Christmas With The Soldier Dragon (Shifter Nation: Special Ops Shifters, #4)

Shifter Nation: Special Ops Shifters #4

by Meg Ripley

Being the only shifter of his kind, Special Forces Engineer Sergeant Garrison Stokes has never known the sense of family that comes with being part of a clan. With the holidays fast approaching, the dragon sees the rest of his Special Ops Shifter Force comrades getting ready to celebrate Christmas with their mates, and that only magnifies the issue. So when he’s presented with a mission to investigate a mysterious case of shifter disappearances around Lake Tahoe, he jumps at the chance to get away from it all. But when he arrives, his inner dragon can’t pull himself away from what’s drawing him to the depths of the chilly lake. The last of Maren Stone’s clan died off ages ago, and with no other dragons shifters left in the world, she’s lived in relative solitude. Protecting her territory on Lake Tahoe has been getting more difficult over the years, thanks to the sprawl of tourism. Now, rumors of the lake monster the humans believe her to be are growing, and she’s in more danger than ever before. But one night, when she comes face to face with another dragon in the lake, everything she’s known to be true is turned on its head. And awakens the fire that’s long been dormant in her heart. Finding each other proves to be the greatest Christmas gift they could have ever imagined. But with threats around every corner, will their dreams of finally having a mate be torn apart? Steamy shifter scenes inside! Readers 18+.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary, Fantasy

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 28, 2019

About the author

Grab a free copy of Alpha's Midlife Baby, the prequel to the Fated Over Forty series, when you sign up for Meg's newsletter ==> https://www.authormegripley.com

Meg Ripley is an author of steamy shifter romances. A Seattle native who’s relocated to New England, she can often be found whipping up her next tale curled up in a local coffee house with a cappuccino and her laptop.

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last dragons!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😤🙁😋🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration

The Hero: Sergeant Garrison Stokes - he is a dragon shifter, the last of his kind as well as a Special Forces Engineer in the military and he now works for the Special Ops Shifter Force. He owns a construction business and acts as a supervisor as well, since all the guys in the SOS Force have other jobs for when they aren’t out on missions.

The heroine: Maren Stone - her Lake Tahoe clan, including her parents and grandparents had all died out years ago despite the fact that her people live much loner than humans and she thought she was the last of the dragon shifters. She lived a solitary existence just protecting her territory and with all the tourists in the area, rumors abounded about a lake monster.

The Story: Garrison is sent by SOS Force on a mission to investigate some shifter deaths in the Lake Tahoe area. There are the rumors of a monster that has been seen in and around the lake, so when he arrives and sees the monster and knows immediately that it is another dragon shifter like himself, he knows that he has to talk to her and find out her story. Though his friends at SOS Force are up in arms about the fact that she has been killing people, Garrison knows that he has to talk to her and see what he can do for her.

The story describes two main characters who believe they are the last of their kind. Upon encountering each other, both realize the need to reconnect in human form due to their feelings of isolation. Maren's narrative is presented as more challenging than Garrison's because he has found a sense of belonging in the military and later with the other agents of the SOS Force. This was a good ending to the series and the Christmas theme made it even better.

This audiobook was narrated from multiple perspectives, done in solo narration by Stephen Borne. Stephen Borne has a deep, gravelly voice that I quite like for the alpha bear shifter. Of course, any man with a deep voice does not have the best voice for the female characters, though his isn’t as distracting as some. Overall, the narration was done well, though I do tend to like to dual and duet narration much better than solo.

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[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of those hidden gems in my opinion. I was expecting a book where they see each other and hit it off right away. With a great deal of hot steamy sexy times. That the hero was into having control. Well, he is but not the way I thought. What I got was something more. They have great chemistry and attraction. I also got heavy drama, I would recommend this to anyone!! Who loves Holiday Romances!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ashy Khaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

garrison is the only remaining dragon left that he knows off in the shifter community.however reports of the loch ness monster surfacing causes him to go look into the issue.what he doesnt expect is to find yet another dragon.romance sparks between them and turns out fate has their lives entwined.will they survive the love or will the distance tear them apart.will there be compromise or will there be sadness?

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with Shifters and mates, special ops and trouble around every corner. Nothing will keep these mates apart except miscommunication.

The pages kept turning because I wanted to know what happened.

These books are quick and easy reads.

Keeping a secret has never been so big.

Enjoy!

[Bette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous Story & Narration🎧 Captivating & Heartfelt!

Christmas with the Soldier Dragon
Shifter Nation: Special Ops Shifters, Book 4
By: Meg Ripley
Narrated by: Stephen Borne

I am loving the Special Ops Shifters series, each book features a different shifter on the Special Ops Shifter Force team located in Washington, DC. They are responsible for investigating complaints or odd happenings with shifters who live across the country. This book is Garrison Stokes’ story, he is a dragon shifter, last of his kind (that he knows of). He never knew what it was like to be part of a clan and the closest he has to family is his fellow SOSF team members. When he them with their mates he sees how much he is missing, even more so with the upcoming holiday. Happy to get away he accepts a mission that takes him to Lake Tahoe to investigate mysterious disappearances of shifters in the area. Maren Stone entire family died off leaving her alone for years, thinking she is the sole dragon shifter. She watched the area build up but always kept to herself so know one knew she existed. She over hears locals talking about her, how they want to capture her to make her a tourist attraction in the lake. Garrison arrives at the lake and hears the locals speaking of the monster in the lake, he tries to find out more about it when he comes face to face with it, or rather her, and he realizes he is not the only dragon in existence. It seems like these two were meant to find each other, they were perfect together and for each other but she loves her land, threats and all. And is life is in Washington, his job and business. I loved how everything plays out in this book, it is cleverly plotted and there is never a dull moment with plenty of drama, a touch of angst, some thrilling and suspenseful moments as well as heartfelt and emotional ones and a steamy hot romance. This story takes place around the holidays but can most definitely be enjoyed anytime of the year. Meg Ripley, thank you for another amazing and fascinating story.

I listened to the Audible edition, Stephen Bourne is a talented narrator and voice artist. He continues to bring these character to life, giving each their own voice and personality. He does an awesome job portraying the characters, grasps their persona with perfection, sounding just as I picture them to sound. He captures the characters emotions and projects them into his performance which humanizes them even more. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen🎧

[poppysocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read

Garrison takes on this mission as the holidays are approaching and as he doesn’t have a partner he prefers to be busy. The mission is of shifters going missing after talking to the clans he doesn’t have much to go on his cameras put out haven’t caught anything but it all goes to a tale of the monster in the lake. Garrison investigates the lake he goes in and shifts to his dragon as the space it feels like flying and as he can’t do it that much he loves it but he meets the lake monster a dragon is on the lake he feels a pull to her. Maren has lived on her own as recluse since her grandparents passed away she has this pull towards the middle of the lake where she sees him it spooks her and swims away. After all this time she thought she was the only dragon except she wasn’t. Garrison and Maren meet when she goes to the ski resort as this was where her body was telling her to go this is where she finds out about the missing shifters and she knows what happened to them. With being on her own Maren didn’t know about other shifters and just saw them as animals. The clans work out boundaries so all can be safe and Garrison leaves but Maren comes and finds him when she finds another dragon the one they made.
Brilliant story nice that Garrison got his mate and a surprise not expected by either of them.

[Julianne Macneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book as part of an arc program. This is the story of Garrison and Maren. Garrison was part of a special forces unit that investigated problems in shifter communities. Garrison was a dragon shifter and alone in the world, he knew there was no other dragons. When the unit was asked in investigate reports of missing people and a strange monster in a lake in Lake Tahoe, Garrison volunteered to go because everyone else had a family. When Garrison arrived, he started to ask questions and learned about the rumor of a creature in the lake. One night Garrison decided to go for a swim and he saw Maren swimming and was shocked to see she was another dragon and his mate. Maren thought she was also alone in the world after her family died off and she liked to swim in the lake, causing the rumors. Maren also hated other people on her land and used to hunt them to feed her dragon thinking they were going to harm her. When Garrison found Maren and talked to her, they had a connection and Garrison wanted to protect Maren, but he also knew his life was back in DC and she would never leave the lake. I enjoyed this story. I liked how Garrison was so protective of Maren and how they connected. Another good one.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrison and Maren give us a wonderful feel-good story. With Christmas coming on, Special Forces Engineer Sergeant Garrison Stokes sees the other shifters of his Special Ops Shifter Force preparing to celebrate Christmas with their mates. Thinking he is the last of his kind makes him feel his loneliness even more, so he takes an assignment to Lake Tahoe to check into missing shifters. Swimming in the lake there, he finds that Tahoe’s “Tessie” is actually another dragon who has been hiding in the lake! Maren has been alone for so long that she had believed she was the last of her kind until she meets Garrison – her mate!

The two of them fall for each other, but she won’t come with him back to D.C. Can he live without his mate? Will he find that she has a secret to share with him? Will it be enough to bring them together for their HEA?

This story was adorable. These two definitely needed to find each other. There are other intervening issues for the reader to find in this story, but the best part is possibly finding his mate. Will she change her mind and join him? Or is she willing to tolerate her lonely life in the lake without him?

[Amy Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! Maren and Garrison meet when he is sent to Lake Tahoe to figure out why shifters are going missing. She is a dragon shifter who has lived in the area all her life. When he first meets her, she is swimming in the lake in her dragon form. He is immediately drawn to her and amazed to find he's not the only dragon out there like he thought. They are able to explain to the other shifters the misunderstanding that led to the disappearances but she is in danger from a casino owner who plans to capture Tahoe Tessie and keep her in a tank. They encounter them while swimming in the lake one night and do what they need to in order to avoid capture. He leaves shortly after but she doesn't go with him. His return home to DC is lonely until an unexpected knock on his door on New Year's Eve. Maren gives him the news that will change his life for the better and the two go on to have their happily ever after.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrison and Maren's story was wonderful. I got to know Garrison in the previous books in the series and really enjoyed his story. His other special ops friends had found their mate but Garrison hadn't found his yet. He believed he was the only dragon still in existence. Maren also thought she was the last dragon and didn't know other shifters existed. Garrison is sent from D.C. to Lake Tahoe to research some fires and the disappearance of different types of shifters who were alone. When he looks into reports of the Lake Tahoe monster, Tessie, he is blown away to find Maren. There are misunderstandings to be cleared up, danger to overcome and a love that is building between the two of them. I loved their connection, some of the other shifters and how Maren tried to adjust to all the changes in her world. She wasn't used to being a human much and had a lot to deal with as she and Garrison moved towards a HEA.

[Rachael Bromley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Maren be alone for ever??

The next member in this series is Garrison. Big bad dragon shifter and the only one of his kind.........or so he thinks. A call comes out that shifters are going missing, fires are blazing and humans are encroaching on lands. Maren is the last of her kind and needs the warning her grandmother told her. Cooling off in the lake she doesn't think much of being called the Tahoe Tessie. Until she finds a local casino owner has plans for her. There is one thing Garrison thinks her knows.......he won't have a mate being the last of his kind, until his Intermal musings go haywire and he meets Maren. Meetings with other shifters soon pinpoint that Maren is the cause of the disappearances although she knew nothing about the other shifters. Will Garrison have his mate and a HEA?????? Can Maren have her happy ending???a great book as usual and a great story. I do hope they find some other dragons living

[Barbara Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrison, a dragon shifter, thinks he is the last of his kind and after watching his friends find their mates, he decides to take the mission that they get at Christmas. Three different shifter conclaves have people going missing and need help solving who is doing it.
Maren Stone, a dragon shifter, has watched her family die and has valiantly tried to keep her territory. The area is too populated to fly so she swims in the lake late at night, thus starting the Tahoe Nessie tales.
But a local Casino owner wants to capture her and put her in a tank!
When Garrison first sees her in the lake, he can hardly believe it. She can’t believe it either and runs.
I really enjoyed this tale; Maren has grown up with little interaction with humans and doesn’t know there are other shifters and her behaviour make this easy to understand. Garrison is very understanding of the whole situation and is a great help to the shifters and their problems.

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garrison finds the only woman in the world for him!

Garrison, a dragon-shifter, is the last single member of the Special Ops team, so he’s the likely candidate to forego his holiday plans to investigate a number of different claims in the Lake Tahoe area. Maren is the last of her kind, dealing with the changing times as best as she can, while trying to stay one step ahead of the fortune-hunters who want to monetize her existence.

This was a very sweet romance, since until they meet both Garrison and Maren thought they were the last dragons on earth. The resolution of the investigation was a little bittersweet, but completely understandable. The way they dealt with the cryptozoologist and his sponsor felt a little over the top, but the author made a strong case for their having no other options. I absolutely adored the scene where Maren came to Garrison’s DC apartment – it was a perfectly sweet way to give them their HEA. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Ashante Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story was just as lack luster as the other three… I really tried to give this series a chance but this one was just boring. I mean the reference to Loch Ness monster but using a different lake and changing the name was really unoriginal. I didn’t feel the chemistry with Garrison and Maren either I think that they just ended up together because they are apparently the only living dragons that they know of so far. Go figure. There was also no real concept as to why the bad guys were trying to catch Maren and what that had to do with building a casino. There was also the missing/dead shifters. Based on other shifter books I’ve read, there’s no way in the world that a shifter is attacked without shifting into their animal form and fighting back. That means that it would not make sense for Maren not to know that there were other shifters near hear or that she would necessarily be able to kill them, dragon or not. That was a little confusing for me.

[Tammy]

Garrison was sent on a mission to Nevada to find what was going on with missing shifters. After meeting with all the alphas he started his mission on figuring it out. Maren was living in the woods far enough way and wet swimming daily in Lake Tahoe and was named Tessie the monster. Unknown to her until one day she over heard they wanted to find her and lock her in a fish bowl basically. These two wonderful characters meet and realize they are fated mates and Maren has left a sheltered life only knowing her grandparents that she accepted the help from Garrison. They made amends with the alphas and separated the lands so no one crossed each other lands so no more mishaps happened again. Until one night she landed on Garrisons front porch and everything changed for them both and got the HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Charmaine Nouwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas With The Soldier Dragon by Meg Ripley is an Christmas With The Soldier Dragon by Meg Ripley is an interesting,intriguing and steamy filled wit surprises and suspense that will keep you on edge and entertained while reading,a story of Garrison and Maren two shifter found each other in unique way,well done!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. romance,interesting,intriguing and steamy filled wit surprises and suspense that will keep you on edge and entertained while reading,a story of Garrison and Maren two shifter found each other in unique way,well done!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[JazzRizz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Garrison is BUSY. It's the holiday season, and his construction company is hopping ... and he ends up taking a mission that's going to take awhile, as he steps up so his teammates can spend the holidays with their families. Shifters are disappearing, and weird fires seem to be breaking out, and there's the myth of the lake monster than might have some merit at Lake Tahoe.

Garrison goes with the attitude of turning this into a skiing vacation, but ends up finding his mate.
Maren's been alone for a quite a while, while desperately trying to defend her shrinking territory. She's curious, but shy with him ... but she knows what she wants. It's too bad that Garrison doesn't fight for her the same way. He really annoyed me with his choices, but they eventually get their HEA.

[PepperP0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bah humbug says SOS agent Garrison Stokes, all of his teammates have mates and families and he’s alone. That’s fine usually but the Christmas holidays and being the last dragon means he’ll never have what they have. Garrison takes an assignment near Lake Tahoe where shifters are dying and fires start inexplicably, he’s glad he’ll be gone for Christmas.

Since her grandparents died, Maren Stone has been alone with no hope of another dragon. Slinking around her lake, Maren overhears a casino owner planning to capture her for a tourist attraction. Maren’s stunned stupid when she finds another dragon in her waters but finds she’s attracted to him but is it because she does or because he’s the only dragon she’s met?
Rating: 3.75stars

[Lynn Partridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Verified ARC Reader
romance and adventure

If you were the only girl in the world … or at least the only dragon life would be more than just lonely especially if you were unaware of any other shifters. . With shifters disappearing and humans trying to capture the monster of the lake the sos squad is called in and fate works her magic to bring two lonely creatures together but with two very different lives lived thousands of miles apart can they ever overcome the difficulties facing them ? A sweet romance full of love rather than lust perfect for the season of miracles

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrison and Maren's lives are fine on the surface, but something's lacking. And their loneliness goes deeper than you'd suspect; they're resigned to being the last of their kinds, resigned to never feeling true, lasting love. The book starts off with the soldier being sent to investigate problems that have come up in a Lake Tahoe tourist resort, but plot twists and snappy dialogue soon turn those problems into opportunities. A well-written, enjoyable shifter novel with fascinating details on a not-so-common breed, and it's steamy enough to keep you warm while reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story

I really enjoyed reading this story about Maren and Garrison. Garrison had always believed that he was the last dragon alive living all alone in Washington until he discovers a female dragon living in Lake Tahoe. But it is the disappearing shifters that take him to the lake, Maren has no idea that other shifters existed and meeting Garrison is the best thing she has ever had since the passing of her grandparents. This book was full of steam and action and a fight to hide their true existence.

I am voluntarily leaving my review for this book and this is my honest and fair opinion.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another wonderful addition to the Shifter Nation: Special Ops Shifters series, this book is fast-paced and well-written, the characters are wonderfully likable. Maren aka Tahoe Tessie believes she's the last of her kind until she swims into Garrion, a dragon shifter in the SOS special forces team in search of a "monster" killing in the area. He also thought he was alone in the world until he meets Maren. They have an instant connection, I really enjoyed their story.

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book

[Korkoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Lost Souls Unite
by Korkoi

This book is a sweet easy read and a real page turner. The lust filled story has the right balance of romance, drama and suspense to keep your attention. Most of the characters were very likable and it was fun watching how all the different shifters interacted together and supported each other. I suggest you get this book, because as the story progresses, it will keep you enchanted and filled with warmth.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book four in the Shifter Nation: Special Ops Shifters series a well written Christmas story that held my interest until the end. Special Forces Engineer Sergeant Garrison Stokes is a dragon shifter who thinks he is the last of his kind, he is sent to Lake Tahoe to find out about the disappearance of shifters. Maren Stone thinks she is the last dragon and she tries to keep the people of Lake Tahoe knowing about her. I liked how these two meet. I want to read the next book in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jacqueline Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This shifter ops romance was well written, the storyline was intriguing and the characters were amazing. Garrison is a dragon shifter and a Special Forces Engineer Sargent. His Special Ops Shifters team members all have mates and families. Maren has lost everyone in her family and is all alone fighting to protect their land. She thinks she is the only dragon left and finds out a new casino owner wants to capture her.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Glenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrison owns a construction company and is the only dragon shifter he or any member of the SOS force has ever met. He's also single, which leaves him heading to Lake Tahoe to investigate several disappearances and strange fires during the holidays while his teammates spend it with their families.
Maren has been alone since her grandparents passed many, many decades ago. She's watched as her once pristine forest was cut down and then became a tourist trap. She's even become something of a myth.
Will Garrison figure out the mystery before the shifters lose anymore members? Will Maren be brave enough to approach this stranger she feels drawn to?
This was my favorite in the series and what an end it was!

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I fell asleep while reading this book
that is not to say it was not good I thought it was..
Garrisson feels as if he is the last dragon on earth ...
Maren believes she is the last dragon on earth ...
When Garrisson heads to Nevada to investigate sightings and disappearance of other shifters
He finds Maren whom is a female Dragon...
they really like one another and work together to get rid of the bad guys ..
after he leaves and goes home to Dc .. and back to work .. after a long day and New years eve
Maren knocks on his door and well they live happily ever after ..
:)

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this holiday "Shifter Nation: Special Ops" story! It's a captivating story that is a fairly quick read. I love the characters and the plot is intriguing. Garrison, never has felt a since of family, meets Maren whose clan has died off. Both lonely and believed to be the last known dragon shifter are surprised to find another exists. These two get a great gift for the holiday. I so enjoyed their story!! I also love how it brought in the Tahoe Tessie and the sightings of other creatures like the Loch Ness monster. I also think the narrator did a good job reading the story.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.

I loved the characters, and the shifters organized as a special forces, or security company is a well used basis for books. I also have read many books where the Dragon is the only one, and has been alone for centuries. The sudden knowledge of another Dragon, and it's a female is also a well used plot. I did however, like the chemistry between them, and how they tried to continue their lives separately, due to territory rights, and businesses/ shifter responsibilities, was unexpected. I'm glad the author ended it the way that she did. I enjoy a happy ending.

[Yajaira Bermudez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story felt like the perfect mix of holiday warmth and fierce protectiveness. I went in expecting something sweet and festive, but what I got was so much more loyalty, healing, and that unmistakable soldier energy wrapped in a Christmas setting. The Soldier Dragon is strong, intense, and quietly broken, and watching him find comfort, connection, and love during the holidays hit me right in the heart. Short, emotional, and surprisingly powerful, this one gave me all the cozy Christmas vibes with just the right touch of fire and strength.