Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Smolder
SERIES: Drake Security
AUTHOR: Mika Nix
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Raven Wolf Publishing
LENGTH: 8 hours and 16 minutes
RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2024
BLURB:
I was hired to protect him, but will our smoldering attraction ignite into love?
When my hot headed brother found his fated mate, a deep, aching desire opened up inside of me for my own. Everyone knows dragons are covetous, jealous… possessive. I am all of these things, but never more so than when I set my eyes on Dempsey for the first time.
Beautiful. Awkward. Sweet. Shy. Perfect. My dragon wants to wrap himself around him the moment he bumps into me outside of his antique shop. Dempsey, however, is not as keen on that idea as my inner beast is.
He hired Drake Security for protection, and he needs it even more than he realized. Unfortunately, we specialize in brute strength and burning sh*t to the ground, and the problem Dempsey has is way out of our league.
Is he my fated mate or am I just so desperate for one that I’m falling for him too fast? Either way, I’ll move heaven and hell to protect him, even if the forces that are after him are unlike anything I’ve dealt with before.
I’ve spent thousands of years hoarding books and storing their words close to my heart. Will the love stories that live inside my soul be enough to woo him? Is it too much to hope that fate has chosen him for me?
**** Smolder is book 2 in the Drake Security series and has a reluctant fated mate, dragon shifters, book swooning, ancient mysteries, and magic. Each book can be listened to on its own, but is so much better if listened to in order. The series is all dragons, NO MPREG.
REVIEW:
Well a book hoarding dragon? Count me in!
Hemingway is the second of the Drake brothers to find his mate via a job from their security company. He finds himself drawn to the man whose store and person he sent to protect. Dempsey isn’t so keen on having a bodyguard, but when Hemingway shows up, he relents. He’s nervous after the breaking at his shop and that’s why he’s called in the troops. Immediately Hemingway is drawn to and protective of his new client. Dempsey is wary and feels like Hemingway is a bit overbearing. But he’s pretty easily talked into a trip to London to a book show under the pretext that it will get him away from whoever broke into the shop and let the Drake Security team work on things.
The trip to London is beyond anything Dempsey has ever dreamed of. Hemingway shows him a very good time. They meet up with a vampire friend. They shop. They go to the book show. And they grow closer. Dempsey seems very energized by the trip. But when they return home, he’s exhausted. Hemingway convinces him to come stay with him at this house because something is definitely happening.
The Drake brothers call in a witch and she determined that the amulet that Dempsey wears is the key. He won’t let anyone touch it and it seems to be draining him. UGH! What’s a dragon to do when a supernatural curse is slowly killing his mate??? Well he goes to the source of the problem of course – so off on another trip. They will not be thwarted!
I liked this story. The books aspect of course thrilled me 😉 I also liked how Lake supported Dempsey in his newfound world of the paranormal. Nico and Hemingway are definitely protective mates 🙂 The rest of the brothers appear in this one too and help Hemingway and Dempsey when the chips are down. The rest of the paranormal world was interesting – and helped to identify the real problem and help save Dempsey. Hemingway wants to be with his mate so bad and protect him. Unlike Nico and Lake who are basically opposites, Hem and Dempsey are very sympatico. I really enjoyed watching them get to know each other and Hemingway trying to easy Dempsey into his world. This was a good addition to the series and I am looking forward to the next one.
If you are a fan of dragons in audio, well look no further than Michael Ferraiuolo. He has the goods! These dragons are rumbly and possessive and protective of their mates 🙂 Hemingway holding himself back is sweet 🙂 Dempsey’s confusion and assumptions and self-esteem issues were executed with the perfect emotional pitch here. The new characters – vampires and witches etc., add another level to the paranormal world here and I was there for it. Mr. Ferraiuolo is a master at this kind of storytelling with multiple characters and accents and this was not exception. The continuity from the previous book characters is also on point. I LOVED spending time with Lake again – he’s a hoot and a half. Definitely an audio delight.
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