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.