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Dragonfire #1
Kiss of Fire
For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have lived peacefully as guardians of both the four elements and the earth’s treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr, who count humans among the earth’s treasures, and the Slayers, who would eradicate both humans and the Pyr who protect them, has begun…
One kiss can change the course of destiny…
When ace accountant Sara Keegan decides to settle down and run her quirky aunt’s New Age bookstore, she’s not looking for adventure. She doesn’t believe in fate or the magic of tarot cards, but when she’s saved from a vicious attack by a man who has the ability to turn into a fire-breathing dragon, she questions whether she’s losing her mind – or about to lose her heart.
Self-reliant loner Quinn Tyrrell has long been distrustful of his fellow Pyr. When he feels the firestorm that signals his destined mate, he’s determined to protect and possess Sara, regardless of the cost. Then Sara’s true destiny is revealed and Quinn realizes he must risk everything – even Sara’s love – to fulfill their entwined fates.
One kiss can change the course of destiny…
When ace accountant Sara Keegan decides to settle down and run her quirky aunt’s New Age bookstore, she’s not looking for adventure. She doesn’t believe in fate or the magic of tarot cards, but when she’s saved from a vicious attack by a man who has the ability to turn into a fire-breathing dragon, she questions whether she’s losing her mind – or about to lose her heart.
Self-reliant loner Quinn Tyrrell has long been distrustful of his fellow Pyr. When he feels the firestorm that signals his destined mate, he’s determined to protect and possess Sara, regardless of the cost. Then Sara’s true destiny is revealed and Quinn realizes he must risk everything – even Sara’s love – to fulfill their entwined fates.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2008
521 people are currently reading
5812 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Cooke
89 books853 followersDeborah Cooke also writes under the names Claire Delacroix and Claire Cross.
Bestselling and award-winning author Deborah Cooke has published over fifty novels and novellas, including historical romances, fantasy romances, fantasy novels with romantic elements, paranormal romances, contemporary romances, urban fantasy romances, time travel romances and paranormal young adult novels. She writes as herself, Deborah Cooke, as Claire Delacroix, and has written as Claire Cross. She is nationally bestselling, #1 Kindle Bestselling, KOBO Bestselling, as well as a USA Today and New York Times’ Bestselling Author. Her Claire Delacroix medieval romance, The Beauty, was her first book to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books.
Deborah was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library in 2009, the first time TPL hosted a residency focused on the romance genre, and she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America PRO Mentor of the Year Award in 2012. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and of Novelists Inc.
Currently, she’s writing paranormal romances as Deborah Cooke, and medieval romances as Claire Delacroix.
Deborah thinks a lot about publishing and writing, and also knits too much.
Bestselling and award-winning author Deborah Cooke has published over fifty novels and novellas, including historical romances, fantasy romances, fantasy novels with romantic elements, paranormal romances, contemporary romances, urban fantasy romances, time travel romances and paranormal young adult novels. She writes as herself, Deborah Cooke, as Claire Delacroix, and has written as Claire Cross. She is nationally bestselling, #1 Kindle Bestselling, KOBO Bestselling, as well as a USA Today and New York Times’ Bestselling Author. Her Claire Delacroix medieval romance, The Beauty, was her first book to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books.
Deborah was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library in 2009, the first time TPL hosted a residency focused on the romance genre, and she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America PRO Mentor of the Year Award in 2012. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and of Novelists Inc.
Currently, she’s writing paranormal romances as Deborah Cooke, and medieval romances as Claire Delacroix.
Deborah thinks a lot about publishing and writing, and also knits too much.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews
October 24, 2017
*** 3 ***
Buddy read with the MacHalo group starting December 1, 2015
I started it on that day, but I have been putting it off ever since. For a book that has my favorite elements in the form of Dragons, I was somewhat let down. Everything was insta. Insta lust, lnsta discoveries, insta love, insta hatreds and insta friendships... There was no substance to any of it, while the writing style was conducive to introspection and musing. I just wish thetr was more to it...
Buddy read with the MacHalo group starting December 1, 2015
I started it on that day, but I have been putting it off ever since. For a book that has my favorite elements in the form of Dragons, I was somewhat let down. Everything was insta. Insta lust, lnsta discoveries, insta love, insta hatreds and insta friendships... There was no substance to any of it, while the writing style was conducive to introspection and musing. I just wish thetr was more to it...
May 16, 2020
► BR with the MacHalo Freaks starting Dec. 1, 2015.
💀 DNF at 43%.
Is there such a thing as boring dragons? Yes there is. Don't believe me? Ask Deborah Cooke, she knows ALL about it. She even managed to make a (supposedly hot) shower scene boring as hell. That's pretty deadly, if you ask me.
►► This delightful piece of literature being a totally gripping, utterly fascinating read, I am not even going to bother reviewing it. Because frankly, I have better things to do with my life. Want to read a review for this masterpiece? Check out Kate's. You might learn a scientific fact (or two) in the process.
PS: Deborah Cooke, you should be ashamed of yourself for depicting such disastrously uninteresting, dull, flat, uninspired, lame-a-saurus dragons. I'm pretty sure Annwyl the Bloody does not approve. You should be afraid right now, very afraid.
💀 DNF at 43%.
Is there such a thing as boring dragons? Yes there is. Don't believe me? Ask Deborah Cooke, she knows ALL about it. She even managed to make a (supposedly hot) shower scene boring as hell. That's pretty deadly, if you ask me.
►► This delightful piece of literature being a totally gripping, utterly fascinating read, I am not even going to bother reviewing it. Because frankly, I have better things to do with my life. Want to read a review for this masterpiece? Check out Kate's. You might learn a scientific fact (or two) in the process.
PS: Deborah Cooke, you should be ashamed of yourself for depicting such disastrously uninteresting, dull, flat, uninspired, lame-a-saurus dragons. I'm pretty sure Annwyl the Bloody does not approve. You should be afraid right now, very afraid.
December 2, 2015
Buddy Read with the MacHalos
DNF! This book can burn and then fuck off. It is so bloody boring. I've skimmed most of it and I can't go on past page 121 of 239. I was going to stop at page 79, but I wanted to see if Sarah was right about the boring shower scene. She was, it was a snooze fest. Also, the author didn't refer to any of their shower fun anatomy by the usual terms, instead she wrote, she grabbed him by his strength. What is that nonsense? I'm rather perturbed that that measly organ gets all the strength glory. How about the pancreas? Do you know how dead you'd be without its digestive enzymes and Islets of Langerhans (produces insulin)? You'd be deader than this book's originality is. So to recap, the pancreas is the strength, not unnecessary organs...I'm looking at you, too, appendix. And the sexual tension in this book is about as potent as a wet ballon.
Back to this poser book. It moves slower than a snail. Anything that happens action wise is slowed so all the possible momentum dies before it even began. The rest of the book, besides the plot, is bursting with clichés and corny phrases you last heard in your middle school English class. So bad. It's not at all salvageable and that's a shame, because DRAGONS. This book has managed to make them boring and something I have no interest in. It's a sad day when even dragons can't save your book.
I just can't do it. It's too boring for me to make my brain remember more of the book to rage about. Suffice to say, I rarely DNF books, so you know this one sucked. Ugh. Ruining dragons.
This all makes me think I should up the rating on Fire Down Below and Fire in the Hole. I finished those two books, at least.
For all interested, here's the quote in full about his strength. Pff, as if. They're in the shower naked in this scene.
She closed one hand around Quinn’s strength and was surprised by the size of him. Her caress made him growl and she felt power in her touch. He caught her closer and his fingers slipped inside her..
Now I'm pretty sure they were talking about frisky business, but maybe they weren't getting naughty with the usual appendages and orifices. Maybe she's testing the dexterity of his femur's osseous tissue, osteopenia is no joke. And maybe he's checking her oral interior to make sure she has all her teeth, like you would a horse before purchase. I'm hoping it's door #2, but knowing this book, it's the super boring first explanation.
DNF! This book can burn and then fuck off. It is so bloody boring. I've skimmed most of it and I can't go on past page 121 of 239. I was going to stop at page 79, but I wanted to see if Sarah was right about the boring shower scene. She was, it was a snooze fest. Also, the author didn't refer to any of their shower fun anatomy by the usual terms, instead she wrote, she grabbed him by his strength. What is that nonsense? I'm rather perturbed that that measly organ gets all the strength glory. How about the pancreas? Do you know how dead you'd be without its digestive enzymes and Islets of Langerhans (produces insulin)? You'd be deader than this book's originality is. So to recap, the pancreas is the strength, not unnecessary organs...I'm looking at you, too, appendix. And the sexual tension in this book is about as potent as a wet ballon.
Back to this poser book. It moves slower than a snail. Anything that happens action wise is slowed so all the possible momentum dies before it even began. The rest of the book, besides the plot, is bursting with clichés and corny phrases you last heard in your middle school English class. So bad. It's not at all salvageable and that's a shame, because DRAGONS. This book has managed to make them boring and something I have no interest in. It's a sad day when even dragons can't save your book.
I just can't do it. It's too boring for me to make my brain remember more of the book to rage about. Suffice to say, I rarely DNF books, so you know this one sucked. Ugh. Ruining dragons.
This all makes me think I should up the rating on Fire Down Below and Fire in the Hole. I finished those two books, at least.
For all interested, here's the quote in full about his strength. Pff, as if. They're in the shower naked in this scene.
She closed one hand around Quinn’s strength and was surprised by the size of him. Her caress made him growl and she felt power in her touch. He caught her closer and his fingers slipped inside her..
Now I'm pretty sure they were talking about frisky business, but maybe they weren't getting naughty with the usual appendages and orifices. Maybe she's testing the dexterity of his femur's osseous tissue, osteopenia is no joke. And maybe he's checking her oral interior to make sure she has all her teeth, like you would a horse before purchase. I'm hoping it's door #2, but knowing this book, it's the super boring first explanation.
February 24, 2019
Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cook
First in the Dragonfire series. 3.5 stars.
Quinn is a Blacksmith and several hundred year old dragon. Sara is an accountant recently taken over her late aunt’s mystical bookstore (that doesn’t seem to get any customers). Sara is proclaimed to be a Seer. The Smith and Seer are destined to save the dragon world.
The dragons are the colors of gem stones, each unique. There are human protective dragons and dragons that believe they are superior to humans and want to destroy the human race. So the two sides battle each other, in this book rather graphically.
I found the loss of a dragon scale because of love that then made the dragon vulnerable was rather sad. A couple of questions kept me unfocused like where the bookstore customers were as there rarely seemed to be any and if she’s an accountant, why is that part of the store business never mentioned? There are also open ended questions because of the series arc.
The secondary dragon characters were intriguing and I want to read the next books for their stories. I’ve heard good things about this dragon series and expect the next books to be more compelling and charismatic. I hope.
First in the Dragonfire series. 3.5 stars.
Quinn is a Blacksmith and several hundred year old dragon. Sara is an accountant recently taken over her late aunt’s mystical bookstore (that doesn’t seem to get any customers). Sara is proclaimed to be a Seer. The Smith and Seer are destined to save the dragon world.
The dragons are the colors of gem stones, each unique. There are human protective dragons and dragons that believe they are superior to humans and want to destroy the human race. So the two sides battle each other, in this book rather graphically.
I found the loss of a dragon scale because of love that then made the dragon vulnerable was rather sad. A couple of questions kept me unfocused like where the bookstore customers were as there rarely seemed to be any and if she’s an accountant, why is that part of the store business never mentioned? There are also open ended questions because of the series arc.
The secondary dragon characters were intriguing and I want to read the next books for their stories. I’ve heard good things about this dragon series and expect the next books to be more compelling and charismatic. I hope.
February 5, 2011
2.5 stars
If you don’t try to analyse and pick at every little thing when you read (like me), then you’ll probably really like this book. It’s got a cool premise, just poor execution. There are two factions of dragon shape shifters, the Pyr who are the good guys that protect humans, and the Slayers who are the villains that want to kill them. Obviously, these two factions battle it out and kill each other, and because of this their population is slowly dwindling. The fact that dragons are all male - with the exception of the Wyvern who is a prophetess of the Pyr - means that they have to mate with human women, but not just any women. Well, ok, they can mate with any women, but they can only breed with a destined mate during their ‘firestorm’, but this firestorm doesn’t actually involve any fire or storms. It’s more of a term used to describe the sparks and burning desire they get with their destined mate when it’s time to make babies. Each dragons’ firestorm comes individually, so some have been waiting longer than others.
So this firestorm sounds like a pretty big deal but actually it was just a pretty big let down. Quinn and Sara spend the first part of the book feeling sparks fly every time they so much as touch fingertips, but then the minute they have sex, the firestorm fizzles out. What really bothers me is that the morning after, Quinn discovers he has a gray hair, which means he’s getting older! Shock, horror! What does it mean? Because as far as I know, dragons are supposed to be immortal, and this is mentioned several times in the book, so how comes Quinn suddenly decides to age? Does it mean that when their firestorm is over, or once they conceive, they lose their immortality? If so, then it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever why they would do it, because apparently, the majority of dragons also don’t believe in love either. To them, destined mates are just baby making machines that they will protect and respect, but not love, so it doesn’t really make sense that they would bother to answer the call of the firestorm if it means they will age and die after it.
Then there is also the randomness of the Wyvern, who is captured at the start of the book by the Slayers and tortured into revealing which dragon is having a firestorm and who his destined mate is. She is then locked up and continually tortured by the bad guys just for fun and she doesn’t even try to escape. Then, at the end of the book, she reveals to the heroine that she could actually have escaped because as well as being a dragon shape shifter she can also turn into other small animals, which is something the Slayers don‘t know about. So at the end, she escapes by turning into a salamander (hahaha), and reveals that the reason she stayed and allowed herself to be tortured was so the hero and heroine would come together to rescue her. Right, because that was logical. Next time, maybe she should just try introducing the two over dinner or something, it’d be a lot less painful.
And the main thing that drove me mad was the fact that the author never bothered to describe the size of the dragons. So the whole time I was reading the book and imagining the scenes, I would alternate between picturing them huge like a proper dragon, or small human sized beasties. There were times when they were flying around in the sky, breathing fire and throwing each other around so you’d assume they were pretty big, but other times, they shift whilst they were still indoors. Like when Quinn shifted into a dragon inside a bookshop! So how big or small are they?
I mean, please, I know we like to say size don’t matter but it really, really does! (In more ways than one!)
The beguiling thing was also rather annoying, because that’s what dragons do to stop humans from remembering seeing them flying around battling in the sky. But it doesn’t really make sense because it requires eye contact, and as far as I know, dragons only have one pair of eyes so how on earth they manage to beguile every single human who sees them fighting in the sky, I don’t know. It’s not like they’d simply stand around waiting for the dragons to finish their fights before coming down to stare into their eyes and make them forget.
I’ll admit, some of the ideas in this book were pretty good, but it felt like the author was too lazy to properly suss out a way to make these ideas viable, so half the time they didn’t make much sense. There were also a lot of things there weren’t explained, so I’m left really confused and frustrated. So I’m really glad I didn’t pay money for this book because I would be really mad. Now, I’m just unsatisfied, but that can be easily sorted with reading something else.
I’m not really sure what to say about the good points in this book because I can’t really think of much, just that I liked the premise. I didn’t care for any of the characters or the romance between Sara and Quinn because it didn’t seem real to me so I wasn’t too bothered whether they would end up together or not. The only character that really caught my attention was Donovan so if I ever get around to reading the second book, it’ll be because it’s his book. I wouldn’t hold my breath for it though, there are far better books to read.
If you don’t try to analyse and pick at every little thing when you read (like me), then you’ll probably really like this book. It’s got a cool premise, just poor execution. There are two factions of dragon shape shifters, the Pyr who are the good guys that protect humans, and the Slayers who are the villains that want to kill them. Obviously, these two factions battle it out and kill each other, and because of this their population is slowly dwindling. The fact that dragons are all male - with the exception of the Wyvern who is a prophetess of the Pyr - means that they have to mate with human women, but not just any women. Well, ok, they can mate with any women, but they can only breed with a destined mate during their ‘firestorm’, but this firestorm doesn’t actually involve any fire or storms. It’s more of a term used to describe the sparks and burning desire they get with their destined mate when it’s time to make babies. Each dragons’ firestorm comes individually, so some have been waiting longer than others.
So this firestorm sounds like a pretty big deal but actually it was just a pretty big let down. Quinn and Sara spend the first part of the book feeling sparks fly every time they so much as touch fingertips, but then the minute they have sex, the firestorm fizzles out. What really bothers me is that the morning after, Quinn discovers he has a gray hair, which means he’s getting older! Shock, horror! What does it mean? Because as far as I know, dragons are supposed to be immortal, and this is mentioned several times in the book, so how comes Quinn suddenly decides to age? Does it mean that when their firestorm is over, or once they conceive, they lose their immortality? If so, then it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever why they would do it, because apparently, the majority of dragons also don’t believe in love either. To them, destined mates are just baby making machines that they will protect and respect, but not love, so it doesn’t really make sense that they would bother to answer the call of the firestorm if it means they will age and die after it.
Then there is also the randomness of the Wyvern, who is captured at the start of the book by the Slayers and tortured into revealing which dragon is having a firestorm and who his destined mate is. She is then locked up and continually tortured by the bad guys just for fun and she doesn’t even try to escape. Then, at the end of the book, she reveals to the heroine that she could actually have escaped because as well as being a dragon shape shifter she can also turn into other small animals, which is something the Slayers don‘t know about. So at the end, she escapes by turning into a salamander (hahaha), and reveals that the reason she stayed and allowed herself to be tortured was so the hero and heroine would come together to rescue her. Right, because that was logical. Next time, maybe she should just try introducing the two over dinner or something, it’d be a lot less painful.
And the main thing that drove me mad was the fact that the author never bothered to describe the size of the dragons. So the whole time I was reading the book and imagining the scenes, I would alternate between picturing them huge like a proper dragon, or small human sized beasties. There were times when they were flying around in the sky, breathing fire and throwing each other around so you’d assume they were pretty big, but other times, they shift whilst they were still indoors. Like when Quinn shifted into a dragon inside a bookshop! So how big or small are they?
I mean, please, I know we like to say size don’t matter but it really, really does! (In more ways than one!)
The beguiling thing was also rather annoying, because that’s what dragons do to stop humans from remembering seeing them flying around battling in the sky. But it doesn’t really make sense because it requires eye contact, and as far as I know, dragons only have one pair of eyes so how on earth they manage to beguile every single human who sees them fighting in the sky, I don’t know. It’s not like they’d simply stand around waiting for the dragons to finish their fights before coming down to stare into their eyes and make them forget.
I’ll admit, some of the ideas in this book were pretty good, but it felt like the author was too lazy to properly suss out a way to make these ideas viable, so half the time they didn’t make much sense. There were also a lot of things there weren’t explained, so I’m left really confused and frustrated. So I’m really glad I didn’t pay money for this book because I would be really mad. Now, I’m just unsatisfied, but that can be easily sorted with reading something else.
I’m not really sure what to say about the good points in this book because I can’t really think of much, just that I liked the premise. I didn’t care for any of the characters or the romance between Sara and Quinn because it didn’t seem real to me so I wasn’t too bothered whether they would end up together or not. The only character that really caught my attention was Donovan so if I ever get around to reading the second book, it’ll be because it’s his book. I wouldn’t hold my breath for it though, there are far better books to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2025
Purch Amazon Nov. 28, 2018
Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke
Genres; Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
2 Stars (and that is generous)
1st, I'm sorry Starr, but this was a massive failure. It was so boring it took me 9 days UNDER 300 pages. That may be an all time record for me.
The 2 stars are for the fact I found no typo's nor editing errors and no grammatical nor sentence problems. In that area the book is well written. But..........OMG! A snail can run faster than this book. It was like reading a textbook from school! You know, the ones you have to read to get a good grade and it nearly puts you to sleep after reading just one paragraph. This author even goes so far to give us estensive history lessons!
As far as 'Sex Scenes' go....... well, hmmmm, trying to think of how to put this.
Ah, I got it! Think of a sex scene written by a person who only writes 'Clean' scenes, avoids all use of any words that may be considered 'naughty, indelicate, colorful, intimate, or ADULT and there you go. That is your Steamy sex scene.
All the characters are boring. The world build is boring. The dialogue is boring. The entire book is Boring!. The best part is the very beginning. After that, it works best as a sedative. Make sure you have a pillow and your favorite blanket. It will put you out.
😴🛌💤
Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke
Genres; Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
2 Stars (and that is generous)
1st, I'm sorry Starr, but this was a massive failure. It was so boring it took me 9 days UNDER 300 pages. That may be an all time record for me.
The 2 stars are for the fact I found no typo's nor editing errors and no grammatical nor sentence problems. In that area the book is well written. But..........OMG! A snail can run faster than this book. It was like reading a textbook from school! You know, the ones you have to read to get a good grade and it nearly puts you to sleep after reading just one paragraph. This author even goes so far to give us estensive history lessons!
As far as 'Sex Scenes' go....... well, hmmmm, trying to think of how to put this.
Ah, I got it! Think of a sex scene written by a person who only writes 'Clean' scenes, avoids all use of any words that may be considered 'naughty, indelicate, colorful, intimate, or ADULT and there you go. That is your Steamy sex scene.
All the characters are boring. The world build is boring. The dialogue is boring. The entire book is Boring!. The best part is the very beginning. After that, it works best as a sedative. Make sure you have a pillow and your favorite blanket. It will put you out.
😴🛌💤
October 20, 2018
This is the novel that got me into this series. I've read almost every one of Deborah Cooke's Dragon shifter series. I wasn't going to write a review for this, and originally I gave it 4 stars, but I changed to 5 because it got me hooked into a series, after all, so it was that good.
It's a unique storyline I haven't found in other series I've read. With a world-building that was tangible and believable (despite being fantastical). I loved the author's description of dragons. I've always loved dragons myself. All kinds of dragons from all over the world.
The covers for the novels are good too. I like male models on romance covers without revealing their faces so I can imagine what they look like myself. :P
I'd recommend this series to all lovers of shifter romances and especially dragon shifters!
It's a unique storyline I haven't found in other series I've read. With a world-building that was tangible and believable (despite being fantastical). I loved the author's description of dragons. I've always loved dragons myself. All kinds of dragons from all over the world.
The covers for the novels are good too. I like male models on romance covers without revealing their faces so I can imagine what they look like myself. :P
I'd recommend this series to all lovers of shifter romances and especially dragon shifters!
April 7, 2021
Marie Sue is rescued from a deadly situation by a mysterious, ruggedly handsome and well-muscled guy. Check.
Instalove. Check.
Silly dialogue, barely-there plot, minimal world building.
Skimmed to the fabled shower sequence. Yep, badly written sex. Done.
DNF after 130 pages.
Instalove. Check.
Silly dialogue, barely-there plot, minimal world building.
Skimmed to the fabled shower sequence. Yep, badly written sex. Done.
DNF after 130 pages.
February 20, 2012
tee-shirt available @ http://www.allposters.com/
Keeping the Characters Straight - Help (you're going to need it) from Shelfari.com
Sara Keegan: An Accountant, owner of a new age book shop called "The Scrying Glass".
Quinn Tyrell: Pyr, a silver and blue dragon, the Smith.
Erik Sorensson: Pyr, a pewter and onyx dragon, leader of the Pyrs
Donovan Shea: Pyr, lapis lazuli and gold dragon
Lucien: Slayer, topaz yellow dragon
Boris Vassily: Slayer, ruby red dragon, leader.
Ambrose: Slayer, gold dragon
Niall Talbot: Pyr, amethyst and platinum dragon
Rafferty Powell: Pyr, opal and gold dragon
Sloane Forbes: Pyr, tourmaline dragon
Sigmund Guthrie: Slayer, malachite green and silver dragon, Erik's son
Sophie: Wyvern dragon, Pyr, crystal white, only female.
Everett: Slayer, tourquoise dragon
Xavier: Slayer, garnet red dragon
Magda: Sara's aunt
Delaney Shea: Pyr, emerald and gold dragon
★★★½✩ I was really enjoying this first in the Dragonfire series; loved the characters (and there were a lot!), loved the plot, and this made it for a fast page-turning read.
Then. Things. Changed.
I felt the author played a little fast & loose with the abilities and magic of the characters and world. She didn't have her “rules” firm enough, IMHO. Why didn't a character used that ability earlier? (Which happened more than once!) And on and on.
Some parts of the book were fun and engaging, I enjoyed the author’s “voice” and I could forgive a few little things as a “first in the series book” - but the inconsistencies just started snowballing out of control, making me roll my eyes one too many times and lose interest. (And I was really, really interested the first 3/4 of the book!)
I did this as a “buddy read,” so of course I finished; I think my fellow “BRs” liked it more than I did, so you should probably give it a chance. In fact, I’m willing to give this author another shot. I’m just getting the next in the series from the library. ☺
December 13, 2010
My first DC book and also the first book in the series. It wasn't anything special, but, being a Dragonfire newbie, I didn't expect much. Especially not from the first book in a series where it's all mostly about history-, mythos-, and world-building.
Kiss of Fire was no exception, giving a nice, albeit rushed, introduction into the world of the Pyr, their war against the Slayers, the firestorm-business etc.
Granted, there were no vampires, werewolves, witches or warlocks present, but I couldn't shake the feeling of deja-vu. It all seemed a little familiar to me, especially the whole deal with the firestorm, finding a destined mate, and breed like bunnies before it's too late.
Though there was a variation to the theme - apparently they can fall in love with someone who isn't their destined mate, and (judging from a future hero) they can have more than one firestorm in their life with different partners.
The whole Pyr/Slayer world and history aside, what was left was a quite good story, nothing memorable, but not junk either. On one side Sara's (the human) quick about face was refreshing from the usual template "I-don't-believe-a-thing-I-just-saw-with-my-own-two-eyes" heroine, but taking the time frame into consideration a bit too rushed and quick for my peace of mind...Actually, the whole story seemed a bit rushed in the time frame they all had alloted.
Still, a not bad starter of a series, and I truly (since I own the next tree books) hope it will only get better.
Kiss of Fire was no exception, giving a nice, albeit rushed, introduction into the world of the Pyr, their war against the Slayers, the firestorm-business etc.
Granted, there were no vampires, werewolves, witches or warlocks present, but I couldn't shake the feeling of deja-vu. It all seemed a little familiar to me, especially the whole deal with the firestorm, finding a destined mate, and breed like bunnies before it's too late.
Though there was a variation to the theme - apparently they can fall in love with someone who isn't their destined mate, and (judging from a future hero) they can have more than one firestorm in their life with different partners.
The whole Pyr/Slayer world and history aside, what was left was a quite good story, nothing memorable, but not junk either. On one side Sara's (the human) quick about face was refreshing from the usual template "I-don't-believe-a-thing-I-just-saw-with-my-own-two-eyes" heroine, but taking the time frame into consideration a bit too rushed and quick for my peace of mind...Actually, the whole story seemed a bit rushed in the time frame they all had alloted.
Still, a not bad starter of a series, and I truly (since I own the next tree books) hope it will only get better.
May 11, 2010
Chapter 1 lost me when the heroine (average civilian type, not asskicking warrior variety) was attacked with intent to kill, was rescued by the hero, and then just picked up her purse and went home instead of calling the police to let them know there was a psychopath running around attacking women.
Reminiscent of my first and last experience with Feehan, wherein I spent the entire book hoping the irresponsible, braindead heroine would die. Learned my lesson that time. They don't get smarter. Quit.
Reminiscent of my first and last experience with Feehan, wherein I spent the entire book hoping the irresponsible, braindead heroine would die. Learned my lesson that time. They don't get smarter. Quit.
February 21, 2021
2.5⭐
Boring and utterly forgettable.
Details slipped from my mind as easily as they appeared on paper. Characters blurred till they were nothing but shadows in motions. The plot itself could scarcely hold my attention as nothing intrigued me. Nothing caught my interest. And this was about dragons!!!!
The mere fact that there are dragon shifters should have kept me in the book😫.
Boring and utterly forgettable.
Details slipped from my mind as easily as they appeared on paper. Characters blurred till they were nothing but shadows in motions. The plot itself could scarcely hold my attention as nothing intrigued me. Nothing caught my interest. And this was about dragons!!!!
The mere fact that there are dragon shifters should have kept me in the book😫.
August 20, 2015
I'm between 3.5* and 4*
It was an enjoyable read but also a bit confusing. I still don't understand what the firestorm thingie is supposed to be and the fighting scenes had me reading twice. otherwise the world building and the characters are interesting. I'll def try book 2 :)
It was an enjoyable read but also a bit confusing. I still don't understand what the firestorm thingie is supposed to be and the fighting scenes had me reading twice. otherwise the world building and the characters are interesting. I'll def try book 2 :)
Want to read
February 7, 2025🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/27/2019)! 🎁
December 31, 2008
A world of shape-shifting dragon warriors. A self-reliant loner blacksmith. A bookstore-owner ace accountant. A fated meeting that can change the course of destiny.
I picked Kiss of Fire from the library because I was intrigued with the idea of shape-shifting dragons, and I’m always on the look-out for a new paranormal series to read. Furthermore, with the second book besides it, Kiss of Fury, it guarantees me the chance to read the next one if I like the first.
Kiss of Fire is about Sara Keegan, an ace accountant who now runs a New Age bookstore she inherited from her recently deceased aunt. After nearly killed by a mysterious stranger, she was saved by what she thought was a dragon. Truth be told, it was Quinn Tyrell, a Pyr, a race of beings that can shape-shift into dragons. He is also the Smith with power over metals, and according to prophecy Sara, unknown to her is the Seer. Fated by destiny and the advent of “firestorm”, a mating signal that pulls them to each unequivocably, Sara was drawn into the magical world of the Pyr, and the man who claims to be her mate and protector. Meanwhile, Quinn has to confront his own misconceptions of his past, learn to trust and work with his fellow Pyr, and follow what his heart wants.
I enjoyed the book. Deborah Cooke’s prose is pretty simple and very readable. There is almost a childlike quality to the words, that makes the story just flow. What I love most is her descriptions of the dragons, most especially the focus on their colors. The fight scenes among the Pyr was also well done, and I can actually close my eyes and see them battling in the skies.
I also like the hero and the heroine, although the attraction between them seem to happen just too fast. I guess, the fated element is in play here, so there is not much struggling on their part on being together. There is also the introduction of the other Pyrs who obviously will be playing lead roles in the next books I assume. I’m sure she will expand more on the world she has created for the Pyr and the Slayers in the next stories to come.
Overall, I would recommend this book with some reservation. Some readers might find the romance a little too simplistic, but for a quick, light read with some magic and fantasy meld in, Kiss of Fire is not a bad choice.
I picked Kiss of Fire from the library because I was intrigued with the idea of shape-shifting dragons, and I’m always on the look-out for a new paranormal series to read. Furthermore, with the second book besides it, Kiss of Fury, it guarantees me the chance to read the next one if I like the first.
Kiss of Fire is about Sara Keegan, an ace accountant who now runs a New Age bookstore she inherited from her recently deceased aunt. After nearly killed by a mysterious stranger, she was saved by what she thought was a dragon. Truth be told, it was Quinn Tyrell, a Pyr, a race of beings that can shape-shift into dragons. He is also the Smith with power over metals, and according to prophecy Sara, unknown to her is the Seer. Fated by destiny and the advent of “firestorm”, a mating signal that pulls them to each unequivocably, Sara was drawn into the magical world of the Pyr, and the man who claims to be her mate and protector. Meanwhile, Quinn has to confront his own misconceptions of his past, learn to trust and work with his fellow Pyr, and follow what his heart wants.
I enjoyed the book. Deborah Cooke’s prose is pretty simple and very readable. There is almost a childlike quality to the words, that makes the story just flow. What I love most is her descriptions of the dragons, most especially the focus on their colors. The fight scenes among the Pyr was also well done, and I can actually close my eyes and see them battling in the skies.
I also like the hero and the heroine, although the attraction between them seem to happen just too fast. I guess, the fated element is in play here, so there is not much struggling on their part on being together. There is also the introduction of the other Pyrs who obviously will be playing lead roles in the next books I assume. I’m sure she will expand more on the world she has created for the Pyr and the Slayers in the next stories to come.
Overall, I would recommend this book with some reservation. Some readers might find the romance a little too simplistic, but for a quick, light read with some magic and fantasy meld in, Kiss of Fire is not a bad choice.
August 15, 2015
Originally posted at Herding Cats & Burning Soup
A couple months back I asked for dragon shifter recommendations after finishing G.A.Aiken and Katie MacAlister's dragon series. Turns out I have a thing for dragons. Who knew?! That landed me with Deborah Cooke and the Dragonfire novels. I really liked it too. The first few chapters were a little hard to process. A lot of characters are thrown into the mix right at the start and not in an easy way. The hardest part for me were the fight scenes early on where there were so many dragons on the good guy (Pyr) and bad guy (Slayers) sides. Cooke used dragon colors to distinguish between all the different dragons and it made my head spin since every dragon had a different coloring. I decided to just go with it and read through those parts and not worry too much about matching dragons up with sides. After that it was much easier to get into the story. I liked the twist on dragons that they were earths protectors and gifted with the four elements (fire, earth, wind, water). That the Pyr were protectors of earth's treasures including humans while the Slayers were rogue dragons out to eliminate both the Pyr and humans.
Quinn Tyrrell and Sara Keegan were a sweet couple. They were easy together which was a nice change from so many series where the couple is always bickering or butting heads. Right from the start they fell into an easy banter and I couldn't help but smile along with them. It really felt like they had known each other for quite some time instead of just a handful of days. Even when they argued it was kind of sweet in an odd sort of way. They just felt right together which was a good thing since they were destined mates. I liked how Sara and her newly discovered seer abilities were used to help Quinn come to terms with his past and help lead him towards trusting the right people/dragons. I thought it was a nice start to the series and enjoyed the plot of Sara and Quinn coming together to fulfill a prophecy and saving the Pyr. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next book in the series and getting to know some of the secondary characters a bit better.
A couple months back I asked for dragon shifter recommendations after finishing G.A.Aiken and Katie MacAlister's dragon series. Turns out I have a thing for dragons. Who knew?! That landed me with Deborah Cooke and the Dragonfire novels. I really liked it too. The first few chapters were a little hard to process. A lot of characters are thrown into the mix right at the start and not in an easy way. The hardest part for me were the fight scenes early on where there were so many dragons on the good guy (Pyr) and bad guy (Slayers) sides. Cooke used dragon colors to distinguish between all the different dragons and it made my head spin since every dragon had a different coloring. I decided to just go with it and read through those parts and not worry too much about matching dragons up with sides. After that it was much easier to get into the story. I liked the twist on dragons that they were earths protectors and gifted with the four elements (fire, earth, wind, water). That the Pyr were protectors of earth's treasures including humans while the Slayers were rogue dragons out to eliminate both the Pyr and humans.
Quinn Tyrrell and Sara Keegan were a sweet couple. They were easy together which was a nice change from so many series where the couple is always bickering or butting heads. Right from the start they fell into an easy banter and I couldn't help but smile along with them. It really felt like they had known each other for quite some time instead of just a handful of days. Even when they argued it was kind of sweet in an odd sort of way. They just felt right together which was a good thing since they were destined mates. I liked how Sara and her newly discovered seer abilities were used to help Quinn come to terms with his past and help lead him towards trusting the right people/dragons. I thought it was a nice start to the series and enjoyed the plot of Sara and Quinn coming together to fulfill a prophecy and saving the Pyr. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next book in the series and getting to know some of the secondary characters a bit better.
January 10, 2016
I never got around to writing a review, but I found this list lurking in my drafts, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
Likes:
*A solid dragon history and world-building.
*Each dragon has their own colors and specialty. Neat.
*It was a nice change of pace that Sara accepted the unbelievable when confronted with it, although at the same time I felt she fell into it a little too easily. So I guess that's a bit of a con as well.
*The fight scenes were well-done and quite gruesome. Kudos!
*Sophie, the Wyvern prophetess. I liked her and hope she gets her own book.
Dislikes:
*Two sensible, logical, practical (as I was excessively reminded) people in a relationship kinda make for a boring read.
*Sara: She sounds good on paper, but I always found her somewhat off. Like there's something not quite right. One thing I found odd was no mention of friends. Not even a "I was such a workaholic as a jet-setting accountant that I never had time for friends" throwaway line. Her past was glossed over so whatever Sara either mentioned or thought had no emotional impact. It was all weird. I just never felt she was real so could never emphasize or care much about her. In some ways she was perfect and I can't even recall one flaw. She always had the solution to a problem and was the one that pointed out the obvious, leaving everyone around her amazed at her insight (seriously). *rolls eyes* She is the Seer after all. It's rather annoying really.
*The firestorm idea was confusing. Sometimes it seemed to be a mating call type of thing, than at others, more like an event. Maybe it's both, I'm unsure.
*How big are the dragons exactly?
I'm not so interested in book two's dragon-shifter Donovan, but Erik, Rafferty, Niall are all promising characters. Besides, Niall's dragonform colors are amethyst and platinum, which are so my colors (Yes, I really am that shallow. :P).
Likes:
*A solid dragon history and world-building.
*Each dragon has their own colors and specialty. Neat.
*It was a nice change of pace that Sara accepted the unbelievable when confronted with it, although at the same time I felt she fell into it a little too easily. So I guess that's a bit of a con as well.
*The fight scenes were well-done and quite gruesome. Kudos!
*Sophie, the Wyvern prophetess. I liked her and hope she gets her own book.
Dislikes:
*Two sensible, logical, practical (as I was excessively reminded) people in a relationship kinda make for a boring read.
*Sara: She sounds good on paper, but I always found her somewhat off. Like there's something not quite right. One thing I found odd was no mention of friends. Not even a "I was such a workaholic as a jet-setting accountant that I never had time for friends" throwaway line. Her past was glossed over so whatever Sara either mentioned or thought had no emotional impact. It was all weird. I just never felt she was real so could never emphasize or care much about her. In some ways she was perfect and I can't even recall one flaw. She always had the solution to a problem and was the one that pointed out the obvious, leaving everyone around her amazed at her insight (seriously). *rolls eyes* She is the Seer after all. It's rather annoying really.
*The firestorm idea was confusing. Sometimes it seemed to be a mating call type of thing, than at others, more like an event. Maybe it's both, I'm unsure.
*How big are the dragons exactly?
I'm not so interested in book two's dragon-shifter Donovan, but Erik, Rafferty, Niall are all promising characters. Besides, Niall's dragonform colors are amethyst and platinum, which are so my colors (Yes, I really am that shallow. :P).
June 16, 2013
3.5stars actually
For this series initial journey Quinn Tyrell, a dragon shape shifter & Smith knows he’s met his mate Human Sara Keegan the latent seer as prophecy foretold thousands of years ago. Naturally they are instantly drawn to each other. He is charming, sexy, single minded, protective and lethal from their first meeting as he downs the foes that are trying to stop his destined mating (firestorm) with Sara. Sara’s logical mind and latent psychic ability will lead the Pyr down paths that could give them the edge in their ongoing battle with rebel Pyr known as the Slayers.
There was much to like in this serviceable origin story with an ongoing Pyr/Slayer war as they battle over the fate of earth and humankind. I also noticed the very faint tendrils of an overall arc and theme – but it wasn’t consistently highlighted in this entry. I wanted to love this read, but in the end felt it was only slightly above average with likable characters and enough information to fan desire for a second outing. Being a series foundation story a lot of exposition had to be given and it was done reasonably well by having the heroine delve into myths and writings to gain an understanding of what was happening to and around her. The action scenes were fun and came when they were most needed giving our intrepid hero an opportunity to bond, flex and fly. The secondary characters were mostly enjoyable and somewhat fleshed – but there were a couple that went no where. I really enjoyed the growth arc for Quinn and it also opened the door to expand the series and universe. I liked the climax with the villain but thought it was too talky and a tad telegraphed.
On the other hand, there were things that didn’t sit well with me as a reader. So much rested on Sara that she ended up being the weak link of the story (IMHO). For instance Sara definitely missed the sophisticated innocent mark as she ventured to the border of contrived plot device-land at the midpoint of the book – there’s no way you can know everything and nothing about the same thing at the same time. Plus some of the exposition pieces were overlong and allowed my mind to wander. I also thought she accepted this new world and the happenings too readily for it to ring true to her character. Another nit in need of picking was the story could have been tighter and better executed which may have eliminated or reduced my dissatisfaction..
I think this could be a satisfying beach or waiting room read, there was enough to keep this reader going but not so much to the exclusion of all else.
For this series initial journey Quinn Tyrell, a dragon shape shifter & Smith knows he’s met his mate Human Sara Keegan the latent seer as prophecy foretold thousands of years ago. Naturally they are instantly drawn to each other. He is charming, sexy, single minded, protective and lethal from their first meeting as he downs the foes that are trying to stop his destined mating (firestorm) with Sara. Sara’s logical mind and latent psychic ability will lead the Pyr down paths that could give them the edge in their ongoing battle with rebel Pyr known as the Slayers.
There was much to like in this serviceable origin story with an ongoing Pyr/Slayer war as they battle over the fate of earth and humankind. I also noticed the very faint tendrils of an overall arc and theme – but it wasn’t consistently highlighted in this entry. I wanted to love this read, but in the end felt it was only slightly above average with likable characters and enough information to fan desire for a second outing. Being a series foundation story a lot of exposition had to be given and it was done reasonably well by having the heroine delve into myths and writings to gain an understanding of what was happening to and around her. The action scenes were fun and came when they were most needed giving our intrepid hero an opportunity to bond, flex and fly. The secondary characters were mostly enjoyable and somewhat fleshed – but there were a couple that went no where. I really enjoyed the growth arc for Quinn and it also opened the door to expand the series and universe. I liked the climax with the villain but thought it was too talky and a tad telegraphed.
On the other hand, there were things that didn’t sit well with me as a reader. So much rested on Sara that she ended up being the weak link of the story (IMHO). For instance Sara definitely missed the sophisticated innocent mark as she ventured to the border of contrived plot device-land at the midpoint of the book – there’s no way you can know everything and nothing about the same thing at the same time. Plus some of the exposition pieces were overlong and allowed my mind to wander. I also thought she accepted this new world and the happenings too readily for it to ring true to her character. Another nit in need of picking was the story could have been tighter and better executed which may have eliminated or reduced my dissatisfaction..
I think this could be a satisfying beach or waiting room read, there was enough to keep this reader going but not so much to the exclusion of all else.
June 20, 2009
Well, I guess I should start by saying that I knew right from the start that this book was supposedly mediocre. There is no supposedly about it. This is mediocre, but I really wanted to like it. It had a good idea. Quinn was cute, Sarah was alright. The idea of shape shifting dragons got me really excited, but this was just not put together right. Which was a huge shame.
One thing that bothered me in a huge way was that I was never sure what size the dragons were. I started this book with the idea that the dragons would be big beasties, but then I started to get the impression that they were the size of bats? Did I miss something because I don't think Deborah Cooke explained their size. Also I understand that the dragons can beguile humans, but to my understanding they have to be staring a human in the eye, so the hastily explained brush off that the dragons had beguiled all the humans while they had their airborne firebreathing rumble in the sky did not wash. Please, Madame authoress, don't assume your readers are stupid.
Also Sarah and Quinn's first meetings left me seriously annoyed. I can understand anyone not believing in the existence of dragons, but can you still refuse to believe when one is staring you in the face? Because now you're the crazy one if you keep refusing to believe.
Plus the firestorm thing left me feeling confused and letdown. What I thought would be a fiery and passionate joining was pretty lackluster and as close to a "fade to black" scene as could get. Did it mean death when the firestorm dies out? Can it happen more then once?
*shakes book in frustrated anger* What the hell is going on!!!!
Just sitting here thinking about this book is making me more confused and mad and that is not a good place to be after finishing a book. Kind of leaves you p*ssed that you wasted time, money and energy trying to figure this out. Such a crying shame because I really wanted to like this book. Call me a glutton for punishment or a hopeless optimist but I have great hopes for the second book, Kiss of Fury, so I am willing to try again.
One thing that bothered me in a huge way was that I was never sure what size the dragons were. I started this book with the idea that the dragons would be big beasties, but then I started to get the impression that they were the size of bats? Did I miss something because I don't think Deborah Cooke explained their size. Also I understand that the dragons can beguile humans, but to my understanding they have to be staring a human in the eye, so the hastily explained brush off that the dragons had beguiled all the humans while they had their airborne firebreathing rumble in the sky did not wash. Please, Madame authoress, don't assume your readers are stupid.
Also Sarah and Quinn's first meetings left me seriously annoyed. I can understand anyone not believing in the existence of dragons, but can you still refuse to believe when one is staring you in the face? Because now you're the crazy one if you keep refusing to believe.
Plus the firestorm thing left me feeling confused and letdown. What I thought would be a fiery and passionate joining was pretty lackluster and as close to a "fade to black" scene as could get. Did it mean death when the firestorm dies out? Can it happen more then once?
*shakes book in frustrated anger* What the hell is going on!!!!
Just sitting here thinking about this book is making me more confused and mad and that is not a good place to be after finishing a book. Kind of leaves you p*ssed that you wasted time, money and energy trying to figure this out. Such a crying shame because I really wanted to like this book. Call me a glutton for punishment or a hopeless optimist but I have great hopes for the second book, Kiss of Fury, so I am willing to try again.
March 19, 2025
Sara Keegan, is a very logical personal and doesn't believe anything other than what she can physically see and touch. Despite the way her aunt tried to convince her otherwise, that she had special psychic gifts, all Sara desires is to run her bookstore. Then she meets Quinn, who is unlike any man she has ever met before. She knows that there is something about him that connects her to him. Sara knows what it is like to live a life of solitude. Quinn knows Sara is his firestorm, his future mate, and even though he is a loner, and mistrusts his own people, he trusts Sara, he knows that she is the one person that can understand him more than any other. Despite the danger that is circling around them, a strong passion sparks between Quinn and Sara, one that could melt ice. However there is Sara's true fate, one that he knows he must fully embraced the life he has tried to hide away from, so that he may be able to share his life with the one person he loves and intends to keep....Forever.
Kiss Of Fire is the first in the series, and I have found a new series that I have fallen in love with. After reading Kiss of Fury, I knew I had to read the first book, and I am so glad I was able to. Kiss Of Fire, was just as enticing as Kiss Of Fury. I really liked seeing the romance that develops between Quinn and Sara. There was something very precious about the way this story is written. I really enjoyed how the author creates a world of dragons, both good and evil dragons, and we see the makings of a war between the two, and meanwhile a development of a romance. I really enjoyed the way the author made the story flow so well, and her descriptions of the world that she creates. There is such a sense of magic and mystery about this series, and I truly enjoyed the unique quality of this story, and the way the author draws the reader in. A Well executed story filled with romance, passion, adventure, fun characters, and exciting plot....A Brilliant read!!!!!
Kiss Of Fire is the first in the series, and I have found a new series that I have fallen in love with. After reading Kiss of Fury, I knew I had to read the first book, and I am so glad I was able to. Kiss Of Fire, was just as enticing as Kiss Of Fury. I really liked seeing the romance that develops between Quinn and Sara. There was something very precious about the way this story is written. I really enjoyed how the author creates a world of dragons, both good and evil dragons, and we see the makings of a war between the two, and meanwhile a development of a romance. I really enjoyed the way the author made the story flow so well, and her descriptions of the world that she creates. There is such a sense of magic and mystery about this series, and I truly enjoyed the unique quality of this story, and the way the author draws the reader in. A Well executed story filled with romance, passion, adventure, fun characters, and exciting plot....A Brilliant read!!!!!
June 22, 2018
OMG! I forgot how much I love this series! It has been awhile since I read it and I just have to tell you that is just so wrong.
Now, let me tell you my thoughts on the first book in the Dragonfire series – Kiss of Fire. Sara and Quinn are strong, charismatic characters that are easily connected to and I just fell in love with them from the get go. The romance is sweet and has lots of spectacular chemistry flowing from the pages but the relationship has a few stumbling blocks as Sara doesn’t believe in fate or magic, so what’s a dragon that is facing his firestorm to do? Risk everything to fulfill their entwined fates like that’s the easiest thing in the world to do, right? Having to go through emotional turmoil along with life altering as well as mind altering decisions is certainly not easy so this couple’s happily ever after is quite a bit of interesting and fulfilling hard work.
And that’s not all, this book is full of excitement and thrills as anticipation and suspense build throughout the story which kept me on the edge of my seat and hanging on to every last word that this couple said. The fast paced story never has a dull moment and introduces and a whole new and fascinating world of dragons that I find to be exhilarating.
Deborah Cooke’s Dragonfire world is well developed, easily pictured and easily get the imagination flowing as it introduces some wonderfully unique elements and delightful and intriguing characters and did I mention how sexy these dragons are? I loved Kiss of Fire and I can’t wait for the re-release of the second book - Kiss of Fury!
Now, let me tell you my thoughts on the first book in the Dragonfire series – Kiss of Fire. Sara and Quinn are strong, charismatic characters that are easily connected to and I just fell in love with them from the get go. The romance is sweet and has lots of spectacular chemistry flowing from the pages but the relationship has a few stumbling blocks as Sara doesn’t believe in fate or magic, so what’s a dragon that is facing his firestorm to do? Risk everything to fulfill their entwined fates like that’s the easiest thing in the world to do, right? Having to go through emotional turmoil along with life altering as well as mind altering decisions is certainly not easy so this couple’s happily ever after is quite a bit of interesting and fulfilling hard work.
And that’s not all, this book is full of excitement and thrills as anticipation and suspense build throughout the story which kept me on the edge of my seat and hanging on to every last word that this couple said. The fast paced story never has a dull moment and introduces and a whole new and fascinating world of dragons that I find to be exhilarating.
Deborah Cooke’s Dragonfire world is well developed, easily pictured and easily get the imagination flowing as it introduces some wonderfully unique elements and delightful and intriguing characters and did I mention how sexy these dragons are? I loved Kiss of Fire and I can’t wait for the re-release of the second book - Kiss of Fury!
July 15, 2012
Nice introduction to a very original series. While I have read series about Dragon shifters already, I have never read a whole series about them. There are not many Pyr (dragon shifters) in the world, only about a dozen, and half of them have decided to turn evil. These destructive beings call themselves the Slayers. They just wanna kill every living Pyr on Earth so killing humans will be even easier, but mostly they just wanna take their race to their 'rightful' place.
While I did find the Pyr idea original, I felt the way the plot was described completely tainted it. The good guys against the bad ones, the bad guys trying to rule the world, the huge attraction between the main characters and the way they were not sure if they could survive and make their relationship work... blah, blah, blah... read stories like this one a hundred times already. So while it had something that made it a bit more interesting that others I've read, it was still more of the same IMHO.
It did have some elements that could make things much more interesting though, if the author decides to exploit them. I really hope she does, because I can see that this series has potential.
Also as most first books in a series, too much information was given at the same time and not correctly explained, which I hated because it's always so interesting to read every detail about new worlds. That's what I like the most about this genre. So let's hope next book explains things better and in a slower and more detailed way.
While I did find the Pyr idea original, I felt the way the plot was described completely tainted it. The good guys against the bad ones, the bad guys trying to rule the world, the huge attraction between the main characters and the way they were not sure if they could survive and make their relationship work... blah, blah, blah... read stories like this one a hundred times already. So while it had something that made it a bit more interesting that others I've read, it was still more of the same IMHO.
It did have some elements that could make things much more interesting though, if the author decides to exploit them. I really hope she does, because I can see that this series has potential.
Also as most first books in a series, too much information was given at the same time and not correctly explained, which I hated because it's always so interesting to read every detail about new worlds. That's what I like the most about this genre. So let's hope next book explains things better and in a slower and more detailed way.
September 19, 2015
3 1/2 stars
I really liked it a lot up to the end when instead of going out with a bang, it kinda fizzled for me. The characters reactions started being unrealistic and I lost the connection to some of the characters and story. It is not that I didn't understand the happenings with the story, only that the timing of the battle, the reasoning, the banter during battle, the non-nonchalant attitude, just made me lose the feel for the story. It was a bit obvious who the bad dragons were and who the good dragons were but really the story is more the main two characters. Also, Sara has TSTL moments, along with Derek's too stupid to keep her safe moments. Things just didn't flow in the end.
So all these ending... ploys to make the book more exciting?... made it not as cohesive, not as good as it could have been. So to go up to 4 or drop it down? I will read the next in the series, the storyline and side characters make me want to see what will happen next, so for a first in a series, that'll bump it up... for now.
I really liked it a lot up to the end when instead of going out with a bang, it kinda fizzled for me. The characters reactions started being unrealistic and I lost the connection to some of the characters and story. It is not that I didn't understand the happenings with the story, only that the timing of the battle, the reasoning, the banter during battle, the non-nonchalant attitude, just made me lose the feel for the story. It was a bit obvious who the bad dragons were and who the good dragons were but really the story is more the main two characters. Also, Sara has TSTL moments, along with Derek's too stupid to keep her safe moments. Things just didn't flow in the end.
So all these ending... ploys to make the book more exciting?... made it not as cohesive, not as good as it could have been. So to go up to 4 or drop it down? I will read the next in the series, the storyline and side characters make me want to see what will happen next, so for a first in a series, that'll bump it up... for now.
January 5, 2011
A great first-in-series dragon book. Not over the top outstanding but still very, very good.
Quinn Tyrell is the legendary "Smith" (ie blackmith) to the dragons. He is orphaned when he is 4 and doesn't grow up surrounded by dragons or dragon-lore. He feels alone and outcast and very distrustful of all dragons.
Sara Keegan, human, accountant, new-age bookshop owner is the Smith's fated mate. She is also The Seer, although she doesn't believe she has a psychic bone in her body.
Quinn is of the Pyr - the good dragons and of course, therefore there must be bad dragons - the Slayers. The Slayers wish to destroy the Pyr so that they can destroy humanity.
One problem I see with that, that isn't addressed in the book, is that if all the humans are destroyed who will they breed with. There is only 1 female Pyr, the Wyvern, who issues prophecies. She also can't mate with her fellow Pyr. So in effect they will be wiping themselves out.
Still, I enjoyed this book and am looking to the next one.
Quinn Tyrell is the legendary "Smith" (ie blackmith) to the dragons. He is orphaned when he is 4 and doesn't grow up surrounded by dragons or dragon-lore. He feels alone and outcast and very distrustful of all dragons.
Sara Keegan, human, accountant, new-age bookshop owner is the Smith's fated mate. She is also The Seer, although she doesn't believe she has a psychic bone in her body.
Quinn is of the Pyr - the good dragons and of course, therefore there must be bad dragons - the Slayers. The Slayers wish to destroy the Pyr so that they can destroy humanity.
One problem I see with that, that isn't addressed in the book, is that if all the humans are destroyed who will they breed with. There is only 1 female Pyr, the Wyvern, who issues prophecies. She also can't mate with her fellow Pyr. So in effect they will be wiping themselves out.
Still, I enjoyed this book and am looking to the next one.
April 22, 2012
Did I love it? YES, I did! Incredible world, witty characters, humor, danger, intriguing plot, action, and...SEXY DRAGONS!!
The book was so fantastic that I couldn't help but share a couple snippets of this one! And yes, this is exactly why I couldn't put this book down!
"She'd really prefer that the man in question not be nuts. Or weird. Or a stalker.
She was fussy like that."
~*~
"No Pry can touch you when you're securely inside my smoke."
"Except you," Sara said, feeling obliged to clarify.
Quinn's eyes brightened as he held her gaze. "Except me," he agreed quietly, his low words doing something to her equilibrium that felt a whole lot like magic. "But even that, princess, is invitation-only."
Highly recommend this one to any paranormal romance lover! Off to read Kiss of Fury!
The book was so fantastic that I couldn't help but share a couple snippets of this one! And yes, this is exactly why I couldn't put this book down!
"She'd really prefer that the man in question not be nuts. Or weird. Or a stalker.
She was fussy like that."
~*~
"No Pry can touch you when you're securely inside my smoke."
"Except you," Sara said, feeling obliged to clarify.
Quinn's eyes brightened as he held her gaze. "Except me," he agreed quietly, his low words doing something to her equilibrium that felt a whole lot like magic. "But even that, princess, is invitation-only."
Highly recommend this one to any paranormal romance lover! Off to read Kiss of Fury!
May 21, 2015
Wow, there was nothing good about this. Thin plot, no relationship building, and weird senseless "plot twists." I cannot believe that Erik recommends the dragon book for Sara to read, but it turns out he hasn't even read it himself...so she ends up teaching them about their own powers?!? Seriously? And Quinn keeps calling Sara a warrior...why because she struggled while someone tried to kill her. I think most people would have fought back. And she calls herself an "ace" accountant. That's like patting yourself on the back - not attractive.
Oh and my god - enough with the chocolate fantasies you idiot. Really, it's repetitive and annoying. How childish is this woman that this is the extent of her fantasies? Plus that sounds messy and sticky and Quinn constantly describes her as not wanting to look mussed, so it's unlikely.
Oh and my god - enough with the chocolate fantasies you idiot. Really, it's repetitive and annoying. How childish is this woman that this is the extent of her fantasies? Plus that sounds messy and sticky and Quinn constantly describes her as not wanting to look mussed, so it's unlikely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2013
While the concept has a lot of potential, the book did not live up to it. There was no chemistry between the MCs. The female MC went from skeptical straight-laced accountant to lover of dragons in just a few paragraphs. The relationship was lukewarm lust at best. Most of the book was written in a style known as 'information dump'. Instead of showing readers the world, the reader is told about it in a rather tedious long winded manner. Would have appreciated more character development among all involved as well as proper secondary character introductions. Too much of the story was rushed through and glossed over in order to meet word count. The prologue was useless. That information could have been revealed through the story itself thus adding some a bit of depth to the events at hand.
September 3, 2012
Really interesting world building but the romance was boooring. I didn't feel any connection between the characters and there was no spark even with the famed 'firestorm'. The hero acted like a 21st century man - all polite and politically correct - even though he could shift into a dragon. Huh? I would expect somebody who can shift into a mythical creature to have more fire in them, so to speak.
The fights were also very convoluted and it was difficult to imagine what was going on, specially when the heroine was riding in the hero's back (while he was in dragon form). I really couldn't tell how he could fight with her on his back or tail or whatever.
Not sure that I'll continue the series.
The fights were also very convoluted and it was difficult to imagine what was going on, specially when the heroine was riding in the hero's back (while he was in dragon form). I really couldn't tell how he could fight with her on his back or tail or whatever.
Not sure that I'll continue the series.
May 17, 2012
Such a readable story! I meant to only read a few chapters before bedtime and found myself at 2 o'clock on the morning with a finished book. I thought the world building was well-done, the fighting scenes nicely-written and I enjoyed the fast-paced action of the book. The characters were likeable and I'm looking forward to the next in the series. It's definitely an interesting start to the series, but I'm hoping for more interaction between the main characters in the next book. This one seemed all about the quest and less about them ending up together...
July 29, 2011
Wow!!
A huge THANK YOU to Carla over at Book Monster Reviews
http://bookmonsterreviews.blogspot.com/
for introducing me to this author.
And seeing as I won book 6 in the series I thought it would be a wise idea to read the first five!!
IT WAS REALLY GREAT
I have to say I have read quite a few shifter novels but this is my first about dragons (if you don't count Firelight by Sophie Jordan)
I really enjoyed this story and all the characters.
I really cant wait to read the rest of the series.
A huge THANK YOU to Carla over at Book Monster Reviews
http://bookmonsterreviews.blogspot.com/
for introducing me to this author.
And seeing as I won book 6 in the series I thought it would be a wise idea to read the first five!!
IT WAS REALLY GREAT
I have to say I have read quite a few shifter novels but this is my first about dragons (if you don't count Firelight by Sophie Jordan)
I really enjoyed this story and all the characters.
I really cant wait to read the rest of the series.
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