I love dragons. I mean, what’s not to love? They fly, they breathe fire, they are ancient and smart. Having a dragon in your book guarantees I will take a second look at it. Unfortunately, not all dragon books are worth that second look. This one assuredly wasn’t.

Melissa Smith is a reporter with ethics. Or was until Magnus Montomerency killed her friend. Now she is a woman bent on revenge, determined to expose Magnus for all his crimes. But when she breaks into his home to find evidence to place him behind bars once and for all, she encounters several unexpected problems in rapid succession. First, it only looked like Magnus was gone, he is very much waiting for her. Then there is another man in the room and who knows what he wants. And finally, it appears that some people can turn into dragons. And isn’t it just like her recent string of luck that one of them happens to be her enemy? And that all that stands between her and certain destruction is a stranger who also turns into a giant lizard?

Rafferty Powells has been given the bad end of the stick more than once, but finding his mate while on a mission of vengeance has got to top the list. Now not only does he have to deal with his instant desire but he must do battle with his arch nemesis while protecting this helpless human thief. Then, the darkfire begins. Not just mating fire but the dangerous blue spark of a dance that can lead as easily to destruction as to wedded bliss. As Rafferty comes to grips with all that is happening around him the battle between Pyr and Slayer heats up.

The first book in this series really captured my imagination, made me love the characters and generally did what a good romance is supposed to do – make me want more. Not so much with this novel. Let me highlight why it didn’t work.

I did not like the heroine, Melissa. Not even a little. Yes, I understood she had been through a lot. But a man saves her life and all she can think of is taking pictures and using them to relaunch her career? Talk about freaking ingratitude! None of her future actions really made up for this; her early misbehavior sort of defined her. She wasn’t strong and career minded; she was ruthless and self-serving. She also had no respect for the law. Yes the book she stole could expose Magnus to the world, but everything gained from it was fruit from a poisonous tree. What did she hope to accomplish besides exposure of a major villain (which wouldn’t hurt her career any. What a coincidence!) I just didn’t like her as a person, and I found her actions unethical. Her relationship with Rafferty seemed based on lust and banter (not my favorite foundations for a romance), so their love story didn’t work to improve my opinion of her.

The world building in this one also left a tad to be desired. Things have gotten more complex as the books have moved along, and gotten that “too much going on” feel to them. Their religion regarding the Wyvern and the Earth – which can be grating at times – was also not a plus. But beyond the world of the dragon kind, I was more than a little put off by the idea that real news outlets would be interested in photos of dragons. There are now so many ways to fake a picture I question how anyone could be certain that what they were looking at was a verifiable image of a flying beastie. It doesn’t have to be digitally enhanced to be faked – you can fake the event. I also found it hard to believe that blog buzz would have stations calling – especially if they were calling someone with a past. That kernel of doubt stayed with me throughout the novel. Then as dragons went more and more public, I couldn’t believe the reactions of humans. One early scene where spectators were deciding who was good and who was evil seemed far-fetched and silly. My suspension of disbelief was broken and never repaired.

Rafferty was a typical alpha, which did work for me, but that was way too little to save the story much. Also, I have to add that the whole instant-attraction-I-found-my-mate-through-scent thing can work, but it can also backfire. In this case, I sensed no chemistry between the two, just lust. There was no buildup of explosive desire, just easy sex. That worked against Rafferty in the long run, making him seem out of control rather than in love. The relationship does change to something gentler and more respectful but the foundation it was built on did not enable me to believe in it.

There are better books with dragons out there. There are better romances. I recommend readers give this one a pass.