Taught by the Dragon

Stonefire Dragons #12

by Jessie Donovan

A dragonwoman who doesn’t know how to shift, a single dad struggling after an injury, and a student/teacher relationship that turns into something more… After seven years as a prisoner in an illegal dragon research facility, Persephone “Percy” Smith is rescued by Clan Stonefire and sets foot inside a dragon clan for the first time, where everything she sees contradicts what she’s been told her whole life. To help her learn to be a dragon-shifter, she’s assigned a kind and sexy yet determined dragonman named Bronx Wells—as well as his fifteen-year-old daughter—to be her teachers. But she’s skeptical as hell about all their kindness, something she’s always viewed as a weakness. Growing up in an orphanage that forced dragon-shifter children to act like humans, as well as being sold at aged thirteen to the bloody awful research facility, she learned the hard way that thinking of others only ever got you hurt. To survive, she never, ever trusts anyone but herself. And yet, as Bronx and his daughter slowly teach Percy how to embrace her dragon and discover who she truly is, she wonders if maybe there are good people in the world. And soon she starts to feel things she's never felt before. Can Percy risk opening her fragile heart to Bronx? Or will she have to leave her first real home on Stonefire to protect herself?

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Dragons, Fantasy Romance, Romance

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2023

About the author

Jessie Donovan has sold over half a million books, has given away hundreds of thousands more to readers for free, and has even hit the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists. She is best known for her dragon-shifter series, but also writes about magic users, aliens, and even has a crazy romantic comedy series set in Scotland. When not reading a book, attempting to tame her yard, or traipsing around some foreign country on a shoestring, she can often be found interacting with her readers on Facebook. She lives near Seattle, where, yes, it rains a lot but it also makes everything green.

Reviews

[Jessie Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taught By the Dragon: Stonefire British Dragons Book #15
Jessie Donovan
Persephone “Percy” Smith was a survivor. Orphaned, a half dragonwoman with a silent dragon. She had been abandoned as a child, then made a prisoner in an illegal dragon-sifter research facility. She was wary of everyone. I mean EVERYONE! Even her dragon had been taken away by using dragon silencing drugs. Trust no one, had been her motto. She existed only to make life miserable for the facility guards and doctors. Then two children had been thrust into her care. Ava and Joey were her ticket out. But first she had to protect them from whatever was making that horrible racket, outside her apartment walls. In a last ditch scuffle with a guard, Percy gets struck with a sedative dart. She cant tell anyone anything!
Enter Bronx Wells. Single dragonman, Dad to Violet, former Protector, amputee, was used to being a rescuer. After losing part of his leg in another rescue, now he mainly assists. Bram assigned him to the recently freed dragonwoman. Percy was there because she saved the children. Bronx was made aware of the conditions Percy had been found in, and how she had been cruelly mistreated. Dragon hunters were not known for caring, their only mission is to rid the world of every last dragon-sifter alive! Violet, Bronx teenage daughter, was tasked to help him. Violet dreamed of one day becoming a physician. How did Percy survive? How did she cope? How do we protect her without doing more harm? Will she be combative, subdued, freak out, when she does finally wake up? Does she still have a dragon? Who can I get to help me besides Violet?
Percy wakes up to a noise. She’s not alone, but she’s not restrained, okay. Across the room are four very unfamiliar people. They are sitting around a table, two males and two females. Three of them have flashing eyes, dragon-shifters. Melanie tells Percy she’s sorry they woke her with all the noise. The others introduce themselves, Bronx, Tristan and Violet. Where am I, Percy asks? So begins Percy’s introduction to Clan Stonefire. She knows they are shifters, but where is she? Who are these four? Percy has made it this far by trusting NO ONE but herself. She learned early on others always wanted something from her. What do they want? Where is Ava’s uncle, the one made a deal with me? What do I do now? Bronx, Violet, Melanie and Tristan try to give her answers. Percy has never been around others dragonshifters, only guards, doctors or prisoners like herself. No one ever told the truth. No one ever thanked her for doing anything! So begins the story of how Percy learns how to live as a dragonshifter. Questions abound. Is her silent dragon gone or just sleeping? Is Percy a spy for the dragon hunters? Can she learn and be rehabilitated as a member of Stonefire? Bronx can’t understand as time moves forward, why he is so drawn to Percy. He feels like he wants to kill those who hurt this young female. Bronx lost his human mate Edith, when Violet was born. Why now is he having “feelings” again, and for this young dragonwoman? She’s fragile and tormented, he doesn’t have a clue as to how to save her! Why me, why now? Could she be my true mate?
All these answers and more are found in this story. Now to truly understand the backstory and understand who some of the characters are, it’s a good idea to read more of Jessie Donovan’s British Stonefire Dragons. You will be glad you did as this is how I got hooked myself!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting read, a young single dad trying to help his daughter learn how to live among other dragon shifters

Percy had been captured and held for over seven years in an institute where she had been put through painful and horrific experiments by humans searching for the secrets of the amazing natural shifting ability.

As she had be brought up in an Orphanage with no family and no one to pay any attention to her or her health and wellbeing after she had been missing and so after all these terrible years of testing, she found that when she was rescued and taken to Clan Stonefire she was like “A Duck Out Of Water”. She felt the uncertainty of the other shifters along with their actual doubts and suspicion with regards to her story.

In an effort to help her assimilate to living at Clan Stonefire she is matched with a Dragon man by the name of Bronx who along with his fifteen-year-old daughter is going to help her to understand what being a Dragon woman actually is, she has never shifted before or communicated with her Dragon and so is in need of as much help and understanding as possible.
Percy is so wary of every one at Stonefire she has never before known any kindness and has never before felt a family bond and so Bronx and his daughter know that it is no easy task they have. As they begin spending more time together and they begin to feel more comfortable in each other’s company and begin to learn about each other and this has to be an improvement.
I guarantee that you will be captivated by this simply wonderful story and I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down once you begin reading this wonderful story it is a simply captivating read that you will love every moment of.

I assure you that you will love every moment of this book it is simply a fantastic read.
I voluntarily received and review an Advanced Reader Copy
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading any future publications; keep up all the great writing.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taught by the Dragon
Persephone “Percy” Smith was a half-human/half-dragon left at an orphanage, unloved and unwanted. At the orphanage she was bullied and abused in a place that was supposed to care for her. They forced her to act as a human. Percy spent the first thirteen years of her life at the orphanage. She was taught that dragon shifters hated mixed hybrid children. Then her inner dragon makes an appearance and she is sold to an illegal dragon research laboratory.
Percy is subjected to many horrible experiments. They give her drugs to prevent her dragon fully emerging silencing her only friend. Percy is strong, she is a survivor. She trusts no one. Percy helps two abducted children, one human and one a dragon shifter. The children tell her they will be rescued.
Stonefire Dragons invade the research facility and rescue everyone. Percy hopes to leverage her help to gain freedom. She would also like to try to contact her silent dragon, it has been seven years. She is desperate to talk to her other half. Will this be possible after all this time?
She is assigned an older dragon, Bronx Wells. Bronx is experienced in trauma and can perhaps coax Percy into learning about Dragon Culture. He needs to assess her education level and prepare her for trying to reach her dragon. Bronx and his young teenage daughter, Violet, along with Percy move into a cottage.
Bronx is anxious to help others as her was injured a year ago in an accident that resulted in losing part of his leg. His dragon is onboard with helping Percy, could this be something more?
Maybe they can become friends and help each other. Will Percy’s dragon come back? I love the Stone fire Dragon Clan. This is a great addition to the series.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always fun diving back into this world. And we are back on Stonefire which is always great! This story follows Percy and Bronx. Percy has had a tough life. She was left at an orphanage because her mother didn't want her. And was treated terribly for being half human and half dragonshifter. Worse, when her inner dragon appears, they sell her to an illegal dragon research facility that does the worst possible things you can think of to her. And after so long, she finally escapes with the help of Stonefire. But so much damage has been done. Like that fact that she hasn't heard her dragon since she was a child and that she trusts absolutely no one in any shape or form. But she is a survivor and one thing she wants more than anything is to get her dragon back and shift and fly for the first time. And to do that she will need some help. Bronx and his fifteen year old daughter, Violet, are asked to teach Percy about being dragonshifters. Bronx is known for helping others. And though a recent injury resulted in the loss of part of his leg, he pushes through to help when he can. And he wants to help Percy. What he doesn't expect is the pull he feels toward her. But whether or not she could be is true mate? Well, he'll only know if her dragon comes back. And even then, he knows the horrors she has been through. Who is to say she wants anything to do with having a mate. This story was so good and heart wrenching. Percy has been through a lot and even Bronx has had his share of tragedies with his late first mate. But together, they may just be able to heal one another. It's a slow burn that is worth the wait. And just another great addition to this series.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan Saltos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sorry, I had a huge problem with the age gap. He’s 42 and she’s only 20! Couldn’t you have at least made her 25? 20 is still a kid in my book. I’m a mom of a 22 year old boy (or I should say man). If he went out with a 42 year old woman I would FLIP! 22 years is just way too much of an age gap, when she is 20 years old. I would have been different if she was 30 and he 52 as she’d have some more life experience under her belt. But a 22 year age gap?! Plus,she was imprisoned since she was 10/11? She had zero real world experience. She wasn’t allowed to watch tv, read books, newspapers or magazines, she wasn’t able to use the internet, nothing. She was experimented on, raped and abused. I just couldn’t fathom a 20 year old getting together with a 42 old man who’d been married, widowed, and had a 15 year old daughter when in essence she was still a child mentally and emotionally. Also, much of the story was internal with the two main characters. I would have liked to have seen them do more and spend more time together doing things, talking and getting to know each other. It was one of the authors longest books, but it didn’t feel like much happened at all. I enjoyed the book (imagining her to be much older in my mind), but I felt there was a lot missing for this to be a romance novel as the two main characters didn’t interact as much as would have been expected.

[Linda Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read every book in the series and highly recommend them all.

If you haven’t read any of them yet, you can certainly jump in with this book.

It’s one of the stories with sad back stories for both of the main characters. She’s never had love and support and doesn’t even understand what it’s like to be a dragon shifter. He lost his mate many years ago and suffered another loss when he lost part of his leg during a mission.

Bronx is really a great fit for her. You feel the connection right away. He and his daughter really want to show her that there are good people out there. It’s not an easy journey for her, and she shares her painful past along the way.

I liked how the story developed and you got to see them form a bond. It wasn’t easy for either of them based on their past. Neither was wanting to rush into a relationship.

One of the things I really enjoy about this series is that you get to encounter characters from the earlier books as well. The stories really build well on each other.

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received.

[Cilicia White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Percy has spent seven years being held captive and experimented on by dragon hunters, but after striking a deal with Bram, the Stonefire Clan leader, she is rescued and comes to Stonefire to learn how to be a shifter. She is assigned to Bronx and his teen daughter, Violet to learn but Percy doesn’t trust anyone and I wouldn’t either if I went through the same things as Percy. Bronx has had a rough time but he knows that he needs to help Percy. The more time they spend together the more they are attracted to each other. They are both fighting their on personal demons and that are trying to fight their growing feelings. Can their love and Violet bring these two lost souls together or will they let their past come between them?

I was given a copy of this book for a review.

[Klutzy Traveler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very excited when Jessie announced that Percy was getting her own book, and even more excited that Bronx was her fated mate. Of all the characters in all the dragon books, Percy is the most damaged - even more so than Arabella, and that says something! Bronx, who has a giant heart, has his own scars and damage he carries, but that made him even more perfect . This book had all the feels: it made me cry, it made me laugh, the sweet ending for these two characters made my heart full, and it was great to revisit with some favorite characters from the Stonefire universe. The way Jessie handled the very sensitive subjects relating to Percy’s terrible past was so heartfelt and respectful. Jessie’s great love for this broken soul came shining through in every chapter. I am glad this book was more of a slow-burn romance, because to be anything else would have been out-of-step and inappropriate to the situation. It made the steamy moments Percy and Bronx finally share that much more meaningful. This is beautifully written and gave Percy the love she deserved.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Percy & Bronx + Violet

She'd been through so much, while Bronx didn't know all of the details, he'd heard enough to know her being rescued wasn't going to be the end of her life changes. He had his own adjustments to deal with. As a father, he had to adjust to life. He's asked to help Percy adjust.

Will he and his daughter make a difference in her life? Is it possible doing so could make a change in the future for them all?

An amazing addition to the Stonefire series. The author never fails to give us new characters to love as well as visiting old favorites. This is no exception.

[Michelle Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Percy went through hell and it's hard 2 trust anyone or what anyone says. Even when Bronx and his daughter help her learn about dragon halves and what u can and can't do, etc. But the 1 thing is clear over x that there's a constant between her and Bronx that feels different but does she finally try 2 trust in his m and his daughter or does she run away when things get interesting? Read and find out. I really liked it. They may both b broken but they will hopefully learn 2gether in the future or do they?

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

love the series but not this book..

I love the characters and the idea of being "broken" and working on healing, but Percy is like 19/20 years old... she was 12 when she's was sold and she was there for 7 years... then Bronx has a 15 year old daughter. Making him around 40 years old.. a small age gap is fine but 20 years?! That's not ok. I dnf'd this book for that reason. I'm sure it's beautifully written like the rest but the large age gap icked me out as she's closer to his daughter's age and that me classify him as a pedophile.

[Lory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good and heart wrenching read about two broken people trying to come out of their shells and truly allowing themselves to heal from their past trauma. It's definitely a slow burn read but I truly enjoyed it all the same. Overall a enjoyable and entertaining read and a great addition to the series. As always my reviews are totally voluntarily and no monetary compensation was received and the opinions I have expressed are completely my own.

[Scishellgmail.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart-warming story of survival against all odds. The the strong willed Percy has survived a life filled with lies, torture and loneliness. Bronx lost his mate and then his leg but finds a second chance at life and love with Percy after he is asked to help her recover from her imprisonment and teach her how to be a dragon shifter again. This story is full of strong characters who heal eachother and ultimately find love after first learning how to trust eachother and themselves again.

[Hilary Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Series

Taught by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 15) by Jessie Donovan. Percy, a female dragon shifter has been in the hands of dragon hunters for 7 years, experimented on abused and her dragon has been missing all that time. Rescued by the dragons of Stonefire, she has been allocated Bronx and his daughter Voilet to look after and try to bring her out of her shell. Over the following weeks she discovers she is attracted to Bronx and they are mates.

[Bethany Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Percy and Bronx

This book is an absolute win for Jessie Donovan! Percy and Bronx both have tragic backstories, Percy’s story is especially heartbreaking, but their Happily Ever After is full of patience and consent and trust and love. I shed a few tears reading it but also laughed and really just enjoyed the experience.

[Ashley C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story. Both Bronx and Percy had issues that they needed to work through. Bronx is a single dad with recently amputation he trying to get his life back together. Percy is trying to get her dragon back. Can they help each other. I love catching up with some of other couples . I cannot wait to read more.

[Estrellita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming

Love tis book. Through patience and understanding, Bronx makes great strides in helping Percy overcome many of her issues due to her past. Bronx also finds it in himself to share his past with his daughter Violet. it is a heartwarming story that makes you tear up for everything Bronx, Percy and Violet go through.

[Alison Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable

This was so emotional. Percy had suffered years of abuse and trusted no-one, being totally alone without even her inner dragon for friendship. Bronx is assigned as her teacher to help recover but is adamant he doesn't deserve another mate. You really feel for Percy as Bronx patiently shows her that there are good people around who care for her.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

I will say I've always loved stories about age difference between th two main characters. This one really touched my heart. In so many ways I'm Percy and Edith. And it took a special older man to tech me about true love. Bronx was a little hardheaded but also so kind, patience, understanding. Not many good ones out there these days. Loved every word.

[CL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

Sweet gentle romance a bit difficult reading of have certain triggers. An interesting pairing that in end is a sweet one.
But storyline also opens yet leaves a lot of wondering about the other prisoner victims as well as finding & punishing those involved with the orphanage aspect. They mention being closed yet nothing more, a future storyline perhaps?

[Tara Dorough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bronx and Percy Are Amazing Characters

Taught by the Dragon, book 15 of Jessie Donovan's Stonefire British Dragons series is full of great characters. Bronx and Percy are wonderful together. After each of them have suffered finding happiness seemed impossible. Love however can cure everything.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I've loved all of Stonefire's stories and this was no different. Percy and Bronx's story was so touching and sweet. Definitely loved their story and scenes with previous characters. Looking forward to the next one.

[Brooke Rainwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Percy is a survivor of epic proportions!

Percy is a survivor and so is Bronx! What a perfect pair! And Violet was fantastic. Loved the family dynamic unfolding in this one before Percy and Bronx ever need what hit them!

[Kim Cilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great novel

I love the way jessie keeps you entertained from start to finish.
I love that so many of the other characters are included in this novel.
Please keep up the great work.
I am now off to read the Winter gathering.

[Kay Folks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Ok overall and good edition to the series, but I found there were a few things missing, like who where her parents and why was she amandine by her dragonshifter father??? And the last 25% of the book felt rushed

[Michele Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, but sloooww burn. Not her typical story tempo. I see why she did it, it makes sense for the story.

[Pet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really suffered with Percy, and while part of me was silently urging her to trust a little give a little I fully understood her hesitation. Love how gentle Bronx is with her.

[Maritza Knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

torture

Two tortured soul’s that are bound together. This was exactly what I was looking for, without knowing I was looking for it.

[Kelsie Gahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. All 3 characters

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This was a good book. It was a quick, easy read. Has a little bit of drama. Also has great characters.