Kiss of Fury
(Dragonfire #2)
by Deborah Cooke
Publisher: Signet
Publication date: Aug. 5, 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
One act of passion can save the world…
Scientist Alexandra Madison was on the verge of unveiling an invention that would change the world. Then her partner was murdered, their lab was burned, and their prototype was destroyed. While Alex is in the hospital recovering from burns suffered in the fire, recurring dragon-haunted nightmares threaten to land her in the psychiatric ward, but she knows she has to escape to her lab to rebuild the Green Machine.
Handsome, daring, and impulsive, Donovan Shea is more than willing to do his part in the Pyr/Slayer war. Assigned to protect Alex, Donovan is shocked when her presence ignites his firestorm. He has no desire for a destined mate, but Alex’s intelligence and determination inspire him to join the fight to save her invention. With the Slayers closing in, Donovan knows he would surrender his life for Alex…and lose his heart to possess her.
I have to be honest with you guys. I was not a fan of the first book in the series, and I was not looking forward to reading this one because of that. However, Kiss of Fury took on a more basic paranormal romance pace that I’m used to, instead of a bunch of dragon chaos that I got in the first book.
One thing I find interesting about this series is that this isn’t just a story about dragon shifters finding their mates. The Pyr are around to help protect the earth and its inhabitants. There are also Slayers who are hellbent on eliminating humans and taking over the world. You’d think that would be enough, but a lot of the story is about not destroying the earth. Which is where Alex comes in. She’s invented a car that doesn’t need gas or electricity to run and her invention is the key to saving earth. She’s also Donovan’s (a Pyr) mate. So, to say that the Slayers want to destroy her invention and keep her from mating with Donovan is an understatement. Her success could mean the difference between the Slayers winning or losing.
Because of the battle between the two dragon factions, there’s a lot of fight scenes. Thankfully, a lot of the fight scenes were small and between only a couple of dragons. So, I was able to follow along with who was who during the fight scenes. Which was a huge issue I had with the previous book. I just never knew who was who for the big battles and I was left lost and confused. There were just way too many dragons introduced and I was a bit overwhelmed. I am really glad that this one slowed down the introductions and allowed them to slowly trickle in.
While I really liked Donovan’s loner vibe and Alex’s independent vibe, I felt a bit gypped with their romance. Neither want to partake in the firestorm to create a baby dragon. So, they fight this for the majority of the novel. Which, whatever, that’s fine. However, when they finally do decide to let destiny run its course, we don’t even get to witness it. It’s like they decide to give it a go, and the story ends. I would have liked to have seen these two be more of a couple before moving onto the next installment.
Kiss of Fury was a good story, but I felt like it was lacking in the romance department. Which is why I wanted to read this series. I wanted fire-breathing dragony romance, and instead I felt like that was an afterthought for these two characters.
Previous reviews from Dragonfire
Kiss of Fire
I used to read shifting books all the time, but it’s been awhile. I remember another blogging friend of mine told me she read a bunny shifting book. which sounded super fun!(lol) Hugs and Happy Monday! RO
I’m sorry this wasn’t what you’d hoped it would be – especially since that spectacular cover deserves and equally spectacular story.
Great review. I hope if you continue, you get more of what you’re looking for.
Sounds like I’d be a bit disappointed in this one 🙁
Oh I think I may enjoy this one. I actually like that it doesn’t focus as much on the romance. I also like that they aren’t just about finding their mate (although I do want romance in these). I will have to check out the first book too!
I haven’t heard of the series before. Great review on it and I am on the fence. But, I do love the cover.
I laugh at myself, because I never used to read YA until I started blogging. Now, I love it.
sherry @ fundinmental
That sounds like a book that I might like.
Geez! I’m sorry this one was a letdown in the romance department, Kristin. That’s a bummer because the premise of the story sounds pretty interesting. And while that’s all well and good, the romance was supposed to be a big part of that story. I do like the saving the Earth angle. Hmm. I don’t know if I’ll pick up this series or not. Usually I’m all about dragons but I do like a satisfying romance. 😉