GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Book Review: Stalked by Flames (Dragon’s Breath Series book #1) by Susan Illene | I Smell Sheep

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Book Review: Stalked by Flames (Dragon’s Breath Series book #1) by Susan Illene

Stalked by Flames (Dragon’s Breath Series book #1)
by Susan Illene
Genre: Urban Fantasy/New Adult
ebook- July 27th, 2015
audio- September 24th, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9863361-0-2
ASIN: B012O4NCSQ
Number of pages: 484
Cover Artist: Jeff Brown Graphics
and Claudia at Phatpuppy Art
Bailey Monzac has just graduated college and is leaving town for her parents’ ranch in Texas when a massive earthquake unleashes the unthinkable on the world: fire-breathing dragons.

Chaos erupts as people flee for their lives, and Bailey survives only because she is somehow immune to the dragons’ flames. In the midst of the mayhem, Bailey is helped by a shape-shifting dragon named Aidan, who recognizes Bailey is a dragon slayer and will be an essential ally in the power struggle between—and within—the dragon clans.

Natural disasters intensify and dragons lay waste to the world as civilization all but collapses amid the loss of electricity and running water. Roving gangs prowl the debris-filled streets, and Bailey and her friends manage to find refuge in the university library. As her relationship with Aidan deepens during private training sessions, Bailey must learn to harness her newfound skills or see everything she knows and loves destroyed.

Stalked by Flames is a gritty urban fantasy about a woman’s journey into a dark new reality she never could have imagined.


Dragon shifters stories are everywhere, but usually they are paranormal romances. This one is definitely an urban fantasy, but there is slow simmering sexual tension between Bailey and Aidan. I'm a sucker for the forbidden love troupe. 

Book one is all about setting up the world, or actually tearing it down with a dragon apocalypse. Dragons were unwillingly sent to another dimension with magic. That magic is waning and the two worlds are colliding, wanting to be whole again. It starts out as tremors happening all around the world, then the earthquakes start and the really pissed off dragons breakthrough from the earth changing the landscape and prompting the downfall of civilization. You know, normal apocalyptic stuff. And that's just chapter one.

There are two kinds of dragons. Those that can't shift to human form, and guess what they like to eat? And those that can shift. The story is told from Bailey and Aidan's POV. They each have their own story lines and the two don't spend a lot of page time together in this book, but as their two worlds come together, literally and figuratively, they need each other to survive (Bailey needs to save the human race from external forces and Aidan needs to save his dragon race from internal forces). I really like how the author is setting up the story and the strong secondary arcs. 

Bailey and Aidan both stay true to their characters throughout the story. No worries of fated love making them stupid. Bailey is tough with the right amount of vulnerability and snarky mouth. Aidan, one of four children to the Pendragon (head dragon), is all alpha but hides it so he wouldn't attract the attention of his more ambitious and treacherous brothers. Otherwise he would never had made it to adulthood. Bailey must embrace her heritage as a dragon slayer and Aidan will have to embrace his as a contender for his father's throne. Unfortunately it involves Aidan manipulating the untrained and naive Bailey and we all know how that is going to turn out... especially when the magic users get involved.

I will be following this series. It is a well written and structured story with great characters and an interesting dragon mythos.

4 "lovely foul-mouthed" Sheep




SharonS

About the Author:
Website-FB-Twitter
Goodreads
Susan Illene served in the US Army for eleven years and worked as a human resources specialist and an Arabic linguist. She served two deployments to Iraq, and after leaving the army, she studied history at the University of Oklahoma. She and her husband currently live in Oklahoma with two high-maintenance cats doing their best to help her write her books.

3 comments:

  1. This is my genre and it sounds so exciting! Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you're welcome! It was a pleasant surprise :)

      Delete
    2. What age would you recommend for this book?

      Delete