Shadows of Fire

Shadows and Smoke #3

by Nicole LaBrocca

In the shadows of captivity, love ignites in the battle for freedom.

Lyssa, a captive of a fearsome dragon, finds herself trapped in a labyrinth of stone, shadows, and secrets. Her only solace comes from the mysterious Zodiark, a rogue who whispers of freedom and sparks a forbidden passion.

As she delves deeper into the dragon's lair, Lyssa must navigate a dangerous path filled with ancient magic, desire, and a struggle for power. Can she break free from the chains of captivity and embrace her destiny? Immerse yourself in a seductive tale of passion and obsession, where the line between predator and prey is perilously thin.

413 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2025

About the author

Nicole LaBrocca ventures into enchanting new territories with her spellbinding tales of romantic fantasy. She invites readers on an exhilarating odyssey through a realm where steamy passion intertwines with suspenseful supernatural intrigue, all seasoned with a sprinkle of humor. Be prepared for an immersive journey where love ignites amidst swirling mysteries and hidden truths. Step into a world where every page holds the promise of an unforgettable escape.

Reviews

[Chasing Silhouettes · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 🌟

"The last coherent thought she had before his lips claimed hers again was that some cages were made of neither iron nor stone, but of desire and need— and perhaps those were the most perilous of all." (Ch 17)

Separated from her sister and companions, a female gargoyle comes to after a frightening confrontation with a beast. She finds herself held captive, in lair behind bars and surrounded by impenetrable stone. Her captor is a brutish, callous dragon with a cold beauty who cares nothing of her comfort or wellbeing. Her only salvation is a dark mysterious sulking stranger, who sparks her desires and awakens a primative connection, but his attention is divided. He is a cunning thief, and his eyes are ever on the dragon's treasure hoard, searching for something, but wanting more.

It was very verbose to start. Gave wonderful details, but mostly unnecessary. The majority of the beginning didn't add anything instrumental to the storyline, in my estimation. As it progressed, it eased up, still in-depth, but more interesting. The story became more engaging and immersive. Love love love the little bioluminescent mushrooms! They tried so hard to be helpful. They reminded me of Minions (which I absolutely adore), so cute, wholly clueless, but completely loveable.

"The first projection was ridiculous and nonsensical; the fungi’s memory resembled that of a drunken storyteller." (Ch 23)

Tension, drama, suspense, battles, conflicts, dangerous predators... protection, care, and devotion.

And the twist! I don't want to give away any spoilers. I did have a nagging suspicion, but also thought it might possibly go in a different direction.

ARC courtesy of Naughty Nook PR. Voluntary review.

[s.elle.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle ground Fantasy Romance

I started out really enjoying this book, and then the plot twists fell flat for me. It was well written, and the characters were interesting. Certain parts of the relationship plot were not my favourite.
Overall I still enjoyed the book, but not sure I will finish the series. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[booksthatbleed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be prepared to go without sleep, because once you start this read, you won't be able to put the book down. The tension and fear, the conflicts and battles... and that twist! Gargoyles make the best badasses in this fabulous story.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars 2 peppers

This series. SO FREAKING GOOD. and just keeps getting better.

This book was a RIDE. I can't even really say much without giving spoilers.

But Lyssa is such a badass gargoyle, so feisty and I love her.

Anyway, just go read it!!

[Linda Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows of Fire is book 3 in the interconnected Shadow and Smoke series. You could read it as a standalone however reading the other books in the series will add more context to the supporting characters.

This book is heavy on the world building, so be prepared for a lot of descriptors, especially in the first third of the book, which paints the picture of this world and its many unique creatures.

There is a Lord of the Rings vibe because of the many characters in the book and the sense of found family, as well as unlikely alliances between different species such as centaurs, elves and gargoyles.

There is a villain called Zodiark on a quest to steal treasures from the MMC’s, a dragon called Drayce, treasure hoard.

Drayce unwittingly saves the FMC, a gargoyle called Lyssa, from the havoc another dragon unleashed on Lyssa and her band of friends.

However it feels like Lyssa has escaped one villain for another. Drayce treats Lyssa like a captive but Lyssa’s genuine kindness and sweet character seems to have Drayce softening.

Drayce is such an alpha MMC however he’s so sweet to Lyssa and calls her the cutest nickname, “little bug”. The differences between the two seem insurmountable though, as Drayce seeks to possess and control and Lyssa tries to maintain her own sense of self. Will a romance between Drayce (who is a dragon) and Lyssa (who is a gargoyle) be possible?

You should read this book if you enjoy:

❤️ FATED MATES
🫶🏼 SISTERLY LOVE
❤️ CROSS-SPECIES ROMANCE
🫶🏼 ALPHA MMC
❤️ STRONG FMC
🫶🏼 TOUCH HER AND ☠️
❤️ MAGIC
🫶🏼 ROMANCE
❤️ SUBVERTED EXPECTATIONS
🫶🏼 UNIQUE FANTASY WORLD
❤️ DRAGONS
🫶🏼 HIGH STAKES

[Kat D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

Shadow of Fire is the third book in the Shadow and Smoke series, it can also be read as a stand alone and I will be reviewing it as such. This is the story of Lyssa after being separated from her sister and friends and waking up from a stone sleep.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this story. I feel that the characters were all well thought out, and that the interactions were very well executed. I absolutely adored Lyssa. When it comes to a character being trapped it is really easy to have them feel pathetic but LaBrocca did a great job of having Lyssa regain her agency throughout the story. When it comes to Lyssa’s interactions with first Zodiark and then Drayce, LaBrocca did well to use these characters in how they were going to lift up or tear down our FMC. Speaking of Drayce, the fact that he didn’t just use his dragon nature as an excuse and actually listened to his mate is a MAJOR green flag for this book.

While I did enjoy the story there were a few things that weren’t for me. I do feel like the story did drag at the beginning. But it did well with picking up later in the book. Another aspect I was not a big fan of was the pregnancy/third act breakup. That is just a me thing. I totally get why, and it made sense with the plot. But it is not for me.

With all of this I feel really confident in my 3.5 rating. I had to sit with this rating for a bit. I kept going back and forth on what I was going to rate but I feel really confident and what I have landed on. I had a good time reading this story and I feel like anyone else would also have a good time.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading series where you can see the author grow into their writing more. You can see how they grasp the readers attention and connect more with the characters. I was lucky enough to be a part of this books Alpha team and I may be bias but of the series, this book is by far my favorite. It ties together much of the previous plot holes while adding different tropes and aspects to this characters story. This story has boundaries that are crossed, and multiple POVs to explain characters reasonings while it continues on the plot line of the main series.

Personally I think a lot of these books could be read as standalone because they navigate through the personal world of each main character and this one is Lyssa’s.

The author writes very descriptive & flowery. There’s a good amount of detailed spice 🔥 and action throughout. Lyssa finds herself kidnapped by a dragon, she’s torn away from her family and her only solace is from an unsuspecting source that sneaks into the dragons lair and vows to help her escape…. Or is it?

I’m excited to see what happens next & continue this series because there are still some unknowns within the shadows & smoke.

(Preliminary rating, may or may not change as the story progresses)

[Chasity Trimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in Shadows and Smoke. This follows FMC, Lyssa, a gargoyle who gets separated from her family and being held captive by a dragon.

I enjoy the authors style of writing and notice the growth from book 1 to this book. Being told in multiple POVs helps the connection to each of the characters. I loved the little mushrooms that tried to help found that adorable. Enjoyed the storyline that contained lurking danger, battles, suspense, romance and the twist! I feel this could probably be read as a standalone but would definitely recommend the series because all books so far are worth the read.

[Megs · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOOOOOOOOW!!! Ok ok ok to start I did not see that flipping plot twist!!! I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it had beauty and the beast vibes just minus the curse. The banter was great, how he took such good care of her when she was injured, it was super cute.

I do think the FMC is too whinny in some spots(I know she’s supposed to be). I also enjoyed the cross species mates. At first I was wondering how the hell is that possible then BAM that’s how!

It was a great read and I really enjoyed it!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

A well-written romantasy standalone with interesting characters, a unique fantasy world and a somewhat predictable but still entertaining plot twist.

I did however feel that the pacing was a little off, as it kept going from slow to fast and vice versa, and the story was perhaps a bit longer than it really needed to be. Regardless, this was still an enjoyable read - thank you for the ARC!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! The twists and turns were delicious! You can really feel the characters' pain and passion in the story. Some of the best parts were the little mushroom gnomes, the dragon's unexpected love for puns, and the Beauty and the Beast vibes.
I was a beta reader for this book and can't wait to read more in this series!

[love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should I give spoilers? No. I would say you read it and find out. A beautiful and wild ride, the only advice I can give is to be patient and find out what happens after every single chapter. Interesting book.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible series! Each book gets better and better! This one was truly a wild ride (in the best way)! I can't say now than that though because I'll give away spoilers and I won't do that, sorry! Not sorry!

[Alba Dorado · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed a lot with this read… And this characters: They're REALLY interesting. I recommend all elements and twists here.