“Lauren has created a new series that will capture you from page one! Grigori is exactly what a dragon should be. Smoking hot, sexy, and wickedly dangerous. You’re going to love this book!” – New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy He’s one of the last of a powerful but vanishing bloodline … Grigori Barinov is the eldest in an ancient line of dragon shifters and the guardian of his … shifters and the guardian of his family’s lands and fortune. Sworn to protect their history and magic, he won’t rest until he neutralizes any threat to their existence. When he discovers an ancient manuscript that exposes his family and their dragon lineage has fallen into a mortal woman’s hands, he knows he must get the book back by any means necessary. If that means seducing a nosy American woman with an intoxicating scent, he is more than willing to carry her off to his palatial home deep in the heart of Russia.
She’s the one woman who could expose him to the world…
Madelyn Haynes has never fit in. As an adopted child she grew up in a loving home but never felt as though she belonged. Plagued by mysterious dreams she’s had of a silver scaled beast ever since she was a little girl, she is convinced dragons are real. While in Russia working on her PhD in mythology in order to escape the ridicule from fellow professors, she unexpectedly crosses paths with the sexy and dominating Grigori, and after just one night with the man whose eyes seem to burn, she starts to change inside. Isolated in the Russian wilderness Grigori calls home, Madelyn can’t help but fall under his sensual spell, yet something deep inside her calls out that she can’t trust him. She has to show the world dragons are real to salvage academic reputation, even if it means costing her the heart of the dragon she’s falling in love with.
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Awesome read!! Loved it!!
I love a good PNR book to read and this one was good. So we have Madelyn who is in Russia researching dragons for work. She feels like their is more to the mythology of dragons it just takes researching. Only she stumbles across something that seems to call to her. Whatever it was she writes it off because it can’t be true right. Well then we have Grigori who has been alive for a very long time. He is also a dragon shifter. One of royal blood and only few left of his kind. He is getting the feeling that something is out in the city that has him on edge but not sure what it is. Then something happens that puts Madelyn on Grigori’s radar. The unexpected happens though. A spark that is felt between the two of them. So Madelyn is not sure if it is all real or not. She has never had someone be interested in her. The thing is she does not complain about it constantly. She just goes with it. I loved that about her. She realizes what she has been missing and that is love. Also she feels like she has been alone. Then flashbacks happen and other things that is going. Is there more going on with Madelyn or what. Then the story takes another twist and trust me when I say we don’t see it coming. Overall I really enjoyed this book and will follow up with the rest of this series as well.
Overall, this book was a good read with a great plot and characters that were so well detailed which made this a book worth reading!
LOVED THIS BOOK! Lauren Smith has weaved the most beautiful love story with descriptions that make you feel you are right there in the pages.
Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy books are unknown territories to me. However, one of my goals is to expand my reading horizons by reading genres that are “out of my comfort zone”. When I saw this book at Netgalley and read the blurb, I thought to myself that this is a good read for the “getting-to-know-you” stage. Was it worth the risk?
Grigori Barinov, a dragon shifter, who sworn to protect his powerful but vanishing ancient lines. Also, he has been looking for his true mate until he met a mortal woman. But a shifter and a mortal can’t mate because it means death for one of them. Is he willing to risk it all for love?
Madelyn Haynes, a college professor, who traveled all the way to Russia to look for proofs that dragons do exist (or she will lose her job). However, she has no idea that her life will change forever.
Was it worth the risk? YES! This is a well-written story with lovable characters. I love it when I can vividly imagine how the characters look like and the amazing locations in this book. And the twist, oh boy, the twist, that’s something you also have to watch out for.
Overall, I love this book! It’s like a first date where everything went well; you got a good night kiss, and expecting a call/text the next day! Thank you so much, Lauren Smith ! Looking forward to the other two books in this series.
Grigori Barinov is the eldest of three brothers the last in an ancient line of dragon shifters and the guardian of his family’s lands and fortune. When he discovers a two hundred year old manuscript that exposes his family and their dragon lineage has fallen into a mortal woman’s hands, he knows he must get the book back by any means necessary. Even as he handles the book all he can smell is an intoxicating scent.
Madelyn Haynes has always been lonely, an adopted child she grew up in a loving home but never felt as though she really belonged. She is plagued by mysterious dreams she’s had of a silver scaled beast ever since she was a little girl, she is convinced dragons are real. While in Russia working on her PhD in mythology in order to escape the ridicule from fellow professors, she unexpectedly crosses paths with the sexy and dominating Grigori.
The author’s books are a must read for me & I love the strong characters that are part & parcel of her books but I’m not a fan of shifter books so started this wondering if I would like it, I needn’t have wondered, it exceeded my expectations. It is an engrossing enthralling novel. The characterisation is so very good, Grigori & Madelyn are strong characters who are very likeable & the chemistry between the pair is sizzling. Grigoris is everything you want in a hero, so very caring & protective & not forgetting gorgeous. Madelyn has always been happy to stay in the background & has been a loner until meeting Grigori when she finds her strengths. The plot is very well paced & I was loathe to put it down & read it in well under a day & eagerly look forward to Mikhail & Rurik’s stories. If you like the author’s other books give this a try you won’t be disappointed
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Loved the story. The characters were interesting and well developed. Numerous grammatical errors took away from the story. Proofreading could have helped this. I couldn’t believe the author was an educated woman who released a book with this many errors. I constantly had to go back and reread passages to get the POV. I recommend the book but, I urge the reader to pay attention to the age of the hero. I think it changed.
Madelyn dreams of dragons. So much so, she’s in Moscow searching for historical proof that dragons once existed. In her search, she crosses paths with Grigori, a charming Russian businessman . . . and immortal dragon shifter. Their attraction is almost instant but they each have so much to learn about the other.
Lots to love about this book! I enjoyed the historical tie-ins between Grigori’s backstory and major events in Russian history. I appreciated the ways dragon mythology was used in the story. I liked the balance Grigori had between ancient being and modern citizen of the world; he wasn’t a fish-out-of-water in our time but he still reflected his centuries of life experience. I loved that Madelyn was cautious and reasonable and yet showed tremendous strength.
Madelyn and Grigori’s story ends with a terrific HEA/HFN, but the seeds are sown for Mikhail’s and Rurik’s stories. (I have a theory about Rurik’s love story, but I’m keeping it to myself.) Absolutely loved this story and will devour the rest of the series as each book becomes available.
First let me say that I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book, but it in no way influenced my feedback. I always leave an honest review.
OMG!!! This story was awesome. Madelyn is so convinced that dragon’s are real, she travels to Russia to finish her PHD. She finds a lot more than she bargained for. Grigori is a hot, dominant dragon shifter and falls hard for Madelyn. So many things happening as well. Gr8 read. . I recommend this read. 5 Thumbs up
‘Grigori’ by Lauren Smith is the First Book in a New Series called “Brothers of Ash and Fire”. This is the story of Grigori Barinov and Madelyn Haynes. Madelyn has always been fascinated with Dragons and now has taken it so far as her job. Madelyn set out to prove that dragons did exist at one time. While working on her PhD in mythology in Russia she happens upon a book about Dragons by a author a first she thinks is do real research but then in his book he showcases a family that are dragon shifters. Madelyn gives the book back because she knows that book is not about a real siting. Grigori has been alerted that some one requested his family book from the Library. Grigori rushes over to the Library to try and catch the person who is interested in his family. Grigori thinks there is a threat there and wants to know who is trying to look into Dragons. Grigori tracks down Madelyn who he feels a instant attraction too and his Dragon doesn’t want to let her go. Madelyn is afraid of Grigori at first. Who wouldn’t be when someone enters your hotel room demand answers from you and then you are taken to his home. But it doesn’t take Madelyn long to start to feel something for Grigori but how will she react to his big secret?I appositely love Ms. Smith writing and try to read ever book she puts out. I totally enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next book about one of Grigori brothers!
This story kept me turning pages. Madelyn was a sweet, determined woman with a sketchy past. She has her fears but kept going anyway. I loved that, despite her misconceptions, she was willing to believe the unbelievable. Grigori was the protector of the family secrets as well as the eldest of the Barinov brothers. His soft heart as well as his fierce protectiveness for family and Madelyn, made him a hero for me to adore. There is plenty of action to keep the story moving, and I look forward to the rest of the brothers. I highly recommend this story.
I received this story as a gift, and this is my unsolicited review.
About the Book:
He’s one of the last of a powerful but vanishing bloodline …
Grigori Barinov is the eldest in an ancient line of dragon shifters and the guardian of his family’s lands and fortune. Sworn to protect their history and magic, he won’t rest until he neutralizes any threat to their existence. When he discovers an ancient manuscript that exposes his family and their dragon lineage has fallen into a mortal woman’s hands, he knows he must get the book back by any means necessary. If that means seducing a nosy American woman with an intoxicating scent, he is more than willing to carry her off to his palatial home deep in the heart of Russia.
She’s the one woman who could expose him to the world…
Madelyn Haynes has never fit in. As an adopted child she grew up in a loving home but never felt as though she belonged. Plagued by mysterious dreams she’s had of a silver scaled beast ever since she was a little girl, she is convinced dragons are real. While in Russia working on her PhD in mythology in order to escape the ridicule from fellow professors, she unexpectedly crosses paths with the sexy and dominating Grigori, and after just one night with the man whose eyes seem to burn, she starts to change inside. Isolated in the Russian wilderness Grigori calls home, Madelyn can’t help but fall under his sensual spell, yet something deep inside her calls out that she can’t trust him. She has to show the world dragons are real to salvage academic reputation, even if it means costing her the heart of the dragon she’s falling in love with.
My Thoughts:
Lauren’s description of Grigori in dragon form was so good that I pictured him in my mind’s eye and was ready to get out the prisms colors to draw him.
Grigori Barinov is the eldest in an ancient line of dragon shifters. When a young American woman happens to show an interest in a book written long ago about his Dragon Shifting family, Grigori has her abducted and brought to him.
Madelyn was adopted as a young child and never fit in. Her belief that Dragons had at one time been real brings her to Russia in search of answers to save her job. She is astounded by her discovery.
Will Grigori and Madelyn’s attraction for each other lead to their Happily Ever After?
I loved this book and finished reading it the same day I started it. I can hardly wait for book #2, Mikhail’s story.
Even the love at first sight thing didn’t bother me very much. I am now in love with dragon shifters again. Throwing in another mythical character in the form of the heroine, who wasn’t a dragon but another mythical being who happens to be an enemy of the dragons was a brilliant touch.
The only other Dragon Shifters series that captured my attention as much as Grigori was the Drakon Series by Shana Abe’. I couldn’t wait for the next one of them to release and bought the whole series in hardcover.
I gave this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization and a hot sensual rating of 4 of 5 flames. The intimacy between our hero and heroine is surprisingly sweet as well as scorchingly hot.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
I love shifter/PNR books, especially ones with dragons, so I was very excited to read this book. Grigori is a dragon and, as the eldest of his royal line, has sworn to keep his family and its history, safe. When he learns about a book containing information about his family, he goes looking for it. What he finds is Madelyn, a human who should not know about dragons but has been dreaming of them for years. She needs to prove the existence of dragons to vindicate her beliefs against all of her peers who have ridiculed her for years. Grigori needs to get the book away from Madelyn by any means necessary…including seducing her. He doesn’t mean to start caring for her.
I enjoyed Grigori and Madelyn together and the twist and turns of this story and thought it was a good start to a new series.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley. My opinions and reviews are honest and my own.
Good, quick, sexy read. Likable characters, believable insta-love because he’s a dragon shifter, and a solid story.
I was given an ARC for my honest review.
Love, love, love this story!
First off, I’m a HUGE dragon shifter fan. So when I found out one of my favorite authors, Lauren Smith, was starting a dragon shifter series I was so there. And what a start it is! This story grabbed me from the first page. Grigori is full of intrigue, action and enchanting characters. I love that it’s set in Russia, it’s a new setting to me. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
I would recommend this book to any dragon shifter readers!
I was given a copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
WOW! Lauren Smith has been my go to author for Historical Romances for a while now and this is her venture into paranormal romance and I have to say that she did a terrific job with it. I loved all the detail she put into her story because it made it easier to visualize everything, just as she does with her historical romances her words pulls you into the world that she had envisioned for you and you become the fly on the wall watching everything happening around you.
I haven’t read many dragon shifter romances but this is the best one I have read by far. The Barinov Brothers, Grigori, Rurik, and Mikhail, are the last of the Barinov’s line and it has become increasingly harder for them to find a mate to carry on their bloodline. Madelyn has taken a leave from teaching in order to go to Russia to research Dragons little does she know that her curiosity is about to change her life forever. The chemistry was great between Grigori and Madelyn, and I have to say that I enjoyed Rurik’s dislike for her it made the story interesting and gave it more depth.
This is a great start to a new series by Lauren Smith and I honestly cannot wait for the next book which looks to be about Mikhail. If you enjoy shifter romances especially dragons I highly recommend this book.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**
Grigori by Lauren Smith
Brothers of Ash and Fire #1
Madelyn has dreamed of dragons her entire life and has always been interested in proving they are or were real. In Moscow she finds a book that indicates they may be BUT finds herself in jeopardy as a result of reading the book and photographing what was in it.
Grigori Barinov and his two brothers are the last of their dragon line and need to create progeny or they will all die out. Little does he know that taking Madelyn home with him might prove to be the best thing that ever happened – for both of them.
There are fights and enemies and a mating and a revelation related to Madelyn and a few other fun events before the book ends with a lead into the next book which will be the story of Grigori’s brother Mikhail. My guess is that Rurik will be the third story in the series.
This was an easy read about a dragon and the mate he ends up with. There was nothing new in this paranormal romance but it was an enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Swerve – this is my honest review.
3-4 Stars