The Protector by Abigail Owen

Lyndi and Levi have been denying their true feelings for over 200 years. When the fates of war threaten to pull them apart, they finally have to confront the desire they both feel for each other.

What’s it About? 

The cousin of the High King, Lyndi Chandali has lived with the constant threat of being pawned off as a political prize. A rare, female-born dragon like Lyndi can’t truly mate—not in the way it counts. Which is why she’s kept her distance from a certain sinfully delicious Beta. Instead, she’s built a life for herself giving orphaned dragons in the Americas a home.

As Beta of his team of enforcers, Levi Rowtag is a fighter first, last, and always. His job is to protect—his team, the shifters in his territory, and the stubborn woman hell-bent on fighting with him at every turn. He knows from the moment they first meet what she’ll never accept—they are destined to be mated.

But with the kings at war, the enemy is now coming for Lyndi. Worse, he’s coming for her orphans, too. He’ll have no choice but to defy his king and go rogue if he has any hope of protecting them all…and finally claiming his mate.

First Impressions

Every once in a while you manage to come across a very special series that fills you with excitement with the start of every prologue. After a thrilling journey full of delightful characters and gripping storyline you’re almost sad to have the story end. But then each epilogue fills you again with that familiar excitement of anticipation as another sequel’s groundwork is laid out before us. This fantastic addition to the Fire’s Edge and companion Inferno Rising series proves once again that Abigail Owen has succeeded in brining us into this world that we never want to leave, or ever see the series end for that matter.

Throwing Away the Rule Book

A truly thrilling aspect of this series is that we’re constantly kept guessing as to what might happen next, or which preconceived assumptions will change with every turn of the page. While we’ve come to understand some of the basic components of this fantasy world of dragons, it’s a world without a rule book, or at least, the rules are constantly evolving. The Huracan Enforcer team have come to realize how long they’ve been kept in the dark by their leaders when it comes to mates, mating, and what is or isn’t possible in their magical landscape. The impossible is seemingly increasingly possible with each passing day. This lack of a rule book is what keeps each new addition to the series interesting and unique from that which came before. I definitely had a moment or two where I had an “oh snap” exclamation of surprise from a plot twist I didn’t see coming.

The Couple of the Series

Hands down, Lyndi was my favorite heroine of this series so far. She was a powerhouse of a woman who could hold her own with the boys, had a heart of gold to take in orphans who nobody else wanted, and a sprinkling of self-doubt when it comes to her worth in life as a sterile female dragon. Levi has loved her since first meeting, but her initial cold shoulder has kept him at a distance from admitting his true feelings for centuries. When Levi is called away by his king to fight in a war of kings, he realizes he has no more time to stay away from Lyndi. It’s when they’re at risk of losing each other that they can voice how important the other is to their very existence.

As if the prospect of Levi being called away wasn’t hard enough of a trial for their burgeoning relationship, when a dragon from a rival enforcer team comes to claim Lyndi as his own mate, the challenges before them are thrown into overdrive. Levi and Lyndi’s connection was palpable from the first page, and their combined strength in the face of adversity made them a standout couple of the entire series. Lyndi is convinced her infertility means Levi is deserving of more, but he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to prove to her that he not only loves her, but that they’re fated mates who deserve to be together. You root for him to succeed in convincing her to accept him fully into her heart, and you keep your fingers crossed that they’ll both succeed in defeating a common enemy who wants Lyndi for himself.

Digital painting by Sunima (Sunniva Myster)

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Fire’s Edge, book 5. I can’t wait for the next book!!! I’m beyond excited to focus on a former member of the Huracan team who went rogue. Be sure to read this series in order, as well is in conjunction with the Inferno Rising series.

Final Impressions: Once started, it was near impossible to put this book down. I actually read the whole thing in about 3 sittings. Levi and Lyndi’s story immediately pulls you in and won’t let go. They have so many forces trying to pull them apart, that you can’t help by stand by on the sidelines cheering on every success they achieve in the face of hardship. What seemed like years of animosity between them have shown how much they’ve watched and learned about each other in all that time. Lyndi and Levi are the ones to draw you in, the rest of the team will pull you in even closer with their familial support, and their battles against injustice will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Smut Level: These two may have waited hundreds of years before indulging in their ultimate physical desires, but we certainly don’t have to wait long before Levi has Lyndi spread out and tied to her bed. Talk about dragon’s fire!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Entangled: Amara. 254 Pages

Rogue Dragon Rising: Part One by T.J. Shaw

Let’s kick off the new release extravaganza in style! Shifters and herbivores and a sexy-ass dragon, oh my! This novel is jam-packed with fantastical characters, and its cliffhanger ending will leave you wanting more.

What’s it About?

Twenty-three year old, Amari Hawke, is thrust into the world of two-soul shifters when she is injured and kidnapped by trackers outside the veil, beyond the safety of her homeland. Unable to remember her past, she trusts no one and relies on instinct to survive. As her awakening approaches, the first time she will transition into her animal, she must evade rogue shifters trying to capture her.

Now free from the King’s Army, powerful dragon lord, Jaxon Blackthorn, seeks a peaceful life. Intent on building his lands into a viable plantation, away from war and bloodshed, he is reluctantly pulled back into the fight when he defends the mysterious shifter with no past against an unseen enemy.

As evil threatens to destroy the entire realm, can the battle-hardened warrior and coming-of-age noblewoman accept their differences to forge an alliance that will ultimately unite the shifter nations?

First Impressions

I’m definitely intrigued by this world! It literally pulls you in from the opening scene. But at the same time I can’t help but feel a little bit lost in it. There’s a lot going on! We have shifters, one-souls, sheep, dragons, herbivores, predators, half-breeds, Trinity moon, auctions, Eldians, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things here. Oh, healers! That’s another one. Rogues! Panthers! Gahhh, fantasy character overload! I thiiiiiiink I understand what most of it means, but I would have appreciated a few extra pages focusing on the unique features of this world so I could confidently understand how all the players fit together. Something that you don’t need a guide map to understand though is the electric magnetism bringing Amari and Jaxon together. At times they don’t even need to exchange words. All of their desire and fascination can be expressed solely in their eyes. It’s some pretty heady stuff at times, and it’ll keep you turning the pages for more.

Who Are You? Who Am I?

In addition to all the fantastical elements at work here, there’s another unique added plot element of Amari having lost her memory. This takes place right at the very start of the book, so we as the audience are just as lost as she is in regards to who she is, or where she comes from. We’ve all encountered romances with this feature, but what makes it even more intriguing in this instance is that she can’t remember what her designation is. Herbivore? Predator? Who knows?!? Definitely not her! When she finds herself being sold at auction she unwittingly declares that she’s a sheep. This is something that Jaxon insists he and his dragon would never be attracted to, but he also can’t deny the intense desire he feels that is constantly pulling him towards Amari. It doesn’t take long for us to realize that she’s not really a sheep, but something else entirely.

A Desperate Search

Interspersed with Amari’s desperate attempts to remember who she is, we also get a few scenes here and there providing us with glimpses of her family desperately trying to find her. We quickly discover through these side scenes that Amari isn’t a simple, helpless sheep. Far from it. She’s a drakaina. A dragon. Aka, something Jaxon and his dragon had pretty much given up hope of ever finding. It certainly explains to us as the reader why Amari isn’t afraid to look Jaxon in the eye, and even to challenge him at times. She’s his equal, and quite obviously his mate, even if neither of them realize it yet.

Something I didn’t fully understand though, either through these side scenes with Amari’s family, or the main focus on Amari herself, was in regards to her visions. At the very start of the book when one of the trackers reaches for Amari to kidnap her, she seems to get a vision of how he’ll die. However, this unique ability is never really mentioned again. Why doesn’t it happen when she touches Jaxon? Is it because she’s lost her memory and can’t access this part of her mind? Again, this is another area where I wish we could have seen a bit more explanation, but I have a feeling I’m probably just too impatient at this point, and need to wait to see what book 2 will have in store!

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Outside the Veil, book 1. This book ends on a mini cliffhanger. Not the kind that will make you angry, but it leaves you on a point of lustful suspense. I don’t see how you can’t be seduced to find out what comes next.

Final Impression: I was quickly enchanted with this world, but I can’t help but feel as though I was dropped into the middle of it with an old compass to guide me instead of the fancy GPS I’m used to. I can see how more detail and explanation is forthcoming in the future books, especially in regards to Amari’s transition into her dragon form. Not to mention all the drama which might come with that, as her family seems to have kept her in the dark about some of this. That being said, I think a few more pages of set-up introducing some of the particularities of this world would have helped 🙂

Smut Level: We get a lot of smoldering, intense looks. A big build-up at the end as Jaxon pushes her up against a rock with his arms on either side of her. Running his lips along her neck. Pushing his hips into hers. Looks into her eyes to ask for a kiss. We’ll just have to read book 2 to figure out what other sexy good times might be in store!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $0.99 Kindle Price. Forgotten Dreams Publishing, LLC. 105 Pages.

Tomorrow’s Extravaganza Post: Within the Skin by Zara West. Multicultural Suspense.