

Series:	Vale of Stars #2
Pub. Date:	July 26, 2016
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	246 pages
Source:	Author

It's no secret that my favorite fantastical creature is the dragon... so I can't help but love Juliette Cross and her dragon-human hybrid Morgons. (Plus, Juliette is like a super cool kickass chick, so I read her other non-dragony stuff too.)

ARC Review: The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy

Series:	The Uncharted Realms#1
Pub. Date:	May 31, 2016
Publisher:	Kensington Publishing
Length:	432 pages
Source:	NetGalley

Gah! This book!  Jeffe Kennedy has truly outdone herself with this story.  From the beautiful cover to the very last word, I was captivated by this fantastical tale. I predict it will be one of my favorite books of the year.

ARC Review: Dragons Among Them by Kyra Jacobs

Dragons Among Them 
by Kyra Jacobs
Series:  Kingdoms of Fire & Ice #1
Pub. Date:  April 19, 2016
Publisher:  Samhain Publishing
Pages:  198
Format: eARC
Source:  NetGalley


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Prince Zayne Godfrey, heir to Edana’s throne, is betrothed to the lone princess of rival kingdom Forath. While his heart is not in the arranged marriage, he will do his royal duty.

When he finds a beautiful stranger cornered by a pack of wolves, he doesn’t hesitate to shift into his golden dragon form to save her. She thanks him by taking one look at him and fainting dead away.

Photographer Adelaide Miller is in England for a career-making shoot when a bizarre jogging mishap lands her in a dangerous, medieval-like world of royals, wizards and dragon-shifting men. Her first instinct is to find her way back, but the fire-breathing prince intent on protecting her threatens to melt her heart.

Zayne’s burning passion for Adelaide not only jeopardizes the fragile peace between two kingdoms, it uncovers a ruthless plot to destroy his family. Remaining together may change Adelaide’s very definition of home—and expose one searing secret that could forever shift the balance of power in Zayne’s world. 

I am a huge fan of fantasy romance, particularly with dragons, so I am always happy to find a new author writing in this genre. This one certainly has an eye-catching cover, which matches the story perfectly.