Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Hideaway Cove #4

The Duskfire Dragon's Mate

Rate this book
He would do anything to win his fated mate’s heart. Even babysit a flying toddler.

Corin Blackburn knew single mother Maya Flores was his fated mate from the first time he saw her. But he always told himself she was safer away from him and his dangerous magic. And there was no place for him in her little family. Now, fate has brought them together again - along with her rambunctious baby dragon shifter, a town full of quirky shifters, and his own interfering relatives.

He’s only here to find out who stole his treasure. But the moment he sees Maya again, he knows the true treasure is the woman he let go without ever telling her what she meant to him.

Being the human single mom to a dragon shifter is not the way Maya saw her life going. But she’s not the sort to let the unexpected get her down. With the help of her friends, she’s made a new life in Hideaway Cove, a magical seaside town where shifters can live without hiding their true natures. Even when their true nature includes stealing her neighbors’ silverware.

It's not like she misses her old life. Especially not her irritatingly handsome, dragon-shifter ex-boss.

Until he arrives in Hideaway Cove in search of stolen treasure… and her.

The Duskfire Dragon’s Mate is a cozy standalone shifter romance, full of heartwarming humor and a generous serving of spice. One-click now for a sweet, steamy read with a guaranteed HEA!

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2024

362 people are currently reading
295 people want to read

About the author

Zoe Chant

330 books1,517 followers
Zoe Chant loves writing paranormal romance. Over a cup of tea (or something stronger) she whips up sexy tales of hunky heroes and adventurous heroines to tantalize and satisfy her readers. Sizzling hot romance, no cliffhangers!

While series should ideally be read in order, all of Zoe’s books are standalones and can be read in any order. This includes books within series.

To get a free book for subscribing to her mailing list, please follow this link: https://www.zoechant.com/join-my-mail...

Zoe's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/32545...


Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
641 (65%)
4 stars
210 (21%)
3 stars
111 (11%)
2 stars
8 (<1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Profile Image for Shawn.
3,179 reviews
July 21, 2024
I really tried to enjoy this book. I love dragons and really wanted to love this story but it was just too much. There felt like way too much going on. Too many characters, too many storylines and I still felt like some answers were left out. I was confused for the whole first part of the book because I thought Corin had to be the baby’s dad and couldn’t figure it out but then it finally is mentioned midway through that it was a one night stand but then the question is never really answered as to who he was. Just didn’t do it for me.
135 reviews2 followers
August 19, 2024
a wonderful story to complete(?) this series

Maya and Corwin are great main characters. You care about them and what happens. I was waiting for this story since the last one. Although, Maya’s secret was a good surprise!

As usual, Ms. Chant, et al, has written a wonderful HEA story. I highly recommend this series!
Profile Image for Jessica.
55 reviews
August 2, 2024
I received "Duskfire Dragon's Mate" by Zoe Chant as an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC). "Duskfire Dragon's Mate" is a shifter romance between a human and a dragon who had a lot of misunderstandings in their past. While trying to avoid too many spoilers, Maya had fled from Corin and the human world to Hideaway Cove, a safe haven for shifters, to protect her son, Tomas, in the previous story, "The Lightning Dragon's Mate." Maya receives a mystery package that brings Corin back into her life. Worried about her son, Maya agrees to allow Corin to stay and they begin to discover a world of misunderstandings, not just their own. It's a sweet story of new beginnings and second chances, as well strengthening of familial bonds with some surprising twists in the plot. Also, who can resist Tomas' adorable baby dragon antics and stealing of gold? Though this is the 4th book in Chant's Hideaway Cove series, it can be read as a standalone. However, there are a few references to things that happened in prior books, especially "The Lightning Dragon's Mate" and I personally would recommend reading at least that one first as I felt like I would have enjoyed "Duskfire Dragon's Mate" even more if I had read that story first. I will definitely be going back to read the other books in the series when I get the chance.

As a teacher, I like this book because it showcases how easily misunderstandings can form and emphasizes the importance of communication. Corin and Maya could have already been happy if they had just talked to each other. Corin and Maya's families struggled to make connections even though they cared so much for each other. It really shows that so much can be solved if they just talk to each other.

As a cosplayer, most of the outfits are day to day clothing, but a cosplayer or make up artist could have a lot of fun using making up and costumes to come up with an effect that looks like their animal counter parts. Like wouldn't it be cool to dress up a toddler like Tomas' special feathery dragon? So many neat shifters to choose from.
Profile Image for Tammy Moldovan.
2,000 reviews27 followers
July 12, 2024
Love, fate and stolen gold

I loved, loved this rejected mate, second chance, single mom romance. It had the perfect balance of humor, heartwarming love, real life issues, danger, and spice. The story was fun and swoony with also pulling at your heart with all the emotions. I fell into all its goodness on the first page and did not look up until the very end. Maya is a single mother to Tomás, a dragon shifter. She was unaware of the existence of shifters until Tomás shifted for the first time at 6 months old. She fled to and has lived in Hideaway Cove, a shifter friendly town, for the last 6 months. Her only issue is she still secretly crushes on her old boss, Corin, who is also a dragon shifter. Corin is the head of his dragon clan. He is a duskfire dragon and his magical power is destructive. He rejected Maya, despite knowing she was his fated mate, in order to protect her. When Maya receives a part of Colin’s family’s hoard in the mail, fate pushes them back together. To get to their HEA, there will need to be truth telling, baggage unpacking and leaps of faith all while the MCs are solving a mystery, trying to avoid danger and parenting a baby dragon. It was such a swoony and heartwarming journey. I loved that Tomás in all his fun cuteness was a wonderful and integral addition to the story rather than a flimsy story prop. The story would not have been as rich and well rounded without the full development and inclusion of his character since most of the character growth resulted from interactions with him. This well written story included engaging dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow and a captivating storyline. I love this shifter town and its residents and cannot wait to read more stories set here.
Profile Image for Renee Polks Reads.
299 reviews25 followers
December 7, 2024
I didn't mind the premise. It was tracking well at the start and continued to have me intrigued to see if things would improve or get better... but the pacing was so out of touch that it just felt poorly dull.

The story itself was great, I really enjoyed it and was finding myself reaching for my kindle because I was excited to read it.

My favourite and most unique draconic thing I read in a long time was the cute way that baby Thomas claimed gold/treasures. It was hilarious when a grumpy, grown, wealthy, powerful dragon shifting male does the same thing too - LMFAO, frfr!
*SPOILER* because it was too funny not to share, but I really loved how distracted Corin was when he was around gold, like a dog sniffing his treat out, and can't think about anything else.

The romance was sweet and very 'mate-bondy' rather than genuine connection driven. I didn't mind it but prefer to have a balance of both.

The pacing was pure torture in some parts. The romance was rushed, the connections rushed, the story rushed and skipped through so rapidly that at one point I was thinking maybe this book could have been twice the size by slowing things down and allowing more dialogue to connect the characters together.

Otherwise, yer, it was fun.
Profile Image for Dahrose.
685 reviews17 followers
January 3, 2026
DNF at 30% mark - it felt like this was part 2 of Maya & Corin's story - so much happens pre-page 1 (and you never get that story) that she worked for his grandfather and for Corin, got pregnant(not by Corin) and fled, he chased her and was repelled at the border - ALL OF THAT - is referenced but we the reader are kind of dumped into their story two years after. Whereas I kind of wanted all that info, plus I kind of needed Corin to somehow be the dad.

the mate thing was messy - and the whole duskfire thing messier still - none of it makes sense, and when they decide to have sex but not 'mate' to relieve the tension????? it sounds nonsensical.

I don't get why he isn't jealous of the baby's daddy. Or how if she had met Corin 2 years ago and felt the pull of mating, how she could do a one night stand.

the miscommunication trope was badly done, this felt disjointed from page 1, as we are info dumped with past interactions b/w our couple.
Profile Image for Teresa .
1,931 reviews4 followers
November 29, 2024
Maya and corin

Book four it has been over two years since I read book three (Plus many many books inbetween) not sure why the long wait but their is many authors under this name so who knows.
I do remember enjoying this series (it's similar to another series with a secret town of shifters by Harmony Raines) this one is focused on Maya and corin. Past characters are in this still so you get updates if you will.
It's a fun read, a lot of misunderstanding and if secrets was told sooner less stress kind of thing. I did keep thinking the kid would end up being his in some way (they was both having sex dreams about each other,plus could she lay with another after meeting her mate?) I thought maybe the cousins put a wammie on them so drunk in a bar etc.they could of thought it was a dream? Sadly we never went there.
Any who a fun read.

Profile Image for Susan.
1,244 reviews4 followers
September 14, 2025
I enjoyed this. It was a nice addition to the series and introduced more dragons as well as providing more information about the “typical” (at least for this world) dragon lifestyle since the previous book’s dragon was different in his lack of craving for gold. Here we get lots of dragons with a thing for hoarding gold and more of the rules they live by. Everybody’s keeping secrets from everybody…mostly I guessed them before they finally came out in the story, but it didn’t take so long as it did in the last story, or it wasn’t quite as annoying. Or maybe I skimmed more? Not sure, but I did want to know what was going on and how it was going to resolve. And at the end, I did read the first chapter of another book by the same author and I found I wanted to know what was going to happen next there as well.
Profile Image for mo.
51 reviews3 followers
February 4, 2026
I would normally immediately pass up on any book with the word “mate” in the title, but the bio intrigued me as a modern romantasy which is rarely done right. However, I wanted to give it a shot (as a break from normal medieval-ish romantasy) and I’m glad I did! I was worried that this was going to be a steaming garbage dump of monster smut but was pleasantly surprised by the author’s writing style and minimal raunchy language that could easily be fast-forwarded through.

I actually liked every single character in the book which is rare for me. This was weirdly wholesome and a cute standalone with a little bit of spice that doesn’t have to pertain to the plot at all.

Pretty much, this is a dragon-version, spicy Hallmark.

Cringey title, cheesy grumpy/sunshine trope, but a cute and quick read if you like romantasy.
1,297 reviews9 followers
October 26, 2024
Plenty of surprises with an adorable dragon toddler to boot!

Maya is living a quiet life in Hideaway Cove with her dragonling son Tomas when her ex-boss Corin comes around. He is there to protect his mate, even though she doesn't know that she is his. He let her go to protect her from his magic, but now he needs to protect her from some other dragon! Can he keep her safe while keeping his hands off her? What happens when she realizes that he wants her as much as she wants him?

The pace is fast and the tone is mostly hopeful with a character oriented storyline that has some steamy scenes. The characters are vivid and endearing, especially Tomas. You can read this story on its own, but you will get more out of it, if you read the series in order! Enjoy!
Profile Image for Dawn Siemer.
1,331 reviews7 followers
July 18, 2024
Sweet, low angst

First, "Hideaway Cove" is too close to another series, by a different Zoe Chant. It took me a while to figure out where I was. Think orphan seal pups and a lighthouse for the daughter of magpie shifters. An ice cream shop might also jog your memory.

The problem in this book is mostly that the dragon thinks his magic is universally destructive and likely to hurt his mate. She also had an inconvenient pregnancy that started just before they met. Because they didn't get together right away, they have a lot of talking to do.

We get to visit several characters of past books in the series, and there's a hint of future romance.

I really enjoyed this romance.
Profile Image for Tammie Riso.
114 reviews
July 30, 2024
I am quite a fan of the Zoe(s) Chant books, and the Hideaway Cove series. This book would make much more sense if you’ve read the previous ones in the series, especially “The Lightning Dragon’s Mate”. We have a single mother (Maya) of an adorable dragon shifter baby, Tomas. We have Maya's former boss, who is her fated mate (Corin) who rejected her to protect her. She fled to Hideaway Cove to join her best friend and raise her son where shifters are welcome. They go through a lot to get to their HEA and much is revealed. As always, I look forward to the next story in this whimsical series. Zoe Chant books always make me wish that the magic was real!
867 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2025
The Duskfire Dragon’s Mate #4 01/11/2025

Maya has fled to Hideway Cove because she didn’t know where else to go with her son that can change into a dragon something she did even know existed. But she was also running from her ex boss because her son stole a very expensive watch. He let her go because she would be safe in Hideaway Cove. But he has to try to make thing up to her because she’s his mate. But strange thing are happening she is receiving packages of expensive jewelry and after sending one back to him he needs to find out who’s up to this. So enjoy another very good read!! Can’t Waite for more!
796 reviews6 followers
July 16, 2024
Another 'Zoe' book I could not put down. I just love Hideaway Cove. Maya and Corin didn't got off to the greatest start. Their problem was a lack of communication. Although he seems a bit overbearing, he was really a great guy with a big heart. Maya was a such a sweetheart. I also enjoyed all of the secondary characters. A fun read for all shifter lovers, complete with a HEA. This is my honest opinion of an early copy I received.
1,565 reviews4 followers
July 18, 2024
Interesting read

It was certainly interesting. There was a lot that I enjoyed in the book but I found myself left with questions. The little dragon gathering his hoard was silly. He was so cute getting excited and protecting his hoard from the big bad dragon. I like his interactions with other shifter kids. The part about his grandma turning at such an age was the part that left me perplexed and wanting more answers.
Profile Image for Stephanie F.  West.
9 reviews
February 3, 2026
Surprisingly good

First novel I’ve read from this author. I saw it, downloaded with no real expectations of anything other than a light romp. Although I could tell that I’d started reading in the middle of a series, this book was an entire start-to-finish plot with no cliffhanger or annoying missing info. What surprised me was how much I ached to return to it every time I stopped reading. And now that I’m finished, I think I’m going to have to go back and buy the series!
306 reviews
July 15, 2024
New Dragon trivia

This book has all the sweetness and love of Zoe Chant’s other books, along with with a clever story involving bumbling relatives and lessons about not taking one’s self too seriously. And it also has MORE dragonlore! Duskfire? Dragonlings burping not fire? New Shifting at middle age? I’ll stop before I get too spoilery but just to say enjoy your read..
Profile Image for Lita.
2,547 reviews7 followers
July 17, 2024
I really, really enjoyed this story so very much. As I was reading, another story was prickling the edges of my memories and I believe I may have read the preceding book a couple of years ago. This series is turning out to be quite enjoyable and I look forward to reading the other two books. I hope there are more coming after this one.
Profile Image for Abbella DiNoto.
405 reviews12 followers
July 28, 2024
cute addition to series and Zoe chant volumes

cute addition to series and Zoe chant volumes
But really you should know better than to call young dragon shifter “ducklings”
Dragonlings OR younglings. Would be better, although that is more children’s terminology but young man dragons are DRAKES and young females teen and older are DRAKINA’S
54 reviews
August 21, 2024
Families are Forever

Reading about families and how a family is made up of all different people was great. I have always felt that someone who care accept a child as their own even without being blood is very special. The story behind Miss Flores and Mr. Blackburn is great and the love they share.
4 reviews
November 19, 2024
The visitors dragons mate

Zoe chant is a writer that I enjoy reading she makes you feel close to her characters . she gives you time to think things may not end right but does in the end. There's love a little drama and its books you can enjoy with some sex but not so explanatory . I like books that have some sex but not everything is about sex
154 reviews1 follower
December 7, 2024
Good read

I appreciated having less sexy scenes. I like it better to use my own imagination. There were a few problems with this story, like people’s ages being different than in previous books and some sort of holes in the story, but I still enjoyed it a lot. I wouldn’t mind proofreading for the authors.
Profile Image for Michelle Wing.
34 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2025
enchanting read, loving this series

I am really enjoying this series set in hideaway cove, they’re good stories and I find I’m immersed in a new world where shifters can be safe to just be themselves and even just walk around as a griffin if they want to
Can’t wait for the next book
287 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2025
Loved the duskfire dragon!

This was a wonderful story. The author has woven a beautiful tale of love and family. I was held captive by Corin and Maya's journey and little Tomas was icing on the cake. I would recommend this series to all, the message is universal. Five star read. Peace out.
5 reviews
December 25, 2025
Maya’s dragon

I as hoping by the end of the book that Maya’s dragon would have made an appearance. I love all of your books that I have read. This was the first that kind of left me hanging. I hope that in your next Hideaway Cove book you might take a few minutes and clear that up. Thank you
324 reviews
January 29, 2026
Part of a series that can be read as a stand alone story with a HEA ending, this story of mixed messages and their solutions is a page turner. I found it very entertaining and would recommend it to anyone who can suspend belief and imagine trying to keep up with and hide a 3-4 year old toddler who is flying around the room, stealing your spoons 🥄 Loved it and laughed frequently
Profile Image for Eloise Haynes.
79 reviews
July 16, 2024
Dragons every where

I loved this one .I had an inkling about the mother. And I felt a toss up between grandfather and his mother about the missing gold😁 I would share this book with anyone interested in fantasy books can't wait to see what's next.🌹🌹🌹❤
88 reviews
July 17, 2024
interesting storyline

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. It’s a shifter town with a bit of a twist. Plenty of HEA and a quick view of past characters. Also, I think future characters
Profile Image for Kathy Brickert.
3,497 reviews17 followers
July 22, 2024
Interesting

This one started pretty slow. I enjoyed all the discovery with Tomas and Maya, but Colin's character seemed off somehow. And who is the father? There must be more to the story! Interesting.
Profile Image for Jane Elizabeth .
4,342 reviews5 followers
July 29, 2024
💜💜💜💜💜

I can't imagine anything cuter than a baby dragon ... but when a human who is unaware of the existence of shifters suddenly has a baby who shifts, I have to admit it would be life changing! Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.