Firebreather

Dragon's Keep #1

by RaeLynn Blue

For Angelina Brown, everything that couldn’t be proved with science was basically unnecessary; including love. Her outlook on the emotion was clinical, almost detached. That is until she found herself mated to one of the dragon shifters in a resident horde that she helped look after as an expert dragontologist.

Ryuu had two issues. One, he needed to find a mate and fast. Two, he needed to solve a murder even faster. The first issue is taken care of when his mating to Angelina pretty much drops into his lap. But after an incident that leaves his confidence shaken, he begins to wonder, is the good doctor with him because of her heart’s curiosity or her brain’s?

Stuck together through an unbreakable bond that is as old as time and just as strong; the pair finds themselves not only trying to figure out who their surprise arsonist is, but whether or not they should follow the lead of their emotions.


“What do you want me to do?” she asked Elder Gou, who stood a short distance from Ryuu.

He stroked his goatee. “I feared this would happen. He’s waited so long to mate. Too long. He needs a mate. Now.”

Angelina nodded. “If he doesn’t?”

Elder Gou’s almond-shaped eyes were sad. “I fear he could die.”

Die. Angelina looked down at Ryuu who had ceased fire breathing and simply laid on the hall’s floor, body drenched in sweat. His skin feverish, his face flushed, and his body warring against itself. She’d seen this before—when pubescent youths shift for the first time. Ryuu wasn’t even close to being in that age, over 28 for sure, so what exactly was his body doing?

“Elder, I don’t have any remedies for this. When young hatchlings go through this, it is to test if they will live or die. Ryuu is an adult…”

The Elder laughed, but it was without humor. “You do have what it takes to save him.”
“I do?”
“You are a female.”
“Yes, but a human one.”
Elder Gou nodded. He pointed to Ryuu. “In this state, Ryuu is a human male.”
“Shifter.” She corrected.

The Elder nodded. “If you do not wish to save him, I understand.”

“It isn’t that. But why me? Why not one of the dozens of females in this keep who want to mate with him?” It seemed like an easy fix. Bring in a female dragon shifter, and she mates with Ryuu. He lives and it’s over.

Elder Gou sighed. “Any female will not do. Ryuu had rejected the females of this keep that are available to mate. Many of us here are related, and bringing in another female from a different clan will take too much time; he will die before then. Besides, as you know, we mate for life. I cannot bond him to a woman he does not love or want. If he has wished to be mated to just any female, he would have done so and spared himself this pain.”

Angelina stared down at Ryuu’s suffering and now, spasming body. She did find him attractive, but having sex with him would bind her for life. After a decade of studying dragon shifters, she knew little about their mating with purely human females. It did happen, but in very rare cases. Most of the science on the subject warned against it because humans didn’t fair well. Would she be willing to give up her life, potentially, to save his?

78 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2012

About the author

RaeLynn Blue is the author of numerous tales of erotic interracial romance and speculative romance. With an imagination that's varied and diverse, her tales explores love in all its many shades, situations and scenarios. She fell into romance stories at the ripe age of eleven and has been writing stories ever since. A humble scribbler of tales, RaeLynn is actively writing another story of lust, love, and romance.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked the book but i felt it was missing pieces. i would have liked there to be more about Ryuu and Angela. they did not have much of a story as a couple. i thought Draco and Kao were unconcerned when Ryuu was kidnapped and it felt like it was more to be addressed with that. Who was the person singing that disabled Angela? That was some type of magical element that was never addressed either was it some other mythical being that was to hurt dragons. Why didn't the Elder that found Ryuu help him or tell Angela, Draco or Kao where he was at. For Dragons they didn't seem very tough. Also Draco was tight lipped about his involvement with Claudia's death and I want to know his side of the story.

[Erin Penn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish - stopped at 31%, start of chapter 6 - Read through Kindle Unlimited

Before the end of chapter 1, I had mentally dropped into editor mode and stopped reading the book for entertainment. I continued for a while (through the end of chapter 5), but it didn't snap me out of it so I gave up. The proofreading was fine - the book needed both developmental and copyediting lovin'.

Since things that bother me won't necessarily bother other people seeking entertainment, I am breaking out everything else as spoilers. And since Amazon makes the spoilers visible, I will not be posting this review on Amazon. Sometimes professional training ruins what is meant to be a pure lark.


Okay - now onto why this, for me as a professional editor going on half a decade, ended up being a train wreck.

First is the head-butt between two primary conceits for the book. (1) Dragons mate every 28 years. But when they do mate, its for life (I think - on one hand it is presented as optional and they decided to make the mating permanent, and on the other hand it is presented as a one-time deal for Ryuu and Angelia.) The driving force for the insta-love/lust between Angelina and Ryuu is Ryuu has delayed his mating for 2 years (until he is 30). He had fallen for Angelina a little before he entered his mating cycle - but as a human, he didn't want to risk her and has been fighting the process the whole time. Eventually this gives. (2) Ryuu and Angelina need to rush to rescue Ryuu's younger brother who has been arrested for burning his lover. --- Wait, what? If dragons only mate once every 28 years, his younger brother should be 2. --- Possible solutions (1) They are twins (which as the book is written right now, is not the case); (2) There is a couple year window where the dragon mates lay or hatch several eggs (not presented in any form by the 5 chapter and needed to be - which would be a developmental editor thing); (3) Adopted brother; (4) Make them close cousins - if births are always 28 years apart, families are likely to raise clutches of children together.

Second, the copyediting missed a lot of duplicate words. Developmental editing missed a lot of duplicate information or conflicting information (see above for the - is mating a permanent or one-shot).

Third, the whole scene with the cops read like a first, maybe second draft. Suddenly a new lawyer is needed. So Reyuu has a card (which is why I think second draft, I think the card was added during the second pass to explain why a lawyer shows up). And bail? That was weird - and the cops fighting it. And arguing and back and forth with the emotions. The whole scene lacked focus. I can see what the author wanted to do - but it doesn't work, yet ... which is why I slipped into editing mode. To fix it. This is a deep fix - would require back and forth with the author so I really can't list all the individual things that will make it a good whole. But overall, a more focused and consistent presentation of (a) culture, (b) emotional growth, (c) occupational requirements, (d) actions is needed.

Fourth, permanent items aren't. In the first kiss scene, Angelia strips down to her underwear and bra. Then Reyuu tears her "clothes" off with his half-shifted claws. Then she stands in only her panties.

Well, that is what I remember from last night before I decided to give up on the book. I wanted to love it so much. I am trying to read and enjoy more diverse books, especially paranormal romance, but not many cross my plate for review.

Overall this book has many of the first-book-written problems I've seen with authors; they aren't bad, but they don't work since the authors are still learning their craft. Ms. Blue has figured out how to create some beautiful threads, but still needs work weaving them into a whole.

[Selina Durio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Azure

This was a good read! Ryuu was a great, but complicated firebreather. After putting off his mating he gets to the point of no return and Angelina comes to the rescue. Their mating is interrupted by his brother being accused of murder. The resolution HEA was heartwarming.

[Katara Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angelina

Great dragon shifter story. I love how Angelina is the key to different aspects of this story ! That Black girl magic is powerful!