Burn My Heart

Dragons of Blood and Bone #1

by Ava Ward

I have a secret past—that’s back to bite me. Big time.

Twenty years ago, I left my home and my Blood Dragon clan up in Sweden and never looked back.

Now, I’m an ass-kicking protector of a place I love like home, the Red Letter Hotel Paris, and new friends I call family.

But when I suddenly lose control of my dragon’s shift for the first time in ages, my past comes roaring back.

Now, I have to return home to figure out what’s going on—and revisit a whole host of things I’ve left dead and buried.

But the past never stays dead.

And love doesn’t just stay buried when we want it to…

A spicy, slow-burn reverse harem dragon shifter romance with fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, and a kickass heroine, the Dragons of Blood and Bone series is for adult audiences who like their dragons hot!

Genres: Dragons, Paranormal, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Romantasy, Paranormal Romance, Unfinished

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2023

Reviews

[Spasticnontastic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt a little choppy. Meh.

[carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

to long to wait lol

Absolutely riveting I love this book the status part is I have to wait a year to the next one💕💕

[Barbara S. Sturdivant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!!

Love the dragon and magic premise if this trilogy. Reverse harem and blood mates that don't really get along are among some of the challenges in this first book. But it's so great!

[Abbella DiNoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

waited So long for this

Loved the original series (Royal Dragon bind of Monaco) 7books
Waited for what seemed like forever to the conclusion of its sister sister series About Master Vampire Quindinci’s. (DARK MASTER’S KISS) 3books I was stunned and so happy to hear Rickyava was going to get her own spin off series. Now I can’t wait for the next volume.
This very much reminds me of Tv Series VIKINGS. But with a lot more magic and dragons. Like D&D MEETS VIKINGS .. (Pottermore) but with mages rather than witches/wizards. Sadly no Odin no Thor though .. suggestions to author perhaps? I mean the setting is Iceland Sweden Denmark With VIKINGS SO? come on? Why are there no gods involved here? Seems to me they would live in the twilight realm? Ya know?
20 YEARS ago Rikiyava fled her home up north for undisclosed reasons only she knows. But now Rikyava is losing control of her dragon and must leave the protection of the RED LETTER hotel OF PARIS or risk being taken out by the intercessoria. “CIA of Magic”. But there are real dangers and threats of angry old boyfriends to deal with too. Not to mention how she abandoned her mentors friends and family and the duty to her own people. As she is head Shield maiden! Like a Princess of sorts in old Viking Norse culture. And 3rd in line to her Uncles throne. But deadly threats loom! And she is being blamed because old magic runes and attacks that would cause war with her people. Seem to resonate with her own deep secret hidden magic., a darker magic she herself is Terrified to allow to the surface! But it’s FACE HER TRUE SELF, FACE HER DARK SIDE, FACE HER MENTORS, FACE HER PEOPLE, FACE HER PAST, FACE THE BONE MAGES, FACE THE BLOOD MAGES, FACE THE KNIGHTS COUNCIL, face old boyfriends .. or die….. or worse? wheew! That’s a lot to unpack.

yes with bated breath I’m waiting for the conclusion!!
The story is Building for heroine to create her own reverse harem, no cheating, no triggers, .. just “touch her or try to hurt her” “you die” vibes”. From her hero’s
Hero’s will gladly give their lives to protect their woman, but first they got to learn to get along with each other. Or they are all doomed. Blood majic, death majic, smex majic. Dragon/human body smex. Yummy …oh and a lot of magic!!!
By the way.. Ava.. it is Paragrin Falcons who mate in a deadly free fall from thousands of feet above the ground not Eagles . only the strongest can reach the heights required not to kill themselves to crashing to the ground before they untangle their talons from one another.

[SEng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is a great start to this new series. We follow Rikyava and learn so much more about her and her difficult past. The steamy encounters and exciting thrills throughout this story made this one a page turner. I can't wait to read the next one. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christine Willingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC. I love the characters in this book. Finally getting to see inside the blood dragons. Although finding out that Luke and Yava didn't make it is sad news. Can't wait to see what's next.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burn My Heart Dragons and of Blood and Bone

Such a good book. I love the storyline. I love the characters and setting. There was never a boring moment.i am so glad there is another book to read and see our dragons learn to harness the power of blood walking and bone magic.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so excited to read the first book in a new series by Ms Ward, and this time round we are meeting up with one of the characters from the Red Letter Hotel in the Twilight Realm in Paris, Rikyava. She is the captain in charge of guard and security at the hotel. A hotel whose legacy is to protect the freedom to love mightily and with total abandon, tenets which Captain Rikyava Andersen always fought hard to uphold, her motto being never give up, never surrender. So when she starts hearing the voices of her blood dragon ancestors and a vision of a long dead dragon calls her usurper, she is in great pain and shifts into her drakaina form whilst underground in the hotel. This is considered a crime punishable by death, however Rikyava being much respected, and a dear friend of Reginald the head of the hotel, is allowed to take a long leave of absence to get her shit together. She returns to her homeland in Sweden and there embarks on a terrifying journey of self discovery as well as that of the blood dragon ancestors, and that of the bone dragons. She finds out that she is more than just a blood dragon and that the dark bone dragon inside of her was powerful but needed to be curbed. She is a bloodwalker, and the Black Dragon Knights fear who and what she is and want to stop her even if this means killing her. Her bone dragon needs bondmates and though she fightst this with all her might she knows she needs this strength to carry on. Her mentor Maryse had three bond mates and they gave her strength, she needed to follow her lead if she was to clear her family name and retain her freedom and choice to live a life she loved at the Red Letter Hotel. Can Rikyava ever go back to her life after all she is being forced to become back home in Sweden? Wow what an explosive first book, riveting and mysterious as well as being truly magical in a dark and scary way. I am hooked once again and look forward to book 2 in this new series.

[B. Koe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal paranormal romance MUST-READ!
What an AMAZING start to the new series by author Ava Ward! Not since the Red Letter Hotel series has an Ava Ward novel grabbed me as hard or as fast as BURN MY HEART! To be sure the dragon shifters and magic are similar in both series, but BURN MY HEART gives readers a much closer look at Rikyava Andersen, the Commander of the Guard protecting the Red Letter Hotel, Paris. Rikyava’s difficult past, alluded to in the pages of author Ward’s Red Letter Hotel series, finally comes to light in BURN MY HEART and provides the most elaborate yet suspense-filled plotlines I've found in the paranormal romance trope. However, have no fear if you haven’t read the Red Letter Hotel series yet or recently. Author Ava Ward gives enough background through first-person conversation and recollection to give all readers confidence that they understand the stakes. Rikyava joins a host of other characters to tell a story so complex and compelling that I read the novel through the night; only closing the book as the sun’s rays hit my window! I can hardly wait for the next episode of Dragons of Blood and Bone! To be sure, BURN MY HEART is a steamy hot, reverse harem romance for adult audiences that is this winter’s MUST-READ! I volunteered to read an early ARC copy of BURN MY HEART and am voluntarily submitting this 5-STAR review. Get your copy of BURN MY HEART by Ava Ward, today! You will be so glad you did! 😉

[Victoria Golby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viking dragon fated mates

I have really enjoyed listening to this and haven't been able to put it down. A well-written story full of action, banter, fated mates, magic, chemistry, bonding, love and romance, with plenty of twists and character development.

Rikyava had left her clan and boyfriend in Sweden twenty years before and started a new life working as the Head of the Guard at the Red Letter Hotel in Paris. But when her dragon shifts within the grounds she also gets a premonition and know she needs to return to her homeland.

There she discovers that she will need to embrace her Bloodwalker magic, which was the reason for her leaving years ago, and that it needs multiple mates to control it. Her ex is furious as he still wants to be with her, but doesn't like the idea of sharing and when another drake joins her jealousy and desire clash.

But a dark evil is awakening and they need to learn all they can about her magic to understand what the ancients are trying to tell her.

I really enjoyed the character development in this and can't wait to continue with the second book "Singe My Nights". It was fun listening to it with the digital audio bringing the characters to life.

I received a free copy of this audio book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another scintillating story from Ava

Rikyava first appeared in the Royal Dragon Shifters of Morocco series and I loved her absolute fierceness and passion then. Even more so now she's telling us her own story, and what a belter it's going to be.
No spoilers but there's much more to her than we knew in the Royal Dragons series when she was larger than life as Commander of the Guard at the Red Letter Hotel Paris, fierce fighter, fierce friend, loyal to a fault. Now the past she hides from everyone is coming back to bite her and I've bought my front row seat for the whole series already.
You don't need to read the Royal Dragons series to understand this but you'd probably benefit from reading it because it's so enjoyable, and also because Layla, Reginald, Dusk, Rhennic and Luke all star in the series and I'm hoping we see Rikyava's best friend, Layla, and all her mates in this series too.
Ava's writing is the same as ever, rich, sensual, evocative, so much imagination flowing through her out onto the pages and into our minds and hearts. Always an absolute pleasure to read her books.

[Brandy Hathaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough to continue to the next book.

I am not a fan of this author's writing style. My biggest complaint is the way information for the reader gets shoe horned in in abrupt ways. A spoiler free example would be a during a conversation about recent historical events in the world being told to the FMC like she didn't live through it. Continuing with that, there were several instances in which once the reader was made aware of something, suddenly all the main characters knew as well even when they were not present for the reveal. A minor annoyance, but something that is a personal pet peeve to me, was a character discussing a friend in passing, but said their full government name. The authors descriptive style was in some ways very rich and interesting, yet in other ways extremely lacking. Mostly, I think the story needed a few more rounds of good editing to clear up redundancies and smooth out the narrative. The story is interesting, so I will continue on to the next book, and depending on how that goes, maybe I'll finish the series.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying, this book is the first book in a spin off series from the Royal Dragon Bind series by Ava Ward. While not strictly required to read the prior series, I do think it would be beneficial for world building purposes and to gain more insight on various characters. This book was a pleasant surprise for me. While I enjoyed Rikyava, in the first series, I wasn’t sure how she would feel as a main character. This book takes us on a journey to Sweden to Rikyava’s home when she has to deal with a situation that arises while on shift at the Red Letter Hotel in Paris and we begin to learn about her turbulent past. This story covers topics such as Blood and Ice dragons, secret societies, Blood Magic, Bone Magic, and of course some angst and steam with sexy Viking dragons. Who wouldn’t want to read about hardcore warrior dragons with magic?! Looking forward to the next book by Ava Ward!

[Virginie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 61%. Soooooo boring! Pacing is pretty bad. Also who writes a reverse harem book without sex until 60% and what you get then is just blahhhhhh. Not that I need sexy scenes to enjoy a book but at least make the story interesting so that I feel halfway fulfilled. While the book may improve after where I stopped (doubtful), it is just too painful and excruciatingly boring for me to try to finish it.

There are also lots of comments regarding events that happened in the prior series which is quite frustrating. In addition, waiting until more than 50% to hear why Yava left and during that 50% having her internal monologue that she can’t tell him/them why was just really really annoying. Spit it out already and let’s move on!

Anyway, I am obviously not a fan, but to each its own. I would not recommend.

[Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burn My Heart: Dragons of Blood and Bone is the first book in the Viking Dragon Shifters paranormal series by Ms. Ava Ward. It focuses on the life of Rikyava Anderson. Who we originally come across in Royal Dragon Shifters of Marocco, Red Letter Hotel as the head of security. Oh but Rikyava is so much more than you could even begin to imagine. 20 years ago she ran from her life, destiny and full power. Major events happen in multiple places and people, which forces her to return home and become her full self. She comes into her fullness in this awesome series. Steamy bonds, action packed battles, magic, dragons and more beautiful sexy dragons. Rikyava's journey is just beginning and I'm definitely going along for the ride. ~Queen~

[ReadIt LikeALady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into it. I pushed through for about 200 pages and I kept not wanting to read it. I would try, get through a chapter, and want to stop and do something else. eventually I just had to give up. It's very disjointed. I think I understand where the author was going but the story doesn't flow. I couldn't immerse myself and get lost in it.

It honestly almost felt like either badly written AI or badly translated from another language. Some of the sentences just didn't make sense to me and it's not because of words I didn't know. It felt like certain words just didn't belong in the sentence, or a word was used that kind of fits but so many other things would fit better that it just seemed out of place.

[Shivani McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Fantasy Romance I have read all year!! Ava Wards new series (Dragons of Blood and Bone): Burn My Heart, is a show stopper. I was so enthralled with the characters, setting and story line I couldn't put the book down. Ava's writing is detailed but not so much it bogs down the story and her world building so imaginative, and exciting. Her characters are human like, flawed, funny, charming and dangerous. What's not to like? If you haven't read her "Dragon Shifters of Morocco" series, it's a good place to start but not necessary to enjoy her new series Dragons of Blood and Bone.

[Debora Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Burn my Heart" by Ava Ward is a captivating and emotionally charged novel that explores the complexities of love, loss, and redemption in a beautifully written narrative. Mrs. Ward's masterful storytelling and vivid descriptions draw the reader into a world filled with heartache, passion, and unexpected twists that keep you engaged from beginning to end. The characters in "Burn my Heart" are deeply developed and relatable, each with their own unique journey and internal struggles. Ava Ward's seamless ability to craft authentic and multi-dimensional characters allows the reader to connect with them on a profound level, feeling their joys and sorrows as if they were their own.

[stacigracefullylovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I didn't know what I was getting into when I read the "back" and it surprised me. I love Rikyava she is powerful from the very first sentence She knows she is a tough, don't take no shits, female warrior. and the fact that this has Viking type of fighting like Berserkers! Ahh so amazing! Where has Ava Ward been? I think I might go down the rabbit hole and read all of her books!
I absolutely love Ström, Bjorn is a bit much, a little overly possessive, which makes sense given these are dragons. I loved Ström because he really seemed to understand everything she needed and was there for her through everything.
Onto the next!!

[Sarah J Stebbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this book did not grab me as much as I thought it might. For a fairly short book it seemed dragged a little for me before things started to truly happen. That is not to say plenty did not happen before, but it is just that things did not grip me much until later on in the story. And even then before I knew it the book was over.

Im interested enough to read the next book, but will take this series on a book by book basis. As it stands now the main reasons I am continuing are: Im interested enough and that the books are fairly short reads for me.

[Karen G · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Great read. You have to take your time. This not your atypical dragon shifter book. It is about some Viking lore (which I don’t know much about) and lots of Viking names that are hard to pronounce and so slow down your reading (which is ok imo). It is intense at times. There is magic and familial stories. You have to follow closely as there are interwoven stories and people that will show up or not until later. I love the dynamics of our FMC and her two “mates”. Mainly because so far they are so antagonistic towards each other.
Look forward to book 2

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series. I loved the characters,  Rikyava was a favorite from the Royal Dragon shifters series. Enjoyed Bjorn and Strom , their different personalities were well written. I was immersed in book, read all day. Then had to get up in the middle of the night to finish, finished at 3:30 am, so I would say, it was well worth the lost sleep. I was given an ARC and am voluntarily reviewing it.

[Sofia ♥️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 😔
I really tried to like this book — but nope, this book ain’t for me. ☹️ I was intrigued by the premise but I couldn’t connect with the characters and the world building wasn’t engaging. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I don’t know if the author is from Scandinavia or just fascinated… but the number of times ”Stockholm”, ”Sweden”, ”Norway” etc were mentioned is a bit preposterous. Like, I get it, the MFC is from Scandinavia. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Alas… not a new favourite 😔

[Esmeralda Silva Tenazinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have missed our dear Rikyava, She was very important on the Dragons off Morroco series and I really likes her. She is a force of nature so when things start to shift inside off her you bet it's going to get heated. There are a lot of secreta an plots we still don't know and that just keeps us readers begging for more. Once again the Our author Ava Ward brings all the feels.

[C L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book. Ms Ward has brought colour to another of the Red letter hotel employees Rikyava.

Returning home after you thought you left it behind is always going to be interesting, but perhaps not in the way you think.

Characters are well written and brought to life. I'm looking forward to see how the story progresses in the next book.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Rikyava was always a favourite character of mine while reading the “Royal Dragon Shifters of Marocco” series, I of cause had to read this spin-off. As all of Ms. Ward´s books this one is fast paced, sensual and gripping as all the others. Be prepared to dive in and learn all about Rikyava´s past, her secrets and who she is going to shape her future!

[Julie Barksdale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mystery over romance

Our heroine is searching for answers to a crime and other mysteries with her love interests as a side focus. The action in the book didn't really pick up until 3/4 of the way through. I love a good dragon series, but this one didn't hold my interest enough to read the 2nd book.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I was happy to learn Rikyava from the Royal Dragon Bind series was getting her own spin-off is an understatement. She is an unapologetically badass female and I love her witty and snarky dialogue. In this book we learn more about Yava’s background and why she left her ancestral home twenty years ago. Forced to return to search for answers only her mentor can provide, not only is Yava immediately thrust into the middle of an investigation surrounding an ancient dark force that makes her question everything, but she has to navigate the changes awakening inside herself while forced to partner with her ex, the male she abandoned without an explanation twenty years ago. Full of mystery, suspense, magic and romantic tension that only a masterful author like Ms. Ward can achieve. I cannot wait for book two!

[Cleocutie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We finally get to see some of Rikyava's past in this book. I love seeing her story and how it has shaped who she is. We also get to see her dealing with the family and man she left years ago. The story keeps you enthralled until the very end.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashed this new start to the series and couldn’t put it down. Love love love it and love Rikyava as the new lead and how she navigating family loyalties and old and new lovers. Can’t wait for the next instalment.