TBR Challenge Review: Winter Kiss

Winter Kiss
Deborah Cooke
Paranormal Romance
Dragonfire/Book 4
Signet/November 3, 2009

*Possible Spoilers for Previous Books*


For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have commanded the four elements and guarded the earth’s treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr and the dreaded slayers is about to begin…

The mysterious Dragon’s Blood Elixir gives immortality to Magnus, the Pyr’s greatest enemy, and his minions—so it must be destroyed. Outcast from the Pyr because of his own dangerous impulses, Delaney will do anything to vanquish Magnus—and vows to complete a mission which will either redeem him or end his suffering.

But his plans don’t take into account his sudden firestorm—or the hot-tempered Ginger Sinclair. The firestorm reforms Delaney closer to his old self. And when Ginger learns about Delaney’s scheme, she cannot resist a strong man with a noble agenda.

This month's possible theme was Paranormal Romance or Romantic Suspense.  I decided to attempt to catch up on one of the PNR series I've let fall by the wayside.  The Dragonfire series, as you can guess, is about shapeshifting dragons.  One of the things that I enjoyed about this series is the beautiful descriptions of the men in their dragon forms. 

Delaney has distanced himself from the Pyr because of what he believes is his darkness and his need to destroy the Dragon's Blood Elixir, the cause of his darkness.  So he's gone rogue, set himself apart and decided on a suicide mission against the Pyr's worst enemy.  Then, fate steps in and Delaney's firestorm occurs.  The firestorm is the instinct in the male telling him this is his mate and he needs to get her pregnant - pronto!  Delaney, bless his heart, is more than willing to fulfill his destiny.  

Ginger Sinclair is a chef who is determined to make a go of the family dairy farm.  When she meet Delaney she's attracted to the tall, good looking guy who just happens to be a great dancer.  When the sparks literally fly between these two, Ginger gives in to the attraction, taking Delaney home with her.  Yep, the firestorm is a powerful thing!

If you're not a big fan of the "destined mate" trope, then you're probably going to have a hard time with this romance.   I'm fine with the "one and only mate" romance but I have to believe the hero and heroine belong together with or without the cosmic pull of whatever deity is in control, in this case the Great Wyvern.  With Delaney and Ginger I found it difficult to believe in their deep feelings for each other happening overnight.  Sure, there was plenty of lust but nothing to base a relationship on let alone start a family.  

So while the romance didn't work very well for me, I do like how the dragon mythology is handled along with that male camaraderie that we see so often in these type of books. Get a group of single guys who, one by one, find their true loves while they fight a common enemy.  I also like how the heroes have different viewpoints on being a Pyr.  Some are old school and believe strongly in everything the Great Wyvern tells them.  Others, respect the old ways but feel it's time for a change, moving into the future while respecting the past.  These are not cookie-cutter heroes but instead have their own lives and their own interests apart from being dragons.

The Dragonfire series continues to move along with the Pyr's goal of fighting off the Slayers (evil dragons) while building lives with their found mates.  For the single guys, you know their time will come along with their firestorms.  I'm glad I choose to get back into this series, I'd forgotten what fun it is!

Rating: C

Dragonfire Series ~

Kiss of Fire
Kiss of Fury
Kiss of Fate
Winter Kiss
Harmonia's Kiss (e-novella)
Whisper Kiss
Darkfire Kiss
Flashfire
Ember's Kiss
 

Cover Love ~ Whisper Kiss

One man’s mission ignites one woman’s fire…

Niall Talbot has volunteered to hunt down and destroy all the remaining shadow dragons—who were weakened by the destruction of the Dragon’s Blood Elixir—before they can wreak more havoc. Among them is his dead twin brother, making Niall’s mission not only dangerous but personal.

Tattoo artist Rox believes the world is a canvas to be made more beautiful. An unconventional spirit who isn’t afraid of anything, she doesn’t even flinch when a shape-shifting dragon warrior suddenly appears on her doorstep. And as a woman who follows her heart in matters of passion, she makes the perfect mate for a firestorm with Niall.

Whisper Kiss is book 5 in Deborah Cooke's Dragonfire series. It's due for release on August 3. The blurb doesn't really grab me. I can't help but wonder why the heroine easily accepts a shape-shifting dragon. Hmmm... could be she's met one before? That could be interesting.

I still need to read book 4, Winter Kiss. And while I like the series I wouldn't say I'm exactly impatient to read it. I am looking forward to Rafferty's book, due out next year. He's the dragon shape shifter that caught my interest from the beginning. :)

Reviews for the first two books Kiss of Fire and Kiss of Fury.

Review: Kiss of Fury

Title: Kiss of Fury

Author: Deborah Cooke

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Dragonfire/Book 2

Published: August 2008

From the back cover ~

For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have lived peacefully as commanders of the four elements and guardians of the earth's treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr, who count humans among the earth's treasures, and the Slayers, who would eradicate both humans and the Pyr who protect them, is about to begin…

Scientist Alexandra Madison was on the verge of unveiling an invention that would change the world—then her partner was murdered, their lab burned and their prototype destroyed. When recurring dragon-haunted nightmares threaten to land her in a psychiatric hospital, Alex knows she has to escape to rebuild her prototype in time. But first she must return to her ruined lab…

Handsome, daring, and impulsive, Donovan Shea is more than willing to do his part in the Pyr/Slayer war and save The Madison Project. Assigned to kidnap Alex, Donovan is shocked when her presence ignites the firestorm. He has no desire for a destined mate, but when Alex is attacked by a Slayer, Donovan finds himself meeting fire with fire in her defense. Won over by Alex's intelligence and determination, Donovan fights to rebuild her invention in a race against time. By the time the Slayers close in on their prey, Donovan knows he'll surrender his life to protect Alex, --but will have to lose his heart to possess her...

The second book in the series made me happy I started this series. I think the author did a better job engaging the reader in the romance while still continuing with the world building. I felt more connected with Alex and Donovan than I did with the hero/heroine from the first book.

Donovan isn't as into the mythology of the Pyr as his fellow dragons. He's also decided he will not claim his mate when his firestorm comes. Which is really too bad since it's here and he's been ordered to keep Alex, his destined mate, safe from the people who killed her partner and are now trying to kill her. Donovan's not a happy camper. But he's up for the challenge until he has to deal with Alex. She's not exactly willing to simply put her life in his hands. The friction between these two added to the fact that neither one wanted to get involved with the other but the firestorm had other plans. There's no resisting the desires the firestorm stirs. The more they try to resist the stronger the pull becomes.

Alex is an intelligent woman but it's more book smarts than street smarts. That's not to say she's stupid and innocent of the outside world but the world that she's thrown into isn't anything like she's ever experienced. There's no way to plan for having men who turn into dragons hunting you down. At first she's not sure who to trust. Her partner is attacked and killed by dragons then Donovan shows up doing a "Come with me if you want to live" routine. She knows she needs help but is still wary of Donovan and not willing to follow his orders. Alex definitely makes Donovan work to keep her safe!

The tension between Donovan and Alex continues to increase as does the continued threat from the Slayers and the zombie dragons the Slayers have created. Yes, zombie dragons. And like zombies they're hard to fight and harder to kill. I liked the way Donovan and Alex worked together towards their goal once they got past their initial distrust. They seemed to fit together well and even though they are "destined" to be together it still felt there would have been an attraction without the firestorm.

The rest of the Pyr rally around their brethren to offer help in completing Alex's "green machine". It was nice to see the Pyr that we got to know in Kiss of Fire. (read my review here) Cooke continues to give the reader more information on each of the Pyr, keeping up the interest in the Pyrs' with stories still to be told. The Slayers that lived through book 1 are also in attendence with new Slayers showing up to give the Pyr more trouble and some of the fun fight scenes that I enjoy. I have to say the Slayers are down right nasty. These guys aren't wimps and could swap stories with Attila the Hun. This definitely appeals to me because it evens up the odds against the Pyr. Which makes it much more interesting. I don't like it when the good guys win every time. Not very realistic and I want realism when reading about dragons. LOL

Overall, better than book one. Now to see about book three. And book four just came out. Wow! Dragons all over the place. And if dragons aren't your thing Deborah Cooke also writes historicals under the name Claire Delacroix.

Deborah Cooke and Claire Delacroix can be found here.

Rating: B+

Review: Kiss of Fire

Title: Kiss of Fire

Author: Deborah Cooke

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Dragonfire/Book 1

Published: February 2008

From the back cover ~

For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have lived peacefully as commanders of the four elements and guardians of the earth's treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr, who count humans among the earth's treasures, and the Slayers, who would eradicate both humans and the Pyr who protect them, is about to begin…

When ace accountant Sara Keegan decides to settle down and run her quirky aunt's New Age bookstore, she’s not looking for adventure. She doesn’t believe in fate or the magic of the tarot cards, but when she’s saved from a vicious attack by a man who has the ability to turn into a fire-breathing dragon, she questions whether she’s losing her mind—or about to lose her heart.

Self-reliant loner Quinn Tyrrell has long been distrustful of his fellow Pyr. When he feels the firestorm that signals his destined mate, he's determined to protect and possess Sara, regardless of the cost to himself. Then Sara’s true destiny is revealed—and Quinn realizes he must risk everything—even Sara’s love—to fulfill their entwined fates.

Dragons - I'm not exactly drawn to dragons, I can only recall reading a few books where the shape shifters are dragons. But I read some positive comments about this series and thought I'd give it a try. It took me a bit to get into Kiss of Fire, but the dragons turned out to be a nice change from the vamps and weres that seems to be running rampant in PNR lately. I did find myself more curious about how the men looked in their dragon form than in their human form. LOL Cooke's descriptions of the dragons makes them seem fierce, dangerous and beautiful all at the same time.

Sara Keegan, our heroine, is an an accountant by trade and an odd choice for running the New Age bookstore she inherited from her aunt. She likes order and doesn't believe in the mystical the way her late aunt did. But she's decided that she will give it a try. I thought Sara was an okay heroine. I wouldn't say I really liked her but I didn't actually dislike. I found myself a bit bored when it was only Sara on the page. She was someone that I might sit and politely listen to while I'm actually day-dreaming about being somewhere else. Fortunately this book wasn't only about Sara. Things definitely perked up when Quinn showed up.

I love the loner, bad-boy type. Now I wouldn't call Quinn a real bad boy, he's more of a leave me alone and I'll leave you alone, unless you get in his face. Then all bets are off. Quinn appealed to me in the way he shunned the Pyr and all their traditions. He didn't want anything to do with the other Pyr shape-shifters. He wanted to be left alone, to work in peace at his metal shop. But he couldn't deny the pull of his firestorm. Nor was he too proud to ask for help when he really needed it. He's the kind of guy that makes me want to help him. You know the type that you think shouldn't be alone and all he needs is "The Love Of A Good Woman." LOL

There's this thing called the "firestorm" that each Pyr goes through. This is when they find their destined mate. I know some reader don't like the whole destined mates idea so if that puts you off, well then you might have a problem with this series. Personally I'm okay with it as long as the author shows me that the hero and heroine belong together. So Quinn feels his firestorm coming and goes in search of Sara. The problem with the firestorm is that it works like a beacon for all the Pyr and the Slayers. The Slayers show up to kill the destined mate of that Pyr's firestorm. The Slayers are the Pyr that have crossed over to the dark side. They basically want to kill the good Pyrs and humans and take over the world. They try to kill the destined mates of the Pyrs so no more new Pyrs can be born.

Quinn and Sara meet but Sara doesn't know anything about why the heck sparks are literally flying when they touch. She of course finds out that this hot guy that she's so attracted to is actually a dragon. Okay... Seeing is believing and Sara seemed to take it all in stride, especially after her life is threatened and Quinn is there to fight off the Slayer trying to kill her.

The world that Cooke has created is interesting with all it's ceremonies, history and the whole good vs. evil thing going. Cooke does a good job explaining the world and how the shape shifters co-exist with humans. I do have what seems to be an ongoing problem with how the sightings of the dragons are explained in regards to humans. When the dragons shift and fight they are often in the sky, because they're dragons and dragons fly. :) They do have the ability to control what humans see but not on a large scale and they can't be expected to know which humans might have seen them fight. They are too busy fighting! While I like the fight scenes the believability does detract from them.

The main thing Kiss of Fire did was introduce me to this fascinating world and make me want to read more about these dragon shape-shifters. Which is why I read the next two books in the series and have every intention of continuing with the series.

Deborah Cooke, aka Claire Delacroix aka Claire Cross, and her dragon shape-shifters can be found here.

Rating: B