The old Eddas speak of dreki—fabled creatures who haunt the depths of Iceland’s volcanoes and steal away fair maidens.Freyja wants none of such myths. Dreki seducing young ladies? Ha. They probably eat such foolish girls. But when the local dreki steals her last ram—costing her any chance of feeding her ill father through the winter—Freyja intends to confront the fearsome myth.Sentenced to a life … winter—Freyja intends to confront the fearsome myth.
Sentenced to a life of exile from his clan, Rurik is fascinated by the furious woman who comes to claim her ram. She reeks of mysterious magic, and challenges him at every step. He intends to claim the passionate firebrand, but to do so he must take mortal form.
It’s the only time the dreki are vulnerable, and with a dragon hunter arriving on the shores of Iceland, he can barely afford the risk—but lonely Freyja, with her elf-cursed eyes and pragmatic soul, tempts him in ways he’s never felt before. Is she the key to reclaiming his heritage? Or will she be his downfall?
more
Tried to give 5 stars but it’s not letting me. Wonderful story and I couldn’t put it down!
Sexy dragon shifter hero, and a strong, no nonsense heroine. Loved it!
The drekki are an interesting take on dragons (their lesser counterparts in this story) and have a ruthless ruling family. The male protagonist is a sacrificing, honorable outcast while there is a strong female lead. She’s headstrong and powerful which is a nice change from some of the fainting violets I’ve read about lately. I’m eager to read the rest of the series as the end was a surprise.
It was very captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!
loved it
I loved the Steam-punk series by Bec Mcmasters, while this was a different type of book (who doesn’t love a dragon shifter romance) I was intrigued.
Once again she brought me into her world with solid world building, a hero, heroine and secondary characters that had me rooting for the HEA and understanding there was much more to come in future books.
Of course the twist at the end set up the next book perfectly. If this is they type of story line you enjoy I encourage to give the first and second book in this series (that’s as far as I’ve read so far) a try. I I wasn’t disappointed and don’t think you will be either.
Couldn’t put it down.
This was a freebie, but I love Bec McMaster’s killer world building skills! And I wasn’t disappointed! I haven’t read a lot of Norse/Icelandic lit, but their dragons are…well…lit! Great tension, cool plot, interesting magic system. Gotta say that I am mildly annoyed that we aren’t sure what our main girl’s backstory is quite yet, but I’m sure it will make for a grand finale! Can’t wait!
WOW! I have to say Bec is seriously moving up my list as one of my favorite fantasy authors. This is my 2nd book I’ve read of hers and I think I might have to do a backlist binge of hers, bc I do have some borrows in my queue and I believe all of her series seem to read best in order. This series starter is so well written including the world building AND the characters. OMG and the dragon fight scene was stellar. Truly, I really felt the emotion poured off the pages from Freyja and Rurik. Now, onto the NEXT BOOK! I would also like to add that I’ve been wanting to read more dragon shifter stories and this one sure delivered.
The Iceland setting, powerful dragon-like dreki, also powerful young maidens, steamy romance, what’s not to like? I liked that Freyja had power of her own, so she could not only defend herself, but help defend the man she loved. The handsome shape shifting dreki, Rurik was appealing in both forms, even though he kept expecting to get his own way. Luckily Freyja stood up to him, so that made her even more awesome. I liked the world of the dreki, who are not really dragons, but spirits of earth, air and fire, more powerful than mere dragons. I was left with a few questions at the end, which I hope will be answered in the next book in the series, which I’m looking forward to reading.
Heart of Fire is an adventure-packed fantasy romance. Some of it is predictable and some of it unbelievable. I always like a hero who woos the heroine and that’s a big part of this story. I didn’t connect much with the characters, but the story was usually fun to follow. I was disappointed with the slapdash HEA between the hero and heroine. This is Book 1 in the Legends of the Storm series, and the ending leaves some things to still be discovered.
I don’t know how I’ve missed this series by McMaster! Dragon shifters in Iceland!
The 5th book in the series has just come out, so I’m re-reading the series and revisiting the wonderful characters.
Freya is at her wits end trying to take care of her sick father and their farm when a dragon swoops from the sky to steal her last ram. Her anger overcomes her fright as she goes to the dragon’s lair to get her ram back.
Rurikis a dreki, not a lowly dragon, and he finds this interloper intriguing.
Haakon is making a name for himself as a dragon killer, at least until he can find the golden dragon who stole his wife
The characters are fully fleshed out and the reader slowly learns about this world and its inhabitants. Each book can be read independently, but are much better as part of the series..
What an amazing story! I loved this book. This is something different from the billionaire dragon shifter with private plane. This feels more real, more primitive and wild, as if it could have been, once upon a time. Rurik and Freyja are believable because their thoughts and emotions are familiar to us. The depth and power of those feelings allow the reader to exist within the story. As Freyja begins to awaken to her own capabilities, she encounters love. As that love is tested, then threatened, Freyja realizes she is out of options and must wield her powers without fully understanding exactly how to do so. Normally I dislike stories that leave a lot of loose ends, but somehow, this story can stand on its own, or not…Meaning I can return to it whenever I choose, to continue the story. And I hear it calling…
Freyja is in a tough spot, running a small farm and looking after her ailing father when the unthinkable happens and the long feared dragon that lives in the nearby volcano steals the only ram they own. Most people would be absolutely terrified but knowing their livelihood is at risk something just snaps in Freyja and she goes up the mountain to take back her ram !
Rurik made a deal with the villagers but they’ve left him hungry so of course he’s going hunting for food but it’s chased by something much more delicious and that’s a fierce female who boldly challenges him in his own lair! Who is she and more to the point what is she ? Freyja is a conundrum, a puzzle to solve and it’s been a longtime since Rurik felt this alive. Freyja might think she’s survived the Dreki but can she survive the man?
This definitely felt like a fantasy but I really liked the very strong romance aspect that ran throughout. Rurik is very much determined to woo Freyja and goes to extreme lengths to court her but I loved that he boldly announced his intentions. This male is so pushy that at times it’s funny and I’ve gotta love a guy who exudes confidence!
Yes it’s a solid romance but there’s a lot more going on and I thought the supporting characters particularly dragon hunter Haakon added extra depth as his backstory is very interesting. These Dreki are not as solitary as they seem and the author has only scratched the surface with this story. I note the ending states there will be a follow up book and if it’s as engaging as this then I’m definitely going to want to read it although right now I think the author will find it hard writing about another couple who are as exciting as Rurik and Freyja. This story is also available in the anthology Myths and Magic so I need to read that book in its entirety when released to discover what other delicious stories lie within.
This voluntary take is of an advance reader copy of Heart of Fire and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
As always, Bec McMasters is an entertaining author!
I loved the spin on dragons mixed with the twists of fables. Freyja’s intelligence and strong will was easily admirable as was Rurik’s curious nature and sharp wit. However, I didn’t really click with the romantic side of their relationship because of Freyja’s constant rejection of Rurik’s suit. There is an open ended HEA, but Freyja could have smelled the roses way sooner then she did! At any rate, Bec McMaster’s creative world building, mixture of genres, and detailed characterization stood out, as usual, leaving me satisfied with this new series opener.