Wounded, a dragon drops from the sky to crash in front of Marina in an explosion of fire. She does the only reasonable thing a woman can do – she saves his life. Marina knows any moment may be her last, yet she cannot deny the connection between her and the alluring creature. When fierce dragon lords appear, leading a dangerous assassin to their hiding place, the truth about her dragon is unveiled. The consequences of falling for a beast gifts Marina wonders never before seen ... in this world.
Publisher: Stephenson & Fletcher
Date Published: December 13, 2011
Genres: Adult, high fantasy, paranormal romance
*Content Advisory: This book is intended for mature audiences and contains explicit sexual activity.
Date Published: December 13, 2011
Genres: Adult, high fantasy, paranormal romance
*Content Advisory: This book is intended for mature audiences and contains explicit sexual activity.
I don’t mind reading indie novels. I know some people don’t read them just on principle. If you’re like me and can for the most part pass over spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and missing words, you can give this one a try.
As soon as I read the word dragons, I had to read it. I love me some dragons. This was a high fantasy romance with dragons and a competition for the right to mate him. I read the first two of the series Smolder being the first and Burn the second. The third will be releasing later this year, there is no date as of yet.
I ended up reading both books in a day, don’t judge me, and absolutely loved the series. It’s about a young woman, Marina, who had just lost her mother and was trying to get her feet under her again. Marina had suffered from panic attacks since she was young and after the car crash that took her mother and injured her, Marina was once again controlled by her fear of another attack. Taking her friend Cathyrn and Cathryn’s boyfriend, they go to a cottage for some R&R. On a hike she ends up seeing a wounded dragon and ends up trying to help. She finds out the dragon can shift and that he was from another dimension. There’s a connection with him that was undeniable and she ends up following him to his world; a world where the only way to be his mate was to fight in a brutal tournament to win him. That was basically the premise of the first book and the second one starts where Smolder left off.
I adored this book. I absolutely loved the story line because it honestly is one of my favourite types to read. As this was a high fantasy series, there was a lot of world building that some might find dull, but it’s necessary. I originally read another book called Venomous and then moved onto this one because I liked the unique story and the detail she brings to the universe. She was a way with words, which allow you to easily picture it.
The cast was varied and they had more than one dimension, thankfully, to them. They were interesting, had flaws and strengths, which made them all the more real. I had moments with Marina where I was completely irritated with her temper and naivety. She had a saviour complex, she wasn’t cunning enough for the position she was fighting for, but you still can’t help but rout for her. She was unrefined, impolite and had a lot of pride. I liked her character a lot in the beginning but as she got more entangled with the dragon and the political side of things, her impulsive actions were trying.
The dragon shifter, Koen, was very arrogant, self-assured and had a hard time showing his softer side. His character was nothing special especially in the paranormal romance genre; he was a generic hero. The banter between the two was very amusing. Koen expected Marina to act a certain way and it always surprised him when she didn’t. There were explicit scenes in this book, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The romance was the main focus with some adventure on the side. This had instant love, which I’m not a huge fan of, just because it makes no sense. At first they were at each others throats and bickering, and then somehow, I must have blinked because they were making out soon after. It just never seems realistic, since there was no build-up of romance. The main couple weren’t the strongest, but the other cast members make up for their weak characters.
With that said; this book needs some heavy editing and if missing commas and quotations, misspelled words, or even a missing word annoy you, this series will irritate you like no other. I actually didn’t notice it until pointed out, thank goodness; I was trying to read it as fast as I could because I wanted to know what happened next.
