Book Review: Kiss of Fury by Deborah Cooke

A scientist on the run. A reluctant dragon-protector. A firestorm that will not be ignored.

After reading the first Dragonfire book, I knew I would want to read the next book. Sexy, free-spirited Donovan Shea had caught my attention and I wanted to see more of him, and his book Kiss of Fire, second book in the series, did not disappoint.

Alex is a brilliant scientist who has invented The Green Machine, an eco-friendly car who will be able to run on salt water. After her lab was destroyed, and her partner tortured and killed by sadistic Slayers (bad dragons in this book), Alex is on the run, not entirely sure of her own sanity, after all she is seeing dragons, but desperate to meet the deadline for her invention.

Donovan, on the hand, is sent to protect her, not knowing that she is his firestorm, the human that will be able to mate with him and give him a dragon child. With his own childhood issues of parental abandonment, Donovan is determined not to consummate the firestorm, not matter how much he finds the human sexy and attractive.

Meanwhile, the battle for the world’s survival between the Pyr (good dragons) and the Slayers (bad dragons) is escalating to scarier proportions as the Slayers use dark magic to create zombie-like dragons of friends and family members of the Pyr. To ensure their victory, Alex and Donovan will need to face their fears, embrace their destinies as Wizard and Warrior respectively, and harness the unwanted firestorm into a power that can tip the scales of the conflict.

Kiss of Fury is a mixture of romance, action, magic, humor and excitement. I like the pairing of Alex and Donovan, two strong-willed characters but with soft hearts. I like that Alex was strong and confident enough to go after Donovan. I’m starting to like more and more heroines that know their hearts and are willing to go after their guy. I also like the secondary characters, like Rafferty, Donovan’s mentor and Sophie, the Wyvern, the only female dragon who serves as some sort of prophetess.

Cooke’s world of shape-shifting dragons is getting more fleshed out here, and it is a fascinating place. With magic, prophecy and fated lovers, she has me hooked. I know the next book is going to be Eric, the leader of the Pyr, and I’m glad that I found this series just now, because I don’t have long to wait for its release on Feb 2009.

Audiobook Review: The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
Highlander Series #5

A man possessed with one good conscience and thirteen bad ones. An overly-curious student of antiquities. A love that will battle an ancient curse and a destructive future.

Having listened to the other Highlander books, I finally got my hands on the audiobook of The Dark Highlander. Since, I read this series out of order, it was actually fitting that I ended having Dageus' story as the last one, since I started with Book 4, Kiss of the Higlander, which was about Dageus’ twin, Drustan.

Dageus MacKeltar, in his quest to save his twin brother’s life, ends up being possessed by 13 evil spirits. Now, ensconced in his penthouse up high in Manhattan, he pores over ancient tomes trying to find a solution to his infernal dilemma. Enters Chloe Zanders, ever curious scholar and an expert in ancient artifacts, she finds herself in an utterly compromising situation and ends up as the mysterious Scots’ prisoner. Together, they will travel through time, and challenge powerful beings, as they seek to fight the ancient evil that is slowly stealing away Dageus’ soul.

Narrated by Phil Gigante, I enjoyed listening once again to another KMM’sHighlander book. His voice brings to life every character, the nuances, subtle but distinct, the emotions, heartfelt. Karen Marie Moning’s writes with such passion, with such clever sensual phrasings, with a prose that is almost lyrical. Her characters are so real and their challenges daunting, that the whole experience becomes a thrilling ride of thrills and adventure.

I’m sad that I’ve finished listening to all the books in the series, but she has given me many memorable characters. I highly recommend this series to any paranormal romance fan. Definitely a 5 stars out of 5.