Dragon Fall by Katie MacAlister

YOU FLIRT WITH FIRE...

 

For Aoife Dakar, seeing is believing-and she's seen some extraordinary things. It's too bad no one else believes that she witnessed a supernatural murder at an outdoor fair. Returning to the scene for proof, Aoife encounters a wise-cracking demon dog-and a gloriously naked man who can shift into a dragon and kiss like a god. Now thrust into a fantastical world that's both exhilarating and terrifying, Aoife is about to learn just how hot a dragon's fire burns.

 

WHEN YOU DATE A DRAGON

 

Kostya has no time for a human woman with endless questions, no matter how gorgeous or tempting she is. He must break the curse that has splintered the dragon clans before more of his kind die. But his powerful attraction to Aoife runs much deeper than the physical-and there may be more to her than even his sharp dragon eyes can see. To survive the coming battle for the fate of his race, he needs a mate of true heart and soul . . .

 

Title: Dragon Fall | Series: Dragon Falls #1| Author: Katie MacAlister | Publisher: Forever | Genre: Paranormal Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating:

I love Katie MacAlister although this is my first time venturing into her paranormal world, so I’m a bit behind with what’s going on with the dragon septs. While I had a few questions about this and that, I found that this was fairly easy to keep up with.

 

So, here’s what’s going on. Aoife witnessed her date being murdered then watched him return back to the land of the living, which, of course, earned her a free ride and a two year stay at a mental intuition, because honestly, that just kind of has whackado written all over it. She’s now been released and is ready to get back to her normal life only to find herself in possession of a talking demon dog named Jim and a sexy as sin black dragon who knows how to heat her up. Although things get a little tricky when a group of dragons decide to attack them and burn down her house. Now she finds herself aiding Kostya as they try to break the curse that has the dragons at each other’s throats.

 

This is the first dragon shifter book that I’ve read and I had to say when I think of dragon shifters, a dark, broody character like Kostya is definitely what springs to mind. Plus, there were like a million—okay, so not really that many—references to Tolkien and I’m such a Hobbit nerd that I totally squealed when I read them.

 

I really enjoyed Kostya—I do have a thing for broody men, so of course, I was going to enjoy him. Although I was a bit surprised at how well I liked him because he comes on a little strong and arsehaty at times. There’s been a lot going on with him. He was held captive for seven years, a woman done him dirty in hopes of being named his mate, and he’s got a group of dragons out to get him.  While he’s attracted to Aoife, he’s kind of capped off emotionally and while he wants her like a dog wants a bone and he says some super cute lovely dovey thing to her, he never really opens up.

 

If you’re ever battling demons or dragons or just having an off-kilter day, Aoife is the one you’d want by your side. She’s determined, unwavering, and no matter what’s she’s up against, she’s going to come out kicking. She also has the best one-liners that totally had me gigglesnorting. While she knew that Kostya needed to heal from his past wounds, she wasn’t going to let him off the hook and denied that they were destined to be together.

 

The pacing was steady although it was the suspense that kept the book going as Aoife and Kostya battled dragons and went in search of a way to break the curse. There were a few steamy moments, but the romance was lacking. It almost felt as though Kostya was forced into claiming Aoife as his mate because it was what the powers that be wanted rather than Kostya actually falling in love with her. So there a lot of lust just not a lot of falling head over heels in love.

 

Overall, while the book was filled with MacAlister’s witty banter and it was a fun little romp into the world she created, I gave it a 3.5-cup rating because the romance was lacking a bit and the ending was way too abrupt. Things were really getting interesting in the last few chapters then next thing I knew the book was over without really feeling complete. They did get their HEA but I think a few more chapters was needed just smooth out the ending so it didn’t feel like you hit a brick wall.

Dragon Falls Series

1-Dragon Fall

2-Dragon Storm (out November 2015)