Ditching the Dragon

Fated Dates

by Becca Fogg

After a fated one night stand, Annie learns that a dragon has no intention of letting her go.

The best way to get over someone is to get under ... anyone other than a jealous and possessive dragon.
… who’s convinced he’s your mate.
… and also wants to control every aspect of your life.
… including paying off your student loans, and buying your corner café a dough press for your favorite croissants, and ...
No, you definitely don’t want this.
Right?
Even if every word from passing between those sharp teeth lights a fire in your chest.
The only way to make the decision for yourself is to go on the run—and hope you can hide from the ever-present, green-gold eyes that always seem to follow.

Can Annie escape from the intimidating, enigmatic Wickham? Does she even want to?

If you enjoy steamy supernatural romances with a reluctant mate and an over-the-top MMC who falls first, then this book is for you.

Genres: Novella, Monster Romance, Paranormal, Dragons, Romance, Fantasy, Monsters

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2024

Reviews

[•° Whimsy Fairy °• · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually quite enjoyed this! I'm not a fan of overbearing or obsessive men in fiction who don't take no for an answer but this was pretty good. A quick, easy read once I finally got into it (last night).

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be brutally honest - I love stalker possessive MMCs so this was absolutely my cup of tea. Annie was so determined to be independent that she took a wild journey to avoid Wick. She was super attracted to him but, understandably, leery of his “you’re mine” declarations following a one night stand. He had a pretty good growth arc, primarily learning to cede some control, but never changing his core possessive alphahole attitude. The app didn’t feature a lot in this book, but it did bookend the story a bit.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: stalking, drugging, kidnapping, drinking, hostile work environment, misogyny, unwanted physical touch (not MMC), cheating ex, violence and threat of violence

[Adeselna · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Ditching the Dragon” was my first adventure with the author Becca Fog, and my second adventure in the Fated Dates novellas series since “Gaga for the Gargoyle” was my first one. In that review, I talked about how the male figure was more of a fantasy, a reward for the FMC who had suffered from a toxic relationship. In “Ditching the Dragon” there is a similar theme of previous lovers who have been insufficient in the bedroom department and women have their self-worth and feel confident. However, that is where the similarities end and we have an entirely different point of view from the couple.

Annie is independent and only wants a casual night, after meeting Wickham they end up together but finding that he is a dragon, Annie is terrified that he will be possessive with her and escapes. Wickham knows Annie is her mate and does everything in his power to make her accept him in her life. He buys her favourite bakery, stalks her, is made an associate at the company she works at, and is terrified that her theory was correct, Annie starts on the run to escape him. Thus begins their interactions of cat/mouse where Annie tries to rationalise her feelings and Wickham just messes up every time.

Wickham will be a character that most readers will sympathise with since he does a lot of things out of love and without thinking straight. It is absolutely endearing watching him trying to lure Annie to make her accept him and screwing up harder every time. The more he presses and tries to find her, the more she is convinced that being him is a bad decision. Until one point where it’s just cruel and again why I think readers will have a soft spot for Wickham as he had already had his punishment with Annie running away after their first interactions. Their chemistry is, however, incredible.

Becca Fog convinced me to read more of her books as the interactions between Annie and Wickham were spot-on, their interactions are very nicely done. I do believe, however, that since Wickham acts out of innocence sometimes since he is a dragon and it is in his nature to hold onto things, people will judge Annie more. Annie is doing what any of us would do in that situation and she is the only sane person in this whole story. I will only allow one criticism which is plot recycling. It seemed that the author decided to recycle some plot points and it ended up being a little bit repetitive. I believe Annie could have fought her attraction for Wickham in different ways so it would not feel repeated.

“Ditching the Dragon” is the perfect novel if you are looking for strong-minded main characters with a lot of build-up and some steamy scenes. All with a guaranteed HEA!

[Alexandre · Rating 3 out of 5]

[arc review]
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[COURTZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun short read, I admire how the mmc never gave up (although I wish we got to see more cute moments of them both together.)

[High Lady of Delulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I’ve always liked the concept that dragons love hoarding gems and are very possessive of what they consider theirs. Translate that behaviour into a dragon shifter who finds his fated mate and you sure got me by the hook!

Ditching the Dragon is a sweet insta love – well for one of them – read with an FMC that sure loves to run (although who can blame her for living the hotel lifestyle for a bit) and a swoon-worthy, persistent (and very rich) MMC with a tendency for arson.

Jokes aside, while I do understand, and like, that Annie doesn’t simply give in and consent to being locked up, the plot could have done with a bit more variety in that regard as that particular plot line felt a bit repetitive ultimately. Apart from that, I very much enjoyed this book though and with a length of less than 200 pages the repetition was no deal breaker for me. Although I for sure would have caved much sooner. (Which is also why I can’t blame the best friend for her behaviour too much.)

Wick hits the sweet spot between possessive obsessive and lovingly caring that I personally dig in an MMC like him. The light, humorous vibe benefitted him and frankly their dynamic because it was never too serious in tone. Only the premise of the cheating ex felt a bit out of place for me.

If you’re looking for a quick, sweet paranormal romance with a fated mate trope, a hot, possessive obsessive dragon shifter MMC and an FMC that doesn’t make it all too easy for him, you will probably enjoy Ditching the Dragon a lot!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Im a little bit conflicted, possibly with my self. I absolutely love a growly and possessive hero in every story. But the fact that the heroine was so adamant to get away from him borders a little bit to the far, far side. He was stalker-ish and controlling of every aspect, but he did everything to be with her. From the other hand he didn’t kidnap her (straight away) and didn’t chain her to her bed (or basement, as she was thinking). There is an interesting relationship growth while she runs and hides from him, in the same time keeping in touch and still talking and engaging. It’s a big chasing game and obviously both of them get’s a thrill out of it. Was she unreasonably scared and paranoid that he will lock her up and never let her do anything she wants? Possibly, I started feeling sorry for him. But at the end I enjoyed the story and it’s with a HEA and with no cheating. Adorable.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Received as an ARC in exchange for an Honest Review*

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

For such a short book, this had me enthralled. Firstly, Annie is a top notch independent ass bitch. She busts ass, works hard, and can handle her own shit.

Secondly, Wickham sounds absolutely yummy. Tall, dark haired, handsome, and can pick a thick girl up and manhandle her a bit. Not to mention… he’s a fucking dragon shifter, her fated mate, and so lovingly obsessed with her that he changes his entire life around to find her, make sure she is safe, and try to convince her to accept their mate status when she runs from him.

This book made me feel like I had watched an episode of a Romantasy TV show. I thoroughly loved reading this, and now I really want to read the others and see how the other authors have decided to tell their dating story.

[Aria Maze · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so exciting reading about a dragon shifter again, I don’t know when my last one was but they’re so underrated. I love possessive men and genuinely who is more possessive than a dragon? They literally hoard. Wickham may be more so than any other dragon I have read about. Our girl Annie isn’t ready for him though and literally runs. Which lets him chase and for awhile I think he kind of enjoyed it.

I did knock a star because after a bit I was sick of her running and wanted to scream at her. But overall this book was so good! It was spicy and the banter was so cute. I loved both MMCs and was more than happy with how they ended up together in the end.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ARC REVIEW⭐️ (4.5)
If you like a little bit of angst and making your fated mate grovel for your love this is the perfect novella for you. At moments I wanted to yell at Annie like GURL come on this man is trying his best but oh was the wait worth it because these two are electric together. It was nice to see them get to know each other beyond the physical at times despite their draw towards each other-when all Wick wanted to do was take care of her in the only way he knew how. The threat of rejection, acts of jealousy and overall shenanigans of the chase made this a quick and easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Another book in this wonderful series that I just can't get enough of.

[heather f · Rating 4 out of 5]

alright, while i DID enjoy this book, i am a bit disappointed in some aspects of it
1. she runs from him the ENTIRE TIME!!! and when they're finally TOGETHER, we don't even see him give her the mating bite or anything beyond one sex scene in the epilogue. i wanted to see their dynamic when they're both all in!
2. he's a dragon shifter, but never turned into a dragon :(

[Rina ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dragon shifter who's possessive? Yes, please! Annie and Wickham are incredibly fun together. I enjoyed their banter and the thrill of the chase. This was a great read. If you're looking for a short and spicy monster romance novella, then this is for you. I highly recommend it!

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spicy scenes where good. Wish the mating scene was on page tho. But you should enjoy if you like overbearing hot dragon shifters with a big nob

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Rachelqueenvixen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-3.75 stars rounded up.

[Alice Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what i expected, but in a good way. The FMC is independent strong woman who doesn‘t just roll over for a guy. The possessive MMC did win her over in the end and it was an over all cute story. It was just missing a bit of depth for me.. but i mean it is a short story, so for what it is, it is good. So yeah a good solid 3 star read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Susan ;༊ (slump) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW:
Rating: ★★★
Spice: ♡♡

This was my first dive into shifter romance, and honestly, I enjoyed it! It was a fun read! That said, I’m not really into stalking or super possessive love interests, so Wick could definitely chill a bit. But overall, I enjoyed the experience!
Thank you, Becca, for the e-ARC❤️

TROPES:
Novella
Paranormal
Shifter romance(Dragon)
Fated Mates
One night stand
Possessive MMC
Stalking

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the premise but it just dragged with no real drama besides Annie not wanting to be Wick's "possession". I was confused as to whether she wanted an actual relationship or just wanted to fool around and if that was the case, she could have told Wick from the jump. Instead, she spent the majority of the book running away from him and when we got her pov, even she was confused as to why she was running.
In conclusion, Annie was a confused mess with issues but we don't get any insight into it.
Wickham is a golden retriever and pretty much perfect but again, we don't get any real insight into his background either (dude is a literal dragon shifter!).

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ana Cordoba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the fmc. She was a spunky and very likeable character. I did find the fated mate aspect lackluster. I think the story should have been longer. With more backstory for the lore. It was just too short for anything to make sense. Why are fated mates a thing? How did the supernatural community establish themselves? To name a few questions. Overall I enjoyed the story for what it was and looking forward to more from this author.

[Jessica Ogram · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing itself wasn’t bad, it was a fast easy read. However I just didn’t really like anything about this book. I didn’t like the characters, they needed to find a happy medium but neither was willing to give any so it just wasn’t a healthy relationship, so it goes without saying I didn’t like the romance. He’s a dragon, he’s possessive but he crossed the line SO many times, especially when he took her to the club, she literally feared for her life. They didn’t have any chemistry, even in the bedroom which is the place which normally shows the most in novellas like this. The spice was okay. The epilogue was probably my favourite part, it made me laugh. It wasn’t unreadable but it is a big nope from me.

[Gleeful Goblin Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gleeful Goblin Review: I can't even express how much I delighted in the BFF Violet having to confiscate Annie's phone and set her up on dates because in her words: “Your taste in men is shít.” SAME ANNIE, SAME. There's so many fun touches about this story and the author's writing style being so natural and conversational. Like when Violet and Annie are discussing one of Annie's matches: Across the bar, a guy with scraggly, ash blonde hair is also searching the crowd. “Him, over there,” she tells me. “Daniel S. Twenty-eight.” “Which app is this?” “Mix and Mingle.” I grunt and screw up my face, but she already established dominance, so I know there’s no escape. “Alright, convince me,” I say. She skims the screen. “Three profile pictures. None are shirtless, but there’s a dog in one and no fishing photos. No hints if he’s human or otherwise. It says he’s a software engineer, whatever that means.” “I think it means he does coding.” “Hopefully that means he’s got stellar finger dexterity.” Honestly, this is just stellar discernment on criteria and is friendship goals for sure.

The style of Wickham as a MMC being so very *ahem* consumed with his fated and pursuing her in the most "dragon man with infinite money and few boundaries" way possible isn't normally my style BUT it works for me in this book! There are parts that are on the darker side vs fluffy romance which is what I gravitated towards generally but there's a healthy mix of sweetness when for instance, Annie is realizing that maybe her dragon isn't ONLY singleminded about getting her but is also fun and down to do things like parallel watch Batman & Robin while still on the run. There's a considerable amount of the book where these two struggle against each other, even when they're *ahem* together so prepare yourself for a bit of delayed gratification when it comes to the HEA but man is it good when it hits. 5/5 Stars

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this book going in, based on the blurb, and now I can safely say that dark romance with possessive, obsessive heroes isn't really my thing. Or at least, not in a novella format like this where the heroine spends more time running from the hero in fear than they do talking to one another like Adults.

Somehow Annie knows that dragons are bad news bears, even though she's only exposed to the magically world because her flaky best friend is a witch. So when Wick up and announces that she's his mate after only a few hours together (not even the whole night!) she flees in terror. And she remains in a state of panic and fear for a good part of the book, making assumptions about what Wick will expect from her as a mate. And to be fair to her, he is VERY heavy handed and stalkerish, finding out all her personal details, putting obscene amounts of money in her account, literally buying the company she works at, etc.

But when she flees she ... stays in the same city and only goes to hotels she knows? And keeps in contact with him even after she finds out that he bought off her best friend? I guess that must be the "fated" part of the mates acting on her. They waffle between phone sex and hating each other because they always misinterpret the others actions or words and never actually STOP to ASK what the other one means, just assumes that they're right and makes a plan of action based on that assumption.

If this book was longer and there was more space for the gentler side of Wick to come out, and they had more time to figure out what the other is expecting, this might have worked for me. As it is, the romantic change of heart on both their parts was too little too late.

[Flor Arasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really loved this book. Did not read the other interconnected novellas yet but after this one, I’m planning on it.

Wick was a deliciously possessive and witty MMC that claimed being apart from Annie hurt him physically but still tried to respect her boundaries so hard that I swooned. It seems like he learned and grew after a few interactions and was really trying to be better and understand where she was coming from.

Annie, on the other hand, was an independent woman getting over a cheating bastard by having a one night stand, but she found herself suddenly being claimed by a 241 year old dragon shifter, so it makes total sense that she wanted to get away as soon as she finds out, after a salacious night with him… problem is, dragons don’t share nor lose what’s theirs, so you can understand the impasse they are in.

The chase is wonderfully thrilling, if a little repetitive by the end, they both enjoy playing cat and mouse and he goes the extra mile by making sure she is comfortable while on the run, taking care of her laundry, getting her pastries and movies suddenly offered to her wherever she goes, color me jealous.

I expected a nice little read with smut, but got so much more. The spicy scenes were incredible, explicit enough without being overpowering nor having some weird words that I find sometimes to be too much (coming from a non native speaker so that might be just my take), but we also find a lesson on empowering your partner’s career, respecting boundaries and loyal friendships, so it was definitely a five stars read!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Migeldy Mauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Tropes
💚 Curvy FMC
🐉 Dragon Shifter MMC
💚One Nightstand
🐉 He falls first
💚 Fated Mates
🐉He stalks her
💚 Obsessed MMC
🐉Billionaire Romance
💚Dual POV

Spice level 🌶️🌶️

⚠️Content Warnings⚠️

🚩Stalking
🚩Drinking
🚩 Some violence
🚩Hostile work environment
🚩Kidnapping
🚩Drugging
🚩 Misogyny
🚩 Dominance
🚩Cursing
🚩 Cheating ex

What Annie thought would be a night out with her bestie were she would get to talk smack about her cheating ex turns into a live dating extravaganza due to Vi downloading multiple dating apps on Annie's phone and scheduling dates for her at the bar. With no luck or faith on men she was seeing, she sits by the bar and comes across Wick a green eyed sexy —grumpy dragon and they hit it off. Annie leaves Wick after they have a nightstand only to now finding herself looking over her shoulder thinking she was being watched by him. Little did she know that Wick has been in fact stalking her because she's his fated mate and she ran away from him and he wouldn't have none of it. Honestly this was so refreshing and different. My girlie was like nope I don't do possessive, alphaholes who would just lock me up in their basement and won't let me go 😂😂😂 she takes Wick on a wild chase of his life until he agrees that she's an independent woman and doesn't need some dragon claiming ownership over her.
This is the reality of when you find out you have a dragon mate 😂
Honestly Wick had the patience of a saint.

[Tales & Teacups · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ditching the Dragon by Becca Fogg

4 stars
3 spice

If you like possessive MMCs, you will love this book! I happen to like this type of MMC too.

From steamy encounters to intense romantic tension, Annie’s struggle with Wickham - the dragon convinced she’s his mate - is equal parts thrilling and heartwarming. This story combines supernatural romance with a reluctant, on-the-run heroine and a possessive dragon who falls first.

One thing I really enjoyed is Wickham’s story arc where he slowly learns about boundaries and releases some of his control that he felt entitled to.

However, one thing I really didn’t like and it is the thing which made me drop a star is how frustrating Annie as a character is… I don’t even know why she keeps running over and over again! It was too repetitive, especially because it is iterated throughout how much she wants to be with Wickham.

Another thing I would love to have read more about is the mysterious app that brought them together! This led me to realise that this book is actually a part of a novella series, Fate Dates, completed with other authors. To be clear, they are all individual standalone books and I will definitely be reading more of them!

Overall, if you love intense, supernatural love stories where the MMC goes all in, this one’s for you. 🔥🐉💖

Thank you to BookSirens and Becca Fogg for allowing me an advanced reader copy of this before release, I appreciate it greatly.

[Snow]

DNF @ 52%.

annoying heroine, annoying side characters...

some words made me cringe. "falsies" instead of fake nails. and "weaksauce" 🙈

the heroine had weird thoughts. like how she insults men with small dicks, like, a Lot in her thoughts around the ~22% mark. thinking that she's done settling and done kissing men with small dicks. it was just supremely weird, especially since she's thinking all this while in the middle of sex with the hero.

actions didn't make sense. example: the hero excuses himself to go do some work on his laptop, and a while later the heroine goes into the room he's in, and takes the laptop off his lap and puts it on a table, so that she can make a move on him. uhm, maybe he needed another minute for his work? it made no sense for her to do that with zero prompting. especially since they don't actually know each other at that point, so why would she feel okay doing that?

so yeah, the writing just wasn't up to my standards.

but i actually ended up DNF'ing because of the heroine. she ran from the hero for weeks, stayed in a different hotel every night. and yet her reason for running from him was super weak. and she had no actual plan. like what was the optimal scenario in her mind?? running forever and spending all her money on hotel rooms and dying of old age in hiding? and all because this gorgeous filthy rich man is obsessed with her and wants to give her everything she wants? 🙄 cry me a river.

[Elie Quiroz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I have read my fair share of dark romances, mafia romances and stalker romance and those have TONS of red-flag men, but I just could not get behind Wickham. Don’t get me wrong, I love a possessive man but he just rubbed me the wrong way. He’s the very the book type: “I’m wealthy af, hot af, and I’ll do anything in my power to make you mine”

Which did include: buying her apartment complex, buying her favorite coffee cafe, buying the company she works for, installing cameras in her apartment, bugging her phone and her best friend’s phone.

Also, the best friend? At the beginning? A girls girl. And then suddenly she spills all about her best friend for a brand new phone and car? And throughout the book, interacts with Wickham more than her best friend that she’s VERY protective of???

I supported Annie in the beginning, cuz I’d get away from him too, but towards the end with all her back and forth, I was ready to drop her too.

Wickham never fully “changes” his ways. He still does whatever he wants and Annie (who thought it was important to have her independence) just lets him do it with no push back. There was no real conversation about their relationship. Wickham suggests her to be the face of the company she works for and that was enough for her to be like “I can’t fight this anymore. We’re mates”


Anyways that’s my rant. I gave it a 3.5 because the spice was delicious and that’s all it had going for it.

[Booksy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story a lot at the start. The relationship between Annie, the female lead, and her best friend was quirky and fun as was Annie’s personality. The budding relationship with Wick, the male lead was fun and developing at a good rate; then the later club scene happened (not to be confused with the one at the start).The second club scene was a pivoting point in the story, for me at least. The couple seems to be progressing, to have learned enough about each other to have trust and an adult conversation, instead Annie runs. Annie runs and I as the reader don’t know why. The story continues, she continues to run, stating she doesn’t want him to be with anyone else but refusing to be with him. Her best friend even tells her to give him a try, she refuses and continues to run. The terrible thing is that for Wick she’s his mate, there’s literally no one else but this crazed shrew that he can be with. The story is told from dual POV but is Annie heavy and by the end of the story I found her to be overindulged, bratty and possibly insane. Annie has little to no character growth she expects Wick to, well I’m not really sure what, they don’t really have a reconciliation, she just magically changes her mind.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nora Ellen (Nbbookery) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annie meets Wickham at a bar after a string of awful first dates. They go to a hotel together, and she sneaks out before he wakes up. Wickham then uses his dragon shifter advantage to insert himself into her life, causing her to run. All the while she's evading him, they're texting and video chatting. Annie doesn't want to be tied down, but Wick doesn't want to dim her fire either. They have to come up with a mutual decision before the pain of the rejected mate bond drives Wick insane and leaves Annie alone.

So I loved the one night stand turned fated mates spin, but Annie was not my favorite. He paid off her student loans after she snuck out on him. If that doesn't scream keeper, I don't know what does. She then turns into a flight risk and literally changes locations every night to stay away. Meanwhile, he's out there taking care of her job security, keeping her friends and family in the loop, and securing he financial future. Sure, he's got a few red flags. Annie is apparently not a fan of that carnival and plays keep-away until Wick finally catches up. There's a lot of power play, in the sense that she wants control, and he isn't trying to exert his over her more than his normal nature allows. They are constantly fighting for top dog, and it's honestly exhausting. Just let him rock your world already! Phew.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Annie has a one-night stand that leads to a veryyy interested and already fully committed Dragon shifter professing his loyalty (read: jealous possession) to her, she goes on the run before she is trapped in an intense relationship. Is it even worth running from someone who seems to have contacts everywhere? Or more importantly, does she even want to run?

I really enjoyed reading this novella! The world was interesting, and the main characters were cute as hell, even though Wick needed to take a chill pill. He was stressing everyone, including himself out.
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked Fogg's writing style. I'll definitely be looking into her other books to read (once I have a better handle of my current TBR).

Some lines made me genuinely laugh out loud, so props for that! The line "I just want to go home and weep my makeup off in the shower like a normal person" had me cackle out loud.

Slight spoilers:
The main reason I didn't give it five stars is because I wish they had officially gotten together a little sooner in the storyline and that we could have read about the official bite! I love that trope and with how much I grew to like the characters, I wish I could have read about them taking that step. I loved the buildup that the author did to them getting together, and I just wanted my metaphorical cookie at the end.

Thanks so much to the author Becca Fogg for hooking me up with this ARC through BookSirens in exchange for an honest review!