Sleeping Dragon Stirs, part 2 by TJ Shaw

Jaxon likes it when Amari strokes his dragon horns from base to tip. Tee hee hee, chuckle chuckle. If that’s not sexual innuendo then I don’t know what is.

What’s it About? 

As the day of her awakening nears, Amari Hawke struggles to control the beast inside her. Basking in the energy of the approaching Trinity moon, her animal’s strength has increased to the point it can control Amari’s mind and body. Fearing she is about to slip into madness, Amari is forced into a tough choice.

In a desperate attempt to save Amari and her beast, Jaxon Blackthorn encourages his cadre, the men in his trusted circle, to establish mental links with her, but when his plans fail and Amari’s animal exerts control, he must fight for the beautiful woman who is lost to her beast. Together, can Amari and Jaxon’s developing bond for each other overcome the urges driving Amari’s animal as they also thwart an unseen enemy vying to keep them apart?

First Impressions

This novel picks up immediately where we left off at the end of the previous book without missing a beat. Seriously, it’s almost like book one ends with us taking a deep breath, and book two commences with our exhale. Normally I’m not always a fan when we have this kind of immediate continuation in a series, as I always enjoy a slight summary of events from the previous novel. That’s why I was absolutely tickled pink with the excellent job this novel does of recalling the major events from the previous book so that we can jump right back into the story. It flows together so seamlessly you can’t help but appreciate it. Hands down my favorite feature of this novel though was the increased focus on how Jaxon is dealing with Amari’s presence in both his life, and his dragon’s life. It was fascinating to read how Jaxon talks about his dragon, as though it’s a completely separate being even though it is contained within him. Sure, it seemed slightly schizophrenic in that regard, but somehow in a completely logical way at the same time!

Stuck in Place

While we do see some big steps between Amari and Jaxon in regards to their relationship, I do wish we had made a bit more progress with the development of the overall storyline happening outside the veil. If anything I feel like I have even more questions now than what was answered by the end of the first book. Again, it was really interesting to see Amari and Jaxon grow closer together through their mental link, and for Jaxon to finally acknowledge that he wants this woman as his mate even if he isn’t sure of her designation. I guess that’s what I wanted more advancement on though, what is her designation (although I think we can all guess at this point), when will she get her memory back, etc.?

And then one of the major aspects we did get progress on was kind of brushed aside, and that was the scene when Amari finally admitted to Jaxon that she couldn’t remember her past. This was a moment that had been building throughout the series, and I was really looking forward to that vulnerable confession where Amari must risk the possibility of Jaxon rejecting her when she admits that she lost her memory. But instead it’s mentioned in a brief sentence simply to say that it happened. All in all I must admit I was kind of disappointed we didn’t have the opportunity to witness it directly. I think it could have been a really revealing moment for Amari, and an important sign of her trust in Jaxon.

here we go, Here We Go, HERE WE GO!!!!

One thing this series does brilliantly is build up the anticipation. Trinity soon approaches when first time shifters transform into their inner beast. The fact that Amari can’t remember her beast designation, and has received zero training on how to handle the transition means that Jaxon and his dragon cadre fear Amari will become stuck in transition and go rogue. Essentially she’ll go mad from it. With the turn of every page Trinity grows nearer, Amari starts to exhibit some puzzling and disturbing qualities related to transition, and we fear and question what madness might ensue when Trinity finally arrives. Trinity is coming people!! Although the fact we don’t really see a resolution to many of the questions which were raised in part one was kind of a let down, you also can’t deny that it significantly adds to the building suspense of what might be lurking just around the corner in wait for Jaxon and Amari.

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

Series: Outside the Veil, book 2. This part of the series definitely seems like a suspense builder, gathering everything together for what must be one heck of a Trinity finale. The next book is the last one in the trilogy, where we’ll finally reach the climax where sh*t goes down!

Final Impression: While we might not find a resolution to Amari’s beast designation in this novel, we definitely see her resign herself to the fact that she isn’t a sheep. She starts to break away from that herb designation and in the process her feistiness really shines through. Whereas part 1 saw things more from Amari’s point of view, and her frustration at not being able to remember her past, I loved that in this part we see more of Jaxon’s thoughts regarding this tempting redhead who has come under his care. It’s a window into Jaxon’s soul and beast, and we see him realize that this woman is meant for him. Nothing will stop him from seeing her safely transition and ultimately becoming his.

Smut Level: Their first time together is surprisingly in a dream rather than in real life. It’s rather convenient to be able to just think the clothes away, lemme tell ya!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $2.99 Kindle Price. Forgotten Dreams Publishing, LLC. 157 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.