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Book 1 of my new series Return of the Dragons
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Book 1 of my new series Return of the Dragons
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There’s a lot to love about Jamie K. Schmidt’s dragon shifter romance, The Queen’s Wings. This PNR romantasy, as Schmidt calls it, starts with a bang as delightfully bookish Carolyn makes one last attempt to convince the notoriously arrogant dragon population that she is, in fact, a dragon. Or at least, about to shift into one.
Unfortunately, since that usually happens at puberty and she is closer to thirty, no one believes her. All the tests have come back negative. The conclusion is, she is merely delusional. But just as she is about to leave with her dreams crushed, the dragon embassy is attacked!
That’s right, Reed is an FBI Agent! Don’t you just love it? And he’s investigating a string mysterious thefts involving sacred items stolen from several different dragon hoards. He does not have time for human wantabies, delusional or otherwise. However, since Carolyn was there during the attack, he is forced to follow up. And when strange things keep happening around Carolyn, he is forced to re-evaluate his original assumptions. About Carolyn, and about humans in general.
First of all, the writing is crisp and witty and the deep point of view is exceptional. We really get to see what motivates these two characters, and what cultural differences influence their world views. And their world views are vastly different. It made the conflict keeping them apart realistic and believable. So as a writer, that’s always a key component of a satisfying romance for me. And I loved the way Ms. Schmidt used those differences to give a new twist on the typical alpha male a-hole persona. So that was fun.
Okay, so I’ve already alluded to Carolyn’s bookish ways. She truly endeared herself to my heart when she insisted on saving her books first – forget about the clothes! No, I’m not going to tell you why or when, you have to read the book for that. But I will say she was also just delightfully funny. Her inner dialogue was priceless. Loved all her outdated pop-culture references and the way she kept blurting things out without meaning to.
Reed. So he was an interesting character. As one of many male dragon shifters, Reed has learned that what he wants rarely matters. But he still wants to do something meaningful with his life. So the wealthy and influential dragon shifter becomes an FBI agent. (And it seems his very powerful mother was not impressed with his new profession). The dragon family unit might be very different from humans, but apparently some things are universal. 🙂
Arrogant and self assured, Reed has a lot to learn about dealing with humans, particularly human women. But gets there in the end.
Just when you think you know where the story is going – nope! It changes again. This one keeps you engaged and guessing right up to the very end. And I do mean the very end. We have the central mystery – who is stealing artifacts from the dragon hoards? We have the historical mystery – why are no female dragons being born? We have the personal mystery – why is Carolyn so convinced she is a dragon in spite of all the evidence? And we’ve got a couple more thrown in just for fun – like why is Carolyn’s house possessed? And yes, of course they all come together in the end. A unique and refreshing plotline, not to be missed.
Now I know what you’re thinking. “Get to the good stuff, Elyce!” So yes, this one definitely has the spice. The chemistry is undeniable. Hello? Hot dragon shifter alert!
For Carolyn especially, she feels the connection from the very beginning. But we also have that angsty element of ‘he’s a smokin’ hot dragon, and he doesn’t know I’m alive’ thing going – which is so satisfying when it turns around. And these two definitely create some sparks along the way. Ms. Schmidt’s writing has been characterized as “hot and sexy, with just the right amount of emotional punch,” and this one does not disappoint.
So Queen’s Wings is Book 1 of the four book Emerging Queens series. I read this one years ago and really enjoyed it. I just saw that she has three more books in the series now. I noticed it was available on audible and I jumped at the chance to read it (listen to it) again. Humorous, clever, sexy and fun, I highly recommend this book.
I can’t wait to dive into Book 2, Queen’s Plight, which I’m going to do as soon as I finish this review. She’s a divorced mother of two. I love female leads like that! They have so many more real world issues they have to deal with. But everyone deserves a little romance, right? Especially a hard working single mother. Plus – love that cover. Isn’t it great?
So that’s it for now. Jamie K. Schmidt is a prolific writer, she’s got shifters, romantic suspense, beach reads, cowboys, bad boys— and she’s got bad girls too. 😉 Something for everyone! Everything I’ve read of hers had been well written and hugely entertaining. Check her out here at www.JamieKSchmidt.com
Until next time – happy reading!
Photo Credits: Oh, that’s me! Elyce de Reefe. I took that beautiful picture of the beach sunset years ago. The dragon and the cartoon hotties I made with Midjourney – and that was really fun! Didn’t they come out great? And the covers are the official covers of course.
