Luca Duray has been quite happy living a solitary existence for decades. But when a steel trap around his leg catches him when he’s weak and hungry, his life is irrevocably changed. He knows the wolf shifter who offers him assistance is more than he appears and immediately makes plans to keep the pup close.Disowned by his pack for being gay, Tanner McBane is forced to become a lone wolf. While on … wolf. While on a hunt, he stumbles upon an injured dragon shifter and provides aid. It’s not easy surviving on his own and when money gets tight, he finds himself face-to-face with the dragon shifter once again during an interview. Tanner isn’t sure a wolf should be working for a dragon, but he accepts the job and unknowingly creates a bond to his new boss. Soon, Tanner learns Luca isn’t just his boss—he’s his mate.
The mating of a wolf and dragon shifter is uncharted territory for both Luca and Tanner, but they are determined to make it work despite widespread prejudice, death threats, and the untraditional pack Tanner finds himself leading. Tanner only hopes that the bond he forms with Luca will prove to be unbreakable.
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** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
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Hearts of Fire (Chevalier #1) by Kay Doherty
146 Pages
POV: 3rd person, multi-POV
Content Warning: homophobia, interspecies-phobia, D/s elements and power struggles, May/Dec, mental health issues, violence, homicidal/suicidal thoughts
Wow! I’ve been a fan of Doherty since I read ‘Only You’ last year and I knew then that I was going to love anything they wrote. And I have, so far.
Hearts of Fire is a paranormal romance with a difference. Combining magic, shifters and family dynamics into a novel that is original and refreshingly clever, Doherty has offered something new to the genre.
Predominantly a dual POV, the story adds in the necessary extra POV of Deacon, a side character with a huge impact on the story. Through this, we’re never left out of the loop or scrambling to catch up with what might have happened elsewhere.
I loved the main characters and their diversity. Tanner and Luca were excellent characters to provide their POV, as well as intriguing enough to follow for the entirety of the novel. Tanner is strong, a natural leader, but raised to follow and his struggle to find his place in the world is a great journey. We’re never once lost amongst the conflict or the internal battle he’s waging with himself and how he was raised. We follow his struggle from start to finish, and that’s refreshing as well as necessary for his character growth. I really appreciated that none of his struggles were skimmed over, despite what else might have been happening at the time. Similarly, Lucas is the big strong businessman when the story starts, with a dominant personality. But, despite this, we see him open up to Tanner, express his jealousy and his softer side, until we see that he’s just as complex and relatable, just as real as Tanner is, with the same doubts and struggles.
The side characters all had their place in the story, and it was nice to follow them through their journey, even if it was a secondary plot. Seeing Deacon and Ross’ story through Deacon’s POV gave an extra element to the plot that really helped strengthen the worldbuilding and the sense of family that the characters had created with each other. Adding in the supporting roles of Ean, Vance and Theran, means that we get a real sense of family, support, and bonding between all the characters. I can’t wait to see their stories in subsequent books, as the series grows.
The chemistry between all the characters was fantastic, as was the slow burn of the central relationship. From sibling behaviour to friendship to the romance, all of the relationships were solid and well formed, well plotted and carefully revealed and constructed. I never doubted the friendship between the characters or the growing bonds that developed, because they were all firmly rooted in the story. The natural instincts of all characters – from human to their wolves to the dragon natures – were all well shown and explored throughout the plot and characterisation. When characters were in their human form, you could still sense their wolf/dragon instincts, and vice versa.
Overall, I loved everything about it and I can’t wait to read more.
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Favourite Quotes
“Luca fell more in love with Tanner each day. He was shocked how easily the pup had stolen what little heart Luca had,”