A refreshing and sweet, slow-burn romance that leaves the heart warm and thirsting for more. You can't help but root for these characters and their journey together.
[Contains minor spoilers]
Let me tell you, as a lady who loves her men shifting into dragons and also loves some sweet and steamy romance, this book did not disappoint. I've read quite a few PNR books and yes, dragonshifters have been among them, but it takes a lot for a dragonshifter romance to keep me interested.
Song of Smoke by Jillian James is a beautifully written story about Seda, a young woman who grew up in an underground city where females are clearly thought of more like objects than they are as humans. Fortunately for me as a reader, Seda did not seem the type to roll over and take it. I was hooked because I was already anticipating watching Seda rise above this and could not wait to see how.
Seda escapes her fate after seeing the full extent of the cruel future she faces with her betrothed. She defies everything, knowing that her punishment will be severe if she is caught, and performs a deed that quickly makes me love her. I mean I was emotionally attached from the get-go. She is straight forward and completely aware of her surroundings, so calling her a damsel wouldn't exactly do her justice because she can take care of herself and in fact, she desires just that until...
Enter Dederic, a tall, masculine tower of sexy with a smirk and, my personal weakness, long hair that he ties in a man-bun. He's a dragon with authority and when Seda crossed paths with him, I couldn't help rooting for them. Their relationship seemed organic and was a wonderful slow-burn that left me wanting to read to the end. Any petty struggles that I would usually get irritated by were not given much focus and any tests their relationship endured were met with the conclusions I was hoping for. I just wanted everyone to be happy, ok?
In short, I found this book to be refreshing in the sense that I didn't feel like I was gritting my teeth trying to knock sense into the characters. Of course, stupid decisions were made, but for the purpose of growth and they never resulted in damages too severe to fix. Dederic was such a perfect sculpture of what every woman (or a lot of women) wants in a man and it was adorable seeing Seda, someone who has been forced to act a certain way and taught that she was lesser than the men around her, blossoming around his freeing presence and becoming who she was supposed to be.
Overall, the story was a wonderful ride that definitely made my heart warm. It's a pretty fast read, so I was able to read it very quickly. As someone who has a full-time business and usually has to listen to audiobooks, I was happy I was able to read a book myself. And when you think of that book, even when you're not reading it, then you know you've found one that will stick. I am incredibly excited to read the next book!
You can find Song of Smoke here.
Follow Jillian James on Goodreads.
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