Title: Rogue Dragon Rising, Part One
Author: TJ Shaw
Genre: Fantasy Romance, Dragons
Book Blurb:
Twenty-three year old, Amari Hawke, is thrust into the world of two-soul shifters when she is injured and kidnapped by trackers outside the veil, beyond the safety of her homeland. Unable to remember her past, she trusts no one and relies on instinct to survive. As her awakening approaches, the first time she will transition into her animal, she must evade rogue shifters trying to capture her. Now free from the King’s Army, powerful dragon lord, Jaxon Blackthorn, seeks a peaceful life. Intent on building his lands into a viable plantation, away from war and bloodshed, he is reluctantly pulled back into the fight when he defends the mysterious shifter with no past against an unseen enemy. As evil threatens to destroy the entire realm, can the battle-hardened warrior and coming-of-age noblewoman accept their differences to forge an alliance that will ultimately unite the shifter nations? Please note: Both Rogue Dragon Rising and the subsequent novel, Sleeping Dragon Stirs, end in cliffhangers. The third book in the serial trilogy, Alpha Dragon Awakes, provides a satisfying conclusion to Jaxon and Amari’s story, but broader story arcs continue into the Outside the Veil series. Sleeping Dragon Stirs has an early November release date and Alpha Dragon Awakes is set to release in late December 2018.
My Review:
Amari Hawke is the daughter of a dragon shifter and a human Eldian. Because of her mixed race, her parents have never told her of the possibility of her shifter within. It never mattered until she ventured outside the Veil, got captured by slave traders and lost her memory due to a bump on the head. She’s sold in servitude but not before meeting the handsome dragon Lord Jaxson. She’s drawn to him yet doesn’t know why.
Jaxson never goes to auctions yet here he is at the very same auction where Amari is being sold. Once he lays eyes on her, she intrigues him. She claims to be a sheep but her feisty attitude riles up his dragon. He wars with himself over his inability to keep her safe but when there’s a rogue attack and her life is in jeopardy, Jaxson acts. Can he heal her as only his dragon can or will he be too late?
From the first page, I knew this was going to be a breathtaking fantasy romance. I fell in love with both Amari and Jaxson, their attraction immediate and made my heart flutter. As the story unfolds, the world Shaw creates comes to life. Nuances of dragon near-extinction, societal hierarchy and the will to survive no matter the risks add immense depth to this story. It’s more than just a shifter romance; it’s about life and what you make of it. Bravo to Shaw for her world-building tactics. The alternating POV with Amari’s parents and their painful search for their missing daughter was pure emotional anguish to read. But in a good way, I promise.
If you’re looking for a fantasy romance with plenty of action and intrigue, pick this up today. Be aware: there is a huge cliffhanger but parts two and three are available to keep reading. I myself can’t wait to read the rest of the serial.
My Rating: 5 stars
Buy it now:
Universal Buy Link https://www.books2read.com/u/m0gE6P
Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rogue-dragon-rising-part-one-tj-shaw/1129183174?ean=2940161613450
Apple https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/rogue-dragon-rising-part-one/id1417772232?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Author Biography:
As a child, TJ Shaw thrived in the Arizona desert. By the age of five, she was riding horses through cotton fields, and by eleven, bought her first motorcycle, a 125cc Honda dirt bike. Growing up with teachers as parents meant traveling during the summer. Hiking down to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon; fly fishing in icy rivers surrounded by breathtaking mountains; backpacking through national parks; surviving an earthquake in Mexico City; climbing the El Castillo, a pyramid in the ruins of Chichen Itza; sidestepping giant iguanas in the ancient Mayan port of Tulum; to exploring the Sagrada Familia, a Gaudi church in Barcelona, Spain were just some of her adventures. An avid daydreamer, she would lose herself in mystical worlds and far off places limited only by her imagination.
Always athletic (400m state track champion, snow and water skier, boxer, swimmer), TJ garnered a scholarship offer to play college basketball, but chose an academic scholarship to Arizona State University instead. To put herself through undergrad and law school, she lifeguarded and coached swimmers before promoting into management for a multi-million dollar recreation facility. She worked as a researcher/bailiff for a criminal judge while studying to the bar exam, and ultimately accepted a position as a Deputy County Attorney, prosecuting felony crimes, until she decided to patrol the streets as a police officer. Currently, she tells officers what to do as the policy and procedure writer for a police department.
A writer at heart, she didn’t attempt to get published until Caller of Light. After placing (and winning) in several Romance Writer’s Association chapter contests, she accepted a contract to place her work with the Wild Rose Press. Since then she has branched out and also publishes with other houses. If there were additional hours in the day, TJ would tickle the ivories a little more, writer about her dreams, and travel the world.
To find out more about TJ, visit her at http://tjshaw.com/ or email her at tj-shaw@hotmail.com.
Social Media Links:
Website http://tjshaw.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/TJShawAuthor
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/tjshawauthor/
Reviewed by: Mrs. N