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Immortal Coil (Dragon Spirit #1)

by C.I. Black (Goodreads Author)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 184 ratings · 53 reviews

Two souls. One Body. Sharing is not an option...

Terrible news has turned Anaea Salis's life upside down. There's nothing she can do to make it right and the stranger who stops to talk to her can't help. But when that stranger, Hunter, an ancient dragon spirit, is viciously attacked and forced to transfer his spirit into her body, Anaea's life takes a new terrifying twist.

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Kindle Edition, 266 pages

Published March 6th 2012

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Jul 04, 2012 BamaGal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-uf

3.5 Stars, and I'm being generous to the author since it's her debut. I liked it, but didn't love it. There were some good action scenes; but something in the writing just didn't keep me fully engaged. I wound up skimming a lot when the pacing dragged. The two souls sharing one body went on just a little too long; and I did not like the way it was resolved. As soon as the character showed up in the book, it was obvious he was going to be the next new body. It was just too pat and convenient the...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-at-one-time, sf-heroic-book-challenge, format-kindle, paranormal, 4-star

3½ stars. Instantly into the characters and stayed fast paced throughout the book. The dragon race and other worldbuilding were overall well done. Once you accept dragons-as-spirit and that one was sharing her mind/body, the author stayed consistent with her world (although not sure why there was a part in the dragon spa where she had unwanted advances from a dragon; if these spirits are gender hopping around human bodies I would expect that chauvinism to have faded or for other dragons to tromp...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, fantasy, fiction, magic, paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, dragons

What a creative story! Really loved the characters Hunter and Anaea and their blossoming relationship!!

A young woman losing her diligent battle with cancer decides to take her life on a bridge one night, only to be stopped by a mysterious and kind stranger. In the midst of him saving her, he is attacked and killed, but only after he kisses her...transferring his dragon spirit into Anaea's body until he can find a new and uninhabited body. Sharing her broken body with a stranger is no cup of tea,...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was amazing. There are 2 reasons I did not give it 5 stars and only provided 1. First is that the ending seemed unfinished. There were items toward the end with Grey and the Handmaiden that were never resolved. I am hoping that this will be settled in the next book because just dropping this part of the story would be a waste. Also I try to reserve a top score on a book for reads like JRR Tolkien LOTR series. Baring the classics, this is one of the best fantasy books I have read in a l...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenge-goal, 1-lendable-kindle

This was offered as free at amazon and I have to say that I am glad I got this book. I would of payed to read it. The plotline is nonstop and solid, a page turn all the way to the end. I could not put it down.
Anaea is someone you can relate too, and Hunter is strong and ferocious, as a dragon should be. I love the chemistry between the two of them, and how their relationship developed, it was done natural and realisic.

The one scene I liked is the shower scene, try taking a shower with a male dr...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I stumbled on this book, it was a freebie and boy, am I glad I got it! This is a really good book. The characters are substantial and they pull you into the story and make you care. I try not to spew out summaries in my reviews; you can see that above or from other reviewers. What you want to know is this - is this book worth purchasing now that it's not free? Yes!! I can see this in the book store as a paperback, and it would appeal to me enough from the premise and the cover to impress m...more

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Mar 08, 2012 J. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Paranormal romance is hot, but some of us just aren’t turned on by vampires and werewolves. I picked this one up for something different and wasn’t disappointed.

[SPOILER ALERT] The book opens with Anaea Solis, dying of cancer, standing on the Queen Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, about to throw herself into the half-frozen Allegheny River. It’s either that or die slowly as the cancer eats her alive. But before she can convince herself to let go, a good and good-looking Samaritan approaches her from...more Paranormal romance is hot, but some of us just aren’t turned on by vampires and werewolves. I picked this one up for something different and wasn’t disappointed.

[SPOILER ALERT] The book opens with Anaea Solis, dying of cancer, standing on the Queen Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, about to throw herself into the half-frozen Allegheny River. It’s either that or die slowly as the cancer eats her alive. But before she can convince herself to let go, a good and good-looking Samaritan approaches her from behind and tries to convince her to live. He’s a stranger and doesn’t understand her circumstances, of course, so she’s cynical no matter how sexy his voice. Then a sword drives through both of them, they tumble into the icy river together, and the good Samaritan’s body is so savagely injured that even the dragon-spirit inhabiting it can’t magically heal the sword thrust. The spirit, Hunter, transfers into Anaea’s dying body, giving him every reason to keep her alive. And the way his life is going, that’s not going to be easy. [END SPOILER ALERT]

The plotline is nonstop and solid, classic action-reaction. Anaea is adaptable but realistic, and Hunter is ferocious, as a dragon should be. The chemistry between the two is fabulous and funny; try taking a shower with a male dragon looking out through your eyes, watching and feeling your every move. The little bits of dragonish behavior scattered throughout, such as showing a bit of teeth for sexual aggression, are logical yet clever.

The magic also shows logic and thankfully isn’t overplayed, leaving the bulk of the work to the physical realm for the characters to handle. Clearly a lot of thought went into building this fantasy world, in some places perhaps too much, but it’s fed to the reader in mainly digestible morsels. With the solid grounding, I almost feel I could survive among Hunter’s people, for a while, at least.

Finally, Black’s writing style is so conversational, it almost fades into the background as the characters tell their own story. Not something I often say, but this book ended too quickly for me, and it’s not a short one. Lots of good page-turning here.

Five fully-earned stars.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 09, 2012 Rosa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! This book was amazing balls! First off the whole concept was unbelievably original. I can honestly say I've never read anything like this at all. Anaea was such a ridiculous heroine, seriously I applaud her and all her greatness. Diagnosed with breast cancer, lost her husband, her life and her friends she thinks there is nothing to live for. She decides screw cancer I'm going to die on my terms. She's standing at the rail looking down into the dark cold waters and this is how she decides to...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 19, 2012 Kristal rated it 5 of 5 stars

I adored this book! I got it for free on my Kindle (I think...not quite sure how as I see it is not free now) and the cover really made me NOT want to read it because I thought it looked kind of cheesy. Please do NOT judge this book by the cover! This book is amazing! The second I finished it I rushed onto Amazon to see if I could get the second book and was so disappointed to discover it does not exist yet.

In reading others' comments on this book, I have to say I wholeheartedly agree! One said...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love reading paranormal-romance novels about dragons. There’s just something sexy about them – just don’t ask me what. I was really excited to read this book as it not only had dragons but also mages, sorcerers, and two souls sharing one body. However, once finished I thought it was just okay; entertaining but just okay. Mind you when I got to the end I was pretty ticked off but I’ll get to that in a bit. I loved how the story started off, the way Hunter met up with Anaea. I was looking forwar...more I love reading paranormal-romance novels about dragons. There’s just something sexy about them – just don’t ask me what. I was really excited to read this book as it not only had dragons but also mages, sorcerers, and two souls sharing one body. However, once finished I thought it was just okay; entertaining but just okay. Mind you when I got to the end I was pretty ticked off but I’ll get to that in a bit. I loved how the story started off, the way Hunter met up with Anaea. I was looking forward to the heat and passion between the two as they’re both sharing the same body, but unfortunately there was none. In fact, I found the romantic aspect to be minimal. Sure they had sex but it’s nothing to write home about. There are a lot of details with respect to Hunter’s whole “spirit” world, perhaps a little too much. As for the hero of the story, Hunter, I did like him and how it dawned on him that he was falling in love with Anaea, and that he’d do anything and everything to protect her which is what a true hero should do. As much as I liked him I didn’t find anything special about him; perhaps because he spent most of the novel in Anaea’s body. As for our heroine, I kept going back and forth with her. I liked her strength and courage when it came dealing with the drakes and wanting to help Hunter. The fact that she had cancer and knew she would be dead in a couple of months didn’t bother me. What did was the fact that she didn’t seem to clue in that the cancer eating away at her had completely disappeared, that she was not going to die after all. I mean she’s introduced to this whole new magical world and bears witness to unbelievable things that are not humanly possible; and more importantly that she can heal herself of all wounds. Still, she thinks she’s going to die; she doesn’t even question it. Even when she’s rubbing the stubble on her scalp and Hunter tells her “Yours’ll grow back in no time,” she doesn’t even think twice about what he meant by that. Now to me that makes for a stupid heroine. I also had a problem with Hunter taking over Mark’s body and Anaea’s ability to get over it so quickly – less than 24 hours in fact. For a person who was so in love with Mark since college, you’d think she’d have a serious problem accepting Hunter’s new body. That he shaved his head bald shouldn’t make a difference.

In the end it’s still entertaining and written very well. Oh, as to what ticked me off? The ending – I hated it! The way it ended so abruptly – come on, give the readers their due. Yes, I know there’s a second book to follow, but I doubt it’s about Hunter and Anaea. I wish authors would give their readers a better ending; we deserve it.
(less)

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May 02, 2012 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: friendable, paranormal-romance, dragons

A spell saved dragons from total annihilation, but now they exist as spirit entities inhabiting the bodies of humans who have died. It is taboo to reveal their existence or to share a body, but when an enforcer is returning a spirit of a renegade for a rebirth ceremony, circumstances force him to share the body of a terminal cancer patient who planned to suicide.

By the end of the sample for Immortal Coil I was hooked and not knowing whether it was a romance or not (but with the cover suspecting...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is a bit different than everything else that is out there ... which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dragons, soul sharing, sorcery, with an old world touch. I thought that Anaea was a great heroine. She has every reason to give up on life, but ends up fighting through it all. In turn, Hunter was an awesome hero, his faith in Anaea was great to read about.

If the entire book was written like the last quarter of the book ... it would have been a much better book. The ending wasn't all that pleasur...more

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Jun 26, 2012 CeladonRoses rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I didn't hold out much hope for this book b/c, in my experience, free ebooks simply aren't as well written as the ones I buy. This was definitely the exception to that rule. It was fast-paced and engaging right from the start. The SHero, at the beginning of the book has cancer and is ready to end it all, since she has very little time left anyway. The Hero meets her right before she is about to jump off a bridge. The story jumps into full-steam mode right after they meet and the reader is swept...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: form-freebies, _adult, genre-paranormal-romance, genre-urban-contemporary-fantasy, 2012, review-planned, setting-present, setting-otherworld, x-pov-3rd-person, x-pov-shared

Future Self,

who would have thought that a freebie would be so good? For some reasons I expected this really stereotypical, filled-with-clichés, guilty pleasure Paranormal Romance. And to some extends I'll admit that I got it, but it wasn't just sex with some story, but story with some sex. (And those scenes were rather short, if I recall correctly.) That was a very pleasant surprise and I'm glad that I gave Immortal Coil a try.

It starts with a scene written in the hero's, Hunter's, point of vie...more Future Self,

who would have thought that a freebie would be so good? For some reasons I expected this really stereotypical, filled-with-clichés, guilty pleasure Paranormal Romance. And to some extends I'll admit that I got it, but it wasn't just sex with some story, but story with some sex. (And those scenes were rather short, if I recall correctly.) That was a very pleasant surprise and I'm glad that I gave Immortal Coil a try.

It starts with a scene written in the hero's, Hunter's, point of view. He's trying to escape from a curse cast by some Greek folks, desperate and angry. He has to leave his real body, that of a dragon. It's later explained that this ability to body-switch has been given to all of the dragons by their 'God', the Mother of All.

Then we immediately switch to Anaea's point of view. The heroine of this story is suicidal after being told that her cancer is not curable. After chemo, operations and so on, she had hoped to finally get on with life. Unfortunately she has only a few more months left to live.

Standing on the bridge, contemplating life and death, her ex-husband, her estranged family, she suddenly meets Hunter. He tries to talk her out of jumping off the bridge when suddenly they get attacked and both fall into the water, where he kisses her and body-jumps again.

But body-sharing is forbidden for dragons. It's possible to drive them crazy, and even if not, they have to kill their human hosts afterwards, because those a. can't know about dragons and body-sharing makes keeping that secret a little hard, and b. the connection of dragon-spirit and body often results in awakening humans' natural bond to magic. Only twenty percent or so of us apparently have that, but many dragons are deeply afraid of humans with magic, because the Greek guys who almost killed them used magic as well.

Too bad that Anaea has a stronger mind than Hunter, can push through all the walls he builds to keep his identity a secret, and gets hold of her body again, despite him being in it. But they start to build some sort of partnership, and the more Anaea fights for her life (and his) the more he falls for her, until in the end he realizes that she is his lifemate. (One would say “Too bad that her life is so darn short”, but don't worry. His spirit being in her completely cured it.)

As much as I would enjoy talking about the rest, like the side-characters, I'll try to keep it short from now on. The plot basically revolves around other dragons trying to steal the medallion Hunter owns, a medallion that makes reincarnation possible and him trying to keep his body-sharing-thing a secret, while plotting how to get out of the dragons' realm to get Anaea to safety.

The romance was not bad, but it wasn't very satisfying or captivating either. I very much enjoyed the fact that while they shared a body there was little they could do. They build a bond, though, and that was nice. So nice, in fact, that I wish the author had explored it further. Hunter was so stoic and un-funny at times. -sigh- Actually, the whole story had few really funny scenes or moments, which is sad. I know that it was a serious story, but there should be some time for a Funny here and there.

But back to the romance: I really had an issue with the body he got after Anaea's, despite the fact that she obviously was able to deal with it in the end. It just felt wrong to me, ya know. (Don't worry, it wasn't her brother or something horrible like that.)

Moving on, there are few things that bothered me. Despite its flaws, Immortal Coil was really good. I hope the author will write as fast as she (she?) can. There aren't many dragon-stories that I have read so far, but this one seems to be the first one I actually enjoyed reading. (less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Kirsten Lenius rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here there be dragons. Rather than rehashing the plot points of which those who have posted before me have done a fine job, I will just say a few things.

First, I thought the idea of where the dragons have been lo these many years to be a good and 'buyable' one. Second, I appreciate a good strong female protaganist and I got that. Third, the characters were interesting and deep enough for me to really want to know what happens next to them. Oh, and fourth, there was precious little I could find...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Sadie Forsythe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-lendable-read

Anaea's life is in the gutter and she sees no hope of it looking up, until an unfortunate encounter with a good Samaritan named Hunter turns everything on its head. Both characters, Anaea and Hunter, are easy to engage with. I got a little tired of Anaea's self deprivation, but understood it too. Her strength of will, even in her beaten down state, was something I appreciated. Though I did think that her willingness to put herself in danger in order to establish her independence bordered on the...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I would actually rate this at a 3 1/2 star if that option was available but since it's not I am giving it a 4 star instead of just a 3. I really enjoyed this book at the very beginning, the characters were great, the story line great then by the end there were some questions. I'm not sure exactly if maybe it was due to the books deadline or if the author just got tired of writing but the ending was very rushed and left me screaming "REALLY??". With a new, more fulfilling ending this book could d...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Bukcrz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-ebooks-i-can-loan

This is a perfect example of a great book ruined by one character. In this case (for me) is the heroine: whinny, 'poor-is-me' complex, indecisive, and a contrived character. A lot of the inner monologues in the story are repeated information from chapter one to the last chapter that if cut off would eliminate 50% of the book's pages.
Other than that the created world is worth visiting, the rest of the characters are memorable, the new take on dragons and its mythology is unique and I would not mi...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Gaby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, paranormal, dragons, read-2012, magic, romance, 2012-release

Posted at Oh My Books!

It's not a secret that I love dragons, that's why Immortal Coil grabbed my attention. But I was also interested because it sounded different. Dragons souls sharing human bodies?

It didn't disappointed me. I was looking to read something original and Immortal Coil was good. Anaea is at the lowest point of her life and her only wish is that this stranger stop talking to her. But her life turns upside down when he, Hunter, is 'killed' and they are forced to share her body!

Hunte...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the book! While it had a few flaws (imho) such as switching POV's often and it seemed to end rather abruptly (I needed more closure!), it was fun to read and the characters were interesting and you could really get involved in their life stories. The world the story is set in is quite involved and the secondary characters are certainly worth their own books! I just wanted to say I would recommend it and hope to get more books myself in the series.

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Nov 03, 2012 Ruth rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf, spec-fic

c2012. I should have loved this book - it has dragons!! But, then we find out in the opening chapter that the heroine has terminal cancer and one just knows that despite all the ifs and buts, she is going to be miraculously cured. Turned me off completely as I really did not like the premise at all. Writing seemed okay if a little melodramatic. "He could have really liked her. Maybe he could still get to know her. She had a few months left.."

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Dec 15, 2012 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, dragons, magic, paranormal-romance

3.5/5; 4 stars; B+

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Sometimes when I get a free book from Amazon its a disappointment, Not this time!
This story had an unusual premise and was well written. The dialogue flowed well and didn't have any rough spots.
I love this cover; its a thing of beauty.
I really liked the fact that the author told us the main female character had had a mastectomy and didn't feel the need to magically fix that up in the story. Her partner thought she was beautiful regard...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! The plot, from the beginning, took so many twists and turns, I was not always completely sure what to expect next (although you shouldn't, so that's good, but I mean it was not predictable). Then the end! Oh boy, I loved it, but it didn't answer some of my questions, and then I find out it is the only book this author has written so far. I want to know if there will be a sequel! I want to know if my hunch is correct!

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Jun 30, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't think that I've ever read anything close to this kind of a book. I really enjoyed the characters and was ecstatic that it involved something other than vampires or lykans (werewolves). The fact that it is dragons instead of any of those made me like it even more. How often do you read a book that has people that can turn into dragons? For me so far, never and I believe that this book has changed my mind.

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Jun 06, 2012 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well written, interesting characters, not-cliched fantasy story line. The first chapter sucked me in, and I read it straight thru. Highly recommended, can't wait for the next book! (Now I've got another author I'm thinking "WRITE FASTER" at. I can lend it, but I recommend everyone give her money. I don't think I've liked a first book this much since Kim Harrison's _Dead Witch Walking_. Yes, it's that well written. )

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Jun 18, 2012 Kira rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, keeper, kindle-bargains, re-read, paranormal, romance, thriller

This was a great, unusual, story about dragons, mages, sorcerers and humans alike. C I Black has created a fabulous dragon world linked to our own. The story grabs you and keeps you close with great action and plot twists you don't see coming. The romance was also very well done and the chemistry was great. I didn't want to stop reading until I'd finished it.

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Jun 04, 2012 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic!
I thought this story was very original and very creative. I couldn't read it fast enough and grew impatient with my speed reading inability. There was romance, suspence and action. I loved the fact the Anaea's flaw was legit and very believable. Hunter was strong and sexy. Oh and the possibilities are endless for additional stories!

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Nov 06, 2012 J.A. Ball rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 30, 2012 Paula rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lendable

Great book, interesting premise. It took me till about 10-15% in for me to get into it but i think that was me. I didn't think it was going to appeal to me. The writing was good, the story had a different slant to it which was nice and the emotions came through loud and clear. The ending was a little abrupt but I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

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Jun 13, 2012 Auburn1975 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, who knew that a free Amazon book could out-do far more expensive e-books currently being released! I did enjoy this book from beginning to end. It's well written, strong character development, loved the whole dragon/mage/human thing going on; wonderful NEW urban fantasy author and a story that I look forward to reading/buying more of in the future. Very well done. I highly recommend reading at any price.

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About C.I. Black

C.I. Black has always lived in a world of imagination. When she’s not daydreaming, she puts her flights of fancy down on paper writing urban fantasy and paranormal romance books.

Look for Book Two in the Dragon Spirit Series coming soon.

More about C.I. Black...

Books by C.I. Black

Escaped From Stone (The Medusa Files,#3)

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