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Magic & Mechanicals #4
Dragon's Keep
Antarctica is no place for a human. Civilization is no place for a dragon.
A solo dirigible trip to Antarctica should have been within Arabella Greaves’s abilities until a winter storm takes down her vessel, leaving her stranded. She’s the only human for thousands of miles in every direction… except for Dr. Xavier Kinnon.
As an exiled paleontologist and the world’s only dragon shifter, Xavier keeps himself away from the rest of the world for its own safety. Antarctica is his, along with everything else in it.
Including the beautiful pilot that’s fallen out of the sky.
A solo dirigible trip to Antarctica should have been within Arabella Greaves’s abilities until a winter storm takes down her vessel, leaving her stranded. She’s the only human for thousands of miles in every direction… except for Dr. Xavier Kinnon.
As an exiled paleontologist and the world’s only dragon shifter, Xavier keeps himself away from the rest of the world for its own safety. Antarctica is his, along with everything else in it.
Including the beautiful pilot that’s fallen out of the sky.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 26, 2022
50 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Marting
38 books40 followersJessica Marting is a sci-fi and paranormal romance author, art enthusiast (not quite an artist, despite all that time in art school), an avid reader, and makeup collector. She lives in Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 29, 2022
Super-cute steampunk/PNR! After a series of unfortunate events, an independent airship captain, Arabella, stumbles across a British dragon shifter hiding out in Antarctica. Yes, you read that right, Xavier is a hot university professor (he wears spectacles) who purposely faked his own death to escape from civilization to deal with his dragonish proclivities. (He likes to fly, breathe smoke and fire, and also has the ungovernable urge to hoard things. These are all bad tendencies for someone who needs to live on a densely populated island like Britain and who works around museum-quality pieces.)
At first, Arabella just wants to escape Antarctica and leave Xavier to his own devices. But after some more hijinks, it turns out that Xavier accompanies her back to England. Since this is a romance, along the way they fall in love and deal with his feelings of inadequacy.
Pick this one up if you like your PNR cute rather than angsty, without skimping on the sexiness.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
At first, Arabella just wants to escape Antarctica and leave Xavier to his own devices. But after some more hijinks, it turns out that Xavier accompanies her back to England. Since this is a romance, along the way they fall in love and deal with his feelings of inadequacy.
Pick this one up if you like your PNR cute rather than angsty, without skimping on the sexiness.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
February 3, 2024
Awesome read
I couldn't put this book down. I read it in one sitting because the characters became so addicting and believable. I love dragons and the author does a fantastic job being descriptive with the fierce love the dolt out to their true mates. I absolutely loved the excitement of the discovery and their journey. I look forward to reading another installment to find out where their story leads them.
I highly recommend to all paranormal dragon lovers.
Great read
I couldn't put this book down. I read it in one sitting because the characters became so addicting and believable. I love dragons and the author does a fantastic job being descriptive with the fierce love the dolt out to their true mates. I absolutely loved the excitement of the discovery and their journey. I look forward to reading another installment to find out where their story leads them.
I highly recommend to all paranormal dragon lovers.
Great read
October 29, 2024
Nice adventure but weak dragon
I’ll start with what I liked. This book has adventure. From Aradelle’s solo trip in her dirigible to Antarctica and back to Britain and Scotland. It is cool to read about the dirigible and how awesome she is as a pilot. Also, I liked that she’s an independent strong woman that can tackle (or try to tackle iykyk) any problem that comes to her.
In a way I also liked the really romantic parts and how Xavier noticed slowly, the reaction that he was having towards Aradelle and that he was the first one to notice that he loved her before she did. He fell first!!
What I didn’t like, to the point that it was uncomfortable, is that they are both very experienced in the sex department. She is described as a woman that has fun with men and moves on. And in his case, he is described as a young guy that always thought about sex and he even has some scenes (non sexual) with his previous lover who he almost married. Almost because she decided to marry someone else because of status. But it was made clear that they were intimate. So, in a way this has ow drama. In the party, he left Ara by herself while he was swept away by his ex; she was begging him to get back together!! That made Ara uncomfortable. Almost like being cheated on.
It was also uncomfortable to read how they were comparing their previous love experiences to what they were experiencing in the moment with each other. That’s not romantic, even if you’re saying that this experience is better than any other previous one; you are still comparing relationships and previous sex with other partners. And what is it with Xavier asking for permission or encouragement in every step he was taking when they first had sex? It’s a repetition of “that was the only encouragement he needed”. She had to repeat several times her approval for him to continue. And all this is attached to what I’ll describe next.
This is my first dragon shifter book, and there are some things that don’t sit well for me with this dragon shifter. Normally shifters are possessive, alpha, jealous, and demanding. Xavier had some of these qualities but in a very low percentage. I was expecting his dragon to be very possessive of her, for example, never leaving her alone in the stupid party, claiming her earlier on, not having doubts about being with her, not fighting his thoughts about gathering the information and then leaving to be a recluse again, not having after thoughts about the mate mark. A mate mark for a shifter is supposed to be a sacred thing, even though he didn’t know what that meant his dragon’s instinct would have created a bond between her and Xavier that made him pretty possessive of her. This didn’t happen. He simply felt like he wanted to have her, but didn’t make a certain and confident move about it. Always letting her have the choice, meaning that if she said no, he would leave. That’s not what a shifter would’ve done. He would’ve followed her to the end of the world. So, when he appears on her window and she tells him about the mate mark, it was kind of disappointing that he left feeling that he did something wrong, not listening to her happiness about the mark, he simply left her, ran away like a coward. This makes me think that even in his dragon form, he was more human than dragon, which doesn’t make sense because in a shifter, his animal should pretty strong, sometimes even stronger than his own humanity. So for me, this dragon is a weak dragon.
It has some contradictions that really didn’t make sense. This is one:
“Since I couldn’t find evidence of any other dragons, I thought it would be best if I found somewhere to live out my days on my own. My shifting was getting more frequent and I was breathing fire more readily. I wasn’t safe to be around others. “But I finished my doctorate first,” he added. “That was important to me. I taught courses for a couple of years, too, just so I would have those memories to hang on to. I wanted to achieve my dreams for at least a little while.”
I don’t understand him. If he was having problems because he was shifting more frequently and was scared of injuring people around him, he was deciding to leave. Why did he finish his doctorate? He first shifted when he was in college so that means that he stayed several years to finish his studies and even worked as a professor, so he had students who he could have harmed if his dragon came out. So was he worried or was he not?
I gave it a three star review because I liked the adventure of the travels, and their research, and the piloting of different aircrafts, and that they eventually accepted their love and were really passionate with each other. If not for this, I would give it a 2 star review. The promiscuous part I didn’t like and having a weak dragon I didn’t like either. I expected a little more from a dragon shifter book.
I guess I agree with other reviewers on that this book is better as an adventure book and not as a dragon shifter book.
SAFE-ish
virgin/celibate/manwhore: both very experienced
age gap: 5 yrs
ow/om: a little ow drama
separation/breakups: nope (but was in mind)
cheating/sharing: nope
possible triggers: mention of previous intimate relationships
HEA
I’ll start with what I liked. This book has adventure. From Aradelle’s solo trip in her dirigible to Antarctica and back to Britain and Scotland. It is cool to read about the dirigible and how awesome she is as a pilot. Also, I liked that she’s an independent strong woman that can tackle (or try to tackle iykyk) any problem that comes to her.
In a way I also liked the really romantic parts and how Xavier noticed slowly, the reaction that he was having towards Aradelle and that he was the first one to notice that he loved her before she did. He fell first!!
What I didn’t like, to the point that it was uncomfortable, is that they are both very experienced in the sex department. She is described as a woman that has fun with men and moves on. And in his case, he is described as a young guy that always thought about sex and he even has some scenes (non sexual) with his previous lover who he almost married. Almost because she decided to marry someone else because of status. But it was made clear that they were intimate. So, in a way this has ow drama. In the party, he left Ara by herself while he was swept away by his ex; she was begging him to get back together!! That made Ara uncomfortable. Almost like being cheated on.
It was also uncomfortable to read how they were comparing their previous love experiences to what they were experiencing in the moment with each other. That’s not romantic, even if you’re saying that this experience is better than any other previous one; you are still comparing relationships and previous sex with other partners. And what is it with Xavier asking for permission or encouragement in every step he was taking when they first had sex? It’s a repetition of “that was the only encouragement he needed”. She had to repeat several times her approval for him to continue. And all this is attached to what I’ll describe next.
This is my first dragon shifter book, and there are some things that don’t sit well for me with this dragon shifter. Normally shifters are possessive, alpha, jealous, and demanding. Xavier had some of these qualities but in a very low percentage. I was expecting his dragon to be very possessive of her, for example, never leaving her alone in the stupid party, claiming her earlier on, not having doubts about being with her, not fighting his thoughts about gathering the information and then leaving to be a recluse again, not having after thoughts about the mate mark. A mate mark for a shifter is supposed to be a sacred thing, even though he didn’t know what that meant his dragon’s instinct would have created a bond between her and Xavier that made him pretty possessive of her. This didn’t happen. He simply felt like he wanted to have her, but didn’t make a certain and confident move about it. Always letting her have the choice, meaning that if she said no, he would leave. That’s not what a shifter would’ve done. He would’ve followed her to the end of the world. So, when he appears on her window and she tells him about the mate mark, it was kind of disappointing that he left feeling that he did something wrong, not listening to her happiness about the mark, he simply left her, ran away like a coward. This makes me think that even in his dragon form, he was more human than dragon, which doesn’t make sense because in a shifter, his animal should pretty strong, sometimes even stronger than his own humanity. So for me, this dragon is a weak dragon.
It has some contradictions that really didn’t make sense. This is one:
“Since I couldn’t find evidence of any other dragons, I thought it would be best if I found somewhere to live out my days on my own. My shifting was getting more frequent and I was breathing fire more readily. I wasn’t safe to be around others. “But I finished my doctorate first,” he added. “That was important to me. I taught courses for a couple of years, too, just so I would have those memories to hang on to. I wanted to achieve my dreams for at least a little while.”
I don’t understand him. If he was having problems because he was shifting more frequently and was scared of injuring people around him, he was deciding to leave. Why did he finish his doctorate? He first shifted when he was in college so that means that he stayed several years to finish his studies and even worked as a professor, so he had students who he could have harmed if his dragon came out. So was he worried or was he not?
I gave it a three star review because I liked the adventure of the travels, and their research, and the piloting of different aircrafts, and that they eventually accepted their love and were really passionate with each other. If not for this, I would give it a 2 star review. The promiscuous part I didn’t like and having a weak dragon I didn’t like either. I expected a little more from a dragon shifter book.
I guess I agree with other reviewers on that this book is better as an adventure book and not as a dragon shifter book.
SAFE-ish
virgin/celibate/manwhore: both very experienced
age gap: 5 yrs
ow/om: a little ow drama
separation/breakups: nope (but was in mind)
cheating/sharing: nope
possible triggers: mention of previous intimate relationships
HEA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2022
Dragon’s Keep (Magic & Mechanicals Series)
By Jessica Marting
Great Paranormal/Steampunk Romance
What if you discovered you can exhale smoke or even fire? And what if you suddenly morphed into a dragon? Your parents died when you were four and you have no one available to guide you through what’s happening to your body. What would you do? Well, Xavier Kinnon, a professor at the Royal London University, arranged to “fall” off a dirigible over Antarctica, where he lived for 5 years without seeing another human. Until one day, a dirigible crashed into the side of the mountain near his self-carved out cave.
Arabella Greaves is an aviator, piloting her own dirigible, generally solo. She has been almost everywhere on earth except for Antarctica. She is filing her flight plan, while the airfield comptroller in New York is trying his best to discourage her from flying solo at this time of the year, when it’s winter in the southern hemisphere. Five days later, she realizes that she has made the biggest mistake of her life as the dirigible falls from the sky into the side of a mountain, while she passes out.
This is a wonderful slow burn romance as Xavier and Arabella work together to first get out of Antarctica and then try to track down someone who might know something about dragon shifters, all while getting to know each other. I enjoyed reading about the technology of this alternate reality, such as the lights that didn’t require electricity, the steam cabs and the dirigibles. The world building was great and the character development was fantastic! Altogether, this is definitely a 5 star book!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
By Jessica Marting
Great Paranormal/Steampunk Romance
What if you discovered you can exhale smoke or even fire? And what if you suddenly morphed into a dragon? Your parents died when you were four and you have no one available to guide you through what’s happening to your body. What would you do? Well, Xavier Kinnon, a professor at the Royal London University, arranged to “fall” off a dirigible over Antarctica, where he lived for 5 years without seeing another human. Until one day, a dirigible crashed into the side of the mountain near his self-carved out cave.
Arabella Greaves is an aviator, piloting her own dirigible, generally solo. She has been almost everywhere on earth except for Antarctica. She is filing her flight plan, while the airfield comptroller in New York is trying his best to discourage her from flying solo at this time of the year, when it’s winter in the southern hemisphere. Five days later, she realizes that she has made the biggest mistake of her life as the dirigible falls from the sky into the side of a mountain, while she passes out.
This is a wonderful slow burn romance as Xavier and Arabella work together to first get out of Antarctica and then try to track down someone who might know something about dragon shifters, all while getting to know each other. I enjoyed reading about the technology of this alternate reality, such as the lights that didn’t require electricity, the steam cabs and the dirigibles. The world building was great and the character development was fantastic! Altogether, this is definitely a 5 star book!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 22, 2022
Steampunk, fantasy, romance, soul-searching, identity quest all rolled into one fun story. I haven't read any of the others in the series and it can definitely stand alone just fine, but at least two other prior stories/characters are brought up and if you read those it would probably build the world in even more detail. I enjoyed the characters. Arabella was independent and feisty but not so determined to be an independent woman that she failed to see errors or miscalculations or the stupidity of some of her actions (in retrospect). Although I do feel it was slightly superficial, or just glossed through given the brevity of the story. In the same respect with Xavier, there were certain aspects of his character, particularly his dragon that I really wished had been explored in more depth (the hoard!). I loved that he wasn't the typical alpha-dick shifter that a lot of shifter characters seem to be. The search for identity that goes with his story and the hoard, I really wanted to go more in depth with them. It made me wish that the book was longer to really delve into those details. And I wish there was more time spent with him in dragon form. There were some parts where it seemed like the editing missed, switching his/her (the look on his/her face, etc.) that did jolt me, at least twice it happened and some repetitive phrasing pretty close together, but I liked the unique (at least to me) take on the dragon shifter hero that I overlooked those edit issues and just enjoyed the story. Quick, fun read and now I want to go back and read the others in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 18, 2024
4/5 ⭐
3/5 🌶️
## Tropes
- Damsel in Distress
- Too stupid to live (at first)
- Fated Mates
- Dragons Hoarding their Women
## 📖 My Thoughts
I got this for free during a Stuff Your Kindle event, which is why I started off with book #4 of a series. Usually that irks my OCD too much, but in this case I was able to ignore it. That being said, I liked this enough that I plan to go back and read some others in the series because this definitely features anecdotes and characters from previous books. Mainly books #1 & #2.
What I liked about this; it’s not your typical shifter book. Our dragon shifter MMC has no idea what it means to be a shifter, with no family to guide him or others of his kind to learn from. He’s completely alone and rightfully terrified of himself and his urges. So he isolates himself in Antarctica. Interesting premise. Add to that the kind of steampunk worldbuilding going on in the background (that I really wanted more of and realize is probably set up more in the first books of the series) and the Milo from Atlantis academia vibes and you’ve got a hit for me.
What I didn’t like so much; I admit, I was a little bored in the beginning. There’s a bit too much dancing back and forth and around each other for my tastes, but once things get going the pacing and romance feel really nice.
## ⚠️ Triggers
- Mentioned Parent dead due to accidental drug overdose
- Extreme isolation
- Some Violence
- Sexism (not by MCs)
## 🏳️🌈 Representation
There’s definitely some victorian era sexism present, mainly with FMC’s parents. I think it fits in with the era and the setting you’re meant to be in and doesn’t feel egregious or overdone.
## 🌶️ Spice
The spice may have saved this book for me, as I was a little bored until it came around. It’s very well-written and fun to read, with tension and satisfaction. It’s fairly vanilla overall, though there’s some hints that our FMC is interested in something a little more spicy. I’d say there’s 2 proper good spice scenes, with some smaller stuff scattered throughout the latter half of the book.
3/5 🌶️
## Tropes
- Damsel in Distress
- Too stupid to live (at first)
- Fated Mates
- Dragons Hoarding their Women
## 📖 My Thoughts
I got this for free during a Stuff Your Kindle event, which is why I started off with book #4 of a series. Usually that irks my OCD too much, but in this case I was able to ignore it. That being said, I liked this enough that I plan to go back and read some others in the series because this definitely features anecdotes and characters from previous books. Mainly books #1 & #2.
What I liked about this; it’s not your typical shifter book. Our dragon shifter MMC has no idea what it means to be a shifter, with no family to guide him or others of his kind to learn from. He’s completely alone and rightfully terrified of himself and his urges. So he isolates himself in Antarctica. Interesting premise. Add to that the kind of steampunk worldbuilding going on in the background (that I really wanted more of and realize is probably set up more in the first books of the series) and the Milo from Atlantis academia vibes and you’ve got a hit for me.
What I didn’t like so much; I admit, I was a little bored in the beginning. There’s a bit too much dancing back and forth and around each other for my tastes, but once things get going the pacing and romance feel really nice.
## ⚠️ Triggers
- Mentioned Parent dead due to accidental drug overdose
- Extreme isolation
- Some Violence
- Sexism (not by MCs)
## 🏳️🌈 Representation
There’s definitely some victorian era sexism present, mainly with FMC’s parents. I think it fits in with the era and the setting you’re meant to be in and doesn’t feel egregious or overdone.
## 🌶️ Spice
The spice may have saved this book for me, as I was a little bored until it came around. It’s very well-written and fun to read, with tension and satisfaction. It’s fairly vanilla overall, though there’s some hints that our FMC is interested in something a little more spicy. I’d say there’s 2 proper good spice scenes, with some smaller stuff scattered throughout the latter half of the book.
April 8, 2022
Xavier, the dragon shifter, was tailor-made for Arabella, the dirigible pilot. He lost both his parents when he was young and she lost her mom at an early age. They both have abandonment issues and they both think they are unworthy of happy endings.
Arabella wasn’t very good at following society’s rules and decided to pilot her dirigible to Antarctica by herself in the middle of Winter because she wanted to prove everyone wrong on her life choices. She was lucky Xavier was there to save her from certain death when she crashed near his cave. The story of Arabella and Xavier’s romance evolved gently and, at times, with hesitation while they adventured on her dirigible trying to find answers to Xavier’s questions about dragons.
I love the steampunk world Jessica Marting created for this series. Every story in the series has its own unique landscape; it’s very own steampunk flair. From Arabella’s dirigible and her wardrobe choices to the flameless candles and every detail in between, I was able to picture a world that mixed vivid steampunk details into a Victorian society. I highly recommend this very entertaining and imaginative series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Arabella wasn’t very good at following society’s rules and decided to pilot her dirigible to Antarctica by herself in the middle of Winter because she wanted to prove everyone wrong on her life choices. She was lucky Xavier was there to save her from certain death when she crashed near his cave. The story of Arabella and Xavier’s romance evolved gently and, at times, with hesitation while they adventured on her dirigible trying to find answers to Xavier’s questions about dragons.
I love the steampunk world Jessica Marting created for this series. Every story in the series has its own unique landscape; it’s very own steampunk flair. From Arabella’s dirigible and her wardrobe choices to the flameless candles and every detail in between, I was able to picture a world that mixed vivid steampunk details into a Victorian society. I highly recommend this very entertaining and imaginative series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 24, 2022
I really enjoyed Dragon’s Keep the fourth book in the Magic & Mechanicals series with its tantalizing story of headstrong Arabella Greaves, a feisty heroine with a mind of her own.
Flying her dirigible alone to Antarctica doesn’t faze her but she soon realizes too late that maybe she should have heeded the warnings of concerned individuals for her safety.
When a strong winter storm crashes her dirigible into a mountain and death seems imminent, she’s found and rescued by Xavier Kinnon. It’s his mountain and he also happens to be the world’s only Dragon Shifter.
What’s a Dragon Shifter doing in Antarctica? This exciting adventure tale is just getting started.
Great writing with lots of intrigue and sweet romance woven within its pages soon delivers the reader a very entertaining read which also included surprise appearances by characters from a previous book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Flying her dirigible alone to Antarctica doesn’t faze her but she soon realizes too late that maybe she should have heeded the warnings of concerned individuals for her safety.
When a strong winter storm crashes her dirigible into a mountain and death seems imminent, she’s found and rescued by Xavier Kinnon. It’s his mountain and he also happens to be the world’s only Dragon Shifter.
What’s a Dragon Shifter doing in Antarctica? This exciting adventure tale is just getting started.
Great writing with lots of intrigue and sweet romance woven within its pages soon delivers the reader a very entertaining read which also included surprise appearances by characters from a previous book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 9, 2022
I loved the world this author created. It's the fourth book in the series and I hadn't read the first three but I know I will now! You don't miss it, the story is enough of a standalone that everything was easy to follow along even if there was some mention to the characters from earlier books.
The dirigible they travel on throughout the book felt like such a cute, romantic thing. I loved the imagery it provoked. The characters were well fleshed out and interesting and even though they sometimes struggled to communicate, based on their own backstory this DID make sense, even if it was sometimes frustrating.
All in all, a fun, sexy read and I will be picking up the other books or maybe check out her other series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The dirigible they travel on throughout the book felt like such a cute, romantic thing. I loved the imagery it provoked. The characters were well fleshed out and interesting and even though they sometimes struggled to communicate, based on their own backstory this DID make sense, even if it was sometimes frustrating.
All in all, a fun, sexy read and I will be picking up the other books or maybe check out her other series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 28, 2022
Xavier and Arabella . . .
Arabella Greaves was facing much pushback on her plans for making a solo dirigible trip to Antarctica, both from her father and the New York airfield comptroller who accused her of insanity.
But a powerful winter storm crashes her dirigible into the mountain. Even if she can survive the crash, there is no one out there to rescue her, or at least that is what she believes. Dr. Xavier Kinnon is a paleontologist and the last dragon shifter. The mountain belongs to him, and he claims the pilot that just crashed down in his domain.
This was a good story line, with each of them completed by the other as they gradually fall in love and find the happiness that was waiting. Grab your copy and enjoy their adventures together. Will each find what they need along the way?
Arabella Greaves was facing much pushback on her plans for making a solo dirigible trip to Antarctica, both from her father and the New York airfield comptroller who accused her of insanity.
But a powerful winter storm crashes her dirigible into the mountain. Even if she can survive the crash, there is no one out there to rescue her, or at least that is what she believes. Dr. Xavier Kinnon is a paleontologist and the last dragon shifter. The mountain belongs to him, and he claims the pilot that just crashed down in his domain.
This was a good story line, with each of them completed by the other as they gradually fall in love and find the happiness that was waiting. Grab your copy and enjoy their adventures together. Will each find what they need along the way?
July 28, 2022
Arabella Greaves loved traveling the world and living in her dirigible. Xavier Kinnon was 4 years old when his parents were killed. He found out later that he is a dragon shifter who after coming on a expedition to Antarctica stayed so he would not hurt any humans. He has been 5 years without company when Arabella falls into his mountain in her dirigible. This is a fascinating alternate world that has a wonderful slow burn between Xavier and Arabella. Both have issues about being abandoned. But they do work together to try to find out more about dragons for Xavier. This is well written book with great characters and just fun to read. The characters are likable and the alternate world is fascinating. Very enjoyable.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 13, 2023
I loved this book. It was a little bit on the sweet/cuter side but I love that. Quality over quantity and all! I just love this kind of couple too and the low stakes/angst/drama. I do wish it was more conclusive about Dragon lore etc.
I loved that the hero's dragon traits came out in his hunting for and hoarding treasure even in the form of knick knacks such as silverware. He's also protective without being an alphohole He just cares about her health and hapiness.
I like that the heroine wants to explore the world and so is happy to follow the hero but I don't see how either of them are earning any money. I like that neither of them are giving up something for the other.
I just feel like this story started things I was very interested in but didn't take them further like do they create a base/home? How do they earn a living? How do things go with her parents and travelling with a child? And of course I wanted so much more about dragons!
I loved that the hero's dragon traits came out in his hunting for and hoarding treasure even in the form of knick knacks such as silverware. He's also protective without being an alphohole He just cares about her health and hapiness.
I like that the heroine wants to explore the world and so is happy to follow the hero but I don't see how either of them are earning any money. I like that neither of them are giving up something for the other.
I just feel like this story started things I was very interested in but didn't take them further like do they create a base/home? How do they earn a living? How do things go with her parents and travelling with a child? And of course I wanted so much more about dragons!
June 16, 2022
Everything is better after a cup of tea
This book has a very slow start (at least for me) and the truly interesting things (again, for me) didn’t start until about the 60% mark. I initially found Arabella to be incredibly irritating, with her know-it-all attitude and her penchant for rash decision making. But, I warmed to her as she became more introspective and began assessing her own impulsive behaviour and making fewer self-centred decisions.
I would have liked more of Xavier, the bespectacled, hot professor, dragon shifter as his dragon, but he kept my interest because he was so thoughtful and willing to apologize. He and Arabella are well matched and their journey to a HEA was an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
This book has a very slow start (at least for me) and the truly interesting things (again, for me) didn’t start until about the 60% mark. I initially found Arabella to be incredibly irritating, with her know-it-all attitude and her penchant for rash decision making. But, I warmed to her as she became more introspective and began assessing her own impulsive behaviour and making fewer self-centred decisions.
I would have liked more of Xavier, the bespectacled, hot professor, dragon shifter as his dragon, but he kept my interest because he was so thoughtful and willing to apologize. He and Arabella are well matched and their journey to a HEA was an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
April 19, 2022
I am not normally much of a fan of books set in a steam punk world (with the exception of Cassandra Clare’s work), however the technology of the world in Dragon’s Keep was really just the tapestry over which the love story of Xavier and Arabella was laid. The story stared a little slowly for me, however it soon picked up and became difficult to put down. The world-building was rich and realistic, and the family drama introduced characters that are fun to hate. Dragon’s Keep was a very satisfying read, and I look forward to Jessica’s next offering.
Full disclosure: I was given an ARC of the book, however this review is my own honest opinion.
Full disclosure: I was given an ARC of the book, however this review is my own honest opinion.
April 27, 2022
This book was okay. It has all of the things I like… steampunk overtures, a steamy spicy fun time, and a sexy fantasy dragon. Unfortunately, it was almost overshadowed by the utterly unlikable main character. Every thing she did was a terrible idiotic thing as she tried to prove that she was a strong independent woman and nobody could tell her what to do. So she just essentially plugs her ears and makes terrible decision after terrible decision. It was just annoying. If she just didn’t keep doing stupid things and getting into di… rigible measuring contests, I probably wouldn’t find her so wholly unlikable.
I received an ARC, but my opinions are all mine.
I received an ARC, but my opinions are all mine.
May 9, 2022
Arabella is an adventurous woman who does a solo trip to antarctica and crashes in the mountain. Xavier saves her and she discovers that he is a dragon shifter. He is totally uninformed about dragons and has made his home in a cave and finds that his dragon wants to keep Arabella as a possession. When he fixes her dirigible so she can return to civilization, he ends up stuck with her. The adventures that they have trying to find more shifters and exploring their attraction is great. His guilt on not knowing about dragons is strongly felt throughout the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 17, 2022
Dragon's Keep is a cute romance book about an spoiled aviator, Arabella and a reclusive dragon shifter, Xavier. I loved and admired Arabella's character in that she was quirky and independent. She did not fit in with 'polite society' (it reminded me of myself). I felt this was a overall good story. I enjoyed the character development and story line. However, I would have loved more of a resolution at the end about Xavier and if there are more of his 'kind'. Chiefly, this was a great book that I enjoyed reading. I would recommend it to others.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 13, 2022
I always love a good dragon shifter romance, but out of all that I’ve read, this has truly been my favorite! I love that it was set in an earlier time in Europe/Antarctica.
I lived for the way that Xavier stepped up to be with Arabella when they needed each other most and how they wound up together. I loved that she was a world traveler and didn’t care what anyone thought because it made her happy.
I’m literally going to download the rest of the series I haven’t read bc I can’t wait to dive into similar stories!
I lived for the way that Xavier stepped up to be with Arabella when they needed each other most and how they wound up together. I loved that she was a world traveler and didn’t care what anyone thought because it made her happy.
I’m literally going to download the rest of the series I haven’t read bc I can’t wait to dive into similar stories!
April 26, 2022
A entertaining steam punk romantic fantasy. Arabella is a dirigible pilot who crashes in the Antarctic where she meets Xavier a dragon shifter in hiding. The ideas are great, the characters and strong but have issues, the writing is excellent. Love the little details and character quirks. The boarding and the penguin blankets. A return to visit characters from book 1 is fun but the book works as a standalone. The chemistry between the two leads works really well. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 29, 2022
This story is about Arabella (human) and Xavier (dragon shifter). After Arabella takes a dirigible flight after being told not to. She ends up crashing in Antarctica. Xavier claims everything in Antarctica as his so he takes in Arabella. Problem is that Xavier is the worlds only Dragon shifter. This is a great story with a fun adventure that kept me reading until the end. They both have some problems with abandonment's but love how their romance develops over time. Entertaining and fun story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 30, 2022
Professor and dragon shifter Xavier faked his death in a dirigible accident in Antarctica, to get away from the population of the world. Arabella has her own dirigible and has traveled all over the world but Antarctica, until now. A monster storm strikes and she goes down near his cave. The characters and locales are well developed and very visual. Loved the banter and the equipment is so addictive that you just want to play. Totally enjoyed the journey and the romance was well done.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 28, 2022
Everything by this author in this series i've enjoyed, this book is no exception. The protagonists are always complex with their own passions, they're also deeply respectful of the other person which i really like. The steam punk world is also a delight. I look forward to more in the series, and i enjoyed the nod to a past book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 4, 2022
Amazingly fun story! Arabella is a force to be reckoned with, unstoppable. Stubborn to a fault yet kind and compassionate. Xavier is in self imposed exile fearing that he may be a danger to others and they may be a danger to him. I love Arabella's flying machine with which she visits continents around the world. When she drops in unexpectedly on Xavier they are both wary, however life takes a surprising turn! Enjoy!!!
July 31, 2022
Dragon's keep was an enjoyable fantasy romance.
Both main characters were endearing. The heroine was the kind of independent strong woman that I liked. Fearless to the point of risking her life flying a dirigible in Antartica. Not needing a man and yet meeting exactly the one she was meant to in the most bizarre place ever.
A good light summer read !
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Both main characters were endearing. The heroine was the kind of independent strong woman that I liked. Fearless to the point of risking her life flying a dirigible in Antartica. Not needing a man and yet meeting exactly the one she was meant to in the most bizarre place ever.
A good light summer read !
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 12, 2023
I love dragons, but it took me awhile to get into this book because I didn't like either of the characters at the start. She's a willful woman who's decided, against everyone's advice, to fly her dirigible alone to Antartica. He's a grumpy paleontologist who has hidden himself from civilization since he discovered he can shift into a dragon.
Thankfully, things get better. Each has to deal with their own issues once they fly back to London. Keep reading the series!
Thankfully, things get better. Each has to deal with their own issues once they fly back to London. Keep reading the series!
November 20, 2024
in my innocent brain i thought this would be about Arabella landing in Antarctica and then learning to live life there with Xavier. a survival of sorts. uhm, this was not that, that's for sure.
also, i like my romances to be between people who at least like each other a lil bit more and don't fight like real life couples with real life trauma. just a personal preference.
anyway, onto the next book in the series we go!
also, i like my romances to be between people who at least like each other a lil bit more and don't fight like real life couples with real life trauma. just a personal preference.
anyway, onto the next book in the series we go!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2022
The fourth book in the Magic & Mechanicals series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Dr. Xavier Kinnon an exiled paleontologist and the world’s only dragon shifter and human Arabella Greaves’ story of intrigue and romance. The story is well written and was well worth reading. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 27, 2022
Drama, chemistry and conflict pulled together to create an entertaining story. I liked the characters and found them to be interesting and well-presented. It can be read as a standalone even though there is appearance of characters from the previous book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 28, 2022
This is the fourth book in the Magic Mechanicals series and I enjoyed reading it. The book was entertaining with a great storyline, wonderful characters that had great chemistry together. Its a fun story and I enjoyed reading it. Loved the Xavier the dragon shifter and the love story with Arabella.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 29, 2022
This is the fourth book in the Magic Mechanicals series. It's a fast-paced and standalone book that will keep you engaged from start to finish.
The plot of this book draws you into the twist/turns and antics that the main characters are going through to reach their happy ever after.
Read to find out what happens.
The plot of this book draws you into the twist/turns and antics that the main characters are going through to reach their happy ever after.
Read to find out what happens.
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