Dragons Among Them
Kingdoms of Fire and Ice
Book One
Kyra Jacobs
Genre: PNR/Fantasy
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, LLC
Date of Publication: April 19th, 2016
ISBN: 9781619234406
Word Count: 66K
Book Description:
Prince Zayne Godfrey, heir to Edana’s throne, is betrothed to the lone princess of rival kingdom Forath. While his heart is not in the arranged marriage, he will do his royal duty.
When he finds a beautiful stranger cornered by a pack of wolves, he doesn’t hesitate to shift into his golden dragon form to save her. She thanks him by taking one look at him and fainting dead away.
Photographer Adelaide Miller is in England for a career-making shoot when a bizarre jogging mishap lands her in a dangerous, medieval-like world of royals, wizards and dragon-shifting men. Her first instinct is to find her way back, but the fire-breathing prince intent on protecting her threatens to melt her heart.
Zayne’s burning passion for Adelaide not only jeopardizes the fragile peace between two kingdoms, it uncovers a ruthless plot to destroy his family.
Remaining together may change Adelaide’s very definition of home—and expose one searing secret that could forever shift the balance of power in Zayne’s world.
My review
Oh man, this was a great one! It's the start of a series and I'm super pumped that I got to read an ARC! I absolutely loved it! Basics are Prince Zayne is a dragon shifter and his kingly father is making him marry the not so nice princess of the kingdom over, to prevent more war. Now that sounds kinda cliched but it's complicated- I'll get to that. Addie is a pretty normal girl who happens to fall through a little portal and lands at the feet of Prince Zayne. He saves her, and boy does it start a whole mess. Ha!
Let's start with Zayne. He's gorgeous and a play boy prince, but he's also kind and loyal and full of duty. You'd think he'd be full of himself, and sometimes he is, but he worries about his troops and his country and he loves his mother. His dad is a douche! And when you get to meet the wizard that helped conspire with things, a few moments come into play. And on the other side, the other King is sad and bitter, he has a sweet son and a bitch of a daughter. So, now we have all this mess and Addie is dropped right into this chaos!
Now at first, it's hilarious! Zayne thinks Addie is nuts and Addie thinks she's hallucinating and keeps passing out when Zayne shifts. Until he saves her multiple times. Then, gets hurt in doing so. They not only get over their irritation they act on those attractions. But them together can cause a very nasty war. Addie doesn't want death on her hands and Zayne doesn't want his people in harms way. So regardless of how great they could be together, Zayne promises to get her home and Addie swears she'll get over it and leave. But things are never simple! I absolutely loved both characters. I also like Bor and Tristan and Emiline and Helena. Oh oh and the wizard! Yeah he's pretty cool. But I think Will stole my heart along with Addie's :)
The writing is fantastic! I never put this one down and I loved every single minute of it! There's so much going for it. Mystery surrounding a lot of things, suspense, action, romance, and the word building! It's Arthurian in feel where the kingdoms are and I loved the little magic thrown in with the shifters adding to it! I absolutely loved this first book of the series and I seriously absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!! I know it'll be as great as the first or even better! So with that said, I want more and so should you! 5 MAGICAL DRAGON PAWS!!
Author interview
Thank you so much for having me here today! I can’t tell you how excited I am over the release of DRAGONS AMONG THEM, and cannot wait to meet and connect with your blog followers.
First, tell me a little about your book J….
Happy to! In essence, try thinking along the lines of GAME OF THRONES meets ALICE IN WONDERLAND, only with less blood and no Mad Hatter. ;-) Addie Miller is a Hoosier native (just like me…gotta insert my roots somehow into each story) who’s over in England for what she hopes will be a career-boosting photo shoot. But a simple afternoon jog takes a turn for the worse and lands her in a world full of wizards, royals, and dragon-shifters.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated or did you always just know?
I’ve always enjoyed writing and making stuff up, but I never really thought about actually penning a novel until a few years back when a broken finger interrupted my usual outdoor “creative” time in my flower gardens. I was sitting at my computer one day and a scene fragment from ARMED WITH STEELE came to mind so I started dabbling. In no time I was hooked. Nowadays to NOT write is rather painful. J
What inspired you to write your first book and what was it?
My best friend and our easy-going but devote relationship was the inspiration behind my first book. She was going through some tough times and I remember thinking I’d do anything for her (still would). And so those sentiments were the basis behind Jessica and Grace’s friendship in AWS. Again, never intended to write it, but was able to draw off my own emotions to breathe life into my fictional characters. Though, once I introduced handsome officer Nate Steele into the story, well, the genre shifted from suspense to romantic suspense—he was just too much fun to write.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
While I would love to say I have a sexy dragon-shifter living in my basement, alas, this fantasy book is precisely that. Doesn’t stop me from looking for my dragon man, though. ;-)
How do you chose when/which characters die in your books?
Wow, love this question. Usually, I don’t—the other characters tell me who’s got to die. Tragic, I know. And I hate killing anyone off in a book (well, mostly…) because writing those scenes can be really tough emotionally on me. But some stories need events like that to drive the conflict, and thus the story, forward. This series has a few…but I’ll refrain from any spoilers. ;-)
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
There are so many wonderful, amazing authors out there who may be new to me but not to everyone else. A few of my “newer” favorites right now are Juliette Cross, Rhenna Morgan, and Stefanie London.
Who do you look up to as a writer?
Ooo, great question. I love Cassandra Clare’s writing. Her descriptions are amazing and seem effortless. One line is like a brushstroke to my mind, the prose like watercolor, seeping into and coloring the fabric of my imagination. But you see what happens when I do that? Cheesy. Totally cheesy. LOL So that’s something that I work to improve and dig deeper on in each of my novels. Elizabeth Berg is another amazing storyteller with an innate ability to use her words to paint a perfect scene or setting.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
Hmm…if I would, I’ll never tell. Hahaha
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Depends on the day—and that’s no joke. Some days the ideas come fast and furious. Other days, it’s like pulling teeth. But when it feels like I’m pulling teeth that’s usually a sign I’m forcing the story down the wrong path and so I might draw back and think through a few future scenes before continuing. It’s a forever growing/changing process for sure.
What book are you reading now? Or what genre?
I’ve got LADY MIDNIGHT by Cassandra Clare sitting at home, begging me to open it. A double-edged sword as I’ve waited patiently for the book to release, but I don’t want to read too fast or it’ll be over and another wait. Love her books!
Who designed the cover? And do you help with them?
I believe the cover artist was Kelly Martin – who is my hero. Seriously, this cover blew me away. Hoping I get the opportunity to have her do the rest of the series covers. The prototype for book 2 is even more amazing, if you can believe that.
Did you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?
That I’m certifiable? Haha I joke, but I’ve had ah-ha moments about myself and/or people in my lives as I dug deep into my fictional characters. I mentioned it earlier but I’ll say it again—as authors, we draw upon our past, our emotions, our imagination to build these fictional worlds. No, the characters are not us, but they were born of us. To remain 100% disconnected from a character would, I think, make that character 2 dimensional and very, very flat. So if we dig deep and do our job right, sometimes those ah-ha moments can be quite insightful.
If you could be one of your characters, who would you chose?
Ooo I’d be Addie. Aside from the occasional bumps, bruises, and kidnappings, she’s on her way to being one happy lady for a long, long time. ;-)
Are there any books you think some of us should read, just because?
Hmm… Anything by author Jeremy Asher—love his writing. If you like snark, read at least one novel by Jim Butcher. The Sookie Stackhouse novels were tons of fun. And Cassie Clare…seriously, love her Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
As authors, we know not everything we write will click with every reader. But, oh baby—when our readers “get” one of our books, or devour one of our series, it’s the biggest euphoria rush ever. So please—if you fall in love with a book or author, tell them. You have no idea how much your positive feedback means to us…and helps propel us to write that next book we hope you’ll love even more. After that, go tell your friends, tell your family, heck, tell the grocery clerk. Because hey, the more the merrier! J
About the Author:
Kyra Jacobs is an extroverted introvert who writes of love, humor and mystery in the Midwest and beyond. When this Hoosier native isn’t pounding out scenes for her next book, she’s likely outside, elbow-deep in snapdragons or spending quality time with her sports-loving family. Kyra also loves to read, tries to golf, and is an avid college football fan.
Tour giveaway
$40 Amazon gift card
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc1318
No comments:
Post a Comment