Fire in His Blood
Ruby Dixon is well known in the sci-fi/erotic romance world for her Ice Planet Barbarians series (Big, Blue and Horny would be an apt subtitle for those) as well as her PNR bear shifters ( Bear Bites series) and straight up erotic romance MC Bedlam Butchers series. Now she’s trying her hand at another PNR series featuring Dragon Shifters and their fated mates. Fire in His Blood is the first entry in the Fireblood Dragon series and combines post-apocalyptic type world-building with a sexy romance in a story sure to have her established fans and new readers clamoring for more.
It’s been seven years since ‘The Rift’ – a time in earth’s modern-day history when the appearance of dragons changed everything. Billions of people died in the ensuing firestorms from crazed dragon attacks, leaving small pockets of survivors who shelter in the few derelict shopping malls and ruined buildings that have survived with some infrastructure intact. Claudia, her sister Amy and her friend Sasha live in an abandoned bus in Fort Dallas. Options for obtaining food and other necessary survival items are limited, especially for females– one is either a scavenger in the parts outside of the protected area of Fort Dallas, or finds ways to bargain with the all male New Militia who rule the compound, usually involving whoring oneself out. Claudia is a scavenger, providing for her injured sister, while Sasha has taken the other route, often coming home bruised and battered but still alive.
When one of the black market trades Claudia has arranged is compromised, she finds herself imprisoned and then worse; rumors have arisen that a woman was able to ‘tame’ a dragon in another sheltered city and the Mayor of Fort Dallas is determined to try this approach to prevent further attacks on the compound. So far six other women have met a fate that isn’t spoken of, but seems clearly to indicate that Claudia won’t survive. Strapped to a pole and left at the mercy of whichever dragon scents her first, she fears certain death.
But the fierce gold dragon who finds her seems intent on other plans and surprises her when he shifts into a recognizable human-type form, though his skin is patterned like scales and he can produce fangs when needed. Unable to communicate verbally at first, the dragon man finds ways to show her that he isn’t intent on killing her. Kael, as he is known in dragon tongue, knows Claudia to be his mate, and must find ways to prove it to her. Torn between feelings she is developing for the gentle yet fiercely protective Kael and the need to get back to her sister, Claudia must choose the right path for her future.
This is a pretty stark world that’s been left to the survivors, but the world building isn’t overly complex. Women definitely have lost most of their rights and are left to fend for themselves, and there isn’t a lot of detail regarding what happened during the Rift, or where the dragons were before, and so on. I’m hoping that with more stories planned in the series, we’ll see more detail on how things evolved. We do find out, through Kael’s point of view, that the attacks on humans are a result of chaotic rage and don’t really have a purpose. There are, at this point, red and gold dragons, and the red dragons are female while the gold are male. The red dragons seem to have patterns of attack that people have come to expect while the gold dragon attacks are random. It’s pretty basic stuff.
Around Claudia, Kael maintains more of his sanity and is determined to mate with her. In human form, he’s pretty attractive if you can overlook the slight dragonish features and to her surprise Claudia finds his obvious attempts at being gentle and careful with her remove her fear. When they finally get to the mating stage (after a ‘courtship’ of sorts that dragged somewhat), Kael must sink his dragon fangs into Claudia’s neck, injecting her with a fiery venom that will enable her to be able to mate properly with him (because in human form he does have some obvious… ahem… male attributes, ribbed for her pleasure) and not be burned by his semen. If it sounds like it hurts, you’re right! Fortunately though, the fanged venom injection is a one-time deal. On the plus side, it means that Claudia and Kael can now communicate telepathically, making their interactions much easier since they can now ‘talk’ to each other mentally. I had wondered how we’d get past the obvious language barrier issues and this solves that handily.
The second half of the story picks up the pace and the action, while also upping the heat factor as Claudia and Kael discover just how sexually compatible they are. It’s clear that Claudia’s going to throw her lot in with Kael and see where that takes her, and the story ends with some clear direction for what’s coming next and a happy ending for this unique couple. There are lots of unanswered questions that I hope will be addressed as the series continues. But it’s a solid start and I plan to read more.
Recent Comments
I just stumbled on to this author lately and I think I enjoy this series less than some of her other ones. It’s definitely the most serious and the author has said this year she finds it harder to revisit this series than her others because of the darker vibe of it.
I do enjoy it though and I think as it goes along and we find out more of the hows and the whys of the world she built it gets more interesting.
One thing I really enjoy about Ruby Dixon is how she has such a diverse group of heroines. Between the IPB and Icehome books she has had heroines of so many different ethnicities and continues to do so in her other series as well. She also writes heroines who have hearing loss and and a hero and heroine (from different books and series) who have lost a limb.
I think she has a very fun sense of humor which IMHO comes across best in the IPB/Icehome books and for me those have been the most addictive and entertaining.
Whhhhhhhat!!! I didn’t realize All About Romance had reviewed Ruby Dixon until today! I discovered her last year and it was a revelation — she’s the definition of comfort reading for me.
Chrisreader, you’re totally right. Her “Fireblood Dragon” series is definitely darker and more serious. It’s dystopian fantasy, rather than science fiction/alien fantasy like the “Ice Planet Barbarians/Icehome” series. But, I’m a big fan of communication barriers in romance and I think Dixon does it really well (and often, hilariously) in the “Fireblood Dragon” series.
In terms of the diverse protagonists in “IPB/Icehome”, I agree 100%. I love how inclusive, empathetic, and big-hearted Dixon’s approach is. She’s also unafraid of addressing mental health; one of her “Icehome” heroines was prickly and irritable because she was suffering from depression which I felt was a refreshing take on the condition, in an erotic romance.
For me, I think a big part of the appeal of “IPB/Icehome” is that the heroes are presented as masculine, without ever engaging in toxic masculinity. The “fated mates” trope can come with a lot of sexist baggage, but the way Dixon plays with it is fascinating and her world is built on the belief that women are valued as individuals, romantic/sexual companions, and members of an extended found family, but not in a way that feels regressive or gender essentialist.
Chrisreader, have you read her “Aspect and Anchor” series? I’ve only read the first book, it’s very, very different from both “Fireblood Dragon” and “IPB/Icehome”.
Don’t feel bad, I’d forgotten I reviewed this! LOL
Hahahaha, oh gosh, that’s not a good sign.
I just read too many books and I have a poor memory LOL
Lol, I forget I even own books. Thank goodness Amazon will remind me “you bought this book back in May 2017” or I’d have three copies of things. So many books, too little time.
Same!
Woohoo! A Ruby Dixon reader! I fell into her work maybe a month or two ago and I think I have read every thing she has written except the motorcycle club books (are those her?) and the shifter books plus the second aspect and anchor book.
She is SUCH a comfort read I agree. I find her humor to be really hilarious at times. For some reason Liz and Raahosh just crack me up. I also agree about the communication barrier trope, she excels at it in some IPB books and in the Fireblood Dragon series.
I think it’s great she went back and tackled Ariana’s story in IPB’s (when she ran out of couples) and that she dealt with her anxiety that we only saw from the other’s point of view before ie: “why is she always crying?”
And yes her books are a really fun mix of very masculine males without the meanness or misogyny you can find in other series. I loved how she showed the society changing as the earth women influenced things and how they reacted to the very sweet society they found themselves in.
Ruby Dixon was constantly mentioned as a must read for people who like “fated mates” and who have enjoyed Laurann Dohner’s New Species books. But Ruby Dixon’s are much more fleshed out and are like if every hero was like the super nice one “Smiley” in her books. (Some of Dohner’s are just raging alpha jerks).
I’ve only read the first Aspect and Anchor book as well (I’ll be honest, that one dragged for me) but I am completely caught up on all IPB/Icehome and am eagerly awaiting the next release in Oct or Nov. It’s amazing how fast she cranks them out (and they’re still great). She put out a new chapter of a Corsair related Mesakkah book daily on her blog last month while churning out the latest Icehome book (Raven’s Return). The woman is a machine and I say that admiringly.
Do you have any idea what her “real” or other pen name is? Supposedly she is a NYT best selling author of contemporary romance under it.
So happy to have found another fan to chat with!
There were a whole series of motorcycle club romances written by Kati Wilde, Ruby Dixon, Ella Goode, and Alexa Riley. They were about separate clubs, but they were interrelated. I think there were about 40 books altogether, but I believe that all of the writers have now brought their series to an end. Kati Wilde’s series (The Hellfire Riders) were the best—I love them, they’re about the only MC romances I like. (Full disclosure—the last Hellfire Riders book, LOSING IT ALL, is dedicated to me. A fact I shall brag about until my dying day.) I know Kati & Ruby are good friends and I know Kati designs some of Ruby’s book covers, but I do not believe they’re the same person.
Wow, what a cool thing!!!
I’ve seen that series and the rumor that Kati and Ruby are the same person, as well as social media posts (I think?) where they deny it. I’ve got to add those books to the TBR list — I enjoy MC romance from time to time, but it’s hard to sort the good from the bad.
If you’re looking for MC romances, I strongly recommend Kati Wilde’s Hellfire Riders series—of course, I’m a Kati Wilde fan girl and have loved (or, at least, liked) everything she’s written. I do think they need to be read in order to get the full stories behind all the characters. I think they’re all on Kindle Unlimited, so, if you have a KU membership, it won’t wreck your wallet.
I haven’t read any of Ruby Dixon’s Bedlam Butchers MC romances, but they’re also on KU, and—since you like her style so much—might be worth checking out. Ella Goode’s The Death Lords series is on KU too. I can’t even find Alexa Riley’s MC romances anymore. Maybe they (they’re a writing duo) decided to pull them.
I recently got KU after starting with the free trial and I love it. I think Amazon is losing money on me with it. I’ve read so many books and all the Ruby Dixon ones in maybe two months since I have had it. I’m amazed at all the authors that are on it, although there are some low quality books as well for sure.
Thank you! I’ll check her out once I cycle back to my MC romance mood. I’m a neurotic completist so I’ll definitely read them in order to get the full background. I do have a KU membership and I appreciate these tips, it’s helpful in sorting out the seemingly vast selection available.
I have had Kati Wilde on my TBR list ever since I stumbled onto Ruby Dixon. I enjoy a good MC romance and think Joanna Wylde’s books were very good but she hasn’t put anything out in a while now. I will definitely check them out. That’s quite an honor having a book dedicated to you! Very cool!
I know Kati does the cover designs for IPB and Icehome books and they’re great. I’m sure it’s not easy to make blue guys with horns look “sexy” lol.
Kati’s covers are phenomenal! I’ve read the first two books in Joanna Wylde’s Reapers MC series and I enjoyed them, but they’re definitely a mood.
Oh they are a mood for sure! I find in her books the younger guys are usually less jerky than the older ones. I do think she does a good job of conveying more reality than some other authors do and some of her women are just as ruthless as the men, which I think is only fair.
Exactly! I like that in her books, protagonists struggle with their bills, their less-than-satisfying jobs, or keeping family members or themselves out of trouble. It’s a nice break from the mainstream contemporary romances where everyone seems to have glamorous or satisfying careers, live in comfort, and date billionaires. She’s great, when I’m up for all that MC alpha angst.
Just FYI: over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books (I hope it’s ok for me to mention another site) today they have a Rec League requesting romances with “unsexy” or working-class occupations. You might get (or make) some good recommendations for books—without billionaires and glamorous jobs.
Exactly! I think I’ve read everything IPB, Icehome, Fireblood Dragon, and Cosair and the first Aspect & Anchor. Total Ruby Dixon fangirl!!
You’re right, Liz and Raahosh are hilarious and their appearances in later books is such a welcome bit of comic relief.
Like you, I love seeing how the Earth women find their place and change the Mesakkah culture. I’m impressed by how much sociological heavy lifting the series is doing by showing how past protagonists become leaders, individuals integrate into the community differently, and survival is based on the group coming together. Her writing is hilarious, the romance is lovely wish fulfillment, her characters rep marginalized people, and the sexy details are zany fun (hahaha, the spur!), but the narrative is also subtly smart & super thought provoking.
Ok, I think I had the opposite trajectory — I read a ton of Ruby Dixon and when I went looking for something similar, stumbled upon Laurann Dohner’s “New Species”. I read the first book and I enjoyed the world building, but just as you pointed out, the heroes are much more alpha and I recall there was some dubious consent/abduction that I wasn’t quite in the mood for. I’ll probably try again because I love the sub-genre and one of my favorite romance podcasts, Learning the Tropes, has reviewed a few books in the series. But yeah, that’s a helpful tip-off, that they’re not as fleshed out…
I have spent a not-inconsiderable time trying to find out who Ruby Dixon is, hahaha. I want to know because she’s such a great storyteller, I’d happily read her bestselling contemporary romances! No clue, though.
God, this chat is making me want to go back & reread these books!
That’s my curiosity with Ruby Dixon as well, I keep thinking “are there more books by her out there under another name I am missing out on?”
New Species can be a fun series but unlike IPB they vary quite a bit amongst the heroes. Some are fun and some are just not. “Slade” is one I absolutely hate, there’s just nothing likable about him and you have accept that a woman doctor who is supposedly intelligent would want anything to do with him. There is some fun world building and you have to read the series to see how things build. Her latest book in the series “Best Friends”, had two stories in it. One was great, really sweet with a nice hero and heroine. The second had major consent issues a lot of people had a problem with. YMMV as they say.
Are you all caught up on the Icehome books? She added a new twist to the story and I am curious to see how it plays out. I love that just when I think we are running out of people and stories she slips something new in. I hope she just keeps going because I don’t see myself getting sick of them anytime soon.
I think her character arcs are great, I loved how she handled Lilah’s whole journey over several books and her ultimate decision to get her hearing restored because of her son. Maddie and Hassan became one of my favorite couples but I never would have believed that after reading Lilah’s book.
Yesssss! Ruby Dixon, tell us who you are so we can read all your books, haha!
I’m definitely going to go back into New Species at some point because I’m curious about the world building, if nothing else. Dubious or non-consent is such a mixed bag for me. If rape or sexual assault is portrayed as a humorous twist or it goes unacknowledged by the text and the novel was industry published since 2000, I’m frustrated and disappointed. If it’s in a self-published MC erotic romance or an Old School historical, I figure that I went in with the awareness that dub/non-consent was a possibility, at least. It’s also all about frequency (How many dub/non-consent scenes have I read recently?) and mood (Am I in an emotional place where I can handle this?).
I think that’s also part of the reason I appreciate Ruby Dixon’s novels as comfort reading — the mates may be fated, but the heroines are always in control of their own sexuality and the heroes cannot conceive of a world where they wouldn’t be.
I just looked on Goodreads — I’m not caught up! I’ve been saving Mari’s Mistake for the right time (clearly, it’s now!!) and it looks like Raven’s Return just came out. I don’t know the twist that has extended the series, but I can’t wait! When she did that last time, with Icehome, it produced some of my favorite books in both series. I loved reading about the new alien species she came up with!
Hard agree on character arcs, Maddie and Hassan’s book was one of my early favorites! I also remember Brooke and Taushen’s story operating in a similar way, there was this build up over who she’d end up with, it was hot when they got together, and extra fun to see Earth customs (one night stand, casual dating) fail in translation.
I’ll try anything she writes but you’re right, I hope she keeps going with this series! It’s so, so good.
I’m jealous you still have a couple of Icehome books to read. I enjoyed Mari’s Mistake because it finally, finally gave that poor girl and her mate some resolution, Lol. It was also interesting to revisit the island from her point of view. It also begins a couple of twists as I recall. One is at the very end and is a teaser for Raven’s Return. I loved Raven’s Return. Such a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed how she handled Raven’s “secret”. (Now I’m really curious to find out in a future book why that other girl is SO happy to be at Icehome. Is she a criminal? On the lam?) I love those little mysteries or teases she throws in.
The next Icehome is getting released in November I believe and it’s finally going to address Brigit and A’Tam and their lousy hookup, lol. Can’t wait. Bless Ruby Dixon for her fast writing and fun books. It’s just what I need these days.
Quick note on the Dohner New Species. I guess they could be considered “forced seduction” because the ladies always enjoy themselves and the excuse is that the guys are acting with their “animal” nature. Particularly the ones who come from “The Wild Zone” which is where they put the guys who are less civilized and “human” like. Like the IPB guys it is always “ladies first” with them so it’s not violent or anything like that. There’s a lot of “mine, mine, mine”.
Just went back and read Mari’s Mistake and Raven’s Return, but now, I’m dying for Steph and Juth’s story!!! You’re totally right, Raven’s Return was awesome. It touched on so many of my favorite things in romance — sex work, grumpy heroines, women who are sexually confident or sex positive, big secrets, false personas. Love it!
It was less cat nip for me (second chance love stories don’t light my fire), but Mari’s Mistake was solid too. I’m definitely someone who needs the reminder that when relationships don’t conform to my vision or (often high) expectations, it doesn’t make them less enjoyable, valid, or important.
Yes, in the Plague Year 2020, I worship at the altar of the Queen, Ruby Dixon. I’m incredibly grateful that she continues to write these stories that bring me so much joy.
Re: New Species. Okay, I’ll keep this in mind! I’ll dip back into this series sometimes soon I think because it’s much, much easier to read fantasy right now and I feel like my options for strong romantic adult fantasy are limited.
Chrisreader, it was lovely chatting with you! :)
Steph and Juth! I can’t wait! (You know that girl is going to get herself kidnapped). And how cute is Pak?
Raven was an awesome heroine and Udron was a doll. They weren’t even on my radar until right before this book. Until the cover was released I thought for sure Raven was going to be another Harlow and end up with her half feral abductor. I loved how she was teaching Bridgit to dance at the end. (Or Bree-shit I should say). For some reason that and “Buh-Brooke” will still make me laugh.
I agree Mari’s story was more somber and probably won’t be in my top five, but I enjoy reading Ruby’s comments at the end of the books and how much thought and research she puts into them. I am always amazed at how she keeps coming up with different stories and conflicts and never gets stale.
Yes, yay to Ruby Dixon and her inventive fun filled stories in this time of Pandemic stress. It’s truly shocking how many bad and shameless rip offs of her books there are on K.U.
Thanks for all the book chat! It was a delight!
I agree with you totally, I want Steph and Juth story also. I have bought all of Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians and Ice home stories, although I can’t read them on my kindle for some reason, but I want her to continue to stories on not-hauth.
To add another wrinkle to the story, Kati Wilde also publishes fantasy & paranormal books under another name (which I do not believe she has ever revealed). In fact, one of the reasons it took four years between BREAKING IT ALL and LOSING IT ALL (although Kati published shorter works during that time) was that she was finishing up a big fantasy series she was writing. But what the name of that series was or what name it was published under, I have no clue. Ah well, perhaps one day all will be revealed.
Also, if you’d like to read a Kati Wilde book but are not that interested in MC romances, GOING NOWHERE FAST (New Adult that works even for old adults like me) is really good, along with THE MIDWINTER MAIL-ORDER BRIDE (fantasy), and my all-the-feels favorite, SECRET SANTA (Christmas romance).
The plot thickens!!!
“New Adult that works even for old adults like me” cracked me up! New Adult is weird. On the Fated Mates podcast, Sarah MacLean says that she thinks there’s no such thing — it’s just Young Adult with sex or Adult with young protagonists. I see her point, even if I’m not sure I 100% agree.
When I get to Kati Wilde, I’ll probably start with her fantasy, The Midwinter Mail Order Bride, because I’ve already read the Ruby Dixon addition to that series. Thank you for the tips! It’s such a help to hear from a fan of an author, rather than stumble around on Kindle Unlimited by myself and decide to read something based on how much I like the cover or not (hahaha).
Thank you for all the recommendations. I have a whole list now and I keep getting scolded by K.U. for trying to check out more than my allotted 10 at a time.
I can’t understand why some authors keep their other pen names a secret. You would think the cross- business would be good.
I read this one too and mostly enjoyed it. I got a bit tired of the endless repetition and didn’t get a sense of where the author intends to take the series other than to more dragons stumbling upon their “mates”.
Agreed! There were parts that dragged and there are unanswered questions about how this world came to be, and the role of dragons etc. which I’m hoping will be explored in the next book. The ‘fated mates’ storyline is fine, but I don’t just want a copy of this one in the sequel.
I finished this one last night and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The world building and characters were good for an erotic story. Glad to see someone else liked it too.
Oh, I’m glad you enjoyed it too Sara!