Breath of Fire

by Tammy Kane

"When the dragon came to claim him, Karl knew his great plan had gone horribly wrong. If he had known the creature was real, he wouldn't have scoffed at the villagers ... and he certainly wouldn't have been so quick to let them chain him to a rock. Mattaen Initiates trained as warriors, but no man could defeat a dragon. She had vanquished the beast and named her one night with the virgin sacrifice she'd saved. He'd taken a vow of chastity, but Karl still had a man's needs--and Elera's sultry curves made him ache to taste his first woman. With a scorching kiss she shattered his defenses ... and led him into a world of deception and seduction, where he'd be forced to choose between the brotherhood that had raised him and the woman whose courage set his heart on fire."--p. [4] of cover.

Genres: Dragons, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Adult

291 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2009

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kane starts off with a good idea: subvert the standard alpha hero/beta heroine relationship by making her hero a virgin scholar monk-in-training, and her heroine a dragonslayer with some kind of sex magic (I didn't get far enough to learn more than that).

Karl, the almost-monk, is set to take his vows (including chastity) and join his order in two days. He is attracted to Elera but does not want to sleep with her, a sentiment he makes clear early on. Elera, the dragonslayer, is walking GHB. After saving Karl from a dragon, she asks him to spend the night with her so she can "teach him about dragons," then seduces him first with her standard womanly wiles, then with her dragon-fire-sex-magic-whatever. It is the latter that I have a problem with: Karl repeatedly says no, and Elera forces his body to say yes with her magic.

This is all in the first thirty pages. I'm not even sure where to start with this hot mess of a pseudo-feminist plot. Kane imbues her heroine with strength, power, and knowledge: great! Then the heroine uses that to rape the hero: not as great! Definitely less great!

DNF.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter how many times I've read this, I love it.

[Sandy M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I’ve found a brand new author who is now on my auto-buy list after her debut book. This book has it all. It kept me reading, turning page after page, couldn’t put it down, it was terrific to the very last word. Yeah, all of those phrases that readers and reviewers use over and over again when describing a book they love. And add in any others you can think of.

Karl is a Mattaen initiate, men trained as warriors to defend those in need, and he is just days away from taking his final vows on his 30th birthday when he tries to stop the ridiculous sacrifice of a virgin to the dragon that is terrifying a village. Everyone knows dragons don’t exist. Right? So Karl trades himself to take the place of the frightened girl. Initiates are virgins too, so he’s the logical choice. The next thing he knows is all hell breaks loose as huge rumblings rent the air and the earth and he’s fighting for his life against a nonexistent beast. Dragons are definitely real.

Needing a virgin to breathe her life essence into and complete the bond needed to claim her mate and help her rule her world, to keep it from internal destruction, Elera seizes the opportunity that presents itself during her ruse to keep villagers believing in dragons. The man who wants to rule Verteva, as well as Elera herself, is not the man she believes will save them, and since it’s her choice of mate that will proclaim him king, she’s doing her own choosing. Leaving Karl the clues he needs to find her and Verteva, she leaves him after a night of intense loving and broken vows.

His celibacy at an end, along with the life he’s worked so hard for, Karl begins the arduous journey to find the woman who now fills his thoughts to the exclusion of everything else. He arrives just in time to keep her from the arms and bed of another man, a rival who could be his destruction as well as Verteva’s. He has no desire to be king, but Karl’s desire and lust slowly turn to love for Elera and her people, and to stay means he would have to rule. Even those dragons that grace the sky around their cloud-like world have found a place in his heart. Surviving the hatred and greed of the man who wants to be king is another matter, however, and Karl and Elera end up fighting for the lives of everyone, man and beast alike.

Ms. Kane has created such a fantasy world where dragons and their riders have a connection to communicate by feelings and thoughts, where one breath can bind souls together forever, and where other beautiful and miraculous happenings occur. Even the dragons themselves are fascinating. The bull that Elera rides is the only male in Verteva, tolerates only female touch, and has a bevy of beauties he cares for. The scenes where Elera is frightened and in trouble, her dragon bulldozing his way through anything and everything to get to her are simply stupendous. There is action galore, loyalty divided, and the love and romance will work its magic on you.

If you haven’t read Breath of Fire yet, as the saying goes, run - do not walk! - run to your nearest bookstore and buy it today. It’s worth every hard-earned penny and then some.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one was a maybe book for me. The concept of a virgin sacrifice has been done so many times, but this one had a twist, the man was the virgin, so I thought it just might be different enough to capture my attention. Unfortunately the main female character grated on my last sane nerve, she was so abrasive that after 30 pages I gave it up. This one just wasn't for me.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breath of Fire was a totally original and fun read! It sat on my TBR pile for a bit until one day I decided to give it a try. I wasn't expecting the fantastic story that I got, nor to come to the end and instantly want to find out about when the next book will be released.

This book turns many of the basic romance story rules on their axis. Instead of the virginal heroine being saved by the mighty hero, the book actually opens with the heroine saving the virgin hero's life! What's more, it wasn't the hero doing the seducing, but the heroine who played dirty to undermined the hero's resistance to her. Loved it!

This all added up to a very original story that pulled me right in. the characters of Karl and Elera where unique and appealing. I loved that they both were great warriors and skilled in fighting so this wasn't a story of the helpless female.

The secondary characters also stood out, and since this looks to be a series, I can't wait for their stories and to see what the future holds for Karl and Elera. I also can't wait to see what the Mattaen have in store and how they will react to Karl now.

Another plus were the Dragons and ancient world that Tammy created. There seems to be so much more to the Dragon's story. I can't wait to see more of their personalities and find out if they really are more aware than given credit for. The city of Elera's people is fascinating and I hope more of it's history is told in future books.

I really enjoyed reading this book and will be on the lookout for the sequel. If you like fantasy, or just want a great romance to read, then check this book out.

[Nik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! It was incredible.
Sexy confident and clearly in charge Elera arrives just in time to save the Initiate Karl from certain death by the dragon he thought could not exsist. However daughter of the dragon slayer named Shane demands payment, in the form of the virgin sacrifice. Karl has pledged his life to attaining knowledge and remains celebate and virgin in his persuits. He will soon join the brotherhood as a full fledged member and finally gain access to the scrolls that hold the secrets of the land, will he risk it all for the knowledge and the woman who has slain his dragon.... HELLS YEAH, wouldn't be a very long story otherwise, or terribly romantic.
I love that the virgin is the guy and the woman not only isn't a virgin but also does everything within her power to seduce the man.
The book is fast paced and exciting as we discover the reasons behind Eleras actions and just what kind of trouble she is in.
The love between Karl and Elera is gradual and realistic. Though I had some issue with his name being Karl, I did like the man. Dfinatley one for the favorites shelf!

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karl does not believe in dragons so when he arrives at a village getting ready to stake out a virgin as a sacrifice he tells them there are no dragons. When they still insist on sacrificing the virgin to the dragon he takes her place. Imagine his surprise when the dragon arrives and he is chained to a rock . Fortunately for him Elera the dragon slayer arrives in time to kill the dragon. Unfortunately for him Elera claims him as her virgin prize. Karl has spent the last 17 years as an Initiate of Mattaen and is just 3 days away from taking his final vows; vows that require him have never had sex. His one night with Elera changes his life and leads him into danger, conflict with the Mattaen, and a life he never imagined. A life filled with surprises that include Elera’s true relationship with dragons.

Breath of Fire is a great start to a new series and a new take on dragons and their riders.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragonrider Elera must find a king for her people and settles on Mattaen Initiate Karl. It should take a lot to derail a man from his chosen path but Elera is tempation personified and it really doesn't take all that much effort to persuade Karl to leave everything behind.

Don't they say "turnabout is fair play"? Well in this story, the heroine takes the initiative and enthralls Karl and takes what she wants. It's finally the heroes turn to feel hurt and betrayed and it's about darn time. This is a wonderful tale of dragons and dragon riders, monks, war, kidnapping, betrayal and faraway lands. Karl is a terrific hero; Elera is an incredibly strong heroine; and the action is continuous from chapter one all the way to the conclusion.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paranormal romance. The thing that drew me to this is the man is the virgin and the woman is experienced. Complete opposite of most romance novels. Had to read it for that fact alone.

Started out good, but kind of fell off. Got a little boring towards the end.

[Missy Fitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really interesting. I loved the dragon lore. The characters were well written and likable. The plot was interesting and made sense. I really enjoyed this book a lot!

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. Originally copy is torn so bad lol poor thing..

[Alarna · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a good book. sorta in the middle on the enymoment scale where it was entertains to read but you probably wouldn't read it again. i like the romance between the two characters and how that the h was a strong, conferdent, indepent women but still show vernerbillity and concern for her friends. i think the ending fell a bit flat and there could be improvements in some areas but i have to say some of the spelling mistakes where funny like "steady pounding puke".

overall i think that this book has good characters and the story is interesting (denfently the first iv read like it useally the dragons are just shape shifters) the only reason it to me so long to read is because i had trouble finding the book, when i first got it the words where so tiny i could barely read it so i stoped because it was hurting my eyes then picked it up agin when i got a better copy.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed that there was a role reversal where the woman was the one perusing the man. But as soon as the man sought her out to form their bond, she became more of a weak willed character, which I found to be both irritating and confusing. Also, toward the end of the book the author tried to stir up more problems for the characters to make it into a series, but its based on plot information from chapter 1. To me it wasn't carried through well throughout the book. Just making a threat to continue on for a sequel.

[Kade Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very silly of me to have picked up this book thinking it might be related to the video game JRPG of the same name (which is one my of my favorites) 🤣 I didn't expect it to be a romance fantasy however it was enjoyable anyway.

[Adrian Makowichuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inrterestung story line, easy to follow. I would of gave it one less star based on the (harlequin romance)esk style of writing. Although I didn't enjoy that after reading about Description on the back(after I read the book) I realized she delivered exactly what she promised.

[Paranormal Romance · Rating 2 out of 5]

On his travels in pursuit of knowledge and discovery, the hero comes across an act of ignorance and fear. The villagers have captured a young girl and mean to sacrifice her to the dragon. He is horrified that they should frighten such an innocent, especially considering there in no such thing as dragons. So, he offers a trade. Himself for the girl. All the villagers need, after all, if a virgin. But while he expected to be freed a short time later when the mythical beast did not show up, he is stunned to suddenly find himself in the presence of a dragon! Battling for his safety, he is saved by a beautiful woman who slays the beast and claims him as her reward. He tells her of his faith and of his coming vows that state he must be a virgin to be accepted into the order but though she reluctantly agrees not to seduce him.... he fears her very presence seduces him. She doesn't have to try very hard to get him to crack and as he succumbs to guilt and misery, planning to use his magical dagger to kill himself in the morning, his mysterious woman is escaping. Furious, he takes off in pursuit in the dangerous barons when no man has traveled before.

The heroine had a plan when she selected the hero and though she feels guilty about tricking him and using him the way she did, she must find for herself a suitable mate. A virgin, an intelligent man and a fighter. The handsome monk is all of those things. In her world or dragons, she is the decider of kings. She rides the only male dragon, the same creature she pretended to slay back at the village. She choice the hero to be her mate and to rule her people.... if only he can make in time. She knows he's angry enough to find her but she convinces herself that she can make him see reason. When he arrives to find himself welcomed by a woman who should be his enemy, the hero is stuck with a choice. No longer can he fool himself into believing he is not intrigued by the world of dragons and this beautiful dragon rider. No longer can he pity himself for not being able to take his vows. He made his choice and now he must make another. He has 7 days to either accept the heroine’s bond or fight his way out of camp. But with his growing love for her warming his heart, he knows the choice is easier than anything before.

I liked this book but I wasn't able to surrender myself to it. Something and I'm not sure what, held me back and that barrier stopped me from loving it. Perhaps the issue was the pacing. The book was rather slow for a majority of the story with only brief moments of actions. It also got horribly repetitive towards the end when the hero and heroine were either fucking or the villain was making an attack on them. The hero was a man who had every right to be angry. He told her of his forthcoming vows and his passionate belief in what he was doing. But she pressed and being a man, he couldn't stop his body from surrender to desire. Okay, he wasn't entirely blameless but he had the right to be angry, is my point. He was a complex man who had such fury in his heart while at the same time possessing such understanding and forgiveness. He was prideful, a natural leader though he denied it and he came to love the heroine with a fiery passion. The heroine was a woman whose time was running out. Without the hero, she would be forced (literally) to mate with the man whom she believes would only destroy her people. She is aware that she tricked the hero and used him but she offers him a great deal in return, not just the crown but also herself. The bond maybe half complete but it sets them both on fire neither the less. The story was unique and very fantasy driven, the characters enjoyable if a bit meh. I would have liked a more accelerated pacing to stop the lull that appeared throughout.

[Felicia (Ferishia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd had this book in my tbr pile for about a year. I picked it to read for my PNR reading challenge and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this book. The story was great, it was a different spin on what usually happens when dealing with dragons and sacrificial virgins. Karl is an Initiate, a man that is getting read to take his vows to be a monk. He lives a village that sacrifices virgins to appease the dragons. Or so it seems. Karl comes upon such an event happening, and takes the place of the female virgin. Karl is a virgin himself, so the switch is made. When a dragon actually appears, he is, stunned beyond believe. Along with the dragon, is the female "dragonslayer" Elera. She 'saves' Karl from the dragon and claims Karl as her payment. Karl is then tricked into giving up his virginity and his rites to become a monk. Karl is ashamed and wants to take his own life, but can only use sword he is given by the order to so. Elera knows this and takes the sword, forcing him to journey to her realm to get it back.

As I said, very different story and I really enjoyed it especially the smex (good smex quotient). I checked the author's site and another book is forthcoming in this series. I cannot wait to read it.

[Sarina Asheford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breath of Fire was a surprisingly different take on your typical mythological/fantasy type romance book. I liked Elera from the start. She was strong, wily and could almost be defined as treacherous until you see the reasoning behind her behavior. Karl was a great character with dimension and knowledge who didn't jump into anything, in fact he often needed to be forced.

There were several scenes in this book that I would have liked to see go a bit differently, but it's not my muse, not my characters and not my vision. Tammy Kane stayed true to her characters' personalities from start to finish and wove a very colorful and sexy tale around the dragon rider and her man!

[Juli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome new fantasy romance novel about a society of dragon riders, a religious sect, the hatred between them and the love of two of them members. The switching of the classic tale of the virgin sacrifice is an interesting twist that most readers seem to love--and this one was no exception. The world is fantastically drawn and rivals anything once produced in the fantasy genres. The romance is hot and sweet, and I think anyone who loves C.L. Wilson's work will adore Tammy Kane's too. I can't wait for the sequel to be released! :)

[Sarah Winters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I liked that fact that for a change the hero gets to play the part of sacrificial virgin but there was nothing about this story that really caught and held me. I found myself constantly putting it down for something else. The connection between Karl and Elera just didn't have enough to keep me slogging through so sadly I'm putting this in my give up pile. Probably one day, when I'm dreadfully sick and read all my other books I'll finish it - but I'm not holding my breath.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good story, excellent world-building and real connection with Elera and Karl. I liked that even though Karl was a virgin there was an almost reason for why he was so good at it almost immediately (study - monks have that kind of information apparently).

I would love to see more of this world. I read this book only because the idea of a male human sacrifice was hilarious and it sounded interesting.

[Feminista · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF: In the first 30 pages, Karl, a man who has honour and a monk who wishes to remain celibate for the rest of his life is forced by Elera(using her magic)into having sex with her. Oh, and she knows that he doesn't want it, but does it stop her? Nope. And then she gets real indignant when he calls her some well-deserved names.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was decent. The world building was great. The romance was good.

My problem isn't actually the book. It's the summery. This isn't a woman does all the badass and the man is swept off his feet like it's portrayed. This is the typical girl needs saving, and guy, against great odds, saves her.

[Rhianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dragon stories! Something very sexy about the girl seducing the monk. My only real complaint was that the bad guy just didn't know how to die. The story ran a little too long, but overall was very entertaining, and left us waiting for book two.

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I had found a grail with this book. Romance & dragons. Sadly the dragons are only second fiddle to the romance in the tale. Not a bad story, but less than what I hoped for. Ah well, back to fishing in my to-read pile. =-)

[The_Book_Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic debut novel, especially if you like strong heroines, sexy virgin heroes and dragons!

[Karen Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book caught my interest in the first few pages

[K.K. Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

actually it is 3.75 Stars ;)

[Lucero ♡♡♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how Lenen character is shown in this book. But the romance was overall overwhelming. Kind of took most of the book away from the action. But it's good