Growing up in the secluded village of Darkfrith in the
misty hills of northern England, Clarissa Rue Hawthorne's
mixed blood (part drákon, part mortal) always made her an
outcast in the tribe of pure drákons. On her 18th birthday,
she was presumed to have drowned when her clothing was
found near the river and there was no sign of her. Years
later, her mother has died, but several people still
remember Clarissa.
As Alpha male and leader of the drákons, the Marquess of
Langford, Christoff (Kit), has taken it upon himself to
hunt down the elusive burglar dubbed Smoke Thief -- a bold
and cunning jewel thief who's been baffling London police
for the past several years. Reports of the person vanishing
into smoke and moving through walls has convinced Kit that
this could be a member of his shape-shifting tribe, but
whom? Over the years, there have been "runners" who fled
Darkfrith, but they were always hunted down and dealt with
accordingly. This renegade drákon poses a serious threat to
the existence of the tribe and must be found before secrets
of the tribe's traditions and location can be revealed.
Traveling to London, Kit uses the Langford Diamond, the
tribe's most precious jewel, as bait for the thief. Kit is
shocked to encounter an exquisitely beautiful female named
Rue, instead of the male drákon he was anticipating. This
puts a totally different light on the situation, for not
many females in the tribe are able to shape-shift. The
stakes become even higher when he realizes that Rue is the
Clarissa he knew from years before and that she's the Alpha
female destined to be his mate. Kit claims Rue as his
property by law of the tribe, even though he finds her
extremely difficult. Will Kit be able to keep Rue and find
the missing diamond? Or will he return to the tribe empty-
handed? You'll just have to read this one for yourself to
find out all the intricacies involved in this volatile
relationship and the outcome.
This innovative concept in paranormal romance (shape-
shifting from human to dragon and back) is nothing short of
phenomenal. With unique and captivating characters, setting
and plot devices, Abé deftly creates a thrilling novel in
her debut hardcover. My interest was engaged from the first
page, and I was mesmerized with the intensity of the story.
This author gets better with each new novel, so I can't
wait for the next installment in this new spellbinding
trilogy.
For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern
England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of
extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess
the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back
again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by
a temptation that will break every boundary....
Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding
the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master
burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air.
But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows
the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner”
who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of
the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before
the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not
even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.
Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would
attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect
Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s
most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as
long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a
halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both
worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit
from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was
no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the
first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations.
So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of
vulnerability whenever he was near?
From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and
powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined
to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue
knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they
will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something
greater. For now Rue is his
prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the
kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot
resist....
In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a
world of exhilarating romance and magic.