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A dragon who doesn’t know how to love….

Fate hasn't been kind to Ivan, but he doesn’t blame her. He's spent the last couple of centuries doing terrible things to the humans who live in the Eastern European territory once claimed by his sire, Nikolai... which makes him the last person with any right to expect kindness from something as fickle as fate.

It doesn’t matter that he’s changed, Ivan knows that some things are simply unforgivable.

Now, for the first time in his life, Ivan has people he can claim as friends. He knows he’s not good at friendship—and certainly not worthy of anything like the love he sees between the other dragons and their mates—but that doesn’t stop him from wishing things could be different.

A soldier who loves dragons…

Ty is dragonkind’s biggest fan. Three years ago, he’d learned that the majestic, fire-breathing creatures really exist when his twin brother was claimed and impregnated by one, and he now counts all the North American dragons among his closest friends. Ty loves everything about dragons; their loyalty, their protectiveness, their unconditional devotion to their fated mates.

He’s never admitted it to anyone, but Ty secretly dreams of being claimed by a dragon of his own.

That’s impossible, though. For one thing, dragons are male, and Ty isn’t gay. For another, all the ones in Europe--where he’s currently stationed with the U.S. Army—are evil… and evil is the thing Ty idealistically enlisted to fight against.

A destiny worth fighting for...

When a human and a dragon share a soul, fate won’t let anything stop her from bringing them together. But unfortunately, that isn’t any guarantee that life won’t find other ways to pull them apart...

Blaze is the fourth book in the Dragon’s Destiny: Fated Mates series. It is a standalone novel with a HEA ending, a satisfying epilogue, and NO CLIFFHANGERS!

Series Spoilers: Although it’s not necessary to read this series in order, Blaze contains “spoilers” for the first three books in the series.

Content Alert: This book is a steamy gay romance of approximately 100,000 words that includes a tea-drinking dragon who loves to cook, a potty-mouthed soldier who drops 797 F-bombs before finding his happily ever after, and male pregnancy, or Mpreg.

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2016

126 people are currently reading
325 people want to read

About the author

Wolf Specter

70 books311 followers
Growing up, Wolf believed there was a ghost in his attic. To this day, he still believes that ghost creeps out of the shadows from time to time. He wishes it would say hello.

Wolf's stories explore the complicated, sensual bonds between men. There are always happy endings just as there is always a dash of otherworldly delight.

His work is exclusive to Amazon.

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5 stars
457 (43%)
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371 (35%)
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178 (16%)
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33 (3%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
Profile Image for ~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~.
3,583 reviews1,122 followers
December 29, 2016
This one is all about the GFD (Gay for Dragon). Ty is obsessed with having a dragon of his own. Who cares if he's never done dick? When Ty sets eyes on his mate, it's all systems go.

Ivan is the reformed Russian dragon who doesn't feel worthy of Ty. Ivan is reluctant to bond with Ty because he thinks Ty will reject him once he "sees" all the bad stuff Ivan's done. (Once bonded, mates can see and feel each other's thoughts and memories.) But for all that's made of Ivan's evil deeds, that whole plot line is basically dropped.

I wanted something MORE from this book. Ty was my favorite character of the series, so this book was a bit of a letdown.

What does "welp" mean? Ty used this word all the time as an interjection, and it was seriously annoying as fuck.

And the kids, heavens to Betsy, there were SO MANY (too many!) kids; the dragons need to figure out birth control STAT.

Overall, I enjoyed this series, my first with dragon shifters, but I got restless toward the end of this book. All the stories follow a similar formula, and the world building and character development are sorely lacking. I'm burned out on dragons for a while.

P.S. I looked up the word "welp." It's "to be used in place of 'well' when one feels there is no more to say. This word was originally brought to people's attention in 1994, from Jim Carey in the cult classic Dumb & Dumber." Huh.
Profile Image for Jerecho.
396 reviews51 followers
October 30, 2019
It's a good read. At times you will be annoyed with the fuck word because its too many, but the character of Ty is that, so we can't do anything about it.

Secrets, love, bonds, and family is what this book about. The fourth book of the fated mate series who happens to have shape shifter dragons as characters who are fated to humans (but not all the time).

The story of Ivan and Ty, their families and friends, the secrets and bonds, how to start new with baby steps and the growing family of dragons...

Profile Image for Barbara➰.
1,662 reviews459 followers
May 5, 2019
Ty has been watching all his friends and family going all ga-ga after the dragons. He's seen the type of love and devotion a dragon has for his mate and he wants that for himself. But all the dragons are men and he's straight. But boy does he go gay for his dragon, Ivan.

Ivan has done some bad things during his lifetime. After years of abuse, conditioning and just pure mental abuse, he's a harden mean dragon who does what his sire commands of him. But, something changes when his brother Maks wants to try to save him and build a relationship with him. Something deep down starts to question and hope. And then he meets his mate. But Ivan doesn't think he deserves a mate for all the things he's done.

I really loved these two together. I tagged it as hurt/comfort because Ty really tries to get Ivan to see that he too, deserves love. Ivan turned out to be a wonderful hero. Deep down he was a good person.

My biggest complaint was I was so sick and tired of Ty using the word "fuck". It got ridiculous after a while. I mean, I cuss sometimes like a sailor, but almost every other word out of his mouth was "fuck" in some way, shape or form. It was so annoying. And, his use of "dude". I could definitely have done without that. I also think it could have benefitted from being 50 or so pages shorter. It needed tightening up a bit which surprised me given the last one was really good imo. But overall, I enjoyed this really thanks to Ivan.
Profile Image for BWT.
2,250 reviews244 followers
June 5, 2016
Book 4 in the Fated Mates series. Although it’s not necessary to read this series in order, Blaze contains “spoilers” for the first three books in the series and I would highly recommend reading Heat, Scorch, and Ignite first.

Tyler is straight. But with all the time he spends with his twin, who's gay and mated to a dragon, and to the other North American dragons he counts among his closest friends, who are all gay and mated to men...well, he doesn't think it's so odd to start wondering if there's something to opening up his horizons and not limiting himself to just women. Especially since he can't stop thinking about dragons. And desperately wanting one to call his own.

Ivan spent hundreds of years being abused by his tyrannical father, Nikolai. Now that Nikolai is gone from his life, he has the opportunity to really get to know his brother, Maksim and his fated mate Devin, and spend time with his friends Ben and Zander and create a new, real family.

When Ty and Ivan meet they both realize that they are fated to be together. Ty is overjoyed at the thought of his own dragon, but less than thrilled at first that it's Ivan, who hasn't got the best track record for being a good guy. Ivan, on the other hand, is terrified that if he completed the bond with Ty, and Ty learns all his secrets, that Ty won't really want him anymore.
This time, he kissed me gently, his lips hovering over mine like he was afraid to scare me away. His hands slid down my chest to rest on my hips, and he pulled me against him, fitting me to his body like we were two halves of a whole.
Which, yeah, we literally were.

I really liked seeing Ty and Ivan navigate the obstacles facing them. I loved getting more time with some of my favorite characters from the other books in the series and I loved the raw emotion and sexy times that heavily populate the story.
Ty—my mate—had my likeness on his body. There could be no mistaking it, the image was my otherself. Seeing it distracted me from the other thing he’d said, and I reached out to touch it, almost afraid to believe it was real.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“That I’d find a mate? For real, I didn’t think I would.” He looked at me with such eager delight that it almost made me forget I did not deserve him. “I mean, what are the odds? Uh, no one knows about this—” he covered my hand, moving my fingers over the tattoo as he traced the lines without looking, a familiarity borne of many repetitions. “But I just… I wanted one so bad, you know? And I thought this was the closest I was ever going to get to a dragon of my own.”
“But… it is silver, Ty,” I said, smiling as I felt the beat of his heart quicken at my touch. “Gray. The color of gunmetal.”
“Well, I didn’t know I’d find you,” he said, his cheeks turning a becoming shade of pink. “So I just sort of… designed my own. I’m sure yours is—”
“Like this. This looks like me.”
“Dude, seriously?” He beamed at me, lighting up the room.
I nodded. “It is not just the color, it is the eyes, and the shape of the tail. Even this…” I touched the tip of the upswept wing. He’d captured its jagged edge, memento of an unsuccessful attempt to defy my sire, long ago.
“Destiny,” he said, laughing like a child who had just received a gift. “Crazy shit.”


I was less enamored of Ty's potty mouth, and this comes from someone who swears like a longshoreman and a sailor bred a trucker. Between the almost constant profanity and the word "welp" Ty seems to use a lot I'll admit I was getting pretty annoyed. Although when I was able to block that out I was able to really enjoy the story.

In the end though, I love how everything is tied up and especially the spectacular HEA ending which made me all gooey.

This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.

******************************************
Initial reaction: A surprising amount of UST for a mates story. Good overall, but if I had read the word "welp" one more time I would have lost it. Sweartagod.
Profile Image for ⭐Toonasa⭐ •Romance Book Lovers' Haven•.
1,586 reviews296 followers
July 12, 2022
To help with the review:

Tyler's 25, Ivan's 200.

I'm loving the light angst & the heat! I feel like the emotions are the highest in this one.

Omg, this evoked all sorts of emotions in me, definitely a fav!

was so hard, but handled beautifully In my opinion.

Great ending to the series, loved binge reading it! My 1st by the authors🙌.
Profile Image for Makhda.
877 reviews146 followers
June 6, 2016
4.5 stars

This is definitely my favorite from this series. I loved this couple! This is one of those times I feel jealous with a fictional couple. *sigh*

Profile Image for ❀ Jess ( Semi hiatus ).
874 reviews97 followers
June 28, 2023
I’m in a no drama, shifter, fated mates kinda mood so I REALLY tried to like this, I swear I was trying to push through it.

This one was supposed to to be GFY, or gay for his mate 😌
But alas, it was a no for me 😭

It didn’t seem too bad at first but the writing was SO REPETITIVE. As soon as the MCs meet.
“Dude”
“For real”
“No lie”
“Not gonna lie”
“No joke”
Was it meant to be a dudebro shifter erotica? damn 🙈 cos not only is it in the dialogue but it’s also in the internal monologues!

Bro, stop calling your mate dude it’s distracting. 🤨

”We need to talk about this shit. It’s not okay, dude, so stop trying to distract me by looking at me like you want to kiss me.”

Dude, you have to know that I’m gonna miss you like crazy over there.”

Dude, I was born to love you. “

Dude, you totally love me.”


I CAN’T DO IT. I CAN’T KEEP READING.

it’s too dudebro for me. 🥲
He’s been in the army for 7 years so if he joined at 18 he must be AT LEAST 25, ugh, bro. 🙈

Time of death due to too many “dude”s: 43%

My ratings always reflect my enjoyment of the story.
Profile Image for Jo * Smut-Dickted *.
2,038 reviews517 followers
March 28, 2016
Yep. All I wanted. And the lack of angst was surprising - initially un-welcomed...but I grew to understand. I still don't think I understand how a Looong flies - just cannot picture it. Ty though - he was always my favorite. With his enthusiasm for dragon's, his care of the children, his desire to serve and be all noble. Ivan was a perfect foil for that - and perfect himself as the dragon with the past imperfect. I really enjoyed this series!
Profile Image for Cadiva.
3,997 reviews437 followers
September 13, 2017
Save the best for last

4.5*

It's not perfect, using welp instead of well just annoyed me each time I saw it, but blame that on the journalist/sub-editor in me.

Other than that though, this book was a joy. It's at times cheesy, at times sentimental, at times it's a bit too humorous but - at all times - it's full of joy. From Ty's dragon worshipping to Ivan's baby steps, this book made me happy.

I loved seeing the Russian dragon loosen up and throw off the horrors off his life under his cruel tyrant sire and wholly embrace the fact he had a fated mate.

It had to be Ty of course, and he fact he went fully into his relationship with Ivan, in spite of not considering himself to be gay was both hilarious and moving. He gives himself over completely when the fated mate bond hits him and only has a brief hiccup.

There was a bit of suspend belief over what happens to Ty in Afghanistan and this book has its moment of sadness too. But overall, it really just was a delight and I'm sad the series has ended.
Oh and the covers of each book, whoever came up with those deserves a medal.
Profile Image for Nile Princess.
1,573 reviews174 followers
December 9, 2023
Ty and Ivan's book did not disappoint!! I got everything I wanted out this book and then some. Ty was his crazy, dragon loving self in all his glory and Ivan finally got all the love he deserved and was sorely lacking. I was so happy for them both. Fated mates for the win! My favorite book of the series, not least because Ty is my favorite character. I luvvvvvs him. Loved this book. Love this series.

The gfy/ofy angle may stick in some readers' craw since Ty is not gay, but 'decides' to broaden his horizon and give men a try since his friends and brother are all happily involved with men. Ty feels he's missing out by limiting his options. It is funny and, of course, no men work for him until he sees his mate across a crowded bar. I lovvvvvve them. Oh yeah, I've said that.
Profile Image for Morgan  Skye.
2,775 reviews28 followers
June 30, 2016
The absolute best! OMG! I absolutely adored this book!!!! (And not just because the author put me and my friend Karrie in as a character!)
OMG! I absolutely adored this book!!!! (And not just because the author put me and my friend Karrie in as a character!)

I have loved this series since book one and each subsequent book has only gotten better and better. This is the fourth in the series and though technically a standalone it is far better to have read them and in order.

In this we finally get Ty and Ivan’s story. It’s been hinted at in book three that the cranky “used to be a baddy” Ivan and Ty “I want my own dragon so bad I can taste it” are mates and finally – FINALLY – they are! Ty and Ivan spend a bit of time “finding the other” , both despairing ever finding their own version of happiness as they watch the happily mated couples around them wallow around in mated bliss, but when they do meet it doesn’t all magically get easy.

First, Ivan has a history that sets off warning bells in Ty. Then Ty makes some mistakes that push Ivan away. Following that reconciliation there is the fact that Ty is still active in the military and must go on a mission for nine months. In other words – lots of drama!

But – man! – what a ride! Being in Ty’s head for this book – a long one! – is such a rush! He is hysterical. Every other word is f**k – literally – and he also has some other catch phrases that make him one of the most endearing MCs I’ve ever read. He absolutely steals the show as far as this series goes. I loved Zander in book three and he makes a return in book four – Ty calls him “twinkie” – and he was a great character – but Ty is so funny, charming and kid like in his adoration of all things dragon that it is literally – for real ( as Ty would say) – impossible not to love him to pieces.

Ivan is a great match for him – a bit of an Eyeore and gloomy, but so very loving and devoted once he realizes Ty is his mate.

I couldn’t put this down and was bummed that I had to work all day to wait to read it!

I’ll warn you in advance that the authors are not afraid of giving us a little angst and there is some sadness in this book – I for one was CRUSHED by the twist the story takes but later … ah – later I was elated so… it all ends up in a wonderfully sweet and super sappily happy ending that makes us almost forget the sadness.

I really can’t recommend this book or the series enough – 6 of 5 stars!
(These is the link to the earlier reviews of books in this series: http://openskyebookreviews.com/?s=wol...)
Profile Image for books_and_brew.
549 reviews34 followers
July 12, 2016

2.5 Stars rounded up for the sweet ending

The first part of this book irritated the shit out of me and here are a few reasons why:

"I mean, the whole gay thing had definitely worked out for my brother, and while I can't say I'd ever honestly been 'curious,' it certainly didn't bother me...in theory."

"Maybe my love life would get a little more lucky if I started looking for some D."

"But shit. If gay didn't work out? Dude, I was fucked."

"Am I gay enough? I asked, wondering if I should have put a little more effort into it."

"Fucking Christ, I didn't care that I'd gone gay, I was still not gonna talk about gay sex with my brother."

That is just a few examples of why I was not feeling the first part of this book. I was a bit disappointed that this was what most of the internal dialogue consisted of.

Other than that, this story was sweet in that we get to see Ivan redeemed of his bloody past. We also see Ty finally get his fated mate and everything that comes along with that.

We had some serious slow burn in this book but when it finally happened - it was so worth it!

"My dragon was finally fucking me, his every thrust a promise of something that was going to utterly shatter me when it hit, and it was so fucking good I knew I'd never get enough."

All in all - if I never have to read the word Dude in a book ever again, it will be too soon. The book started to drag at the end for me, and I really felt like it could have ended a few chapters before it actually did. Also, Ty was a bit immature for me, but Ivan totally made up for it with his quiet strength and tenderness. Dragons for the win!


On to the next!
Profile Image for Mimi.
2,456 reviews
March 19, 2016
5 stars the favorite of this series

This one was so touching and carefree. It had me laughing and excited at the same time. Ivan and Ty are a lovely couple. Ty with his down to earth sense of humor and loyalty was and epic part of the book. And Ivan trying to be the best person for his mate was a great read. I hope that the author has more in store for us and this is not the end. Little short novellas would be GREAT.
Profile Image for Jamie.
2,068 reviews93 followers
December 13, 2022
So this was my favorite out of the series. I really loved Ty throughout this series so I'm not surprised. I actually really liked Ivan as well. There was just something about him over the last couple of books that stood out to me. I'm not sure what, but he is a good redemption story.

It was nice to see updates for the whole group. It was a good way to end the series.
Profile Image for Shonee.
379 reviews44 followers
abandoned
June 30, 2025
DNF @ 21%

Did an army bro just tell the MC "Yeah, sure this guy has a bad past, and he's been brainwashed for 200 years, and he tried to kidnap twin babies from people you love...but he was an OK guy tonight, so give him a chance!"

WHAT
Profile Image for Wax.
1,295 reviews22 followers
December 29, 2019
Having read book one of this series, I didn't have the highest of expectations for this book. However, it was definitely better. Both characters had depth and the amount of angst was appropriate given the character's past. I enjoyed getting to see how the dragon family has really grown and is always there to help each other.
Profile Image for Anna.
961 reviews17 followers
March 27, 2018
So sorry to see this series end! Love my Mpreg, especially those hoarding overbearing overprotective Dragons!
Author 78 books1,675 followers
December 11, 2017
Best of the whole damn series, IMO.

Ty is everything. Okay? That boy is everything. His voice comes through so strong and distinct and funny here. Ivan was aight, but I was really there for Ty.
Profile Image for Rachel Emily.
4,465 reviews378 followers
March 14, 2016
AHHHHHHH! This was everything I wanted and MORE for Ty and Ivan!

I love that this was a crazy long story, I love that it included everyone from the previous books, and I LOVED TY. Seriously, I want more characters and narrators like him, because the writing was just so HIM, dropping f-bombs and "dude" and being totally on board with finding his mate and wanting what his brother and friends had. He grabbed my attention from the first story in this series, and he definitely got a fitting story and mate.

And Ivan! I was looking forward to his story since he had been the enemy before, and I just fell in love with him...I'm a sucker for that damaged guy who just wants love but thinks that its impossible, and I loved reading about him making friends and forming a new family. His love of his friends' and family's children was adorable.

I also loved that Ty's military career was part of the story, it wasn't just ignored or something where Ty was whisked away to Ivan's home forever. I was worried for them both at different times in the story, but I love that they did talk to each other about their fears and worries instead of having some big misunderstanding.

I don't want to say too much to spoil things that happen in this story, I will just say that this is probably my favorite dragon, mates, mpreg series that I have read - I HIGHLY recommend it if that sort of thing is your cup of tea!

I do hope that Wolf Specter and Angel Knots decide to collaborate again because I think these stories are the best that I have read from the two of them separately, if that makes sense!
Profile Image for Fairymysz.
408 reviews8 followers
July 17, 2021
Hűha! Egy igazán fantasztikusan jó sorozatzáró kötetet kaptam. Minden szál el lett varrva, mindenki megkapta a maga életpárját és a gyerkőceit.
Ivan, ahogy azt vártam, egyáltalán nem az a nagy, gonosz, orosz sárkány, akinek képzelhettük eddig. Bár ezt már azért valamelyest bebizonyította az előző kötetben is.
Ty pedig... imádom a fickót és kész. Teljesen megértem a sárkány imádatát és azt, hogy ő is akart egy igazi, saját sárkányt magának. És ebben még az sem akadályozhatta meg, hogy eredetileg full hetero a pasi. :D
Ivan és Ty kapcsolata heves és szenvedélyes és egyszerűen aranyos, ahogy Ivan odavan a párjáért - miközben egész életében azt tanulta, hogy ez gyengeség és pfúj, nem kell neki ilyen.

Az Afganisztánban történek miatt összetört kicsit a szívem, igazán gonosz húzás volt az íróktól, még, ha értem is, hogy kellett némi dráma ebbe a könyvbe is. De akkor is!
Ty és Wes szüleit is nagyon megszerettem és az összes gyerkőcöt is.
Maksim és Dave ikrei zabálnivalóak. A komolyabb, sapkamániás Michael és a huncut, rosszaság Zach, aki folyton eldugja ikertesója sapijait.
Dane és Wes cserfes kislánya, Elise is nagyon aranyos. Imádtam, ahogy igyekezett oroszul tanulni Ivantól.
A kedvenc beszólásom tőle még mindig ez: - Bácsikám... te lenyelted a kisbabát? :D
A vége pedig egyszerűen tökéletes volt. Egy igazán hatalmas és egymás szerető család alakult ki a sorozat végére, akiket nem a vér, hanem a szeretet köt össze. Csodás volt.
Haveeeeeer! Sárkányok!
Profile Image for Jazett.
272 reviews11 followers
March 13, 2016
Dude Dragons!!

OMG! I didn't think I could love Ty, anymore then already had until I read his story. This made me oh so many times, not only because Ty has one of the most potty mouths, of all time. But what I really loved was that Ivan never tried to change his mate. I have to say that I had a little cry just a little one, and it did hurt but was a needed part of the story. Ty got his dragon and his family. I hate that this is the end of this series but I did, love the ride that each book took me on. But this last book is my favorite, of them all!!
Profile Image for Viz.
179 reviews
February 15, 2018
Its' a rom com!! rarely find books that are shifter which has bit of comedy. Plan to read rest of the books in the series. This is the first book of Wolf that I have read. Its' truly a stand alone book
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