My review is going to be slightly more frustrated sounding than usual. Also the Rating absolutely reflects how I feel. I waited two whole days to make sure I wasn't just over-reacting to write this review. I still feel the same, so to the two star rating!

When I read the synopsis for this book I was excited. I love dragon-shifters novels, be they romance or fantasy. I've loved dragons all my life and this has carried on into my adult life and reading pursuits. I like the cover to this, though the man on the cover doesn't quite fit the description, I was okay with it, I loved his belt buckle. I was intrigued by Phoebe's scientific plight (the eternal search for the continuous research grant), I emphasized with Dylan's feelings of inadequacy as he buried each family member and friend. I was clapping for Phoebe for standing up to Dylan the first time they met instead of succumbing to his manly charms. I was less pleased with how quickly they both start having fantasies, though at least in Dylan's case he has the dragon to blame.

And I understood both Phoebe's reluctance to enter into the arrangement with Dylan (despite the high money ticket) and her curiosity as to what he was hiding. I was on board with the book for the first 68 pages (yes I can tell you to the page, that's how irritated I became) and looked forward to more fun times of them clashing and sparking.

Then I read the second half of page 68 and my heart dropped, along with my jaw. In the span of three sentences Phoebe went from being professional and keeping Dylan at bay to encouraging him to sleep in the bed with her. Not that this is unusual in any romances, but it gave me a moment of pause.

Things just went downhill from there--in terms of their relationship. It became more and more unbelievable with each passing chapter. To the point that when Phoebe finally got some sense, it felt like a token defense to add a little bit of tension. The rest of the storyline--Phoebe finding a cure for the dragon's disease, or at least some sort of reason for it--kept me interested. When Phoebe was in Scientist Mode, I loved her.

Three things in the end topped things off for me however.

1) A tragedy occurs and Dylan blames Phoebe almost entirely for it happening and there is angry sex involved (it bordered on non-consensual at one point, when Phoebe realized Dylan wasn't just being sexy aggressive, he was being I'm gonna punish you aggressive). This is never spoken of again, Dylan doesn't apologize, Phoebe doesn't confront him and it all disappears thanks to points two and three.

2) Dylan's angst throughout most of the book after bedding Phoebe becomes moot. All the character growth and development as he struggled with the concept and sought out his people's opinions and realized a personal truth--wiped out because of point number three.

3) Phoebe is the most special being ever. No seriously. In one fell swoop a lot of the mythology stated was pushed aside as Adams came up with an abrupt way for Phoebe to save herself (and ostensibly Dylan), to explain her fears from childhood, and to make it okay for Dylan and her to mate. Never mind there is very little evidence of this fact throughout the course of the novel (the only thing I can think of is tenuous at best given genetics).

I can't in good conscience say I enjoyed this book, or that I would read it again. I am hopeful for the second book (Hidden Embers due out in 2011), because it happens sometimes that all the rage of the first book never appears in the second for me. I really, really hope this holds true. ( )

dragon shifters ( )

Dark Embers
3 Stars

Synopsis
Dylan MacLead is a dragon shapeshifter and leader of the Dragonstar clan, which is being decimated by a deadly and seemingly incurable disease. Dylan's search for someone to save his people leads him to biochemist Phoebe Quillum, a beautiful scientist who appeals to Dylan's every desire. However, as a human, he feels that she can never be his mate. Can Phoebe and Dylan overcome their differences to find both a cure and a passion that will save them all?

Review
Good premise and likeable characters but not enough world building. The true nature of the conflict between the warring dragon factions is never fully explained and neither are the traumatic events in Dylan and Phoebe's pasts.

Phoebe is an intelligent and strong willed heroine who can more than hold her own against the aggressive and domineering Dylan. Nevertheless, their romance is uninspired and under-developed. Except for their obvious sexual attraction, there is no build up to their sudden loving relationship.

The plot is bland until the last 1/4 of the book where it gets very exciting and manages to compensate for the lackluster beginning and middle. There is an intriguing twist at the end, Phoebe is also a dragon shifter, but once again, the author fails to sufficiently explain its origins and significance.

In sum, this book has potential but ultimately does not deliver. However, the story and characters are sufficiently interesting for me to try the next installment. ( )

Dylan MacLeod is the leader of a clan of dragon shifters. Due to a mysterious disease, members of his clan have been dropping like flies. Desperate to save his people, Dylan decides to seek out human aid. His quest leads him to Dr. Phoebe Quillum, who is a researcher looking for a cure to Lupus.

After receiving news that her grant money has been pulled, Phoebe is on a tight time constraint to finish up her research. While in the middle of searching for funding, Phoebe is approached by Dylan. He's willing to pay her 3 million dollars to search for a cure to the disease killing his people. At first, Phoebe is hesitant but the combination of the thrill of researching a new disease and having enough money afterwards to continue her own research is too tempting to resist. So with reluctance, she agrees to Dylan's terms.

This was a really difficult book for me to get into. While the main story was interesting, the relationship between Dylan and Phoebe was boring. Those two just didn't have much personality and their background stories were hinted at but never fleshed out. This made Dylan's reluctance at wanting to keep Phoebe around frustrating. Especially when there was nothing given to show why he was so hesitant. For her part, Phoebe was a fairly interesting character. She was smart with her actions and didn’t let people push her around. However, I didn't appreciate her getting punished for having a cool head in dangerous situations. In fact, the climax of the story just pissed me off. Phoebe rationally handles a difficult situation and the characters (Dylan in particular) take it as huge betrayal for no real reason. Phoebe acted smartly and Dylan punishes her for it by throwing a huge man-child tantrum.

This brings me to my biggest problem with the book. The last sex scene is basically a rape scene. Read the spoiler for an explanation of the scene. Dylan is furious at Phoebe for not telling him of her speculations that another clan was the one killing off his dragons. Her reason for not saying anything is because she first wanted proof before claiming something that might begin a war and lives at risk. Smart, right? Instead of seeing this as a mature and level-headed thing to do, Dylan flips out. He forcibly drags her to another room hurting her in the process. Then, upon returning later that night, he finds Phoebe asleep and decides to have sex with her despite still being livid about her rationality. At first Phoebe is with him, but then she changes her mind because his mood is too violent for her. That’s when this happens,

“For the first time, pain pierced the haze of pleasure that surrounded her, and again Phoebe struggled to get away. But he held her to him, careful not to hurt her despite his violent emotions and the heavy thrusts that brought him fully inside her…. The need to orgasm rose again, sharp, and insistent, and she tried to fight it. She didn’t want it—not like this. Not when Dylan was so angry with her…. But he didn’t give her a choice, and eventually her body betrayed her…. When it was over, he pulled out almost instantly and rolled away from her with a groan. He was asleep within moments, but she spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, tears leaking slowly down her face for all that they had found and lost” (271)

Then, to really drive it home,

“When she finally climbed out of bed the next morning, Phoebe was stiff, uncoordinated. Her body felt used, and not in a good way. She turned on the shower and then stared at herself in the mirror—at the marks Dylan had made on her last night, with his passion and his rage. There was a large bruise on her right shoulder from where he’d bitten her, a scratch on her right hip… Bruises ringed her wrists from where he’d kept her hands pinned against the bed…. She closed her eyes, barely able to look at the destruction- of her body and their relationship.” (272)

And one more disturbing quote about Phoebe’s emotions afterwards,

“…last night hadn’t been about desire or need or love or even hate. It had been about rage, about a fury so deep the only way he could express it was physically.” (272)

This scene completely killed the book for me. The number one thing that I cannot stand in books is sexual abuse written under the guise of angry sex. What really infuriates me is that after this, the scene is never brought back up. It happens, the story moves on. What was the point? Dylan's character was just decimated as a likeable person. I don’t give a flying fig if he later saves Phoebe. I don’t care if he saves the entire world now. It doesn't make up for his abhorrent actions or magically redeem his character. Honestly, if I hadn’t almost been done with this book, I would’ve put it down after that scene. But since there were about 50 pages left, I chugged on and just ended the book pissed off.

A lot of people have enjoyed this book. I can see why, Adams has a smooth writing style and her plot is fairly well fleshed out. But that last 25 percent of the book just killed it for me.

( )

If you like shapeshifting dragons and lots of sex this is a good read. I really had a problem with the forced relationship between Dylan and Phoebe. She was more of a possession to be treated the way he wanted to treat her than a partner in a healthy relationship. (Now I feel like I am complaining becuase the stories aren't good in a smut magazine. LoL) JMHO ( )