Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Dragonwolf #1

Dark Flame

Rate this book
My fated mate promised to kill me. Now he needs my help.

Twin flames. One light. One dark. Two individual halves of the same soul.

Twin flames share a calling that brings them together, even if it means bonding me, a bartending werewolf, to a rogue hunting nephilim dragon shifter. Bonded flames don't have it easy. The price they pay for the power they share often includes their sanity.

When Arsen straight up rejects me and our bond, it's a slap in the face. I didn't ask for this either.

Moving on is hard with the challenges of our bond plaguing me. My sexy vampire co-worker and his best friend are happy to take my mind off things, and the Alpha of one of the city's wolf packs is eager to claim me as his mate.

Arsen ran from fate, leaving me behind. Imagine my surprise when I find him broken and bleeding on my doorstep, begging for my help.


A rejected mates paranormal romance with action, magic, and four sexy supernatural men.

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2021

668 people are currently reading
644 people want to read

About the author

Trina M. Lee

93 books644 followers
I am the author of the Alexa O’Brien Huntress and the Rebel Heart series. I write urban fantasy that is dark and gritty with a twist of romance and horror but which is ultimately about people in dark places discovering who they are and what they’re made of.

I’ve been writing since the age of 9 when I had a Christmas themed short story published in the local town paper. A lover of rock music, vampires and muscle cars, I’m a dreamer who always secretly wanted to be a rockstar.

I love to hear from readers so don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
237 (38%)
4 stars
182 (29%)
3 stars
133 (21%)
2 stars
41 (6%)
1 star
22 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
637 reviews
July 21, 2021
This was good but there's just one big issue in this novel that I can't quite wrap my head around:

Is it just me or is it weird that the author makes Arsen out to be a bad guy all because he doesn't want Stanzi to kill a bunch of humans???

Stanzi gives him so much shit for threatening to hunt her down 'if she killed an innocent', as though he should just let her off for murdering an innocent person??!

WTF?!

Let's break this down for a sec. By her own admission, Stanzi doesn't NEED to kill, she chooses to. Other wolves hunt animals but she claims this does nothing for her.

Here's a quote from 79% on my kindle:

"Killing wasn’t always optional for them. It was for me. I didn’t have to do this... I wanted to do it. Because I was the dark half of a twin flame pair? Or because I was my own special kind of messed up?
I wasn’t evil though, despite whatever Arsen believed. I never hunted anyone who didn’t somehow deserve it. Having morals is what separated me from those he hunted. How could he not see that?"


....and how can SHE not see that she's just a serial killer who likes killing for the sake of it?? 🧐

Then, towards the very end, at 96%, she asks him again if he'd hunt her down if the Circle wanted him to:

"Arsen felt an obligation to his duty as a hunter. I understood that completely. What I didn’t understand was how it overruled his obligation to me, the other half of his soul."

Soooo she wants 100% loyalty from this guy right from the off, even though she admits to herself that she also has reservations about him and is shy of commitment in general. Even though she NEVER promises him the same unreserved loyalty or exclusivity or anything at all really. She just expects it...why??

For me, this goes beyond mere character flaw and into annoying MC territory. Stanzi refuses to listen to her friend's suggestion that she be patient with him and give him time to know her better and adjust. He later apologises and offers to try again so they can maybe come to some sort of understanding, but she turns him down because of the hunting thing. Not once does she offer to stop hunting. It's basically, all or nothing with this girl.

Even worse, in the epilogue it's revealed that Stanzi does kill an innocent person. Essentially justifying Arsen's wariness of her and her hunting. She barely feels any guilt for the life she took however. All she can think about is whether she's going to be hunted for her crime - which, by the logic of this world, would be a resounding yes. As expected, fanboy Rogue shows up and isn't bothered about her breaking the rules. He helps her clean up and that's where it ends.

Clearly, for all her 'I'm a tough chick' persona, Stanzi is a bit of a princess. It's obvious Arsen is the first guy in her life who hasn't immediately fallen at her feet. Ash and Rogue fawn all over her, even though she keeps them at arm's length, and with them she's used to getting things her way. Now, with Arsen, she's had one very understandable rejection and she doesn't like it one bit. Ergo, Arsen must be a bad person. 😒 Cause that makes sense.

Yeah, I really didn't like that part. Unfortunately, the plot revolves around the discovery of the twin flames and the subsequent back and forth between Arsen and Stanzi, so there really is no escaping this in the storytelling. I could get behind Stanzi if she were a bit more self-aware, but as it is, she comes across as spoilt, defensive and self-righteous.

Overall though, this book was well-written and the characters were believable. The plot was a bit bare bones (the interpersonal drama takes up the bulk of the action) but I actually liked the fact that there wasn't some overarching epic fantasy plot to get the characters together (not yet, anyway). A tighter 3-act structure could have helped here.

The men are unique and apart from their blind adoration of the heroine, they're well rounded. I wish the MC was more likeable but I guess you can't have everything.

Will I read the 2nd one...maybe, but I'm not going in with high expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,091 reviews119 followers
May 2, 2021
Not for me

I couldn't finish this one, this entire read was disjointed. There is so much I really could not understand about the things that happen, take place, or the developments that take place along the way. The writing and story telling is chaotic chaos at its finest. Rejected mates? No, not really. RH, I'm not even sure? Only thing I do know was I didn't really care for it.
Profile Image for Dew.
762 reviews64 followers
August 1, 2021
The trouble with series

The first book was an okay read. I liked it well-enough to add the second book to my e-book list. In the time that it took for the 2nd book to be released, however, I’d largely forgotten the first book. It did not hold up well upon re-read.
Profile Image for Nikki.
906 reviews82 followers
dnf
May 3, 2022
DNF: 72%
Title: Dark Flame (Dragonwolf #1) by Trina M. Lee
POV(s): Multiple—First Person (Primarily FMC)
Interconnected Series: Yes
Standalone: No
Relationship: Reverse Harem
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance



Usually any specific scenes/storylines/etc. mentioned in the synopsis have either a) occurred prior to the start of the book, or b) will occur within the first 20%. That's not the case here.

“When Arsen straight up rejects me and our bond, it's a slap in the face.” this occurs at 41%

”Moving on is hard with the challenges of our bond plaguing me. My sexy vampire co-worker and his best friend are happy to take my mind off things, and the Alpha of one of the city's wolf packs is eager to claim me as his mate.” occurs between 49-65%

”Arsen ran from fate, leaving me behind. Imagine my surprise when I find him broken and bleeding on my doorstep, begging for my help.” occurs at 72%.

The time I spent reading felt like a waste given that the synopsis was like the Sparknotes version. I can’t even say that the characters and writing made it worthwhile because neither interested me.

I hate to give up when I’m so close to the finish line, but at this point reading it feels like a chore. Still, whilst this story isn’t for me, it may work for you—so give it a chance.
Profile Image for Kate Anders.
Author 2 books24 followers
July 31, 2022
Good Beginning

I went into this because I really like rejected mate books, but to be honest this doesn’t really have that same vibe of rejected mate. Mostly because I feel like twin flames are not fated mates in the way most people think of it, but it’s not a bad thing.
Stanzi is a shifter, a wolf. She’s jaded, seems relationship averse, and has few people who she allows to be close to her. She has basically a regular friends with benefits, and a hot guy friend who is a vampire with a pretty hefty level of flirtation. But everything shifts for her when she meets Arsen. A dragon, and as it turns out her twin flame.
And from there on out it’s complication after complication. It seems like they are destined to both love and hate each other, be necessary for each others protection as well as most likely be the reason for why they are destroyed. Basically its a hot mess, and honestly Arsen doesn’t really handle it well.
I feel like this book is a lot of Stanzi really trying to figure out her new place in her own universe, trying to find her own equilibrium. It’s not an easy task, and honestly she is not really all that successful. I wasn’t expecting this book to have a reverse harem vibe to it, but this book is definitely laying the ground work for it in later books.
Overall, it was a fun ride and an easy read. And I am definitely going to read the next book to figure out if Stanzi is ever able to figure out how to make this work. And hopefully that Arsen gets his stuff together, cause he’s the male character that needs the most work in my opinion.
Profile Image for Amanda Crossland.
1,175 reviews13 followers
May 24, 2021
Great Story

The multiple POV’s are my fav. It really gives the reader an intense viewpoint of each character. Stanzi seems to be a strong character who finds out she is the yin to someone’s yang. He rejects her after panicking finding out their connection and it sends her into a spiral. Her past shines through her while she wars internally about not getting close to anyone. When she decides one night that maybe getting close to her friends she gets hit with intense feelings for this stranger who works for the circle of the veil to hunt down supernaturals who are violent with the nature of their crimes towards humans and because of that could
Expose all of Supernatural kind. When he rejects her, she obviously feels hurt but her friends won’t let her wallow. I rated it 4 star because her strong backbone doesn’t seem natural to her wishy washy internal feelings. Otherwise, I wouldve rate this storyline and plot 5 stars. Great book, awesome storyline. I hope the second book has her aligning her personality more towards how she was described at
The beginning of this book
Profile Image for Mahalia Gosla.
338 reviews17 followers
July 31, 2021
Twin Flame

This book is a different take on the soulmate instant lover trope. Our female lead has a dark and traumatic past that has left her with a very alpha female badass wolf. I felt like this was a realistic representation of a possible outcome of a shifter transformation and the scars that linger after a brutal attack.

I loved our male side characters Rogue, Hex, and Ash more than I liked our main male interest Arsen. This story has a lot of dark trauma, and yet I found myself to be bored at some times, and I found that I was losing interest in the story and trying to find different ways to get through it. That does not mean this was a bad read; do not take it that way! This story was a good, fast-paced, and rollercoaster of emotions from the get-go. There were many times that I felt very realistic that I could see and feel as I read it. The cliffhanger was well executed.
21 reviews
May 2, 2021
Having read and loved Trina’s other series that take place in the same world and have crossovers I knew I had to read this book too! I loved being able to see another set of twin flames having already come across a few in her other series and to see how the rejected story line would factor into this and the angst, drama and raw chaotic nature of this already has me hooked. I already love Stanzi, she’s a badass FMC and I love that she’s best friends with someone from Alexa’s series and has such close, supportive and banter filled relationships around her from her selective few companions. And yes, there are more crossovers from the other series, from characters to places. I’m excited to see if Arsen’s dad is who is heavily hinted at in this book! And to see where this story goes in the next book and for future crossovers in the others!
Profile Image for Hannah.
Author 2 books8 followers
September 16, 2023
3* for the series as a whole because Stanzi is an insufferable FMC. Additionally, this isn't really a rejected mate series . Yes, both Stanzi and Arsen have trouble getting on the same page, but it's really more like they both run scared at what being a twin flame means. In many ways, Arsen isn't even all that brutal about how he tells Stanzi that he doesn't want a relationship. Yeah, he's a dick about it, but he's later remorseful and Stanzi isn't exactly angelic in her responses. They both say hurtful things.

Yes, he eventually comes to his senses.

Stanzi, however, consistently makes poor decisions that affect EVERYONE around her, but doesn’t give a shit about the consequences of those decisions and how they affect the others. Never took accountability for her actions.

The male characters were solid. FMC was the biggest problem.

122 reviews
December 28, 2021
Please note I only got to about 17% in, what put me off about things might change later in the book but it wasn't enough to keep me going.

The premise was interesting and I love urban fantasy, so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately one of the male characters just frustrated me to no end. He would avoid doing his job to flirt with women, forcing the F!MC to do the job repeatedly, and basically be a walking example of "how to sexually harass your coworkers". Most of the love interests were like that, they'd show up, talk about sex and then disappear. I didn't get the feeling that they actually respected the F!MC.
10 reviews
June 5, 2021
Extraordinary book one

Arsen is the son of a dragon king, and works for the veil. Stanzi is a wolf. Both each other's half of light and dark that comes from being twin flames. Stanzi wants more, she wants Arsen as her lover but he doubts that it will work. She doesn't take rejection well and finds herself in the arms of a Alpha wolf who wants Stanzi as his queen. But being alpha female isn't in her future. Tangled in a web of lovers, will she ever get her Prince. Extraordinary reading.
Profile Image for Jackie.
2,554 reviews
November 17, 2024
DNF -quit at 20%
There was no hook to pull me into the story, and so much talk about wanting sex with the FMC amongst all the other characters just got old. I felt the character development was flat, and the plot wasn’t apparent by the time I quit reading. I put this down to eat a meal & couldn’t bring myself to pick it back up.

At my age (63), life is way to short & my time is to important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
438 reviews1 follower
May 16, 2021
Great start to a new series

I was surprised at how this story went considering we are dealing with another set of twin flames. I liked how the author keeps up on the edge of our seats and how the twin flame "curse" will play out. I say curse because being a twin flame not only has benefits, it also has a huge downfall. I look forward to the next book and seeing how this all plays out.
Profile Image for Callie Kenney.
Author 2 books4 followers
May 28, 2021
Enjoyed it immensely!

The only reason I chose a 4 instead of 5 star (because there is NOTHING by Trina that I wouldn't like), is simply because I felt like this character is a lot like Alexa and didn't see alot of differences between them and the others. I didn't really love it any less, just had problems remembering her name sometimes because the personalities are similar. Still a good series, and always an amazing writer!
Profile Image for Lesley.
291 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2021
Great story

Another great book in the Alexa world, looks like Stanzi will have her own harem like alexa, love the relationship she has with her vampire and her wolf, just like Alexa, not as much power as Alexa (yet) but I'm sure she will grow in time, can't wait for book 2, already pre ordered
Profile Image for Shanna Ely.
11 reviews4 followers
May 22, 2021
Another addicting story from Trina M. Lee

Stanzi is the newest badass female to join Alexas world. A dark flame and a bartender, we get to see a different aspect of the twin flame bond. I enjoyed her banter with her boys and the conflict between her and her twin flame! I'm excited to see where her story will take me! I couldn't put this one down!
Profile Image for Harley.
30 reviews14 followers
Read
October 29, 2021
Honestly, I did not feel like this story was going to go anywhere that would interest me, so I just stopped reading. The writing was okay, some of the characters seemed to be enjoyable, but the whole tone of the book was just stilting and seemed like it was all over the place with no set destination.
Profile Image for Bernice Richards.
35 reviews
May 6, 2021
Awesome

Omg I am in love. So much action from dragon’s breathing fire vampires witches and werewolf’s. A kick ass female that had a hard exterior slowly opens up to the idea of wanting some one needing them it is a wonderful boy. I can not wait for book two
3 reviews
May 9, 2021
Amazing book

The author is amazing at creating her characters and keeping the stories suspenseful just the right amount of everything i loved reading this book and can't wait for the next one
Profile Image for Danielle.
86 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2021
Love it!!

Loved the new series!! I have read ever thing in all series up to this point and can't wait for the next book!!! In love with Stanzi and can't wait to see where her story goes!!
6 reviews
May 20, 2021
First in anew series

This one kept me on an emotional roller coaster. Some times I wanted to yell at the book and other times I was thrilled with what was going on. Cant wait to see ware this story takes us.
522 reviews
June 13, 2021
Love all of Trinas books

This story is great couldn't put it down of to read the next one. I just wish she'd go t talk to Alexa about the twin flame and I feel so bad for Arsen he has nobody to talk to, when Z has her small but growing group. We'll see what happens next.....
Profile Image for Amber.
2,213 reviews60 followers
July 4, 2021
👍👍❤

This had an interesting premise and something new and a bit different from other books I have read. I really enjoyed the characters most and this is definitely a series I look forward to continuing.
Profile Image for Sherdan Clark.
65 reviews1 follower
July 29, 2021
Fantastic character, badass heroine who can hold her own!

Loved this book! Great character building, awesome kick ass heroine! This author builds up the characters, although beautiful and sexy they have their flaws, nobody’s perfect!
Profile Image for Taylor Berezanski.
14 reviews
Read
August 8, 2021
Loved it!

This book delivers everything one could ask for and more! I enjoyed it from start to finish! The characters were interesting and the love story is coming together. I can’t wait to read the next instalment!
Profile Image for Katerina.
1,034 reviews29 followers
February 1, 2022
Another spin-off in the Alexa O'brien world. Personally I don't mind. Even if Alexa's story is long enough now to want it to finish, this new entry in the world was quite a ride. Arsen and Stanzi and the army of cool secondary characters were well developed.
5 reviews
March 29, 2022
Different and Good

I read part and listened to part. I like the fact that it goes to almost everyone view. I didnt like the the girl who narrated the audio book. She wasn't bad but she could not do multiple voices nor a mans voice. I will be reading the next book.
2,626 reviews
July 11, 2022
Loved it!

Stanzi is a great character but her life does craft overnight and gets more complicated than she could ever have imagined!
Fast paced adventure with a good storyline and plenty of great characters.
Great read!
Profile Image for Shannon.
96 reviews
November 2, 2023
It just rubbed me the wrong way. FMC doesn’t want to be tied down to a man and then gets matched to a man that doesn’t want to be tied down to her. I couldn’t get attached to any of the characters in this book and then the FMC turns into an antihero at the end. Meh, not going on with this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.