The Dragon of New Orleans

The Treasure of Paragon #1

by Genevieve Jack

A cursed dragon shifter, a terminal cancer patient, and a magical bond that promises to save them both... if they don't kill each other first.2020 RONE award winner BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE LONG2020 Independent Publisher Book Award for BEST ROMANCE E-BOOK

New city of intrigue, supernatural secrets, and one enigmatic dragon.

A deadly curse...

For 300 years, Gabriel Blakemore has survived in New Orleans after a coup in his native realm of Paragon scattered him and his dragon siblings across the globe. Now a jealous suitor's voodoo curse threatens to end his immortal existence. His only hope is to find an antidote, one that may rest in a mortal woman.

A lifesaving gift...

After five years of unsuccessful treatment for her brain cancer, death is a welcome end for Raven Tanglewood. Her illness has become a prison her adventurous spirit cannot abide. Salvation comes in the form of Gabriel, who uses dragon magic to save her.

A harrowing price...

To Raven, the bond that results from Gabriel's gift is another kind of captivity. Can Gabriel win Raven's love and trust in time to awaken the life-saving magic within her? Or will his fiery personality and possessive ways drive her from his side and seal his fate?



"Fans of paranormal romance will get swept up in this quick, steamy romance and the intriguing mystery wrapped in magic."[Book Life] -Publisher's Weekly

"The romance burns slowly, and the suspense will keep you glued to the pages" -Uncaged Reviews

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Dragons, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Magic

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2019

About the author

USA Today bestselling and multi-award winning author Genevieve Jack writes wild, witty, and wicked-hot paranormal romance and fantasy. She believes there’s magic in every breath we take and probably something supernatural living in most dark basements. You can summon her with coffee, wine, and books, but she sticks around for dogs and chocolate. Her novels feature badass heroines, fiercely loyal heroes, and fantasy elements that will fill you with wonder. Learn more at www.genevievejack.com

Join Genevieve's VIP reader group and download a FREE novel: https://www.genevievejack.com/newslet...

Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Settling on 2 "It Was Okay" Stars...

Le sigh. This was very disappointing to me, which was surprising. It had DRAGONS in it, for fucks sake.

So, as per usual when I'm not sure how I want to structure shit, let's go with the proven number system...

PS - ***spoilers*** ***spoilers*** ***spoilers***

Issue #1: The World-Building

I've gotten very jaded in my world-building rendezvous in my 36-year-old age. After being spoiled now by such amazing world-builders for so many years and series, I find that the bar of my satisfaction is pretty high these days.

And for those who scoff and say, but this is romance, not high fantasy...I say...



Look no further than Nalini Singh, JD Robb, Kresley Cole, JR Ward, and numerous others and you will find authors who can marry romance and solid world-building just fine.

And not to say that the world-building here was AWFUL - it wasn't. It just wasn't as cohesive and fully fleshed out as I would have liked, especially when the characters actually traveled to a supposed different realm.

2) The Magic System...

...seemed to lack any actual system.

We learn early on that Gabriel (the Hero of the book) is a dragon from "Paragon" *eye roll* with all these supposed magical dragon powers (none of which are ever fully explained or which we even get to see) because he has been cursed by some voodoo witch named Crimson who dresses like she works at a New Orleans carnival - which apparently she does. As a cover.



But fear not, because Raven (short for Ravenna), the heroine of the book (whom Gabriel saved from a Cancerous near-death by feeding her a dragon tooth he ripped from his mouth, thus "bonding" them) is apparently some badass "sorceress" (which is apparently more betta than a common witch), which Gabriel was able to sense based on a random picture of her in the newspaper.



Raven's "powers" are never fully explained or realized, except to say that she can absorb the spells and magic from...stuff.

3) The Hero

As I mentioned earlier, the book starts with Gabriel already very weakened by the curse Crimson the drug-addled, voodoo Stevie Nicks lookalike witch put on him...somehow. And he kinda, sorta, uses the last of his magic to "bond" Raven to him using said tooth. So she can come to his mansion and use the magic she isn't even aware she has at that point to read grimoires (you know, spell books) he has gathered to figure out how to un-curse him.

Oh, and apparently the girl he bonded to him before Raven - who was a witch who could talk to spirits - had a scary abusive father who kept harassing her while she was at Gabriel's mansion. But instead of just vaporizing the guy like a badass, Gabriel helps her dye her hair blonde and sets her up as the manager of some rock band, you know, as a cover.



I'm sorry, but I like my PNR heroes to be badasses. And nothing about Gabriel was badass.

I mean, for fucks sake, after he and Raven discover they are mates and discuss ad nauseam how possessive he is of her, how he won't let her out of his sight, how all the other dragons in Paragon would be drawn to her because FEMALE...what's the first thing he does when they arrive in Paragon?

"Here, stay here by yourself all alone while I go talk to these people and gather intel" aka leave you completely vulnerable in this world you've never been to that I've described as totally dangerous so you can get captured by the enemy because PLOT POINT.

4) The Bullshit Ending

In the end, as you can probably imagine - or perhaps not since this "review" is kind of all over the place - the ending boils down to a magical showdown between Raven and Voodoo. Or, as I like to call it, a Wizard's Duel...



Which probably has to be one of the worst finales of all time.

Crimson is supposedly this crazy strong voodoo witch who has honed her magic badassery over the course of 300 long years. Meaning, bitch got skills, right? While Raven is this chick with barely discovered witch - I'm sorry, sorceress - powers, which she apparently has because she's a descendant of Circe. You know, the famous witch from Greek mythology. Sorry to throw that on you so randomly, but since it was thrown on us pretty fucking randomly in the book, I thought it was only fitting. I mean, it was an insult to Greek Mythology, really. Like an attempt to piggy-back a legit story to make your story make sense.

Anybullshit, the wizard's duel goes back and forth a bit, in a random way where nothing actually makes sense. Crimson somehow throws some magic black powder at Raven, thereby sending her back into the past, where she is being burned alive at the stake. Or something. But now that she's all dragon tooth infused (or something) she can't burn. Or something. So instead, she grabs past-Crimson and throws her into the fire. Somehow. They then return to the present and Raven says nanner nanner nanner. And Crimson dies.

Unfortunately, however, before throwing Raven into the past (somehow), Crimson "killed" Gabriel by turning him into stone. Somehow. And so after Crismon dies, Raven does some wazoo spell she pulled out of...somewhere...and brings Gabriel back to life. Somehow.

And there you have it folks.

Somehow, something happened somewhere. And they all lived happily ever after.

[Kat valentine ( Katsbookcornerreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. The cover was what did it for me and caught my attention. I love anything with dragons,their one of my favorite shifters. The writer wrote a great tale and over all I loved the main characters. Gabriel is a dragon who was cursed by a dark witch who he had the hots for him,but who he wanted nothing to do with. So she cursed him,if he can't find a way to break the spell he will turn to stone by mardi gras. So he has been searching for someone with magic to help him. Raven has cancer and she is in the hospital close to dying when gabriel appears making a bargain with her. If he saves her she must help him,she agree's and her feeds her one of his teeth and the Dragon magic cure's her cancer. Raven has no idea that she has powers,but with gabriels magic it awakens. Their Was a great chemistry between raven and gabriel,I just wished he was more alpha and less broody. I like my dragons with a edge of bad boy and dominanting and take charge kind of attitude.But I think his brother tobias might be more my kind of dragon,he was very intriguing! This book was somewhat steamy,but for a dragon shifter it was on the mild side. I will definitely check out Windy City Dragon which is Tobia's book.💖💋

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is the story of Gabriel and Raven and what a fabulous and addictive ride this was.
So first Gabriel's ring has been cursed by a local voodoo Queen who wants his power to aide in her own immortality.
Gabriel a long-lived dragon who also walks in human form needs his ring to stay on earth if he doesn't find a cure or return to his homeland Paragon he will turn to stone.
After locating Raven in a human hospital and sensing her psychic abilities he offers her a choice he will cure her cancer if she comes to work for him breaking his curse.
So I adored that this was set in New Orleans and that Gabriel had an antique shop: very fitting indeed.
The opening scenes here with Raven's illness and suffering as she slowly dies from a brain tumour seemed believable and authentic.
I felt her internal struggle and also her final acceptance of her nearing fate that is until an additional fantastical option is brought to the table that could potentially save her life.
This was for me such an easy addictive read that I was instantly invested in almost from the first page.
The connection between Raven and Gabriel here for me blazed so brightly and I felt it from the instant they first connected.
This also had a fantastic underlying story and the setup here for progression was great really paving the way for future books: I for one can't wait to read the rest of this imaginative series.
This was a book I read in one sitting so that says it all really: this is rich in magic, legend and love so if you like your paranormal then this one I highly recommend.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Dragon of New Orleans (The Treasure of Paragon Book 1).
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cursed Dragon!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚💜🖤
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 😠🙃😍😘
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration

The Hero: Gabriel - He is a dragon shifter who has been alive for more than 300 years. Though a voodoo curse may soon end his long life. Gabriel has lived and worked in New Orleans for much of that time and has known both real and fake supernaturals include Marie Laveau herself. Though the voodoo curse on his ring was the real thing put upon him by a voodoo priestess with a lot of power.

The heroine: Ravenna (a.k.a. Raven) - she has brain cancer and is in hospice at Oxford Medical Center in New Orleans. She wakes one morning and can’t see out of one of her eyes. Her parents had separated due to the burden of her illness and her mother was always by her side since her father couldn’t handle things. Her sister Avery tried to prey the cancer away, while Raven was ready to pull the plug and go.

The Story: While Raven lays dying, Gabriel works to find a female that could be an end to his curse. One day she wakes up to see a really big, handsome man at the foot of her bed. The clock had stopped, her mother wasn’t moving and she thought her time had come. “Death was a babe!”

When the man speaks to her, she can barely reply as she is so weak. He handed her a newspaper article which featured Raven when she had a psychic vision which saved her family diner and all the people in it. The doctor said it was the tumor. Though Gabriel thinks it means that Raven is the one who can save him from the curse and he felt a primal urge to heal and protect her. So he offers her a job.

I liked the premise of this book and I love dragon shifters so this book had a good start. The scene where Gabriel binds Raven to himself and saves her is a good one. Raven doesn’t even know what she was agreeing to. So when she started recovering, it was pretty cool. Though I didn’t like how long it took to explain the curse and what exactly Gabriel wanted Raven for.

This book was told in dual points of view via solo narration. It was narrated by Rock Engle who has a nice deep voice which is emotive and entertaining. I like his style and his voice. Though I wish there was a female narrator as well.

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[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dragon of New Orleans by Genevieve Jack
1st in The Treasure of Paragon series. Dragon shifter romance.
Gabriel is a dragon shifter that uses his magic to cure Raven’s cancer.
I’d love to say altruistic, but no. He binds her to him in hopes she can break a curse.
There is a bit of humor and some hot sex. He is honorable and she falls in love.

I found it predictable mostly and the ending somewhat confusing. But I got my hea and I expect I will read more by the author because: Dragon shifter romance!

Humor:
“If you’re going to gossip about me, make me taller and far more attractive.”

🎧 I listened to the audio version narrated by Rock Engle. Not a fan. He speaks slowly and has a distinct rhythm and voice that had me cringing. My usual rate is 1.2 but for this I was actually up to 1.5 and it could have been even a smidge faster.

3.5 rounded to 4 because of the hea and the heroine that finds her strength and kicks it.

[Ursula · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started our well even though heroine dying from brain cancer. Quickly descended into the ridiculous- and the whole voodoo “religion“ re-animate-a-corpse-with-blood schtick was vaguely disgusting.
The underlying premise was that the dragon cured her but was dying and only she could save him. If he died then so did she. You would think she’d be at it night and day, trying to find out how to cure him, because she’d get sick again if he died. But no, she was gonna ”live her life and have fun” so no work on the weekends. But she only had a month to find the cure! See the problem here?

Also, the calm acceptance by the heroine that dude was a dragon was plain silly. Must be something in the New Orleans water.
But then, peeps in America believe what Trump says.

[Naadira Moodley (BookedMercy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not usually a fan of dragon stories but the blurb of this book called to me. It bewitched me and left me hungry to know more.

Ravenna Tanglewood is on the very last thread of her lifeline. She does not want to die but her body is given up and she has accepted that but a miracle appears in the form of a devilishly handsome man offering a bargain. A chance at life in exchange of a life beings bound to him. Her heart wants to live so she accepts this mans offer and later finds out that he isn’t a man at all. He is an immortal dragon who has been alive way longer that she has. He is intriguing to her and he is also in trouble and she is his last hope. Gabriel is immediately taken in with this fiery woman and is very protective over her. His initial use for her was just to find a cure to his curse but the more time her is around her, the more she soothes him. He can’t get enough of her. He just needs to convince her to take a chance on him in though it might not end up being in their favor.

Gabriel was OTT possessive which I positively adore. Raven had a backbone and was not a spineless heroine who needs the hero to save her. In this books case she was the one who was doing the saving. That’s what stood out for me. This book started off really great but towards the ending it fell a bit flat. There wasn’t anything wrong with the book. I just found it lacking a bit and was expecting a bit more action. It is a dragon book after all.

[Melliane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mon avis en français

My English review

I am not a big paranormal romance reader, but when I discovered this title, I must say that I was curious. It must be said that in addition, I had stumbled upon some rather complimentary reviews that only reinforced my desire to discover this first volume.

Gabriel is under a terrible curse from a voodoo priestess and if he doesn’t accept her blackmail quickly, he could well disappear forever. Determined to counter all this, he seeks by all means to destroy the curse that weighs on him. His last hope is on Raven, even if he doesn’t know what she can do for him. The young woman is about to die from brain cancer and Gabriel’s arrival and his magic allows her to live, but with a promise to work for him. Yet it is only exchanging one cage for another and it is something she cannot accept. As she tries to understand who she is, what she can do and how she feels about Gabriel, our heroine will also face many dangers.

It was a very nice novel. The mix of dragons and voodoo was really well done and I loved learning more about both worlds of our heroes. A main plot is launched, and I’m curious to see how things will turn out. Like all paranormal romances, the romance is quite fast, but it didn’t bother me too much and of course, we have a couple for each volume, corresponding to Gabriel’s brothers and sisters. So yes, after discovering Tobias here, I can’t wait to read his story!

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrated by Rock Engle, Jack quickly pulled me into this tale and held me spellbound. Engle was the perfect voice for a dragon. His dialect and female characters had charisma. I will definitely look for more audiobooks narrated by him.

At twenty-three years of age, our heroine Raven, is in the final stages of cancer. Gabriel, a dragon from Paragon, saves her under the condition she help him undo a curse. Thinking him a dream she accepts….

Crimson, a Voodoo Witch has cursed Gabriel. Crimson wants to sleep with Gabriel to perform some magic ritual. His refusal(s) provoke her into cursing his life ring. Crimson, like NOLA is over the top from her attire to her actions, and I adored loathing her. But, beware she bites!

They’ve got until Fat Tuesday to save Gabriel. Only, Raven doesn’t have a clue what to do. Her premonitions were a fluke caused by her illness. Or were they? During, that time their attraction will intensify and Raven will learn she is so much more. I loved that we saw trust, and character growth as their story progressed.

The attraction, back-and-forth banter and smoldering chemistry shared time with the suspenseful angle. I came to care for Gabriel and Raven, but also enjoyed secondary characters and loved hating our villain.

The book contains mature scenes and my headphones melted. Their relationship and chemistry felt genuine. I loved that the author allowed me to feel connected to them and the story as it unfolded.

Talks of food, curses, Casket Girls, old lore and more grounded the tale and kept me listening. The New Orleans setting, antiquities shop, and history added to the atmosphere.

As for world-building the listener was left to discover things alongside Raven and this worked well. The author provided the key elements, but kept the pace fast and smooth by avoiding info dumps and leaving room for further discovery. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

DNF

Not a fan of this type of writing. It's very dull and boring. So much so, that when the "exciting" things happen, I still didn't feel anything. I felt like I was just waiting for the story to get good and it never did, so I'm out.

[Emms-hiatus(ish) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%

I'm trying to figure out how this book won awards. It's so, so bad.

A dragon who acts like a human, a second chance at life for a female dying of brain cancer who can't be bothered to appreciate that it's a temporary reprieve unless she helps him break a curse. The world building is subpar, the characters are flat and uninteresting and even worse, ridiculous and boring.

Pass.

[Rosebud · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently in the hospice wing at Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, it's just a matter of time before Ravenna Tanglewood loses her fight with terminal brain cancer. Her only positive is that she'll be saving others as she's assured her organs can be donated.

Knowing she doesn't have long to live and feeling that today will be her last day on Earth, Raven can only be hallucinating as there's no other explanation for Death appearing at her bedside offering her a chance to live free of cancer if she'll agree to work for him without anyone else in the room seeing him.

Gabriel Blakemoore has one last chance to find the right person to find the cure for a curse that was placed on him as time is running out and his strength is fading. If Raven doesn't agree to help him, all hope will be lost which is why he's going to make it worth her while to accept his terms.

* * *

This was an accidental find based on a reading I viewed on Suzan Tisdale's facebook page. I was totally hooked into reading this as the writing style and emotionalism coming through was phenomenal.

While the world building is centered around modern day New Orleans and an alternate universe dragon realm Paragon, I did feel the modern New Orleans had a similar feel as modern day Harry Potter world building did, if that makes sense. I guess I'd label it alternate universe USA.

For those who are on a need to know basis, the actual romance romance scenes are steamy but don't rise above a PG-13 rating imho in a slow burn type of thing with a fairy tale fantasy feel.

The mystery-suspense elements of the story were multi faceted as the author provided not only the mystery-suspense of the actual curse but also the mystery surrounding Raven in general. More than enough to get out my sleuthing skills to solve the who/what/when/where before the actual reveal.

Secondary characters supported the main characters and had differing degrees of success for me. One awkward character, daddy dearest, failed to impress me in the least, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

My issues with this story have to do with a general lack of flow from scene to scene with several scenes just not making sense in how they contributed to the overall story. Many of the scenes did provide a glimpse into the journey back for Raven post Cancer but also created confusion as I wasn't sure if the intent of the story was action-adventure-suspense-thriller or a fantasy paranormal romance that included those elements. Further there were story line inconsistencies that had me scratching my head, perplexed.

While I did appreciate and enjoy this story the few problematic areas did give me pause though I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment Windy City Dragon which will feature Gabriel's brother Tobias. This installment will also provide more details in the overall series plot that features a royal Dragon sibling family who are in exile from their home land.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was right up my alley and I am not a person who reads a lot of shifter/human to dragon type romantic suspense books.

The reason I picked this up is that I am involved in a Harry Potter-themed reading and cross-stitching Facebook group where we are awarded points if we complete certain prompts. This month one prompt was to read a book with a dragon in it. I figured this book would apply and picked it up. And I was definitely not disappointed.

This book sparkled with magical dragon energy, You could literally feel it sizzle through the pages and tingle on your fingertips. The sexual tension and fire between Raven and Gabriel was astounding. How the author depicted Raven’s glowing skin with the words of magical spells written across her body just brought each scene between her and Gabriel alive. When Gabriel touched her, she would glow in this way.

And the plot was pretty compelling too. Cursed dragon prince sent to Earth to supposedly save him from his uncle who had overthrown the new ruler (Gabriel’s brother) and chopped off his head. Now Gabriel is next in line for the throne. But an evil Voodoo Priestess has cursed him to get him to supposedly sleep with her. But she is really after his immortal dragon powers to keep her alive for many more centuries. The demons she has currently been working with are not helping her as much as they used too. Their magic is stale and she needs fresh blood in the form of a dragon prince to remain alive.

Gabriel needs to find a way to break the curse and time is running out. He only has until Mardi Gras to fix the flaw in the ring his mother created to allow him to stay in this dimension. If it fails, he will turn to stone. I was just riveted from page one.

I have already picked up the next book in the series featuring Gabriel’s brother, Tobias. I hope he is a bit more open in that book than he was in this book. But looking forward to the read.

Genevieve Jack is a new author for me and I have to say that I was impressed with her story. Thank you!

[Douglas Meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I should point out that I am a sucker for any plot that starts our with the hero (or heroine) saving the other life by curing cancer, some horrible disfigurement from a wreck or just any of those "saved from a depressing death" scenarios so I was already on the positive side from just reading the synopsis.

Gabriel and Raven are not your typical couple, they have a serious love/hate thing going on at the start and add to the mix Raven has a huge chip on her shoulder that gets her into more than 1 TSTL situation, just about anytime Gabriel is not at her side she is getting into trouble.

All this should have made me dislike the book but I loved the story, from my perspective what we had here was a great story told in something barely above mediocre fashion. I did scan a bit because it rambled in places that had no effect on the story but it was so I could get to the "good parts" (no, get your head out of the gutter, I am not 12 anymore) the "good stuff" was adventure and actual romance that was not "insta-love" which was a close call.

You get a bit of background and since this series I can see is going to be about a bunch of brothers and 1 sister getting revenge on an evil uncle I think I will stick with it (actually I plan to buy book 2 as soon as I write this review.)

You will enjoy the story, we have a serious evil voodoo witch, a great hero, a decent heroine eventually and a good story line that does not end with a cliffhanger but leaves a thread that you will want to explore in the next book. 4 Stars for not being a better writer and making me scan parts or it would have been 5 Stars.

[Trish R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this 4 stars because I like 75% of it. And the other 25% dislike could be because of the narrator. He was pretty terrible. (I'll have to check and see if the next one is on Audible) Anyway, I tried to concentrate more on the story. I really liked Gabriel but Raven had too many TSTL moments, especially when she went to Gabriel's realm and wandered off outside because she was too impatient to wait for him, and AGAIN she was taken, by the evil people. He was constantly having to save that idiot girl.

I liked Richard, Duncan and Agnes, and even though we never got to see the Oreads, Hazel and Juniper, I really liked them.

Overall, it was a pretty interesting story BUT if the same person narrates the second book I won't continue with the series. AND I won't continue with it if that get a lousy female narrator who has the men talking like girls.

There was sex in this book and the F-bomb was used 11 times.

[K.C. Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous start to this new series! Raven is a great heroine; tough, plucky, funny, and brave. Her voice is so strong, right from the first page, that you root for her immediately. Gabriel is a grouchy, heart-stoppingly hot hero, and his transformation from gruff, secretive loner to protective partner is a delight to read. Even if you don't usually read paranormal romance, I highly recommend you give this one a try. You'll be hooked! Bravo, Ms. Jack!

[Cyrene Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raven is dying from cancer – and her time is almost up when Gabriel visits her hospital room and pulls a tooth from his mouth and has a dying Raven swallow it – unknowingly bonding herself to a dragon. When she starts getting miraculously better, she thinks it was a dream. When he requests that she work for him, she agrees to help him.

I loved this romance and I loved Gabriel and Raven. The romance burns slowly, and the suspense on if Raven can help save Gabriel will keep you glued to the pages. The author did a great job with not only the main characters, but with the secondary characters also. A few good twists that start in the back half of the book may surprise you. This is a series that I’ll be looking forward to reading more of. Reviewed by Cyrene

[Snarktastic Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly this book was forgettable. I read it because . . . dragons and New Orleans. It was interesting enough to finish - But, really, that's about it.

[Joanne Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series and it felt like it. The story dragged a little for me a times. Overall I enjoyed this novel and I will more than likely read more in this series.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon & on Apple iBooks today (5/2/2021)!🎁

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new author to me and Listened on audio. It was a great story and I've already downloaded book 2! Gabriel, wealthy, handsome dragon who is cursed to die by Mardi Gras. Raven, young, pretty and dying of cancer when Gabriel heals her in hopes she can heal him. Unbeknown to Raven, she has magic and her family history come from a very powerful witch. There is lots of magic, secrecy, intrigue, humor and some sexy times. The ending took me by surprise and was well worth getting to the hea. Agatha and Richard, and Raven's sister Avery were great side characters.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**The Dragon of New Orleans is the first in the adult fantasy series, The Treasure of Paragon, by author Genevieve Jack. I enjoyed this book, and I think I will likely continue on with the series, but it didn't blow me away like I was hoping it would. It is no secret that I love fantasy books, and I have been very into dragon tropes for the past 6 months or so. The Dragon of New Orleans was a good book and there were many things that I really enjoyed about it, but it was not my favorite dragon related story in the romance department. But first, let's start with the elements of the story that I really enjoyed. I loved that the world building in the novel. I thought Raven's abilities, and bloodlines were really interesting, and Paragon was very cool. Both are something I look forward to exploring and learning more about in the next installment. I loved some of the secondary characters, as well as the curse placed on Gabriel. Though the idea of a curse is nothing new in fantasy novels, the aspects and details surrounding his curse felt unique to me, and I really enjoyed seeing what was going to happen in regards to it. The book is well written and the plot is interesting. There are plenty of twists and turns mixed in to change things up. But still, I did find myself at times getting a bit restless while reading. Something just kept me from getting completely sucked into this world and wrapped up in these characters. It is hard to pin point exactly, because there is nothing wrong that I can single out. I enjoyed this book, I just didn't love it. I am completely in the minority here but I didn't fully buy into the romance. I couldn't get romantically connected to either of them. I liked both of them, but they just were not doing it for me together. Like I said, a ton of people on goodreads really loved the romance in The Dragon of New Orleans. They are gushing about it, so if you like fantasy romances featuring Dragons and Curses, you should totally give this book a try. It is a good read, and it might be right up your alley!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

[Gloria Herrera for As You Wish Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a believer after reading this book!

Normally, I just read romance, mysteries, and suspense stories. The description of this book made me decide to attempt this book and this new author for me. I am sold!

This is a great story, with fully developed characters, wonderful writing style, and a strong plotline. Immediately from the first page, I was immersed in a world of reality and fantasy befitting New Orleans. Having lived in that city for a number of years, this story picks up on the otherworld side of this city with all the magic and ju-ju worth of a delightful story.

I am sold as far as this author is concerned. I will continue to read her stories. I am fan!

I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Thanks to the author for sharing a copy with me.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. This is the first book in a series and the first book I've read by Genevieve Jack. I love dragon shifter books, and this is a great entry into that particular sub-genre. This was a really good, entertaining, edge of your seat read. I really liked Gabriel and Raven. I loved seeing them interact with each other, and seeing Raven learn about her bloodline. I was in her corner the entire time. There was also a cool plot twist I wasn't really expecting, but that just mad the book all the more enjoyable. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This is my first ever read by this author and she writes amazingly!!

Raven was dying of a brain tumour and was really on her way out when she sees a gorgeous man in her hospital room.
He makes her a deal... she helps him and he in turn heals her of her tumour/ cancer. After accepting his tooth she miraculously heals and is at his beck and call.
She has to find out how to break his curse on his family ring. The curse that will turn him to stone and end the lives of his friends and her too.

The thing that she doesn’t get is how he thinks she can help him break the curse on his ring.

It’s an amazing beginning to this series and I can’t wait for more!!

[T.A. Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little more than halfway through, the magic system/world-building got stupid imho. I skimmed the rest, it got pretty much worse. It was fun till then.

Second reading: I got to 70% this time before begin the skimming. I'm raising from 2-stars to 3-stars.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

For months now I have been wondering what would be my "3 Stars". . . and I think I have found it.

I could finish this book, but found it bizarrely ridiculous (there is a honestly a segment in this book that will have you thinking "yeah, the publishers said 'this is too short' you think you could send them on a worthless two chapter errand into a magical realm to thicken it a bit?'").

I obsessed over details that just never added up, for instance, our heroine had suffered with cancer for 5 years, but she remembers her drinking days and the lure of seducing men. And then we are told her cancer started at 17. . . so math is weird in this one. Oh and the characters have had sex only once when the heroine thinks to herself "He loves it when I touch myself during sex" (not a direct quote btw)--and in that previous sexual act. . . she did not touch herself.

And of course, the old woman is the villain. The characters are really tough to know let alone like: moody dragon who sleeps all day whose main character trait is he is big and "won't hurt anyone." But the heroine is really just beyond annoying--and not in a fun way. Her sole mantra seems to be "I just want to be free"--while reading you imagine a blue eyed raccoon with its hand caught in a jar clinging to a "freedom" pin.

An awkward sample (one of many):

"'You find me sexy?' He pulled her against him and kissed her, her red lipstick smearing from the pressure and intensity. She didn't complain or try to stop him. Her body melted into his, and the scent of her arousal was a brand upon his heart. He knew she could drain him within an inch of his life, and still he was ready to mount her. Death be damned.

"'Are you two ready?' Tobias said from the door. 'We are wasting daylight.'

"Gabriel pulled back, panting.

"'Give me a minute to freshen up,' Raven said, ducking into the bathroom.

"Gabriel wiped his mouth, his fingers coming away red. He walked into the kitchen and wet a towel to clean up."


(Maybe this is closer to a 2.5?)

[Gabija. Keista Skaitytoja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirmą kartą skaičiau istoriją apie drakoną 🙈 ir man patiko 😁 sakyčiau įdomiau, negu apie vampyrus skaityti 😁
O kai mergina dar ir pasirodo nėra įprasta mergina, o Ragana, ir tarp jų, aišku, išsivysto meilės istorija su S puslapiais, knyga yra pats tas, kai norisi ir fantazijos ir meilės istorijos.
Ir nors iš pradžių į šią knygą žiūrėjau kiek skeptiškai, ji mane taip įtraukė ir taip patiko, kad supratau, jog tikrai skaitysiu ir likusias dalis, apie visus Gabriel brolius ir seserį (tad bus dar 8 knygos 🙈😁)
Gal būt man taip patiko ši istorija, nes neturiu kol kas su niekuo panašaus jos palyginti, o gal tiesiog norėjau labai tokios istorijos🤷‍♀️
Ravenna - pagrindinė veikėja irgi patiko, ne iš kelmo spirta mergina, kuri sugeba "atsikirsti" ir sutramdyti drakoną 😁 o jos su Gabriel meilės istorija tokia lėta, nuspėjama, bet vystėsi lėtai, gražiai, buvo ir juokingų situacijų, kur tikrai juokiausi, buvo ir liūdnų vietų, kur nervinausi "na kodėėėėl??? Kaip taip galima???", buvo ir "spicy" scenų, visai neprastai aprašytų sakyčiau😈
O kas žinot, man svarbiausia būna pabaiga, tai ji tokia, kad nori nenori, nors kitos dalys apie kitus veikėjus, bet veiksmas vyksta toliau, o Gabriel su Ravenna figuruos ir toliau, o ir kaip baigsis visa ši istorija noriu sužinoti labai.🤔🙈
P.s.: Gabriel - dar vienas vyrukas, kurį įtrauksiu į #manoknygųvaikinai sąrašą😈😍

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some things I really booked about this novel and some things I didn't. I enjoyed d it well enough, and this was a solid four star read until the ending. The heroine was admired for her strength and bravery, and through most of the novel, she could be described that way, but towards the end, she seemed to turn into someone else. A voudon witch wants to sleep with your (New) mate? Sure! She wants to steal his power? Ok! Said witch basically wants to enslave him? We've got weekends, it'll be fine! It just didn't seem in character with who she was previously, or who she was supposed to be. She was so intent on living free due to her illness, I guess later, it didn't matter if anyone else did. I don't know if it was supposed to show that she loved him so much, she'd be willing to do anything to keep him alive, but it didn't much since she wasn't really the one making the sacrifices. Also the whole, I can't have kids thing bothered me, too. I thought the tooth helped regenerate and heal, so I don't understand how this was still a thing.

Any issues I had were heroine specific, so I will continue with the series because it is an interesting world and concept.

[murrrmika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Думала буде щось простеньке, а тут екшн і пригоди мені дали на тарілці, та ще й розйобний фінальчик, ух, я таке люблю, смакота
Буду продовжувати серію, бо прочитала деякі анотації, нямка