Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Dragon of Fire
SERIES: Dragon Triplets, Book 1
AUTHOR: Minerva Howe
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 130 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2022
BLURB:
When dragon shifter Dima goes to a fire on the job, he has no idea what he’s about to find. The house is full of young men who have been kidnapped and held against their will, and he and his fellow firefighters and his cop buddies vow to get to the bottom of it. Especially since Dima is pretty sure one of them, Kam, is his mate.
All Kam wanted was a fresh start when he came to California from Las Vegas. He thought he was finding work as a model, but things soon went very bad. So when Dima sweeps in and rescues him, he can’t believe he’s safe. Dima calls to him in so many ways, but danger still looms over them. Can Dima keep Kam safe, and bring him into the dragon family without his brothers objecting?
This is a non-mpreg dragon shifter alpha omega romance with knotting.
REVIEW:
Dragon of Fire is the first book in Minerva Howe’s Dragon Triplets series, which introduces us to a world of shifters who live commingled with humans in society. This novella-length story features Dima and his two brothers Aleks and Nik, who are dragon shifters that live together in a multi-story home, none of them mated.
Dima is a firefighter who rescues Kam from a burning home where he and several other men are held by human traffickers, literally chained to their beds, drugged, and then used for pornographic films. Kam refused to eat or drink anything so they couldn’t drug him, but he’s not in good shape mentally or physically when Dima finds him. Understandably, Kam suffers from PTSD after Dima rescues him, and Dima helps support and soothe him.
Given this context, I expected the story to have some weight to it, some angst and darkness. But the story doesn’t really address the human trafficking and kidnapping much more than peripherally. Instead, the plot revolves around Kam learning about himself and Dima, and Kam discovering he and Dima are mates and solidifying the mating bond. The balance between Kam’s trauma and his easy acceptance of the mating bond with all of the attendant sexual activity struck me as odd. Kam seems to easily shut off his trauma to engage with Dima, which doesn’t feel plausible.
Howe creates two endearing if superficial characters in Dima and Kam, and they are sweet and sexy together. But despite the novella-length story, it still dragged because the plot just treads over the same ground. Dima’s relationship with his two brothers piques my interest, but not enough is done with them in this story. The high point of the story is the interactions with the three dogs.
Overall, Dragon of Fire is a short, sweet, easy read, but doesn’t contain enough substance. However, if you’re simply looking for a quick low-angst story, you may enjoy it even though it didn’t work for me.
RATING: 
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