Growing up in the secluded village of Darkfrith in the misty hills of northern England, Clarissa Rue Hawthorne's mixed blood (part drΓ‘kon, part mortal) always made her an outcast in the tribe of pure drΓ‘kons. 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 drΓ‘kons, 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 drΓ‘kon 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 drΓ‘kon 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, AbΓ© 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 theyβve lived in secret among northern
Englandβs 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 secretβand their survivalβis 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 βrunnerβ
whoβs fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of
the draΒ΄kon, itβs Kitβs 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 draΒ΄kon. But she didnβt expect
Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribeβs
most valuable jewelβthe Langford Diamondβas bait. For as
long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a
halflingβhalf draΒ΄kon, half mortalβand an outcast in both
worlds. Sheβd 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 sheβd 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 draΒ΄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 sheβs made the
kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot
resist....
In this bewitching novel, Shana AbΓ© transports us into a
world of exhilarating romance and magic.
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