Dragon Heat [Book 1]

*I received a copy of this book as part of the Members Giveaway program in exchange for an unbiased review. Brief plot spoilers may follow.*

I thought this was a great book. I liked that all of the main characters were so different from one another; it helped to bring home the fact that they were all individuals with their own stories. There was just enough description about each character to set them apart, but just enough mystery to make us wonder more about them. I loved how descriptive the author was in the book; everything, from appearances to surroundings, was described so vividly it was like I was there. In fantasy or supernatural books I think this is an important detail and the author nailed it for me. I liked that there was show more detail even in the action scenes, another element that is sometimes overlooked and underdescribed. I got a good feel for all of the fight scenes, I could understand and see everything as it played out, and I didn’t catch anything that sounded far-fetched or unrealistic. I thought the story itself was intriguing and I enjoyed getting to see the events through both Tardieh and Zoricah’s eyes. I liked the bits where popular perspectives on supernatural lore were addressed and the author put her own spin on them in the world she’d created. I also appreciated that there wasn’t the typical sense of invincibility among the characters; they all had an Achilles heel. She did an excellent job of creating her own world and redoing things to give them a sense of authenticity to me. Typically, I see vampires and werewolves having the forbidden romance, or one of the two with a human. I don’t often see vampires and dragons mixing it up and I loved that this book gave me something different.

Even though this was Tardieh and Zoricah’s story, I still felt like I didn’t learn much about where either of them came from. There were still a lot of gray areas in both of their back stories, and I think that would have been fun to explore. I don’t think we saw the full potential of either of these characters’ abilities, which I consider to be both a good and bad thing. For a vampire king, I thought Tardieh would have had a bit more finesse or at least sensuality in the bedroom LOL, but I’m thinking that the feel the author was going for was one of raw passion, so I got over it. Lol I was hoping we’d get to see them navigate the waters they were about to endure by choosing to be together, but the book ended rather abruptly, so we don’t get to see how they do it. I’m sure they’ll be in future installments in the series, but it’ll be as background characters, so there won’t be quite as much attention paid to them. I noticed a few typos throughout the book and they were distracting, but I could still decipher what the word was supposed to be.

Overall, though, I really liked Dragon Heat. This is a smaller, probably stranger note, but I also liked that it was on All Romance, because I frequent the site often and think it’s probably one of the best sites to check out if supernatural romances are your thing. If you like your heroines tough and your heroes tougher, love fantasy and the supernatural, and can’t resist star-crossed situations, then check out Dragon Heat. show less

I received this book in exchange for a review. The blurb sounded like a good bet--dragon shifters and vampires and romance. Fun! However, I found myself lost with all the special terminology and the complete lack of world building. Also, the romance was ridiculously short, bordering on insta-love, or at least lust rather than love. The book starts out in the past, with a prince being tortured, and the hero and heroine meet. Once the action moved to the present I had a hard time keeping the various males and females apart. I also didn't like the torture scenes in past or present. The sacrifice made in the name of love wasn't believable to me given the short duration of the relationship; although it did do a neat job of solving a show more difficult problem. There were a few misspellings (my favorite was the use of "crouch" instead of "crotch"), but only about 3 or 4 and they were easy to interpret. In general, the book read like it was 5 books into a series rather than the first book. show less

The storyline was pretty good, but there were just too many holes and too many things that bugged me about the lack of editing (and not just spelling errors... serious plot holes, people.) I must say I'm mildly curious where this series is supposed to go, but I don't find myself intrigued enough to want to read the second one. This book wasn't a favorite and ended up just not being for me.

[Note: received a copy in a LibraryThing Member Giveaway in exchange for an honest review]

Zoricah rescues the vampire prince Tardieh who is being held prisoner and tortured. Two hundred years later she needs him to help her rescue women (human, vampire, and draco) who are being kidnapped and used in experiments. He does not trust her feeling that she killed his father but he's not entirely sure about her past and his father. He knows he's attracted to her.

I enjoyed this book. The world building is good and this sets up the series very well. A glossary is provided at the beginning but I wish Ms. Phoenix would have explained the terms as they occurred the first time in the story as well. I had to rely too much on my memory of what some of the terms meant.

I liked the characters. Zoricah and Tardieh are astute and wise. They try show more to figure out why the other is doing what he/she is doing. They try to outmaneuver each other but their attraction gets in the way. I liked the teams they have around them. It seems each will have a story to tell. They are all strong characters.

The story was done well. I like how the world is built throughout this first story. The rules are set out. There is a language and mythology set up for this world. It will be interesting to see where the story and the world goes from here. The bad guys always seem to be a step ahead of Zoricah and Tardieh and their people. Hopefully they will soon be ahead of the bad guys. show less

Draconian and Vampires have been enemies for centuries, but in order to save innocent lives Zoricah and Tardieh have to put their differences aside. Since he’s the Vampire King and she’s a Draconian Demigoddess, completing the task at hand will be both dangerous and difficult.

With the help of their comrades, the two diligently search for a killer that has targeted females from both of their races. Struggling with an unremitting desire to be close to one another, they are each determined not to be the first to give in. They’re not alone, however, in this battle of the wills.

Sam, one of Zoricah’s warriors, and Hikuro, one of Tardieh’s guards, can’t decide whether to kiss or kill each other. With both aching to do the former, show more they are caught in a tangled web of honor, duty, loyalty, and love.

This is a wonderful novel that captivates the mind and stimulates the imagination. The battle scenes and personal history of each character were perfectly depicted and easy to follow. Erotic moments throughout the book left me in need of a cold shower and wanting more. With a variety of mythical and paranormal creatures, I feel this book was true to its genre and a great read. I can’t wait for her next novel!

also on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble show less

This book includes some of my favorite mythical characters but from a fresh perspective. It has an almost Romeo and Juliet story featuring the Draconian (dragons) and Vampires. The writing brings the characters of Zoricah, the draconian demigoddess and Tardieh, the vampire king to life as they overcome their prejudices to save one of her own from an ancient enemy and find love. It is for mature readers but the sex scenes add to the story. I can't wait for the next one which as other reviewers have mentioned may further develop the sparks between two of their friends introduced in this one.

I really like this story and the world the author created. It was inventive and enjoyable. However, there were a lot of editing errors that made it hard to read at some points. The characters were three dimensional and well written and I did find the story really interesting and I would like to see where the author is taking it. Because of this, I will be reading the next book in this series and more from the author in the future.