Pursued by Peril

Tracking Trouble #4

by Lindsay Buroker

The dragons of the Cosmic Realms aren’t pleased now that Azerdash has recovered a legendary galaxy blade. It makes him more of a threat in his quest to oust their kind from power. To stop him, the dragons have sent one of their own after him, a deadly assassin who likes a challenge…

Arwen wants to help Azerdash, but she has her own problems. She must track down the missing vampire alchemist, Zoltan. It’s her fault that he was kidnapped, and she can’t leave him in the hands of dark elves.

But when the dragon assassin comes after her, because of her relationship with Azerdash, Arwen must worry about far more than kidnappers.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Dragons, Paranormal, Elves, Magic

303 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2024

About the author

I'm a full-time indie fantasy and science fiction author. When I'm not writing, I'm ferrying my dogs to hiking trails for adventures.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reunions

An excellent book. Like most if yge series the book starts a bit slow, but the further I read, the harder it becomes to put the book down.

Arwen us pursued from all sides and pulled in every direction. Her friends and allies are missing. Starblade's powerful enemies are also trying to use her to get yo him. However, she and he are not without friends. Though Val and Zev are put in an awkward position considering Starblade's mission. Matti, Sarrlevi, and Amber are always there to help and support.

Another great book, and just when I think everything is figured out, suddenly everything changes again. I can't wait to see how it ends or begins again.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

I know, I know… why do I keep picking up each new book in this series when I’m not particularly interested in the main character and her kinda bland powers and personality? Well… even though each book doesn’t get me giddy with excitement, I really do enjoy the overall humor and fun with the side characters enough to open the pages time after time.

I especially got a kick out of Gruflen, Imoshaun’s hubby, in this one. He just so sweet and cute and fierce in his love, in spite of his fear. And that twist at the end? Genius!! Mean, but genius! So, yes I’ll be picking up the last book as soon as I can get my grubby hands on it.

[Sharon Hughson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page Turner as Usual

Each installment seems shorter than the last because I can’t turn the pages quickly enough to discover what happens. Then I’m sad that it’s over already.
Arwen and Starblade almost get to be together a couple different times in between fighting dark elves and dragons. Then comes the shocking revelation in the epilogue.
Lots of laughs with the conversational bi-play since Val, Sindari and Saarlevi get more page time in this installment.
So thankful Buroker writes books so quickly because I’m ready for the final book in this series already.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining fantasy listening. 🎆🎎✨

This kindle novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 4 of 5

The adventure continues with the search for clues to the black mage. There is lots of action, misdirection, and violence leading to the conclusion.

I would recommend this series and author to readers of fantasy world 🌐 adventure thriller novels. 2024

[Daisy Delfin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like my first Buroker series. I like that the books are written without a cliffhanger, so I can read the series slowly and not rushed, because I need to know how the cliffhanger is solved and where it leads. I like the FMC and side character. Even though some of the side characters were in her other series, I never fell like I'm missing information.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arwen is definitely, at this point, the weakest of Buroker's leads. Starblade is Starblade--he's a carbon copy of Zav and Sarrlevi, to be honest. But it feels that each subsequent heroine is another step down from Val.

Arwen doesn't have a powerful weapon, for one, and constantly flounders in the numerous action scenes. Her series quest is to remove her tattoo, which allows the dark elves to control her. While in theory this sounds compelling, the execution and the handling of the dark elves is so poor that it ends up feeling purposeless. In fact, she removes the tattoo this book--and instead of emotional payoff of any kind, we get a random comment about her arm hair falling out. If you had your free will continuously squashed, forced to attack your allies and friends, forced to almost kill your own father--wouldn't you react with profound relief, perhaps even cry, upon being freed from this situation? It didn't make any fucking sense.

And there still hasn't been any nuanced discussion about the dark elves!!!!!! Are we honestly to believe that an entire race is just, inherently evil??? Is the rancid subtext of that not obvious or troubling to Buroker??? I'm baffled.

On the other hand, and I am not joking, reading these books is better than taking Nyquil. When I say it knocks me out within ten minutes, I'm serious. If you see these reviews and you're like, "okay, so just stop reading," I understand, but know that my chronic insomnia doesn't. It's almost a miracle how easily I sleep thanks to these.

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I don’t find Arwen as strong a character as Amaranth and Val, she doesn’t spoil the books, they’re still entertaining, easy reading and fun.

[Aneesah · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don’t care

I read books
Many, since 5 years of age
Adult books
So when i give 5 stars, I mean it!

Am i emotionally invested in Paranormal Romance? Yes

Am i biased towards Lindsay Buroker being added to my favorite author’s list?

I am beginning to take note of WHY a particular author is my favorite

The ease of the story telling! The relationships, the loyalty, the love and caring of all types

A world I wouldn’t mind living in, people I would like to have as friends

A book, a series, I don’t want to see end. A book I would miss, a book that i can re-read as soon as I finish it.

That is what this book, this series (the others add to this (and I enjoy the first intro to this universe and this series more than Matti’s! (Maybe cause I like Dragons more? 😁😊🥰🐲🐉

[Ellen Denzer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

I really enjoyed the Death Before Dragons Series and the Hammered Series, excellent books with good plots, fun characters, strong heroines and heroes, fun romance and continuously evolving storylines.

However, the Tracking Trouble books are very disappointing! Insipid heroine with boring archery skills, no hand combat skills, uninteresting romance, little character development, repetitive plots and rehashed storylines. I only continued to read to find out the about my favorite characters from the previous series.

[S.F. Henne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stakes have been raised once again and this whole book had me excited for the finale of the series to see how everything pays off.

We've got a dragon assassin after Azerdash, more dark elves, and a whole bunch more danger. As I don't want to add any spoilers I won't got into much about the plot.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the different mix of characters we already know coming in to help Arwen, and seeing how they each interact with each other. The romance is finally here, and we get some good communication.

When the book ended, I picked up book 5 right away because I have no idea how everything is going to be resolved and I can't wait to find out.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars. Engaging. It will be a difficult wait for the next book to be released.

[Lorre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book, hated the cliffhanger ending! It's a good thing we won't have to wait for the next book too long.

[Carole S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arwen!

I honestly hope that his head isn’t turned upside down by his former comrade because I will turn myself into a dragon and give him a whooping!!!!

[John E · Rating 3 out of 5]

More trouble to track

I wasn't sure about continuing this series but I keep coming back to it. Now this book has me really confused. The dark elf meeting and subsequent tattoo artist interactions were too quick and too easy. At this point, I may as well try book 5.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

***MINOR SPOILERS***
This is the fourth book in the Tracking Trouble series. Characters from the Death Before Dragons and the Legacy of Magic series appear. Both Arwen and Azerdash appeared in the Legacy of Magic series.
The author continues a story line that arcs over the series. The characters are interesting and realistic. They have flaws and are not one dimensional. Most of the characters have some sort of magical ability: shapeshifters, elves, dragons, etc. I do not recommend reading it as a standalone.
Azerdash Starblade is half dragon, half light elf. He and others are the result of a scientific experiment and are created creatures as this combination would not occur naturally. He is very powerful but not as powerful as a full dragon. The dragons and others would like him destroyed and he is hiding on earth. Azerdash and his fellow half-dragon, Yendral, are trying to decide their future. Azerdash had been a commander and had earned a starblade which was conferred only on a few people. This is now being seen as a signal that he should lead an effort to destroy the control the dragons have over the other worlds in the Cosmic Realm. Azerdash and Yendral look into what support people might have for this cause.
Arwen is half dark elf and half human. Her father and other men were kidnapped by Arwen’s mother and used to create children (though the idea was only successful with Arwen��s father). The dark elves call upon demons to increase their power and do sacrifices. They cannot go out in the light and live in caves or buildings with no light. Arwen’s mother wanted to create children that could go in the light and do their bidding. The dark elves want to bring her back into the fold. She and Val look into reports of different dark elf strongholds in the area.
She and her father run a farm outside Seattle. Arwen has been discriminated against by the magical community that is both fearful of and against the dark elves. She lacks confidence in a big way and throughout the series, I wished that she would increase in her confidence. In addition, she has difficulty being in crowds and either wants to avoid situations where she will meet people or wants to leave shortly after arriving. There were times it was a bit frustrating to read.
Arwen is a tracker and archer. She has magical arrows that she uses. She is attracted to Azerdash and their relationship spans the entire 5 book series. It is harder to tell what he is thinking about her but he is still in mourning for a female half dragon, half dark elf who presumably died during the previous series.
I enjoy the vocabulary used by the author. She uses interesting words in her writing. I also enjoy the richness of her stories. The dialogue is often funny. However, there are times when it feels like the story is a bit too jokey.
The book is told solely from Arwen’s point of view.
Lindsay Buroker is an auto-buy for me I have already purchased the next book in the series.

[Tom Intiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay Buroker, how COULD you?

I will warn you now that you MUST read this book, as you already well know, if you have read the ones which precede it. But, I must also warn you that the ending will leave you flabbergasted beyond repair. Prepare yourselves for shock. That’s all I can say without a spoiler.

This is the perfect penultimate book. Lindsay has a flawless tempo running in this series. She gives the reader a high speed sprint, but then gives only enough time to fully catch your breath before she has you galloping off at full speed once more. It’s much like being on a rollercoaster only without the actual motion. I can’t think of any other way to describe the experience of reading this both this series and this book.

With this book, Buroker seems also to have mastered the art of the misdirect. Just off the top of my head, I can count at least five different points where everything happening in the story pointed to a next logical event of one sort or another, only to have Lindsay take things sonewhere else. This is before, mind you, one ever makes it all the way to the epilogue and that ending which I previously mentioned.

As you can tell, I’m a fan. She’s convinced me, and as much as I’m sorry to see these characters take their final bow, I’m also quite eager to finish this series so I can get started on either her “Emporer’s Edge” series or the one where a dragon thinks it’s a God.

(I honestly don’t remember the name of the series. She mentions it in her intro to “Beginnings,” a free book available from her website, which compile several first books from several different series. She said she did that to hopefully attract new readers to older series, and guess what? It worked. )

I have no idea what series is about but it definitely sounds like fun. As always, ENJOY!

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Dear Lordy what a fabulous book. As you can guess, I loved Lindsay Buroker’s Pursued by Peril (Tracking Trouble, Book 4). It resolved that annoying cliffhanger in Book 3, and provided a rousing, romantic, action filled, adventurous, and gloriously fun tale in itself. This is a truly well written story that does a great job in advancing the overall series story arc (finally resolving some major plot points), while continuing to develop already wonderfully written characters. Yes, I’m throwing lots of superlatives here, but add in really superbly written just for the record. You can read this book by itself, by I strongly suggest with starting with Book 1 in the series. Even better would be to read the two prior series set in this story universe, Death Before Dragons and Legacy of Magic, as they provide extra background that will enhance your enjoyment of this series, but don’t worry if you don’t want to. This series does work perfectly well on a stand-alone basis, and if you’ve not read the prior books you won’t realize you’ve missed anything. Bottom line is that I highly recommend both this book (whether or not you read any prior books) and the Tracking Trouble series.

[Livey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arwen can’t get a break!

Arwen and Azerback can’t get a break. He has found his sword and his quest to get out from under dragon rule has him running, portal jumping and hiding from a dragon assassin. Arwen meanwhile has to find Zoltan, and her friend the goblin inventor who was kidnapped for helping her try to get rid of the tattoo left by her mother when her and her father escaped when she was 7. Now working for the army she is the expert on dark elves and must find her friends, avoid dark elf minions and stop nasty dragons from scanning her mind to find out where her waterhole half dragon is. She is so in love that she is willing to wait for him to get over his former crush who died during the cave in when they escaped the stasis chamber assisted by Matti. Her food is the payment method Amber most enjoys but hanging out with Arwen is becoming dangerous for her and her mother Val. Thank goodness Sarlevi helps out when he isn’t babysitting the twins and getting in Matti’s nerves.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still don't like the whole gather the species of the galaxy to rise up against the dragons plot for Azerdash, but I do love his interest in the book of manliness (I forgot its exact name). I'm both curious and waiting with bated breath to see what Azerdash will do.

Other than that, I think the plot of this book was interesting! It's fun seeing Arwen to work, though there are a lot of traps she keeps getting into. I suppose she does it to help Azerdash, but really it's a bit much sometimes. I am glad for the ending though, when we get one resolution to a driving part of the plot over the series.

Alright, onto the last book. I do enjoy this series but I think Matti's beats Val by a little to be my absolute favourite series.

[Bob Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Lindsay Buroker's books...strong characters, especially strong female characters and delightfully snarky dialogue. It also helps because I'm from Northwest Washington, so it's a big plus when she mentions locales that I am familiar with, especially in this and it's related series. But it's not just her fantasy writings, her sci-fi books also have the same strong characters and great dialogue. She's one of my favorite authors. I think it's unfortunate that some of these stories are dismissed as 'romance', because while they often do have that element in them, they are so much more...

[Henry Bohleke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful as always!

Lindsay has again gifted us with a wonderful continuation of the story of Arwen. It includes all of the great characters we have come to know and feel as if they are old friends. The story is full of exciting drama, more than a little humor and a little romance. Arwen continues to fight for her own will despite the efforts of her mother, the leader of the Dark Elves while facing her mother, brother, a dragon assassin, and more than a few challenges. The book is another reason why Lindsay is one of my favorite authors.

[Arnaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more interesting once again, compared to the early onset of the series. Strangely enough, it's the side characters that pick my interest in this series, and not so much the main characters. I frankly couldn't care less about Arwen and Azerdash. Their pseudo-romantic dance that never really start is getting a little too much. But on the other hand, the assassins' guild, visit on another world, dark plots from the dark elves: not these elements make the whole thing more intriguing. So I focus on those and not the main whinies... #shrug

[alicat ♡➹♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guys I'm a huge Lindsay Buroker fan but Arwen is just so frustrating. I realize not all FMC can be badasses but her attitude drives me crazy being just so wimpy - not just with action but emotion too; and Azerdash is bleh. I think her dad is cool so why is she like she is. I wonder if Lindsay was too worried about creating someone too similar to Val? I wouldn't care - I'd eat it up. So anyway I mostly read to hear about the other characters who I adore.

I hope Amber gets a series at some point, she's hilarious.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit that I'm not as eager to read this series as I was to read the previous ones although I don't think the quality of this series is less than the others. I'm guessing it's because this was the 23rd book I've read by this author in 40 days and that may be a little much. Even though I really enjoy the writing, everything becomes a little to repetitive and some things become annoying after a while. But the next book is the last one in the series, so I'm going to continue anyway. What's one more book in the great scheme of things, you know...

Up to the next one!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in the series. Arwen discovers that Zoltan had been kidnapped by Dark Elves, no doubt because he was making a potion to rid her off her hated tattoo. She's not having much luck finding the vampire, and then one of her friends is kidnapped. So she be able to find and save her friend and Zoltan? Meanwhile, Azerdash is out trying to build an army to free the realms of their dragon overlords. Surprisingly, the dragons are not down with this. A dragon assassin shows up on Earth looking for the half-dragons. Nothing is ever easy.

[Florie Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining installment of the series, with a good balance between both main plots (Azerdash’s mission and Arwen’s Dark Elven family), some action, nice cameos from the universe’s side characters and a bit of a progression of the romance. The story leaves us satisfied with what is solved while giving enough tension to make us want to read the next one.

While there is nothing exactly memorable about this story, it is light, entertaining and well-written, which is precisely what I was expecting from it.

[Jennifer Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plenty of peril

This book is action packed, so much so that I hope our heroine gets a few days to herself to recover! Our favorite characters return to fight all sorts of beastly beings, and take a breather in between battles for snarky dialogue, salacious talk of sweets and snacks, and a touch of romance. With an interstellar rebellion brewing and differences of opinion among the dragons, there is plenty of story yet to come!

[Daniel Fedko · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great story

I really loved the dragons in this story , how he could change his appearance. Very interesting characters and story plot. I will be reading the next in the series. This really is a great read and worth the time.
I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that She never stops writing. Her books are some of the best Entertainment  I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.

[Rita Whinfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starcrossed

Another book by Lindsay that I couldn’t put down. There is so much action and plots within plots I just have to keep turning the pages. Poor Arwen, she just can’t catch a break, as soon as things seem to be going her way, another setback comes along and she’s back to uncertainty. I absolutely love the humour dotted through the story and I really would like to learn more of Matti and Sarrlevi’s babies. I can’t wait for the next book.

[Kotori · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice cliffhamger!

coming to the culmination of the adventure, ends on a massive cliff hanger.

Overall I get impatient towards the ends of these books.

deliberately dragged out to 5 or more, when the story is really only enough for 3 longer books..

The repetition of being informed of what passed in previous books starts the skipping, and the rest comes from boredom.

all together it was OK but not my favourite book of the series.