Ashes of Memory

Dragon Magic #1

by Aiden Bates, Jill Haven

I’ve lost my mind and my mate once … can I risk it again?
Three years ago I tried to do the impossible, defying my leaders and facing off with a dark mage in the hope of saving Tam and his fellow dragons. It ended with me barely alive, and it took me a year to recover. There was a spark between Tam and I, the promise of a mating bond, but that was ripped from us along with the rest of the tragedy.

But now Tam’s brother is dead, and his nephew missing.

I can’t do it again, not when I’ve seen the true depths of dark power. But when Tam comes to me, I know I’m his only hope. He has no right to ask me, but even after all these years he still owns a piece of my heart. I can’t say no.

But now that I’ve been burned, I know just how badly this can go. And if I fail, I won’t just lose my mate. This mage has to be defeated … or the whole world may suffer.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Romance, Magic

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2020

Reviews

[Kirstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love Aiden Bates's audiobooks, this was difficult for me. I kept thinking I had started the wrong book. I just felt as though I was missing so much background information when the story began and I was lost. Then more characters were introduced and it was really difficult for me to ever fully get into the story after such a rough start.

[M'rella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started checking the reviews at 10%. Just to confirm that it’s the book, not me. Confirming - it’s the book.

This books is not about a mystery-suspense or kidnapping or crazies trying to take over the world. Well, maybe a little. This books is mostly about a relationship/MC's development and progression. The two MC's stood at the forefront of the story for the majority of the book, everything else was simply a background, a support to their reunion. That part was done well, everything else was on the back-burner and it shows (see my ranting in the spoiler tags)

There was a partial amnesia and secrets and being lost in one's head. Lots of cool magic here. And that magic saved the book for me.

Things that drove me crazy (no real spoilers, simply trying to keep my review tidy):

- the writing in the first 25% was over-descriptive. Not quite purple, but getting there;
- the story was lacking information on important parts, and too much on those that didn't really matter;
- what do the characters look like? I finished the book and I still have NO CLUE.
A lot of detail was spent on the description of some random human hook-up at the bar in the first chapter, but none at all on Tam’s (the MC's) own brother, Haval, and his family;
- what the hell was going on with the plot - there was no back-story, no world building, no hints, no clues except for "this is how it is NOW, deal with it".
- no reaction from Tam when he saw the bodies of his brother and sister in-law. I mean, there was a reaction, but it lasted only for 2-3 paragraphs and only until the body bags were introduced to the plot, then - nada;
- There wasn't much of the dragon appearance, in the name only most of the time, unless it was convenient to speed up the plot. Wings - short fly to here and there. Fire - people die in bunches and fast. Dragon scales - to justify the scary effect and the "dragon" tag.

Altogether - 3 stars. Moving onto the next installment.

PS Still not sure what was Sophia's role and motivation in this whole mess. Can anyone explain?

PPS Gawd awful cover. 😣

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

Good story but not much world building, I went back to check if this is a spin-off or something.
love me a dragon story

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ashes of Memory is the first book in the Dragon Magic series by authors Aiden Bates and Jill Haven. This book is written in dual POV. There are many things I liked about this story. And many I did not.
This does not feel like a first book. Nothing is explained and it feels like the storyline suffers from lack of development. There is a huge potential for this to be an amazing series. But to thrust us into a story already in progress, and it is book one, that is not how I like to read a novel so heavily based in fantasy and the paranormal.
This is not a great introduction to this series. It gets better as the book goes along, sorta. Like it is not horrible but not great either. If you are going to write a book with so many new ideas, you have to stop and let the reader in on things. Otherwise, it feels like I am in story already in progress and lost.
Tam is a dragon. He is upset, to say the least, that Haven and Sophia have been killed. They have no idea where their son Baz is. But can sense some dark magic is involved.
Enter in Vance. He is a magic-user who doesn’t use magic anymore. And needs help. He also has a history with Tam. Lots of this is not explained. Really not a great intro to a great character.
Overall, I disliked this book as the first book to a series. Too much is skipped over, not explained, or just put there for the sake of putting information there. I think if the book slowed down a ton it would have been a better book. As of right now, I am not looking for anymore in this series. Too confusing.



Three Red Stars

[iam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice shifter romance featuring dragons and mages.

Content warnings include: child gets kidnapped, death of family members, sex on-page, BDSM (mild D/s, mild CBT), mind control and mind sharing, memory loss, vomiting.

The plot around the abducted child and dark mages featured a lot of action and was closed in itself. However, it also felt kind of vague in regards to motivation and goal of the evil guys. A lot of the information uncovered didn't tie into anything, as well as other hints to more going on behind the surface, so I'm positive more in depth details will come to light in the sequels.

The magic was pretty cool. I would have liked to know more about the different kinds of magic, particuarly what amounts to dark magic in this setting.
Vance, the mage protagonist, is an esper, meaning a mind mage who has a lot of psychic abilities. In fact, a lot of the book took place on a non-physical level, playing out in the characters' mind, dreams, memories etc.

Speaking of memories: there are key events that have happened in the past and heavily affect the plot. They were referenced so often and in a way that made me believe that there might have been another book in which those events happen, possibly from different characters' POV. I couldn't find any connected books though, so I might be wrong.

There were also quite a few sex scenes - their amount wasn't unusual for a romance, but they were rather long. They were well written and the characters had a fun dynamic, but I still found myself skimming over them.

I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book almost pulled off the “direct drop into action” method, but fell just a little short. The current action has to be balanced with info exposition pieces, but with part of the plot being a main character not remembering a significant plot piece/other main character not allowed to talk about it...it added just a little too much confusion for that kind of opening. It felt like I was playing catch up early on, and at a couple points later in the book I felt lost as well. A bit more like conveniently hidden plot points rather than skillfully hidden plot points.

The book felt like it was a standalone novel more than the beginning of a series. I really don’t feel like there was much of a cliffhanger to drag into three more books (characters, yes, Big Bad plots, no)

Still I enjoyed it. Once I got the whole picture, it was also an intriguing world, although it felt a little goofy to have like half the in-world story in retrospect than action. Some great imagery too, in the mindscape scenes.

The sex scenes were hot as fuck. I’d probably reread this book solely for those scenes. Five stars on those without a doubt.

[Fran · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the beginning I felt like I missed something somewhere. References were made of a previous attack on Tam that caused dire consequences to Vance; kinda like there was a missing pre-quel that I had missed. I was confused and lost in this plot. I kept on having to re-read passages because of my confusion. People die, children stolen, mages being evil. I just didn't enjoy this first book in this series "Dragon Magic". Not one of Aiden's best works (in my humble opinion) but there is a promise of a 2nd book so I will hope for a better plot line. I rarely give a 2 star review and I feel bad for doing so. I got this as an ARC from GRR Review Team through Bookfunnel.

[Bambi4real · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow moving

It took a while to get into the story and the flashbacks were too long at times. When the action happened it was great and interesting. I skipped over the intimate scenes as it felt drawn out and rather boring. I didn’t really ever come to care about the characters but something must have got through because at the end I found my self anxious to read book two despite it being 5 am.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting story and plot.. it was well written and fast paced. i enjoyed it and it made me laugh and smile. i cant wait to read the next one.

[Elisabeth Dreams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the story.

But whenever Vance's narration comes up it made my head hurt. (Nothing against the narrator, has a beautiful voice. )

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure how far I can go with the praise but it's a nice enough novel.

It has a dragon (shifter) and a mage, they already had a relationship so it's not about falling in love (thought we do get glimpses of the past and I did not mind those which is a compliment) but about getting back together (which I don't always like but this one was nice and interesting).

Yes, you do have shifter sex, which is its own category (like, you know, the frequent shouting of "mine" or "mate") and the action is a little confused - it's present, not just an afterthought, but neither is it... the action scenes are fairly quick.

The overall world is also not that bad, except it's made isolationist - it's always interesting to create whole cultures and nations from different factions, you know, so that your MC interacts with all these different people and it's always a treat (in the good urban fantasy novels) and this book went the other way - we're an island, we try or eventually have to solve the problems ourself, so that gets you a limited cast of characters (easier to work with) but overall makes your magic world a little smaller than it could have been.

Overall, while it's not a huge feat of writing craftsmanship, it's still a relatively enjoyable read - with the "relatively" factor depending entirely (and unsurprisingly) on your tastes and preferences (and mood). Pretty much recommend.

[Lukas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confused

It starts in media res and doesn’t really explain a lot of what happened beforehand. The plot is good and it’s quite well written, but I was left wandering if there was a prequel I didn’t know about (and I don’t think there is). It was an enjoyable read, but a little confusing in places.

[Bri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the worse

This books had potential and moments where you think it might actually be good. However most of it is pretty generic and a good read when you are in between release dates for books you actually want.

[Araliya · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 50%

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Memory loss
Emesis
Death of a brother
Kidnapping of a child
Disappearance of a nephew
Loss of autonomy (mind control)

[Elyse]

DNF at 50%
Loss interest, not enough world building and things were confusing.

[Maelstrom_xo]

DNF @ 28%.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three years prior, a mage’s powerful; strength of evil magic Vance and Tam had encountered and fought it to save a young local packs wolf. The encounter was so horrific it left Vance’s mind in a place of darkness; it was a miracle the man hadn’t died. The beautiful relationship the two men had shared, along with the hellfire that had happened was forced from Vance’s mind and hidden behind “the big wall of bad” in order for Vance to heal.

Now, three years later, Tam’s forced to reach out to Vance once again for help, something Tam had been warned never to do, never to contact Vance ever again. But Tam had to see Vance and ask for his assistance to try to save his nephew. It was painful for Tam to see the man he loves not to recognize him; but Vance’s Master Mage said that needed to happen and for Tam to say his good-byes to his lover, all those years ago.

Vance had forgotten who and what Tam was to him. Tam’s brother Haval Blackstone, Primus Draconis of Blackstone Weyr and his wife Sophia had been killed and their son, Baz taken. Baz would be the next in line to be the Weyr Primus Draconis, but he’s too young at the age of eight and missing. Tam now takes that spot until Baz is old enough to take over the Weyr.

It was Liana, Chief of Security at the Weyr that urged Tam to seek out Vance from the Custodes Lunae to help because Vance was the only esper familiar to Blackstone. There wasn’t any time to lose to find out what had happened to Haval and his wife and to find the scent to where Baz was taken and only an esper was capable to do that. It was not an easy task to ask with Vance’s best friend Mikhail watching over and adamantly against Vance taking such a huge risk with his life and mind again. But a child was involved and that was all Vance needed to know to help. When Tam showed Vance a picture of the boy, the child seemed familiar to him.

The longer the two men were together, Vance noticed how they seamlessly worked together and for no reason, an overprotective urge came over Vance to keep Tam safe was confusing. As the book progresses, the two men helped each other through the darkest areas of their minds and back to the world of the living…so much danger in their minds, but their love for each other grew exponentially in their hearts was heartwarming.

From the first betrayal in the book, the mystery as to why and who committed this hideous murder of Tam’s brother and wife, that sent Tam and Vance through the world of mages, necromancers, Dark Eaters, abyssal magic and fragments of psychic energy footprints of magic, to the wicked Dark Eater mage who put both men in the darkness of their own minds lost, but love is stronger than evil and each man helped the other.

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

[DebbieReadsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Vance doesn't remember Tam, but he remembers how Tam makes him feel. When dragon Tam comes to mage Vance to help find his nephew, Vance can't say no, even if his best friend warns against it. As Vance's memories start to filter back, and he keeps coming up against that Big Bad Wall, he knows there is much behind that wall, but he can't let a child die. Even if it might kill HIM.

Different, very different and I really enjoyed it!

Tam and Vance have history, that much is obvious right from the start, but it's the EXTENT of that history that doesn't become fully clear til much, much later in the book and I loved that I was made to wait for it.

Tam remembers, he remembers it ALL, and his pain at what happened to Vance at his hands is clear and deep. He believes he is at fault here, but when you get the full picture? He made the choice of the lesser of two evils, I think.

Vance's magic is unstable, unpredictable, but powerful. Tam provides and anchor for Vance when he's doing his thing. Again, that anchor is strong, right from the beginning, even though Vance doesn't really know Tam.

The world building is slow through the book, so you don't get this world and the people in it, and how it works all in one go and I really appreciated that. The world is complicated, with many beings in it, and it takes time to process each new titbit you are thrown about it, and you really do NEED that time.

There is a bigger, MUCH bigger picture, that while isn't fully clear, you can piece together enough to see just what these mages that practise abyssl magic are trying to do. Or at least I put them together, in some sort of a plot, whether that is correct or not, remains to be seen.

Both Tam and Vance have a say, in the first person. I found reading Vance a bit harder, simply because some of his time is spent alone, in his head and it's difficult reading about being locked in your own head. Not a long time, but enough to impact me.

I have read a couple of books by Aiden Bates, but not yet read anything by Jill Haven. I thoroughly enjoyed this collaboration, and I look forward to reading book two next, which is about Mikail, Vance's best friend.

4 very VERY good stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Vance and Tam and their second chance makes for a wonderful beginning to a new series. These two have been separated, supposedly for Vance's protection, after his mind is nearly destroyed in a psychic fight. Tam has been convinced that he must go away and stay away for Vance's own good and since Vance no longer remembers him he does go away. When Tam's brother and sister-in-law are killed and his nephew, Baz, kidnapped, however, Tam finds that the only way to save his nephew is to bring Vance back into the fight. As they search for the rising evil to destroy it, they rebuild their bond and mated, they find the strength to save Baz. Their world, however, still faces evil and the fight continues in the second book in the series which I am about to start right now. As always, with these two authors, I love their dragon shifters and in each new series I enjoy following them as they create their new world and slowly, piece by piece introduce me to how that world works and the rules for magic within it. The rules for how the world works are not presented in some large infomration dump, but introduced throughout the book and I get to put them together like bits of a jigsaw puzzle seeing more and more of the total picture develop as each piece falls into place. The particular strength of this book is the way they are able to describe what happens inside the characters minds. You feel Vance's confusion and pain as he struggles to remember Tam and fit the pieces of his shattered memories back together. In the final battle with the villain, it is like you are inside Vance's mind and feel every moment of the psychic attack. And when the battle is over and our two guys get their happy ending, the description of their coming together is incredibly hot and the separate points of view suddenly meld into one and you are in both their minds at the same time. You need to read it for yourself to see how cleverly this is done and how very sexy it is to read. I look forward to many more volumes in this series and to seeing how dragons, mages and other beings fight off the evil that threatens this world.

[Deb Swietek · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't ask him for help, but he's your only hope.

Ok. I'm hooked on this new series! There are echoes of a long past incident I had forgotten about. This new story has characters that make you care for them. I became embroiled in their lives. The world is vibrant, alive, but with a darkness that must be fought. There is violence, betrayal, courage, trust, true friends, and truer love. And the fate of a small boy hangs in the balance.
Come. Join Tam as his dragon is thrust into power as Weyr leader after his brother's murder. His nephew is kidnapped. Abyssal magic is at play. He needs a mage. He can't ask Vance for help. The last time he did, Vance's mind broke. But there is no one else. Vance is mostly healed. There are still blanks in his memory. He is shielded by walls in his mind, and by his best friend, Mikhail. But Tam needs him to find Baz. Now.
This quest will push their limits as they face the darkness. Vance's mind is torn apart again. Tam will have to risk it all to make Vance whole. Together, with the help of loyal friends, they will face the challenge.
This story continues. The darkness is a symptom of a greater evil. All the shifters and cabals are affected. I cannot wait to read the next book. It is out now, so you can read these in order. Get this series, now! You will
love it.
This book contains adult themes and language, violence, mm sex and is intended for mature readers only.

[Roxanne MacKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous story about love, resilience and overcoming darkness. Tam's family is in trouble again and the closest person to help is Vance. But they have a past that only Tam remembers and he is torn about bringing himself back into Vance's life. Even when broken and barely holding it together, Vance's kind heart just wants to help as best as he can, so when Tam comes to him to help locate his nephew, Baz, he can't help but say yes. His agreement to help, will not only help Baz but it will help Tam and Vance heal from past and present events. The characters are fantastic with complex backstories and personalities, a tremendous range of emotions and thoughts to lead to you supporting and wanting them to succeed. The storyline is incredible. You get sucked in with all the ups and downs, the drama and suspense of the action and emotional pain and you can't forget the levels of twists and turns of suspense and dimensions to the story. You cheer for the main characters and can't help to feel like you are part of the story. Incredible read and I look forward to the next book of this series.

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

[Patricia Hoffstaetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed reading this riveting MM shifter romance with a “second chance” undertone. The plot is intriguing with some suspenseful situations/events. The characters are well-developed & likable with individual personalities & go through a lot of trials & tribulations but continue to develop throughout the story-line to become fairly a well-adjusted couple.
There is: three years ago a mage (Vance) defied his leaders & confronted a dark mage but since then has been suffering with a fragmented memory issue then he is approached by a dragon shifter & mate (Tam) for help, Tam’s murdered brother (Haval) & his murdered mate (Sophie), a missing nephew (Baz), drama, intrigue, action, adventure, suspense, twists & turns, magic, necromancers, mages, dragon shifters, various kinds of shifters, humans, espers, friendship, criminal activities, abduction, evil, danger, threats, violence conflict, trust issues, emotional turmoil, mental confrontations, choices, mates, memories, playfulness, some steam, love, contentment & a well-deserved satisfying conclusion.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story brings us a new world of mages and dragons where intrigue and greed entwine with regret and loss. Tammerlin and Vance have a difficult and long journey to their happiness. A mistake and guilt separate them and their reconnection is painful and heart breaking. Vance lost all memories of Tam and remembering him can lead to his destruction. Tam has accepted a life without Vance but a tragedy and kidnapping forces him to seek help at the only person who loved and lost.
Vance is an esper mage who knows is incomplete and has struggles to keep a sane mind and who is selfless and jumps to help Tam in finding his nephew. Tam regrets the choices he made in the past that lead to lose Vance and he makes everything possible to protect him this time.
When everything crumbles Tam saves Vance and together they face danger and their own fears and end up victorious. As a result they are linked together as mates and their mate bound is what sustains Vance to lead a happy life.
It was an amazing story and can't wait to see what happens next.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vance and Tam have a past together, close enough that there was the promise of a mating bond before everything came to an abrupt end. Three years ago, Vance had tried to save Tam and his fellow dragons by facing an evil and powerful mage. Instead, Vance was severely injured, barely alive, and needed a year to recover.

With Tam’s brother dead and his nephew missing, Tam needs Vance’s help to rescue him because he knows he can’t do it alone. Despite the fact that Vance does not owe him risking his life again, Vance still cares about him and cannot turn him away. If they can’t destroy the mage this time, he will lose his mate and the entire world may be put at risk.

These authors are an amazing pair! The fast pacing works well with the events occurring throughout the story, keeping the reader “pumped up” and excited at where the story would turn next. Grab your copy and enjoy the thrill and danger as they engage in the final deadly battle with the mage!

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you have to face the monster to conquer him. Tam suffered a severe personal tragedy, and had to appeal to Vance for help. Three years previously, Vance attempted to help Tam and his fellow dragons and suffered severly, taking the year to recover. He was severely damaged, potentially unrecoverable and suffered memory loss. Tam comes and asks Vance for help. Tam feels reluctant, but doesn't remember why. He steps up knowing he will suffer greatly. Baz, Tam's nephew is missing. Vance travels down the path of darkness to help find out what happened to Baz. He is challenged like nothing before. Can he be victorious? Will he survive? Will he find Baz? Will he forgive Tam? Can Tam and Vance find their way toward each other? Fantastic story! All of the characters came together as a well collaborative team. The characters were top notch and absolutely likeable. Well done! I received an ARC from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mary Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved "Guardian Dragons" series by these authors.
This book was an interesting start for a new series, but it didn't suck me up into the story. The whole time I felt like watching a story and MCs from some distance. Vance and Tam are likable but I didn't really warm up to them.

This is a fast paced, nicely written book with some serious drama, crime and lots of magic. I wouldn't call it a love story, because even though it is quite important for both MCs and for the way the story is finished (for the HEA) it is not the most important part here. It is a story about a group of mages who try to make create a portal to hell, there's a lot of magic and I really liked it. It is surprising and refreshing - I liked the way things were described, the way Vance was doing his stuff.

It is a nice, enjoyable story with kind of a low heat relationship.

* I was gifted an ARC copy in exchange or an honest review *

[Anne Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW THESE TWO ARE COMPLICATED
Vance and Tam have such a strong past. A love that they thought was unbreakable.
But after something happened they couldnt be together. Tam wanted to mate Vance but it could kill him and he made the most difficult decision to walk away.
But now Tam doesn't have a choice his brother and sister in law have been murdered and his nephew has been kidnapped and only Vance can help him.
I found this book very confusing at times and I found myself rereading chapter to get a better grip on the storyline. But that didnt take anything away from the story for me.
I did like the connect that Vance and Tam had. Their love is so strong. When Vance started to remember and have flashbacks it really opened my heart to the love they once had. A really great read

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

[Latecia Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was wonderful paranormal book about dragons and mages. Tam the dragon shifter losing his potential mate, Vance the mage 3 years ago due to an awful incident. They reunite again and Vance can't remember him completely but he got the feels when the connect a second time. After another tragedy, they are thrown and have to work together. Vance is fragile but is strong and Tam just wants to protect him from harm. During their time together, they are reconnecting and discovered that their connection is still strong and intense. Their romance was bittersweet but everything worked out and they are living their life as a family. This series looks to be interesting and I can't wait to read Mikhail (Vance's best friend) story next.

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

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow from the start this story drew me in with the death of two and the kidnapped little boy and and the magic surrounding it. Tam will do anything to find out what happened and is desperate to find his nephew, so despite all his inner warnings, he contacts Vance...The one man whom he loves but cannot have, as he has no memories of what happened that fateful day three years ago when he tried to save some puppies for Tam. Now Tam is asking once for for Vance to help him out with his magic. Action, suspence and mystery all have one thing in common a blinkin good read. This Author continues to wow me time after time with his brilliant stories, and creative imagination

Aiden you rock, thank you for such wonderful stories.