To Kiss a Dragon

by Miranda Bridges

How do you seduce someone who despises you?

I have one task… to steal the dragon lord’s magic. Simple.
First problem: I’m inexperienced.
Second problem: I have to sleep with him to get his abilities. (I probably should’ve led with that.)

As the thrall of a vampire, I’m used to being subjected to another’s will.
So when they tell me to seek out the dragon lord, I do it to protect my sister's life.
Except there are times when I think the savage is more of a danger than the master I left behind.
It’s not just his threats I fear, but his gentle touches and piercing glances.

Logic tells me that I have to betray him to save someone I love…
But what if he becomes the one I can't live without?

To Kiss a Dragon is a spicy Fantasy Romance that's full-length, stand-alone, enemies-to-loves with a slow burn. It also contains "Touch her and die" & "Burn the world for her" vibes. (He is a dragon, so it's quite literal.)

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Vampires, Romantasy, Paranormal Romance

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2023

About the author

Miranda Bridges began sneaking romance novels as a teenager and did not confess to reading them until she became a legal adult. After years and years as a voracious reader she woke up one day with a story in mind. She decided to write it down in order to silence her imaginary friends, but they’ve grown in number and have gotten louder. When she is not reading, writing, or drinking coffee she is taking care of two princesses who are of a reading age. Needless to say Miranda is still hiding romance books around the house, but now some of them have her name on the cover.

Reviews

[Adeola · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-3 ⭐️


I’m underwhelmed by this book especially after all the glowing reviews.

It started off good with the human Helena and dragon Maliq; however Helena quickly became one dimensional and quite annoying and the boredom set in. I didn’t even enjoy the side characters and it was just all over the place.

The book had a lot of typos and grammatical errors and probably needed more editing. Overall it wasn’t horrible but it was great either. Just good enough to be read to the end.

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall this was such a well written book! Having read Bridges 'Hearts of Stone' series and loving it, I found that I loved this one just as much, if not more. I love that these books have that Warlord/Horde King type of vibe that's so hard to find. This book though, was such an interesting mix of vampire and dragons. To Kiss a Dragon is honestly the most well written dragon shifter book I've read to date. Even putting aside how well the character's personalities fit into the dragon world, just the description alone of transitioning was very well done. The world was painted in a way that I could visualize it.

Troupes and themes found within this book:

-Who did this to you?
-Touch her and die
-Enemies-to-lovers
-Deliciously tall, dark and lethal MMC (Maliq)
-Fiesty, comical and strong FMC (Helena)
-Battle of Wills (because they're both adorably stubborn)
-Witty banter
-Heartwarming moments
-Tension leading up to super hot spice!
-Twists and turns that you don't see coming!

My only complaints are that we didn't get to know Sid all that well (I would have liked to of seen more of him) and that while the character descriptions for most of the characters were all well thought out, we really didn't get much of a character description for Helena. Or at least if we did, it was minimal. That said, I'm really hoping that this continues on and becomes a series! There's sooo much potential here for future books! Overall, this was a solid five stars in rating and I definitely recommend!

[emily ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book had me hooked but the ending felt a little rushed 😔🫶

[P C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh wow this book exceeded my expectations and I'm very pleased to admit so.

No joke, this story is like the Bentley of dragon shifter romances, lol!

It had a witty, foulmouthed and funny FMC and a deliciously tall, dark & scary MMC, slow burn, enemies to lovers, touch her and you die type of plot that was very easy to read through and proved to be a really interesting light read.
The spice came later on and since there was a strong hint of primal I REALLY enjoyed their chemistry!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4/5

2 weeks later after reading the book, I finally have time to write my review. (yay)

I have to say, I liked the book because it entertained me, mainly because the plot was quite trashy. Since the book is a standalone with around 330 pages, one shouldn't expect the most elaborate worldbuilding or deep characters.

The characters felt quite one-dimensional to me. We hardly learned anything about Maliq, and it felt a bit random that he suddenly (sincerely) fell in love with Helena. I had the impression that he only liked her because she was human and therefore "different from the others". Helena was also one-dimensional, but not as extreme as Maliq. I could somewhat understand her feelings, but sometimes it was still a bit questionable. I mean (not really a spoiler, as it's mentioned in the book description) the drama of her wanting to steal his power to save her sister could have been resolved more easily and quickly. The vampires are obviously the enemies of the dragons, and Maliq was already obsessively focused on Helena at that point. Cooperation wouldn't have hurt in that case.

The supporting characters were okay. However, I must say the talking stone was unnecessary annoying, and I didn't find it funny anymore. I found it a bit amusing that Helena bid farewell to it with tears at the end, as if they were really close friends. But at the end of the day, it only made silly remarks and trash-talked. Also, I thought the little twist at the end was a bit random. I didn't notice any hint at the beginning that her sister and her vampire master were in a (romantic) relationship. So maybe it will just be another standalone in the same universe in the future? Overall, I didn't find the supporting characters to be very relevant (but I don't expect much in that regard from a 300-page book).

I actually liked the setting (vampires, dragons, shifters, etc.), but at a certain point, it became clear that it was too much for just 330 pages. There were occasional hints at making the whole setting/worldbuilding deeper, but I don't think it was done well. The fantasy elements were definitely too much for such a simple plot. It felt like trying to play different genres of music simultaneously. Just a mess.

It's definitely a good book for a casual read when you just want to be entertained and carried away. It was sometimes a bit silly, but the reading experience gets better when you don't dwell on it too much.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

dragon and human HEA

Cute story. This authors writing always sucks me in.

-dragon shifter H
-human whose been bound and controlled by vampires
-not much steam but lots of tension
-BEA
-a lot of push and pull which did annoy me

Overall good book. Will read the. Text

[*~*~~*~reading~**~till~**~forever*~~*~* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, super cute read, thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Tammy Rozema · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read into chapter 7. Story was blah, hard to get into the characters and story. DNF it.

[Cat ♡]

decided to DNF, as it’s been a month and never pick it up :(

[EVA WRIGHT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good storyline, the slow burn was really worth it 🫡 love Miranda Bridges' books ❤️

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

OVER-ALL RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
PLOT: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
CHARACTERS: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
INTER-CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
WORLD BUILDING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥


DRAGONS

VAMPIRES

FAE

SHIFTERS

🥵 OH MY 🥵


This book is the first epic fantasy written by author Miranda Bridges, and she did not disappoint. Known for her strong and highly opinionated female leads as well as her OTTP male love interests, the familiar ease with which their personalities meshed and mingled was highly enjoyable. Bridges thus seamlessly draws in her audience through timely humor, generously sweet moments, and painfully poignant dilemmas. The chemistry between each new person and their interactions with one another further affects not only their natures (of which were refreshingly realistic), but lays a foundation for future growth and development. All were written with the capacity to share a spectrum of emotions and reactions; making it possible for even the most hated character to obtain 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
As the story progresses, it was impossible to not be enamored by even the supporting leads; everyone became a key figure in their own right. This new world created by Miranda bleeds through the pages; rich with new cultures and vibrant histories that culminate into a source of pure entertainment.


During the opening scenes, our introduction to 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙖, the female protag, very quickly establishes her sensitive situation. After explaining how little the vampires and other beings think of humanity for their weakness, our heroine ruminates on the relationship she and her sister have with their vampire overlords. Each vampire takes a 'thrall', or blood slave, in order to sate their hunger. The vampires however, only take humans that have a propensity for magic. While getting ready to greet her vampire master Desmond, Helena struggles to accept her and her sister Amara's situation in life. Her longing to be free from their imprisonment has her mentally prepping to fight back and not give into Desmond's strange charm. Despite her disgust of him and other vampires, she cannot make herself resist him, though she has tried throughout the years.

Upon reaching her master Desmond, Helena is given a missive to infiltrate the Golden Dragon clan's land in order to sleep with their leader and gain some of his magic powers. Desmond gifts Helena with a necklace adorned with one scale from a dragon egg. It is proof of the existence and whereabouts of an artifact that is sacred amongst the Golden dragon's people. Once successful, she must then return to her overlord and allow him to feed from her to gain that power. With this done, the vampire clan would finally gain headway in overthrowing all of the other beings in their aim to reign supreme. Reluctant to disobey, Helena hesitantly tries to convince Desmond to send someone else. However, once Helena learns of Amara and her overlord's involvement, fear and love lead her to go along with his orders.

It's at this point that Helena's life is changed once more. One decision made in a moment of desperation, anger, bitterness and pain upends everything she's ever known.

Thrust into the wilderness for the first time since she was a child, Helena and her steed wander the forest with only a vague idea of their destination set in the West. Her aimless wandering is short lived however, when a dragon shifter intercepts her and leads her to the horde for questioning/execution. The horde's abhorrence of humans is visceral upon their first meetings, but a prophetic message from the Horde's god Asili may be Helena's only saving grace.

Frantic to save Amara, Helena knows what she must do but she wrestles with guilt constantly. She wants to prove to the Golden Horde and their Zahtan that humanity has virtue, but also knows that she can not save her sister without betraying them in the same token. Assassination attempts, relationship rivalries, tested loyalties, bribery, and divine interventions are only the tip of what you can expect to find throughout Helena's story.

SOME TROPES & HINTS:





Overall, this was a fantastic story and I truly hope this becomes a massive series with many spin-offs.

[Linsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I wouldn't say this is that steamy of a book. I've read some that were much more so that were not billed as such. That being said, I liked the story overall. My main issue with this was how characters were described and certain phrases that felt very out of place. Often when it was just the two main characters Zahtan was often described as "the male". *Insert rolling eyes here* Good lord, this was dumb, on many levels. Is this supposed to be sexy? It is not. I found it really annoying as there was no one else in the scene so we didn't need that descriptor! Use his name! Or just "he". This happens throughout the book and it's so annoying! Also, at one point Helena say "that chapped her ass" or something like that and it's so wildly out of context that it's just ridiculous. If you can get passed these things the story itself was ok.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I picked this book because of the cover. I finished it one day because of the storyline. There was a wonderful build-up of desire and angst. Was their relationship all lust and shifter ownership, yes. Was it a great read, yes.
I enjoyed the MCs. It wasn't really grumpy/sunshine, but the dark and innocent mix worked well. I loved the different language. It added more to the story when I knew what he was saying, but she didn't. It was like seeing it through his POV without a whole POV change.
This author is new to me, and I'm excited to see what else she has written.
*This book is rated R. There is minimal violence, and it isn't very bloody or detailed. There are detailed spice scenes.

[Erin Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

lacking connection

This book started out amazing, but quickly it fades. It feels as though the author just gave up. Repeating the same phrases and quickly wrapping the book up just to end it. I though the whole “so you say” “so I know” was cute once or twice but the main characters really have nothing else to say to each other.

[Ethen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, now I want more dragon shifters. I didn’t need a new book kink.

I found the plot shallow unfortunately.
a) I would have liked more backstory on the sisters’ relationship. I feel like just briefly describing the awful situation they’ve been thrown into together and brushing each other’s hair did not give the relationship enough depth that would have justified why the FMC wants to save the sister so bad, - other than plainly being sisters - since the whole story and plot revolves around rescuing the sister.

b) I feel like the love story / relationship between the MCs overpowered the plot (and the mentioned sister) and I do hate when that happens.

Another thing that really bothered me is the lack of side characters. Sure, there were some, but I feel like they needed more dialogues than what they got. This book was solely focused on building the romance that eventually anything else around it collapsed.

The lack of world building can be excused, since there are more standalone books in the series taking place in the same world, but I was still craving more.

I feel like a few extra pages of history on the sisters, and a less rushed, maybe more devoted ending would have done so much justice to this story.

On the positive note, I liked the writing style and I loved the implementation of this fantasy language, “Durak” It did give a little GoT vibes with Dothraki and dragons and Khaleesi, but I welcomed and embraced it.

I liked the characters of both the FMC and the MMC and the slow burn kept me hooked.

[Kokylinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me up till late.

Premise:
The vampires, who have humans under compulsion, send the human FMC to the dragon lord as part of a plot to steal his power. Before that can happen, and unknown to the vampires, she manages to break the compulsion.

Pros:
I liked the strength and cleverness she exhibited, playing the vampires and playing the dragon lord.

I loved that there was no insta-love, that the FMC being beautiful was actually the reason why the MMC remained suspicious and borderline hostile towards her. I prefer when the attraction is a little less obvious at first, but you could tell the MMC admired the FMC for her actions. Although a bit cliché, she was not sappy.


Cons:
The plot was a bit weak and convenient. The FMC is a virgin trying to seduce the dragon lord, because sex is how she’ll borrow his powers?? It’s just ok, I’ve read more compelling story drivers. Her “betrayal” at the end was not very climatic or well executed. Her ex vampire master literally shows up, alone, outside their cave deep in an unknown forest location in a territory that is usually impossible for vampires to access. How did he find it? He had also managed to kidnap the dragon lord’s brother and hold him at neckpoint? This entire plot line / twist is literally two paragraphs, reads weird, and remains unexplained.

[Mar Gin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I would give this a solid 4-4.5. I love a sassy heroine who doesn't take shit. Helena definitely hits the mark with that, but there is something a touch unbelievable about her finally getting to speak her mind and being a sudden smart ass with no fear of others. Also, her feeling that she is equal to the dragon lord when she has spent her life being less than would have felt better if it would have grown over time rather than just being there. I think there just needed to be a little more of her coming into her personality rather than BAM its there in all her sassy take no names glory.

The main relationship is done well and the second half has a good amount of spice to keep my attention (with a bit of exhibitionism). I will say that the story is pretty predictable but not unwelcome in this genre with the need for a constant HEA. A bit more world building and talking about the traits of the species would have been nice and maybe have made me immerse myself more.

I think my last critique would be the "other language glossary." It was really not needed and writing a chapter from the Hero's point of view could have accomplished the same if these things had to be said. It was just obnoxious to go back and forth.

[Mimi Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually super good. I ate this book up in no time. The plot was predictable but not any less enjoyable. I loved the spicyness (there’s a lot of tension between our main leads and I’m sure it’ll make you squirm in your seat more than once).
About the characters, Helena was great. I read many reviews saying she was too naïve and a bit of an idiot but I didn’t think that. I liked her a lot and there wasn’t even a single page we’re I thought otherwise (and that’s a lot to say coming from me, I tend to hate FL pretty fast). She was witty, brave, and does whatever she wants whenever she wants without being too much (what I completely understand after what she’s been through).
About our ML, he’s a dragon with an extremely territorial, commanding and alpha personality that will make you drop your panties. Zahtan is an incredibly big sexy beast with a dirty mouth I’m sure most of us the ladies will love.
I enjoyed the book, it was a quick read (not more than 300 pages), with lots of spicy scenes 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5, a good plot and a good main couple.

[Natalie Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun-ish but lacking

I read through it because it was a bit of a fun romp with a lot of potential. But...the world and character building was almost non existent. There is no real background to characters and you know nothing about the world the live in. The MFC has an attitude of superiority over "barbarians", very knownit all. It came off as femiinist ra ra which was not only annoying but made no sense. She, after all, spent most of her life, since she was a child, as a captive thrall under compulsion. Her knowledge of the outside world is nill and she has no experience with men or relationships beyond master/servant and sisters. It would therefore be safe to say she would not have a sense of self esteem much less a boldness to criticize other cultures. I get that the author wantes to make her strong and a warrior but it came off as awkward and annoying. There is more than one way for a woman to be strong. To top everything off, the story telling was rushed. Though. If it were longer, i may not have finished it.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Helena, you poor sheltered little thing. This chick has such a sassy mouth for someone who is nocturnal and hasn’t been around anyone but human thralls and vampires. I totally feel like it has more to do with that she is fed the fuck up and ready to raze the earth. I do love all her embarrassing moments, it makes her totally more relateable. She is completely stubborn and even on purpose. You go girl.

Our Zahtan (Maliq) is exactly what I expected. He trusts no one, initially tries to make Helena feel less than, but damn if he can’t keep him self in check around her. When will these men learn that they don’t really want these submissive women? They all want one with a smart mouth. Come on.

When these two finally let the pot boil over… 🥵

I do love the ending portion of this book. So if you read this and still don’t love Helena… you need glasses. She’s such a badass. I am here for this era of boss bitches. Not saying she could do it alone, but she sure isn’t afraid to go down swinging. The worst part was finding out who betrayed her… that was not who I was expecting. I was totally shocked.

I was very surprised by how much I really enjoyed this book. The spice to plot ratio is equalivent to baby bears porridge, just right.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

i saw this very carefully... but this book was better than i thought? and by no means do i think this is the pinnacle of the fantasy romance genre, but i guess i went in with low expectations due to other readers' reviews and if i don't think too deeply about it, it was entertaining enough!

honestly my favorite parts were the 'love-triangle' aspects (but it didn't really last), like when maliq would start to act on his feelings because of tenric's feelings/admiration for helena. i wish we got to know him more because he seemed like a nice character.

i was slightly confused why maliq had a misunderstanding with helena when he supposedly heard her conversation with the god (when they were retrieving the dragon's egg) and he heard her admit to her lies, because then wouldn't he have also heard her response to the god and how she didn't want to hurt maliq or his horde?

regardless, it was still an entertaining read that i sped right through.

[Yati Nunez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although i was able to occupy my mind for a few hours, this book left me wanting. The storyline was very splochy, and although it had a lot of potential, I found myself getting frustrated with the heroine. Decisions that were made and storyline we just 'ok'. Sid was thrown into the story but didn't really provide any true purpose with the exception of cursong out the Dragon Lord at the end. In addition, the worst thing i could have done was read the extended version of "His" POV....Someone who has been as possessive as he's been in the books leaves the woman pregnant with his baby AND holding some of his powers go so easily with a vampire is just... confusing.

If you are looking for your new favorite romance this wont be it...BUT if you want to get a few reading hours in with a romance that will occupy your mind for a day then just read it...however... DONT read the extended version.. it will have you rolling your eyes.

[Patricia Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was lovely to read a standalone story without having to wait around for the release of subsequent books. (I usually manage to forget everything about the first book by the time the second and third books comes out.) It was a pleasant, short read—a great escape for a few hours. I liked the two main characters, the golden dragon king and the feisty vampire thrall. It was nicely steamy with some bawdy humor. The vampires were perfectly villainous and the dragon horde were brave and resilient There was enough suspense to keep it interesting and I enjoyed the humor.

I wish there was an explanation of how exactly the hero’s father was betrayed by a human to his vampire master. It was just casually referenced, as the father failing his people, and then dropped. I loved the footnotes with the translations of the dragon language.

[Mrsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
Meh. I think this author has good potential though.
There were things I did not like. The weird rock thing that seemed pointless.
Too much lust and not enough romance/bonding.
I also never understood why the Heroine kept with the original plan considering it was all blown to pieces as soon as she realized that her master wasn't really dead. It would come out that she had killed him in which case her sister was no longer safe. That literally shot the plan they sent her on to hell and a new one should have been developed. I had no idea what she was doing as it all seemed stupid. Having said that, she did actually luck out that her sister was okay... but that was unrealistic after what she had done.

[Manu · Rating 3 out of 5]

What the actual......

Don't tell me a girl who was never free, not even in mind since she remembers is suddenly a chatterbox and normal human being....that's simply bullshit.

Why did Maliq never question a lot of things ? A simple one: why did the vampires GIVE you a horse to escape?

Why did we never get any info on what happened with Amara and her vampire ?
It was like my sister this, my sister that and than when she is free and says they are leaving the girl is like: allrighty without a question basically.

A reeeeally close friend gets to be a talking perverted ROCK named Sid ????

The betrayal....the only other character that was introduced in a little bit of a more detail....absolutely made no sense....

I am not even mad just like wtf.

[Heather]

I DNF’d this book so I will not be leaving a rating. It just didn’t seem like something I would enjoy if I continued.
Ok, so hear me out even though this is gonna sound crazy. I don’t like when authors purposely rely on ignorance to keep their story going. For example, in this story the girl murders her master and the author is like no, all the other vampires won’t realize it was her or even question it even though they come pounding on the door to the room she’s in with his corpse, literally 30 seconds later! She’s then allowed to leave and head off for the dragon horde. It just seemed off to me. Not to mention her magical taint that captures males’ power. Yeah that’s a hard pass for me.

[BookWormKH26 · Rating 2 out of 5]

not great

I did not care for this book. The story was weak without a well developed plot. It jumps all over the place but nothing is ever really followed through with. Helena wants to learn survival skills and be independent but she never achieves this. The ending was rushed after a very drawn out 83% of the book. So many lies in a very under developed relationship. It was frustrating and unbelievable. There were several typos that did affect readability. Jazin was spelled Jarin amongst other things. I’m disappointed but glad I didn’t pay for it. Not sure I will read this author again.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so I'm going to admit that it was a very rough start with some glaring contradictions in the plot to start with and I honestly didn't think I was going to continue with the book because of it. But I stuck with it and it definitely got better and there was some good spice to it. The main female character was entertaining in a feisty kind of way and the bickering between her and the main male character was entertaining. Overall I do not regret reading it but what I recommended or read another book by this author I'm not 100% sure yet. It depends on if I'm in the mood for something light with no real serious drama or plotline just some light entertainment.

[Kotori · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun, well written dragon shifter steamy adventure

Adventures abound with a world full of supernaturals, and humans.
This book kept surprising me with its decently writing.
Essentially a dragon/vampire bodice ripper, its a lot of fun .
compulsively readable in a snacking way, even though you will laugh at the various tropes and plot devices that are so familiar.
kinda like bill and Ted's excellent adventures... if one of them was a boobylicious hot as hell babe, on a mission to seduce a dragon.

[Michelle Wharton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sexy intriguing fast read!

I very much enjoyed this book.
Likes: no cheating. (Red line for me)
Mostly Slow burn, but not frustratingly so.
Mystery and you are not sure who the h can trust.
Dislikes:
Traitor, the h didn’t even get a chance to confront, it really wasn’t even explained, it was just quickly explained that traitor was exposed and handled.
Ending, was very abrupt and no Epilogue.

I took away two stars for the ending, I felt there was too many loose ends.